Fluorophore

[1] Fluorophores are sometimes used alone, as a tracer in fluids, as a dye for staining of certain structures, as a substrate of enzymes, or as a probe or indicator (when its fluorescence is affected by environmental aspects such as polarity or ions).

More generally they are covalently bonded to macromolecules, serving as a markers (or dyes, or tags, or reporters) for affine or bioactive reagents (antibodies, peptides, nucleic acids).

[2] Newer generations of fluorophores, many of which are proprietary, often perform better, being more photostable, brighter, or less pH-sensitive than traditional dyes with comparable excitation and emission.

Wavelengths of maximum absorption (≈ excitation) and emission (for example, Absorption/Emission = 485 nm/517 nm) are the typical terms used to refer to a given fluorophore, but the whole spectrum may be important to consider.

StayGold, known for its high photostability and brightness, was originally designed as a dimeric fluorescent protein, which, while effective, posed challenges related to the aggregation and labelling accuracy.

mStayGold exhibits superior photostability, maintaining fluorescence under high irradiance conditions and demonstrates increased brightness compared to its former variant StayGold.

These advancements make mStayGold a versatile tool for a variety of applications, including single molecule tracking and high resolution imaging of dynamic cellular processes, thereby expanding the capabilities of fluorescent protein in biological research.

[16] Abbreviations: Fluorophores have particular importance in the field of biochemistry and protein studies, for example, in immunofluorescence, cell analysis,[17] immunohistochemistry,[3][18] and small molecule sensors.