We've got some cell permeant fluorescent nucleic acid dyes, called SYTO
dyes  that would stain sperm cells.   They come in any color you want
and we've got sampler kits so you could try a bunch of dyes and see how
they work.  These might work better than the AM dyes, since sperm have
more nucleus than cytoplasm.  We have an on-line bibliography that you
could search for more ideas.  Each citation has a link to the products
used in the paper.

http://www.probes.com/servlets/search/#Bib



Donald O'Malley wrote:

> Dear Confocalists,
>
>       A colleague of mine is trying to label sperm (sea urchin)
> with a fluorescent dye so as to label specific eggs that the
> sperm have fertilized.  As such the dye would need to:
> a) be non-toxic
> b) cross membranes for loading via bath application
> c) label the nucleus (since the sperm nucleus is what enters
>      the oocyte)
> d) be well retained once inside cells.
> e) dual labeling at 2 different wavelengths would
>      be great, but Steve would settle for one at this point.
> He's already tried DAPI and acridine orange, which haven't
> worked for different reasons.  I've suggested fluorescein
> diacetate and oregon-green AM.  Any other suggestions
> would be appreciated.   If you prefer to reply off line, you
> can email me at: [log in to unmask]
> or, if you'd like, you can email Steve Palumbi directly at
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Best Regards,
> Don O'Malley
> Northeastern University

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Molecular Biology Product Manager
Molecular Probes, Inc.
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