AM4-64
AM4-64 is a fixable cationic styryl fluorescent dye for nerve terminals, which can be used for vesicle cycle evaluation, endocytic pathway tracing and endocytosis detection. AM4-64 inserts into the plasma membrane, is internalized via activity- or energy-dependent endocytosis, and accumulates in vesicles, endosomal compartments, vacuolar membranes, mitochondria and endolysosomal structures. The fluorescence of AM4-64 is enhanced in the membrane-bound state. AM4-64 is applicable to relevant studies on neurons, plant and fungal cells and tissues (Ex/Em = 510/750 nm).
For research use only. We do not sell to patients.
- Formula: C29H45Cl3N4
- Molecular Weight:556.05
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Storage:
Please store the product under the recommended conditions in the Certificate of Analysis.
Biological Activity
Guidelines (The following are recommended experimental protocols for guidance only and should be adjusted according to your specific requirements)
1. Stock Solution Preparation
1.1 Solvent: Anhydrous DMSO.
1.2 Concentration Recommendation: 1-10 mM.
2. Working Solution Preparation
2.1 Diluents: Optional diluents include Murashige and Skoog (MS) liquid medium, Neurobasal medium, serum-free medium, PBS, Tyrode’s solution, and liquid Czapek-Dox medium.
2.2 Working Concentration: 5-24 μM.
2.3 Notes: Adjust the working solution concentration as needed; prepare fresh immediately before use.
3. Staining Procedures
3.1 Adherent neuron-astrocyte co-culture system[1]:
3.1.1 Sample Type: Adherent live neuron-astrocyte co-cultures; trypsin digestion is not required.
3.1.2 Incubation Conditions: Incubate with AM4-64 working solution for 5 min in a system containing 20 mM KCl.
3.2 Wild-type tobacco BY-2 cells[2]:
3.2.1 Sample Type: Tobacco BY-2 cells
3.2.2 Incubate with 12 μM AM4-64 working solution on ice for 10 min.
3.2.3 Washing Step: Wash cells repeatedly with pre-chilled MS liquid medium to remove uninternalized dye.
3.3 Adherent human cortical neurons (HCNs)[3]:
3.3.1 Sample Type: Adherently cultured HCNs; trypsin digestion is not required before staining.
3.3.2 Incubation Conditions: Co-incubate 5 μM AM4-64 working solution with 500 nM AβO plus 100 μM glutamate or 20 mM KCl for 5 min. For Tetrodotoxin pre-incubation experiments, pre-incubate neurons with 1 μM Tetrodotoxin for 20 min before adding AM4-64 (with or without AβO).
3.3.3 Washing Step: Rapidly wash the culture once with pre-chilled HBSS after incubation.
3.4 Adherent fungal hyphae[4]:
3.4.1 Sample Type: Adherent fungal hyphae grown on the surface of cellophane placed on solid nutrient medium.
3.4.2 Incubation Conditions: Incubate with 6 μM, 12 μM, or 24 μM AM4-64 working solution at room temperature.
3.5 Adherent nerve growth factor (NGF)-differentiated PC12 cells[5]:
3.5.1 Sample Type: Adherent NGF-differentiated PC12 cells.
3.5.2 Incubation Conditions:
3.5.2.1 First wash cells with Tyrode’s solution, then incubate in Tyrode’s solution containing 10 μM AM4-64 for at least 2 min.
3.5.2.2 Stimulate with depolarizing high-potassium Tyrode’s solution (70 mM KCl, 59 mM NaCl) containing 10 μM AM4-64 for 2 min.
3.5.2.3 Incubate in normal Tyrode’s solution containing 10 μM AM4-64 for at least 15 min (duration can be adjusted) to label slow endocytic processes.
3.5.2.4 Incubate in low-calcium Tyrode’s solution (0.2 mM CaCl2, 5 mM MgCl2) containing 0.5 mM SCAS for at least 5 min to quench uninternalized dye.
3.5.2.5 Fix cells with 3% paraformaldehyde and 0.5% glutaraldehyde solution for 1 h.
3.5.3 Washing Step: Wash cells with PBS after fixation.
3.6 Adherent Rhizoctonia solani hyphal cells[6]:
3.6.1 Sample Type: Adherent R. solani hyphal cells grown on agar medium; directly use thin agar blocks with young hyphae.
3.6.2 Incubation Conditions: Incubate with 12 μM AM4-64 working solution for 8 min on ice in the dark.
3.6.3 Washing Step: Wash samples 3 times with pre-chilled liquid Czapek-Dox medium.
4. Control Setup
4.1 Human cortical neuron staining[3]: Set up unstimulated control HCNs, glutamate-stimulated HCNs, and Tetrodotoxin-preincubated HCNs to verify vesicle cycle staining efficacy.
4.2 R. solani hyphal staining[6]:
4.2.1 Inhibitor experiment control: Pre-incubate hyphae in nutrient medium without inhibitor first, then stain with AM4-64 following the standard protocol.
4.2.2 Plasma membrane permeability control: Incubate samples with 10 μg/mL propidium iodide in pre-chilled nutrient medium for 8 min, then observe under a microscope.
5. Detection and Analysis
5.1 Instrument Types: Fluorescence microscope, laser confocal scanning microscope, epifluorescence microscope.
5.2 Result Analysis:
5.2.1 Neuron-astrocyte co-culture system[1]: AM4-64 fluorescence labels recycling synaptic vesicles as punctate signals; in normal co-culture systems, the density of AM4-64-positive punctate signals per 50 μm dendrite is higher than that in Down syndrome co-culture systems.
5.2.2 Tobacco BY-2 cells[2]: Red fluorescence from internalized AM4-64 is detectable; over time, the dye first localizes to the plasma membrane, then to SCAMP1-labeled early endosomes, and subsequently to VSR-labeled prevacuolar compartments (PVCs); within 15 to 60 min, the co-localization percentage of AM4-64 with SCAMP1 increases from approximately 40% to approximately 90%, while that with VSR increases from 0% to approximately 80%.
5.2.3 Human cortical neurons[3]: AM4-64 emits red fluorescence, labeling recycling synaptic vesicles on neuronal processes as fine punctate signals; glutamate stimulation increases the number of AM4-64-positive punctate signals, while TTX pre-incubation reduces this number; most AβO punctate signals are spatially separated from AM4-64-positive vesicles.
5.2.4 Fungal hyphae[4]: AM4-64 labels primary endocytic vesicles, vacuolar membranes, and in some cases, mitochondria; evaluate endocytic activity based on primary vesicle concentration, initial vesicle appearance rate, and the time of vacuolar membrane signal emergence (15-25 min for S. hirsutum, 30-40 min for C. comatus, and 20-30 min for P. ostreatus).
5.2.5 NGF-differentiated PC12 cells[5]: AM4-64 fluorescence appears as red punctate signals, localizing to neurite swellings, presynaptic-like structures at cell-cell contact sites, and perinuclear regions; approximately 32% of AM4-64 punctate signals overlap with synapsin punctate signals, among which approximately 40% of overlapping signals co-localize with Rab3a punctate signals; no stimulus-dependent fluorescence loss (fading) of AM4-64 punctate signals is observed upon high-potassium stimulation.
5.3.6 R. solani hyphae[6]: The fluorescence localization process is divided into four endocytic stages: Stage 0 (plasma membrane only), Stage 1 (peri-wall primary endocytic vesicles), Stage 2 (larger endomembrane structures with weak membrane fluorescence), and Stage 3 (vacuoles of varying sizes with extremely weak membrane fluorescence); quantify the distribution of cells at each stage in the experimental and control groups at two time points: 0-15 min and 15-30 min.
MedChemExpress (MCE) has not independently confirmed the accuracy of these methods. They are for reference only.
Chemical Information
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Molecular Weight 556.05
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Formula C29H45Cl3N4
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SMILES
CCN(C1=CC=C(/C=C/C=C/C=C/C2=CC=[N+](CCC[N+](C)(CCC[NH3+])C)C=C2)C=C1)CC.[Cl-].[Cl-].[Cl-]
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Shipping
Room temperature in continental US; may vary elsewhere.
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Storage
Please store the product under the recommended conditions in the Certificate of Analysis.
Purity & Documentation
References
Calculators
Concentration (start) × Volume (start) = Concentration (final) × Volume (final)