JC-9 Dye

JC-9 Dye is a mitochondrial dye that stains mitochondria in living cells in a membrane potential-dependent fashion. JC-9 exists as a monomer at low concentrations and yields green fluorescence, similar to fluorescein. At higher concentrations, the dye forms J-aggregates that exhibit a broad excitation spectrum and an emission maximum at ~590 nm. These characteristics make JC-9 a sensitive marker for mitochondrial membrane potential. JC-9 is particularly useful for apoptosis studies. In apoptotic cells, the dye stays in the cytoplasm and fluoresces green.