Worm Breeder's Gazette 11(1): 56b
These abstracts should not be cited in bibliographies. Material contained herein should be treated as personal communication and should be cited as such only with the consent of the author.
The lipophilic carbocyanine dyes, DiI and DiO, readily insert into exposed cell membranes and diffuse in the plane of the membrane to stain cell processes completely. These dyes stain the amphid and phasmid neurons of living C. elegans with a selectivity similar to FITC. The staining is brighter and, more importantly, does not readily fade by either photobleaching or physiological mechanisms. Either DiI (rhodamine filters) or DiO (fluorescein filters) can be used but the former transfers to the sheath cells more rapidly. The staining conditions are robust; 2 hours in a 10 g/ml suspension of DiOC18(3) (Cat. No. D275, Molecular Probes, Eugene OR) in M9 buffer at room temperature works well for the amphid and phasmid neurons.