Keyence

Objectives from below

Instead of the common overhead objectives, the Keyence has its objectives positioned underneath the sample. This difference grants a closer working distance than the Zeiss fluorescence microscope; the Keyence can view living cells.

Staining:

A commonly used stain in cellular biology is Phalloidin, a toxin found in mushrooms. Phalloidin binds to filamentous actin disabling depolymerization, resulting in creating rigid cells that cannot divide. Coincidently, this property is useful in biological labelling. Phalloidin tagged with a fluorochrome enables individual cells to be viewed.

Another useful stained utilized with the Keyence is Hoechst 33342. Hoechst dyes are used to stain for DNA. This stain enables nuclei to be labeled separately and envisioned.