DAPI Staining of Drosophila Embryos
This protocol was adapted from “Fluorescent Analysis of Drosophila Embryos,” Chapter 9, in Drosophila Protocols (eds. Sullivan et al.). Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA, 2000.INTRODUCTION
Drosophila embryos can be stained with specific fluorescent probes or antibodies through either direct or indirect immunofluorescence. In particular, several effective probes exist for visualizing DNA. 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) is a commonly used DNA-binding dye. Because it is specific for double-stranded DNA, no prior RNase treatment is required. While the embryo staining method described here uses DAPI, other fluorescent DNA probes can be processed similarly.
