Fluorescent Cubes and Filter Sets

Does anyone have a resource that explains how to choose the proper filter set on a fluorescent microscope?

I'm interested in fluorescent microscopy, but I'm not sure which cubes to use for which tests.

How is this determined?

Lab Student,

The choice of filter set is determined by the fluorophore (fluorescing species or tag) used in the analysis. Each fluorophore has an excitation and emission wavelength peak. The proper filter set will have excitation and emission filters which corresponds to the fluorophore. The fluorophore chosen will depend on what is being studied. First you must determine which of the family of fluorophores will attach to the parts of a cell you wish to study. Then choose a flourophore with the largest Stokes Shift (difference between excitation and emission wavelength peaks). Filter set are available to match the excitation and emission wavelengths of most of the common fluorophores. A good source for information on Fluorescence Microscopy is Microscopy U.

The technique of fluorescence microscopy has become an essential tool in biology and the biomedical sciences, as well as in materials science due to attributes that are not readily available in other contrast modes with traditional optical microscopy.
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