High-Performance Alexa Fluor 488 Secondary Antibody

August 28, 2026

BlueskyReddit
Physiology and Biophysics
State University of New York at Buffalo
Postdoctoral Researcher

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Company:

Invitrogen / Thermo Fisher Scientific

Product Name:

Goat anti-Rabbit IgG (H+L) Highly Cross-Adsorbed Secondary Antibody, Alexa Fluor™ Plus 488

Catalog Number:

A32731

Clone Number:

Polyclonal

We routinely use the Alexa Fluor 488 anti-rabbit antibody from Invitrogen in our lab for immunostaining experiments. We use it to immunostain mouse brain tissue for astrocytic and microglial markers.

Experimental Design and Results Summary

Applications

Immunofluorescence

Sample

Mouse brain tissue, 40 μm-thick sections, fixed frozen

Primary Incubation

The rabbit anti-SOX9 antibody was incubated overnight at 4°C at a 1:1000 dilution

Blocking Agent

The blocking solution was composed of 0.01 M PBS, 0.3% Triton X-100, and 3% normal goat serum

Secondary Incubation

Goat anti-rabbit IgG secondary Alexa Fluor 488 antibody was used at a 1:1000 dilution for 2 hours at room temperature.

Tertiary Incubation

N/A

Detection

Confocal microscopy

Results Summary

Using Alexa Fluor 488, we were able to visualize SOX9 in mouse brain tissue (dorsal striatum). Alexa Fluor 488 bound to the primary SOX9 antibody, producing a strong green fluorescent signal. SOX9 is an astrocytic marker that can be increased during astrocytic activation/reactivity, allowing us to compare astrocytic activation among different groups of mice exposed to adverse environmental conditions.

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Summary

The Good

Robust signal, cost-effective (only a 1:1000 dilution is needed), and a large quantity provided (500 µL)

The Bad

Worked as expected and no negative issues were experienced with this antibody.

The Bottom Line

Strong, bright signal; worked reliably in all experiments over the past couple of years. Highly recommended.

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