Methods of detecting cellulose

[Melissa Melan]

Dear Minghsun,
        I have had great success in detecting cellulose (down to just a few
microfibrils) using the fluorescent dye Calcofluor white (now marketed by
Polysciences as Cellufluor).  You will need to locate a fluorescence microscope
that has a UV excitation cube (365 nm excitation wavelength usually used for
Hoechst/DAPI DNA detection)  check with the microscopists in your department.
If you only need a little of the dye (working conc. is 5ug/ml) I'd be happy
to send you some.
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Melissa Melan                           mmelan at lucy.wellesley.edu
Department of Biological Sciences   
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA  02181
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