About METAP2
The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the methionyl aminopeptidase family. The encoded protein functions both by protecting the alpha subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 from inhibitory phosphorylation and by removing the amino-terminal methionine residue from nascent proteins. Increased expression of this gene is associated with various forms of cancer, and the anti-cancer drugs fumagillin and ovalicin inhibit the protein by irreversibly binding to its active site. Inhibitors of this gene have also been shown to be effective for the treatment of obesity. A pseudogene of this gene is located on chromosome 2. Several transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Nov 2015]

About FITC
Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) has an excitation peak at 495 nm and an emission peak at 519 nm. The name FITC is a misnomer in that the isothiocyanate is a reactive form of this dye. Once FITC is conjugated to an antibody, it is simply Fluorescein conjugated. FITC is one of the most widely used dyes for fluorescent applications, therefore most instruments come standard with a 488 nm laser and FITC filter set up. FITC is commonly conjugated to secondary antibodies and used in applications such as flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry, and immunohistochemistry. FITC is relatively dim, sensitive to photobleaching and it is susceptible to changes is pH. There are better performing alternatives to FITC, like Vio®Bright 515, Alexa Fluor™ 488, iFluor® 488, CF®488A and DY-488. FITC is a long-time generic dye with no sole manufacturer or trademark.