About CD43
This gene encodes a highly sialylated glycoprotein that functions in antigen-specific activation of T cells, and is found on the surface of thymocytes, T lymphocytes, monocytes, granulocytes, and some B lymphocytes. It contains a mucin-like extracellular domain, a transmembrane region and a carboxy-terminal intracellular region. The extracellular domain has a high proportion of serine and threonine residues, allowing extensive O-glycosylation, and has one potential N-glycosylation site, while the carboxy-terminal region has potential phosphorylation sites that may mediate transduction of activation signals. Different glycoforms of this protein have been described. In stimulated immune cells, proteolytic cleavage of the extracellular domain occurs in some cell types, releasing a soluble extracellular fragment. Defects in expression of this gene are associated with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome. [provided by RefSeq, Sep 2017]

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.