About RASGRP4
The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the Ras guanyl nucleotide-releasing protein (RasGRP) family of Ras guanine nucleotide exchange factors. It contains a Ras exchange motif, a diacylglycerol-binding domain, and two calcium-binding EF hands. This protein was shown to activate H-Ras in a cation-dependent manner in vitro. Expression of this protein in myeloid cell lines was found to be correlated with elevated level of activated RAS protein, and the RAS activation can be greatly enhanced by phorbol ester treatment, which suggested a role of this protein in diacylglycerol regulated cell signaling pathways. Studies of a mast cell leukemia cell line expressing substantial amounts of abnormal transcripts of this gene indicated that this gene may play an important role in the final stages of mast cell development. Multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Apr 2009]

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.