About Transthyretin
This gene encodes one of the three prealbumins, which include alpha-1-antitrypsin, transthyretin and orosomucoid. The encoded protein, transthyretin, is a homo-tetrameric carrier protein, which transports thyroid hormones in the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid. It is also involved in the transport of retinol (vitamin A) in the plasma by associating with retinol-binding protein. The protein may also be involved in other intracellular processes including proteolysis, nerve regeneration, autophagy and glucose homeostasis. Mutations in this gene are associated with amyloid deposition, predominantly affecting peripheral nerves or the heart, while a small percentage of the gene mutations are non-amyloidogenic. The mutations are implicated in the etiology of several diseases, including amyloidotic polyneuropathy, euthyroid hyperthyroxinaemia, amyloidotic vitreous opacities, cardiomyopathy, oculoleptomeningeal amyloidosis, meningocerebrovascular amyloidosis and carpal tunnel syndrome. [provided by RefSeq, Aug 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.