About CHRNA2
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are ligand-gated ion channels formed by a pentameric arrangement of alpha and beta subunits to create distinct muscle and neuronal receptors. Neuronal receptors are found throughout the peripheral and central nervous system where they are involved in fast synaptic transmission. This gene encodes an alpha subunit that is widely expressed in the brain. The proposed structure for nAChR subunits is a conserved N-terminal extracellular domain followed by three conserved transmembrane domains, a variable cytoplasmic loop, a fourth conserved transmembrane domain, and a short C-terminal extracellular region. Mutations in this gene cause autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy type 4. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in this gene have been associated with nicotine dependence. [provided by RefSeq, Nov 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.