About CD163
The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) superfamily, and is exclusively expressed in monocytes and macrophages. It functions as an acute phase-regulated receptor involved in the clearance and endocytosis of hemoglobin/haptoglobin complexes by macrophages, and may thereby protect tissues from free hemoglobin-mediated oxidative damage. This protein may also function as an innate immune sensor for bacteria and inducer of local inflammation. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been described for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Aug 2011]

About Brilliant Violet 421
Brilliant™ Violet 421 (BV421) is a Violet-emitting non-tandem polymer fluorophore that can be excited by the 405 nm Violet laser and collected using a 450/50 bandpass filter. BV421 has an excitation peak at 405 nm and an emission peak at 421 nm, and is spectrally similar to Alexa Fluor™ 405 and Cascade Blue. Other dyes that are considered similar include SuperNova V428 (Beckman Coulter), StarBright Violet 440 (Bio-Rad) and SuperBright 436 (Thermo Fisher). BV421 is very bright and is most commonly used for flow cytometry. Its photostablity, fixation stablity, and non-toxicity properties also make BV421 useful for cell sorting and live cell Fluorescence Microscopy applications. This dye is part of the Brilliant™ Violet dye line of fluorescent polymers. Brilliant™ Violet 421 polymer is employed as the donor molecule in a series of tandem dyes with acceptor molecules emitting at various points across the visible light spectrum. The Brilliant™ Violet dyes are a superior alternative to QDot nanocrystals and similar to SuperNova dye from Beckman Coulter and StarBright dyes from Bio-Rad.