About Spectrin beta 3
Spectrins are principle components of a cell's membrane-cytoskeleton and are composed of two alpha and two beta spectrin subunits. The protein encoded by this gene (SPTBN2), is called spectrin beta non-erythrocytic 2 or beta-III spectrin. It is related to, but distinct from, the beta-II spectrin gene which is also known as spectrin beta non-erythrocytic 1 (SPTBN1). SPTBN2 regulates the glutamate signaling pathway by stabilizing the glutamate transporter EAAT4 at the surface of the plasma membrane. Mutations in this gene cause a form of spinocerebellar ataxia, SCA5, that is characterized by neurodegeneration, progressive locomotor incoordination, dysarthria, and uncoordinated eye movements. [provided by RefSeq, Dec 2009]

About Janelia Fluor 646
Janelia Fluor® 646 was developed at the Janelia Campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute but is commercialized by other vendors. The Janelia Fluor®s family is unique in that the fluorophores are cell-permeable and are available in photoactivatable forms. These fluorophores were developed for super-resolution microscopy (STED, PALM and STORM) and live-cell microscopy in the HaloTag and SNAP-tag versions. Janelia Fluor® 646 has an excitation peak at 646 nm and an emission peak at 664 nm.