About CD56
This gene encodes a cell adhesion protein which is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily. The encoded protein is involved in cell-to-cell interactions as well as cell-matrix interactions during development and differentiation. The encoded protein plays a role in the development of the nervous system by regulating neurogenesis, neurite outgrowth, and cell migration. This protein is also involved in the expansion of T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells which play an important role in immune surveillance. This protein plays a role in signal transduction by interacting with fibroblast growth factor receptors, N-cadherin and other components of the extracellular matrix and by triggering signalling cascades involving FYN-focal adhesion kinase (FAK), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). One prominent isoform of this gene, cell surface molecule CD56, plays a role in several myeloproliferative disorders such as acute myeloid leukemia and differential expression of this gene is associated with differential disease progression. For example, increased expression of CD56 is correlated with lower survival in acute myeloid leukemia patients whereas increased severity of COVID-19 is correlated with decreased abundance of CD56-expressing NK cells in peripheral blood. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding distinct protein isoforms. [provided by RefSeq, Aug 2020]

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.