About CD42a
This gene encodes a small membrane glycoprotein found on the surface of human platelets. It forms a 1-to-1 noncovalent complex with glycoprotein Ib, a platelet surface membrane glycoprotein complex that functions as a receptor for von Willebrand factor. The complete receptor complex includes noncovalent association of the alpha and beta subunits with the protein encoded by this gene and platelet glycoprotein V. Defects in this gene are a cause of Bernard-Soulier syndrome, also known as giant platelet disease. These patients have unusually large platelets and have a clinical bleeding tendency. [provided by RefSeq, Oct 2008]

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.