About CD314
Natural killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes that can mediate lysis of certain tumor cells and virus-infected cells without previous activation. They can also regulate specific humoral and cell-mediated immunity. NK cells preferentially express several calcium-dependent (C-type) lectins, which have been implicated in the regulation of NK cell function. The NKG2 gene family is located within the NK complex, a region that contains several C-type lectin genes preferentially expressed in NK cells. This gene encodes a member of the NKG2 family. The encoded transmembrane protein is characterized by a type II membrane orientation (has an extracellular C terminus) and the presence of a C-type lectin domain. It binds to a diverse family of ligands that include MHC class I chain-related A and B proteins and UL-16 binding proteins, where ligand-receptor interactions can result in the activation of NK and T cells. The surface expression of these ligands is important for the recognition of stressed cells by the immune system, and thus this protein and its ligands are therapeutic targets for the treatment of immune diseases and cancers. Read-through transcription exists between this gene and the upstream KLRC4 (killer cell lectin-like receptor subfamily C, member 4) family member in the same cluster. [provided by RefSeq, Dec 2010]

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.