A red-shifted fluorescent substrate for aldehyde dehydrogenase

Selection of cells positive for aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity from a green fluorescent background is difficult with existing reagents. Here we report a red-shifted fluorescent substrate for ALDH, AldeRed 588-A, for labeling viable ALDHpos cells. We demonstrate that AldeRed 588-A successfully isolates ALDHhi human hematopoietic stem cells from heterogeneous cord blood mononuclear cells. AldeRed 588-A can be used for multi-color applications to fractionate ALDHpos cells in the presence of green fluorophores including the ALDEFLUOR ™ reagent and cells expressing eGFP. AldeRed 588-A stains ALDHpos murine pancreatic centroacinar and terminal duct cells, as visualized by fluorescent microscopy. AldeRed588-A provides a useful tool to select stem cells or study ALDH within a green fluorescent background