B-Phycoerythrin (B-PE), a fluorescent protein from phycobiliprotein family, is isolated from cyanobacteria and eukaryotic algae. Its primary absorption peak is at 545 nm with a secondary peak at 563 nm. B-PE consists of a, b and g subunits and is present as (ab)6g. B-PE and the closely related R-PE are the most intensely fluorescent phycobiliproteins having orange fluorescence. They are significantly brighter and more photostable than conventional organic fluorophores. B-PE labeled streptavidin, primary and secondary antibodies have been widely used in applications such as flow cytometry and multi-color immunofluorescent staining.
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