Overview

Easily track exosomes with a CD63-GFP fusion

Monitor exosome dynamics with the pCT-CD63-GFP (pCMV) Exosome Cyto-Tracer (also available as a CD63-RFP fusion, pCT-CD63-RFP). Provided as either lentivector or pre-packaged virus, this Cyto-Tracer fuses GFP to the tetraspanin CD63, which then gets packaged into exosomes produced by the transfected cells. Great for creating stable cell lines that produce GFP-labeled exosomes as well as labeling exosomes from primary cells, tumor cells, stem cells, and more.

  • Stable lentivector-based system
  • Ideal for co-localization studies
  • Monitor exosome dynamics and functional studies in real time
  • Label exosomes from primary cells, tumor cells, stem cells, and more

Choose the exosome quantitation method that’s best for your studies

Promoter (Cat.#) Cyto-Tracer Target Location Peptide Tag
CMV (CYTO100-PA-1/CYTO100-VA-1)
MSCV (CYTO100-PB-1/CYTO100-VB-1)
pCT-Mem-GFP Plasma Membrane Neuromodulin
CMV (CYTO101-PA-1/CYTO101-VA-1)
MSCV (CYTO101-PB-1/CYTO101-VB-1)
pCT-InnerMem-GFP Inner Leaflet of Membrane Farnesylation signal
CMV (CYTO102-PA-1/CYTO102-VA-1)
MSCV (CYTO102-PB-1/CYTO102-VB-1)
pCT-Mito-GFP Mitochondria Cytochrome C oxidase VIII
CMV (CYTO103-PA-1/CYTO103-VA-1) pCT-ER-GFP Endoplasmic Reticulum ER targeting consensus
CMV (CYTO104-PA-1/CYTO104-VA-1) pCT-Golgi-GFP Golgi Apparatus Galactosyltrasferase
CMV (CYTO105-PA-1/CYTO105-VA-1) pCT-Secretory-GFP ER-Golgi  Vesicles Secretory consensus peptide
CMV (CYTO106-PA-1/CYTO106-VA-1) pCT-Lyso-GFP Lysosome Cathepsin B
CMV (CYTO107-PA-1/CYTO107-VA-1) pCT-Endo-GFP Endosome RhoB
CMV (CYTO107R-PA-1/CYTO107R-VA-1) pCT-Endo-RFP Endosome RhoB
CMV (CYTO108-PA-1/CYTO108-VA-1)
MSCV (CYTO108-PB-1/CYTO108-VB-1)
pCT-Pero-GFP Peroxisome Peroxisomal consensus signal
CMV (CYTO109-PA-1/CYTO109-VA-1) pCT-Autophago-GFP
Autophagosome LC3
CMV (CYTO109R-PA-1/CYTO109R-VA-1) pCT-Autophago-RFP Autophagosome LC3
CMV (CYTO120-PA-1/CYTO120-VA-1) pCT-CD63-GFP Exosome/Secretory CD63 Tetraspanin
CMV (CYTO120R-PA-1/CYTO120R-VA-1) pCT-CD63-RFP Exosome/Secretory CD63 Tetraspanin
CMV (CYTO122-PA-1/CYTO122-VA-1) pCT-CD9-GFP Exosome/Secretory CD9 Tetraspanin
CMV (CYTO123-PA-1/CYTO123-VA-1) pCT-CD9-RFP Exosome/Secretory CD9 Tetraspanin
CMV (CYTO124-PA-1/CYTO124-VA-1) pCT-CD81-GFP Exosome/Secretory CD81 Tetraspanin
CMV (CYTO125-PA-1/CYTO125-VA-1) pCT-CD81-RFP Exosome/Secretory CD81 Tetraspanin
CMV (CYTO110-PA-1/CYTO110-VA-1)
MSCV (CYTO110-PB-1/CYTO110-VB-1)
pCT-Actin-GFP Cytoskeleton β-actin
CMV (CYTO111-PA-1/CYTO111-VA-1)
MSCV (CYTO111-PB-1/CYTO111-VB-1)
pCT-Tublin-GFP Cytoskeleton α-tublin
CMV (CYTO111R-PA-1/CYTO111R-VA-1) pCT-Tublin-RFP Cytoskeleton α-tublin
CMV (CYTO112-PA-1/CYTO112-VA-1) pCT-MAP4-GFP Microtubule Microtubule associated protein 4 (MAP4)
CMV (CYTO113-PA-1/CYTO113-VA-1)
MSCV (CYTO113-PB-1/CYTO113-VB-1)
pCT-H2B-GFP Nucleus H2B
CMV (CYTO114-PA-1/CYTO114-VA-1) pCT-Apoptosis-Luc  Caspase 3/7 activation Cyclic inactive luciferase
CMV (CYTO115-PA-1/CYTO115-VA-1) pCT-GFP-BAX Cytosol to Mitochondria BAX
CMV (CYTO116-PA-1/CYTO116-VA-1) pCT- Catenin-GFP Cytosol to Nucleus/Cell Membrane β-Catenin activation
CMV (CYTO117-PA-1/CYTO117-VA-1) pCT-CMV-PSD95-GFP Dendrite Membranes PSD-95
CMV (CYTO118-PA-1/CYTO118-VA-1)
MSCV (CYTO118-PB-1/CYTO118-VB-1)
pCT-Cyto-GFP Cytosolic Compartment GFP-Untagged
CMV (CYTO119-PA-1/CYTO119-VA-1) pCT-Cyto-RFP Cytosolic Compartment RFP-Untagged
MSCV (CYTO121-PB-1/CYTO121-VB-1) pCT-Cyto-GFpLuc GFP and Luciferase Control GFP and Luciferase (Untagged)

Supporting Data

See some of our exosome Cyto-Tracers in action

The following figure is from:

Garcia NA, et al. Glucose Starvation in Cardiomyocytes Enhances Exosome Secretion and Promotes Angiogenesis in Endothelial Cells. PLoS ONE. 2015. 10(9). PMCID: PMC4578916.

See exosomes being transferred from cardiomyocytes to mouse endothelial cells and human cord blood endothelial cells (HUVEC)

Figure 4 from Garcia, et al. Exosome transfer from CMs to ECs. (A) H9c2 transfected with pCT-CD63-GFP. FACS analysis of 90% GFP positive cells. (B) Representative images from confocal time-lapse microscopy of mouse ECs (ACTB-DsRed) (EC; red) co-cultured with H9C2-CD63-GFP cells (green), previously cultured for 24 h in +/-St medium. Exosome transfer from H9C2 CMs to EC can be observed (S1 and S2 Movies, below). White arrows show CD63-GFP structures inside ECs (C) Representative immunostaining of H9C2-CD63-GFP and HUVEC co-cultures; anti-GFP (green) and anti-CD31 (red). The images illustrate GFP fluorescence from CD63-GFP exosomes in CD31-positive cells (red) after 24 h incubation in +/-St medium. White arrows show CD63-GFP structures inside ECs.

Exosomes labeled with CD63-GFP (top panels) and co-transfected with CD9-GFP and CD9-RFP (bottom panels)

Labeled exosomes. (Top panels) CD63-GFP Cyto-Tracers transfected into a human fibrosarcoma cell line. (Bottom panels) CD9-GFP and CD9-RFP Cyto-Tracers co-transfected into HEK293 cells.