Labeling Golgi with fluorescent ceramides.

The Golgi may be considered a principal organizer of macromolecular traffic in the cell because many molecules, such as secreted proteins, glycoproteins, glycolipids, and plasma membrane glycoproteins, pass through the Golgi during their maturation. The fluorescent probes used to tag the Golgi make use of this function for labeling by using a fluorescent ceramide. In this protocol, two probes for labeling the Golgi are presented: a classic NBD-ceramide and a BODIPY-ceramide probe that is more resistant to photobleaching.