Yes, your friends are right.  You don't need a "relevant article" to see this.  (Nobody writes articles about what doesn't work).  But what you need to do is look up the fluorescence spectrum of the Alexa Fluor 350 dye.  

In physics, a fluorophore can be excited at a certain wavelength, and then it emits at another, longer wavelength.  In flow cytometry specifically, the exciting is done by the laser, and the emission is seen by the detector.  So, you need to match up the characteristics of the dye you're using with the wavelengths of the lasers and detectors you have available.  If there's a mismatch, you can't excite it, or can't detect it, or both.

Btw, the "350" stands for a wavelength -- 350 nm, which is UV.  So the name of the dye is sometimes really all you need once you know how to read it.  

Yes, your friends are right.  You don't need a "relevant article" to see this.  (Nobody writes articles about what doesn't work).  But what you need to do is look up the fluorescence spectrum of the Alexa Fluor 350 dye.  

In physics, a fluorophore can be excited at a certain wavelength, and then it emits at another, longer wavelength.  In flow cytometry specifically, the exciting is done by the laser, and the emission is seen by the detector.  So, you need to match up the characteristics of the dye you're using with the wavelengths of the lasers and detectors you have available.  If there's a mismatch, you can't excite it, or can't detect it, or both.

Btw, the "350" stands for a wavelength -- 350 nm, which is UV.  So the name of the dye is sometimes really all you need once you know how to read it.  

Dear John,

Thank you so much for your complete and quick answer.

Best regards.