DAPI (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) is a blue-fluorescent DNA stain that exhibits -20-fold enhancement of fluorescence upon binding to AT regions of dsDNA.It is used extensively in fluorescence microscopy. As DAPI can pass through an intact cell membrane, it can be used to stain both live and fixed cells, though it passes through the membrane less efficiently in live cells and therefore the effectiveness of the stain is lower.