Browse through overviews of a broad array of applications including protein and nucleic acid quantification assays, ELISA assays, cell signaling assays, cell viability, apoptosis, and more.

Microplate assays

Microplate assays provide information on entire cell populations rather than tracking the behavior of individual cells. We offer microplate assays for whole cells and assays performed on disrupted cells or cell lysates. Metabolic activity is commonly used as a viability indicator, but for some applications it can be important to assess viability independent of metabolic state, and appropriate assays are listed below. In some cases, cells are required for additional downstream functional analysis, and alamarBlue HS is an excellent nontoxic indicator of viability.

 

Uses/Examples:

Cell proliferation analyses are crucial for cell growth and differentiation studies and are often used to evaluate both compound toxicity and inhibition of tumor cell growth during drug development. Proliferation measurements in microplate assays are typically based on average DNA content or cellular metabolism, or they quantify DNA synthesis.

 

Uses/Examples:

Accurate, efficient nucleic acid quantitation is critical for cellular and molecular biology labs that work with precious, rare, or difficult-to-process samples and applications requiring precise measurement. These applications include next-generation sequencing, transfection, real-time PCR, measuring yields of RNA preparations for microarray experiments, reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), differential display PCR, northern blot analysis, S1 nuclease assays, RNase protection assays, and cDNA library preparations.

 

Uses/Examples:

Quantitating protein samples is an important step before gel electrophoresis or Western blot analysis, and for measuring bound versus free protein levels in protein binding assays. The choice of assay format is often based on other components in the sample mixture. We offer many popular choices including modified Lowry, Coomassie (Bradford) and fluorometric protein assays.

 

Uses/Examples:

The Invitrogen Quant-iT Endotoxin Detection Assay Kit, designed for use with fluorescence microplate readers, offers an efficient, fluorescent endpoint assay that uses amebocyte lysates to quantify endotoxin in various sample types such as protein, peptides, antibodies, or nucleic acid samples.  The assay can be run with variable sample volume, offering a dynamic range from 0.01-10.0 EU/mL using a streamlined workflow.

 

Uses/Examples:

ELISA assays are an important tool for the quantitative analysis specific proteins from a wide variety of samples. We offer over 2000 highly referenced ELISA assays to detect cytokines, phosphoproteins, oncogenes, and a wide variety of biomarkers. Most assays are available is a variety of formats including pre-coated, bulk and matched pairs to maximize your time and budget.

 

Uses/Examples: 

EnzCheck Assays provide a rapid and convenient way to measure a range of enzyme activities using fluorescent reporters in a robust assay format. Each assay kit provides the necessary assay buffers, uses a simple protocol and defines the optimum wavelength for sensitive detection. The microplate format is convenient for high throughput analysis using a 200 µL assay volume. We offer assays for proteases, collagenases, elastases, lysozyme, and reverse transcriptase.

 

Uses/Examples:

Measuring phosphates and phosphatase activity in solution is fundamental to an understanding of cellular dynamics in multiple models. We offer a series of sensitive assays with fluorescent readout to address a diverse assortment of analytes.

 

Uses/Examples:

A distinctive feature of the early stages of apoptosis is the activation of caspase enzymes, which participate in the cleavage of protein substrates and in the subsequent disassembly of the cell. We offer a series of caspase assays that allow the simple detection of active caspases in living cells in real time or in cellular lysates or extracts.

 

Uses/Examples:

We've developed Amplex Red reagent–based assays for the detection of a diverse assortment of analytes, including glucose, galactose, cholesterol, glutamic acid, xanthine (or hypoxanthine), uric acid, choline and acetylcholine, as well as hydrogen peroxide.

 

Uses/Examples:

Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is inevitable for aerobic organisms and, in healthy cells, occurs at a controlled rate. Under conditions of oxidative stress, ROS production is dramatically increased, resulting in subsequent alteration of membrane lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Oxidative damage of these biomolecules is associated with aging as well as a variety of pathological events, including atherosclerosis, carcinogenesis, ischemia reperfusion injury, and neurodegenerative disorders.

 

Uses/Examples:

We’ve developed a number of Molecular Probes ion indicators to track calcium and other ion concentrations with intense fluorescent signals and a range of wavelength options. Regulating ionic gradients is critical for most cellular functions and measuring ionic concentrations with both spatial and temporal resolution has become critical in research ranging from drug discovery to studies of neuronal function.

 

Uses/Examples:

The E. coli lacZ gene, encoding β-D-galactosidase, is extensively used as a reporter gene for detecting the expression of recombinant fusion genes and for monitoring transfection efficiency in mammalian, yeast, and bacterial cells. Although mammalian cells do contain β-galactosidases, they are generally lysosomal enzymes with low pH optima and therefore exhibit low activity at neutral pH. Combining this with the fact that E. coli β-D-galactosidase has a high turnover rate, the enzyme can be detected at very low levels, making it a sensitive reporter of gene expression.

 

Uses/Examples:

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.