Description
Description: Detect caspase-1 activity with the FLICA 660 Caspase-1 Assay Kit. This in vitro assay employs the fluorescent inhibitor probe 660-YVAD-FMK to label active caspase-1 enzyme in living cells. Analyze the fluorescent signal using fluorescence microscopy or flow cytometry.
Background: Caspases play important roles in apoptosis and inflammation. The FLICA assay kits are used by researchers seeking to quantitate apoptosis via caspase activity in cultured cells. The FLICA 660 Caspase-1 probe allows researchers to assess caspase-1 activation. The FLICA reagent 660-YVAD-FMK enters each cell and irreversibly binds to activated caspase-1. Because the 660-YVAD-FMK FLICA reagent becomes covalently coupled to the active enzyme, it is retained within the cell, while any unbound 660-YVAD-FMK FLICA reagent diffuses out of the cell and is washed away. The remaining far red fluorescent signal is a direct measure of the active caspase-1 enzyme activity present in the cell at the time the reagent was added. Cells that contain the bound FLICA can be analyzed by fluorescence microscopy or flow cytometry. Cells labeled with the FLICA reagent may be read immediately or preserved for 16 hours using the fixative. Unfixed samples may also be analyzed with Hoechst stain to detect changes in nuclear morphology