Description
Pyroptosis 660 Caspase-1 Kit utilizes the popular FLICA technology to detect caspase-1 activation. This kits contain the caspase-1 inhibitor reagent YVAD-FMK, which has the preferred binding sequence for caspase-1, Tyr-Val-Ala-Asp (YVAD) (Chapman, 1992). This preferred caspase-1 binding sequence is labeled with 660 a far red fluorescent dye and linked to a fluoromethyl ketone (FMK) reactive entity. Caspase-1 will not cleave the FLICA inhibitor probe; instead, it forms an irreversible covalent bond with the FMK group on the reagent and becomes inhibited from further enzymatic activity.
Test Principle: To use FLICA, add directly to the cell culture medium, incubate, and wash. FLICA is cell-permeant and will efficiently diffuse in and out of all cells. If there is an active caspase-1 enzyme inside the cell, it will covalently bind with YVAD-FMK and retain the fluorescent signal within the cell. Unbound FLICA will diffuse out of the cell during the subsequent wash steps. Therefore, positive cells will retain a higher concentration of FLICA and fluoresce brighter than negative cells. There is no interference from pro-caspases or inactive forms of the enzymes. After labeling with FLICA, cells can be counter-stained with other reagents and fixed or frozen. Cells labeled with YVAD-FMK can be counter-stained with reagents such as the red live/dead stains Propidium Iodide and 7-AAD. Nuclear morphology may be concurrently observed using Hoechst 33342 (included in the kit), a blue DNA-binding dye. Cells can be viewed through a fluorescence microscope or flow cytometer