Cell Meter™ Annexin V Apoptosis Assay Kit

Annexin V may be conjugated to fluorochromes including PE. This format retains its high affinity for phosphatidylserine (PS) and thus serves as a sensitive probe for flow cytometric analysis of cells that are undergoing apoptosis. Since externalization of PS occurs in the earlier stages of apoptosis, PE Annexin V staining can identify apoptosis at an earlier stage than assays based on nuclear changes such as DNA fragmentation. PE Annexin V staining precedes the loss of membrane integrity which accompanies the latest stages of cell death resulting from either apoptotic or necrotic processes. Therefore, staining with PE Annexin V is typically used in conjunction with a vital dye such as propidium iodide (PI) or 7-Amino-Actinomycin (7-AAD) to allow the investigator to identify early apoptotic cells (7-AAD negative, PE Annexin V positive). Viable cells with intact membranes exclude 7-AAD, whereas the membranes of dead and damaged cells are permeable to 7-AAD. For example, cells that are considered viable are both PE Annexin V and 7-AAD negative while cells that are in early apoptosis are PE Annexin V positive and 7-AAD negative, while cells that are in late apoptosis or already dead are both PE Annexin V and 7-AAD positive. This assay does not distinguish between cells that have undergone apoptotic death versus those that have died as a result of a necrotic pathway because in either case, the dead cells will stain with both PE Annexin V and 7-AAD. However, when apoptosis is measured over time, cells can be often tracked from PE Annexin V and 7-AAD negative (viable, or no measurable apoptosis), to PE Annexin V positive and 7-AAD negative (early apoptosis, membrane integrity is present) and finally to PE Annexin V and 7-AAD positive (end stage apoptosis and death). The movement of cells through these three stages suggests apoptosis. In contrast, a single observation indicating that cells are both PE Annexin V and 7-AAD positive, in of itself, reveals less information about the process by which the cells underwent their demise.

Page updated on October 8, 2024