FAM-FLICA(R) Caspase 1 WEHD Assay Kit

This kit makes use of a cell-permeant green fluorecent probe (FAM-WEHD-FMK) that binds to active caspase-1 in living cells. Excitation wavelength 488-492nm, emission 515-535nm. Caspases play important roles in apoptosis and inflammation. ICT's FLICA assay kits are used by researchers seeking to quantitate apoptosis via caspase activity in cultured cells and tissues. The FAM FLICA Caspase-1 probe allows researchers to assess caspase-1 activation. The FLICA reagent FAM-WEHD-FMK enters each cell and irreversibly binds to activated caspase-1. Because the FAM-WEHD-FMK FLICA reagent becomes covalently coupled to the active enzyme, it is retained within the cell, while any unbound FAM-WEHD-FMK FLICA reagent diffuses out of the cell and is washed away. The remaining green 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 a fluorescence plate reader, fluorescence microscopy, or flow cytometry. Cells labeled with the FLICA reagent may be read immediately or preserved for 16 hours using the fixative included in the kit. Unfixed samples may also be analyzed with Propidium Iodide or Hoechst 33342 to detect necrosis or changes in nuclear morphology, respectively.