Uses the high-sensitivity substrate fluorescein di-β-D-galactopyranoside (FDG) to quantify senescent cells.

Recent studies have shown that β-galactosidase histochemical staining at pH 6 is a useful enzymatic marker of cellular senescence (the so-called senescence associated beta-galactosidase; SA-β-Gal). While cells entering senescence show this enzymatic activity, immortalized cell types, including tumor or other quiescent cells, are not stained under these conditions. The implications of these methods in such diverse areas as age-related pathology research, tumor analysis and tissue culture maintenance is significant. FDG turnover produces the highly fluorescent product fluorescein, which is easily detected using an appropriate filter set for fluorescein fluorescence (i.e. EX 485nm and EM 535 nm) in a microtiterplate assay format. This assay kit contains all of the reagents for performing up to 100 assays using 6-well or 12-well tissue culture plate samples of cells or for cells that have been grown onto sterile cover slips for analysis from other plate sizes.

This kit is sold by Marker Gene under product code M1405.