MEBCYTO Apoptosis Kit (Annexin V-FITC Kit)

Apoptosis, a term that describes regulated cell death, is fundamental feature of many biological processes including normal development, homeostasis, and disease. Early during the process of apoptosis, cells lose their phospholipids membrane asymmetry and expose phosphatidylserine (PS) at the cell surface. This process can be monitored by using Annexin V which is a Ca2+ dependent, phospholipids-binding protein with high affinity for PS, and is useful for identifying apoptotic cells with exposed PS. Translocation of PS to the external cell surface is not unique to apoptosis, but occurs also during cell necrosis. The difference between these two forms of cell death is that during the initial stage of apoptosis the cell membrane remains intact, while at the very moment that necrosis occurs the cell membrane looses its integrity and becomes leaky. Therefore, necrotic cells easily stained with Propidium Iodide (PI) as well as Annexin V, where as Apoptotic cells stained only with Annexin V. The MEBCYTO® Apoptosis Kit (Annexin V-FITC Kit) can identify cells in an earlier stage of apoptosis than assays based on DNA fragmentation.