Apo-TRACE™, Apoptotic Cell Staining Kit by Merck

Apo-TRACE, Apoptotic Cell Staining Kit is designed to be used for the detection of apoptotic cells after apoptosis induction by observing the accumulation of Apo-TRACE in the cytoplasm of the apoptotic cells. Apo-TRACE staining can be visualized under a fluorescence microscope or alternatively, the molecule can be extracted from the cells for a quantitative evaluation. Apo-TRACE stained apoptotic cells can be separated from the rest of the cells using flow cytometry. A propidium iodide (PI) solution is supplied with the kit to enable staining of non-viable cells. Propidium iodide binds to double-stranded DNA, but it can only cross the plasma membrane of non-viable cells. Thus, a double staining (Apo-TRACE and PI) allows distinguishing between apoptotic and non-viable cells. The kit was tested on various cell lines (i.e., Jurkat, HeLa, C26, Balb/3T3, CHO, and A-431) using various apoptosis inducers (i.e., anti-Fas antibody, BCNU, and Staurosporine).