Luciferase Assay System

The Luciferase Assay System is an extremely sensitive and rapid reagent for quantitation of firefly luciferase. Linear results are seen over at least eight orders of magnitude of enzyme concentration, and patented technology incorporated in the formulation has allowed for less than 10^–20 moles of luciferase to be measured under optimal conditions. Generally, 100-fold greater sensitivity can be achieved over the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) assay. The Luciferase Assay Reagent generates light that is nearly constant for at least 1 minute and so is compatible with measuring firefly luciferase in a single-t...

Expand to Read More »

The Luciferase Assay System is an extremely sensitive and rapid reagent for quantitation of firefly luciferase. Linear results are seen over at least eight orders of magnitude of enzyme concentration, and patented technology incorporated in the formulation has allowed for less than 10^–20 moles of luciferase to be measured under optimal conditions. Generally, 100-fold greater sensitivity can be achieved over the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) assay. The Luciferase Assay Reagent generates light that is nearly constant for at least 1 minute and so is compatible with measuring firefly luciferase in a single-tube luminometer or in a multiwell plate luminometer with an auto-injector.

The Luciferase Assay System is a nonhomogeneous assay system; the cells containing the luciferase must be lysed before reagent addition. Glo Lysis Buffer (Cat.# E2661), Cell Culture Lysis Reagent (Cat.# E1531), Passive Lysis Buffer (Cat.# E1941) and Reporter Lysis Buffer (Cat.# E3971) may be used with the Luciferase Assay System for reporter quantitation in mammalian cells. The Luciferase Assay System may also be used for quantitation in plant and bacterial cells, but only Cell Culture Lysis Reagent is suitable for these applications. Reporter Lysis Buffer allows for firefly luciferase, CAT and β-galactosidase assays to be performed from the same cell extract. In some kits the lysis buffer is included, and in others it must be purchased separately (see Component Listing link above).

Features - Benefits

• Linear: Eight or more orders of magnitude of enzyme concentration.
• Sensitive: To 10^–20 moles of luciferase.
• Fast: Perform cell lysis, sample preparation and assays in as little as 5 minutes.
• Convenient: Reporter Lysis Buffer allows luciferase, CAT and β-galactosidase assays to be performed from the same cell extract.
• Simple Assay Procedure: Eliminates the need for autoinjection devices and rapid mixing protocols when using single-tube luminometers.
• Versatile: Luminometer preferred, but not required; adaptable to scintillation counters.
• Safe: Non-radioactive.
• Superior: High performance compared to competitors' luciferase assays.

Applications

For more information, see the Protocols & Applications Guide.

References

1. Wood, K.V. (1991) In: Bioluminescence & Chemiluminescence: Current Status, eds. P. Stanley and L. Kricka, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Chichester, 543.
2. Seliger, H.H. and McElroy, W.D. (1960) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 88, 136.
3. Wood, K.V. et al. (1984) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 124, 592–6.
4. de Wet, J.R. et al. (1985) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82, 7870–3.
5. Alam, J. and Cook, J.L. (1990) Anal. Biochem. 188, 245–54.
6. Schenborn, E. and Goiffon, V. (1993) Promega Notes 41, 11–3.
7. Jones, D.P. et al. (1995) Promega Notes 54, 20–5.

« Collapse Content