CST, 64936S, TUNEL Assay Kit (Fluorescence, 640 nm)

Protocol
Available protocols: Immunohistochemistry (Paraffin), Immunofluorescence (Immunocytochemistry), Flow Cytometry (Fixed/Permeabilized)
Specificity / Sensitivity
Tissue processing or cell degradation may result in labeling of nuclei in non-apoptotic cells.
Background
Apoptosis is a regulated cellular suicide mechanism characterized by nuclear condensation, cell shrinkage, membrane blebbing, and DNA fragmentation (1). During late stages of apoptosis, DNA is fragmented by an endonuclease that cleaves the chromatin into nucleosomal units which can be visualized on gels as DNA laddering (2). DNA fragmentation also serves as a basis for monitoring apoptosis in situ using the TUNEL assay (3). In this assay, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase enzymatically incorporates a fluorophore conjugated nucleotide to the 3' end of fragmented DNA. Apoptosis can be monitored by an increase in TUNEL staining within intact cells.