Annexin V-Biotin/PI Apoptosis Kit

Annexin V is a cellular protein, which plays important roles in the inhibition of the activity of phospholipase A1 and blood coagulation by competing for phosphatidylserine (PS) binding sites with prothrombin. Annexin V has a high affinity to PS and is used as a probe to detect cells that have expressed PS on the cell surface. After initiating apoptosis, cells translocate phosphatidylserine (PS) from the inner face of the plasma membrane to the cell surface soon, which can be easily detected by Annexin V.

Annexin V-Biotin/PI Apoptosis Kit uses Annexin-Biotin to bind the PS, then bind biotin by fluorescently labeled streptavidin such as FITC-labeled streptavidin or PE-labeled streptavidin, and finally easily detect PS on the cell surface after initiating apoptosis. The one-step staining procedure needs only 10-20 minutes. The result can be analyzed by fluorescence microscopy or by flow cytometry. The Annexin V-Biotin/PI Apoptosis Kit can differentiate apoptosis vs necrosis when performing both Annexin V-Biotin and PI staining.