Bio-Rad Bio-Plex Pro™ Magnetic Cell Signaling Assays - Manual (Page 3)

Introduction
Bio-Plex Pro ™ Cell Signaling Assays
Cell signaling is a complex process through which cells receive and
respond to stimuli from the surrounding environment. For example,
circulating cytokines and chemokines elicit a response from lymphocytes
by binding to cell surface receptors and activating intracellular
phosphoprotein signaling cascades. This turns on and off specific
genes in the nucleus — thus regulating protein expression, cell growth,
proliferation, motility, and survival (Chang and Karin 2001). Aberrant
signaling can lead to serious pathologies including cancer, autoimmune
diseases, cardiovascular disease, and neurological disorders.
Understanding which cell types and signaling pathways are involved in a
disease allows researchers to develop more precisely targeted therapies
with better efficacy and safety.
Bio-Plex Pro cell signaling assays are magnetic bead-based
immunoassays for the detection of intracellular phosphoproteins and
total target proteins in cell and tissue lysates. The assays are available as
singleplex sets, which researchers can combine on their own to make a
multiplex assay, or as premixed, all-in-one, multiplex kits. Phosphoprotein
detection and total target detection are carried out in separate wells of a
96-well assay plate, with just 1–10 μg of sample per well.
The assays have been optimized for exceptional sensitivity, high
specificity and improved performance over western blotting. The use
of magnetic (MagPlex) beads allows automation of wash steps on a
Bio-Plex Pro or similar wash station, which greatly simplifies assay
processing and improves assay precision.
For a complete list of all Bio-Plex Pro cell signaling targets, please visit
www.bio-rad.com/bio-plex.
References
Chang L and Karin M (2001). Mammalian MAP kinase signalling
cascades. Nature 410, 37–40.
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