Annexins are a family of proteins that bind to phospholipid membranes in the presence of calcium. They are found in all cells except bacteria. Annexin V forms a shield around negatively charged phospholipid molecules. The formation of an annexin V shield blocks the entry of phospholipids into coagulation (clotting) reactions. Annexin V is a valuable tool for studying cell apoptosis. It is used as a probe in the annexin V affinity assay to detect cells which have expressed phosphatidylserine on the cell surface, a feature found in apoptosis as well as other forms of cell death.