The Beta-Glo® Assay System is a homogeneous method used to quantitate β-galactosidase expression in mammalian cells. High-throughput quantitation of β-galactosidase expression in mammalian cells is commonly performed by batch processing of 96- and 384-well plates. The homogeneous assay procedure involves the addition of a single reagent directly to cells cultured in serum-supplemented medium. Throughput rates of several thousand samples per hour may be achieved with high reproducibility under standard laboratory conditions. The luminescent signal generated by the Beta-Glo® Reagent may be measured after 30 minutes for more than 4 hours in common culture medium. The extended luminescence eliminates the need for reagent injectors and provides flexibility for continuous or batch processing of multiple plates.
The Beta-Glo® Assay System consists of two components that are combined to form Beta-Glo® Reagent. This single reagent provides a coupled enzyme reaction system utilizing a luciferin-galactoside substrate(6-O-β-galactopyranosyl-luciferin). This substrate is cleaved by β-galactosidase to form luciferin and galactose. The luciferin is then utilized in a firefly luciferase reaction to generate light. Since a single reagent lyses cells and contains all of the components required to generate a luminescent signal that is proportional to the amount of β-galactosidase, many plates can be processed quickly and efficiently.