Calcium Assay Kit: Technical Data Sheet

™
BD
Technical Data Sheet
Calcium Assay Kit

Product Information
Catalog Number: 640178
Size Reagents for 100 plates
Components: Calcium Indicator, 10 vials, lyophilized
10X Signal Enhancer, 100 ml
Description
The BDTM Calcium Assay Kit allows homogeneous measurement of intracellular calcium changes caused by activation of G-protein coupled
receptors or calcium channels. The assay involves only one dye addition step and does not require washing, allowing easy implementation in a high
throughput environment.
Storage
Calcium Indicator should be protected from light and stored at -20˚C. 10X Signal Enhancer should be stored at room temperature.
Materials not included

100% DMSO Sigma D4540
10X HBSS buffer Invitrogen 14065-056
HEPES Buffer Solution (1M, pH 7.2 to 7.5) Invitrogen 15630-080
Water Sigma 320072
Probenecid Sigma P8761
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CALCIUM ASSAY FLOW CHART
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DATA EXAMPLES
A. B.
Figure 1. Response of Chemokine Receptor 2 (CCR2) to human monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). HEK293 cells stably transfected
with Gαqi and CCR2 genes were plated overnight in 100 μl culture medium on a 96 well Biocoat poly-D lysine coated plate. The next day, the cells were
dye-loaded by adding 100 μl 1X Dye-loading solution (BDTM Calcium Assay Kit) and incubating for 1 hour at 37˚C. MCP-1 was added (50 μl/well) by
FlexStation (Molecular Devices), and the data was recorded simultaneously. A. Kinetic curve of calcium response to different concentrations of MCP-1.
B. MCP-1 dose response curve (n = 4). EC50 = 0.159 nM.
BDTM Calcium Assay Kit

Figure 2. Response of CHO-K1 endogenous P2Y
receptor to ATP. CHO-K1 cells were plated overnight in
100 μl culture medium on two 96 well plates. The next day,
One plate of cells was dye-loaded with 100 μl/well of 1X
Dye-loading solution (BDTM Calcium Assay Kit), and the
other one was loaded with 100 μl/well of Fluo-4. After 1
hour of incubation at 37˚C, cells loaded with Fluo-4 were
washed three times with HBSS-Hepes buffer. The same
amount of ATP was added to both plates by a FlexStation
(Molecular Devices), and the data was recorded
Fluo-4 wash
simultaneously.
EC50 of ATP using BDTM Calcium Assay Kit is 64 nM.
EC50 of ATP using Fluo-4 wash method is 497 nM.
640178 Rev1 Page 3 of 5

CALCIUM FLUX ASSAY PROTOCOL
Note. Please finish reading the whole protocol before you start the experiment.
CELL PREPARATION
Cell number needs to be optimized for each assay. Optimal assay conditions require a confluent monolayer of cells prior to the assay.
• For adherent cells, plate 50K to 70K cells/well for a 96 well plate and 12K to 20K cells/well for a 384 well plate the day before the
experiment. Add 100 μl/well of cell suspension to 96-well plates or 25 μl/well to 384-well plates, allow cells to attach and grow overnight
for 16 to 24 hours in cell culture incubators. Prior to dye loading the plate, examine the cells for confluency and overall health.
• For non-adherent cells, dispense 100 μl/well of cells in culture medium to 96-well or 25 μl/well to 384-well poly-D Lysine or other ECM
coated plates a couple of hours before the experiment. Allow cells to settle and attach to the bottom of the plates at room temperature.
Centrifuge briefly with brake off prior to the experiment.
PREPARATION of 1X DYE-LOADING SOLUTION

1. Remove a vial of Calcium Indicator from -20˚C, and allow to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes to warm up. Add 100 μl 100% DMSO,
reconstitute the pellet by pipetting up and down several times.
Note. To completely solublize Calcium Indicator, keep the reconstituted Calcium Indicator at room temperature for 10 minutes before the
preparation of 1X Dye-loading solution.
2. To prepare 1X Signal Enhancer for 10 plates (100 ml), pipette 78 ml of water, 10 ml of 10X HBSS buffer, 2 ml of 1M HEPES (pH 7.4) and 10
ml of 10X Signal Enhancer to a bottle, mix well.
Note. For cells that require probenecid for loading (e.g. CHO), prepare fresh probenecid stock in 1N NaOH and then dilute the stock in 1X
Signal Enhancer to a concentration of 1 mM to 5 mM.
Other balanced salt buffers could be used to dilute 10X Signal Enhancer to achieve the optimal conditions for assays where HBSS is not
optimal.
3. To prepare 1X Dye-loading Solution for 10 cell plates, pipette 100 μl of Calcium Indicator to 100 ml of 1X Signal Enhancer, mix by inverting
the bottle several times.
Note. If users need less than 10 plates of material for the experiment, the 1x Dye-loading Solution could be stored at -20oC for 2-3 week without
compromise on performance. If users prefer to store the material for longer period of time, we recommend storing Calcium Indicator and Signal
Enhancer separately. Aliquot the unused reconstituted Calcium Indicator to several eppendorf tubes, seal tightly and store at -20oC, protected
from light. The reconstituted Calcium Indicator is stable for at least one month if the tube is sealed tightly. For best result, place the tubes in a
zip lock plastic bag with desiccant and avoid repetitive freeze-thaw cycles. 1X Signal Enhancer without probenecid could be stored at room
temperature.
DYE LOADING
1. Remove cell plates from incubator and add an equal volume of 1 X Dye-loading Solution to each well (e.g. 100 μl to 100 μl culture
medium/well for 96-well plates, or 25 μl to 25 μl culture medium/well for 384-well plates).
Note. The components of the kit have no interference with serum or phenol red. However, for some assays that require a serum free
environment, culture medium that contains serum should be removed prior to dye loading and replaced with an equal volume of 0.5X Dye-
loading Solution.
The dye-loading solution is stable for 8 to 12 hours at room temperature and 2-3 weeks at -20C.
2. Incubate cell plates with dye for 1 hour in cell culture incubator.
Note. If the calcium flux assay is going to be performed at room temperature, place the cell plates at room temperature for at least 20 minutes to
cool down before placing the plates on readers. If the calcium flux assay requires 37oC, perform the assay immediately after dye-loading.
CALCIUM FLUX ASSAY

Place the cell plates on a FLIPR, FlexStation or FDSS, and perform calcium flux assay as described in instrumentation manuals.
For assays performed on a FlexStation, use the following wavelength parameters:

Excitation: 485 nm
Emission: 525 nm
AutoCutoff: on (515 nm)
For assays performed on a FLIPR and an FDSS, use the standard filters for calcium assays.
Note. Dispense speed and height for compound additions need to be optimized for each assay. In general, a dispense speed higher than the
settings for other calcium flux assays is recommended.
640178 Rev1 Page 4 of 5

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
1. Low baseline fluorescent signal

• Inspect the cell density and morphology under a microscope. Low cell density or unhealthy cells could result in low baseline signal.
• Check the storage of Calcium Indicator. Calcium Indicator needs to be stored in a tightly sealed tube frozen with desiccant. Once it is
reconstituted, repetitive freeze thaw cycles should be avoided.
• Make sure that Calcium Indicator is mixed well with 1X Signal Enhancer before dye loading.
2. Response to agonist lower than expected

• Check the overall health of cells.
• Cell density is too high or too low. Cell number titration may be necessary.
3. Well-to-well variations after agonist addition.

• Optimize the dispense height and speed for ligand additions to ensure instant mixing.
• Cells should be evenly distributed among wells. Before plating, microscopically examine the culture to be sure that they have been broken
up into single cells. Clumpy cells respond with greater variability.
• Check liquid handling system for accuracy of dispense.
4. Response from cells after buffer addition.

• Unhealthy cells could respond to buffer addition. Make sure cells are not over confluent or unhealthy before plating.
• Cells are disturbed by high compound addition speed. Set the pipetting speed and height properly to avoid stimulating the cells by physical
forces during compound addition.
5. Response from cells after the addition of buffer containing only DMSO
• If the calcium flux experiment is conducted at room temperature, allow the cell plates to equilibrate at room temperature for a longer period
of time (ie. one hour) after dye-loading at 37 degree.
• Allow cells to adapt to a DMSO environment prior to drug addition by adding DMSO in Dye-loading Solution (slightly less than final
concentration of DMSO after drug addition).
Limited Label License
Certain components of this product are provided under an agreement between Molecular Probes, Inc. and Becton Dickinson and Company, and the manufacture, use,
sale or import of this product may be subject to one or more of U.S. Patents Nos. 4,795,712; 6,162,931; 6,229,055, and corresponding foreign equivalents, owned by
Molecular Probes, Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Invitrogen Corporation). The purchase of this product conveys to the buyer the non-transferable right to use the
purchased amount of the product and components of the product for research use only by the buyer, where such research does not involve testing, analysis or screening
services for any third party in return for compensation on a per test basis (except as provided below upon payment of an additional fee). The buyer cannot sell or
otherwise transfer (a) this product (b) its components or (c) materials made using this product or its components to a third party or otherwise use this product or its
components or materials made using this product or its components for Commercial Purposes. Commercial Purposes means any activity by a party for consideration
and may include, but is not limited to: (1) use of the product or its components in manufacturing; (2) use of the product or its components to provide a service,
information, or data to third parties, except for contract research services as provided below upon payment of an additional fee; (3) use of the product or its
components for therapeutic, diagnostic or prophylactic purposes; or (4) resale of the product or its components, whether or not such product or its components are
resold for use in research. Buyer may use the product or its components to provide contract research services to third parties, only upon payment of an annual fee to
Becton Dickinson and Company. For information on purchasing a license for these contract research services, contact Becton Dickinson and Company at Business
Development, 10975 Torreyana Road, San Diego, CA 92121-1106, USA, Tel: (858) 812-8800. Fax: (858) 812-8995. For information on purchasing a license to this
product for purposes other than research, contact Molecular Probes, Inc., Business Development, 29851 Willow Creek Road, Eugene, OR 97402, USA, Tel: (541) 465-
8300. Fax: (541) 335-0504. This product has been sold to the buyer with the understanding that it will be used solely for research and will not be analyzed or
reverse-engineered. If you do not agree to this term, return the unopened product.
640178 Rev1 Page 5 of 5

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Calcium Assay Kit

Materials not included

640178 Rev1 Page 1 of 5

640178 Rev1 Page 2 of 5

BDTM Calcium Assay Kit

640178 Rev1 Page 3 of 5

PREPARATION of 1X DYE-LOADING SOLUTION

CALCIUM FLUX ASSAY

For assays performed on a FlexStation, use the following wavelength parameters:

640178 Rev1 Page 4 of 5

1. Low baseline fluorescent signal

2. Response to agonist lower than expected

3. Well-to-well variations after agonist addition.

4. Response from cells after buffer addition.

Limited Label License

640178 Rev1 Page 5 of 5

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