Choosing the best LIVE/DEAD® Viability Assay Kit
Kits for Mammalian Cells
| Kit Name | Platform* | Fluorescent Dyes | Ex/Em (nm) | Em Colors | SKU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIVE/DEAD® Viability/Cytotoxicity Kit *for mammalian cells* | FC, FM, M | calcein AM ethidium homodimer-1 | 494/517 517/617 | Green (Live) Red (Dead) | L3224 | |
| LIVE/DEAD® Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity Kit *for animal cells* *2000 assays* | FC, FM, M | DiOC18(3) propidium iodide | 484/501 536/617 | Green (Live) Red (Dead) | L7010 | |
| LIVE/DEAD® Sperm Viability Kit *200-1000 assays* | FC, FM | SYBR® 14 dye propidium iodide | 485/517 536/617 | Green (Live) Red (Dead) | L7011 | |
| LIVE/DEAD® Cell Vitality Assay Kit *C12-resazurin/SYTOX® Green* *1000 assays* | FC, FM, M | SYTOX® Green dye C12-resazurin | 488/530 488/575 | Green (Dead) Red (Live) | L34951 | |
| *FC=flow cytometry; FM=fluorescence microscopy; M=microplate assay | ||||||
Principle of Assay
- LIVE/DEAD® Viability/Cytotoxicity Kit—Membrane-permeant calcein AM is cleaved by esterases in live cells to yield cytoplasmic green fluorescence, and membrane-impermeant ethidium homodimer-1 labels nucleic acids of membrane-compromised cells with red fluorescence.
- LIVE/DEAD® Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity Kit—Target cells are preincubated with the green-fluorescent membrane stain DiOC18(3) and then mixed with effector cells in the presence of the red-fluorescent, membrane-impermeant dye, propidium iodide. Live and dead target cells retain their green-fluorescent membrane stain; target and effector cells with compromised membranes exhibit red-fluorescent nucleic acid staining; live effector cells are nonfluorescent.
- LIVE/DEAD® Sperm Viability Kit—Membrane-permeant SYBR® 14 nucleic acid stain labels live sperm with green fluorescence, and membrane-impermeant propidium iodide labels the nucleic acids of membrane-compromised sperm with red fluorescence.
- LIVE/DEAD® Cell Vitality Assay Kit—Membrane-permeant SYBR® 14 nucleic acid stain labels live sperm with green fluorescence, and membrane-impermeant propidium iodide labels the nucleic acids of membrane-compromised sperm with red fluorescence.
 LIVE/DEAD® Cell Viability/Cytotoxicity Assay Kit (L3224). A mixture of live and ethanol-killed bovine pulmonary artery epithelial cells were stained with the reagents in our LIVE/DEAD® Cell Viability/Cytotoxicity Assay Kit. Live cells fluoresce bright green, whereas dead cells with compromised membranes fluoresce red-orange. |  LIVE/DEAD® Sperm Viability Kit (L7011). Live sperm with intact membranes are labeled with our proprietary cell-permeant nucleic acid stain, SYBR® 14, and fluoresce green. Dead sperm, which have been killed by unprotected freeze-thawing, are labeled with propidium iodide (P1304MP, P3566, P21493) and fluoresce red-orange. The image was contributed by Duane L. Garner, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, and Lawrence A. Johnson, USDA Agricultural Research Service. |
 | LIVE/DEAD Cell Vitality Kit (L34951). Jurkat cells (T-cell leukemia, human) were induced with 10 μM camptothecin for 4 hours at 37°C, 5% CO2. The cells were incubated with the reagents in the LIVE/DEAD Cell Vitality Assay Kit and analyzed by flow cytometry. The dot plot of SYTOX Green fluorescence versusresorufin fluorescence shows resolution of live, injured, and dead cell populations. |
Kits for Bacteria
| Kit Name | Package Size | Platform* | Fluorescent Dyes | Ex/Em (nm) | Em Colors | SKU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIVE/DEAD® BacLight™ Bacterial Viability Kit | Stains are supplied in a mixed, two-component formulation | FC, FM, M | SYTO® 9 dye propidium iodide | 485/530 485/630 | Green (Live) Red (Dead) | L7007 | |
| LIVE/DEAD® BacLight™ Bacterial Viability Kit | The stains are provided as separate solutions | FC, FM, M | SYTO® 9 dye propidium iodide | 485/530 485/630 | Green (Live) Red (Dead) | L7012 | |
| LIVE/DEAD® BacLight™ Bacterial Viability Kit | Separate dyes are dry and premeasured into pairs of polyethylene transfer pipets | FC, FM, M | SYTO® 9 dye propidium iodide | 485/530 485/630 | Green (Live) Red (Dead) | L13152 | |
| LIVE/DEAD® BacLight Bacterial Viability and Counting Kit | Microsphere standard is also included | FC | SYTO® 9 dye propidium iodide | 485/530 485/630 | Green (Live) Red (Dead) | L34856 | |
| *FC=flow cytometry; FM=fluorescence microscopy; M=microplate assay | |||||||
Principle of Assay
- LIVE/DEAD® BacLight™ Bacterial Viability Kit—Membrane-permeant SYTO® 9 labels live bacteria with green fluorescence; membrane-impermeant propidium iodide labels membrane-compromised bacteria with red fluorescence.
- LIVE/DEAD® BacLight Bacterial Viability and Counting Kit—Membrane-permeant SYTO® 9 labels live bacteria with green fluorescence; membrane-impermeant propidium iodide labels membrane-compromised bacteria with red fluorescence. The calibrated suspension of polystyrene microspheres serves as a standard for the volume of suspension analyzed and is clearly distinguishable from stained bacteria in a cytogram with fluorescence versus side scatter.
 Use of our LIVE/DEAD® BacLight™ Bacterial Viability Kit (L7007, L7012, L13152) to identify individual live and dead bacteria along a chain of Streptococcus pyogenes. This image was photographed in a single exposure through an Omega Optical triple bandpass filter set. |  Analysis of bacterial cultures using the LIVE/DEAD BacLight Bacterial Viability and Counting Kit. Suspensions of live (untreated) and dead (alcohol-treated) Staphylococcus aureus (Panels A and C) and Escherichia coli (Panels B and D) were stained and analyzed by flow cytometry according to the kit protocol. Using green or red fluorescence versus side scatter cytogram (Panels A and B), the bacterial populations and the bead populations were gated (left and right boxes, respectively). Events in the bacteria region of each cytogram are also displayed in red fluorescence versus green fluorescence cytograms (Panels C and D). Live and dead bacteria/mL can be calculated from either the fluorescence versus side scatter cytogram or the green fluorescence versus red fluorescence cytogram, depending on which one shows the best separation of the live and dead populations. The position of the live and dead populations in these cytograms may be dependent on cell type and gram character. Some samples may exhibit events that fall outside the defined regions and should be evaluated appropriately (e.g., see Panel D). |
Kits for Yeast and Fungi
| Kit Name | Platform* | Fluorescent Dyes | Ex/Em | Em Colors | SKU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIVE/DEAD® Yeast Viability Kit | FM, M | FUN 1 Calcofluor White M2R | 488/530 (all) 365/440 | Green (All) | L7009 | |
| LIVE/DEAD® FungaLight™ Yeast Viability Kit | FC | SYTO® 9 dye propidium iodide | 485/530 485/630 | Green (Live) Red (Dead) | L34952 | |
| *FC=flow cytometry; FM=fluorescence microscopy; M=microplate assay | ||||||
Principle of Assay
- LIVE/DEAD® Yeast Viability Kit—Plasma membrane integrity and metabolic function of fungi are required to convert the yellow-green–fluorescent intracellular staining of FUN 1 into red-orange–fluorescent intravacuolar structures; Calcofluor White M2R labels cell-wall chitin with blue fluorescence regardless of metabolic state.
- LIVE/DEAD® FungaLight™ Yeast Viability Kit—SYTO® 9 nucleic acid stain generally labels all yeast in a population – those with intact membranes and those with damaged membranes. In contrast, propidium iodide penetrates only yeast with damaged membranes, causing a reduction in the SYTO® 9 stain fluorescence by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) when both dyes are present. As a result, yeast with intact membranes stain fluorescent green, whereas yeast with damaged membranes stain fluorescent red.
 | LIVE/DEAD® Yeast Viability Kit (L7009). Saccharomyces cerevisiae stained with the FUN® 1 cell stain, which generates red-fluorescent intravacuolar structures, and with Calcofluor White M2R, a blue-fluorescent cell wall stain. Both probes are provided in our LIVE/DEAD® Yeast Viability Kit (L7009). FUN® 1 cell stain is also available separately (F7030). |
Saccharomyces spp. cell suspensions stained with SYTO® 9 dye and propidium iodide and analyzed using a BD FACSCalibur™ flow cytometry system (Becton Dickinson and Co.). Panel A shows the dot plot of forward scatter vs. side scatter of an untreated Saccharomyces culture, washed and stained with SYTO® 9 dye and propidium iodide as described in the protocol. The region R1 contains particles of the appropriate size for yeast cells; the forward scatter trigger is set to exclude debris in the sample. Panel B shows the R1-gated staining pattern obtained following analysis of a sample of yeast containing a mixture of both live and heat-killed cells.
LIVE/DEAD® Fixable Stains for Flow Cytometry
| Kit Name | Platform* | Em (nm) | Laser Line Compatibility (nm) | SKU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIVE/DEAD® Fixable Blue Dead Cell Stain Kit | Flow Cytometry | 450 | UV | L23105 |
| LIVE/DEAD® Fixable Violet Dead Cell Stain Kit | Flow Cytometry | 451 | 405 | L34955 |
| LIVE/DEAD® Fixable Aqua Dead Cell Stain Kit | Flow Cytometry | 525 | 405 | L34957 |
| LIVE/DEAD® Fixable Yellow Dead Cell Stain Kit | Flow Cytometry | 575 | 405 | L34959 |
| LIVE/DEAD® Fixable Green Dead Cell Stain Kit | Flow Cytometry | 520 | 488 | L23101 |
| LIVE/DEAD® Fixable Red Dead Cell Stain Kit | Flow Cytometry | 615 | 488 | L23102 |
| LIVE/DEAD® Fixable Far Red Dead Cell Stain Kit | Flow Cytometry | 665 | 633 or 635 | L10120 |
| LIVE/DEAD® Fixable Near-IR Dead Cell Stain Kit | Flow Cytometry | 775 | 633 or 635 | L10119 |
| LIVE/DEAD® Fixable Dead Cell Stain Sampler Kit | Flow Cytometry | Various | Various | L34960 |
Principle of Assay
Learn More about LIVE/DEAD® Fixable Dead Cell Stain Kits
- LIVE/DEAD® Fixable Dead Cell Stain Kits—Live cells react with the fluorescent reactive dye only on their surface to yield weakly fluorescent cells. Cells with compromised membranes react with the dye throughout their volume, yielding brightly stained cells. Subsequent fixation inactivates pathogens without distorting the staining pattern.
Learn More about LIVE/DEAD® Fixable Dead Cell Stain Kits
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