Cell Meter™ Autophagy Assay Kit *Green Fluorescence*
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Telephone | 1-800-990-8053 |
Fax | 1-800-609-2943 |
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International | See distributors |
Bulk request | Inquire |
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Shipping | Standard overnight for United States, inquire for international |
Storage, safety and handling
H-phrase | H303, H313, H333 |
Hazard symbol | XN |
Intended use | Research Use Only (RUO) |
R-phrase | R20, R21, R22 |
UNSPSC | 12352200 |
Alternative formats
Cell Meter™ Autophagy Assay Kit *Blue Fluorescence* |
Related products
Overview | ![]() ![]() |
This Cell Meter™ Autophagy Kit employs Autophagy Green™ as a specific autophagosome marker to analyze the activity of autophagy. The assay is optimized for direct detection of autophagy in both detached and attached cells. The kit provides all the essential components for the assay protocol. Cell Meter™ Autophagy Kit is suitable for fluorescence microscope, fluorescence microplate reader and flow cytometer. Autophagy Green™ has a large Stokes shift. Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved degradation process that targets long-lived proteins, organelles, and other cytoplasmic components for degradation via the lysosomal pathway. The autophagy pathway is complementary to the action of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway which typically degrades short-lived proteins. Activation of the autophagy pathway is required for multiple cellular roles, including survival during starvation, the clearance of intracellular components, development, and immunity. In the absence of stress, autophagy serves a house-keeping function, removing damaged organelles and cellular components preventing cytotoxic effects. Decreases and defects in autophagy have been implicated in multiple diseases, for example Huntingtons, Alzheimers, and Parkinsons. In terms of cancer development, autophagy seems to play multiple roles. Decreased or absent expression of certain autophagy proteins, such as Beclin-1 and Bif-1, increases tumor susceptibility in mice while the overexpression of these proteins can repress cancer cell growth. However, autophagy is critical for the survival of cancer cells within the nutrient poor and hypoxic core of solid tumors.
Platform
Flow cytometer
Excitation | 488 nm laser |
Emission | 530/30 nm filter |
Instrument specification(s) | FITC channel |
Fluorescence microscope
Excitation | FITC filter |
Emission | FITC filter |
Recommended plate | Black wall/clear bottom |
Fluorescence microplate reader
Excitation | 485 nm |
Emission | 530 nm |
Cutoff | 515 nm |
Recommended plate | Black wall/clear bottom |
Instrument specification(s) | Bottom read mode |
Components
Example protocol
AT A GLANCE
Protocol summary
- Prepare cells with your test compounds
- Add Autophagy Green™ working solution
- Incubate at 37°C for 15 - 60 minutes
- Wash cells with Wash Buffer
- Monitor the fluorescence increase at Ex/Em= 485/530 nm (Cutoff = 515 nm), fluorescence microscope with FITC filter set or flow cytometer with 530/30 nm filter (FITC channel)
Important notes
Thaw all the components at room temperature before starting the experiment.
PREPARATION OF WORKING SOLUTION
Add 20 μL of Autophagy Green™ (Component A) to 10 mL of Stain Buffer (Component B) and mix well to make Autophagy Green™ working solution. Protect from light. Note: 20 μL of 500X Autophagy Green™ (Component A) is enough for one 96-well plate. Note: Aliquot and store unused 500X Autophagy Green™ at < -20ºC. Protect from light and avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
For guidelines on cell sample preparation, please visit
https://www.aatbio.com/resources/guides/cell-sample-preparation.html
SAMPLE EXPERIMENTAL PROTOCOL
- Culture cells to a density optimum for autophagy induction according to your specific induction protocol (about 1-2 × 104 cells/ well/96-well plate). At the same time, culture a non-induced negative control cell population at the same density as the induced population for every labeling condition.
- Remove medium.
- Add 100 µL/well (96-well plate) or 25 µL/well (384-well plate) of Autophagy Green™ working solution into each well.
- Incubate the cells in a 37°C, 5% CO2 incubator for 15 to 60 minutes. Note: The appropriate incubation time depends on the individual cell type and cell concentration used. Optimize the incubation time for each experiment.
- Wash the cells with Wash Buffer (Component C) for 3 - 4 times, then add 100 µL Wash Buffer (Component C) to each well. Note: It is recommended to increase either the labeling concentration or the incubation time to allow the dye to accumulate if the cells do not appear to be sufficiently stained.
- Monitor the fluorescence intensity with a fluorescence microplate reader at Ex/Em = 485/530 nm (Cutoff = 515 nm), a fluorescence microscope with FITC filter set or a flow cytometer with 530/30 nm filter (FITC channel).
Images

Figure 1. Autophagy Green™ labeled vesicles were induced by starvation in HeLa cells. HeLa cells were incubated in a regular DMEM medium (Left: Control) or in 1X HBSS buffer with 5% serum (Right: Autophagy Treatment) for 16 hours. Both control and starved cells were incubated with Autophagy Green™ working solution for 20 minutes in a 37 °C, 5% CO2 incubator, and then washed 3 times with wash buffer. Cells were imaged immediately under a fluorescence microscope with a FITC channel (green). Cell nuclei were stained with Hoechst 33342 (blue).

Figure 2. HeLa cells were incubated in 1X HBSS buffer with 5% serum to induce starvation. Following starvation, cells were treated with Autophagy Green™ (Cat No. 23002) working solution for 20 minutes in a 37°C, 5% CO2 incubator and then washed 3 times. Nuclei were labeled with Hoechst 33342 (Cat No. 17530). Lysosomes were labeled with LysoBrite™ Orange (Cat No. 22657).

Figure 3. HG-induced autophagy related gene expression and autophagosome formation. BMSCs in LG or HG were treated with MDC and examined under fluorescent microscopy. RA and 3MA denote rapamycin (5 μM) and 3-methlyadenine (10 μM), respectively. *Autophagosomes were detected with an autofluorescent compound monodansylcadaverine (MDC), using a Cell Meter Autophagy kit (AAT Bioquest, Inc.). Source: Graph from High Glucose Induces Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Senescence by Upregulating Autophagy by Tzu-Ching Chang, et al., PLOS ONE, May 2015.

Figure 4. Antioxidants abrogate HG-induced autophagy. Analysis of autophagy by MDC staining. *Autophagosomes were detected with an autofluorescent compound monodansylcadaverine (MDC), using a Cell Meter Autophagy kit (AAT Bioquest, Inc.). Source: Graph from High Glucose Induces Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Senescence by Upregulating Autophagy by Tzu-Ching Chang, et al., PLOS ONE, May 2015.
Citations
View all 9 citations: Citation Explorer
Mitochondrial-Targeted Antioxidant MitoQ-Mediated Autophagy: A Novel Strategy for Precise Radiation Protection
Authors: Bao, Xingting and Liu, Xiongxiong and Wu, Qingfeng and Ye, Fei and Shi, Zheng and Xu, Dan and Zhang, Jinhua and Dou, Zhihui and Huang, Guomin and Zhang, Hong and others,
Journal: Antioxidants (2023): 453
Authors: Bao, Xingting and Liu, Xiongxiong and Wu, Qingfeng and Ye, Fei and Shi, Zheng and Xu, Dan and Zhang, Jinhua and Dou, Zhihui and Huang, Guomin and Zhang, Hong and others,
Journal: Antioxidants (2023): 453
Sarcopenia-derived exosomal micro-RNA 16-5p disturbs cardio-repair via a pro-apoptotic mechanism in myocardial infarction in mice
Authors: Hayasaka, Taiki and Takehara, Naofumi and Aonuma, Tatsuya and Kano, Kohei and Horiuchi, Kiwamu and Nakagawa, Naoki and Tanaka, Hiroki and Kawabe, Jun-ichi and Hasebe, Naoyuki
Journal: Scientific Reports (2021): 1--14
Authors: Hayasaka, Taiki and Takehara, Naofumi and Aonuma, Tatsuya and Kano, Kohei and Horiuchi, Kiwamu and Nakagawa, Naoki and Tanaka, Hiroki and Kawabe, Jun-ichi and Hasebe, Naoyuki
Journal: Scientific Reports (2021): 1--14
Effects of miR-34b/miR-892a upregulation and inhibition of ABCB1/ABCB4 on melatonin-induced apoptosis in VCR-resistant oral cancer cells
Authors: Hsieh, Ming-Ju and Lin, Chiao-Wen and Su, Shih-Chi and Reiter, Russel J and Chen, Andy Wei-Ge and Chen, Mu-Kuan and Yang, Shun-Fa
Journal: Molecular Therapy-Nucleic Acids (2020): 877--889
Authors: Hsieh, Ming-Ju and Lin, Chiao-Wen and Su, Shih-Chi and Reiter, Russel J and Chen, Andy Wei-Ge and Chen, Mu-Kuan and Yang, Shun-Fa
Journal: Molecular Therapy-Nucleic Acids (2020): 877--889
Effect and underlying mechanisms of airborne particulate matter 2.5 (PM2. 5) on cultured human corneal epithelial cells
Authors: Kashiwagi, Kenji and Iizuka, Yoko
Journal: Scientific reports (2020): 1--10
Authors: Kashiwagi, Kenji and Iizuka, Yoko
Journal: Scientific reports (2020): 1--10
Effect and underlying mechanisms of airborne particulate matter 2.5 on cultured human corneal epithelial cells
Authors: Kashiwagi, Kenji and Iizuka, Yoko
Journal: Scientific reports (2020): 1--10
Authors: Kashiwagi, Kenji and Iizuka, Yoko
Journal: Scientific reports (2020): 1--10
Coronarin D induces apoptotic cell death through the JNK pathway in human hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Lin, Hui-Wen and Hsieh, Ming-Ju and Yeh, Chao-Bin and Hsueh, Kuan-Chun and Hsieh, Yi-Hsien and Yang, Shun-Fa
Journal: Environmental toxicology (2018)
Authors: Lin, Hui-Wen and Hsieh, Ming-Ju and Yeh, Chao-Bin and Hsueh, Kuan-Chun and Hsieh, Yi-Hsien and Yang, Shun-Fa
Journal: Environmental toxicology (2018)
Methods for Measuring Autophagy Levels in Disease
Authors: Phadwal, Kanchan and Kurian, Dominic
Journal: (2017): 195--211
Authors: Phadwal, Kanchan and Kurian, Dominic
Journal: (2017): 195--211
High glucose induces bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell senescence by upregulating autophagy
Authors: Chang, Tzu-Ching and Hsu, Min-Fen and Wu, Kenneth K
Journal: PloS one (2015): e0126537
Authors: Chang, Tzu-Ching and Hsu, Min-Fen and Wu, Kenneth K
Journal: PloS one (2015): e0126537
Licochalcone A induces autophagy through PI3K/Akt/mTOR inactivation and autophagy suppression enhances Licochalcone A-induced apoptosis of human cervical cancer cells
Authors: Tsai, Jen-Pi and Lee, Chien-Hsing and Ying, Tsung-Ho and Lin, Chu-Liang and Lin, Chia-Liang and Hsueh, Jung-Tsung and Hsieh, Yi-Hsien
Journal: Oncotarget (2015): 28851
Authors: Tsai, Jen-Pi and Lee, Chien-Hsing and Ying, Tsung-Ho and Lin, Chu-Liang and Lin, Chia-Liang and Hsueh, Jung-Tsung and Hsieh, Yi-Hsien
Journal: Oncotarget (2015): 28851
References
View all 28 references: Citation Explorer
beta-Elemene induces apoptosis as well as protective autophagy in human non-small-cell lung cancer A549 cells
Authors: Liu J, Hu XJ, Jin B, Qu XJ, Hou KZ, Liu YP.
Journal: J Pharm Pharmacol (2012): 146
Authors: Liu J, Hu XJ, Jin B, Qu XJ, Hou KZ, Liu YP.
Journal: J Pharm Pharmacol (2012): 146
Tgf-beta1 induces autophagy and promotes apoptosis in renal tubular epithelial cells
Authors: Xu Y, Yang S, Huang J, Ruan S, Zheng Z, Lin J.
Journal: Int J Mol Med. (2012)
Authors: Xu Y, Yang S, Huang J, Ruan S, Zheng Z, Lin J.
Journal: Int J Mol Med. (2012)
High-Throughput Screening for AntiInfluenza A Virus Drugs and Study of the Mechanism of Procyanidin on Influenza A VirusInduced Autophagy
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Authors: Dai J, Wang G, Li W, Zhang L, Yang J, Zhao X, Chen X, Xu Y, Li K.
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An autophagy inhibitor enhances the inhibition of cell proliferation
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Inhibition of induced autophagy increases apoptosis of Nara-H cells
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Journal: Int J Oncol (2011): 1545
Authors: Nakamura O, Hitora T, Akisue T, Kawamoto T, Yamagami Y, Yamamoto T.
Journal: Int J Oncol (2011): 1545
A new fluorescence-based assay for autophagy
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Authors: Proikas-Cezanne T, Codogno P.
Journal: Chem Biol (2011): 940
Reactive oxygen species contribute to oridonin-induced apoptosis and autophagy in human cervical carcinoma HeLa cells
Authors: Zhang YH, Wu YL, Tashiro S, Onodera S, Ikejima T.
Journal: Acta Pharmacol Sin (2011): 1266
Authors: Zhang YH, Wu YL, Tashiro S, Onodera S, Ikejima T.
Journal: Acta Pharmacol Sin (2011): 1266
Salvianolic acid B inhibits autophagy and protects starving cardiac myocytes
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Authors: Han X, Liu JX, Li XZ.
Journal: Acta Pharmacol Sin (2011): 38
Quantification of nonselective bulk autophagy in S. cerevisiae using Pgk1-GFP
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Journal: Autophagy (2010): 794
Authors: Welter E, Thumm M, Krick R.
Journal: Autophagy (2010): 794
Concomitant inhibition of AKT and autophagy is required for efficient cisplatin-induced apoptosis of metastatic skin carcinoma
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Authors: Claerhout S, Verschooten L, Van Kelst S, De Vos R, Proby C, Agostinis P, Garmyn M.
Journal: Int J Cancer (2010): 2790
Application notes
FAQ
Can I use any of your Cell Meter™ Autophagy Assay Kits with a flow cytometer?
How do cells protect themselves against cellular stress?
What are the most common types of cell death?
How does the autophagy marker in your Cell Meter™ Autophagy Assay Kit (Cat#23000) work?
Are Cell Navigator® Cell Plasma Membrane Staining Kits suitable for cell culture medium samples?
How do cells protect themselves against cellular stress?
What are the most common types of cell death?
How does the autophagy marker in your Cell Meter™ Autophagy Assay Kit (Cat#23000) work?
Are Cell Navigator® Cell Plasma Membrane Staining Kits suitable for cell culture medium samples?