Not necessarily responding to the "oncosis" query, I have a related comment: I have noted in past discussions the observation that taxol-treated cells that undergo apoptosis determined by laddering and morphology have also been negative when assayed by the exo-TdT method. These occasions, we employed the biotin-dUTP/avidin-conjugate approach, and for several investigators, results were mostly negative. Recently, we have tried the BrdU kit from Phoenix (works well, and the positive control provided is great) on a set of these cells, with far better positive results. Although I have not pursued the reason behind the taxol-TUNEL incompatability (at least in our hands), I believe that it is an artifact of that combination. It therefore seems reasonable that other antitumor agents may have a similar effect on the assay . . . further supporting the position that multiple methods to detect apoptosis should be used. MAK. --- Mark A. KuKuruga, Managing Director University of Michigan Flow Cytometry kukuruga@medmail.med.umich.edu
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