cells are known to be defective in caspase-3 activity. Can I still use the M30-Apoptosense assay?
Yes, more than one caspase can generate the M30 neo-epitope. MCF-7 cells generate M30-activity during apoptosis due to activity of other caspases. Apoptosis can therefore be detected in cells defective in one particular caspase, and can be detected after exposure to agents that may not trigger the entire caspase machinery.
