Cell Stress Assays

Detect Stress Responses in Living Cells

Our cell stress assays produce a bright green fluorescent protein when the cell endures endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress or undergoes the unfolded protein response (UPR). This robust assay can be detected on standard fluorescence plate readers or imaging systems.

Fluorescent Tools to Monitor Cell Stress & Toxicity

Bright fluorescent assays to detect response and reversal of chemical or genetic ER stress response and UPR. Don’t settle for counting dead cells…instead, take a closer look at the biology.

Discover a bright fluorescent assay for detecting ER-mediated stress and the UPR
Neurotoxicity assay in iPSC-derived neurons or cardiomyocytes
Simultaneous readouts of disrupted Ca²⁺signals in stressed cells
Assay reversibility follows stress reversal
Reveal disrupted signals that underlie neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration.

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New IRE1-XBP1 ER Stress Assay

Detect cell stress by way of the IRE1-XBP1 arm of the UPR
Cells produce bright green fluorescence when undergoing stress and constitutively express a red FP for ratiometric analysis or to monitor cell health
Measure either green fluorescence or take the green/red fluorescence ratio, both with high Z’
Green and red fluorescence is targeted to the nucleus to simplify image analysis using microscopy or high-content imaging systems
This is an update to our product #U0901G, using the bright, rapidly folding Montana Paintbrush RFP for more robust detection on plate readers

Using U0921G to measure stress response to Thapsigargin

Stress response in HEK293 cells in response to Thapsigargin treatment. Stress measured with #U0921G using the Green/Red fluorescence ratio.

Stress response in HEK293 cells in response to Thapsigargin treatment. Stress measured with #U0921G using the Green fluorescence only.

Simple Protocol

Get results in hours, not days
Plate reader or imaging compatible
Get technical support fast from a friendly scientist

Nuclear Targeted

Simplifies image analysis in both red and green channels.
Mimics the endogenous regulatory pathway of the XBP1 protein which the sensor is based on.

Detecting Chemical Stress

Discriminate between toxic compounds in less than 8 hours.

Cells transduced with 25 μL of green cell stress sensor and activated with either thapsigargin or tunicamycin. The plot displays the percent change in fluorescence over time compared to 1 hour after addition of either drug or DMSO control.

Detecting Genetic Stress

Reach for a better understanding of neurodegeneration with a robust and reversible assay that indicates the stress pathway involved in protein misfolding and aggregation. Cells expressing Rhodopsin P23H mutation in Retinitis Pigmentosa, and SOD G85R mutation in ALS clearly indicated after just 18 hours.

Two-color Ratiometric Stress Assay

Two-color ratiometric stress biosensor: This version of the assay is designed for ratiometric measurements using the green fluorescent sensor and a constitutively expressed red fluorescent protein. Red and green fluorescent signals are both localized to the nucleus. Red fluorescence indicates all cells expressing the sensor, and green fluorescence indicates cells undergoing the stress response.

Detecting Stress Reversal

A red fluorescent nucleus turns green when the cells become stressed and back to red when cells recover, making it easy to identify therapeutic compounds that reverse ER-mediated stress and the UPR.

The cell stress assay is packaged in BacMam, a BSL-1 viral vector for efficient expression in a wide variety of cell types including primary cells, standard cell lines, and iPSC derived cells. In the videos below we show how the cell stress assay responds to stress and toxicity in iPSC neurons and cardiomyocytes.