Cell Signaling
Promega cell signaling products use the power and convenience of bioluminescence to detect and quantify the activity of various enzymes and proteins involved in signal transduction cascades.
Our biochemical kinase detection platform, ADP-Glo™ Kinase Assay, is a very sensitive and reliable detection method that is easily scaled to meet your throughput needs. Additionally, we offer a large selection of Kinase Enzyme Systems that are optimized for use with ADP-Glo and include over 100 mutants.
The award-winning kinase target engagement assays use NanoBRET® technology to measure kinase-compound binding and residence time in live cells.
Assays are also available for detection of GPCR signaling events, glycosyltransferase activity, and other enzyme activities.
Cell Signaling Product Groups
Glycobiology
Luminescent-based assays for measuring glycosyltransferase enzyme activity.
GPCR Signaling Assays
Easy-to-use, bioluminescence-based kits to detect cAMP, GTPase and PDE activities.
Kinase Target Engagement
Target engagement assays and kinase-luciferase fusion vectors to measure compound binding to select kinases in live cells.
Kinase Activity Assays
Kinase activity assays, substrates and supporting reagents. Sensitive, easy to use and scalable to your throughput needs.
PARP/DDR Target Engagement Assays
Target engagement tracers and NanoLuc® fusion vectors for measuring cellular compound binding to PARPs and select targets in the DDR pathway.
Signaling Pathway Assays
AMP and UDP detection reagents, growth factors, and phosphatase assays.
RAS/RAF Pathway Assays
Easy-to-use, bioluminescence-based assays for probing the targets in the RAS-RAF-MAPK pathway.
Top Cell Signaling Products for Your Lab
ADP-Glo™ Kinase Assay
Universal, luminescent kinase activity assay.
V6930, V9101, V9102, V9103, V9104
NanoBRET® Target Engagement Kinase Assays
Directly measure kinase-ligand binding affinity, occupancy and residence time in live cells.
N2520, N2521, N2540, N2501, N2500, N2530, N2600, N2601, N2620, N2621, N2630, N2631, N2640, N2641, N2650, N2651, NF1001, N2810, N2820, N2830, N2840, N2850, NF1200
cAMP-Glo™ Assay
45-minute, high-throughput assay for cAMP in cells.
V1501, V1502
An Introduction to Cell Signaling
Cell signaling, or signal transduction, is the process by which information from the cell surface is transmitted to the nucleus via a complex network of interwoven signaling cascades. These signaling events regulate cellular responses like proliferation, differentiation, secretion and apoptosis.
Signal transduction cascades are generally triggered by the binding of ligands, such as growth factors, cytokines, neurotransmitters, or hormones, to a receptor. These receptors transmit the stimulus to the interior of the cell, where the signal is amplified and directed through a signaling pathway.
The propagation of the primary signal involves a wide array of enzymes with specialized functions. In many cases, the signal is propagated by post-translational modification of proteins. Protein phosphorylation, one of the most common post-translational modifications, plays a dominant role in almost all signaling events. In general, phosphorylation either activates or inactivates a given protein to perform a certain function.
Protein kinases and phosphatases are responsible for determining the phosphorylation state of cellular proteins and, thus, whether a signal gets transduced within a cell. Changes in the level, subcellular localization and activity of kinases and phosphatases have consequences for normal cell function and maintenance of cellular homeostasis.
Assays to detect the activity of kinases and other signaling enzymes are fundamental tools for researchers studying a wide variety of signaling events. They are also used widely for the evaluation of drug:target interactions in drug discovery applications.