Overview

Luminescent assays are assays in which a luminescent signal (in the form of light, or photons) is generated via a chemical or biochemical reaction and measured using a plate reader. In general, light collected from luminescent assay measurements is not restricted to particular wavelengths. In most luminescent assays, signal from all of the photons produced by the assay is recorded by the PMT (photo-multiplier tube), CCD (charge coupled device), or other detector within the plate reader.

Examples of luminescent assays include Alpha assays (AlphaScreen^® and AlphaLISA^®), ATPlite^® assays, britelite™ assays, steadylite^® assays, neolite™ assays, other luciferase-based assays, AequoScreen^® assays, PhotoScreen™ assays, luminescent calcium flux assays, chemiluminescent ELISAs, and other chemiluminescent technologies.

Figure 1: Examples of luminescent assays. Clockwise from upper left: Alpha (AlphaLISA and AlphaScreen assays), ATPlite assay principle, Aequorin assays for calcium flux, and assay principle for reporter gene assays.

Top

White vs. Black vs. Gray Plates

When selecting a plate for a luminescent assay, it is important to consider whether you would like to use white plates, black plates or gray plates for your assay. There are strengths and weaknesses associated with each option, and certain types of assays may recommend or even require one particular color plate.

Signal

The use of white plates will result in a higher signal for luminescent assays, as they offer maximum reflection of light. Black plates can "quench" the signal by absorbing some of the light produced by the assay. Gray plates give an intermediate signal level. If you are working with an assay that produces a low signal, or if you are working in higher density format (1536-well plates), white plates may be helpful in maximizing signal. If you are working with an assay that gives a strong signal, black plates may be helpful in reducing well-to-well cross-talk.

Well-to-well cross-talk

Optical cross-talk occurs when light from one well travels through the well walls into adjacent wells where it is detected and adds non-specific counts to that well.

Phosphorescence and dark adaptation

Background phosphorescence may also be a consideration when choosing between white or black plates for a luminescent assay. Phosphorescence is the emission of light by a substance, resulting from stored energy. Certain components in a buffer or sample may phosphoresce, and plastic from the microplate itself can also phosphoresce. Phosphorescence can lead to increased background, which could potentially have a negative impact on a given assay. Black microplates intrinsically exhibit less phosphorescence than white microplates, and may be desirable for particular assays. Alternatively, assays run in white microplates can be "dark-adapted" by shielding the microplate from light for up to 10 minutes prior to reading the plate in order to reduce background phosphorescence.

Gray (or "grey") plates

Certain plates are offered in black, white, or gray colors. Gray plates can be helpful as they can offer reduced cross-talk and reduced phosphorescence (in comparison to a white plate) while still maintaining high signal (in comparison to a black plate). Gray plates are designed to give low-background while maintaining high signal. This combination can result in higher sensitivity for some assays. For AlphaScreen and AlphaLISA assays, we offer light gray "AlphaPlate™" microplates, which are specially designed for low cross-talk in Alpha assays. AlphaPlate microplates can also be used for other types of luminescence assays such as ATPlite or other luciferase-based assays.

 
Figure 2: White 384-well OptiPlate™ microplate (left) and light gray 384-well AlphaPlate microplate (right).

• Alpha (AlphaScreen and AlphaLISA) assays should never be run in black microplates. See more information on plate recommendations for Alpha assays at the bottom of this page.

Top

Microplates for cell-based luminescent assays

Choosing the correct microplate for a cell-based assay will be dependent on both the specific cell line being used in the assay and the assay protocol itself. Questions that need to be answered in choosing the plate include:

1. Do I need a sterile, tissue culture-treated plate?
2. Does the plate need to be coated?
3. Should the plate have a clear or opaque bottom?

Plate considerations
Whether or not it is necessary to use a sterile, tissue culture-treated plate depends on the length of time the cells are going to be in the assay plate. In some assays the cells are added to the microplate and the assay is completed within a few minutes to a few hours. In other cases cells are grown in plates at least overnight prior to performing the assay, or are treated with compounds for extended lengths of time. As a general recommendation, if the assay is going to be performed within a single working day a sterile, tissue culture-treated plate is not necessary. If the cells are going to be in the plate overnight or longer a sterile, tissue culture-treated plate should be used, and aseptic techniques should be followed.

The need for tissue culture-treated or coated plates depends on the specific cell lines used, and how the cells are going to be treated in the course of the assay. Cells can be broadly divided into three classes of cells:

1. Strongly adherent cells
2. Poorly adherent cells
3. Suspension or non-adherent cells

Our sterile microplates are all tissue culture-treated to promote cell attachment and growth. The tissue culture treatment process involves exposing a polystyrene microplate to a plasma gas in order to modify the hydrophobic plastic surface to make it more hydrophilic. The resulting surface carries a net negative charge due to the presence of oxygen-containing functional groups such as hydroxyl and carboxyl. Strongly adherent cells will usually attach satisfactorily to tissue culture-treated plates. Cell lines that attach less strongly may require a plate with a coating such as poly-D-lysine or collagen which promotes attachment better than just tissue culture treatment. Cell-based assays using suspension cells are generally performed in standard tissue culture-treated plates. Coated plates are not typically used with suspension cells.

In addition to the specific cell line being used in the assay, the assay protocol itself is important in deciding the type of plate to use. For example, assays using adherent cells may include culture medium changes or wash steps in the protocol. In such cases it may be advisable to use a coated plate for the assay in order to prevent the cells from becoming detached from the plate during the assay.

View additional information on plate treatments and coatings.

Clear bottom vs. opaque plates
Microplates with clear bottoms can be useful for cell based assays as they allow the microscopic visualization of the cells to monitor confluency, morphology and other parameters that may affect the cellular response in the assay. In addition, assays that are configured for bottom reading require clear bottom plates.

Clear bottom plates can be converted to functionally opaque plates by application of BackSeal™ Adhesive Bottom Seal. BackSeal plate seals are available in either white or black (catalog number 6005199 for white, catalog number 6005189 for black). The color of the BackSeal plate seal should match the color of the sides of the plate wells.

CulturPlate™ microplates
All CulturPlate microplates are sterile and tissue culture-treated for use with adherent or suspension cells. CulturPlate microplates are one solid color (either white or black), with no transparency. Because of this, these plates must be read using top-reading plate readers (plate reader detector is located above the plate, as opposed to below the plate).

ViewPlate^® microplates
Not all ViewPlate microplates are sterile/tissue culture-treated; look for ViewPlate products that are designated as "sterile, TC-treated" for cell-based assays using adherent or suspension cells. ViewPlate microplates have a clear-bottom base, with the sides of each well a solid white or black in color. The clear-bottom base of these plates is specifically designed for microscopic visualization, which can be helpful when microscopic observation is required to check cell density and morphology. The clear-bottom base of the plate also allows for bottom-read measurements (i.e., when the plate detector is located below the plate within the plate reader). It is always possible to convert a ViewPlate microplate into a completely solid-color plate to facilitate top-reading measurements (i.e., detector is located above the plate within the instrument) by using BackSeal™ plate seal. BackSeal plate seal is offered in either black or white, and is an adhesive sticker-like seal that is affixed to the underside of the plate. ViewPlate microplates are also offered with poly-D-lysine or collagen coatings to help facilitate the binding of poorly-adherent cells to the surface of the plate.

ProxiPlate™ Plus TC microplates
ProxiPlate Plus TC plates are sterile, tissue-culture treated, shallow-well plates designed for low-volume assays. The bottom of the wells is raised to position the surface of the liquid in each well as close to the top-reading instrument detector as possible, resulting in high signal. These plates are offered in black or white. They are solid (opaque) in color with no transparency, and therefore require measurement in top-reading microplate readers.

1: Clear-bottom, TC-treated IsoPlate™ microplates could also be used for cell-based luminescent assays. Clear-bottom IsoPlate microplates are similar to ViewPlate microplates in that the bottom of the plate is clear, while the sides of each well are either black or white. This makes the IsoPlate microplate suitable for bottom-reading instruments. However, there are a few differences between IsoPlate and ViewPlate microplates. IsoPlate microplates are manufactured by first molding 96 clear wells at a time, then molding a black or white frame around the clear wells. This makes the white- or black-colored well extend to the same depth as the clear well base, and can help reduce crosstalk in bottom-reading assays. IsoPlate microplates were developed for coincidence counting in a MicroBeta^® instrument (reading from top and bottom coincidentally). However, IsoPlate microplates are not ideal for confocal imaging (microscopic observations) because the optical clarity of the bottom is not as good as clarity is with ViewPlate microplates. Additionally, IsoPlate microplates are only available in 96-well format.

Tips and FAQS

• BackSeal plate seal can be used to convert a clear-bottom plate into an opaque (solid-colored) plate for top reads. BackSeal plate seal is offered in both white and black (catalog number 6005199 for white, catalog number 6005189 for black). The color of the BackSeal plate seal should be chosen to match the color of the sides of the wells of the plate.

Q. What kind of lid can I use for my plates?
A. Most CulturPlate and ViewPlate microplates are packaged with lids on the plates. Lids for 96-well plates have condensation rings that align with the underlying wells. These lids will leave a small space between the lid and the well. This is necessary so cells can ‘breathe’ when growing. Alternatively, clear sterile lids can be ordered separately (catalog number 6005619 for 96-well plates, catalog number 6007619 for 384-well and 1536-well plates). Lids should be removed prior to reading the plate to avoid damaging the plate reader.

Q. Can I use a seal on my plates, or will that kill my cells?
A. If cell viability is no longer an issue, TopSeal-A™ adhesive plate seal (catalog number 6050185) can be used to prevent evaporation during incubation steps or during a luminescent plate read. If cell viability is an issue at the time a seal is needed, we recommend using sterile plate lids (if sterile practices need to be maintained) or breathable plate seal (if antibiotics/antifungals can be added to the culture media to prevent contamination). Breathable plate seal is available from various suppliers, including Nunc^® and Corning^®.

Top

Microplates for biochemical luminescent assays

Microplates for standard, in vitro luminescent assays that do not require anchoring of cells or other reagents to the surface of the plate.

OptiPlate™ microplates
OptiPlate microplates are standard, highly-versatile microplates. These plates are offered in black or white. They are solid (opaque) in color with no transparency, and therefore require measurement in top-reading microplate readers. OptiPlate microplates are available in 24-, 96-, 384 and 1536-well formats and also as a HB (high bind) version.

ProxiPlate™ microplates
ProxiPlate microplates are shallow-well plates designed for low-volume assays. The bottom of the wells is raised to position the surface of the liquid in each well as close to the top-reading instrument detector as possible, resulting in high signal. These plates are offered in black or white. They are solid (opaque) in color with no transparency, and therefore require measurement in top-reading microplate readers. ProxiPlate microplates are available in 96-well and 384-well formats.

Figure 3: Top view of a 384-well white ProxiPlate microplate (left) and view from underneath the same plate (right). The bottom of the wells is pushed towards the top surface of the plate to help increase signal while allowing use of low assay volumes.

½ AreaPlate™ microplates
"Half-AreaPlate" microplates are special plates that are designed to facilitate pipetting of low assay volumes in 96-well format. These plates have wells that are spaced to mimick the spacing of standard 96-well plates, but the actual area of each well is reduced to permit use of lower assay volumes than would be used in a typical 96-well plate. For example, a typical assay volume for a 96-well OptiPlate microplate might be 100-200 μL. A typical assay volume for a 96-well ½ AreaPlate microplate is 40-50 μL. These plates are solid (opaque) in color, offered in black or white, and require measurement in top-reading microplate readers.

Figure 4: 96-well OptiPlate microplate (left) vs. 96-well ½ AreaPlate microplate (right)

AlphaPlate™ microplates

AlphaPlate microplates are light gray plates designed to reduce cross-talk while maintaining high signal in luminescent assays run in 384-well and 1536-well format. These plate provide higher signal-to-background and increased sensitivity compared to white or black plates in luminescent assays, with cross-talk similar to black plates. These plates are recommended for AlphaLISA^® and AlphaScreen^® assays, as well as other biochemical luminescent assays.

ViewPlate^® microplates (untreated)
ViewPlate microplates have a clear-bottom base, with the sides of each well a solid white or black in color. The clear-bottom base of ViewPlate microplates is specifically designed for microscopic visualization when needed. The clear-bottom base of the plate allows for bottom-read measurements (i.e., when the plate detector is located below the plate within the plate reader). It is always possible to convert a ViewPlate microplate into a completely solid-color plate to facilitate top-reading measurements (i.e., detector is located above the plate within the instrument) by using BackSeal plate seal. BackSeal plate seal is offered in either black or white, and is an adhesive sticker-like seal that is affixed to the underside of the plate.

IsoPlate™ microplates (untreated)
Clear-well IsoPlate microplates are similar to ViewPlate microplates in that the bottom of the plate is clear, while the sides of each well are either black or white. This makes clear-well IsoPlate microplates suitable for bottom-reading instruments. However, there are a few differences between IsoPlate and ViewPlate microplates. IsoPlate microplates are manufactured by first molding 96 clear wells at a time, then molding a black or white frame around the clear wells. This makes the white- or black-colored well extend to the same depth as the clear well base, and can help reduce cross-talk in bottom-reading assays. Clear-well IsoPlate microplates were developed for coincidence counting in a MicroBeta instrument (reading from top and bottom coincidentally). IsoPlate microplates that have white well bottoms but black well side walls are also offered to help minimize phosphorescence and cross-talk while maximizing signal. IsoPlate microplates are only available in 96-well format.

VisiPlate™ microplates (non-TC treated)
VisiPlate microplates have a clear-bottom base, with the sides of each well a solid white or black in color. The clear-bottom base of the plate allows for bottom-read measurements (i.e., when the plate detector is located below the plate within the plate reader). It is always possible to convert a VisiPlate microplate into a completely solid-color plate to facilitate top-reading measurements (i.e., detector is located above the plate within the instrument) by using BackSeal plate seal. BackSeal plate seal is offered in both black and white, and is an adhesive sticker-like seal that is affixed to the underside of the plate. VisiPlate microplates are similar to ViewPlate and IsoPlate microplates, but are the only clear-bottom, solid-colored well plates that are offered in 24-well format. VisiPlate microplates are only offered in 24-well format.

*Clear-well IsoPlate microplates are similar to ViewPlate microplates in that the bottom of the plate is clear, while the sides of each well are either black or white. This makes the IsoPlate microplate suitable for bottom-reading instruments. However, there are a few differences between IsoPlate and ViewPlate microplates. IsoPlate microplates are manufactured by first molding 96 clear wells at a time, then molding a black or white frame around the clear wells. This makes the white- or black-colored well extend to the same depth as the clear well base, and can help reduce cross-talk in bottom-reading assays. IsoPlate microplates were developed for coincidence counting in a MicroBeta instrument (reading from top and bottom coincidentally). Additionally, IsoPlate microplates are only available in 96-well format, whereas ViewPlate microplates are available in 96-well, 384-well, and 1536-well formats.

Figure 5: Photo from the bottom of a 96-well ViewPlate microplate (left) and a 96-well clear-bottom IsoPlate microplate (right). The ViewPlate microplate has a one-piece rectangular clear plastic base on the underside of the plate. The IsoPlate microplate has individual circular clear plastic well bottoms that are planar with the bottom of the white- or black-framed wells.

• BackSeal plate seal can be used to convert a clear-bottom plate into an opaque (solid-colored) plate for top reads. BackSeal plate seal is offered in both white and black (catalog number 6005199 for white, catalog number 6005189 for black). The color of the BackSeal plate seal chosen should match the color of the sides of the wells of the plate.

Q. What kind of plate seal can I use for my plates?
A. TopSeal-A adhesive plate seal (catalog number 6050185) can be used to prevent evaporation during incubation steps or during a luminescent plate read.

Q. What kind of lids can I use for my plates?
A. Clear, non-sterile lids that fit our OptiPlate and ProxiPlate microplates can be ordered separately (catalog number 6005617 for 96-well plates, catalog number 6007617 for 384-well or 1536-well plates). Lids should be removed prior to reading the plate to avoid damaging the plate reader. Lids for the 96-well plates have condensation rings that align with the underlying wells. These lids will leave a small space between the lid and the well, which can lead to evaporation over longer periods of time.

Top

Microplates for coated-plate assays (including chemiluminescent ELISAs)

Sometimes referred to as "solid phase assays", coated-plate assays require the anchoring of one of the assay components (protein, antibody, sample, etc.) to the surface of the microplate. Coated-plate assays use wash steps to separate bound (associating) and unbound (non-associating) reagents from the well of the plate.

OptiPlate™ HB (high-binding) plates
High-bind OptiPlate microplates are uncoated plates that are specially treated to allow passive, direct coating of antibodies, proteins, samples, and other biomolecules using standard plate coating procedures. These plates are offered in black or white. They are solid (opaque) in color with no transparency, and therefore require measurement in top-reading microplate readers.

IsoPlate™ HB (high-binding) plates
High-bind IsoPlate microplates are uncoated plates that are specially treated to allow passive, direct coating of antibodies, proteins, samples, and other biomolecules using standard plate coating procedures. The bottom of the wells is clear, while the sides of each well are either black or white in color. The clear-bottom base of the plate allows for bottom-read measurements (i.e., when the plate detector is located below the plate within the plate reader). It is always possible to convert an IsoPlate microplate into a completely solid-color plate to facilitate top-reading measurements (i.e., detector is located above the plate within the instrument) by using BackSeal plate seal. BackSeal plate seal is offered in either black or white, and is an adhesive sticker-like seal that is affixed to the underside of the plate.

Tips and FAQS

• BackSeal plate seal can be used to convert a clear-bottom plate into an opaque (solid-colored) plate for top reads. BackSeal plate seal is offered in both white and black (catalog number 6005199 for white, catalog number 6005189 for black). The color of the BackSeal plate seal should match the color of the sides of the wells of the plate.

Q. What kind of plate seal can I use for my plates?
A. TopSeal-A adhesive plate seal (catalog number 6050185) can be used to prevent evaporation during incubation steps or during a luminescent plate read.

Q. What kind of lids can I use for my plates?
A. Clear, non-sterile lids that fit our OptiPlate and ProxiPlate microplates can be ordered separately (catalog number 6005617 for 96-well plates, catalog number 6007617 for 384-well or 1536-well plates). Lids should be removed prior to reading the plate to prevent damaging the plate reader. Lids for the 96-well plates have condensation rings that align with the underlying wells. These lids will leave a small space between the lid and the well, which can lead to evaporation over time.

Q. Do you have any suggested plate coating protocols that I can use to bind my antibody/sample to the plate?
A. High-bind plates can be coated using any standard plate-coating method. Plates can be coated passively using the basic outline below:

1. Antibody, protein, or sample (concentration of ~10 µg/mL or higher) is incubated in the plate overnight in a carbonate buffer at an appropriate temperature (room temperature or 4 degrees Celsius). Select a temperature that will help maintain stability of the antibody, protein, or sample being coated.
2. Plate is washed three times with buffer (for example, 1X PBS).
3. Plate is "blocked" overnight to cover the well surface area that remains (typically using BSA, sugars such as trehalose or casein, serum, etc.)
4. Final washes are performed with buffer before using the plate in an assay.

For more information on plate coating, blocking, and storage, we recommend this reference:

Brown, M. C. (2011) Microtiter Plate Elisa, in Immunoassays in Agricultural Biotechnology (ed G. Shan), John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, USA. doi: 10.1002/9780470909935.ch4

Top

Application notes, posters and guides

Microplate Catalog
Poster comparing performance of various plates and plate colors in an Alpha assay

Top

Plate recommendations for 爱游戏平台注册登录 luminescent assays

Luminescence assays are usually measured in white microplates, since the white color reflects the light to give a maximal signal, whereas black microplates absorb some of the light and give a lower signal. In comparison to other assay technologies, luminescence assays are capable of generating relatively high signal levels, so well-to-well cross-talk may potentially be an issue.

In order to compare the signal levels and cross-talk generated using different colors of microplates, an ATPlite 1-step assay was performed using a high concentration of ATP. We compared white, black and light gray plates in 96- to 1536-well plate densities. In 96-well format we also looked at black & white IsoPlates, which are microplates that have white wells within a black frame.

Cell-based luminescence assays can be run in either clear-bottom or opaque plates. We measured the signal and cross-talk in clear bottom white and black ViewPlate microplates.

In this study the cross-talk reported is the average amount measured in the four wells adjacent to the well containing the ATPlite signal. The formula used to calculate the cross-talk and platemap used in the calculation are shown below.

Figure 6. Platemap for calculating luminescence cross-talk

Materials and Methods

Equal volumes of 1 micromolar ATP dissolved in PBS and ATPlite 1-step reagent were added to the microplate and mixed for 5 minutes using a plate shaker. The total assay volumes used for the different plate formats were:

1536-well – 5 µL
384-well standard – 50 µL
384-shallow well – 10 µL
96-well – 200 µL

The volumes used are representative of typical assay volumes for these plate types. The plates were dark-adapted for 10 minutes and then read on the EnVision^® Multilabel Plate Reader using ultrasensitive luminescence detection with a 0.1 second read time for opaque plates and 384-well ViewPlate microplates. 1536-well ViewPlate microplates were read using standard luminescence detection.

Results
The % cross-talk calculated for each plate density is shown below.

1536-Well

384-Shallow well

384-Standard well

96-Well

Summary
White plates give higher signal levels than black plates, but this is also accompanied by higher well-to-well cross-talk. The amount of cross-talk increased as the plate well-density increases. Cross-talk is highest in 1536-well plates, and less so in 384-well plates.

Cross-talk is not significant in either 384-shallow well or 96-well plates. These two types of plates are constructed so that the wells are connected by only a narrow piece of plastic.

If cross-talk is an issue using a white plate, switching to a gray plate may be preferable to using a black plate, since cross-talk is significantly reduced without a major loss in total signal.

ATPlite^® assays

We recommend white or black tissue culture-treated, sterile CulturPlate or ViewPlate microplates for ATPLite assays. If needed, dark adapt white plates for 10 minutes to reduce plate phosphorescence. Black plates show minimal plate phosphorescence and therefore there is no need for dark adaptation. If sterility is not an issue we recommend AlphaPlate microplates.

neolite™, steadylite^®, and britelite™ assays

For optimum light yield, low background and minimum well-to-well cross-talk, white microplates should be used. We recommend the use of a sterile, tissue culture-treated CulturPlate or ViewPlate microplates (when visual inspection of cells is preferred), or an OptiPlate microplate if sterility and TC-treatment are not necessary for a particular assay. Black plates can also be used when very high signals are expected. Black plates will reduce well-to-well cross-talk but will also quench the light output.

AequoScreen^® and PhotoScreen™ assays

If a sterile, TC-treated plate is needed for your assay, we recommend white CulturPlate microplates or white-walled, clear bottom ViewPlate TC microplates. If cross-talk is an issue with the clear-bottom ViewPlate microplates, you can try black-walled, clear-bottom ViewPlate TC microplates. If you are injecting the cells into the wells and are using the cells in suspension, and no plate sterility or TC-treatment is required, we recommend white OptiPlate microplates.

When using an MDS FLIPR™ or Hamamatsu FDSS inject and read flash luminescence imager, black clear bottom ViewPlate microplates are recommended.

Alpha (AlphaLISA^® and AlphaScreen^®) assays

Alpha assays produce a luminescent output signal when Donor beads that are excited at 680 nm transfer energy mediated by singlet oxygen to Acceptor beads in close proximity. When singlet oxygen comes in contact with Acceptor beads, an energy-transfer cascade is initiated that culminates in light output at 520-620 nm for AlphaScreen and 615 nm for AlphaLISA assays. When using 爱游戏平台注册登录 ’s EnVision^® or EnSpire^® multilabel readers the excitation energy source is a high power laser. The power level of this laser is considerably higher than that of a standard flash lamp used as an excitation source for other detection technologies.

White microplates rather than black plates are usually recommended for luminescence assays, since the white color reflects the light signal, resulting in a higher total assay signal. However, at high signal levels or high plate well-densities, i.e. 1536-well plates, some of the light may be transmitted through the walls of a well and be detected in an adjacent well. Switching from a white plate to a black plate can reduce the amount of cross-talk, but at the same time the overall assay signal will be significantly reduced. As an alternative to using black plates to reduce well-to-well cross-talk, 爱游戏平台注册登录 has developed light gray AlphaPlate™ microplates. The advantage of AlphaPlate microplates compared to black plates is that cross-talk can be reduced with much less reduction in to total assay signal.

We have conducted a study comparing the performance of AlphaScreen assays in white OptiPlate microplates to AlphaPlate microplates in various plate well-densities. AlphaScreen Omnibeads™ were used to generate the signal that was detected using the EnVision plate reader. The total signal and the well-to-well crosstalk were compared for the two plate types. In addition, we also compared the Z’-factor in white OptiPlate vs. AlphaPlate microplates.

Materials and Methods

A solution of Omnibeads was prepared by adding 100 µL of Omnibeads to 25 mL of PBS. The Omnibead solution was added to the high signal well and PBS to the other wells of a white OptiPlate microplate and the corresponding AlphaPlate microplate. The volumes used for the different plate formats were:

• 1536-well – 5 µL
• 384-well standard – 20 µL
• 384-shallow well – 10 µL
• 96-well ½ AreaPlate microplate – 50 µL

The volumes used are representative of typical assay volumes for these plate types. The plates were read on the EnVision plate reader using the standard factory-defined AlphaScreen settings.

An example of the AlphaScreen cross-talk pattern that is typically seen is shown in Figure 7. The well in the center of the grid was filled with a solution of Omnibeads, and all other wells with PBS. This specific data was generated in a 1536-well OptiPlate microplate; however, the same general pattern is seen in other plate well-densities. The two adjacent wells in the same row as the well containing OmniBeads show the greatest amount of cross-talk; lower cross-talk is also seen in adjacent wells in the rows above and below.

Figure 7. AlphaScreen cross-talk pattern measured in 1536-well white OptiPlate microplates.

Figure 8. Platemap for calculating AlphaScreen % cross-talk

The Z’-factor was determined using plates with one half of the wells filled with Omnibeads and the other half of the wells filled with PBS. OmniBeads were added at two concentrations to generate both a high total signal and a low total signal to examine the impact of the signal level on the observed Z’-factor.

Results

The tables below show the AlphaScreen crosstalk in white Optiplate microplates compared to AlphaPlate microplates in various plate well-densities. 96-well ½ AreaPlate microplates were tested for reference even though there is no corresponding ½ area AlphaPlate microplate. In all of the comparisons, there was less cross-talk in AlphaPlate microplates than in white OptiPlate microplates.

A potential drawback of the use of AlphaPlate microplates is that the reduction of cross-talk achieved when switching from a white to a gray plate is accompanied by a reduction in the overall signal. This narrows the signal window and can possibly decrease the Z’-factor for an assay. The magnitude of the signal reduction varies depending of the plate well-density. The signal decreases the least in 1536-well-plates, and is fairly significant in 384-well plates. The AlphaPlate microplate signals as a percent of the corresponding white OptiPlate signals for the different well densities are:

1536-well – 64%
384-shallow well – 38%
384-regular well – 38%

A test was therefore performed to determine the affect of the decreased signal window on the Z’-factor. Omnibeads were added at two concentrations to generate both a high total signal and a low total signal. The two signals were compared to a PBS blank in 1536-well and 384-shallow well OptiPlate and AlphaPlate microplates in order to determine the Z’-factor. The results are summarized in the tables below. For both the high and low total signal levels the decreased signal window when switching from white OptiPlate microplates to AlphaPlate microplates did not impact the Z’-factor.

1536-Well Plates Z’-factor

384-Shallow Well Plates Z’-factor

Conclusions

• The highest percentage of AlphaScreen cross-talk is seen in 1536-well OptiPlate microplates where it is ~1.5%
• The next highest amount of crosstalk occurs in 384-shallow well ProxiPlate microplates in which it is about half the amount observed in a 1536-well plate.
• Switching from a white OptiPlate microplate to an AlphaPlate microplate results in a significant, but not complete reduction in cross-talk.
• The total signal level obtained using AlphaPlate microplates is lower compared to OptiPlate microplates; however, Z'-factors measured in AlphaPlate microplates are comparable to those seen using OptiPlate microplates.

Top

Plate seals

爱游戏平台注册登录 offers a variety of plate seals. TopSeal plate seals are applied to the top surface of the plate, and are generally used to prevent evaporation or contamination during assay incubation steps and/or plate reading measurements. TopSeal-A adhesive seal can be left on the plate during luminescent, AlphaScreen^®, AlphaLISA^®, and radiometric measurements. TopSeal plate seals have spectral properties that may interfere with other types of assay measurements (absorbance assays, colorimetric assays, fluorescence assays). In these cases, you should compare the plate measurement with and without TopSeal plate seal. BackSeal plate seals are applied to the bottom of the plate. These seals can be used to change a clear-bottom plate into a white- or black-bottom plate in order to reduce cross-talk during top-reading measurements.

 Table. Plate seal products.

Top

Custom plate services at 爱游戏平台注册登录

爱游戏平台注册登录 offers custom microplate services, including bulk ordering, fast and flexible plate barcoding, biological plate coating (including poly-D-lysine, collagen, streptavidin coating, antibody coating, and other coatings on request), custom tissue culture-treatment, custom high protein binding treatment, custom sterilization of microplates, special packaging, and other microplate treatments. If you are interested in custom plate services, please contact our custom service team:

ON>POINT^® Custom Services