REVIEW: Bioluminescence Assay for Cell Viability

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G. Yu. Lomakina, Yu. A. Modestova, and N. N. Ugarova^*

Faculty of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia; fax: +7 (495) 939-2660; E-mail: nugarova@gmail.com

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received January 16, 2015

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Theoretical aspects of the adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence assay based on the use of the firefly luciferin–luciferase system are considered, as well as its application for assessing cell viability in microbiology, sanitation, medicine, and ecology. Various approaches for the analysis of individual or mixed cultures of microorganisms are presented, and capabilities of the method for investigation of biological processes in live cells including necrosis, apoptosis, as well as for investigation of the dynamics of metabolism are described.

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KEY WORDS: bioluminescence, firefly luciferase, ATP, intracellular ATP, cell lysis, extracellular ATP, lyophilized vaccines

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297915060061

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