Chemiluminescent reporter gene assays with 1,2-dioxetane enzyme substrates.

1,2-Dioxetane chemiluminescent substrates provide highly sensitive, quantitative detection with simple, rapid assay formats for the detection of reporter enzymes that are widely used in gene expression studies. Chemiluminescent detection methodologies typically provide up to 100-1000x higher sensitivities than can be achieved with the corresponding fluorescent or colorimetric enzyme substrates. The varieties of 1,2-dioxetane substrates available provides assay versatility, allowing optimization of assay formats with the available instrumentation, and are ideal for use in gene expression assays performed in both biomedical and pharmaceutical research. These assays are amenable to automation with a broad range of instrumentation for high throughput compound screening.