The PDE2A Assay Kit is designed for identification of PDE2A inhibitors using fluorescence polarization. The assay is based on the binding of a fluorescent nucleotide monophosphate generated by PDE2A to the binding agent. PDE2A catalyzes the hydrolysis of the phosphodiester bond in dye-labeled cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). Nanoparticle beads selectively bind the phosphate group in the nucleotide product. This increases the size of the nucleotide relative to unreacted cAMP. Since the degree of polarization of a fluorophore is inversely related to its molecular rotation, dyes attached to the slowly-rotating nucleotide-bead complexes will not have time to reorient and therefore will emit highly polarized light. Conversely, dyes attached to the rapidly-rotating cyclic monophosphates will obtain random orientations and emit light with low polarization.

The key to the PDE2A Assay Kit is the specific binding agent. Using this kit, only two simple steps on a microtiter plate are required for PDE2A reactions. First, the fluorescently labeled cAMP is incubated with a sample containing PDE2A1 for 1 hour. Second, a binding agent is added to the reaction mix to produce a change in fluorescent polarization. The FP signal is measured using a fluorescent microplate reader capable of measuring fluorescence polarization.