Does this qualify as a whole cell-based assay? - (Apr/24/2012 )

I'm optimizing an assay which is use a bioluminescent protein to detect changes in DAG levels in response to exposing cells to agonists.

The assay is conducting on a monolayer of cells in a 96-well plate and we're measuring the bioluminescence emitted from the cells after exposure to certain drugs.

Could this be, in anyway, considered a whole cell-based assay? It's obviously cell-based, but I figure since we cannot detect sub-cellular localization of the BRET signal (bioluminescence), it might qualify as whole cell.

Sure, if you are using the whole cell, it would be a whole cell assay.