Antibody News

Breast cancer 1, early onset (BRCA1) is a well-known tumor suppressor gene that was originally discovered due to its link with early-onset breast and ovarian cancer in women. The BRCA1 protein contains the following domains: RING finger, RAD51-interaction, and BRCT (BRCA1 C-terminus). The N-terminus RING domain enables binding to several proteins - including BARD1 (BRCA1-associated RING domain protein) - allowing the formation of heterodimers. The RING finger is important for tumor suppressor activity. The RAD51-interaction domain is involved in DNA double-stranded break (DSB) repair. The loss of RAD51 binding increases cancer risk due to increased increments of damaged DNA. The BRCT functions as a transcriptional activation domain and is involved in cell-cycle control and DNA repair. BRCA1 has been implicated in a wide range of cancer-related activities, such as cell cycle progression, DNA repair, DNA damage-responsive cell cycle checkpoints, transcription regulation,...

COX2 is an inducible dimeric enzyme belonging to the prostaglandin G/H synthase family that enables cells to respond to growth factors, tumor promoters, and cytokines. Prostaglandins are synthesized through the creation of cyclic endoperoxides from arachidonic acid and COX2 catalyzes the committed step in the biosynthetic pathway.  Initially identified as an immediate early growth response gene, COX2 is induced by a wide variety of stimuli such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and peptoglycan (PGN). COX2 is highly expressed in activated macrophages and plays a role in immune response regulation. It has been implicated as a mediator of inflammation as well as a modulator of prostanoid signaling in activity-dependent plasticity. It holds promise as both a marker in immune response regulation studies and an inflammatory disease therapeutic target....

What do scientists think about customer service at places like Novus, companies that sell the antibodies that are often critical components of a wide variety of experiments? Novus ran a survey to find out, and here's what we uncovered.

There is a clear disconnect between expectations of antibodies, and how they perform in real world experiments. Seventy percent of respondents said that they expected their antibodies to work every time, but only 35% reported that this is what actually happens.

When an antibody fails, 69% of respondents expected a full refund of the cost of the antibody. But less than half felt that they had been offered a refund or a replacement product that was warranted given experimental circumstances. This finding really surprised us because Novus offers a 100% guarantee on every product—so to the majority who felt that they didn't get a refund or replacement, talk to us. We stand behind our products and want them to work...

Western blotting is a widely used technique for the detection and analysis of proteins based on their ability to bind to specific antibodies. It was first described by Towbin, et.al in 1979 and has since become one of the most commonly used methods in life science research. In Western blotting, a mixture of proteins is separated based on molecular weight, and thus by type, through gel electrophoresis. The proteins are visualized with antibodies specific to the target under investigation. Typically pre-stained molecular weight markers are transferred alongside the target proteins enabling on-blot molecular weight sizing of the protein. However pre-stained markers are not visualized by the antibody detection methods making sizing more difficult and impractical. Novus Anti-Blue Antibody (NBP2-33376) detects BLUE-pre-stained molecular weight markers, does...

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter genes are key gatekeeper molecules that regulate the amount of dietary cholesterol retained by the body. They are a multifamily comprised of cAMP-dependent anion transporter cell membrane proteins that monitor reverse cholesterol efflux from cells into the peripheral tissues via apolipoprotein A-I (Apo). ABCG8 is expressed at high levels in the liver and intestine. Normal digestion is partially facilitated by ABCG8 and its counterpart ABCG5, which together complex into a heterodimer that transports cholesterol out of the liver and into bile. Unsurprisingly, ABCG8 mutations lead to sterol accumulation, gallstone disease, biliary cancer, hypercholesterolemia, and atherosclerosis. Studies related to diabetes, heart disease, and digestive cancer will often assess the expression, function, and ABCG5-dependent interaction of ABCG8. Kobayashi’s group performed a western blot against...

The enzyme S-adenosylmethionine synthetase, or MAT, catalyzes the formation of S- adenosylmethionine (AdoMet or SAMe) from methionine and ATP. AdoMet is the principal biological source of synthesized methyl, and is found in all cells but most prominently in the liver. In mammalian tissues, there are three distinct AdoMet synthases - the alpha, beta, and gamma isoforms. While the alpha and beta variants are uniquely expressed solely in the adult liver, gamma is more widely distributed in the extrahepatic tissues. Alpha and beta appear to be induced in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), while patients with chronic liver disease and liver cirrhosis due to various triggers (including alcohol) have lowered levels of MAT activity as well as SAMe biosynthesis.

Also known as OPG, TR1 and OCIF, this gene encodes Osteoprotegerin, a heparin-binding secretory glycoprotein that belongs to the TNF-receptor superfamily. The TNFR superfamily consists primarily of transmembrane proteins that elicit signal transduction in a variety of cells and are known to mediate diverse biological responses, including cytotoxicity and apoptosis, Osteoprotegerin (OPG) was isolated independently by two laboratories in 1997 [1,2]. OPG comprises 401 amino acids of which 21 are a signal peptide which is cleaved and generates the mature form of the protein with 380 amino acids.  OPG is produced as a monomer (55-62 kDa), but undergoes homodimerization and is secreted as a disulphide-linked homodimeric glycoprotein with four or five potential glycosylation sites, generating a mature form of OPG of 110-120 kDa. OPG consists of 7...

IRAK4, also known as Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4, is a serine/threonine-protein kinase that plays a critical role in initiating innate and adaptive immune responses against foreign pathogens. It activates NF-kappaB in both Toll-like receptor (TLR) and T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling pathways.

IRAK-4 belongs to a family of mammalian IRAKs that include IRAK-1 [11], IRAK-2 [12], and IRAK-M, also known as IRAK-3 [13]. Out of the four members in the mammalian IRAK family, IRAK-4 is considered to be the “master IRAK”, the only family member indispensable for IL-1R/TLR signaling. In humans, mutations resulting in IRAK-4 deficiency have been linked to susceptibility to bacterial infections, especially recurrent pyogenic bacterial infections. Though characterized functionally as a serine/threonine kinase, the crystal structures revealed that...

LYVE1 (lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor-1) is one of the most specific and widely used mammalian lymphatic endothelial markers.It is found in lymph nodes and at the luminal/abluminal surfaces of lymphatic vessels. It is a single-pass type I membrane protein that exists in a disulfide-linked homodimer form. LYVE1 undergoes ligand-dependent internalization and recycling at the cell surface, and exhibits ligand-specific transporter trafficking between intracellular organelles and the plasma membrane. It plays a key role in the autocrine regulation of cell growth mediated by growth. LYVE1 also behaves as hyaluronan transporter, either mediating its uptake for catabolism within lymphatic endothelial cells themselves, or its transport into the lumen of afferent lymphatic vessels for subsequent re-uptake and degradation in lymph nodes. A group at ImClone employed the LYVE1 antibody in their...

The unfolded protein response (UPR) is a eukaryotic cell mechanism that copes with ER stress and is initiated by three ER-localized sensors: PKR-like ER kinase (PERK), activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), and inositol-requiring enzyme 1 alpha (IRE1 alpha). The UPR-responsive downstream signaling is regulated through the ATF6 and IRE1-XBP1 pathways. UPR serves three important mechanisms: inhibiting protein translation to restore normal cell function; increasing production of protein folding-involved chaperones; and activating misfolded protein ubiquitination for targeting and degradation. When the ER-stress is not appropriately relieved, UPR leads to the fail-safe of apoptosis. IRE1 alpha is a single-pass type I membrane protein within the ER membrane, and is ubiquitously expressed, with high levels particularly in the pancreas. It exhibits autophosphorylation and under ER stress conditions, is ADP-ribosylated by...

LOX is a copper-dependent amine oxidase enzyme that executes post-translational oxidative deamination on peptidyl lysine residues in precursors of fibrous collagen and elastin. LOX is secreted into the extracellular environment in an inactive form, where it is processed into an active form. Its activity is crucial for maintaining both the tensile and elastic properties of connective tissue residing within skeletal, pulmonary, and cardiovascular systems. Furthermore, its expression is highly regulated during normal development and uncontrolled expression or activity has been documented in a wide range of predominantly ECM diseases.  These diseases include, but are not limited to, myocardial ischemia/heart failure, atherosclerosis, scleroderma, liver cirrhosis, glaucoma, Alzheimer's/non-Alzheimer's dementia, and Wilson's disease. In addition to its matrix modifying functions, LOX is also heavily implicated as a tumor suppressor.

In the synthesis pathway for the catecholamines - dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine, tyrosine hydroxylase is the rate-limiting enzyme. Through alternative mRNA splicing, a wide molecular diversity of TH isoforms are generated that are tissue-specific and carry varied enzymatic activities, allowing for differential neurotransmitter availability at various synapses. The devastating condition of Parkinson's disease (PD) is due to a TH deficiency, where dopaminergic neuron degeneration and low dopamine levels consistently are present, along with gross neurochemical abnormalities when monitored by tyrosine hydroxylase antibody staining¹. Tyrosine hydroxylase antibody staining patterns in postmortem PD brain samples indicate that phosphorylation at the N-terminus of...