Antibody News

The Interleukin 2 Receptor alpha and beta chains, along with the common gamma chain, comprise the high affinity IL2 receptor(IL2R) that is present on both mature activated T- and B-cells, as well as early progenitors of T- and B-cells (thymocytes, pre B-cells, and T-regulatory cells). Formation of homodimeric alpha chains (IL2RA) results in a low affinity receptor, while homodimeric beta chains (IL2RB) produce a medium affinity receptor. IL2RA is normally an integral membrane protein, but a soluble IL2 Receptor alpha has been isolated and appears as the result of extracellular proteolysis. IL2RA plays a key role in lymphocyte differentiation, activation, and proliferation.

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The LAG3 protein belongs to the Ig superfamily and contains 4 extracellular Ig-like domains (D1-D4). This molecule plays an key role in the immune response through negative regulation of T-cell proliferation, function, and homeostasis. It is required for maximum natural and induced regulatory T-cell function. LAG3 is closely related to the T-cell co-receptor CD4, and like CD4, binds to MHC class II molecules - but with a significantly higher affinity. It is expressed exclusively in activated T- and natural killer (NK) lymphocytes.

Western Blot: Lymphocyte Activation Gene 3 Antibody

 

Studies with the...

The type I transmembrane glycoprotein EpCAM is a monomeric membrane glycoprotein that is expressed on most epithelial cell membranes as well as on a variety of epithelial carcinomas. It contains an extracellular domain with two epidermal growth factor-like extracellular domain repeats adjacent to a cysteine-poor region, along with a transmembrane domain, and a short cytoplasmic tail. EpCAM is a powerful tool for the detection of circulating and disseminated cancer cells (CTCs/DTCs) in blood and bone marrow, and it is the most commonly used epithelial marker to capture CTCs/DTCs. EpCAM expression appears to be down regulated during the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Aleksic et al performed a western blot with the EpCAM antibody for their studies on the impact of insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) and its nuclear import on downstream function¹. Their data suggests that import may play a key role in identifying...

The products of MHC genes are antigen-presenting molecules (APMs) designed for antigen fragment (peptide) presentation to the T-cell receptor. In particular, MHC Class I molecules play a key role in the immune system by presenting endogenously synthesized peptides derived from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen to CD8+ T-lymphocytes, which are usually cytotoxic T-cells. MHC Class I antigens are heterodimers consisting of one 44kD highly polymorphic alpha chain non-covalently complexed with an invariant 11.5kD beta2-microglobulin subunit. The MHC Class I antigen is expressed on all somatic cells at varying levels – mostly on nucleated cells. Fibroblasts or neurons show only low levels of MHC Class I.

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Keratins, also called cytokeratins, are a family of filamentous structural proteins that form the intermediate filaments within epithelial cells. Keratins are differentially expressed depending on both the epithelial cell origin and degree of differentiation. An antibody to any given keratin is useful either as a stand-alone or part of an antibody panel to help identify or clarify tissue origin. Cytokeratin 18 (CK18) is a 45 kD normal constituent of the hepatocyte cytoskeleton and is expressed in combination with cytokeratin 8.  The cytokeratins 18 and 8 are the major keratin pair most commonly expressed intermediate filaments in single layer or simple epithelial tissues. CK18 is used as a tumor marker, not only because it is often persistently expressed in tumor cells derived from simple epithelia, but also because keratin expression patterns enable valuable sub-typing of tumors. Studies with the ...

Podoplanin is a mucin-type 1 transmembrane glycoprotein found in a wide range of tissues. It appears to be differentially expressed in endothelial cells of lymphatic but not blood vessel origin. In normal skin and kidney, podoplanin co-localizes with VEGFR3/FLT4, another marker for lymphatic endothelial cells. It appears to be involved in lymphangioigenesis and cell migration and is regulated by the lymphatic-specific homeobox gene Prox1. Podoplanin has also been found to be expressed on a wide variety of tumors. Immunohistochemical studies with the podoplanin antibody from Schacht’s lab is a crucial player in directing the processes of cell adhesion, migration, and tube formation for lymphatic vasculature formation¹.

Mucus is the viscous secretion that covers epithelial surfaces (trachea, colon, and cervix) and consists of twenty highly glycosylated proteins called mucins. The mucin family all are high-molecular weight proteins with oligosaccharides attached to the serine or threonine residues of their core protein backbone by O-glycosidic linkages. Mucins play fundamental roles in mucosal cell protection, lubrication, and communication with their external environment as detailed by Corfield¹. They have been implicated in epithelial renewal and differentiation. There are two distinct categories of mucins: transmembrane mucins (MUC1, MUC3, MUC4, MUC12, MUC13, MUC15, MUC16, MUC17, MUC20 and MUC21) and secreted mucins (MUC2, MUC5AC, MUC5B, MUC6, MUC7, and MUC19).  MUC4 in particular is normally expressed in epithelial tissues including respiratory, colonic, and...

Cyanine dyes are members of the polymethine synthetic dye family historically used to increase photographic emulsion sensitivity. Cyanine dyes have versatile applications and are commonly used as fluorescent labels for proteins, nucleic acids, and small molecules. They are particularly suited for biomedical imaging, protein-protein interactions, proteomics, and transcriptomics. Different variants have distinctive spectral properties – for example, Cyanine dye 7 (Cy7) has a strong absorption peak at 747nm while Cyanine dye 5.5 (Cy5.5) has a strong absorption peak at 675nm. Lightning-Link Cy Antibody Labeling kits are highly-controlled, sophisticated yet fast conjugation systems that simplify immunoassay techniques (Western blotting, ELISA, and immunohistochemistry). The cyanine antibody  was employed to compare the performance and reliability of fluorescent-linked...

CD56 is a member of the Ig super family and comprises five Ig-like domains and two extracellular fibronectin-type III domains. It is expressed as three major isoforms within the nervous system, on NK cells, and a specific set of T-cells. CD56+ NK and T-cells are unique in their ability to mediate cell-mediated cytotoxicity against certain tumor cell targets without MHC restriction. Other CD56 physiological functions include: mediating cell adhesion, triggering neurite extension and migration, and brain synapse formation. CD56 is also crucial for neuronal development and plasticity in the adult brain. It is used as a tumor marker in various cancers (NK lymphomas and Merkel cell carcinoma). As another member of the Ig super family superfamily, NCAM1 consists of five extracellular Ig-like domains and two fibronectin type III domains. It has at least 20-30 distinct isoforms due to alternative splicing and sialylation posttranslational modifications.

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month and brings to focus a cancer that is estimated to be diagnosed in over 21,000 women in the US in 2014 (1). Ovarian cancer often goes undiagnosed due to the lack of symptoms until it metastasized into the pelvic or abdominal areas. Treatment typically requires surgery and chemotherapy.

By: Lisa Ikariyama; Design: Kim Mesman

Download our ovarian cancer infographic

References:

1. Cancer.org 
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Green fluorescence protein (GFP) is a 27KD protein derived from the jellyfish Aquorea victoria that emits a green light (emission peak at a wavelength of 509 nm) when excited by blue light (excitation peak at a wavelength of 395 nm). GFP is a highly versatile protein that has become an invaluable tool in cell biology research because of its intrinsic fluorescence without substrate requirement, ability to be visualized over time durations - both short- and long-term - in living cells, and short sequence making it easy to clone and use an unobtrusive tag. GFP fluorescence is stable under standard fixation conditions and suitable for a huge variety of applications. Due to all of these advantages, GFP has been widely used as a gene expression reporter and tag, enabling researchers to visualize and localize proteins within living cells without the extra burden or complication of staining.