ATG5 is a member of the ATG family that regulates autophagy, the evolutionary conserved homeostatic response to a diverse variety of self- and foreign-originating cellular stresses. ATG5 is ubiquitously expressed in cells and found co-localized with cytoplasmic non-muscle actin under normal resting conditions, but upon the triggering of apoptosis, ATG5 expression dramatically ramps up, and ATG5 directly conjugates with other related ATG family proteins to form autophagosomes. ATG5 antibody was employed in viral infection studies to identify a novel function of RNase L as an autophaghic inducer for both the processing and disposing of viral and cellular single-stranded RNA (1). A protective role of autophagy in tobacco smoke-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung tissue senescence was identified when the ATG5 antibody served as an autophagy marker for Fujii’s group (2).
Immunohistochemistry: ATG5 Antibody
Yet another functional role for autophagy was defined when it was found to regulate cell-autonomous host defense against Salmonella bacterial invasion and dissemination, as determined by investigators at the UT Southwestern Medical Center who used the ATG5 antibody in their particular intestinal epithelial cell system (3). ATG5 antibody allowed Kang et al to link autophagy to IL2-induced cell growth, apoptosis, and immmunoregulation, demonstrating a novel function for autophagy in pro-survival regulation in wound healing (4). An intriguing application of the ATG5 antibody was performed in brown fat and skeletal muscle experiments, where its related family member ATG7 was found to influence brown adipose tissue (BAT) development, muscle development, and ultimately, energy and glucose homeostasis (5).
Novus Biologicals offers ATG5 reagents for your research needs including:
