LC3 is distributed ubiquitously in eukaryotes and is a heavily studied autophagy biomarker that was originally identified as a subunit of MAP1A and MAP1B. Because autophagy is a crucial process for maintaining normal neural networks and function, understanding neuronal autophagy is important. Young's group at Univ. of Wash Medical Center studied LC3 isoform conversions using the LC3 antibody for immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting in cultured primary cortical neurons obtained from transgenic mice expressing tagged-LC3 (1). They found an interesting link between nutrient deprivation and autophagy suggesting the latter is activated by reduced insulin signaling. Another group using a transgenic mouse model employed the LC3 antibody to develop protein expression profiles for spongiform brain degeneration such as those associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (2).
Immunocytochemistry/Immunofluorescence: LC3 Antibody
LC3 antibody enabled proof-of-principle demontration for an in vivo rational combination rapamycin plus lithium treatment of Huntington’s disease in flies (3). Roles for LC3 outside of the nervous system also have been investigated. For example, Choi’s group used LC3 antibody as part of a panel of autophagic markers in their infertility studies to understand the role of autophagy and apoptosis in folliculogenesis and atresia in immature rat models (4). The use of LC3 as an assessable mark was more deeply investigated in studies on the effects of inhibition of both autophagy and apoptosis in prostate cancer (5). Another group monitored the effects of small molecule BH3 domain mimetics (such as the compound ABT-737) in combination with the anti-malarial autophagy inhibitor hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) using LC3 antibody, and found that HCQ enhanced ABT-737 cytotoxicity both in vitro and in vivo, supporting a dual pronged clinical treatment approach.
Novus Biologicals offers various LC3 reagents for your research needs including:
