Parkinsons

 Synaptophysin (a presynaptic vesicle protein) is an integral membrane glycoprotein originally isolated from presynaptic vesicles of bovine neurons. Synaptophysin is found in all nerve terminals and synaptophysin measurements have been used to quantify the number of terminals present during neuroanatomical remodeling and neural development (1).

Phosphoserine is an ester of serine and phosphoric acid which results from posttranslational modifications. Phosphorylation is a key post-translational modification necessary for normal cellular signaling.

EGF (epidermal growth factor) stimulates differentiation, proliferation and cell growth by binding to its receptor, EGFR. EGF was first discovered in the mouse submandibular gland in 1986 by Stanley Cohen of Vanderbilt University, leading to a Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. Since then, EGF has been found in many tissues of the human body (including urine, saliva, plasma, milk, macrophages and platelets) and has been the subject of intense study in many areas of clinical research due to its many abilities.

Apoptosis is one of the best-characterized phenomena in cellular and molecular biology. Not only is it essential for successful development, but its deregulation also leads to a number of human diseases, most notably cancer.

By Eric Neeley

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, co-activator 1 (PGC-1 alpha or PPARGC1A) gene encodes a 91 kDa nuclear protein that acts as a transcriptional co-activator involved in energy metabolism.

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are cells derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, an early-stage embryo. ES cells are distinguished from other cells due to their pluripotency, which is the ability to differentiate into any different type of cell in the body, and also their capability of propagating indefinitely. These two factors make embryonic stem cells valuable tools in the scientific community, especially in regenerative medicine.

Ubiquitin is a small, highly conserved protein which plays an important role in protein breakdown, covalently bonding to proteins to mark them for proteolytic degradation in a process called ubiquitination. Ubiquitin also binds to inclusion bodies (accumulations of protein) in pathological conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's disease.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a member of the NGF family of neurotrophins. During development it regulates the survival and differentiation of neuronal cell populations in the central and peripheral nervous system, while in adult synapses it is a major regulator of development, plasticity and transmission.

The glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, or GAPDH enzyme plays an important role in the conversion of glucose for energy, catalyzing the sixth step of the glycolytic pathway. A common and widely expressed protein, GAPDH mRNA is often used as a standard in mRNA studies. GAPDH antibody products are also used as a loading control in Western blot assays. We at Novus Biologicals have 55 GAPDH antibody products on our antibody database.