Blogs for January 2010

We have seen that antibody research can deliver progress in areas where other methods have not enjoyed such success.

Caspase 3 is primarily known as an effector molecule in apoptosis, the process of programmed cell death. However, a study by Jeyasuria et al (Biol. Reprod. 2009, 80(5) pp. 928-934) has found that caspase 3 may have a role in preventing excessive uterine contractions before pregnancy reaches term. This is essential to preventing premature labour. The authors used immunological techniques with a group of antibodies to demonstrate this phenomenon. Smooth muscle γ-actin is a protein found only in smooth muscle. Thus, antibody to smooth muscle γ-actin (ACTG2) from Novus Biologicals was chosen to identify caspase 3 action in the smooth muscle of the uterus.

On the basis of their results, the authors concluded that the elevated activity of caspase 3 seen in the pregnant mouse...

Not everyone knows how antibodies influence animal life, so this article is, in part, a very brief introduction. Apoptosis is triggered by a variety of signals and takes place by one of several mechanisms. These involve cell surface receptors, cytokines, tumour necrosis factors, proteins such as Bcl-2, Bax and Apaf-1, the caspase cascade, and apoptosis-inducing factors.

Specific antibodies can assist in pinpointing exactly which factors and signals are involved in any particular situation.
Apoptosis is vital in the breakdown of early embryonic structures, so as to permit development and maturation. Without apoptosis, the caterpillar cannot metamorphose into the butterfly, the tadpole cannot lose its tail and neural synapses cannot form.
The detachment of the uterine endometrium at the start of menstruation involves apoptosis. Lymphocytes proliferating in response to an antigenic stimulus undergo apoptosis when this immune response is no longer...

Researchers requiring antibody products can have some difficulty in obtaining precisely what they need. However, recent developments may make this dilemma less of an issue than it has proven in the past.

The Novus Biologicals antibody catalog contains close to 105,000 products, with new products being introduced constantly. Researchers who are too hard-pressed to search the catalog can call on the Novus Antibody Concierge. Scientists are encouraged to submit information about their specific needs. The Antibody Concierge service will respond in two business days with details of relevant products. Moreover, if the antibodies needed are not available through Novus Biologicals, information on alternative sources will be supplied.

In addition, Novus Biologicals invites collaboration with investigators via the Novus Antibody Grant Program. Researchers who...

Treating cancer is a major health priority in western society. Coupled with attempts to alter unhealthy behaviour, it is hoped that better cancer treatment can reduce premature deaths.

Anti-APE1 mouse monoclonal antibodies from Novus Biologicals were antibodies used to investigate drug resistance in non-small cell lung carcinoma (Wang et al., Lung Cancer 2009, 65(3), pp. 298-304). Tumour drug resistance results in less successful chemotherapy.

Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease (APE1) has a key role in the repair of DNA damage. By protecting cells from the genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of oxidising agents, APE1 counters the development of a number of pathologies.

Conversely, in the case of tumour cells, the protective effects of APE1 will have negative consequences if they result in the tumour having an increased capacity to resist anti-cancer treatment.

Extra-bright antibodies increase the specificity and sensitivity of any fluorescence-based procedure. They are stable over a wide pH range and are also highly ‘photo stable.’

Novus Biologicals now offer more than 1,150 antibodies conjugated to DyLight® fluorescent dyes.

As fluorescent imaging technology advances, there is a growing drive to achieve increasingly quantitative measurement of fluorescent signals.

Ultimately, this would permit determination of the absolute quantity of a target molecule within a cell or compartment using a fluorescent antibody technique.

A major obstacle to such a technological breakthrough is the fact that the fluorescent intensity of some dyes can be significantly affected by various cellular environmental factors. Cellular organelles show a wide variation in pH, ranging from as...