Antibody News

By Christina Towers, PhD

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process that cells use to break down damaged cytoplasmic constituents in order to fuel cellular metabolism, particularly in instances of stress. This process has been heavily implicated in a variety of diseases, most noteworthy are neurological disorders and cancer. The role of autophagy in cancer is context dependent and somewhat controversial¹. It was originally suggested by Dr. Beth Levine's group that autophagy is tumor suppressive, a claim supported by loss of the core autophagy gene, BECN1, in many tumor types including breast, prostrate, and ovarian². However, critics of this notion point out the important observation that BECN1 is adjacent to the heavily deleted tumor suppressor gene, BRCA1,...

Autophagy is an essential process that cells utilize to degrade and recycle damaged material and fuel metabolism, especially under stress.  The process is evolutionarily conserved and complex, relying on over 20 key proteins. Induction of autophagy is mediated by the formation of the

Altered cellular membrane integrity is one of the earliest signs of apoptosis.^1,2 One key change during this event is the movement of phosphatidylserine (PS) from the inner leaflet of the cell membrane towards the cell surface. This process, due to the inactivation of flippase- and activation of scramblase-enzymes, is inducible, reversible and dependent upon calcium release from the endoplasmic reticulum.¹ Exposure of PS acts as an "eat me" signal, prompting phagocytosis of apoptotic cells.³ In the absence of PS exposure during apoptosis, dying cells would escape the immune system ensuing an inflammatory response.² Thus, PS externalization has emerged as a useful event and target for monitoring the progression of apoptosis in real-time.

The discovery of a natural ligand, Annexin A5, which binds reversibly, selectively and with high-affinity to exposed PS prompted its development as a biological tool for the...

Epigenetic mechanisms have been implicated in many physiological and pathophysiological processes. Among these, histone modifications including methylation, phosphorylation, acetylation and ubiquitination, significantly modify gene expression. In cancer, specific abnormal epigenetic changes are thought to impart tumor cells with properties that facilitate their survival.1 Recently, a new study uncovered a novel mechanism regulating epigenetic changes of importance in cancer. Briefly, a sequence of post-translational modifications triggered by changes in glucose levels were identified to positively impact tumor sphere formation and tumor engraftment.²

Histone acetylation is generally associated with an increase in gene transcription.³ Formation of this epigenetic mark is catalyzed by...

In the first installment of this two-part blog post titled "Apoptosis and Necroptosis: Important factors to identify both types of programmed cell death", the mechanisms by which cell death occurs and ways to identify these pathways were discussed. In this next segment, we focus on the molecular factors regulating the choice between programmed cell death and survival signaling.

Inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) regulate cell death and survival signaling via different mechanisms. In mammals, a total of eight IAP family members have been identified¹. Among these, X-linked IAP (XIAP), and cellular IAP1 and 2 (cIAP1 and cIAP2) suppress programmed cell death signaling...

Multiple fluorescent labeling with secondary antibodies for immunocytochemistry and immunohistochemistry is a powerful tool to examine the behavior and interactions of more than one protein in a cell or tissue sample.  However, there are a few guidelines to follow to make sure your samples are correctly labeled. Read our top five tips for a successful multiple antibody labeling experiment:

1. Select primary antibodies raised in different host species. If you must use antibodies from the same host, use different IgG isotypes. Perform single staining of the antibodies prior to introducing multiple antibodies and secondary antibodies to the experiment, this will allow you to understand their isolated behavior and expression.
   
   
2. When selecting secondary antibodies, make sure they come from the same host species, but have different fluorophores within a safe range of spectra to avoid overlap. It is a...

Flow cytometry is an experimental method that was developed to label and examine a high volume of cells in an extremely rapid rate using antibodies conjugated to fluorophores.  The basic concept of flow cytometry is that a cell suspension is situated into a single stream, which then passes through a light source that uses detectors to generate data sets based off cellular properties.  More specifically, the fluorescent light emitted by fluorophores conjugated to antibodies is channeled through selected filters to sort based off preset parameters or targets used. Flow cytometry is particularly useful in cell viability and proliferation assays, as well as diagnosing disease (particularly blood cancers).  When creating a panel of fluorophores for your flow cytometry panel, it is important to follow a few basic guidelines.

First, it is important to understand your flow cytometer.  You should know the type of laser in your instrument, the number of lasers present and...

Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as TMEM173, promotes the production of the interferon’s IFN-alpha and IFN-beta.  STING possesses three functional domains: a cytoplasmic C-terminal tail, a central globular domain, and four N-terminal transmembrane motifs that attach it to the ER.  The role of STING in the immune response is specific to its ability to sense nucleic acids, particularly dsDNA.  When STING is over induced, the protein IRF3 undergoes a nuclear translocation resulting in IFN induction, which in turn activates the innate immune response. The herpes virus is a DNA based virus targeted to DNA-sensing pathways that has the capacity to elicit latent recurrent infections on a host. Because of the overlap between the herpes virus affecting DNA-sensing and the ability of STING to sense nucleic acids, using...

Immunocytochemistry/immunofluorescence (ICC/IF) involves visualization of antigens in cultured or smeared cells with the use of fluorochrome-labeled antibodies. Various combinations of fluorochrome-labeled antibodies make it possible to simultaneously detect multiple antigens in the same sample. However, every experiment involving multiplex or multicolor ICC/IF requires selection of an optimal set of fluorochromes. Poor selection of fluorochrome combinations can make it difficult to distinguish individual antigens, especially when the targets under consideration are co-localized at the sub-cellular level. Here we have outlined key rules for selecting fluorochromes to minimize potential errors and to simplify the selection process.

1. Check for fluorochrome(s) compatibility with your microscope’s filter sets

Use spectra viewers and fluorochrome reference charts to determine the maximum excitation (Ex) and emission (Em) wavelengths...

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) currently contributes to nearly 30% of all injury deaths in the United States.  Characterized by an abrasive head injury that interrupts normal brain function, TBI can range from mild to severe.  Mild symptoms can present themselves as excessive tiredness, difficulty concentrating and lack of clear thinking.  Severe cases of TBI are hallmarked by unusual behavior, seizures and loss of consciousness.  Research has shown that on a molecular level TBI triggers various mechanisms of cell death alongside attempted tissue recovery, therefore Choi et al sought out to test the treatment of carbon monoxide on rescuing the effects of TBI.  Their article titled “Dual effects of carbon monoxide on pericytes and neurogenesis in traumatic brain injury” tests the effects of CO-releasing molecular 3 (CORM-3) and N-tert-butyl-a-phenylnitrone (PBN) on a mouse model of controlled cortical impact TBI.

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Have you ever wondered why cells in the same population respond differently to an apoptotic stimulus? Apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death, is vital for the removal of unwanted or damaged cells. As with most cellular processes, too much or too little activation can be detrimental and lead to various diseases including autoimmune disorders and cancer. While this process is tightly regulated, cells undergo apoptosis in a non-synchronized manner, which complicates the analysis of apoptotic events.  Here are 3 keys factors that determine how an individual cell will respond to an apoptotic stimulus.

Processed caspase 3 was detected in immersion fixed anti-FAS treated Jurkat human acute T cell leukemia cell line using Human/Mouse Active Caspase 3 Polyclonal Antibody (...

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is responsible for binding peptide fragments arising from pathogens in order to display them on the cell surface for recognition from immune cells.  Once recognized, the foreign pathogen is typically evaded. The MHC complex is broken into two categories, MHC Class I proteins and MHC Class II proteins.  MHC complex I and II proteins are all very different and contain specific molecules to bind different peptides – in fact, they have been described as the most polymorphic genes there are. The MHC Class II RT1B antibody can be used to bind the monomorphic determinant of the rat I-A antigen, which is found on B-lymphocytes, dendritic cells and some macrophages. Often times, a neuroinflammatory response develops after brain injury and remains for weeks post injury.  Using a MHC Class II RT1B antibody is a useful way to understand...