Antibodies

Just 10 years after the first human genome was drafted, DNA sequencing has transformed the way we tackle serious diseases. By looking at individual genes and targeting their proteins with relevant antibodies, we have gained a far clearer understanding of how the body works at a molecular level, and the complex ways in which things can go wrong. As we delve further into these protein pathways, so the relevant antibody catalog are updated too.

Our antibody databaseincludes many thousands of proteins, and it is constantly being enriched. Modern developments mean that, whereas scientists would once have searched for one protein in a single sample, now they search for several – often simultaneously, and in minute quantities.

The vast majority of antibodies in our antibody catalog are suitable for Western blotting studies. Devised almost 30 years ago by W. Neal Burnette, it has become a standard assay wherever antibodies are used to detect proteins.

While many of the proteins on our antibody database are studied in relation to their expression in diseases; others become therapies in their own right. This is the case with SERCA2 (Sarcoplasmic reticulum Calcium-ATPase 2 pump), which recently hit the headlines as a treatment for severe heart failure.

E3 ubiquitin ligases are standards in most antibody catalogs. These proteins are essential to the process of ubiquitination, which is expressed in protein pathways throughout the body and is often linked to disease states. It is widely used as a biomarker, with ubiquitin antibodies being widely used to identify the protein accumulations (inclusion bodies) which occur in conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington's disease.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a widely used technique for detecting concentration of proteins, using enzyme tagged antibodies with which react with dyes to produce a colorimetric or fluorescent signal. Sandwich ELISA takes this one step further, by pre-coating plastic wells with a known concentration of a "capture" antibody which reacts specifically to the antigen under test. A secondary antibody is then applied, tagged with an enzyme.

Orthologs are one of the classes of homolog genes. They occur in different species, but are linked by a common ancestral pathway. During evolution, they retain the same original function, irrespective of the species. Among the orthologs covered on our antibody databaseare those of the Forkhead Transcription Factor (FOX) superfamily of proteins.

The best antibody suppliers offer far more than just individual peptides and reagents. They also supply a range of antibody kits which contain everything a scientist needs to perform a particular experiment in one convenient package.

Recently, we at Novus Biologicals added a new phospho-MAP1B (phosphorylated microtubule-associated protein 1B) antibody to our antibody database. MAP1B is a developmentally regulated phosphoprotein thought to be involved in the assembly of microtubules, an essential part of neurogenesis.

We at Novus Biologicals recently extended our antibody catalog to include several embryonic stem cells (ESC) antibodies validated for use in FACS (fluorescent activated cell sorting) assays. Among them was Oct4, which recently became the focus of an interesting study into the human aging process.