Antibodies

World DNA Day celebrates the anniversary of the discovery of the double helix and publication of the findings by Watson, Crick, Wilkins and Franklin as well as the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003. Congress officially declared April 25^th as DNA day to commemorate both scientific achievements. Learn more about DNA in our infographic below.

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"Your Darwin Initiative would be huge! Both in scope and impact. [it's] possibly the best way to ensure satisfaction when choosing/selecting an antibody," respondent, Novus 2014 Antibody Quality Survey.

The Wnt gene family is made up of structurally related genes encoding secreted signaling proteins. These proteins have been implicated in oncogenesis and developmental processes, such as cell fate regulation and embryogenesis patterning. There is high evolutionary conservation among species for the Wnt5A protein.

Cell death via apoptosis is a fundamental cellular function triggered by the cell death receptor family and their ligands which signal through downstream adaptor molecules and the caspase protease family. All caspases exist in a precursor form composed of a prodomain, and large and small catalytic subunits. Caspases require a cleavage adjacent to an aspartate to liberate one large and one small subunit, which can then associate into an a2b2 tetramer.

Transient receptor potential A1 (TRPA1) is an ion channel found on the plasma membrane of many cell types that functions in diverse sensory processes such as pain and temperature. The TRPA1 ion channel is specifically expressed in nociceptive neurons, as well as neurons who express the related protein TRPV1. In fact, Brierly et al used a TRPA1 antibody to discover that this ion channel is largely present on smaller neurons vs larger ones (1).

DNA methylation plays a critical role the long-term silencing of transcription and is essential for processes such as embryonic development, germline differentiation, and tissue maturation.

Cell death via apoptosis is a basic cellular function occurring through the cell death receptor family and their ligands which signal through downstream adaptor molecules and the caspase protease family. Caspases have a precursor form composed of a prodomain, and large and small catalytic subunit, and are activated through a cleavage adjacent to an aspartate to liberate units and allow formation of an a2b2 tetramer. Caspase 3 is a cytoplasmic caspase with two isoforms (one acts as a dominant negative inhibitor), and is involved in the activation cascade for apoptosis execution.

Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (PECAM1), also known as cluster of differentiation 31 (CD31), is a cell-surface glycoprotein expressed on platelets, monocytes, neutrophils, some types of T-cells and NK (natural killer) cells. It makes up a large portion of the endothelial cell intercellular junctions. CD31/PECAM1 is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily and plays many different roles involving leukocyte migration under most inflammatory conditions, angiogenesis, integrin activation, atherosclerosis and thrombopoiesis.

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a secretory glycoprotein that is a family member of the TNF receptor (TNFR) superfamily. Osteoprotegerin protects bone by blocking osteoclastogenesis and increasing bone density. Unlike other TNFRs, osteoprotegerin lacks a transmembrane domain as well as any apparent cell-associated signals. High levels of osteoprotegerin mRNA are found in specialized tissues such as lung, heart, kidney, and placenta. There is evidence that osteoprotegerin plays a role in degenerative arterial disease.

KLF4 (Kruppel-like factor 4, Epithelial zinc finger protein EZF) is a zinc finger transcription factor thought to be involved in developmental differentiation and proliferation. It is considered a pluripotency reprogramming factor (PRF) due to its ability to change cell fate via gene expression conversion. Other PRFs including Sox2, Oct4 and KLF4, as well as a discussion about their capabilities, are reviewed by Jauch et al in hopes of enabling the engineering and optimization of PRFs¹.