Apoptosis

Plumbagin (5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) is a toxin, named after the plant genus Plumbago from which it was first isolated in 1968 (1). Since its discovery there have been a wide variety of publications describing its effects on fertility, hyperlipedaemia (high cholesterol) and its use as an anti-bacterial. More recently, there have been multiple efforts to synthesise derivatives and analogues of plumbagin in order to increase its potential as an anti-cancer agent.

Co-factor of BRCA1, also known as COBRA1, was first identified as a protein that binds to the tumour suppressor protein encoded by the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 (1). It was subsequently found to be identical to subunit B of the Negative Elongation Factor (NELF) complex (2). NELF is composed of four subunits (A, B, C or D, and E) and plays a pivotal role in the transcriptional pausing of RNA polymerase II.

ATG5 is a member of the ATG family that regulates autophagy, the evolutionary conserved homeostatic response to a diverse variety of self- and foreign-originating cellular stresses. ATG5 is ubiquitously expressed in cells and found co-localized with cytoplasmic non-muscle actin under normal resting conditions, but upon the triggering of apoptosis, ATG5 expression dramatically ramps up, and ATG5 directly conjugates with other related ATG family proteins to form autophagosomes.

IRE1 resides in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) as a transmembrane protein with both serine-threonine kinase and endoribonuclease activities. It acts as an unfolded protein response (UPR) sensor through XBP1 transcriptional activation and has been found to have many physiological functions due to the fundamental importance of protein folding.

LC3 is distributed ubiquitously in eukaryotes and is a heavily studied autophagy biomarker that was originally identified as a subunit of MAP1A and MAP1B. Because autophagy is a crucial process for maintaining normal neural networks and function, understanding neuronal autophagy is important. Young's group at Univ.

Survivin is an anti-apoptotic protein from a large family with related members such as X-linked IAP, cIAP1 and cIAP2, IAP-like protein-2, melanoma IAP, Livin, and NAIP. Survivin regulates fundamental physiological events including the cell cycle, fetal development, and cell migration.

Survivin is involved in promoting cell proliferation and is an inhibitor of apoptosis. Survivin has a critical role in cancer proliferation and neural development. It may have an impact on neural cell proliferative responses following brain injury.

Learn more about Survivin in our infographic below.

Novus Biologicals offers various Survivin reagents for your research needs including:

Sodium Potassium ATPase alpha 1 (ATP1A1) belongs to the P-type ATPase family and is the catalytic component of the active enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of ATP coupled with exchange of sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+ ) ions across cellular plasma membranes. This creation of an electrochemical gradient comprised of Na+ and K+ ions provides the energy for nutrient active transport.

The TARDBP gene codes for a transcriptional repressor protein known as TDP-43. The protein encoded by the TARDBP gene binds TAR DNA and functions to regulate translation. TDP-43 can also bind RNA which leads to transcriptional repression and the formation of splice variants encoding alternate forms of proteins. Additionally, the TARDBP gene plays an important role in mRNA transport.

TRPV1 (transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily vanilloid member type 1) is a polymodal nociceptor that is commonly expressed in peripheral nerve endings and dorsal root ganglia. It is activated by heat, low pH, vanilloids, capsaicin, and other noxious stimuli and is involved in the transmission and modulation of pain. Not surprisingly, TRPV1 is directly related to hyperalgesia—increased sensitivity to pain—as hyperalgesia is significantly reduced when TRPV1 is genetically eliminated or pharmacologically blocked.