Antibody News

Novus Biologicals offers the widest selection of conjugated CD4 antibody products, with a database that's continually expanding to take into account the latest developments. This includes CD4 antibodies conjugated to Dynomics and PE fluorescent dyes, for FACS analysis.

CD4 is a cluster of differentiation transmembrane protein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF), a large group of proteins with functions in the recognition, adhesion and binding of cells. CD4 is widely expressed on T helper lymphocytes, and to a lesser degree on monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells.

Conjugated antibodies are those...

Mediating DNA damage is a crucial process, and one of the most important cellular guards against cancer. In response to DNA damage, sophisticated cellular machinery is recruited to repair the breaks, and if it fails, the cell is committed to death. Decades of research have elucidated the key players, and 53BP1 antibodies have revealed the protein to be central in the formation of DNA damage foci - regions flanking the chromatin of DSBs to which DNA repair factors are drafted.

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Bone and dentin are closely related tissues, formed when a type I collagen-rich extracellular matrix (ECM) is secreted from the osteoblasts or odontoblasts and subsequently mineralized. This process is tightly regulated by type I collagen plus a number of non-collagenous proteins, including members of the SIBLING (Small Integrin-Binding LIgand, N-linked Glycoprotein) family. Antibodies associated with this group include the Dentin Matrix Protein 1 (DMP1), Dentin Sialophosphoprotein (DSPP), Bone Sialoprotein (BSP) and Osteopontin (OPN).

The newest member of the family is Matrix Extracellular Phosphoglycoprotein (MEPE), of which presently little is known. However BSP, DSPP, DMP1 and OPN antibody studies suggest the proteins regulate crystal growth and mineralization of...

In the United States, breast cancer is one of the most common cancers and the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in women. According to the American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for breast cancer in the United States, there are about 200,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer, 60,000 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS),  and approximately 40,000 deaths from breast cancer this year.

A predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer has been linked to mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.  In cells where the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are defective, there are indications of gross chromosomal rearrangements and breakage.  Antibody studies have shown that the RAD51L1 protein specifically targets and fixes double...

LXR Alpha, also known as Liver X receptor Alpha is a 50KDa protein that belongs to the nuclear hormone receptor family located in the nucleus. It is specifically expressed in the liver, kidney and intestine; however it has also been found in the spleen, macrophages and the adrenals. All of these tissues play an important role in lipid metabolism. The primary role of LXR Alpha is to maintain cholesterol homeostasis in macrophages by regulating the genes involved in this.

LXR Alpha activates the...

Vimentin is a 57kDa type III intermediate filament (IF) protein that is the major cytoskeletal component of mesenchymal cells and the first to be expressed during cell differentiation. It plays a significant role in supporting and anchoring the position of the organelles in the cytosol and its dynamic nature is important for cell flexibility.  It is responsible for maintaining cell shape and cytoplasm integrity.

Vimentin has been implicated in a number of diseases.  It is frequently included in the primary panel of markers in the identification of mesenchymal tumors and malignant melanomas.  Some of the other markers used in that panel are CD45, cytokeratin and S-100 protein.

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Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the leading complications resulting from chronic diabetes. It manifests as progressive renal failure caused by mesangial cell hyperplasia and fibrosis, and is one of the leading causes of terminal kidney disease (1). While the etiology is complex, an imbalance between pro- and anti-oxidant pathways in the kidney leading to an excess accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is believed to contribute in large part to the development of DN. The primary source of ROS in the context of DN are NAD(P)H oxidases, a family of enzymes that facilitate respiratory bursts in phagocytic cells and participate in ROS-mediated signaling in a variety of other cell types (2). In the renal environment, ROS such as superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide are generated as intermediates in redox reactions but are quickly neutralized by enzymes such as ...

Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs) are a ubiquitous group of molecular chaperone proteins that have evolved unique mechanisms, within their host cells, to facilitate survival in hostile environments such as heat, oxidative (hypoxia), pH and cold. Under permissive conditions, the proteins are constitutively expressed and many have important or essential roles in the cell, including the protein export, regulation, turnover and the prevention of protein aggregation.  There are many classes of HSPs, which are divided into 5 families on the basis of their apparent molecular size and sequence homology:  Hsp100, Hsp90, Hsp70, Hsp60 and the small HSP’s (15-30kDa).

HSP100 proteins are amongst the most conserved within their chaperone family. The most characterised member within this group is the homohexameric toroid protein found in...

The DMC1 gene encodes a 36.7 kDa nuclear protein involved in meiotic homologous recombination. This recombinase is functionally related to the yeast RAD51 and E. coli RecA genes. In contrast to RAD51, which functions in both mitotic and meiotic recombination, DMC1 works specifically in meiotic recombination. Despite this difference, the RAD51 and DMC1 recombinase are structurally similar but not identical in nature. This has led to the speculation that regulatory elements play a key role in the expression and function of these 2 recombinases.

Recent research show that the RAD51 associated protein 1 (RAD51AP1) binds not only to RAD51 but also to DMC1.  Using mutations and point mutations the authors showed that RAD51AP1 contains a WVPP motif that allows DMC1 to bind at this specific site, but not RAD51....

Histone modification is known to affect transcriptional access to chromatin. Therefore, high quality histone modification specific antibodies are necessary to understand and explain the specific roles that these epigenetic modifications play in transcription regulation. Unfortunately, many of the commercially available histone modification antibodies are designed against short immunizing peptides and lack specificity to the full-length modified histone.

In work presented at last week’s meeting of the Amercian Society for Cell Biology, researchers at 21^st Century Biochemicals and...

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, co-activator 1 (PGC-1 alpha or PPARGC1A) gene encodes a 91 kDa nuclear protein that acts as a transcriptional co-activator involved in energy metabolism. Interaction with PPAR gamma allows it to interface with numerous transcription factors such as cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) and nuclear respiratory factors (NRFs). It is believed to be a master integrator between external stimuli and cellular response, in particular mitochondrial biogenesis. It is also a major factor in muscle type determination. Recent research has shown that single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mutations were associated with specific meat characteristics in pigs, which may lead to improvement in pork meat...

BRCA1, also known as breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein and RING finger protein 53, belongs to a class of genes known as tumor suppressors. BRCA1 regulates cell growth and division, and is also involved in DNA repair. There have been hundreds of BRCA1 mutations identified, and many of them are associated with an increased risk of cancer.  A woman who inherits a harmful BRCA1 gene mutation is at greater risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer in her lifetime.  BRCA1 gene mutations can also cause cervical, uterine, pancreatic, and colon cancer in women.

Mutations to the BRCA1 gene can be...