CD34 Serves as an Important Marker in Disease Research

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 12:25

CD34 is a membrane protein that aids cells in cell-cell adhesion. Although little is known about its function, CD34 is an important marker for hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), muscle satellite cells, and endothelial cells. HSCs can be found in bone marrow and blood of adults; however, because they are relatively rare, historically, HSCs have been difficult to study. The emergence of flow cytometry and FACS has facilitated the use of antibodies against CD34 to more readily identify, count and even purify these cells. Researchers most often extract HSCs from umbilical cord blood which is a rich source of these rare cells (1).

Flow cytometry analysis of human PBMCs stained with (A) Mouse Anti-Human CD34 Monoclonal Antibody or (B) IgG2B Isotype Control. CD34 is detected in CD34-stained cells (A) as shown by movement of cells, represented by dots, into the upper quadrants of the graph.

Flow cytometry analysis of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) stained with (A) Mouse Anti-Human CD34 Monoclonal Antibody (R&D Systems Catalog # MAB72274) or (B) Mouse IgG2B Isotype Control Antibody (R&D Systems Catalog # MAB0041) followed by APC-conjugated IgG secondary antibody and Anti-CD45 PE-conjugated Antibody (R&D Systems Catalog # FAB1430P).

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Current research has focused CD34 as a prognostic indicator in tumors. In a recent study, investigators reported that CD34 expression is significantly lower in malignant tumors compared to their benign counterparts (2). CD34 is also used to distinguish between different subtypes of a particular cancer such as acute leukemia (3). The role of CD34, and HSC like cells in cancer is just beginning to emerge, but given the intensity of ongoing studies, this field will be an exciting area of research to follow in the near term.

Immunocytochemical microscopic image showing CD34 expression in green in in WEHI-3 cells and counterstaining for nuclei in blue alpha-tubulin in red.

Immunocytochemical analysis showing CD34 expression in WEHI-3 leukemia cell line using Rat Anti-Mouse CD34 (MEC 14.7) Monoclonal Antibody (Catalog # NB600-1071) followed by DyLight 488 secondary antibody (green). Counterstaining for nuclei and alpha-tubulin were performed with DAPI (blue) and DyLight 550 (red), respectively.

Novus Biologicals offers CD34 reagents for your research needs including:

References