Synaptophysin a Marker Protein in Neuroendocrine Cells Synaptophysin is a major integral membrane glycoprotein of neuronal synaptic vesicles present in virtually all synapses and shows a high degree of evolutionary conservation across the mammals. Synaptophysin has been detected in numerous endocrine cell types and is localized in the membrane of small synaptic-like vesicles. Antibodies directed against synaptophysin are a valuable tool for the immunoblotting and immunohistochemical quantification.
Synaptophysin was detected in perfusion fixed frozen sections of mouse brain (hippocampus) using Mouse Anti-Human Synaptophysin Monoclonal Antibody (Catalog # MAB5555) at 15 µg/mL overnight at 4 °C. Tissue was stained using the NorthernLights™ 557-conjugated Anti-Mouse IgG Secondary Antibody (red; Catalog # NL007) and counterstained with DAPI (blue). Specific staining was localized to cytoplasm and nuclei. View our protocol for Fluorescent IHC Staining of Frozen Tissue Sections.
Moreover, synaptophysin is a most reliable and specific marker molecule for normal and neoplastic neuroendocrine cells in the nervous system, synaptophysin-positive tumors are known to comprise ganglioneuromas, ganglioneuroblastomas, neuroblastomas, paragangliomas and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (1). Increased levels of synaptophysin have been reported in immunoblots using anti-synaptophysin antibodies in several mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease (2). Using mono- and polyvalent antibodies against synaptophysin, a considerable number of studies from several laboratories have shown that synaptphysin is a reliable marker molecule for neuroendocrine tumors of various degrees of differentiation (3).
Novus Biologicals offers a wide range of Synaptophysin reagents, including:
