Antibody suppliers

Immunocytochemistry (ICC) can be a very effective method for visualizing the localization and behavior of intracellular proteins, however the protocol for each ICC experiment should be optimized specifically to the cell being examined.  Permeabilization, or the puncturing of the cell membrane, is an extremely important step in detecting intracellular antigens with a primary antibody because it allows entry through the cell membrane. Permeabilization is introduced after cells have been prepared with a fixative agent to initiate protein cross-linking, such as formaldehyde or ethanol.

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is controlled by a caspase signal cascade that activates downstream signals to induce the morphological changes used to differentiate apoptosis from other forms of cell death.  Novus Biologicals offers a variety of antibodies and tools to detect the different morphological indicators of cell death. 

Cell death/recycling pathways such as apoptosis, necroptosis, and autophagy are an integral part of the growth, development, homeostasis as well as the pathophysiology in the life of living organisms. These signaling pathways are highly regulated and some of their key regulatory targets are discussed below.

Apoptosis

Apoptosis, programmed cell death, is primarily characterized by the activation of caspases which further regulate the mass cleavage of proteins and DNA. Some of major the proteins responsible for various apoptotic events are:

Primary antibodies are becoming increasingly popular investigate tool to use in research, given the breadth and selection of product on the market. Not only are antibodies raised in a variety of hosts, they also have proven reactivity with a wide range of species applying to many research fields and models.

Mammalian target of Rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates cell growth, proliferation, motility and survival.

Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death which is mediated by cysteine proteases called caspases. It is an essential phenomenon in the maintenance of homeostasis and growth of tissues, and it also plays a critical role in immune response. The cytomorphological alterations and the key features of apoptosis are listed below:

Signal amplification methods are widely used in immunohistochemistry (IHC) for detection of rare epitopes and low abundance antigens. While many of these techniques such as the avidin-biotin complex (ABC) method improve staining, they frequently require additional steps and result in higher background staining.  Blocking endogenous biotin, a requirement of using ABC reagents, may not sufficiently remove residual activity in frozen tissue sections and tissues high in biotin including the liver and kidney.

Apoptosis is a method of programmed cell death that is notably characterized by a morphological change in cellular nuclei and membrane appearance.  Not to be confused with necrosis, apoptosis is a pathway that is induced by a variety of factors that activate cysteine proteases known as caspases to lead the cell to its ultimate death versus natural death of a cell.

There are a variety of experimental methods to choose from when using antibodies as a probe to highlight a target of interest. Western blot will reveal protein abundance and behavior, immunocytochemistry allows a look at protein behavior on the cellular level, and flow cytometry has the ability to label and sort hundreds of thousands of cells in no time. However, immunohistochemistry (IHC) is the only method where researchers have the ability to view the spatial localization of a target within a specific tissue.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is quite common in the U.S., covering more than 4% of all cancers each year, and is most susceptible to individuals between 50 and 60 years of age.  Squamous cells are a type of epithelial cell that are located all over the body with concentrations in the mouth, throat, neck and cervix.  EGFR, or epidermal growth factor receptor, is a trans-membrane glycoprotein that oversees cellular proliferation through its intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity.  When EGFR is bound to its ligand, it is phosphorylated by inner tyrosine kinase activity, where down