Microglia are the resident macrophages of the central nervous system, and the first line of immune defense. Pioneering antibody research in the 1990's identified the Integrin beta 2 protein (also called ITGB2, complement receptor 3, CR3, CD18, and Mac-1) as one of the key proteins in the recruitment of microglial cells. The ITGB2 subunit A is commonly called CD11b, and antibodies to this subunit are widely used as microglial markers.
Tau proteins are abundant in the axons of neurons in the central nervous system (CNS), and play a key role in microtubule formation and stabilization. Antibody studies have identified six tau isoforms, all produced by alternative mRNA splicing of the MAPT gene. We at Novus Biologicals have nearly 50 antibodies matched to tau proteins on our antibody database.
