Monoclonal Anti-Involucrin antibody is suitable for use in immunofluorescence at 1:100 dilutions using keratinocytes or for indirect immunofluorescence using methanol fixed mouse embryonic fibroblasts-keratinocytes co-cultures . The antibody may also be used for western blot (1:1000) and immunohistochemical analysis . Additionally, the product can be useful for indirect ELISA, immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation and immunocytochemistry.
Involucrin is a soluble precursor protein that regulates terminal differentiation in keratinocytes. This protein is initially present in the cytosol component of keratinocytes and later associates with membrane proteins. Involucrin is expressed in squamous cell cancer and its expression is down-regulated by HPV 16 oncoproteins . Monoclonal Anti-Involucrin is specific for involucrin in primate and non-primate mammals. In cultured human keratinocytes, the antibody stains a 120 kDa band by immunoblot under denaturing-reducing conditions. However, in other cells the antibody binds to involucrin protein in varied sizes: 170 kDa in human breast adenocarcinoma cell line MCF-7, a doublet of approx. 115 and 150 kDa in gorilla and owl monkey, 66 kDa in dog, and a doublet at approx 105 kDa in pig. The antibody does not bind to mouse epidermis; hence the antibody can be used to study human xenografts in nude mice. The antibody stains the upper spinous and granular layers in human skin and the cytoplasm of suprabasal terminally differentiated keratinocytes in stratified colonies .
