Acid Bit

By Davis Morris

 Many suppliers include a range of stem cell marker proteins on their antibody databases. Marker antibodies, such as the one selective for Podocalycin-like protein (PODXL) are widely used in research into cancers and other diseases.

The PODXL gene has a similar structure to the CD-34 ligand, and encodes to a member of the sialomucin protein group. Originally identified on epithelial podocyte cells, it has been implicated in the development of aggressive tumours, and is used as a diagnostic marker in numerous cancers, including prostate cancer and pancreatic carcinomas.

At Novus Biologicals, our PODXL TRA-1-81antibody is one of a number of cell surface marker immunoglobulins designed for embryonic stem cell research. It recognises a specific carbohydrate epitope on the PODXL protein, the antigen TRA-1-81. Involved in cell differentiation, TRA-1-81 is expressed through PODXL on the surface of embryonic stem and germ cells, and also upon the surface of adult human teratocarcinoma stem cells. Cell surface antigens are known to play an important role in the ex-pression and function of developmentally controlled cells during embryonic and tumour development. For this reason, embryonic stem cells are routinely used in cancer studies involving TRA-1-81 and other PODXL immunoglobulins.

Since no murine (mouse) immunoreactivity is seen with our TRA PODXL antibodies, human cells must be used. The area of human embryonic stem-cell (hES) research is an extremely controversial one. However, in January 2010 Mizrak, Chikhovskaya et al, of the University of Amsterdam, released a paper suggesting an alternative human adult tissue. Studies had already shown that multipotent ES-type cells could be sourced from adult mouse testes. When these experiments were repeated using tissue donated from prostate cancer patients, subcultured cells expressed hES specific carbohydrate antigens as in the mouse studies. These included TRA-1-60 and TRA-1-81 both of which are on our antibody database.

This study means that human stem cell research is no longer restricted to embryonic cell lines an exciting development in an area which is historically extremely controversial.

The Article is written by novusbio.com/ providing antibody catalogue and antibodies Services. Visit http://www.novusbio.com/ for more information on novusbio.com/Products & Services___________________________Copyright information

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