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ABCC1 / ATP-binding cassette sub-family C member 1 · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for ABCC1
Plan ABCC1 paraffin IHC using the catalog antibody at 0.5–1 μg/ml (datasheet). Assess cytoplasmic and membranous staining while accounting for the uncertain tissue profile (HPA tissue IHC).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
ABCC1 Immunohistochemistry Experimental Design Guide
Expected localisation, validated protocols, controls and antibodies — the at-a-glance facts below, then the full design guide.
Must know before staining
| Expected localisation | IHC: cytoplasmic/membranous (HPA tissue IHC); protein: basolateral membrane (UniProt) | |
| Staining pattern | Seminiferous tubules: cytoplasmic/membranous staining (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | Citrate pH 6.0 HIER, 95–98 °C, 20 min (rule: cytoplasmic / membrane antigen) | |
| Positive control | Adipose tissue+4 more · see all | |
| Negative control | Adrenal gland+4 more · see all |
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
| Fixation | Keep fixation conditions consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific) | |
| Caveat | Staining and RNA show low consistency (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | Expression regulation unspecified (UniProt) | |
| Isoform / epitope | 9 isoforms; check epitope coverage and membrane sidedness (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended ABCC1 IHC & IF Protocols
The catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol is paired with two published ABCC1 IHC protocols using FFPE sections (PMC11354449; PMC3560367).
| Sample | Tissue sections; selected-image fixative not specified (standard IHC workflow) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet PA1634); verify before use. |
| Sectioning | 4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard) |
| Deparaffinisation | Xylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard) |
| Antigen retrieval | Heat-induced epitope retrieval in citrate buffer, pH 6.0, 20 min at 95–98 °C (standard rule: cytoplasmic / membrane antigen) |
| Peroxidase block | 3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard) |
| Blocking | 10% normal serum of the secondary host, 30 min, room temperature (standard) |
| Primary antibody | Rabbit anti-ABCC1, 0.5-1μg/ml (datasheet PA1634) |
| Primary incubation | Overnight at 4 °C (standard) |
| Detection | HRP-polymer secondary, DAB chromogen 5–10 min (standard) |
| Counterstain | Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard) |
| Expected result | ABCC1-positive staining in adipocytes of adipose tissue (HPA tissue IHC: Medium). HPA tissue profile: Cytoplasmic and membranous expression in several tissues, including seminiferous tubules in testis. No signal in the no-primary control. |
💡Decision noteStart with citrate pH 6.0 retrieval at 95–98 °C for 20 min (page antigen retrieval); a published ABCC1 IHC protocol also uses boiling citrate pH 6.0 (PMC11354449).
Section 2
What Is the Expected ABCC1 Staining Pattern?
ABCC1 is a 17-pass membrane transporter at the cell and basolateral membranes (UniProt P33527 topology; UniProt P33527 subcellular location). In paraffin-section IHC, HPA reports cytoplasmic and membranous staining across several tissues, including testicular seminiferous tubules (HPA tissue IHC). Interpret the pattern cautiously: HPA rates tissue IHC reliability Uncertain because antibody staining has low consistency with RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC).
| Membranous staining in intestinal glandular cells, with some cytoplasmic staining (HPA tissue IHC). | This fits HPA's reported compartments. Duodenal, small-intestinal, rectal and appendiceal glandular cells each have Medium staining, but HPA's overall tissue IHC reliability remains Uncertain (HPA tissue IHC). A membrane-enriched pattern is also consistent with ABCC1's cell-membrane location (UniProt P33527 subcellular location). |
| Predominantly nuclear staining, without a convincing membrane-associated pattern. | Nuclear localization is outside the supplied ABCC1 locations: UniProt places it at the cell and basolateral membranes, while HPA tissue IHC describes cytoplasmic and membranous staining (UniProt P33527 subcellular location; HPA tissue IHC). Treat isolated nuclear signal as suspect and check controls before scoring it as ABCC1 (general IHC practice). |
| Strong staining in a cell population listed as Not detected by HPA, such as bronchial respiratory epithelial cells (HPA tissue IHC). | That conflicts with HPA's observation for that specific population; it does not prove the tissue lacks ABCC1 under every condition (HPA tissue IHC). Consider cross-reactivity or endogenous chromogen-generating activity, and compare a primary-antibody omission control with the same detection chemistry (general IHC practice). |
| Uniform color over cells, stroma and empty areas, obscuring cell borders. | A field-wide deposit cannot establish the cell-associated membranous or cytoplasmic distribution reported by HPA (HPA tissue IHC). Possible technical contributors include nonspecific antibody binding, inadequate washing or endogenous detection activity; assess the relevant controls and reagent conditions before interpreting tissue expression (general IHC practice). |
| No staining in HPA Medium-staining glandular cells, such as duodenal glandular cells (HPA tissue IHC). | A negative run in an expected comparison population raises a sensitivity or reagent-performance question, although HPA's Uncertain tissue IHC rating prevents treating that tissue as a definitive positive control (HPA tissue IHC). Review tissue preservation, antibody conditions, detection reagents and a concurrent positive control (general IHC practice). |
💡Expected ABCC1 appearanceA plausible positive is Medium, predominantly membrane-associated staining with possible cytoplasmic signal in HPA-listed intestinal glandular cells; isolated nuclear or field-wide color is suspect (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt P33527 subcellular location; general IHC practice).
| Membrane topology and epitope position (UniProt P33527 topology) | ABCC1 has 17 transmembrane segments and both extracellular and cytoplasmic regions (UniProt P33527 topology). If an antibody's epitope is known, use its position to interpret staining; no epitope position or target-specific retrieval response is supplied here. |
| Cell population and tissue choice (HPA tissue IHC) | HPA reports Medium staining in intestinal glandular cells, kidney glomerular cells, ovarian stroma cells and adipocytes, but Low staining in lung macrophages (HPA tissue IHC). Score the named cell population; a tissue-wide average can hide the relevant pattern. |
| IHC evidence strength (HPA tissue IHC; HPA antibody validation) | HPA labels tissue IHC Uncertain and HPA002380 IHC Uncertain; HPA076011 has no supplied IHC status (HPA tissue IHC; HPA antibody validation). Treat the listed patterns as comparison observations rather than proof that every stain is specific. |
| Alternative isoforms (UniProt P33527 isoforms) | UniProt lists 9 ABCC1 isoforms (UniProt P33527 isoforms). The supplied record does not map antibody epitopes or IHC patterns to individual isoforms, so an apparent difference between specimens cannot be assigned to an isoform from staining alone. |
| Detection-system background (general IHC practice) | Chromogenic IHC can produce signal from endogenous detection activity or nonspecific binding (general IHC practice). Use reagent-appropriate controls to distinguish such color from the cell-associated pattern described for ABCC1 (HPA tissue IHC). |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Membrane staining is weak or absent in an HPA Medium-staining cell population (HPA tissue IHC). | Antibody or detection performance, tissue preservation, or chosen retrieval conditions may limit signal (general IHC practice); no ABCC1-specific fixation or retrieval sensitivity is established by the supplied sources. | Check a concurrent positive control and reagent performance; evaluate retrieval under a validated general IHC workflow, then compare the same named cell population across runs (general IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC). |
| Only nuclear staining appears. | The compartment conflicts with the supplied membrane location and HPA's cytoplasmic/membranous IHC description (UniProt P33527 subcellular location; HPA tissue IHC). | Inspect a primary-antibody omission control and assess nonspecific signal before scoring; seek an independent specificity check if nuclear staining persists (general IHC practice). |
| The entire section has diffuse brown color. | Nonspecific binding, inadequate washing or endogenous detection activity can obscure localization (general IHC practice). | Compare a primary-antibody omission control, review blocking and washing, and check the chromogenic detection system (general IHC practice). Reassess whether cell borders can be resolved. |
| A supposedly negative tissue shows focal staining. | HPA's Not detected entries describe specified cell types, and its tissue IHC reliability is Uncertain (HPA tissue IHC). Focal signal may also reflect background or another cell population (general IHC practice). | Identify the stained cell type first, compare the matching HPA entry, and use detection controls before calling a contradiction or cross-reactivity (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
| Different observers disagree on cytoplasmic versus membranous scoring. | HPA reports both compartments in tissue IHC, whereas UniProt places ABCC1 at the cell and basolateral membranes (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt P33527 subcellular location). | Record membrane and cytoplasmic staining separately, with the named cell population and intensity; flag ambiguous edges instead of forcing a single-compartment score (general IHC practice). |
| IF/ICC question: Should a junctional or plasma-membrane signal be expected? | HPA reports plasma membrane as the supported main ICC-IF location and cell junctions as a supported additional location (HPA subcellular ICC-IF). These observations do not validate a paraffin-section IHC result. | For IF/ICC interpretation, compare localization with HPA's supported locations and the assay's controls; use the separate IF/ICC guide for experimental conditions (HPA subcellular ICC-IF; general IF practice). |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing ABCC1 staining
PA1634 · IHCAnti-MRP1 antibody, PA1634, IHC(P) IHC(P): Human Lung Cancer Tissue
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000103222-ABCC1/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_1043004
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000103222-ABCC1/tissue/colon#imid_1042930
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000103222-ABCC1/tissue/liver#imid_1042947
HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000103222-ABCC1/tissue/kidney#imid_1042940
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA002380; green = ABCC1, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA002380; green = ABCC1, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for ABCC1 IHC & IF
🧪Run kidney first: cells in glomeruli should stain (HPA: Kidney, cells in glomeruli, Medium). Use adrenal gland as the negative tissue, where glandular cells are not detected (HPA: Adrenal gland, glandular cells, Not detected); on the kidney slide, use neighboring cells without staining as a background reference without assuming their ABCC1 status.
Positive control tissue: Adipose tissue (Adipocytes, HPA Medium)
Negative control tissue: Adrenal gland (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show ABCC1 in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, A-549, EFO-21, with annotated localisation: Plasma membrane (supported) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary (secondary-only) control, an isotype control matched to the primary antibody’s host species and isotype, and a biological negative such as ABCC1 knockout tissue or a validated peptide block (standard IHC practice). For chromogenic kidney IHC, block endogenous peroxidase and check for endogenous biotin if using avidin–biotin detection (standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: No target-specific fixation window, fixation effect, or antigen-retrieval dependency is reported in the supplied evidence; the selected PA1634 paraffin-section caption does not state a fixative (PA1634 IHC(P) caption). Cell-based IF has HPA images, but the evidence does not establish that IF or frozen sections are easier than paraffin IHC (HPA subcellular). In kidney, endogenous biotin can complicate avidin–biotin detection, and autofluorescence should be assessed if adapting the assay to IF (standard IHC/IF practice).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for ABCC1
Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Uncertain — Low consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression data.). Rows are taken directly from the HPA tissue chart — click any row's HPA link to view the source.
Positive expression · recommended positive controls
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adipose tissue | Adipocytes | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Appendix | Glandular cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Duodenum | Glandular cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Endometrium | Glandular cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Kidney | Cells in glomeruli | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Undetected expression · recommended negative controls
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrenal gland | Glandular cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Breast | Adipocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Bronchus | Respiratory epithelial cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Caudate | Glial cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Cerebellum | Cells in granular layer | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Section 3
Advanced ABCC1 IHC Tips
Troubleshoot ABCC1 staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, compartment, cell type and controls before interpreting chromogenic signal.
How should I retrieve ABCC1 in paraffin sections when membrane staining is weak?
Use citrate buffer at pH 6.0 for heat retrieval at 95–98 °C for 20 min (page retrieval setting). Allow sections to cool in buffer, then compare an identically processed positive control with a no-primary control before increasing primary antibody concentration (standard IHC practice). If staining remains weak, test a different retrieval buffer on adjacent sections as a fallback while keeping antibody dilution and detection conditions fixed (standard IHC practice). Judge improvement by crisp cell-boundary staining, because ABCC1 is assigned to the cell and basolateral membranes (UniProt P33527 localisation); diffuse colour alone is insufficient evidence of retrieval success (standard IHC practice).
Could fixation explain weak or uneven ABCC1 staining in my paraffin sections?
ABCC1-specific sensitivity to fixation is unknown from the supplied evidence, and the PA1634 tissue-IHC caption does not state a fixative (PA1634 IHC(P) caption). Record the fixative, duration and delay before fixation for each specimen; compare sections processed together before attributing an intensity difference to biology (standard IHC practice). If fixation varies across a batch, stain a consistently processed control alongside each run and assess preservation and staining across the whole section (standard IHC practice). Do not infer a fixation effect from reported tissue staining or membrane topology; those sources describe expression and location, respectively (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt P33527 topology).
What staining pattern should count as convincing ABCC1 localisation in IHC?
Prioritise staining at cell borders, with possible basolateral emphasis in polarized epithelium, because ABCC1 is assigned to cell and basolateral membranes (UniProt P33527 localisation). HPA also reports cytoplasmic and membranous tissue staining, but rates its tissue-IHC reliability uncertain because staining and RNA expression show low consistency (HPA tissue IHC). Compare membrane-associated signal with cytoplasmic signal within the same cells and document which compartment was scored (standard IHC practice). Treat diffuse cytoplasmic colour without discernible borders cautiously, checking the no-primary control and morphology before calling it ABCC1; HPA supports plasma-membrane localisation in subcellular imaging (HPA subcellular; standard IHC practice).
How can epitope position complicate ABCC1 staining across samples?
Map the catalog antibody’s stated epitope to ABCC1 before interpreting a negative section, because the record lists 9 isoforms and 17 transmembrane segments (UniProt P33527 isoforms and topology). The record places residues 1–36 extracellularly and 1247–1531 cytoplasmically, illustrating why epitope position matters when selecting validation material (UniProt P33527 topology). If the antibody’s epitope is unspecified, do not claim that it recognizes every isoform or a particular membrane side (standard antibody-validation practice). Compare staining across matched sections and, where available, an independent antibody with a disclosed epitope; keep retrieval and detection conditions matched so differences remain interpretable (standard IHC practice).
How should I follow up chromogenic ABCC1 staining with multiplex IF?
Use chromogenic IHC to select regions and cell populations, then validate the separate IF assay with its own controls; PA1634’s supplied image documents IHC(P) in human lung cancer tissue, with fixation unreported (PA1634 IHC(P) caption; standard IF practice). Multiplex ABCC1 with a marker for the cell type being assessed, since HPA reports several positive cell populations but rates tissue-IHC reliability uncertain (HPA tissue IHC). Choose fluorophores after examining tissue autofluorescence and reserve a spectrally clear channel for the weaker signal (standard IF practice). Match permeabilisation to the antibody’s known epitope: a cytoplasmic-facing epitope requires access across the plasma membrane, while an extracellular epitope may be assessed without that step (UniProt P33527 topology; standard IF practice).
How can I reduce diffuse brown staining without losing ABCC1 signal?
Run a no-primary control and inspect unstained tissue for pigment before changing the ABCC1 antibody dilution (standard IHC practice). Quench endogenous peroxidase for a peroxidase-based assay, block nonspecific binding, and use matched incubation and wash conditions across sections (standard chromogenic IHC practice). Titrate the IHC-validated antibody against a consistently processed control, selecting conditions that preserve cell-border contrast while reducing diffuse DAB deposition (standard IHC practice; UniProt P33527 localisation). Review edge staining, folds and damaged areas separately from intact cells; HPA reports cytoplasmic and membranous tissue staining but labels the overall tissue-IHC reliability uncertain (standard IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC).
What is a defensible way to quantify ABCC1 in stained sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cell population and score membrane-associated ABCC1 separately from cytoplasmic colour, because ABCC1 has a cell and basolateral membrane assignment while HPA reports both compartments in tissue (UniProt P33527 localisation; HPA tissue IHC). For a specified population, record percent positive cells and an H-score from 0–300 using intensity categories 0–3 (standard IHC scoring practice). Normalize counts to the number of eligible cells, or report positive-cell density per mm² of viable evaluated tissue when spatial abundance is the question (standard IHC quantification practice). Keep thresholds, region selection, staining batch and imaging settings consistent, and report membrane and cytoplasmic results independently (standard IHC practice).
How do I distinguish credible ABCC1 positivity from staining artefact?
A credible call combines staining in intact cells with a plausible membrane pattern and a clean no-primary control, consistent with ABCC1’s cell and basolateral membrane assignment (UniProt P33527 localisation; standard IHC practice). Verify the stained cell type rather than treating every brown cell as equivalent; HPA reports low staining in lung macrophages and medium staining in several other listed populations, with uncertain overall tissue-IHC reliability (HPA tissue IHC). Exclude section edges, necrotic zones and folds from scoring when they show disproportionate colour (standard IHC practice). Check pigment and endogenous peroxidase with appropriate controls before assigning DAB signal to ABCC1, and describe discordant cytoplasmic-only staining as uncertain (standard chromogenic IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC).
Boster reagents
Best ABCC1 / ATP-binding cassette sub-family C member 1 IHC Antibodies
PA1634 has a human lung cancer tissue IHC(P) image (catalog image caption) and lists human, mouse, and rat reactivity (catalog reactivity). No IF data are supplied (catalog IF images).
Real IHC data
Anti-MRP1/ABCC1 Antibody ®
Cat # PA1634
PA1634 will render with its human lung cancer tissue IHC(P) figure (catalog image caption). It lists IHC for human, mouse, and rat (catalog applications; catalog reactivity), with no IF image (catalog IF images).
Which to pick: Choose PA1634 for paraffin-section tissue IHC because its own figure is captioned IHC(P) in human lung cancer tissue (catalog image caption); its host is rabbit, while clonality and fixative are unreported (catalog host; catalog clone; catalog image caption). There is no IF/ICC option in this payload: PA1634 has no listed IF/ICC application, image, or dilution (catalog applications; catalog IF images; catalog dilution). For cross-species IHC, PA1634 lists human, mouse, and rat reactivity, although its displayed IHC(P) example is human only (catalog reactivity; catalog image caption).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P33527 (MRP1_HUMAN, ATP-binding cassette sub-family C member 1).
- Human Protein Atlas. ABCC1 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Uncertain).
- Human Protein Atlas. ABCC1 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to the plasma membrane. In addition localized to the cell junctions..
- Human Protein Atlas. ABCC1 antibody validation summary (2 antibodies).
- The gut microbiotas with metabolites regulate the protective role of miR-30a-5p in myocardial infarction. Journal of advanced research 2025 — PMC12536600.
- ABCC1 Is a ΔNp63 Target Gene Overexpressed in Squamous Cell Carcinoma. International journal of molecular sciences 2024 — PMC11354449.
- High expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCC11 in breast tumors is associated with aggressive subtypes and low disease-free survival. Breast cancer research and treatment 2013 — PMC3560367.
- Detection of ABCC1 expression in classical Hodgkin lymphoma is associated with increased risk of treatment failure using standard chemotherapy protocols. Journal of hematology & oncology 2012 — PMC3470996.
- PubMed PMID:1360704 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:8098549 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:9344662 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for ABCC1 (ATP-binding cassette sub-family C member 1). Expected localisation IHC: cytoplasmic/membranous (HPA tissue IHC); protein: basolateral membrane (UniProt). Antigen retrieval: Citrate pH 6.0 HIER, 95–98 °C, 20 min (rule: cytoplasmic / membrane antigen). Validated IHC antibody: PA1634 at 0.5-1μg/ml (the product's own IHC validation image is shown). Controls (HPA): positive Adipose tissue (Adipocytes); negative Adrenal gland. IHC workflow; specimen preparation unspecified. Protocol steps: 1. Sample: Tissue sections; selected-image fixative not specified (standard IHC workflow); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet PA1634); verify before use.; 3. Sectioning: 4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard); 4. Deparaffinisation: Xylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard); 5. Antigen retrieval: Heat-induced epitope retrieval in citrate buffer, pH 6.0 , 20 min at 95–98 °C…; 6. Peroxidase block: 3% H2O2, 10 min , room temperature (standard); 7. Blocking: 10% normal serum of the secondary host, 30 min , room temperature (standard); 8. Primary antibody: Rabbit anti-ABCC1, 0.5-1μg/ml (datasheet PA1634); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (standard). Watch for: Fixation: Keep fixation conditions consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Caveat: Staining and RNA show low consistency (HPA tissue IHC); Isoform / epitope: 9 isoforms; check epitope coverage and membrane sidedness (UniProt); Regulation: Expression regulation unspecified (UniProt). Evidence: UniProt P33527, HPA tissue IHC · Uncertain, HPA ICC-IF · Mainly localized to the plasma membrane. In addition localized to…, Datasheet PA1634, PMC11354449, PMC3560367. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/ABCC1/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.