ALDH1A3 / Retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 3 · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for ALDH1A3

Plan paraffin-section ALDH1A3 IHC around cytoplasmic staining in prostate glandular cells (HPA tissue IHC). This guide covers fixation consistency, the catalog antibody’s 2–5 μg/mL IHC range (datasheet A03030), and interpretation of presumed off-target staining (HPA tissue IHC).

Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for ALDH1A3 (IHC for ALDH1A3): expected localisation Cytoplasmic tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC), antibody A03030, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps
Printable ALDH1A3 IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Cytoplasmic tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC), antibody A03030, controls and protocol steps. Open the full ALDH1A3 IHC guide →

ALDH1A3 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 Cytoplasmic tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC)
Staining pattern Cytoplasmic staining in prostate glandular cells (HPA tissue IHC)
Antigen retrieval EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A03030)
Positive control ⓘ Prostate+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 consistent across sections (standard IHC practice; not target-specific)
Caveat Presumed off-target staining was observed (HPA tissue IHC)
Regulation RNA enhanced: prostate, urinary bladder (HPA tissue RNA)
Isoform / epitope No annotated isoforms; mature chain 2–512 (UniProt)
Section 1

Recommended ALDH1A3 IHC & IF Protocols

The catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol (datasheet A03030) is accompanied by 3 published IHC protocols (PMC12215419; PMC4430273; PMC6769487).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
SampleParaffin-embedded human prostate cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A03030)
FixationImage fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A03030); verify before use.
Sectioning4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard)
DeparaffinisationXylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard)
Antigen retrievalHeat retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 (datasheet A03030); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard)
Peroxidase block3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard)
Blocking10% goat serum (datasheet A03030)
Primary antibodyRabbit anti-ALDH1A3, 2-5μg/ml (datasheet A03030)
Primary incubationOvernight at 4 °C (datasheet A03030)
DetectionHRP-conjugated secondary, DAB chromogen (datasheet A03030)
CounterstainHematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected resultALDH1A3-positive staining in glandular cells of prostate (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Cytoplasmic expression in several different tissue types including prostate. No signal in the no-primary control.
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 for the catalog antibody (datasheet A03030); the published protocols provide alternative retrieval conditions (PMC12215419; PMC6769487).
Section 2

What Is the Expected ALDH1A3 Staining Pattern?

ALDH1A3 is a cytoplasmic protein without a transmembrane segment (UniProt P47895: subcellular location and topology). In paraffin section IHC, expect cytoplasmic staining in prostate glandular cells and testis peritubular cells, with staining also reported in several other tissue types (HPA: tissue IHC). HPA rates the tissue profile Enhanced but notes medium agreement with RNA data and presumed off target binding that was disregarded (HPA: tissue IHC reliability).

What am I looking at on my slide?
Distinct cytoplasmic chromogen in prostate glandular cells, with a stronger pattern than nearby unstained structures.This fits a useful positive control: HPA reports High staining in prostate glandular cells, and UniProt places ALDH1A3 in the cytoplasm (HPA: prostate tissue IHC; UniProt P47895: subcellular location). Judge the named cells rather than treating every cell on the section as an expected positive.
Predominantly nuclear or membranous staining in the IHC section, with little convincing cytoplasmic signal.That differs from the expected tissue IHC pattern (HPA: cytoplasmic tissue profile; UniProt P47895: cytoplasm and no transmembrane segment). Check whether the signal persists in a no primary control and compare it with a documented positive tissue before assigning it to ALDH1A3. Nuclear ICC IF evidence requires separate interpretation (HPA: subcellular ICC IF).
Strong chromogen in cells listed as Not detected, such as adrenal gland glandular cells or heart cardiomyocytes.Treat the mismatch as a specificity warning, rather than proof that those cells express ALDH1A3 (HPA: adrenal gland and heart muscle, Not detected). Possible explanations include cross reactivity or endogenous detection activity; inspect a no primary control and the staining distribution. HPA itself notes presumed off target binding in its tissue assessment (HPA: tissue IHC reliability).
A broad, pale haze covers cells and extracellular areas without a clear cytoplasmic boundary.This is difficult to score as cell specific ALDH1A3 staining. Compare a no primary section, inspect blocking and washing, and check chromogen development using standard IHC practice. The relevant reference is a cell associated cytoplasmic pattern, not uniform field staining (HPA: tissue IHC profile; UniProt P47895: cytoplasm).
No visible signal in prostate glandular cells or testis peritubular cells on a processed positive control.These are High staining reference cell populations, so a blank result calls for a run check before biological interpretation (HPA: prostate and testis tissue IHC). Confirm tissue identity and control performance, then review retrieval, primary antibody application and detection as general IHC steps. The supplied sources do not establish ALDH1A3 specific fixation sensitivity.
💡Expected ALDH1A3 appearanceCall the IHC result positive when discrete cytoplasmic chromogen marks prostate glandular cells or testis peritubular cells at the reported High level; predominant nuclear or diffuse field staining needs control based scrutiny (HPA: prostate and testis tissue IHC; UniProt P47895: cytoplasm).
How each factor affects the staining
Reference tissue and cell populationProstate glandular cells and testis peritubular cells are High; bronchial respiratory epithelium, endometrial stroma, gallbladder and stomach glandular cells, and bladder urothelium are Medium (HPA: tissue IHC). Select the precise cell population when scoring. A Medium tissue may be less decisive than a High tissue as a run control (HPA: tissue IHC levels).
Antibody validation and specificityThe HPA tissue profile has Enhanced reliability, while its description reports medium staining to RNA consistency and presumed off target binding that was disregarded (HPA: tissue IHC reliability). HPA046271 has Enhanced IHC status; HPA064749 has no listed IHC status (HPA: antibody validation). Match the antibody used to its own validation record before relying on an HPA pattern.
Topology and protein processingUniProt places ALDH1A3 in the cytoplasm, annotates no transmembrane segment or signal peptide, and lists a chain spanning residues 2–512 (UniProt P47895: location, topology and processing). These annotations support a cytoplasmic expectation; they do not identify the antibody epitope or predict antigen retrieval behavior.
ICC IF question: Does nuclear fluorescence overturn the IHC expectation?HPA reports nucleoplasm as the main supported ICC IF location and cytosol as an additional supported location, whereas its tissue IHC profile is cytoplasmic (HPA: subcellular ICC IF; HPA: tissue IHC). Interpret fluorescence in the context of its own assay and controls; do not transfer an ICC IF compartment call directly to paraffin section IHC.
Endogenous chromogenic activityEndogenous enzyme activity can imitate a positive chromogen signal in IHC as a general detection issue (standard IHC practice). A no primary control and detection appropriate blocking help identify that contribution. The supplied HPA and UniProt records do not assign a particular endogenous enzyme artifact to ALDH1A3.
Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
SituationLikely causeNext action
The positive control is blank in prostate glandular cells.A staining run problem is plausible because this cell population is High in HPA tissue IHC (HPA: prostate tissue IHC). Tissue identity or an omitted workflow step can also explain the result (standard IHC practice).Verify the section and antibody identity, then inspect retrieval, primary incubation and detection records. Repeat alongside a confirmed positive section and a no primary control; do not infer an ALDH1A3 specific fixation effect from these sources.
Only faint staining appears in a tissue expected to be positive.Several listed positive populations are Medium rather than High (HPA: tissue IHC), so apparent weakness depends on which cells are being compared. Run performance may also affect visibility (standard IHC practice).Compare the named cell population with a High reference, preferably prostate glandular cells or testis peritubular cells (HPA: tissue IHC). Review control performance before changing scoring thresholds or general IHC conditions.
Staining is strongest in nuclei on the paraffin section.A nuclear dominant IHC pattern conflicts with the cytoplasmic tissue profile (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt P47895: cytoplasm). Supported nucleoplasmic localization comes from ICC IF and does not by itself validate the section pattern (HPA: subcellular ICC IF).Check no primary and positive tissue controls, then reassess the chromogen against cell boundaries. Record the assay distinction when reporting any nuclear signal; seek independent specificity evidence before calling it ALDH1A3 IHC.
The whole section shows diffuse brown background.Poor separation of specific stain from nonspecific chromogen or endogenous detection activity can obscure localization (standard IHC practice). The target reference is cytoplasmic staining in identified cells (HPA: tissue IHC).Inspect a no primary section; review blocking, washes and chromogen development using standard IHC practice. Score only a resolved cellular pattern that matches the expected compartment and cell type.
A nominally negative cell population stains strongly.HPA lists adrenal gland glandular cells, heart cardiomyocytes and several other populations as Not detected, and notes presumed off target binding in its tissue assessment (HPA: tissue IHC). Cross reactivity or detection background is possible.Confirm the exact cell type and compare no primary and positive controls. Treat reproducible unexpected staining as unresolved until antibody specificity is supported; do not convert an HPA Not detected reference into a definitive biological absence.
Results from two antibodies disagree across the same tissue.Validation is antibody specific: HPA046271 is Enhanced for IHC, while HPA064749 has no listed IHC status (HPA: antibody validation). Different staining therefore cannot be assumed equally supported.Record which antibody produced each pattern and compare its own validation status. Recheck tissue identity and controls, then prioritize the pattern supported by the IHC validation record while reporting any remaining disagreement.

Sample controls for ALDH1A3 IHC & IF

🧪Run prostate first and expect staining in glandular cells (HPA: High in prostate glandular cells). Use adrenal gland glandular cells as the negative tissue (HPA: Not detected in adrenal gland glandular cells); on the prostate slide, cells outside the glandular compartment should show only background staining, but do not assume every such cell is ALDH1A3-negative (HPA: High in prostate glandular cells).
Positive control tissue: Prostate (Glandular cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Adrenal gland (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show ALDH1A3 in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, PC-3, with annotated localisation: Nucleoplasm (supported) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only control and a species- and class-matched rabbit IgG isotype control alongside an identically processed ALDH1A3 knockout sample as a biological negative (selected A03030 caption: rabbit primary antibody). Quench endogenous peroxidase for the prostate section and inspect gland lumina for trapped DAB before scoring intracellular staining (selected A03030 caption: HRP/DAB detection; standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: The selected A03030 paraffin-section caption uses heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0, but provides no comparison establishing that retrieval is required (selected A03030 caption). Its fixative is unreported, and the supplied evidence reports no target-specific fixation window or fixation effect (selected A03030 caption: fixative not stated). Frozen sections cannot be judged easier from these data; IF/ICC may help assess the reported nucleoplasmic and cytosolic distribution, while prostate gland lumina should be checked for apparent signal outside cells (HPA: nucleoplasm and cytosol; standard IHC practice).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for ALDH1A3

Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Enhanced — Medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression data. Presumed off target binding observed and disregarded.). Rows are taken directly from the HPA tissue chart — click any row's HPA link to view the source.

Positive expression · recommended positive controls

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
Prostate Glandular cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Testis Peritubular cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Bronchus Respiratory epithelial cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Endometrium Cells in endometrial stroma Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Gallbladder Glandular cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →

Undetected expression · recommended negative controls

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
Adrenal gland Glandular cells Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Appendix Glandular cells Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Caudate Glial cells Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Heart muscle Cardiomyocytes Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Lymph node Germinal center cells Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Section 3

Advanced ALDH1A3 IHC Tips

Troubleshoot ALDH1A3 staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, cellular distribution, controls and scoring before interpreting chromogenic signal.

What should I change if ALDH1A3 staining is weak after antigen retrieval?
Start with heat-mediated retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 for paraffin sections (datasheet A03030). The selected prostate cancer image used that buffer before incubation with 2 μg/ml primary antibody overnight at 4°C (caption A03030). If staining remains weak, compare retrieval duration on adjacent sections while keeping antibody concentration and DAB development constant (standard IHC practice). Include a prostate section with glandular cells as a positive control, and inspect morphology and nonspecific staining as retrieval increases (HPA: High in prostate glandular cells; standard IHC practice). Record retrieval temperature and duration so a change in signal can be traced to the changed condition (standard IHC practice).
How can I troubleshoot fixation when ALDH1A3 staining varies between paraffin blocks?
Target-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown: the selected paraffin-section caption does not state a fixative (caption A03030). Document each block’s fixative and fixation time, then compare sections processed with the same retrieval and staining conditions (standard IHC practice). Run a known positive control alongside the variable blocks, using prostate glandular cells as a reference where available (HPA: High in prostate glandular cells; standard IHC practice). If morphology and staining vary together, investigate tissue handling and processing records before changing the antibody concentration (standard IHC practice). Keep any conclusion about fixation provisional until matched material isolates fixation from retrieval, section age and detection effects (standard IHC practice).
Should nuclear ALDH1A3 staining in an IHC section be considered specific?
Assess cytoplasmic staining first because tissue IHC reports cytoplasmic expression, including in prostate, and UniProt places ALDH1A3 in the cytoplasm (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt P47895). Nuclear signal cannot be dismissed solely by location: cell-based IF reports supported nucleoplasmic and additional cytosolic localisation (HPA subcellular). For chromogenic sections, score nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments separately, then compare each pattern with positive tissue and no-primary controls (standard IHC practice). Check whether nuclear colour follows cell boundaries or instead clusters at cut edges, damaged regions or intensely counterstained areas (standard IHC practice). Treat a nuclear-only IHC pattern as requiring independent validation before assigning it to ALDH1A3 (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular).
Could an ALDH1A3 isoform or hidden epitope explain inconsistent staining?
The supplied UniProt record lists 0 isoforms, no transmembrane segment and no annotated domains for ALDH1A3 (UniProt P47895). It also lists N-terminal acetylation at residue 2, but the supplied evidence does not identify the antibody epitope or show that this modification changes staining (UniProt P47895; caption A03030). Confirm the antibody’s stated immunogen or epitope before attributing discordant sections to isoform recognition (standard IHC practice). Compare adjacent sections under identical retrieval and detection conditions, changing only one step at a time (standard IHC practice). If compartment or cell-type patterns remain unexpected, seek an independent antibody or orthogonal expression evidence before calling an epitope effect (standard IHC practice).
How should I check an ALDH1A3 result with multiplex immunofluorescence?
Use IF as a separate validation experiment and pair ALDH1A3 with a marker that identifies the cell population being scored, such as prostate glandular cells when examining prostate tissue (HPA: High in prostate glandular cells; standard IF practice). Select a fluorophore channel after measuring unstained-tissue autofluorescence, and include single-stain controls to assess channel bleed-through (standard IF practice). ALDH1A3 has no transmembrane segment and is reported in cytoplasm or cytosol, with nucleoplasmic signal also reported in cell-based IF (UniProt P47895; HPA subcellular). Permeabilise sufficiently to access intracellular epitopes, then compare signal and morphology with matched controls (standard IF practice). Do not transfer the paraffin-section antibody conditions directly to IF without testing them (caption A03030; standard IF practice).
How can I distinguish ALDH1A3 signal from brown background in chromogenic IHC?
Check a no-primary section and examine whether brown colour is confined to cells or also coats tissue edges, folds and extracellular debris (standard IHC practice). Block endogenous peroxidase before HRP detection, and keep DAB development comparable across the test and control sections (standard IHC practice). The selected paraffin image used 10% goat serum, an HRP-linked secondary and DAB, providing a starting point for investigating nonspecific binding and detection background (caption A03030). If diffuse staining persists, titrate the primary around the documented 2 μg/ml condition while retaining a positive control (caption A03030; standard IHC practice). Interpret unexpected widespread staining cautiously because presumed off-target binding was observed in the tissue atlas assessment (HPA tissue IHC).
How should I quantify ALDH1A3 staining across paraffin sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the relevant compartment and cell population before scoring; prostate glandular cells are a documented positive population, while tissue IHC describes a cytoplasmic pattern (HPA tissue IHC). Within the same annotated region, report the percentage of positive cells and an H-score from the proportion at each intensity level; use positive-cell density per mm² when cell counts per area matter (standard IHC practice). Normalise cell-based scores to the number of eligible cells and area-based scores to evaluable tissue area, excluding necrosis, folds and blank space (standard IHC practice). Keep retrieval, exposure to DAB and positivity thresholds consistent across sections (standard IHC practice). Report nuclear staining separately if present because the cell-based IF and tissue IHC localisation descriptions differ (HPA subcellular; HPA tissue IHC).
When is an apparent ALDH1A3-positive cell likely to be an artefact?
A convincing IHC result should align with the scored cell population and show a reproducible cellular pattern; prostate glandular cells are reported as strongly positive, with cytoplasmic tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC). Question colour concentrated at section edges, folds or necrotic areas, or signal that also appears without primary antibody (standard IHC practice). Check endogenous peroxidase blocking when DAB colour persists in the no-primary control, since the selected detection method uses an HRP-linked secondary and DAB (caption A03030; standard IHC practice). Investigate a nuclear-only pattern separately because cell-based IF reports nucleoplasmic localisation whereas tissue IHC reports cytoplasmic staining (HPA subcellular; HPA tissue IHC). Corroborate unexpected cell-type staining independently, given the atlas report of presumed off-target binding (HPA tissue IHC).
Boster reagents

Best ALDH1A3 / Retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 3 IHC Antibodies

A03030 has IHC data from human prostate cancer and rat lung paraffin sections, plus IF data from SiHa cells (IHC and IF image captions).

Real IHC data IHC analysis of ALDH1A3 using anti-ALDH1A3 antibody (A03030). ALDH1A3 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human prostate cancer tissue. Heat mediated antigen retrieval was performed in EDTA buffer (pH 8.0, epitope retrieval solution). The tissue section was blocked with 10% goat serum. The tissue section was then incubated with 2 μg/ml rabbit anti-ALDH1A3 Antibody (A03030) overnight at 4°C. Peroxidase Conjugated Goat Anti-rabbit IgG was used as secondary antibody and incubated for 30 minutes at 37°C. The tissue section was developed using HRP Conjugated Rabbit IgG Super Vision Assay Kit (Catalog # SV0002) with DAB as the chromogen.
Anti-ALDH1A3 Antibody ®
Cat # A03030

A03030 is listed for IHC and IF/ICC, with Human, Mouse and Rat reactivity (catalog: applications and reactivity). Its IHC images show human prostate cancer and rat lung paraffin sections; its IF image shows SiHa cells (catalog: image captions).

Which to pick: For tissue IHC, choose A03030: its paraffin-section captions document EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval and 2 μg/ml primary antibody (A03030 IHC captions). For IF/ICC, A03030 has a SiHa-cell IF image at 5 μg/ml (A03030 IF caption). For cross-species IHC, images document human and rat tissues; Mouse is listed under general reactivity without a mouse IHC image, and the paraffin-section captions do not report a fixative (catalog: reactivity; A03030 IHC captions).

Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.

References

  1. UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P47895 (AL1A3_HUMAN, Retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 3).
  2. Human Protein Atlas. ALDH1A3 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Enhanced).
  3. Human Protein Atlas. ALDH1A3 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to the nucleoplasm. In addition localized to the cytosol..
  4. Human Protein Atlas. ALDH1A3 antibody validation summary (2 antibodies).
  5. Expression of ALDH1 isotypes and its potential as a prognostic and diagnostic marker in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer. Scientific reports 2025 — PMC12215419.
  6. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1a3 defines a subset of failing pancreatic β cells in diabetic mice. Nature communications 2016 — PMC5013715.
  7. MiR-187 Targets the Androgen-Regulated Gene ALDH1A3 in Prostate Cancer. PloS one 2015 — PMC4430273.
  8. Disulfiram Overcomes Cisplatin Resistance in Human Embryonal Carcinoma Cells. Cancers 2019 — PMC6769487.
  9. PubMed PMID:7698756 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  10. PubMed PMID:15489334 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  11. PubMed PMID:21269460 — UniProt-cited evidence.