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BMPR1A / Bone morphogenetic protein receptor type-1A · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for BMPR1A
Plan BMPR1A IHC in paraffin sections using skeletal myocytes as a high-staining reference (HPA tissue IHC) and the catalog antibody's 2–5 μg/ml range (datasheet A01581-1). Assess observed cytoplasmic staining (HPA tissue IHC) alongside expected cell-surface localisation (UniProt), accounting for low antibody–RNA consistency (HPA tissue IHC).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
BMPR1A 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 staining (HPA tissue IHC); cell surface expected (UniProt) | |
| Staining pattern | Cytoplasmic staining in most tissues (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A01581-1) | |
| Positive control | Gallbladder+4 more · see all | |
| Negative control | Adipose tissue+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 | Antibody staining and RNA show low consistency (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | Expression regulation unreported (UniProt) | |
| Isoform / epitope | No isoforms listed; extracellular vs cytoplasmic epitope matters (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended BMPR1A IHC & IF Protocols
Compare the catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol (datasheet A01581-1) with published rat testis (PMC9748027) and mouse skeletal section methods (PMC2694443).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded human breast cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A01581-1) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A01581-1); verify before use. |
| Sectioning | 4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard) |
| Deparaffinisation | Xylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard) |
| Antigen retrieval | Heat retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 (datasheet A01581-1); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard) |
| Peroxidase block | 3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard) |
| Blocking | 10% goat serum (datasheet A01581-1) |
| Primary antibody | Rabbit anti-BMPR1A, 2-5 μg/ml (datasheet A01581-1) |
| Primary incubation | Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet A01581-1) |
| Detection | HRP-conjugated secondary, DAB chromogen (datasheet A01581-1) |
| Counterstain | Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard) |
| Expected result | BMPR1A-positive staining in glandular cells of gallbladder (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Cytoplasmic expression in most tissues. No signal in the no-primary control. |
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 (datasheet A01581-1); neither emitted article specifies retrieval conditions (PMC9748027; PMC2694443).
Section 2
What Is the Expected BMPR1A Staining Pattern?
BMPR1A is a cell-surface receptor with one transmembrane segment (UniProt P36894 topology). In paraffin-section IHC, HPA reports mainly cytoplasmic staining across tissues, including high staining in skeletal myocytes and several glandular cell populations (HPA tissue IHC). Treat that observed pattern as a reference, not a definitive distribution: HPA rates the IHC antibody Approved but reports low consistency between staining and RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC).
| Strong cytoplasmic staining in skeletal myocytes, pancreatic exocrine glandular cells, or gallbladder glandular cells. | These are high-staining cell populations in HPA tissue IHC. Record which cells stain and how intensely relative to adjacent cells (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). Skeletal muscle also has high BMPR1A expression reported by UniProt, making it a useful reference tissue (UniProt P36894 tissue specificity). |
| Staining outlines cells at the surface, with or without cytoplasmic signal. | A surface component is compatible with BMPR1A's annotated cell-membrane location and extracellular, transmembrane, and cytoplasmic regions (UniProt P36894 topology). HPA's tissue-IHC summary emphasizes cytoplasmic staining, so compare the full pattern with a positive reference tissue before interpreting an exclusively membranous result (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
| Predominantly nuclear staining, or staining confined to an unexpected compartment. | Nuclear localization is not the reported reference pattern: UniProt places BMPR1A at the cell surface, while HPA describes cytoplasmic tissue-IHC staining and approved cytosolic ICC-IF localization (UniProt P36894 subcellular location; HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular). Check the counterstain and detection controls, then reassess the result as a possible artifact (general IHC practice). |
| Strong staining in a cell population listed as not detected, such as adipocytes or esophageal squamous epithelial cells. | That conflicts with HPA's observations for those specific cell populations (HPA tissue IHC). Check whether the stained cells were identified correctly, then use detection controls to investigate nonspecific antibody binding or endogenous chromogen-generating activity (general IHC practice). A listed negative population does not establish that every cell in its tissue is negative. |
| Diffuse staining across cells and tissue spaces, including a nominally negative area. | A broad haze that obscures cell boundaries is difficult to score as BMPR1A staining (general IHC practice). Compare a primary-antibody-omission control and an HPA high-staining reference population; background in the omission control points to the detection system or tissue activity (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
💡Expected BMPR1A appearanceCall a result positive when staining is cell-associated and interpretable in an HPA high-staining population, such as skeletal myocytes or pancreatic exocrine cells; expect predominantly cytoplasmic signal in tissue IHC, with a plausible surface component (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt P36894 topology). Diffuse haze or dominant nuclear staining warrants control-based investigation (general IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC).
| Compartment and antibody interpretation | BMPR1A has an extracellular region at residues 24–152, a transmembrane segment at 153–176, and a cytoplasmic region at 177–532 (UniProt P36894 topology). The supplied record does not identify the antibody epitope, so these coordinates cannot predict its staining intensity or a required retrieval condition. |
| Choice of reference cells | HPA reports high staining in gallbladder and stomach glandular cells, pancreatic exocrine cells, placental trophoblasts, and skeletal and smooth muscle cells (HPA tissue IHC). It reports no detection in adipocytes and selected glial and epithelial populations (HPA tissue IHC). Score the named cell population, not an entire tissue as uniformly positive or negative. |
| Strength of evidence | The HPA tissue-IHC antibody is Approved, but staining has low consistency with RNA expression; the supplied validation status is Approved for IHC and ICC, not Enhanced (HPA tissue IHC; HPA antibody validation). Interpret a surprising distribution alongside morphology and controls rather than treating one stain as conclusive (general IHC practice). |
| IF/ICC: should its pattern match paraffin-section IHC? | HPA calls cytosol the approved ICC-IF location and lists images from A-431, U-251MG, and U2OS; the tissue-IHC summary also describes cytoplasmic expression (HPA subcellular; HPA tissue IHC). These observations provide a compartment comparison, but image availability does not establish staining intensity or a protocol for those cell lines. |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| No visible signal in a skeletal-muscle section expected to contain myocytes. | HPA reports high myocyte staining and UniProt reports high skeletal-muscle expression, so absent signal merits a technical check; neither source establishes a BMPR1A-specific fixation effect (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt P36894 tissue specificity). | Confirm myocytes are present and the chromogenic detection run worked. Review the antibody's IHC validation and the run's retrieval and dilution records; optimize those conditions using routine IHC controls without assuming a target-specific cause (HPA antibody validation; general IHC practice). |
| Signal is strong in adipocytes but weak in nearby expected-positive cells. | HPA lists adipocytes as not detected, so the distribution differs from its reference observations; nonspecific staining or tissue-associated detection activity is possible (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). | Recheck cell identification, compare a primary-antibody-omission control, and repeat with appropriately controlled antibody and detection conditions before assigning the signal to BMPR1A (general IHC practice). |
| Brown precipitate appears in the primary-antibody-omission control. | Signal without primary antibody implicates the chromogenic detection workflow or endogenous tissue activity rather than specific primary-antibody binding (general IHC practice). | Review the applicable endogenous-activity blocking step, detection reagents, and wash quality; rerun the omission control with the test section (general IHC practice). |
| The entire section has diffuse brown haze that hides cellular boundaries. | Excess background can arise from detection or antibody conditions, and it prevents reliable comparison with HPA's named cell populations (general IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC). | Compare omission and positive-reference controls, then adjust routine blocking, washes, and antibody or detection conditions as indicated by those controls (general IHC practice). |
| Nuclei dominate the staining pattern while cytoplasm and cell borders are faint. | Dominant nuclear staining diverges from UniProt's cell-surface annotation, HPA's cytoplasmic tissue-IHC profile, and HPA's approved cytosolic ICC-IF location (UniProt P36894 subcellular location; HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular). | Check the counterstain and omission control, inspect whether pigment or precipitate overlaps nuclei, and reassess specificity before scoring the nuclei as BMPR1A-positive (general IHC practice). |
| A reference tissue stains, but intensity varies among cases or cell populations. | HPA reports low tissue RNA specificity and low consistency between antibody staining and RNA data; its high, medium, low, and not-detected calls refer to specified cell populations (HPA tissue IHC). | Score location, fraction, and intensity within the same identified cell population, include a comparable reference section in each run, and report deviations from the HPA pattern rather than imposing one intensity threshold on every tissue (general IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC). |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing BMPR1A staining
A01581-1 · IHCIHC analysis of BMPR1A using anti-BMPR1A antibody (A01581-1). BMPR1A was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human breast cancer tiss
A01581 · IHCFormalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded human cancer tissue reacted with the primary antibody, which was peroxidase-conjugated to the secondary
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000107779-BMPR1A/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_4978936
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000107779-BMPR1A/tissue/colon#imid_4978846
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000107779-BMPR1A/tissue/liver#imid_4978855
HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000107779-BMPR1A/tissue/kidney#imid_4978856
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody CAB019398; green = BMPR1A, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody CAB019398; green = BMPR1A, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for BMPR1A IHC & IF
🧪Run gallbladder first: glandular cells should stain, with High expression reported by HPA (HPA: High in gallbladder glandular cells). Use adipose tissue adipocytes as the negative comparison (HPA: Not detected in adipocytes); assess neighboring non-glandular cells on the gallbladder slide for background staining, without assuming they are BMPR1A-negative (HPA: High designation applies to glandular cells).
Positive control tissue: Gallbladder (Glandular cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show BMPR1A in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, with annotated localisation: Cytosol (approved) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only control and a species- and clonality-matched rabbit IgG isotype control (selected A01581-1 caption: rabbit primary antibody; clonality unreported), plus BMPR1A knockout tissue or cells as a biological specificity control. Quench endogenous peroxidase for DAB detection and distinguish any gallbladder bile pigment from staining (selected A01581-1 caption: HRP/DAB detection; standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported, and the selected paraffin-section caption does not state the fixative (selected A01581-1 caption: fixative not stated). The reported IHC procedure uses heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0, but retrieval dependence has not been established by a comparison (selected A01581-1 caption: EDTA retrieval). The supplied evidence does not establish whether frozen sections or IF would be easier; IF localization needs separate validation because the annotations differ between cell surface and cytosol (UniProt P36894: cell surface; HPA subcellular: cytosol).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for BMPR1A
Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Approved — 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallbladder | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Pancreas | Exocrine glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Placenta | Trophoblastic cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Skeletal muscle | Myocytes | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Smooth muscle | Smooth muscle cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Undetected expression · recommended negative controls
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adipose tissue | Adipocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Caudate | Glial cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Cerebellum | Cells in granular layer | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Esophagus | Squamous epithelial cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Fallopian tube | Glandular cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Section 3
Advanced BMPR1A IHC Tips
Use the catalog antibody’s paraffin-section conditions as an IHC starting point, then check staining against BMPR1A topology and cell-specific reference patterns.
Which retrieval conditions should I start with for BMPR1A paraffin sections?
Start with heat-mediated retrieval in EDTA pH 8.0 for paraffin sections (datasheet A01581-1). The selected tissue image used that condition before incubation with 2 μg/ml primary antibody overnight at 4°C (datasheet A01581-1). If staining is weak, compare a shorter and longer heating interval on adjacent sections while holding antibody concentration and detection constant (standard IHC practice). Review tissue preservation and background alongside signal, because stronger retrieval can expose unwanted staining or damage morphology (standard IHC practice). Record the heating method and cooling time so the comparison can be repeated (standard IHC practice).
How should I assess fixation when BMPR1A staining varies between paraffin blocks?
The selected BMPR1A paraffin-section caption does not state a fixative, so target-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown (datasheet A01581-1). Compare sections with documented fixation histories using the same EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval and 2 μg/ml primary concentration used for the catalog image (datasheet A01581-1; standard IHC practice). For new specimens, document fixative, time in fixative, and processing schedule, then include a reference section in each staining run (standard IHC practice). If signal differs, check morphology and staining across the section before attributing the difference to BMPR1A abundance (standard IHC practice).
Should BMPR1A appear at the membrane or in the cytoplasm?
BMPR1A is annotated at the cell surface, with an extracellular segment at residues 24–152, a transmembrane segment at 153–176, and a cytoplasmic region at 177–532 (UniProt P36894 topology). HPA tissue IHC describes cytoplasmic expression in most tissues, while its cell imaging assigns an approved cytosolic location (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular). Score membrane-associated and cytoplasmic staining separately rather than requiring a crisp membrane rim in every cell (standard IHC practice). If nuclear staining dominates, inspect the counterstain and controls before calling it BMPR1A, since neither supplied localisation source identifies the nucleus (UniProt P36894 localisation; HPA subcellular; standard IHC practice).
How can epitope position change what BMPR1A IHC detects?
The record lists 0 isoforms, so these data provide no isoform-specific staining interpretation (UniProt P36894 isoforms). BMPR1A has an extracellular region at residues 24–152 and a cytoplasmic region at 177–532; its listed glycosylation site is residue 73 (UniProt P36894 topology; UniProt P36894 glycosylation). Check the antibody’s documented immunogen or epitope before deciding whether retrieval and tissue processing might affect access to the recognised region (standard IHC practice). The selected caption does not identify an epitope, so staining alone cannot establish which side of the membrane this antibody recognises (datasheet A01581-1; standard IHC practice).
How would I adapt this BMPR1A IHC assay for multiplex IF?
Treat multiplex IF as an exploratory adaptation: the supplied antibody image documents paraffin-section chromogenic IHC, while HPA reports cytosolic ICC/IF localisation using its own imaging evidence (datasheet A01581-1; HPA subcellular). Pair BMPR1A with a validated marker for the expected cells, such as myocytes in skeletal muscle, and compare cellular overlap rather than assuming every fluorescent punctum is receptor (HPA tissue IHC: high in myocytes; standard IF practice). Choose fluorophores after checking tissue autofluorescence and include single-label and unstained controls (standard IF practice). Use an antibody epitope map to decide whether permeabilisation is needed to access the cytoplasmic region at 177–532; the catalog epitope is unspecified here (UniProt P36894 topology; datasheet A01581-1; standard IF practice).
What should I check when BMPR1A DAB staining is widespread?
First compare the stained section with a no-primary control to identify signal from secondary reagents or tissue enzymes (standard IHC practice). The catalog image used 10% goat serum blocking, a peroxidase-conjugated secondary for 30 minutes at 37°C, and DAB detection (datasheet A01581-1). Include an endogenous peroxidase block and inspect pigment, necrotic areas, and section edges before increasing the primary dilution (standard chromogenic IHC practice). HPA reports cytoplasmic staining in most tissues but also low consistency with RNA expression, so widespread brown staining alone does not establish specific BMPR1A detection (HPA tissue IHC).
How should I score BMPR1A staining across tissue sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cell population and compartment before scoring; HPA describes cytoplasmic tissue staining, while UniProt also places BMPR1A at the cell surface (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt P36894 localisation). For each compartment, report an H-score from 0–300 or the percentage of positive target cells, using one threshold across the comparison (standard IHC practice). Normalise counts to the number of eligible cells, or report positive-cell density per mm² of viable tissue when cell counts are impractical (standard IHC practice). Exclude folds, edges, and necrosis by a preset rule, and retain representative negative controls alongside scored sections (standard IHC practice).
How do I distinguish convincing BMPR1A staining from artefact?
Look for reproducible staining in intact, appropriately identified cells: HPA reports high signal in skeletal-muscle myocytes and pancreatic exocrine glandular cells, but no detection in adipocytes (HPA tissue IHC). Compare cytoplasmic and membrane-associated patterns with HPA’s cytoplasmic profile and UniProt’s cell-surface annotation (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt P36894 localisation). Treat dominant nuclear signal, staining concentrated at section edges or necrosis, and DAB signal in a no-primary control as reasons to investigate artefact (UniProt P36894 localisation; HPA subcellular; standard IHC practice). Because HPA rates tissue staining approved yet reports low consistency with RNA, confirm consequential differences with independent controls or orthogonal evidence (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
Boster reagents
Best BMPR1A / Bone morphogenetic protein receptor type-1A IHC Antibodies
Two rabbit polyclonal anti-BMPR1A antibodies have human tissue IHC images (catalog; image captions). Catalog reactivity also includes mouse or rat, depending on SKU (catalog). Neither has IF/ICC validation listed (catalog).
Real IHC data
Anti-BMPR1A Antibody ®
Cat # A01581-1
Real IHC data
Anti-BMPR1A Antibody (C-term)
Cat # A01581
A01581 has an IHC-P image of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded human cancer tissue, including breast carcinoma and hepatocarcinoma (A01581 image caption). A01581-1 has an IHC image of a paraffin-embedded human breast cancer section; its fixative is unreported (A01581-1 image caption).
Which to pick: For human tissue IHC, choose A01581 for documented paraffin-section, paraffin-embedded tissue (A01581 image caption; datasheet: 1:50–1:100), or A01581-1 for a documented paraffin-section workflow whose fixative is unreported (A01581-1 image caption; datasheet: 2–5 μg/ml). Neither SKU lists IF/ICC validation, so there is no catalog-supported IF/ICC pick (catalog applications). Both are rabbit polyclonals (catalog); for cross-species planning, A01581 lists human and mouse reactivity, while A01581-1 lists human and rat reactivity, with the pictured IHC examples limited to human tissue (catalog reactivity; image captions). The selected A01581-1 tissue-IHC caption documents paraffin sections, but does not specify the fixative (selected-SKU IHC image A01581-1).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P36894 (BMR1A_HUMAN, Bone morphogenetic protein receptor type-1A).
- Human Protein Atlas. BMPR1A tissue IHC expression (reliability: Approved).
- Human Protein Atlas. BMPR1A subcellular location (ICC-IF): Localized to the cytosol..
- Human Protein Atlas. BMPR1A antibody validation summary (1 antibodies).
- Loss of bone morphogenetic protein signaling in fibroblasts results in CXCL12-driven serrated polyp development. Journal of gastroenterology 2023 — PMC9825358.
- Bone morphogenetic protein 4 inhibits rat stem/progenitor Leydig cell development and regeneration via SMAD-dependent and SMAD-independent signaling. Cell death & disease 2022 — PMC9748027.
- BMP-9 expression in human traumatic heterotopic ossification: a case report. Skeletal muscle 2013 — PMC3878643.
- BMP signaling negatively regulates bone mass through sclerostin by inhibiting the canonical Wnt pathway. Development (Cambridge, England) 2008 — PMC2694443.
- PubMed PMID:8397373 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:15489334 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for BMPR1A (Bone morphogenetic protein receptor type-1A). Expected localisation Cytoplasmic staining (HPA tissue IHC); cell surface expected (UniProt). Antigen retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A01581-1). Validated IHC antibody: A01581-1 at 2-5 μg/ml (the product's own IHC validation image is shown). Controls (HPA): positive Gallbladder (Glandular cells); negative Adipose tissue. IHC-P workflow on paraffin sections; fixative unspecified. Protocol steps: 1. Sample: Paraffin-embedded human breast cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A01581-1); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A01581-1); 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 retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 (datasheet A01581-1); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard); 6. Peroxidase block: 3% H2O2, 10 min , room temperature (standard); 7. Blocking: 10% goat serum (datasheet A01581-1); 8. Primary antibody: Rabbit anti-BMPR1A, 2-5 μg/ml (datasheet A01581-1); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet A01581-1). Watch for: Fixation: Keep fixation consistent across sections (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Caveat: Antibody staining and RNA show low consistency (HPA tissue IHC); Isoform / epitope: No isoforms listed; extracellular vs cytoplasmic epitope matters (UniProt); Regulation: Expression regulation unreported (UniProt). Evidence: UniProt P36894, HPA tissue IHC · Approved, HPA ICC-IF · cytosol., Datasheet A01581-1, PMC9748027, PMC2694443. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/BMPR1A/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.