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CD1E / T-cell surface glycoprotein CD1e, membrane-associated · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for CD1E
Plan chromogenic CD1E IHC on paraffin sections using the IHC-validated antibody at 1:100 (datasheet). Interpret cytoplasmic and membranous staining with caution because the tissue-IHC profile has uncertain reliability (HPA tissue IHC).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
CD1E 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 and membranous tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Staining pattern | Several cell types, including immune cells; cytoplasmic/membranous (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | Citrate pH 6.0 HIER, 95–98 °C, 20 min (rule: cytoplasmic / membrane antigen) | |
| Positive control | Epididymis+3 more · see all | |
| Negative control | Adipose tissue+4 more · see all |
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
| Fixation | Keep tissue fixation consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific) | |
| Caveat | Tissue staining has low consistency with RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | Maturation alters CD1e distribution (UniProt) | |
| Isoform / epitope | 13 isoforms; check extracellular/cytoplasmic epitopes after cleavage (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended CD1E IHC & IF Protocols
The catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol is accompanied by published medulloblastoma multiplex staining (PMC10716463) and paraffin-embedded tumor tissue chromogenic staining (PMC10373563).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded human pancreas tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A06184) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A06184); 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-CD1E, 1:100 (datasheet A06184) |
| 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 | CD1E-positive staining in glandular cells of epididymis (HPA tissue IHC: Medium). HPA tissue profile: Cytoplasmic and membranous expression in several different cell types, including immune cells. No signal in the no-primary control. |
💡Decision noteStart with citrate pH 6.0 HIER at 95–98 °C for 20 min (page retrieval rule); the chromogenic tumor-tissue protocol uses EDTA microwave retrieval (PMC10373563).
Section 2
What Is the Expected CD1E Staining Pattern?
CD1E staining should be assessed by cell type and compartment: UniProt places the membrane form in the Golgi and endosomal pathway and the processed soluble form in the lysosome lumen (UniProt P15812). HPA reports cytoplasmic and membranous tissue staining, but rates its IHC evidence uncertain because staining and RNA expression have low consistency (HPA tissue IHC).
| Granular cytoplasmic staining in tonsil germinal center cells or lymph node non-germinal center cells. | This is compatible with reported medium IHC staining and intracellular CD1E trafficking; morphology alone cannot identify a Golgi, endosome, or lysosome (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt P15812). |
| Apparent nuclear staining dominates, without a convincing cytoplasmic pattern. | Treat this as suspect in IHC: HPA supports Golgi localisation by ICC-IF, while its additional nucleolar localisation is uncertain; review controls before assigning CD1E (HPA subcellular). |
| Strong staining appears in bronchial respiratory epithelium or adipocytes. | Investigate nonspecific antibody binding or endogenous chromogenic activity: HPA reports these specific cell populations as not detected, although its overall IHC reliability is uncertain (HPA tissue IHC). |
| Color spreads across tissue compartments, including cells expected to lack staining. | A diffuse pattern does not resolve CD1E localisation; compare a no-primary control, blocking, and detection conditions using general IHC practice, then reassess the cell-specific result (HPA tissue IHC). |
| No staining appears in a well-preserved tonsil or lymph node section. | Check the assay before calling CD1E absent: HPA reports medium staining in specified cells of these tissues, but its uncertain IHC reliability limits any single-section conclusion (HPA tissue IHC). |
💡Expected CD1E appearanceA plausible positive is medium cytoplasmic or membranous staining in the specified tonsil or lymph node cells; dominant nuclear color or strong staining in HPA-undetected cell populations needs control review (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular).
| Cell type and tissue context | HPA reports medium staining in tonsil germinal center cells, lymph node non-germinal center cells, epididymal glandular cells, and testicular Leydig cells; lung macrophages are low (HPA tissue IHC). |
| Membrane topology and processing | CD1E has a transmembrane segment at residues 305–325; UniProt also describes a cleaved soluble form in mature dendritic-cell lysosomes, so membrane-only scoring could miss a compatible intracellular pattern (UniProt P15812). |
| Cell state and compartment | UniProt places CD1E predominantly in the trans-Golgi network of immature dendritic cells and its soluble form in the lysosome lumen of mature dendritic cells; routine chromogenic IHC cannot prove either organelle from color alone (UniProt P15812). |
| Antibody and isoform limits | HPA rates one antibody's IHC result uncertain and lists another without an IHC rating; UniProt lists 13 isoforms, but these records do not establish which forms an antibody detects (HPA antibodies; UniProt P15812). |
| IF/ICC Q: What localisation can its separate guide assess? | A: HPA supports a mainly Golgi signal in ICC-IF images from JURKAT and REH; its additional nucleolar assignment is uncertain. That IF evidence does not upgrade tissue IHC reliability (HPA subcellular; HPA tissue IHC). |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Positive-control tissue has no convincing signal. | The expected cell population may be missed, or an IHC workflow step may have failed; HPA reports medium staining only in specified cells and rates its IHC evidence uncertain (HPA tissue IHC). | Locate those cells on the counterstained section; check the catalog antibody's IHC-P instructions, retrieval, detection reagents, and a concurrent positive control using general IHC practice. |
| Signal is mainly nuclear or nucleolar. | This conflicts with the supported Golgi assignment; HPA labels its additional nucleolar ICC-IF localisation uncertain, and that finding does not validate nuclear tissue IHC (HPA subcellular). | Compare cell morphology and no-primary controls; repeat with an independently validated IHC antibody if available, and avoid scoring nuclear color alone as CD1E. |
| Strong color appears in HPA-undetected cell populations. | Nonspecific binding or endogenous detection activity is possible when bronchial respiratory epithelial cells or adipocytes stain strongly despite their HPA not-detected calls (HPA tissue IHC). | Run no-primary and detection controls; review blocking and detection conditions as general IHC practice, then report the exact stained cell population rather than calling the whole tissue positive. |
| A weak signal appears only in lung macrophages. | Weak macrophage staining may match the low HPA observation; intensity alone cannot establish specificity, especially with HPA's uncertain tissue IHC reliability (HPA tissue IHC). | Assess cell morphology, background, and positive-control performance together; keep the result provisional if controls do not separate signal from background. |
| Staining is diffuse across the section. | Diffuse chromogen may obscure the cytoplasmic or membranous cell pattern HPA reports; it cannot establish a CD1E compartment by itself (HPA tissue IHC). | Use a no-primary control and inspect blocking, washes, and detection timing under general IHC practice; score only interpretable cells after background is resolved. |
| An IF image and chromogenic IHC section seem different. | HPA supports Golgi localisation in ICC-IF, while its tissue IHC profile is cytoplasmic and membranous with uncertain reliability; the assays resolve compartments differently (HPA subcellular; HPA tissue IHC). | Interpret each preparation against its own controls and stated evidence; do not infer a nucleolar IHC pattern or a failed IHC result solely from the IF image. |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing CD1E staining
A06184 · IHCImmunohistochemical analysis of paraffin-embedded human-pancreas, antibody was diluted at 1:100
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000158488-CD1E/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_16580375
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000158488-CD1E/tissue/colon#imid_16580301
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000158488-CD1E/tissue/liver#imid_16580310
HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000158488-CD1E/tissue/kidney#imid_16580311
HPA · ICC-IF JURKATHuman Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, JURKAT, antibody HPA057769; green = CD1E, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
HPA · ICC-IF JURKATHuman Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, JURKAT, antibody HPA057769; green = CD1E, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for CD1E IHC & IF
🧪Run lymph node first and look for staining in non-germinal center cells (HPA: Medium). Use adipose tissue adipocytes as the negative tissue (HPA: Not detected); on the lymph node slide, use cells without discernible specific staining as an internal background reference without assigning an unreported cell type as CD1E-negative.
Positive control tissue: Epididymis (Glandular cells, HPA Medium)
Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show CD1E in JURKAT, REH, with annotated localisation: Golgi apparatus (supported) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary (secondary-only) control, a concentration-matched isotype control appropriate to the primary antibody’s host species and clonality, and a CD1E knockout sample where available or a peptide-block control if the antibody’s immunizing peptide is available (standard IHC practice). For chromogenic lymph node IHC, quench endogenous peroxidase and check the control slide for residual background (standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A CD1E-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported in the supplied evidence, and the fixative for the selected paraffin-section caption is unreported (A06184 caption: fixative not stated). Antigen retrieval conditions and whether frozen sections or IF are easier than paraffin IHC are unreported; optimize retrieval empirically for the catalog antibody (standard IHC practice). In lymph node, assess endogenous peroxidase background before interpreting chromogenic staining (standard IHC practice).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for CD1E
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epididymis | Glandular cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Lymph node | Non-germinal center cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Testis | Leydig cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Tonsil | Germinal center cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Undetected expression · recommended negative controls
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adipose tissue | Adipocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Breast | Adipocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Bronchus | Respiratory epithelial cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Cerebellum | Cells in granular layer | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Cervix | Glandular cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Section 3
Advanced CD1E IHC Tips
Troubleshoot CD1E staining in paraffin-section chromogenic IHC using its intracellular trafficking, processing, and tissue-expression evidence.
How should I retrieve CD1E in paraffin sections when staining is weak?
Start paraffin-section IHC with citrate buffer at pH 6.0, heated to 95–98 °C for 20 min (page retrieval rule). Let sections cool in retrieval buffer, then compare the result with an identically processed control section before increasing retrieval intensity (standard IHC practice). The catalog image shows staining in paraffin-embedded human pancreas at 1:100, but its caption specifies neither retrieval conditions nor fixative (selected A06184 caption). If staining remains weak, test a higher-pH retrieval condition on adjacent sections while checking whether tissue morphology and background deteriorate (standard IHC practice).
Could fixation explain weak CD1E staining in my paraffin sections?
CD1E-specific sensitivity to fixation is unknown from the supplied evidence; the paraffin-section pancreas caption does not state a fixative (selected A06184 caption). Record the fixative and fixation duration for each specimen, and compare similarly processed sections before attributing a difference to CD1E expression (standard IHC practice). If signal is weak, compare retrieval and primary-antibody conditions on adjacent sections from the same block, keeping detection and development times constant (standard IHC practice). Assess nuclear detail, tissue preservation, and control staining alongside CD1E so that a generally compromised section is not scored as biologically negative (standard IHC practice).
Should CD1E stain the cell surface or intracellular compartments in tissue IHC?
Expect predominantly intracellular staining: CD1E occupies the Golgi and endosomal pathway, while its cleaved soluble form can occur in the lysosome lumen (UniProt P15812 subcellular location and processing). Its membrane-associated precursor has a transmembrane segment at residues 305–325, so membrane staining can also be plausible in the appropriate cells (UniProt P15812 topology; HPA tissue IHC profile). Compare punctate or perinuclear staining with nearby cell morphology and the matched negative control before calling faint surface staining specific (standard IHC practice). Treat isolated nuclear staining cautiously because HPA supports Golgi localisation but rates its additional nucleolar localisation uncertain (HPA subcellular).
How might CD1E processing and isoforms affect the epitope detected by IHC?
Check the antibody's documented immunogen or epitope before interpreting a missing signal, since the supplied caption gives no epitope position (selected A06184 caption). CD1E has 13 listed isoforms, a signal peptide at residues 1–19, and a propeptide at 20–31 (UniProt P15812 isoforms and processing). Processing yields a membrane-associated chain spanning 20–388 or a soluble chain spanning 32–388; an epitope in the removed propeptide would therefore distinguish those forms (UniProt P15812 processing). Glycosylation at residues 47 and 84 may complicate epitope accessibility, so verify any proposed form-specific interpretation with an independently mapped antibody (UniProt P15812 glycosylation; standard IHC practice).
How can IF help verify which cells and compartments carry CD1E?
On the separate IF/ICC workflow, multiplex CD1E with a dendritic-cell marker such as CD11c and assess signal within marker-positive cells rather than assigning identity from CD1E alone (UniProt P15812 tissue specificity; standard IF practice). Choose fluorophores after examining an unstained section, favoring a channel with low tissue autofluorescence and checking single-stain controls for spectral bleed-through (standard IF practice). For an intracellular epitope, permeabilise after fixation to access Golgi, endosomal, or lysosomal CD1E; for a verified extracellular epitope, compare staining without permeabilisation (UniProt P15812 subcellular location; standard IF practice). Interpret apparent nucleolar overlap cautiously because HPA marks that location uncertain (HPA subcellular).
How do I reduce diffuse or patchy background in CD1E chromogenic IHC?
Include a no-primary control, block endogenous peroxidase before peroxidase-based detection, and keep DAB development consistent between sections (standard IHC practice). If diffuse color persists, titrate the primary antibody around the caption's 1:100 condition while holding retrieval and detection constant (selected A06184 caption; standard IHC practice). Apply a suitable protein block and adequate washes, then inspect whether staining concentrates at tissue edges, folds, or damaged regions (standard IHC practice). CD1E can give cytoplasmic and membranous staining across several cell types, so dismissing every nonmembranous signal as background would be unwarranted (HPA tissue IHC profile).
What should I quantify when CD1E staining varies between samples? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cell population and tissue area before scoring, then report the percentage of positive cells and an intensity-based H-score using the same threshold across slides (standard IHC practice). For sparse immune populations, report CD1E-positive cell density per mm² of evaluable tissue and normalise it to the density of the relevant cell population when measured (standard IHC practice). Score cytoplasmic and membranous patterns separately if both are present, because the tissue profile describes both patterns (HPA tissue IHC profile). Exclude folds, necrosis, and section edges from the denominator, and interpret small differences cautiously given HPA's uncertain tissue-IHC reliability (standard IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC reliability).
How can I distinguish genuine CD1E staining from an IHC artefact?
Favor staining in morphologically appropriate immune cells or other supported cell populations with plausible cytoplasmic, Golgi-region, or membranous distribution (UniProt P15812 tissue specificity and subcellular location; HPA tissue IHC profile). HPA reports medium staining in lymph-node non-germinal-center cells and tonsil germinal-center cells, but rates its tissue-IHC reliability uncertain because staining and RNA data have low consistency (HPA tissue IHC). Compare a candidate signal with the no-primary control and inspect tissue edges, folds, and necrosis for the same pattern (standard IHC practice). Isolated strong nuclear color or widespread DAB precipitate warrants reassessment of localisation and endogenous enzyme background before a positive call (HPA subcellular; standard IHC practice).
Boster reagents
Best CD1E / T-cell surface glycoprotein CD1e, membrane-associated IHC Antibodies
A06184 has an IHC image from human paraffin-embedded pancreas (catalog image caption); IF is a listed application, but no IF image is supplied (catalog applications; catalog image records).
Real IHC data
Anti-CD1E Antibody
Cat # A06184
A06184 will render with its human paraffin-embedded pancreas IHC image at 1:100 (catalog image caption). IF is listed for A06184, but no IF image is supplied (catalog applications; catalog image records).
Which to pick: Choose A06184 for human tissue IHC: its own image shows paraffin-embedded pancreas at 1:100; the fixative is unreported (catalog image caption). For IF, A06184 lists IF at 1:50; A06184-1 lists ICC and Human, Mouse, and Rat reactivity, but has no supplied IHC or IF image (catalog applications, dilutions, reactivity, and image records). Both list Rabbit as host, with no clone specified, so clonality cannot distinguish them; A06184-1 has no listed IHC application for cross-species tissue work (catalog host, clone, and applications).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P15812 (CD1E_HUMAN, T-cell surface glycoprotein CD1e, membrane-associated).
- Human Protein Atlas. CD1E tissue IHC expression (reliability: Uncertain).
- Human Protein Atlas. CD1E subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to the Golgi apparatus. In addition localized to the nucleoli..
- Human Protein Atlas. CD1E antibody validation summary (2 antibodies).
- The unique immune ecosystems in pediatric brain tumors: integrating single-cell and bulk RNA-sequencing. Frontiers in immunology 2023 — PMC10716463.
- STK11 mutation impacts CD1E expression to regulate the differentiation of macrophages in lung adenocarcinoma. Immunity, inflammation and disease 2023 — PMC10373563.
- PubMed PMID:2467814 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:10948205 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for CD1E (T-cell surface glycoprotein CD1e, membrane-associated). Expected localisation Cytoplasmic and membranous tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC). Antigen retrieval: Citrate pH 6.0 HIER, 95–98 °C, 20 min (rule: cytoplasmic / membrane antigen). Validated IHC antibody: A06184 at 1:100 (the product's own IHC validation image is shown). Controls (HPA): positive Epididymis (Glandular cells); negative Adipose tissue. IHC workflow; specimen preparation unspecified. Protocol steps: 1. Sample: Paraffin-embedded human pancreas tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A06184); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A06184); 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-CD1E, 1:100 (datasheet A06184); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (standard). Watch for: Fixation: Keep tissue fixation consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Caveat: Tissue staining has low consistency with RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC); Isoform / epitope: 13 isoforms; check extracellular/cytoplasmic epitopes after cleavage (UniProt); Regulation: Maturation alters CD1e distribution (UniProt). Evidence: UniProt P15812, HPA tissue IHC · Uncertain, HPA ICC-IF · Mainly localized to the Golgi apparatus. In addition localized to…, Datasheet A06184, PMC10716463, PMC10373563. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/CD1E/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.