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CDH7 / Cadherin-7 · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for CDH7
Use cerebellar synaptic glomeruli as a high-staining reference and cortical neurons as a medium-staining comparison for CDH7 IHC (HPA tissue IHC). Score neuronal cytoplasm and processes (HPA tissue IHC), consider the membrane annotation separately (UniProt), and include specificity controls because presumed off-target binding was observed (HPA tissue IHC).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
CDH7 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 | Neuronal cytoplasm and processes (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Staining pattern | Cytoplasmic staining in CNS neurons and processes (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | Citrate pH 6.0 HIER, 95–98 °C, 20 min (rule: cytoplasmic / membrane antigen) | |
| Positive control | Cerebellum+2 more · see all | |
| Negative control | Adipose tissue+4 more · see all |
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
| Fixation | Keep formalin fixation consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific) | |
| Caveat | Presumed off-target binding can complicate scoring (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | Regulation not annotated (UniProt) | |
| Isoform / epitope | No isoforms annotated; check extracellular vs cytoplasmic epitope (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended CDH7 IHC & IF Protocols
The catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol (datasheet) is accompanied by one published cerebral cortex IHC protocol (PMC13343476).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded human colorectal carcinoma tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A10388-1) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A10388-1); 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-CDH7, 1:50-1:200 (datasheet A10388-1) |
| 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 | CDH7-positive staining in synaptic glomeruli - core of cerebellum (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Cytoplasmic expression in neuronal cells and processes in CNS. No signal in the no-primary control. |
💡Decision noteStart with citrate pH 6.0 HIER at 95–98 °C for 20 min (page antigen retrieval rule); the published protocol does not specify retrieval (PMC13343476 methods).
Section 2
What Is the Expected CDH7 Staining Pattern?
CDH7 is a cell-membrane protein with an extracellular region at residues 28–607 and a cytoplasmic region at 629–785 (UniProt Q9ULB5 topology). In tissue IHC, expect staining in CNS neuronal cells and processes, strongest in cerebellar synaptic glomeruli cores (HPA: tissue IHC). HPA rates the tissue pattern Supported, reports medium agreement with RNA data, and notes that presumed off-target staining was disregarded (HPA: reliability).
| Strong staining in cerebellar synaptic glomeruli cores, with neuronal and process-associated staining in CNS sections. | This matches the highest reported tissue signal and the described CNS pattern (HPA: High in cerebellar synaptic glomeruli cores; cytoplasmic expression in neuronal cells and processes). Score the stained structures, since a tissue-level positive call alone can hide which cells carry the signal. |
| Cerebral cortical neuronal cells stain moderately; hippocampal neuronal cells stain weakly. | The difference is consistent with the reported levels (HPA: Medium in cerebral cortical neuronal cells; Low in hippocampal neuronal cells). Compare each region with its own expected cell pattern; a weak hippocampal result should not be judged against the cerebellar core intensity. |
| The dominant signal is nuclear or confined to an unexpected compartment, without the expected neuronal or process pattern. | Treat this as a possible staining artefact or nonspecific signal: CDH7 is assigned to the cell membrane (UniProt Q9ULB5 topology), while HPA describes cytoplasmic staining in CNS neuronal cells and processes (HPA: tissue IHC). Recheck the cell pattern before scoring it as CDH7. |
| Strong staining appears in cells reported as unstained, such as adipocytes or adrenal glandular cells. | This raises possible cross-reactivity or endogenous chromogenic detection activity (HPA: Not detected in adipocytes and adrenal glandular cells; standard IHC practice). HPA reports presumed off-target binding in its tissue assessment (HPA: reliability); the unexpected signal alone cannot identify its cause. |
| No staining appears in the cerebellar synaptic glomeruli cores of an otherwise interpretable section. | A missing signal in this reported high-expression structure makes the run inconclusive for a negative CDH7 call (HPA: High in cerebellar synaptic glomeruli cores). Check the antibody and detection workflow with a known-positive section before interpreting weaker tissues. |
💡Expected CDH7 appearanceCall a positive result when neuronal cells and processes show the HPA-described pattern, especially High staining in cerebellar synaptic glomeruli cores; isolated nuclear or broadly diffuse staining is suspect (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt Q9ULB5 topology).
| Cell location and slide appearance | CDH7 has one transmembrane segment at 608–628 (UniProt Q9ULB5 topology). HPA nevertheless describes cytoplasmic staining in CNS neuronal cells and processes (HPA: tissue IHC). Interpret the observed neuronal pattern alongside the membrane assignment; the two sources do not establish a required sharp membrane outline in paraffin sections. |
| Tissue and cell choice | Cerebellar synaptic glomeruli cores provide a reported high-signal reference; cerebral cortical neuronal cells and late spermatids are reported at medium levels (HPA: tissue IHC). Adipocytes and adrenal glandular cells are reported as not detected (HPA: tissue IHC). Use the named cells when assessing controls. |
| Confidence in an unexpected signal | The tissue pattern is Supported, with medium agreement between staining and RNA expression, and presumed off-target binding was disregarded (HPA: reliability). An unexpected positive needs review against cell identity and controls; Supported does not establish that every stained structure is specific. |
| Processing and epitope position | UniProt lists a signal peptide at 1–27, a propeptide at 28–47, and a mature chain at 48–785 (UniProt Q9ULB5 processing). These boundaries matter when an antibody's epitope is known. No epitope position is supplied here, so they cannot predict this antibody's staining outcome. |
| IF/ICC Q&A: should IF show the same pattern? | A membrane-associated signal is compatible with the HPA subcellular summary (HPA: Membrane; UniProt Q9ULB5 topology). HPA supplies no ICC-IF cell images or main-location assignment, and lists no ICC validation for HPA061419 (HPA: subcellular and antibody records). Use the separate IF/ICC guide for that application. |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| The cerebellar positive control shows no signal. | The expected high-signal structure is absent from the readout (HPA: High in cerebellar synaptic glomeruli cores); the source record does not identify a CDH7-specific technical cause. | Confirm that the synaptic glomeruli cores are present, then check antibody, retrieval and detection steps against the IHC-validated antibody's instructions (standard IHC practice). Repeat with a known-positive section before calling study sections negative. |
| Signal is uniformly weak across expected positive structures. | The expected levels differ by structure (HPA: High in cerebellar cores; Medium in cortical neurons; Low in hippocampal neurons). Uniform weakness may reflect a run-level issue, but these records do not assign it to fixation or retrieval. | Review section quality and the antibody's documented IHC conditions; adjust retrieval or antibody concentration only within a controlled optimisation series (standard IHC practice). Judge improvement first in the reported high-signal structure. |
| Adipocytes or adrenal glandular cells stain strongly. | Those cells are reported as not detected (HPA: tissue IHC). Nonspecific antibody binding or endogenous detection activity are possible explanations (standard IHC practice), and HPA notes disregarded presumed off-target staining (HPA: reliability). | Compare a no-primary control and the known-positive neuronal pattern; check the appropriate endogenous-activity block for the chromogenic detection system (standard IHC practice). Do not score the unexpected cells as CDH7 solely from color. |
| Brown precipitate spreads across tissue or outside recognizable cells. | A diffuse deposit does not match the reported neuronal and process-associated distribution (HPA: tissue IHC). Excess chromogen development, inadequate washing or background from detection reagents are general IHC possibilities (standard IHC practice). | Inspect the no-primary control, washes and chromogen development time, then repeat with the documented detection workflow (standard IHC practice). Assess localization only after tissue-wide background is reduced. |
| Nuclear staining dominates while neuronal processes lack signal. | A nuclear-dominant pattern conflicts with the membrane topology and observed CNS pattern (UniProt Q9ULB5 topology; HPA: tissue IHC). This supports suspicion of an artefact, without identifying its precise source. | Check the no-primary control and review the counterstain and detection signal separately (standard IHC practice). Reassess only if the expected neuronal or process pattern becomes distinguishable. |
| IF/ICC gives a pattern that seems unlike the IHC result. | The HPA subcellular summary says Membrane, but provides no ICC-IF images or main-location assignment; HPA061419 has no listed ICC validation (HPA: subcellular and antibody records). The tissue IHC observations alone cannot validate an IF pattern. | Evaluate IF/ICC with its own controls and application-specific guidance (standard IF practice). Keep the paraffin IHC interpretation anchored to the reported tissue cells and staining levels (HPA: tissue IHC). |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing CDH7 staining
A10388-1 · IHCImmunohistochemistry (IHC) analyzes of Cadherin-7 (R678) pAb in paraffin-embedded human colorectal carcinoma tissue at 1:50.
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000081138-CDH7/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_19110067
HPA · CerebellumHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebellum. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000081138-CDH7/tissue/cerebellum#imid_19110078
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000081138-CDH7/tissue/colon#imid_19110001
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000081138-CDH7/tissue/liver#imid_19109986
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for CDH7 IHC & IF
🧪Run cerebellum first and look for staining in synaptic glomeruli cores (High; HPA: cerebellum). Use adipose tissue adipocytes as a negative tissue (HPA: Not detected); on the cerebellum slide, treat staining outside the cores as a pattern to evaluate, rather than assuming those cells are CDH7-negative (HPA: cerebellum).
Positive control tissue: Cerebellum (Synaptic glomeruli - core, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA carries no ICC-IF cell line for CDH7; derive a cell-line control from the positive tissue's cell type (Synaptic glomeruli - core) and confirm it by RNA or western blot first.
Technical controls: Include a no-primary (secondary-only) control, an isotype control matched to the primary antibody’s host species and immunoglobulin class, and CDH7 knockout tissue if available as a biological negative (standard IHC practice). For chromogenic cerebellum IHC, block endogenous peroxidase and check for background in the densely structured staining region (standard IHC practice; HPA: cerebellum).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window, fixation effect, and retrieval dependency are unreported in the supplied evidence; optimize antigen retrieval empirically (supplied evidence; standard IHC practice). The selected SKU A10388-1 caption shows paraffin-section IHC in human colorectal carcinoma at 1:50, but its fixative is unreported (selected tissue-IHC caption). No supplied comparison establishes that frozen sections or IF are easier; in cerebellum, distinguish core staining from signal in adjacent structures when scoring (HPA: cerebellum).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for CDH7
Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Supported — 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
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cerebellum | Synaptic glomeruli - core | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Cerebral cortex | Neuronal cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Testis | Elongated or late spermatids | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Undetected expression · recommended negative controls
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adipose tissue | Adipocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Adrenal gland | Glandular cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Appendix | Glandular cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Bone marrow | Hematopoietic cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Breast | Adipocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Section 3
Advanced CDH7 IHC Tips
Troubleshoot CDH7 staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, compartment, tissue context, and controls before scoring chromogenic signal.
What retrieval conditions should I try when CDH7 staining is weak?
Use citrate pH 6.0 heat-induced epitope retrieval at 95–98 °C for 20 min for CDH7 paraffin IHC (page retrieval rule: cytoplasmic / membrane antigen). Cool sections consistently, then compare the test section with a known positive control processed in the same run (standard IHC practice; HPA: high staining in cerebellar synaptic glomeruli). If staining remains weak, vary retrieval time around 20 min on adjacent sections while keeping antibody incubation and detection constant (standard IHC practice). Excess retrieval can damage tissue morphology or raise background, so judge the result by preserved cellular detail as well as signal (standard IHC practice).
Could fixation explain inconsistent CDH7 staining between paraffin blocks?
CDH7-specific sensitivity to fixation is unknown from the supplied evidence, so compare block history without assigning a target-specific fixation effect (supplied CDH7 evidence: no fixation comparison). The catalog image documents staining in paraffin-embedded human colorectal carcinoma at 1:50, but its caption does not state the fixative (caption: A10388-1). For a controlled IHC comparison, stain adjacent sections from blocks with recorded fixation conditions in the same run and use identical retrieval and detection settings (standard IHC practice). Check tissue preservation, section adhesion, and positive-control performance before attributing a weak result to fixation (standard IHC practice).
How should I assess membranous versus cytoplasmic CDH7 staining?
Score cell borders separately from cytoplasmic signal because CDH7 is annotated at the cell membrane, with an extracellular region at residues 28–607 and a cytoplasmic region at 629–785 (UniProt Q9ULB5: location and topology). HPA tissue IHC also reports cytoplasmic staining in neuronal cells and processes, so cytoplasmic signal requires tissue and cell-context review (HPA: tissue profile). Inspect intact cells at high magnification and exclude diffuse staining in damaged areas when recording membrane positivity (standard IHC practice). Record the compartment, cell type, and distribution for each field; a single total intensity score can conceal discordant patterns (standard IHC practice).
How can epitope location affect CDH7 staining in paraffin sections?
First check whether the antibody’s documented immunogen or epitope falls in CDH7’s extracellular residues 28–607 or cytoplasmic residues 629–785 (UniProt Q9ULB5: topology). The record lists a signal peptide at 1–27, a propeptide at 28–47, and a mature chain at 48–785; an epitope claim should therefore specify which processed region it recognizes (UniProt Q9ULB5: processing). Glycosylation is annotated at residues 449 and 530, but no staining effect is established here (UniProt Q9ULB5: glycosylation; supplied evidence: no epitope experiment). No isoforms are annotated in this record, so avoid assigning different IHC patterns to named variants without independent evidence (UniProt Q9ULB5: isoforms).
How should I investigate discordant CDH7 IHC and IF staining?
Use IF as a separate validation experiment: multiplex CDH7 with a marker that identifies the expected neuronal cell population, and compare cell identity and compartment with the chromogenic section (HPA: neuronal cells and processes in CNS; standard IF practice). Select spectrally separated fluorophores and place the weaker signal in a channel with low tissue autofluorescence; include unstained and single-label controls (standard IF practice). Match permeabilisation to the mapped epitope: access to a cytoplasmic epitope generally requires permeabilisation, whereas an extracellular epitope may be assessed without it (UniProt Q9ULB5: topology; standard IF practice). No ICC/IF image-bearing cell line is supplied, so establish IF performance with appropriate controls before treating disagreement as biology (HPA: subcellular record).
What should I check when CDH7 DAB staining is diffuse?
Run a no-primary control and inspect whether colour remains in the same cells or tissue structures; residual signal points to detection-system background rather than demonstrated CDH7 binding (standard chromogenic IHC practice). Confirm that endogenous peroxidase was blocked before DAB development, and compare matched sections with the same development time (standard chromogenic IHC practice). Titrate the primary antibody around a documented starting condition only within the same assay: the 1:50 caption describes one paraffin-tissue image, not an established optimum for every specimen (caption: A10388-1). HPA notes presumed off-target binding in its tissue assessment, so require a plausible compartment and control performance before accepting broad staining (HPA: Supported reliability description; UniProt Q9ULB5: cell membrane).
How should I quantify CDH7 chromogenic staining across sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the scored compartment and cell population before analysis; CDH7 has a membrane annotation, while HPA describes cytoplasmic neuronal staining in CNS tissue (UniProt Q9ULB5: location; HPA: tissue profile). For discrete cells, report percent positive cells and an intensity-weighted H-score using the same thresholds across slides; for processes or punctate structures, report positive area or density per mm² of evaluable tissue (standard IHC quantification practice). Normalise cell counts to the relevant counted population and area measures to viable, analysable tissue area, excluding folds and necrosis (standard IHC practice). Keep exposure, colour separation, and scoring rules fixed, then review representative fields manually (standard image-analysis practice).
When is a CDH7-positive IHC signal convincing?
A convincing result has reproducible staining in an expected cell population, an interpretable compartment, and clean negative controls (standard IHC interpretation practice; UniProt Q9ULB5: cell membrane). Cerebellar synaptic glomeruli show high HPA staining, cortical neuronal cells medium staining, and adipocytes in adipose tissue no detected staining; these are useful reference patterns rather than absolute specificity tests (HPA: tissue IHC). Review cytoplasmic neuronal signal in context because HPA reports it despite the membrane annotation and notes presumed off-target binding (HPA: tissue profile and reliability description; UniProt Q9ULB5: location). Treat staining confined to section edges, necrotic areas, unexpected cells, or no-primary controls as suspect, and check endogenous peroxidase before calling DAB signal positive (standard chromogenic IHC practice).
Boster reagents
Best CDH7 / Cadherin-7 IHC Antibodies
CDH7 IHC has a paraffin-section image from human colorectal carcinoma (A10388-1 image caption); both antibodies list Human, Mouse and Rat reactivity (catalog), while A10388 lists IF without an image (catalog).
Real IHC data
Anti-Cadherin-7 (R678) CDH7 Antibody
Cat # A10388-1
A10388-1 is the card that will render: its IHC image shows paraffin-embedded human colorectal carcinoma at 1:50 (A10388-1 image caption). It lists IHC and Human, Mouse and Rat reactivity (A10388-1 catalog); the caption does not report the fixative (A10388-1 image caption).
Which to pick: Choose A10388-1 for tissue IHC when a matching paraffin-section image is useful; its caption identifies a polyclonal antibody and human colorectal carcinoma, but does not report the fixative (A10388-1 image caption). For IF/ICC planning, A10388 lists IF at 1:200–1:1000, though no IF image is supplied (A10388 catalog). Both list Human, Mouse and Rat reactivity for cross-species work; A10388-1 lists IHC at 1:50–1:200, while A10388 lists IHC at 1:100–1:300 (catalog).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q9ULB5 (CADH7_HUMAN, Cadherin-7).
- Human Protein Atlas. CDH7 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Supported).
- Human Protein Atlas. CDH7 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Membrane.
- Human Protein Atlas. CDH7 antibody validation summary (1 antibodies).
- Mendelian Randomization and Transcriptome Analysis Identify Ischemic Stroke Biomarkers With Putative Relevance to Cerebrospinal Fluid. BioMed research international 2026 — PMC13343476.
- PubMed PMID:10995570 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:10861224 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:16177791 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for CDH7 (Cadherin-7). Expected localisation Neuronal cytoplasm and processes (HPA tissue IHC). Antigen retrieval: Citrate pH 6.0 HIER, 95–98 °C, 20 min (rule: cytoplasmic / membrane antigen). Validated IHC antibody: A10388-1 at 1:50-1:200 (the product's own IHC validation image is shown). Controls (HPA): positive Cerebellum (Synaptic glomeruli - core); negative Adipose tissue. IHC-P workflow on paraffin sections; fixative unspecified. Protocol steps: 1. Sample: Paraffin-embedded human colorectal carcinoma tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A10388-1); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A10388-1); 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-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-CDH7, 1:50-1:200 (datasheet A10388-1); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (standard). Watch for: Fixation: Keep formalin fixation consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Caveat: Presumed off-target binding can complicate scoring (HPA tissue IHC); Isoform / epitope: No isoforms annotated; check extracellular vs cytoplasmic epitope (UniProt); Regulation: Regulation not annotated (UniProt). Evidence: UniProt Q9ULB5, HPA tissue IHC · Supported, HPA ICC-IF · Membrane, Datasheet A10388-1, PMC13343476. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/CDH7/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.