CISD2 / CDGSH iron-sulfur domain-containing protein 2 · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for CISD2

Plan chromogenic CISD2 IHC on paraffin sections using the catalog antibody's 2–5 μg/mL range (datasheet A06387-1). Use the granular cytoplasmic tissue profile to select controls and interpret staining in light of its medium consistency with RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC).

Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for CISD2 (IHC for CISD2): expected localisation Granular cytoplasm (HPA tissue IHC); ER or mitochondrial outer membrane (UniProt), antibody A06387-1, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps
Printable CISD2 IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Granular cytoplasm (HPA tissue IHC); ER or mitochondrial outer membrane (UniProt), antibody A06387-1, controls and protocol steps. Open the full CISD2 IHC guide →

CISD2 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 Granular cytoplasm (HPA tissue IHC); ER or mitochondrial outer membrane (UniProt)
Staining pattern Granular cytoplasmic staining in most tissues (HPA tissue IHC)
Antigen retrieval EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A06387-1)
Positive control ⓘ Adrenal gland+4 more · see all
Negative control ⓘ Adipose tissue+1 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 Medium staining–RNA consistency; external verification pending (HPA tissue IHC)
Regulation Expression regulation not specified (UniProt)
Isoform / epitope No isoforms; lumenal versus cytoplasmic epitope may matter (UniProt)
Section 1

Recommended CISD2 IHC & IF Protocols

The catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol (datasheet A06387-1) is followed by four published CISD2 IHC protocols (PMC11385248; PMC5008395; PMC7841247; PMC8415543).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
SampleParaffin-embedded human lung cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A06387-1)
FixationImage fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A06387-1); 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 A06387-1); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard)
Peroxidase block3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard)
Blocking10% goat serum (datasheet A06387-1)
Primary antibodyRabbit anti-CISD2, 2-5μg/ml (datasheet A06387-1)
Primary incubationOvernight at 4 °C (datasheet A06387-1)
DetectionStreptavidin-biotin complex (SABC), DAB chromogen (datasheet A06387-1)
CounterstainHematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected resultCISD2-positive staining in glandular cells of adrenal gland (HPA tissue IHC: Medium). HPA tissue profile: Granular cytoplasmic expression in most tissues. No signal in the no-primary control.
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 (datasheet A06387-1). Citrate retrieval is a published alternative for lung adenocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma sections (PMC11385248; PMC8415543).
Section 2

What Is the Expected CISD2 Staining Pattern?

CISD2 is an endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein also annotated at the mitochondrial outer membrane; its single transmembrane segment spans residues 38–60 (UniProt Q8N5K1 topology and subcellular location). In paraffin-section IHC, expect granular cytoplasmic staining in many tissues, including glandular and respiratory epithelial cells (HPA tissue IHC). HPA rates its tissue IHC profile Approved, with medium agreement with RNA data and external verification pending (HPA tissue IHC reliability).

What am I looking at on my slide?
Granular cytoplasmic staining of glandular cells in adrenal gland, appendix, breast or cervix.This matches the reported CISD2 tissue profile; these listed cell populations have Medium staining (HPA tissue IHC). Score the relevant cells and their cytoplasmic pattern together. Chromogenic granules alone cannot identify the organelle producing the signal (standard IHC interpretation).
Cytoplasmic staining in bronchial respiratory epithelium, glia or cerebellar granular-layer cells.These are additional reported Medium examples (HPA tissue IHC). Compare the stained cells with the section’s anatomy before assigning a positive result (standard IHC interpretation). A perinuclear or granular appearance is compatible with the profile but does not prove endoplasmic reticulum localization by IHC alone (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC interpretation).
Predominantly nuclear or other compartment-restricted signal without the expected cytoplasmic pattern.Treat this as a localization mismatch: HPA reports granular cytoplasm in tissue IHC and supported endoplasmic reticulum localization in ICC-IF (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular). Check morphology, counterstain and staining controls before interpreting the signal as CISD2 (standard IHC practice).
Prominent signal in adipocytes or vaginal squamous epithelial cells.HPA reports CISD2 as Not detected in those cell populations (HPA tissue IHC). Unexpected staining can reflect cross-reactivity or endogenous chromogen-producing activity; compare a no-primary control and examine whether the signal follows the expected cellular pattern (standard IHC practice).
No signal in a listed Medium-staining cell population, with or without diffuse background elsewhere.The result conflicts with that HPA tissue example but does not by itself establish biological absence (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC interpretation). Review tissue preservation, retrieval and detection controls, antibody dilution and counterstain visibility as general IHC checks (standard IHC practice).
💡Expected CISD2 appearanceCall a section positive when the expected cells show discernible Medium, granular cytoplasmic staining (HPA tissue IHC); isolated nuclear staining or strong signal in HPA Not detected cell populations warrants a control review before a CISD2 call (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC interpretation).
How each factor affects the staining
Membrane topologyCISD2 has one transmembrane segment at residues 38–60, with residues 2–37 lumenal and 61–135 cytoplasmic (UniProt Q8N5K1 topology). Epitope position matters when choosing a permeabilisation approach, but no antibody epitope or target-specific retrieval response is supplied (standard IHC practice; supplied record).
Organelle assignmentHuman CISD2 is annotated at the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial outer membrane; UniProt notes mainly endoplasmic reticulum localization in one report and mainly mitochondrial outer membrane localization in mouse experiments (UniProt Q8N5K1 subcellular location). HPA ICC-IF supports endoplasmic reticulum localization (HPA subcellular). Tissue IHC should be scored as cytoplasmic staining without claiming organelle resolution (standard IHC interpretation).
Tissue and antibody evidenceHPA describes granular cytoplasmic expression in most tissues and low RNA tissue specificity (HPA tissue IHC). Its tissue profile is Approved with medium RNA agreement and pending external verification; antibody HPA015914 is IHC Approved and ICC Supported (HPA tissue IHC; HPA antibodies). These labels support a working expectation, not independent confirmation of every stained cell (standard evidence interpretation).
IF/ICC Q: What pattern provides a localization cross-check?A: Endoplasmic reticulum localization is supported in HPA ICC-IF, with images listed for A-431, U-251MG and U2OS (HPA subcellular). This informs interpretation of the cytoplasmic IHC pattern; IF/ICC methods and controls belong in its separate guide (HPA subcellular; standard assay interpretation).
Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
SituationLikely causeNext action
Expected glandular or respiratory epithelial cells show no visible staining.The result differs from HPA’s Medium examples; failed detection, weak tissue preservation or an unsuitable general IHC condition are possible (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).Confirm that the intended cells are present, review the IHC-validated antibody and detection controls, then check retrieval, dilution and exposure within the chosen assay workflow (standard IHC practice). No CISD2-specific retrieval condition is established by the supplied sources.
Brown signal spreads across tissue with little cellular definition.Diffuse signal does not match HPA’s granular cytoplasmic profile; excess detection background, incomplete blocking or insufficient washing may contribute (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).Compare the no-primary control, inspect reagent background and optimize blocking, washing and detection intensity using general IHC practice. Re-score only signal localized to identifiable cells (standard IHC practice).
Apparent positivity is concentrated in nuclei.A nuclear-only pattern conflicts with the HPA tissue IHC profile and supported ICC-IF endoplasmic reticulum localization (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular).Check the counterstain and cellular boundaries, then compare controls and a listed HPA Medium-staining tissue example before assigning target positivity (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
Adipocytes or vaginal squamous epithelial cells stain strongly.HPA lists both populations as Not detected; cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity is plausible (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).Run a no-primary control and assess endogenous peroxidase activity when using an enzyme-based chromogen. Review antibody dilution and cell identification before interpreting the signal (standard IHC practice).
The tissue pattern is granular, but the organelle cannot be identified.Granular cytoplasm matches the HPA IHC description, while UniProt annotates both endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial outer membrane locations (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q8N5K1 subcellular location).Report the IHC result as granular cytoplasmic staining. For organelle localization, consult the supported HPA ICC-IF result and plan that assessment in the separate IF/ICC guide (HPA subcellular; standard assay interpretation).
Staining is weaker than an HPA example or varies between sections.HPA reports selected Medium cell populations but only medium agreement between antibody staining and RNA data, with external verification pending (HPA tissue IHC). Section quality or routine assay variation can also alter visibility (standard IHC practice).Compare like cell types, include consistent positive and no-primary controls, and record pattern and intensity separately. Avoid treating one weak section as proof that CISD2 is absent (standard IHC interpretation).

Sample controls for CISD2 IHC & IF

🧪Run bronchus first and score respiratory epithelial cells, which show Medium CISD2 staining (HPA: Bronchus, respiratory epithelial cells, Medium). Use adipose tissue as the negative tissue because adipocytes are Not detected (HPA: Adipose tissue, adipocytes, Not detected); on the bronchus slide, use adjacent non-epithelial cells as background comparators only after checking their staining, since the supplied HPA row does not establish that they are negative.
Positive control tissue: Adrenal gland (Glandular cells, HPA Medium)
Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show CISD2 in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, with annotated localisation: Endoplasmic reticulum (supported) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary (secondary-only) control, a concentration-matched rabbit isotype control, and a CISD2 knockout specimen or validated peptide-block control (caption: rabbit anti-CISD2 antibody; standard IHC practice). For chromogenic detection, check endogenous peroxidase and, if using the caption’s biotin-based detection, endogenous biotin in the tissue (caption: biotinylated secondary and SABC–DAB; standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported, and the fixative in the selected A06387-1 paraffin-section caption is unreported. That caption uses heat retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 for human lung cancer tissue, but it does not establish retrieval dependence for bronchus (caption: EDTA retrieval; HPA: Bronchus, respiratory epithelial cells, Medium). IF/ICC has supported endoplasmic reticulum localization, but the supplied evidence does not establish whether IF or frozen sections are easier than paraffin IHC or identify a bronchus-specific artefact (HPA: subcellular localization).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for CISD2

Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Approved — Medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression data. Pending external verification.). 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
Adrenal gland Glandular cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Appendix Glandular cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Breast Glandular cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Bronchus Respiratory epithelial cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Caudate Glial cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →

Undetected expression · recommended negative controls

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
Adipose tissue Adipocytes Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Vagina Squamous epithelial cells Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Section 3

Advanced CISD2 IHC Tips

Troubleshoot CISD2 staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, controls, cellular distribution and scoring before interpreting differences between samples.

What should I change if CISD2 staining is weak after retrieval?
Start with heat-mediated antigen retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 for paraffin sections (datasheet A06387-1). The selected tissue image pairs this retrieval with 2 µg/mL primary antibody overnight at 4°C, making those conditions a useful starting point (A06387-1 tissue-IHC caption). If staining is weak, compare heating times of 10–20 minutes while keeping antibody concentration and detection constant (standard IHC practice). Score signal in viable cells against a no-primary control, watching for the granular cytoplasmic pattern reported across tissues (HPA tissue IHC). If needed, assess another retrieval buffer as a fallback on matched sections (standard IHC practice).
Could fixation explain inconsistent CISD2 staining between paraffin blocks?
The selected paraffin-section caption does not state a fixative, so CISD2-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown (A06387-1 tissue-IHC caption). Record each block’s fixative, fixation duration and processing history before comparing staining intensity across blocks (standard IHC practice). When troubleshooting, stain sections from similarly processed blocks together and hold retrieval, primary incubation and detection conditions constant (standard IHC practice). If block history differs, use a small comparison series to test whether the observed difference persists under one staining run (standard IHC practice). Do not assign a fixation effect to CISD2 solely from its tissue staining pattern or membrane topology (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q8N5K1 topology).
Is granular cytoplasmic CISD2 staining consistent with its reported localisation?
Granular cytoplasmic staining is the reported pattern in most tissues, and the endoplasmic reticulum is a supported subcellular location (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular). CISD2 is also annotated at the mitochondrial outer membrane, with differing experimental emphasis across sources (UniProt Q8N5K1 subcellular). Chromogenic tissue sections generally cannot resolve those two membranes from a granular cytoplasmic pattern alone (standard IHC practice). Evaluate staining within identifiable cells and compare it with adjacent controls before assigning a compartment (standard IHC practice). Medium staining in bronchial respiratory epithelial cells provides one documented tissue reference; diffuse nuclear staining would warrant investigation rather than an organelle assignment (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
How should I troubleshoot a CISD2 antibody with an undisclosed epitope?
CISD2 has no annotated isoforms, and its recorded membrane span is residues 38–60 (UniProt Q8N5K1 topology and isoforms). Residues 2–37 are lumenal and 61–135 are cytoplasmic, so the epitope’s position matters when interpreting antibody access (UniProt Q8N5K1 topology). Ask for the catalog antibody’s immunogen or epitope range before attributing weak staining to one side of the membrane (standard IHC practice). The record lists no glycosylation sites or modified residues, but that annotation does not establish which epitope survives tissue processing (UniProt Q8N5K1 processing). Where feasible, compare staining with an independent antibody or a validated loss-of-target control (standard IHC practice).
How can I check the CISD2 pattern by IF after chromogenic IHC?
Treat IF as a separate assay and pair CISD2 with a marker identifying the expected cell population, such as bronchial respiratory epithelial cells (HPA tissue IHC; standard IF practice). Include single-stain and unstained controls, and consider a far-red fluorophore when tissue autofluorescence obscures shorter wavelengths (standard IF practice). For intracellular access, optimize mild permeabilisation after fixation and confirm whether the antibody epitope lies in residues 2–37 or 61–135 before interpreting accessibility (UniProt Q8N5K1 topology; standard IF practice). Compare the resulting pattern with the supported endoplasmic reticulum location, while allowing for the annotated mitochondrial outer membrane location (HPA subcellular; UniProt Q8N5K1 subcellular). The selected paraffin-section caption supplies no IF fixation conditions (A06387-1 tissue-IHC caption).
What causes diffuse brown background in this CISD2 IHC workflow?
The selected tissue workflow uses 10% goat serum, a biotinylated secondary antibody, a streptavidin–biotin complex and DAB (A06387-1 tissue-IHC caption). Check no-primary and secondary-only sections to separate nonspecific antibody signal from detection-system background (standard IHC practice). Include a peroxidase block before DAB development, and assess endogenous biotin interference when using the stated biotin-based detection system (standard IHC practice; A06387-1 tissue-IHC caption). Keep section thickness, washing and DAB development time consistent while changing one condition at a time (standard IHC practice). Retain only staining that is distinguishable from controls and compatible with the reported granular cytoplasmic pattern (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
How should I quantify CISD2 staining across different tissue samples? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cell population and viable analysis area before scoring, since CISD2 is reported in many tissues and cell types (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice). An H-score combines percentages at intensity grades 0–3 and ranges from 0–300; alternatively, report percent positive cells or positive-cell density per mm² (standard IHC practice). Use one threshold, illumination setting and region-selection rule across slides, with blinded review where practical (standard IHC practice). Normalize cell-based scores to the number of viable cells of the same type, or density to measured viable tissue area (standard IHC practice). Report compartment and background-control results alongside the score because granular cytoplasmic expression is the documented pattern (HPA tissue IHC).
How do I distinguish genuine CISD2 staining from tissue artefact?
Look for reproducible granular cytoplasmic staining in viable cells, consistent with the reported tissue pattern and supported endoplasmic reticulum location (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular). Bronchial respiratory epithelial cells show medium staining, whereas adipocytes are listed as not detected; these are context for review, not universal pass–fail controls (HPA tissue IHC). Treat isolated nuclear signal, section-edge accentuation and staining confined to necrotic areas as reasons to inspect morphology and controls (UniProt Q8N5K1 subcellular; standard IHC practice). A no-primary control and peroxidase block help identify detection artefact in the DAB workflow (standard IHC practice; A06387-1 tissue-IHC caption). The HPA tissue profile is approved with medium staining–RNA consistency and pending external verification, so interpret unexpected patterns cautiously (HPA tissue IHC).
Boster reagents

Best CISD2 / CDGSH iron-sulfur domain-containing protein 2 IHC Antibodies

Anti-CISD2 antibodies have IHC images from paraffin sections of human lung cancer tissue and rat brain, plus IF images from A431 cells and rat brain tissue (catalog image captions).

Real IHC data IHC analysis of CISD2 using anti-CISD2 antibody (A06387-1). CISD2 was detected in paraffin-embedded section of human lung cancer tissue. Heat mediated antigen retrieval was performed in EDTA buffer (pH8.0, epitope retrieval solution). The tissue section was blocked with 10% goat serum. The tissue section was then incubated with 2μg/ml rabbit anti-CISD2 Antibody (A06387-1) overnight at 4°C. Biotinylated goat anti-rabbit IgG was used as secondary antibody and incubated for 30 minutes at 37°C. The tissue section was developed using Strepavidin-Biotin-Complex (SABC) (Catalog # SA1022) with DAB as the chromogen.
Anti-CISD2 Antibody ®
Cat # A06387-1
Real IHC data Immunohistochemistry of CISD2 in rat brain tissue with CISD2 antibody at 2.5 μg/ml.
Anti-CISD2 Antibody
Cat # A06387

A06387-1 has IHC images from paraffin sections of human lung cancer tissue and rat brain, and an IF/ICC image from A431 cells (A06387-1 image captions). A06387 has IHC and IF images from rat brain tissue (A06387 image captions).

Which to pick: For paraffin-section tissue IHC, choose A06387-1 for the demonstrated human lung cancer or rat brain examples (A06387-1 IHC captions); A06387 also has a rat brain IHC-P example (A06387 IHC caption). For IF/ICC, A06387-1 has an A431 cell example, while A06387 has a rat brain IF example (respective IF captions). A06387-1 lists Human, Monkey, Mouse and Rat reactivity, versus Human, Mouse and Rat for A06387 (catalog reactivity); both are rabbit antibodies with clonality unreported (catalog host and clone fields), and the IHC captions do not report a fixative (respective IHC captions).

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

References

  1. UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q8N5K1 (CISD2_HUMAN, CDGSH iron-sulfur domain-containing protein 2).
  2. Human Protein Atlas. CISD2 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Approved).
  3. Human Protein Atlas. CISD2 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Localized to the endoplasmic reticulum..
  4. Human Protein Atlas. CISD2 antibody validation summary (1 antibodies).
  5. Bioinformatic prediction of miR-320a as a potential negative regulator of CDGSH iron-sulfur domain 2 (CISD2), involved in lung adenocarcinoma bone metastasis via MYC activation, and associated with tumor immune infiltration. Translational cancer research 2024 — PMC11385248.
  6. A novel prognostic score model incorporating CDGSH iron sulfur domain2 (CISD2) predicts risk of disease progression in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Oncotarget 2016 — PMC5008395.
  7. CDGSH Iron Sulfur Domain 2 Activates Proliferation and EMT of Pancreatic Cancer Cells via Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway and Has Prognostic Value in Human Pancreatic Cancer. Oncology research 2017 — PMC7841247.
  8. CISD2 Promotes Resistance to Sorafenib-Induced Ferroptosis by Regulating Autophagy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Frontiers in oncology 2021 — PMC8415543.
  9. PubMed PMID:17846994 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  10. PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  11. PubMed PMID:17974005 — UniProt-cited evidence.