This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
- Table of Contents
COX17 / Cytochrome c oxidase copper chaperone · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for COX17
Plan COX17 IHC in paraffin sections around the cytoplasmic staining reported in most tissues (HPA tissue IHC). Use heart cardiomyocytes as a high-staining reference and adipocytes as an undetected reference, while accounting for low consistency between antibody staining and RNA (HPA tissue IHC).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
COX17 Immunohistochemistry Experimental Design Guide
Expected localisation, validated protocols, controls and antibodies — the at-a-glance facts below, then the full design guide.
Must know before staining
| Expected localisation | Cytoplasmic tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC); mitochondrial intermembrane space is a molecular location (UniProt) | |
| Staining pattern | Cytoplasmic staining in most tissues (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A04584-1) | |
| Positive control | Adrenal gland+4 more · see all | |
| Negative control | Adipose tissue+2 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 | Ubiquitous expression (UniProt) | |
| Isoform / epitope | No annotated isoforms; chain spans residues 2–63 (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended COX17 IHC & IF Protocols
The catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol uses EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval (datasheet A04584-1). One published mouse xenograft IHC protocol provides additional conditions (PMC11340132).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded human colon cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A04584-1) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A04584-1); 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 A04584-1); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard) |
| Peroxidase block | 3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard) |
| Blocking | 10% goat serum (datasheet A04584-1) |
| Primary antibody | Rabbit anti-COX17, 1:50 recommended; image 1:100 (datasheet A04584-1) |
| Primary incubation | Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet A04584-1) |
| Detection | HRP-conjugated secondary, DAB chromogen (datasheet A04584-1) |
| Counterstain | Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard) |
| Expected result | COX17-positive staining in glandular cells of adrenal gland (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Cytoplasmic expression in most tissues. No signal in the no-primary control. |
💡Decision noteStart with EDTA pH 8.0 heat retrieval for the catalog antibody (datasheet A04584-1); sodium citrate at 100 °C is the published alternative (PMC11340132).
Section 2
What Is the Expected COX17 Staining Pattern?
COX17 is reported in the mitochondrial intermembrane space and cytoplasm, with no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q14061). In paraffin IHC, expect cytoplasmic staining in the cell types reported as positive, including colon glandular cells and cardiomyocytes (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA describes cytoplasmic expression in most tissues, but rates its tissue IHC evidence Supported with low consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC).
| Cytoplasmic signal in colon glandular cells or cardiomyocytes, stronger than adjacent controls. | This fits the reported High staining in those cells (HPA tissue IHC). Mitochondrial enrichment is biologically plausible (UniProt Q14061 subcellular location), although chromogenic IHC may not resolve individual mitochondria (general IHC practice). |
| Predominantly nuclear or membrane-outline staining, with little cytoplasmic signal. | Reassess specificity: those patterns do not fit the reported cytoplasmic tissue pattern (HPA tissue IHC) or mitochondrial intermembrane space and cytoplasmic locations (UniProt Q14061). A compartment mismatch alone does not identify its cause (general IHC practice). |
| Strong staining in adipocytes, ovarian stroma cells or chondrocytes. | HPA reports COX17 as Not detected in these specific cells (HPA tissue IHC). If positive controls behave as expected, consider cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity and check reagent controls (general IHC practice). |
| Diffuse color across tissue structures and the section background. | A uniform haze obscures the cell-restricted cytoplasmic pattern reported by HPA (HPA tissue IHC). Review blocking, washing and detection controls before scoring it as COX17 signal (general IHC practice). |
| No staining in colon glandular cells or cardiomyocytes. | These are High-staining examples, so an absent signal calls for a technical check (HPA tissue IHC). Because HPA reports low consistency with RNA expression, interpret an unexpected result with controls rather than treating one section as definitive (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
💡Expected COX17 appearanceCall a positive result when cytoplasmic color is clear in High-staining colon glandular cells or cardiomyocytes (HPA tissue IHC); predominantly nuclear color or strong signal in HPA Not detected cell types warrants review (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q14061 subcellular location).
| Which compartment should guide IHC scoring? | Score cytoplasmic staining in the relevant cells (HPA tissue IHC). COX17 also has a mitochondrial intermembrane space location (UniProt Q14061); chromogenic resolution may limit assessment of its mitochondrial distribution (general IHC practice). |
| Which tissues give useful expression contrasts? | Colon glandular cells and cardiomyocytes are High, whereas adipocytes and ovarian stroma cells are Not detected (HPA tissue IHC). These labels apply to the specified cell types, not every cell in each tissue (HPA tissue IHC). |
| How broadly should staining be expected? | UniProt describes COX17 as ubiquitous (UniProt Q14061 tissue specificity). HPA reports cytoplasmic expression in most tissues, with Low staining in vaginal squamous epithelial, smooth muscle and bone marrow hematopoietic cells (HPA tissue IHC). |
| How strong is the tissue-pattern evidence? | HPA rates tissue IHC Supported but notes low consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC). Its listed antibodies HPA042226 and HPA048158 are each IHC Supported; no Enhanced IHC status is supplied (HPA antibodies). |
| Does COX17 topology predict surface staining? | COX17 has no transmembrane segment or signal peptide (UniProt Q14061 topology and processing). A crisp cell-surface outline is therefore discordant with its reported locations; investigate the staining pattern before interpretation (UniProt Q14061 subcellular location; general IHC practice). |
| What should IF/ICC show? | HPA reports a supported mitochondrial location in ICC-IF images from A-431, U-251MG and U2OS (HPA ICC-IF). That observation can help assess localization; it does not establish how sharply mitochondria will resolve in chromogenic paraffin IHC (general IHC practice). |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Known-positive colon glands or cardiomyocytes show no signal. | The observed result conflicts with their High HPA staining (HPA tissue IHC); inadequate retrieval, weak detection or an omitted reagent are possible workflow causes (general IHC practice). | Check the positive section, reagent sequence and detection controls; compare retrieval conditions using the same known-positive material before interpreting a negative sample (general IHC practice). |
| Nuclei dominate while the expected cytoplasm is faint. | Nuclear dominance disagrees with HPA's cytoplasmic tissue profile and UniProt's reported locations (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q14061 subcellular location). Background or cross-reactivity may contribute (general IHC practice). | Review no-primary and detection controls, then assess whether cytoplasmic staining recurs in an HPA High cell type with the IHC-validated antibody (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
| Adipocytes or ovarian stroma cells stain strongly. | Those cells are listed as Not detected (HPA tissue IHC). Cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity is possible, especially if color appears in reagent controls (general IHC practice). | Run an appropriate no-primary control and inspect blocking and detection steps; compare with a High-staining cell type on the same run (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
| Color is diffuse throughout the section. | Widespread haze can result from insufficient blocking, washing or detection specificity (general IHC practice); it obscures HPA's reported cytoplasmic pattern (HPA tissue IHC). | Inspect no-primary and tissue controls, optimize blocking and washing, and score only interpretable cellular signal (general IHC practice). |
| Only faint staining appears in a Low-staining cell type. | Weak signal may agree with HPA's Low designation for vaginal squamous epithelial, smooth muscle or bone marrow hematopoietic cells (HPA tissue IHC). | Check a High-staining cell type in the same run before changing conditions; do not classify the Low-staining cells as a failed assay solely because their signal is faint (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
| Staining differs from an ICC-IF mitochondrial image. | HPA reports supported mitochondrial ICC-IF localization, while tissue IHC is described as cytoplasmic (HPA ICC-IF; HPA tissue IHC). The two detection formats can resolve intracellular detail differently (general IHC practice). | Assess paraffin IHC against its cytoplasmic cell-type pattern and controls; use the ICC-IF observation only as supporting localization evidence (HPA tissue IHC; HPA ICC-IF; general IHC practice). |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing COX17 staining
A04584-1 · IHCIHC analysis of COX17 using anti-COX17 antibody (A04584-1). COX17 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human colon cancer tissue.
A04584-1 · IHCIHC analysis of COX17 using anti-COX17 antibody (A04584-1). COX17 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human liver cancer tissue.
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000138495-COX17/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_11205215
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000138495-COX17/tissue/colon#imid_11205133
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000138495-COX17/tissue/liver#imid_11205134
HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000138495-COX17/tissue/kidney#imid_11205143
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA042226; green = COX17, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA042226; green = COX17, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for COX17 IHC & IF
🧪Run colon first and expect staining in glandular cells (HPA: High in colon glandular cells). Use adipose tissue as a negative comparator and expect adipocytes to remain unstained (HPA: Not detected in adipocytes). On the colon slide, treat unstained nonglandular areas as an internal background reference, without assuming every nonglandular cell is COX17-negative (HPA: colon entry specifies glandular cells).
Positive control tissue: Adrenal gland (Glandular cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show COX17 in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, with annotated localisation: Mitochondria (supported) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only control; a host-matched rabbit IgG isotype or irrelevant IgG control matched to the antibody format; and COX17 knockout material, if available, or immunizing-peptide competition when the peptide is known (selected-SKU caption: rabbit anti-COX17 primary; standard IHC controls). For colon DAB staining, quench endogenous peroxidase and check background against the no-primary slide (selected-SKU caption: colon tissue and HRP/DAB detection; standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported in the supplied evidence, and the selected-SKU paraffin-section caption does not state the fixative (selected-SKU caption: fixative unreported). Heat retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 was used in that IHC example, but retrieval dependence has not been established (selected-SKU caption: heat-mediated EDTA retrieval). IF/ICC offers a way to check the expected mitochondrial pattern, while the supplied evidence does not show that IF or frozen sections are easier than paraffin IHC; in colon sections, assess endogenous peroxidase background when interpreting DAB staining (HPA: supported mitochondrial localization; UniProt Q14061: mitochondrial intermembrane space and cytoplasm; selected-SKU caption: colon HRP/DAB staining; standard IHC practice).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for COX17
Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Supported — 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrenal gland | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Appendix | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Bronchus | Basal cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Colon | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Duodenum | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Section 3
Advanced COX17 IHC Tips
Troubleshoot COX17 staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, compartment, controls and scoring before interpreting signal intensity.
Which retrieval condition should I try first for COX17 in paraffin sections?
Start with heat-mediated retrieval in EDTA pH 8.0 for paraffin sections (datasheet A04584-1). The selected COX17 tissue image used that condition, followed by 10% goat serum blocking and antibody at 1:100 overnight at 4°C (datasheet A04584-1). If staining is weak, compare retrieval duration on adjacent sections while keeping detection and imaging conditions constant (standard IHC practice). Include a section processed without primary antibody to assess detection background, and compare the resulting cell distribution with the reported cytoplasmic tissue pattern (standard IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC: cytoplasmic expression in most tissues).
Could fixation explain weak or uneven COX17 staining?
The selected paraffin-section caption does not report a fixative, so COX17-specific sensitivity to fixation is unknown (datasheet A04584-1). Record the specimen's fixative, time in fixative and processing history, then compare sections with known processing histories under the same EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval condition (standard IHC practice; datasheet A04584-1). Inspect whether weak staining follows the tissue edge, section folds or areas of poor preservation before changing the antibody concentration (standard IHC practice). Keep the documented 1:100 overnight incubation as a reference condition, and assess any processing changes with matched controls (datasheet A04584-1; standard IHC practice).
What COX17 pattern is plausible in chromogenic IHC?
Expect cellular signal that can appear cytoplasmic by light microscopy: COX17 is reported in the mitochondrial intermembrane space and cytoplasm, while HPA describes cytoplasmic staining in most tissues (UniProt Q14061 subcellular location; HPA tissue IHC). A supported mitochondrial assignment comes from subcellular imaging, but routine chromogenic IHC may not resolve individual mitochondria (HPA subcellular; standard IHC practice). Compare stained cells with their neighbors and use a counterstain to check whether signal tracks intact cell bodies (standard IHC practice). Treat predominantly nuclear staining or diffuse signal outside preserved cells as a reason to review controls and tissue morphology, rather than assigning a new COX17 location (standard IHC practice; UniProt Q14061 subcellular location).
How should I troubleshoot a missing COX17 epitope signal?
The record lists 0 alternative isoforms, a 63-residue precursor and a CHCH domain at residues 23–63 (UniProt Q14061). It also lists modified residues at 14, 18 and 30, but the selected caption does not identify the antibody epitope (UniProt Q14061; datasheet A04584-1). Therefore, avoid attributing weak staining to a particular modification or masked sequence without epitope information and direct testing (standard IHC interpretation). Recheck retrieval, section preservation and antibody incubation against the documented conditions, then compare a plausible positive tissue and a no-primary control in the same run (datasheet A04584-1; HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
How can IF help assess the COX17 pattern seen by IHC?
On the separate IF/ICC guide, compare COX17 fluorescence with a mitochondrial marker and a marker of the expected cell type in distinct channels (HPA subcellular: mitochondria supported; standard IF practice). Choose fluorophores after inspecting tissue autofluorescence, favoring a cleaner spectral channel for a weak signal (standard IF practice). Because COX17 is reported in the mitochondrial intermembrane space and has no transmembrane segment, confirm that permeabilisation provides access through the plasma and mitochondrial outer membranes without destroying morphology (UniProt Q14061 topology and location; standard IF practice). Assess overlap alongside single-channel and no-primary controls; fluorescence overlap alone does not establish molecular interaction (standard IF practice).
What should I check when DAB background obscures COX17 staining?
Compare the stained section with a no-primary control to separate antibody-associated signal from detection background (standard IHC practice). The selected tissue image used a peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibody and DAB, so include an endogenous peroxidase block as a general chromogenic IHC step (datasheet A04584-1; standard IHC practice). Check whether pigment, necrotic material or section edges retain color independently of intact cell bodies before raising the positivity threshold (standard IHC practice). If background persists, review blocking and wash conditions while retaining the documented 10% goat serum block and 1:100 overnight primary incubation as comparison points (datasheet A04584-1; standard IHC practice).
How should I quantify COX17 staining across tissue sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cell population and tissue compartment before scoring, because HPA reports cytoplasmic expression in most tissues and differing staining levels among cell types (HPA tissue IHC). Within that population, report the percentage of positive cells and an H-score based on intensity categories, with thresholds set from matched controls (standard IHC practice). Normalize counts to the number of eligible intact cells, or report positive-cell density per mm² of viable tissue when cell counting is impractical (standard IHC practice). Keep retrieval, DAB development, imaging and scoring rules consistent across sections, and record excluded necrotic or damaged areas (standard IHC practice).
How do I distinguish credible COX17 staining from artefact?
A credible result places signal within preserved cell bodies and is compatible with the reported cytoplasmic IHC pattern and mitochondrial location (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular). HPA reports high staining in colon glandular cells and no detection in adipocytes, providing cell-specific comparisons where those cells are actually present (HPA tissue IHC). Review predominantly nuclear color, edge-restricted staining, necrotic deposits or signal in a no-primary control as possible artefacts, including endogenous peroxidase activity (standard IHC practice). HPA rates its tissue staining as supported but notes low consistency with RNA data, so interpret unexpected patterns with independent controls rather than intensity alone (HPA tissue IHC reliability).
Boster reagents
Best COX17 / Cytochrome c oxidase copper chaperone IHC Antibodies
A04584-1 has IHC images from paraffin sections of human colon and liver cancers and mouse and rat hearts; IF/ICC is listed, but no IF image is supplied (catalog images; catalog applications).
Real IHC data
Anti-COX17 Antibody ®
Cat # A04584-1
A04584-1 will render with its human colon cancer paraffin-section IHC image (catalog image caption). Its other IHC captions show human liver cancer and mouse and rat heart sections; the catalog lists IF/ICC and human, mouse, and rat reactivity (catalog image captions; catalog applications; catalog reactivity).
Which to pick: Choose A04584-1 for tissue IHC: its own image caption documents EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval and chromogenic detection in a paraffin section; the fixative is unreported (A04584-1 image caption). Choose the same polyclonal antibody for IF/ICC based on its listed applications, while recognizing that no IF image is supplied (catalog dilution record; catalog applications; catalog IF images). For work across species, A04584-1 lists human, mouse, and rat reactivity and has IHC captions for all three (catalog reactivity; catalog image captions).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q14061 (COX17_HUMAN, Cytochrome c oxidase copper chaperone).
- Human Protein Atlas. COX17 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Supported).
- Human Protein Atlas. COX17 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Localized to the mitochondria..
- Human Protein Atlas. COX17 antibody validation summary (2 antibodies).
- Curcumin suppresses copper accumulation in non-small cell lung cancer by binding ATOX1. BMC pharmacology & toxicology 2024 — PMC11340132.
- Integrative analysis of single-cell and bulk RNA seq to reveal the prognostic model and tumor microenvironment remodeling mechanisms of cuproptosis-related genes in colorectal cancer. Aging 2023 — PMC10756095.
- Copper and cuproptosis-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma: therapeutic biomarkers targeting tumor immune microenvironment and immune checkpoints. Frontiers in immunology 2023 — PMC10157396.
- PubMed PMID:9050918 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:10982038 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for COX17 (Cytochrome c oxidase copper chaperone). Expected localisation Cytoplasmic tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC); mitochondrial intermembrane space is a molecular location (UniProt). Antigen retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A04584-1). Validated IHC antibody: A04584-1 at 1:50 recommended; image 1:100 (the product's own IHC validation image is shown). Controls (HPA): positive Adrenal gland (Glandular cells); negative Adipose tissue. IHC-P workflow on paraffin sections; fixative unspecified. Protocol steps: 1. Sample: Paraffin-embedded human colon cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A04584-1); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A04584-1); 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 A04584-1); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard); 6. Peroxidase block: 3% H2O2, 10 min , room temperature (standard); 7. Blocking: 10% goat serum (datasheet A04584-1); 8. Primary antibody: Rabbit anti-COX17, 1:50 recommended; image 1:100 (datasheet A04584-1); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet A04584-1). 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 annotated isoforms; chain spans residues 2–63 (UniProt); Regulation: Ubiquitous expression (UniProt). Evidence: UniProt Q14061, HPA tissue IHC · Supported, HPA ICC-IF · mitochondria., Datasheet A04584-1, PMC11340132. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/COX17/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.