DCAF1 / DDB1- and CUL4-associated factor 1 · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for DCAF1

Plan chromogenic DCAF1 IHC in paraffin sections with catalog antibody A31776 (datasheet: A31776). Score the cytoplasmic tissue pattern (HPA tissue IHC), with high staining in lung alveolar type II cells as a positive reference (HPA tissue IHC).

Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for DCAF1 (IHC for DCAF1): expected localisation Cytoplasmic in tissue (HPA tissue IHC); nuclear localisation possible (UniProt), antibody A31776, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps
Printable DCAF1 IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Cytoplasmic in tissue (HPA tissue IHC); nuclear localisation possible (UniProt), antibody A31776, controls and protocol steps. Open the full DCAF1 IHC guide →

DCAF1 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 in tissue (HPA tissue IHC); nuclear localisation possible (UniProt)
Staining pattern Widespread cytoplasmic staining across tissues (HPA tissue IHC)
Antigen retrieval EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A31776)
Positive control ⓘ Lung+4 more · see all
Negative control ⓘ None in HPA (detected in all 45 tissues); use no-primary + isotype controls
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
Fixation Matched tissue-IHC evidence does not establish the fixation claim. Validate the specimen-specific method before use. (selected-SKU IHC image A31776)
Caveat Antibody staining and RNA show medium consistency (HPA tissue IHC)
Regulation Cell-cycle-dependent chromatin binding (UniProt)
Isoform / epitope 3 isoforms; epitope coverage unresolved (UniProt)
Section 1

Recommended DCAF1 IHC & IF Protocols

The catalog antibody uses EDTA pH 8.0 HIER (datasheet A31776). One published DCAF1 IHC protocol provides a Tris-EDTA pH 9 comparison (PMC7407567).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
SampleParaffin-embedded human placenta tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A31776)
FixationImage fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A31776); 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 A31776); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard)
Peroxidase block3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard)
Blocking10% goat serum (datasheet A31776)
Primary antibodyRabbit anti-DCAF1, 2-5μg/ml (datasheet A31776)
Primary incubationOvernight at 4 °C (datasheet A31776)
DetectionStreptavidin-biotin complex (SABC), DAB chromogen (datasheet A31776)
CounterstainHematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected resultDCAF1-positive staining in alveolar cells type II of lung (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Ubiquitous cytoplasmic expression. No signal in the no-primary control.
💡Decision noteStart with EDTA pH 8.0 HIER (datasheet A31776); if staining needs optimization, evaluate the published Tris-EDTA pH 9 retrieval (PMC7407567).
Section 2

What Is the Expected DCAF1 Staining Pattern?

DCAF1 is expected to stain predominantly in the cytoplasm across many tissues by IHC, with high staining in lung alveolar type II cells and medium staining in several listed cell types (HPA: tissue IHC). Nuclear localisation is also biologically plausible (UniProt Q9Y4B6: nucleus and cytoplasm). DCAF1 has no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q9Y4B6: topology). HPA rates its tissue IHC evidence Approved, with medium consistency against RNA data (HPA: tissue IHC).

What am I looking at on my slide?
Cytoplasmic staining is strong in alveolar type II cells and moderate in listed adipocytes, glandular, respiratory epithelial, or neuronal cells.This matches the reported tissue IHC pattern: high in alveolar type II cells and medium in those other cell types (HPA: tissue IHC). Compare cells within their tissue context; the reported levels are descriptive, not a numerical scoring threshold.
Signal is nuclear as well as cytoplasmic, or predominantly nuclear in a subset of cells.Nuclear DCAF1 is plausible (UniProt Q9Y4B6: nucleus and cytoplasm). HPA tissue IHC describes a ubiquitous cytoplasmic pattern, while HPA ICC-IF supports nucleoplasmic localisation (HPA: tissue IHC; HPA: subcellular ICC-IF). Investigate a nuclear-only IHC result against a positive control before calling it artefact.
Sharp membrane outlines or extracellular deposits dominate the section.That compartment does not fit the reported cytoplasmic or nuclear locations, and DCAF1 has no transmembrane segment (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt Q9Y4B6: subcellular location and topology). Treat it as suspected nonspecific staining, especially if the expected intracellular signal is absent.
Strong staining appears mainly in a cell type reported as low, or persists as colored precipitate without primary antibody.Prostate glandular cells, ovarian stromal cells, smooth muscle cells, and bone marrow hematopoietic cells are reported as low (HPA: tissue IHC). Unexpected strong staining warrants a cross-reactivity check; signal in a no-primary control points instead to endogenous detection activity or reagent background (general IHC practice).
The whole section has diffuse color, or known-positive lung alveolar type II cells show no discernible signal.Diffuse color that obscures cellular boundaries prevents a reliable compartment call (general IHC practice). Absent staining in cells reported as high makes the run inconclusive until detection and tissue quality controls pass (HPA: lung tissue IHC; general IHC practice).
💡Expected DCAF1 appearanceA convincing IHC positive is intracellular, chiefly cytoplasmic staining that is high in lung alveolar type II cells; dominant crisp membrane staining or acellular deposits are suspect (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt Q9Y4B6: topology).
How each factor affects the staining
Tissue and cell contextHPA reports ubiquitous cytoplasmic expression, with high staining in lung alveolar type II cells, medium staining in selected other cells, and several low cell types (HPA: tissue IHC). Its payload lists no negative tissue; a low-staining tissue is not a guaranteed negative control.
Compartment and cell stateUniProt places DCAF1 in cytoplasm, nucleus, and centrosomes, and describes cell cycle dependent chromatin association by similarity (UniProt Q9Y4B6: subcellular location). These annotations make intracellular variation plausible; they do not establish a required nuclear IHC pattern in a particular tissue.
IHC antibody evidenceTwo listed antibodies, HPA036142 and HPA053203, have Approved IHC status (HPA: antibody validation). The tissue profile has medium consistency with RNA data (HPA: tissue IHC). Interpret staining with that qualification; approval alone does not verify every unusual cell or compartment.
IF/ICC: what localisation should be expected?Mainly nucleoplasmic signal, with additional nucleoli fibrillar center signal, is supported in ICC-IF (HPA: subcellular ICC-IF). This answers the IF localisation question; it is a different assay observation from HPA's predominantly cytoplasmic tissue IHC profile (HPA: tissue IHC).
Isoforms and epitope coverageUniProt lists 3 DCAF1 isoforms (UniProt Q9Y4B6: isoforms). The supplied evidence does not map an antibody epitope to them, so a change in staining cannot be assigned to a particular isoform from these records alone.
Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
SituationLikely causeNext action
No signal in lung alveolar type II cellsThese cells are reported as high, so an entirely blank result may reflect an unsuccessful IHC run or inadequate tissue preservation (HPA: lung tissue IHC; general IHC practice).Check a same-run positive control, tissue morphology, primary-antibody step, and chromogenic detection before interpreting the sample as DCAF1 negative (general IHC practice).
Signal is weak across the sectionSome cell types are reported as medium or low, but uniformly weak staining in a known-positive control also raises a workflow concern (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice).Compare the same-run positive control first; then review the antibody's documented IHC-P conditions and detection reagents. Do not infer a DCAF1-specific retrieval requirement from the supplied records (general IHC practice).
Diffuse chromogen covers cells and stromaBackground can arise from nonspecific binding, incomplete washing, or endogenous detection activity (general IHC practice). It cannot be scored as DCAF1 localisation.Inspect a no-primary control, confirm washing and blocking steps, and reassess only where intracellular boundaries remain interpretable (general IHC practice).
Nuclear-only IHC stainingNuclear DCAF1 is biologically plausible, but HPA describes a ubiquitous cytoplasmic tissue IHC profile (UniProt Q9Y4B6: subcellular location; HPA: tissue IHC).Check whether the same run shows the expected cytoplasmic signal in a positive tissue and whether the nuclear pattern follows cell boundaries; report the assay-dependent discrepancy if it persists.
Strong signal in an HPA low-staining cell typeAn unexpected cell pattern may reflect cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity; HPA's low category is not proof of absence (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice).Compare adjacent cell types and a no-primary control. If available, assess the pattern with another IHC-approved antibody, HPA036142 or HPA053203 (HPA: antibody validation).
Membrane-like or extracellular signal dominatesThat location conflicts with the reported intracellular locations and lack of a transmembrane segment (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt Q9Y4B6: subcellular location and topology).Review tissue morphology and the no-primary control, then score only reproducible intracellular staining in identified cells (general IHC practice).

Sample controls for DCAF1 IHC & IF

🧪Run lung first: alveolar type II cells should stain (HPA: High in lung alveolar cells type II). HPA lists no negative tissue because DCAF1 is detected in all 45 scored tissues (HPA: no negative rows); use no-primary and isotype controls, and treat cells without signal above background on the lung slide as background checks rather than proven DCAF1-negative cells.
Positive control tissue: Lung (Alveolar cells type II, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: None in HPA: DCAF1 is detected in all 45 scored tissues. Use a no-primary (secondary-only) and an isotype control instead.
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show DCAF1 in HeLa, PC-3, U2OS, CACO-2, NIH 3T3, with annotated localisation: Nucleoplasm (supported) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary (secondary-only) control, a host- and clonality-matched isotype control, and a DCAF1 knockout sample or validated peptide-block control to assess specificity (standard IHC practice). For lung DAB staining, quench endogenous peroxidase and check for pigment that could be mistaken for chromogen (standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: The selected A31776 paraffin-section caption reports heat retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0, but gives no fixative; no target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is reported (selected A31776 tissue-IHC caption). Treat retrieval as a condition to verify, since that caption alone does not establish that DCAF1 staining depends on it (selected A31776 tissue-IHC caption). Frozen sections are not established as easier by the supplied evidence; IF/ICC has separate localization evidence, with mainly nucleoplasmic staining, but lung autofluorescence should be checked if IF is used (HPA: subcellular ICC-IF; standard IF practice).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for DCAF1

Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Approved — Medium 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

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
Lung Alveolar cells type II High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Adipose tissue Adipocytes Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Adrenal gland Glandular cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Appendix Glandular cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Breast Glandular cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →

Undetected expression · recommended negative controls

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
None in HPA: DCAF1 is detected in all 45 scored tissues. Use a no-primary (secondary-only) and an isotype control instead.
Section 3

Advanced DCAF1 IHC Tips

Troubleshoot DCAF1 staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, compartment, controls and scoring alongside the catalog antibody’s documented IHC conditions.

What retrieval should I try first if DCAF1 staining is weak?
Start with heat-mediated retrieval in EDTA pH 8.0 for paraffin sections (datasheet A31776). The documented human placenta staining used this retrieval before 10% goat serum blocking and 2 μg/ml primary antibody overnight at 4°C (datasheet A31776). If staining remains weak, compare retrieval durations on adjacent sections while holding antibody concentration, detection and chromogen development constant (standard IHC practice). Include a no-primary control and assess tissue preservation alongside signal, since excessive heating can damage morphology and make apparent staining gains difficult to interpret (standard IHC practice).
Can I infer the best fixative for DCAF1 from the available staining evidence?
No target-specific fixation sensitivity is established here: the A31776 placenta caption identifies a paraffin section but does not state its fixative (datasheet A31776). Record the actual fixative and fixation duration for each specimen, then compare matched sections using the documented EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval and 2 μg/ml primary concentration (datasheet A31776; standard IHC practice). Keep section thickness and detection conditions consistent when testing fixation variables (standard IHC practice). Judge both DCAF1 signal and preserved cellular morphology; neither the reported tissue staining pattern nor protein features establish a preferred fixative for this antibody (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt Q9Y4B6; datasheet A31776).
How should I assess cytoplasmic and nuclear DCAF1 staining?
Score nuclear and cytoplasmic signal separately: tissue IHC reports ubiquitous cytoplasmic expression, while the subcellular IF record supports nucleoplasmic and nucleolar fibrillar-center localisation (HPA: tissue IHC; HPA: subcellular). UniProt also lists cytoplasm, nucleus and centrosome, with cell-cycle-dependent chromatin association described by similarity (UniProt Q9Y4B6). Use a nuclear counterstain and inspect individual cells at high magnification before assigning a compartment; overlapping cells can make cytoplasmic chromogen appear nuclear (standard IHC practice). Report mixed staining with its cellular context instead of forcing a single compartment, and verify an unexpected pattern against controls and morphology (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt Q9Y4B6; standard IHC practice).
Could isoforms or epitope accessibility explain discordant DCAF1 staining?
DCAF1 has 3 recorded isoforms, but the supplied A31776 caption does not identify its recognized epitope or establish isoform-specific staining (UniProt Q9Y4B6; datasheet A31776). Its chromo domain spans residues 562–593 and its LisH domain spans 846–878; recorded modifications include phosphorylation and acetylation (UniProt Q9Y4B6). Check an epitope map or manufacturer documentation before attributing divergent staining to an isoform or modification (standard IHC practice). Meanwhile, compare matched sections under the same EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval and detection conditions, since altered accessibility is a possible technical explanation that this caption alone cannot resolve (datasheet A31776; standard IHC practice).
How can IF help investigate an ambiguous DCAF1 IHC pattern?
Use IF as a separate validation experiment and multiplex DCAF1 with a marker for the cell population being examined, such as a type II alveolar-cell marker when investigating lung staining (HPA: High in alveolar cells type II; standard IF practice). Choose spectrally separated fluorophores and place the weaker signal in a channel with low tissue autofluorescence; include unstained tissue and single-label controls (standard IF practice). For an intracellular DCAF1 epitope, test permeabilisation after fixation, adjusting it to preserve nuclear and cytoplasmic structure; DCAF1 has no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q9Y4B6; standard IF practice). Interpret nuclear IF alongside the nucleoplasmic subcellular record while keeping antibody identity and assay differences explicit (HPA: subcellular; standard IF practice).
What should I check when DCAF1 chromogen stains most of the section?
First compare the stained slide with a no-primary control and inspect whether color follows tissue edges, folds or extracellular material (standard IHC practice). The documented procedure uses 10% goat serum, a biotinylated secondary, streptavidin-biotin detection and DAB; excessive signal can arise at several stages of that workflow (datasheet A31776; standard IHC practice). Check peroxidase blocking, secondary-only staining and the detection system’s background controls before changing the primary concentration (standard IHC practice). If background persists, titrate around the documented 2 μg/ml primary condition and compare adjacent sections using the same EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval (datasheet A31776; standard IHC practice).
How should I quantify DCAF1 staining across paraffin sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cell population and compartment before scoring, because tissue IHC describes broad cytoplasmic staining while other localisation evidence includes the nucleus (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt Q9Y4B6). For each compartment, record percent positive cells and staining intensity, then calculate an H-score from 0–300 if an intensity-weighted summary is needed (standard IHC practice). Alternatively, report positive-cell density per mm² within a consistently defined region (standard IHC practice). Normalise counts to viable cells or measured viable tissue area, apply one threshold and imaging workflow across specimens, and exclude folds, necrosis and poorly preserved areas (standard IHC practice).
How can I distinguish genuine DCAF1 staining from an artefact?
A plausible positive pattern can include cytoplasm and, in some contexts, nucleus; the tissue IHC profile is ubiquitously cytoplasmic, whereas UniProt lists both compartments (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt Q9Y4B6). Check whether staining occurs in intact cells and is reproducible across comparable sections, including cells expected to stain, such as lung alveolar cells type II (HPA: High in alveolar cells type II; standard IHC practice). Treat isolated edge staining, necrotic deposits and signal in the no-primary control as possible artefacts (standard IHC practice). Because the documented detection uses DAB with a biotin-based system, investigate endogenous peroxidase and biotin-related background before calling diffuse chromogen DCAF1-positive (datasheet A31776; standard IHC practice).
Boster reagents

Best DCAF1 / DDB1- and CUL4-associated factor 1 IHC Antibodies

Both anti-DCAF1 antibodies have IHC images from paraffin-embedded tissue and IF/ICC images from cultured cells (catalog image captions). The tissue images cover human samples for both SKUs and mouse and rat brain for A31776-1 (catalog IHC captions).

Real IHC data IHC analysis of VPRBP/DCAF1 using anti-VPRBP/DCAF1 antibody (A31776). VPRBP/DCAF1 was detected in paraffin-embedded section of human placenta 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-VPRBP/DCAF1 Antibody (A31776) 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-VPRBP/DCAF1 Antibody ®
Cat # A31776
Real IHC data IHC analysis of VPRBP/DCAF1 using anti-VPRBP/DCAF1 antibody (A31776-1). VPRBP/DCAF1 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human chronic tonsillitis tissue. Heat mediated antigen retrieval was performed in EDTA buffer (pH 8.0, epitope retrieval solution). The tissue section was blocked with 10% goat serum. The tissue section was then incubated with 2 μg/ml rabbit anti-VPRBP/DCAF1 Antibody (A31776-1) 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-VPRBP/DCAF1 Antibody ®
Cat # A31776-1

A31776 will render with a human placenta IHC image; its other IHC captions show human breast cancer, ovarian adenocarcinoma and pancreatic cancer, and its IF caption shows PC-3 cells (A31776 image captions). A31776-1 will render with a human chronic tonsillitis IHC image; its other IHC captions show human colonic adenocarcinoma and mouse and rat brain, and its IF caption shows HeLa cells (A31776-1 image captions).

Which to pick: For tissue IHC, choose A31776 for the documented human placenta or cancer samples, or A31776-1 for the documented tonsillitis, colonic adenocarcinoma, mouse brain or rat brain samples; each SKU’s IHC images show paraffin sections, with fixative unreported (respective IHC captions). For IF/ICC, both list those applications and have cell images: A31776 in PC-3 cells and A31776-1 in HeLa cells (catalog applications; respective IF captions). For mouse or rat tissue IHC, A31776-1 has direct image evidence, while A31776’s IHC images show human tissue; clonality is unreported for both (respective IHC captions; catalog clone fields).

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

References

  1. UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q9Y4B6 (DCAF1_HUMAN, DDB1- and CUL4-associated factor 1).
  2. Human Protein Atlas. DCAF1 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Approved).
  3. Human Protein Atlas. DCAF1 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to the nucleoplasm. In addition localized to the nucleoli fibrillar center..
  4. Human Protein Atlas. DCAF1 antibody validation summary (3 antibodies).
  5. CRL4-DCAF1 ubiquitin E3 ligase directs protein phosphatase 2A degradation to control oocyte meiotic maturation. Nature communications 2015 — PMC4557334.
  6. The Potential of MLN3651 in Combination with Selumetinib as a Treatment for Merlin-Deficient Meningioma. Cancers 2020 — PMC7407567.
  7. DCAF1 interacts with PARD3 to promote hepatocellular carcinoma progression and metastasis by activating the Akt signaling pathway. Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR 2024 — PMC11071249.
  8. VprBP/DCAF1 Triggers Melanomagenic Gene Silencing through Histone H2A Phosphorylation. Biomedicines 2023 — PMC10526264.
  9. PubMed PMID:9872452 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  10. PubMed PMID:12168954 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  11. PubMed PMID:16641997 — UniProt-cited evidence.