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DYRK1A / Dual specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for DYRK1A
Use high-staining glandular tissue to plan a positive control for DYRK1A paraffin IHC (HPA tissue IHC). Evaluate the cytoplasmic tissue pattern (HPA tissue IHC) alongside the annotated nuclear localisation (UniProt), and check epitope coverage across 5 isoforms (UniProt).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
DYRK1A 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); nuclear localisation (UniProt) | |
| Staining pattern | Cytoplasmic staining across cell types (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | Tris-EDTA pH 9.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A30487) | |
| Positive control | Appendix+4 more · see all | |
| Negative control | Liver |
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
| Fixation | Keep fixation consistent across sections (standard IHC practice; not target-specific) | |
| Caveat | Nuclear annotation differs from cytoplasmic tissue staining (UniProt; HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | Ubiquitous; highest in skeletal muscle and testis (UniProt) | |
| Isoform / epitope | 5 isoforms; check epitope coverage across sequences (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended DYRK1A IHC & IF Protocols
The catalog antibody’s paraffin-section protocol is followed by published DYRK1A chromogenic IHC methods for HNSCC, colon biopsies, brain cryosections, and mouse brainstem sections (PMC5086852; PMC13065994; PMC6421685; PMC3546979).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded human Colon cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A30487) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A30487); verify before use. |
| Sectioning | 4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard) |
| Deparaffinisation | Xylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard) |
| Antigen retrieval | Heat retrieval: Tris-EDTA pH 9.0 (datasheet A30487); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard) |
| 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-DYRK1A, 1:100 - 1:300 (datasheet A30487) |
| 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 | DYRK1A-positive staining in glandular cells of appendix (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Cytoplasmic expression in all cells types. No signal in the no-primary control. |
💡Decision noteStart with Tris-EDTA pH 9.0 heat retrieval for the catalog antibody (datasheet A30487). The published citrate and formic acid conditions apply to their respective section preparations (PMC5086852; PMC6421685).
Section 2
What Is the Expected DYRK1A Staining Pattern?
DYRK1A is a nuclear protein with nuclear speckle localization and no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q13627: subcellular location; topology). In tissue IHC, expect cytoplasmic staining across cell types, with strong staining in several glandular cell populations and placental decidual cells (HPA: tissue IHC). Interpret this compartment difference cautiously: HPA rates its tissue IHC profile Approved, with medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression (HPA: tissue IHC reliability).
| Strong cytoplasmic staining in glandular cells of appendix, breast, cervix, fallopian tube, gallbladder, salivary gland or small intestine. | This matches reported High staining in those cell and tissue combinations (HPA: tissue IHC). Judge intensity within the identified cells; the profile describes cytoplasmic expression across cell types, while reported levels vary by cell and tissue (HPA: tissue IHC). |
| Nuclear staining, including a punctate nuclear pattern, accompanies or differs from the cytoplasmic IHC profile. | Nuclear and nuclear speckle localization is biologically plausible (UniProt Q13627: subcellular location; HPA: subcellular ICC-IF). The HPA tissue IHC summary instead reports cytoplasmic expression (HPA: tissue IHC). Treat this as a source-dependent compartment difference; check morphology and controls before assigning specificity. |
| A crisp cell-surface rim or staining outside cells dominates the section. | This is a compartment mismatch: DYRK1A has no transmembrane segment or signal peptide (UniProt Q13627: topology; processing), and the reported tissue pattern is cytoplasmic (HPA: tissue IHC). Consider an artefact or nonspecific deposition, especially when expected intracellular staining is absent. |
| Cholangiocytes stain strongly, or a uniform deposit covers cells and surrounding tissue. | Cholangiocytes were not detected in the HPA liver image set (HPA: liver tissue IHC), so strong staining there warrants a specificity check. A diffuse deposit that ignores cell boundaries is background; in chromogenic IHC, nonspecific binding or endogenous detection activity can produce it (general IHC practice). |
| No signal appears in a reported high-staining glandular population. | Compare with the specified cell population, since HPA reports High staining in several glandular tissues (HPA: tissue IHC). An absent signal suggests a failed or insensitive run only after confirming that the relevant cells are present; HPA's Approved rating and medium RNA agreement do not guarantee positivity in every specimen (HPA: tissue IHC reliability). |
💡Expected DYRK1A appearanceCall a section positive when identifiable glandular cells show strong cytoplasmic staining in an HPA high-staining tissue (HPA: tissue IHC); a dominant membrane rim or acellular deposit is suspect given DYRK1A topology and reported tissue localization (UniProt Q13627: topology; HPA: tissue IHC).
| Tissue and cell selection | Use the named glandular populations or placental decidual cells as reported high-staining references (HPA: tissue IHC). Liver cholangiocytes provide a reported not detected comparison (HPA: liver tissue IHC); that observation is cell-specific, not a claim that the whole liver is negative. |
| Compartment evidence | The tissue IHC profile is cytoplasmic (HPA: tissue IHC), whereas UniProt places DYRK1A in the nucleus and nuclear speckles (UniProt Q13627: subcellular location). Record the actual compartment rather than treating either source alone as a universal rule for every preparation. |
| IHC evidence strength | The tissue IHC profile is Approved but has medium consistency with RNA data (HPA: tissue IHC reliability). HPA lists two IHC Approved antibodies, HPA015323 and HPA015810 (HPA: antibodies); this does not make every unexpected pattern target-specific. |
| Protein form and topology | UniProt lists five isoforms, one chain spanning residues 1–763, no signal peptide and no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q13627: isoforms; processing; topology). These facts support intracellular interpretation; without an epitope map, they do not predict which isoforms an antibody detects. |
| IF/ICC Q&A: Where should fluorescence appear? | Mainly in nuclear speckles, with supported nucleoplasmic localization (HPA: subcellular ICC-IF). HPA also lists cytosol and centrosome as uncertain locations (HPA: subcellular ICC-IF). This IF observation is a comparison for interpretation, not an IHC protocol choice. |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| A reported high-staining tissue gives no chromogenic signal. | The sampled section may lack the named high-staining cells (HPA: tissue IHC), or the staining run may have failed (general IHC practice). | Confirm cell identity on the counterstain, then review the run's positive control, detection reagents and antigen retrieval record (general IHC practice). Do not infer a DYRK1A-specific retrieval requirement from HPA staining levels. |
| Staining is faint in hippocampal or caudate glial cells. | Those populations are reported at Low staining levels (HPA: tissue IHC). | Compare the same run with a named high-staining cell population and assess the faint signal against the negative control (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice). Avoid scoring weak glial staining by the threshold used for high-staining glandular cells. |
| Most structures, including areas outside cells, show brown deposit. | Nonspecific binding, endogenous detection activity or excess chromogen development can create diffuse background (general chromogenic IHC practice). | Inspect the reagent control and review blocking, washes and development time (general chromogenic IHC practice). Score intracellular staining only where cell boundaries and morphology remain interpretable. |
| A membrane-like rim is the dominant result. | That pattern conflicts with the lack of a transmembrane segment or signal peptide (UniProt Q13627: topology; processing) and with HPA's cytoplasmic tissue profile (HPA: tissue IHC). | Check a negative reagent control and an HPA high-staining reference tissue in the same run; reassess whether the deposit follows cell membranes or an intracellular compartment (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
| Nuclear staining appears without the expected cytoplasmic IHC pattern. | DYRK1A has nuclear localization evidence (UniProt Q13627: subcellular location; HPA: subcellular ICC-IF), while HPA summarizes tissue IHC as cytoplasmic (HPA: tissue IHC). | Document the compartment and cell type, compare control sections, and avoid calling nuclear signal either definitive specificity or definitive failure from localization alone (general IHC interpretation). |
| Cholangiocytes show strong staining in a liver section. | HPA reports cholangiocytes as not detected (HPA: liver tissue IHC); unexpected signal may reflect background or cross-reactivity, though one reference observation cannot settle specificity. | Confirm the cells are cholangiocytes, examine the negative control, and compare staining with a reported high-staining population in the same run (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing DYRK1A staining
A30487 · IHCImmunohistochemical analysis of paraffin-embedded human Colon cancer. 1, Antibody was diluted at 1:200(4° overnight). 2, Tris-EDTA,pH9.0 was
A30487 · IFImmunofluorescence analysis of HepG2 cells, using DYR1A Antibody. The picture on the right is blocked with the synthesized peptide.
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000157540-DYRK1A/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_4178932
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000157540-DYRK1A/tissue/colon#imid_4178842
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000157540-DYRK1A/tissue/liver#imid_4178859
HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000157540-DYRK1A/tissue/kidney#imid_4178852
HPA · ICC-IF HELHuman Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, HEL, antibody HPA015813; green = DYRK1A, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
HPA · ICC-IF HELHuman Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, HEL, antibody HPA015813; green = DYRK1A, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for DYRK1A IHC & IF
🧪Run appendix first: glandular cells should stain (HPA: High in appendix glandular cells). Use liver cholangiocytes as the negative tissue (HPA: Not detected in liver cholangiocytes); on the appendix slide, internal background cells should retain counterstain without specific chromogen, but HPA does not identify a confirmed negative cell population there (HPA: appendix glandular-cell row).
Positive control tissue: Appendix (Glandular cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Liver (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show DYRK1A in HEL, REH, SiHa, RPTEC/TERT1, hTERT-RPE1 (serum starved), with annotated localisation: Nuclear speckles (supported) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include no-primary (secondary-only) and primary-host- and immunoglobulin-class-matched isotype controls, plus a matched DYRK1A-knockout section if available (standard IHC practice). Check endogenous peroxidase in the appendix’s inflammatory cells before interpreting chromogenic signal (standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window and fixation effect are unreported, and the selected A30487 paraffin-section caption does not state the fixative (selected-SKU tissue-IHC caption). The reported IHC workflow uses Tris-EDTA at pH 9.0 for retrieval and primary antibody at 1:200 overnight at 4°C; the caption does not establish whether retrieval is essential (selected-SKU tissue-IHC caption). ICC-IF images exist, but the supplied evidence does not show that frozen sections or IF are easier than paraffin IHC; interpret appendix staining with its potential inflammatory-cell peroxidase background in mind (HPA: ICC-IF cell-line images; standard IHC practice).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for DYRK1A
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
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appendix | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Breast | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Cervix | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Fallopian tube | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Gallbladder | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Undetected expression · recommended negative controls
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liver | Cholangiocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Section 3
Advanced DYRK1A IHC Tips
Troubleshoot DYRK1A staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, compartment, cell type and controls before interpreting chromogenic signal.
How should I troubleshoot weak DYRK1A staining after antigen retrieval?
Start with heat-mediated antigen retrieval in Tris-EDTA at pH 9.0 for paraffin sections (datasheet A30487). The selected tissue image used that buffer and a 1:200 primary antibody dilution overnight at 4 °C, but does not report a heating duration (caption A30487). If staining is weak, compare retrieval heating times on adjacent sections while keeping antibody dilution and detection conditions constant (standard IHC practice). Check preservation of tissue architecture and include a known positive control, such as appendix glandular cells (HPA: High in appendix glandular cells). Record whether improvement occurs in the expected cells rather than uniformly across the section (standard IHC practice).
Could fixation explain variable DYRK1A staining between paraffin sections?
The selected paraffin tissue caption does not state its fixative, and target-specific DYRK1A sensitivity to fixation is unknown (caption A30487). Record each specimen’s fixative and fixation history, then compare sections processed together with the same retrieval and detection conditions (standard IHC practice). Keep Tris-EDTA retrieval at pH 9.0 and the primary antibody at 1:200 during that comparison (datasheet A30487; caption A30487). Examine tissue morphology and staining in an on-slide control before assigning a weak result to DYRK1A expression (standard IHC practice). Differences between specimens require controlled processing comparisons before they can be attributed to fixation (standard IHC practice).
Should DYRK1A stain nuclei or cytoplasm in tissue IHC?
Score nuclear and cytoplasmic signal separately: DYRK1A is annotated in the nucleus and nuclear speckles (UniProt Q13627: subcellular location), whereas tissue IHC reports cytoplasmic expression across cell types (HPA: tissue IHC profile). Nuclear speckles are the main supported location in cell imaging, with supported nucleoplasmic localisation (HPA: subcellular). Therefore, do not reject cytoplasmic tissue staining solely because an IF image highlights nuclear speckles (HPA: tissue IHC profile; HPA: subcellular). Compare compartment patterns with matched controls and intact morphology, and report the antibody, retrieval and scoring compartment so another reader can evaluate the result (standard IHC practice).
Could the antibody epitope alter which DYRK1A forms appear in IHC?
DYRK1A has 5 listed isoforms, and the reference protein contains a kinase domain at residues 159–479 (UniProt Q13627: isoforms and domains). The supplied caption gives no epitope sequence or isoform coverage for A30487, so its staining cannot establish which isoform is present (caption A30487). DYRK1A also has documented modified residues, including autocatalytic phosphotyrosines at 111, 140 and 159 (UniProt Q13627: modified residues). Check the antibody’s mapped epitope and isoform sequences before interpreting discordant cell patterns; unless phospho-specific binding is documented, do not interpret chromogenic intensity as phosphorylation (standard antibody validation practice).
How can IF help resolve an ambiguous DYRK1A IHC pattern?
Use IF/ICC as a separate localisation check: nuclear speckles are the main supported location, with supported nucleoplasmic staining (HPA: subcellular). Multiplex DYRK1A with a validated marker for the cell type being assessed, then examine whether the two signals occur in the same cells (standard IF practice). Choose spectrally separated fluorophores and an emission channel with low tissue autofluorescence; include single-stain controls when comparing channels (standard IF practice). DYRK1A has no transmembrane segment and is annotated in intracellular compartments, so use a permeabilisation condition that permits antibody access to the relevant internal epitope (UniProt Q13627: topology and location; standard IF practice).
What should I check when DYRK1A chromogenic staining looks diffuse?
First compare a no-primary control and a matched positive section under the same detection conditions to locate secondary-reagent or tissue-derived background (standard IHC practice). Block endogenous peroxidase before peroxidase-based DAB detection, and assess pigment or precipitate separately from cellular staining (standard chromogenic IHC practice). The selected caption specifies a 1:200 secondary antibody incubation for 45 minutes at room temperature; use that as a documented starting point, not proof of optimal background control (caption A30487). If diffuse signal persists, titrate the primary antibody around the documented 1:200 condition and inspect section edges and damaged areas (caption A30487; standard IHC practice).
How should I quantify DYRK1A staining across tissue regions? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cell population and compartment before scoring, because tissue IHC reports cytoplasmic staining while cell imaging supports nuclear speckles and nucleoplasm (HPA: tissue IHC profile; HPA: subcellular). For a prespecified population, record the percentage of positive cells and staining intensity, or calculate an H-score from intensity categories, then report nuclear and cytoplasmic values separately (standard IHC scoring practice). Normalise counts to eligible intact cells, or positive-cell density to analysed tissue area in mm², and exclude necrotic or torn regions (standard image-analysis practice). Keep retrieval, staining batch, exposure and positivity thresholds consistent across comparisons (standard IHC practice).
How do I distinguish true DYRK1A signal from tissue artefact?
Assess whether staining follows intact cells and a plausible compartment: cytoplasmic tissue signal is reported, while nuclear and nuclear-speckle localisation is also documented (HPA: tissue IHC profile; UniProt Q13627: location). Compare cell types within the section: appendix glandular cells are reported High, whereas liver cholangiocytes were Not detected in the sampled HPA material (HPA: appendix glandular cells; HPA: liver cholangiocytes). Treat edge accentuation, necrotic deposits and staining in the no-primary control as artefact warnings (standard IHC practice). Check endogenous peroxidase background when using DAB, and avoid calling an unexpected compartment or cell type positive without corroborating controls (standard chromogenic IHC practice).
Boster reagents
Best DYRK1A / Dual specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A IHC Antibodies
A30487 has IHC data from paraffin-embedded human colon cancer and IF data from HepG2 cells (catalog image captions); listed reactivity covers human, mouse, and rat (catalog: reactivity).
Real IHC data
Anti-DYR1A DYRK1A Antibody
Cat # A30487
A30487 is listed for IHC and IF/ICC (catalog: applications). Its images show IHC on paraffin-embedded human colon cancer and IF in HepG2 cells (catalog image captions).
Which to pick: For tissue IHC, choose A30487: its image shows paraffin-embedded human colon cancer with Tris-EDTA retrieval at pH 9.0 and primary antibody at 1:200 overnight; the fixative is unreported (A30487 IHC image caption). For IF/ICC, A30487 is listed for both applications and has an IF image in HepG2 cells (catalog: applications; A30487 IF image caption). For human, mouse, or rat samples, A30487 is the listed rabbit polyclonal option, though the supplied images show IHC only in human tissue and IF only in HepG2 cells (catalog: host, clonality, reactivity; A30487 image captions).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q13627 (DYR1A_HUMAN, Dual specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A).
- Human Protein Atlas. DYRK1A tissue IHC expression (reliability: Approved).
- Human Protein Atlas. DYRK1A subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to the nuclear speckles. In addition localized to the nucleoplasm, cytosol and centrosome..
- Human Protein Atlas. DYRK1A antibody validation summary (3 antibodies).
- A dual specificity kinase, DYRK1A, as a potential therapeutic target for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Scientific reports 2016 — PMC5086852.
- Targeting NAT10 alleviates colonic senescence and elderly-onset colitis by disrupting N4-acetylation of DYRK1A. Nature communications 2026 — PMC13065994.
- Inhibition of DYRK1A proteolysis modifies its kinase specificity and rescues Alzheimer phenotype in APP/PS1 mice. Acta neuropathologica communications 2019 — PMC6421685.
- Dyrk1A is dynamically expressed on subsets of motor neurons and in the neuromuscular junction: possible role in Down syndrome. PloS one 2013 — PMC3546979.
- PubMed PMID:8975710 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:8872470 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:8769099 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for DYRK1A (Dual specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A). Expected localisation Cytoplasmic tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC); nuclear localisation (UniProt). Antigen retrieval: Tris-EDTA pH 9.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A30487). Validated IHC antibody: A30487 at 1:100 - 1:300 (the product's own IHC validation image is shown). Controls (HPA): positive Appendix (Glandular cells); negative Liver. IHC workflow; specimen preparation unspecified. Protocol steps: 1. Sample: Paraffin-embedded human Colon cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A30487); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A30487); 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: Tris-EDTA pH 9.0 (datasheet A30487); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard); 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-DYRK1A, 1:100 - 1:300 (datasheet A30487); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (standard). Watch for: Fixation: Keep fixation consistent across sections (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Caveat: Nuclear annotation differs from cytoplasmic tissue staining (UniProt; HPA tissue IHC); Isoform / epitope: 5 isoforms; check epitope coverage across sequences (UniProt); Regulation: Ubiquitous; highest in skeletal muscle and testis (UniProt). Evidence: UniProt Q13627, HPA tissue IHC · Approved, HPA ICC-IF · Mainly localized to the nuclear speckles. In addition localized to…, Datasheet A30487, PMC5086852, PMC13065994. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/DYRK1A/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.