EIF5 / Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5 · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for EIF5

This guide covers EIF5 staining in paraffin sections with the IHC-validated antibody (datasheet A04623-2). Use the documented cytoplasmic tissue pattern to choose controls and assess staining (HPA tissue IHC).

Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for EIF5 (IHC for EIF5): expected localisation Ubiquitous cytoplasmic staining (HPA tissue IHC), antibody A04623-2, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps
Printable EIF5 IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Ubiquitous cytoplasmic staining (HPA tissue IHC), antibody A04623-2, controls and protocol steps. Open the full EIF5 IHC guide →

EIF5 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 Ubiquitous cytoplasmic staining (HPA tissue IHC)
Staining pattern Cytoplasmic staining across many cell types; high in glandular cells (HPA tissue IHC)
Antigen retrieval EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A04623-2)
Positive control ⓘ Adrenal gland+4 more · see all
Negative control ⓘ None in HPA (detected in all 44 tissues); use no-primary + isotype controls
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
Fixation Keep fixation consistent across sections (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Matched tissue-IHC evidence does not establish the fixation claim. Validate the specimen-specific method before use. (selected-SKU IHC image A04623-2)
Caveat Adipocytes and cardiomyocytes show low staining (HPA tissue IHC)
Regulation Low tissue specificity; no regulator annotated (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt)
Isoform / epitope 0 isoforms; one full-length chain, with no processing annotated (UniProt)
Section 1

Recommended EIF5 IHC & IF Protocols

The catalog antibody protocol uses EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval (datasheet: A04623-2). The published IHC methods below provide endometrial cancer and colorectal cancer examples (PMC6941158; PMC6606960).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
SampleParaffin-embedded human esophageal squamous carcinoma tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A04623-2)
FixationImage fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A04623-2); 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 A04623-2); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard)
Peroxidase block3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard)
Blocking10% goat serum (datasheet A04623-2)
Primary antibodyRabbit anti-EIF5, 2-5 μg/ml (datasheet A04623-2)
Primary incubationOvernight at 4 °C (datasheet A04623-2)
DetectionStreptavidin-biotin complex (SABC), DAB chromogen (datasheet A04623-2)
CounterstainHematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected resultEIF5-positive staining in glandular cells of adrenal gland (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Ubiquitous cytoplasmic expression. No signal in the no-primary control.
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval for the catalog antibody (datasheet: A04623-2); citrate retrieval is a published alternative for colorectal cancer sections (PMC6606960).
Section 2

What Is the Expected EIF5 Staining Pattern?

EIF5 should stain mainly in the cytoplasm of many cell types in paraffin sections, including colon glandular cells, bronchial respiratory epithelial cells, and bone marrow hematopoietic cells (HPA tissue IHC: ubiquitous cytoplasmic expression; High in these cells). HPA rates the tissue pattern Supported, with medium consistency between staining and RNA data (HPA tissue IHC). EIF5 has no transmembrane segment (UniProt P55010 topology).

What am I looking at on my slide?
Cytoplasmic staining in colon glandular cells, bronchial respiratory epithelial cells, or bone marrow hematopoietic cells.This matches the reported compartment and High staining in these cells (HPA tissue IHC). Compare cells within the section as well as the chosen reference tissue; HPA describes a ubiquitous cytoplasmic pattern, so a positive result need not be confined to one cell type (HPA tissue IHC).
Predominantly nuclear staining, or a sharp membrane-only pattern, replaces cytoplasmic staining.Treat a dominant nuclear pattern as unexpected for tissue IHC (UniProt P55010: cytoplasm; HPA tissue IHC: ubiquitous cytoplasmic expression). HPA also reports plasma membrane localization by ICC-IF, but that observation does not establish a membrane-only paraffin-section pattern (HPA subcellular ICC-IF). Recheck controls before assigning specificity (general IHC practice).
Signal is concentrated in an unexpected cell population while documented High-staining cells lack cytoplasmic signal.Consider cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity, especially if signal persists in a control lacking primary antibody (general IHC practice). HPA reports High staining in the listed reference cells and low staining in cardiomyocytes and adipocytes; the low groups are not established negatives (HPA tissue IHC).
Color spreads diffusely across tissue, including areas without distinct cellular boundaries.This is difficult to score as EIF5 localization; a meaningful positive call needs identifiable cytoplasmic signal in cells (HPA tissue IHC: cytoplasmic profile; general IHC practice). Examine a control without primary antibody, blocking, washing, and detection conditions for background (general IHC practice).
No cytoplasmic signal appears in a documented High-staining reference tissue.A blank section alone does not establish absent EIF5: HPA reports High staining in several reference cell populations, with overall tissue reliability rated Supported (HPA tissue IHC). Check section integrity, the antibody's IHC-P instructions, retrieval, dilution, and detection controls before interpreting a biological negative (general IHC practice).
💡Expected EIF5 appearanceCall a result positive when cells show discernible cytoplasmic signal, potentially High in documented reference populations (HPA tissue IHC); dominant nuclear staining or diffuse color without cellular boundaries warrants control review (UniProt P55010: cytoplasm; general IHC practice).
How each factor affects the staining
Tissue and cell choiceColon glandular cells, bronchial respiratory epithelial cells, and bone marrow hematopoietic cells are documented High-staining references (HPA tissue IHC). Cardiomyocytes and adipocytes are reported low, so weak staining there cannot serve as a definitive negative control (HPA tissue IHC).
Antibody validationHPA labels IHC staining Supported for HPA000867 and CAB004226 (HPA antibodies). The tissue summary is also Supported, with medium staining-to-RNA consistency (HPA tissue IHC). Use these ratings as evidence for the reported pattern, while evaluating the antibody and controls used in the experiment (general IHC practice).
Compartment and topologyUniProt places EIF5 in the cytoplasm and reports no transmembrane segment (UniProt P55010). HPA tissue IHC describes ubiquitous cytoplasmic expression (HPA tissue IHC). These annotations support a cytoplasmic scoring focus; they do not establish how antigen retrieval affects staining (UniProt P55010; HPA tissue IHC).
ICC-IF comparisonHPA reports a mainly cytosolic ICC-IF pattern, with additional plasma membrane, primary cilium, and cilium-tip localization (HPA subcellular ICC-IF). These are cell-imaging observations; judge paraffin-section chromogenic results against the tissue IHC pattern and its cell-level context (HPA tissue IHC).
Chromogenic detection backgroundEndogenous detection activity can create color unrelated to primary-antibody binding (general IHC practice). A control lacking primary antibody helps separate this background from cell-associated cytoplasmic staining; select blocking and detection checks appropriate to the chemistry used (general IHC practice).
Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
SituationLikely causeNext action
Known High-staining reference cells have no visible cytoplasmic color.The assay may have failed at retrieval, antibody incubation, or detection; absent color alone cannot identify which step failed (general IHC practice).Confirm the reference cells and section quality, then check retrieval, antibody dilution, incubation, and detection against the antibody's IHC-P instructions (general IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC: High reference cells).
Most cells look positive because the entire section has a light brown haze.Background can obscure the cell boundaries needed to evaluate HPA's cytoplasmic tissue pattern (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice).Compare a control lacking primary antibody and review blocking, washing, detection time, and counterstain so cytoplasmic color can be distinguished from haze (general IHC practice).
Nuclei appear to carry the strongest signal.A dominant nuclear pattern conflicts with the reported cytoplasmic localization (UniProt P55010; HPA tissue IHC). Counterstain or nonspecific signal can complicate visual interpretation (general IHC practice).Inspect an appropriate control, review counterstain intensity, and rescore cells using identifiable cytoplasmic color before accepting nuclear staining as target-specific (general IHC practice).
Unexpected cells stain strongly while documented High-staining cells remain blank.Cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity is possible, although EIF5 staining is broadly distributed across tissues (HPA tissue IHC: ubiquitous cytoplasmic expression; general IHC practice).Check cell identity and compare a control lacking primary antibody. Reassess the antibody and detection conditions if the mismatch persists (general IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC: High reference cells).
Cardiomyocytes or adipocytes show weak color.Weak color may fit HPA's low staining reports; neither cell population is listed as a negative tissue control (HPA tissue IHC).Score intensity and cytoplasmic localization alongside documented High-staining cells, then use assay controls to assess background rather than treating weak staining alone as failure (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice).
ICC-IF shows ciliary or membrane signal that is inconspicuous in paraffin-section IHC.HPA records these as additional ICC-IF locations, while its tissue IHC profile is cytoplasmic (HPA subcellular ICC-IF; HPA tissue IHC).Interpret each application against its own HPA pattern: assess cytoplasmic cell staining for IHC and consult the separate IF/ICC guide for imaging decisions (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular ICC-IF).

Sample controls for EIF5 IHC & IF

🧪Run bone marrow first: hematopoietic cells should show strong EIF5 staining (HPA: High in bone marrow hematopoietic cells). HPA detects EIF5 in all 44 scored tissues, so there is no supported negative tissue; use no-primary and isotype controls, and expect nuclei and slide background to remain unstained relative to cytoplasmic signal (HPA: no negative tissues; UniProt P55010: Cytoplasm).
Positive control tissue: Adrenal gland (Glandular cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: None in HPA: EIF5 is detected in all 44 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 EIF5 in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, hTERT-RPE1 (serum starved), U2OS, siRNA 1 (10x), U2OS, siRNA 2 (10x), U2OS, scrambled (10x), NIH 3T3, with annotated localisation: Cytosol (approved) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only slide, a matched rabbit IgG isotype control, and a validated EIF5 knockout sample as a biological negative (caption: rabbit anti-EIF5 primary). In bone marrow, quench endogenous peroxidase and check background from the biotin-based detection system before interpreting DAB staining (HPA: bone marrow positive; caption: biotinylated secondary, SABC and DAB).
⚠️Feasibility: No target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is reported, and the selected paraffin-section caption does not state its fixative (caption: fixative unreported). The documented tissue IHC example uses heat retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0, but the evidence does not establish that retrieval is required across specimens (caption: EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval). Paraffin-section IHC has a documented example, while ICC-IF has cell images; neither source shows that frozen sections or IF are easier (caption: paraffin-section IHC; HPA: ICC-IF images).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for EIF5

Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Supported — 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
Adrenal gland Glandular cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Bone marrow Hematopoietic cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Breast Glandular cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Bronchus Respiratory epithelial cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Cerebellum GLUC cells - cytoplasm/membrane High Protein (IHC) HPA →

Undetected expression · recommended negative controls

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
None in HPA: EIF5 is detected in all 44 scored tissues. Use a no-primary (secondary-only) and an isotype control instead.
Section 3

Advanced EIF5 IHC Tips

Troubleshoot EIF5 staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, cytoplasmic localisation, and controls before comparing chromogenic signal across samples.

What retrieval conditions should I try first when EIF5 staining is weak?
Start with heat-mediated retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 for paraffin sections (datasheet A04623-2). The selected image used this retrieval before staining human esophageal squamous carcinoma with 2 μg/ml primary antibody overnight at 4°C (caption A04623-2). If staining is weak, check that sections received consistent heating and cooling, then adjust retrieval duration on matched sections while keeping EDTA at pH 8.0 (standard IHC practice). Compare cytoplasmic signal and tissue morphology together: stronger diffuse colour accompanied by damaged sections is insufficient evidence of improved EIF5 detection (UniProt P55010 localisation; standard IHC practice).
How should I assess whether fixation is affecting EIF5 detection?
Target-specific sensitivity of EIF5 to fixation is unknown: the selected paraffin-section caption does not state a fixative (caption A04623-2). Record the fixative, fixation duration, and tissue processing for each specimen, and compare sections processed under matched conditions before changing antibody concentration (standard IHC practice). Use the reported EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 and 2 μg/ml primary incubation as reference conditions when investigating variation (datasheet A04623-2; caption A04623-2). If staining differs, evaluate preserved morphology and cytoplasmic signal together; the supplied tissue patterns and EIF5 sequence annotations do not establish a fixation mechanism (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt P55010).
Which staining compartment should I expect for EIF5 in paraffin sections?
Expect predominantly cytoplasmic staining: UniProt places EIF5 in the cytoplasm, and tissue IHC describes ubiquitous cytoplasmic expression (UniProt P55010; HPA tissue IHC). Score cytoplasm separately from nuclei and membrane-associated colour, using the same compartment rule for every section (standard IHC practice). Approved cell imaging also places EIF5 mainly in the cytosol, with additional plasma membrane and primary cilium locations; these observations need careful interpretation in chromogenic tissue sections (HPA subcellular). EIF5 has no transmembrane segment, so a sharp membrane-only pattern should prompt review of morphology, controls, and detection background before it is assigned to EIF5 (UniProt P55010 topology; standard IHC practice).
Could an isoform or epitope difference explain uneven EIF5 staining?
The supplied record lists 0 EIF5 isoforms and one chain spanning residues 1–431, so it provides no annotated isoform pattern to explain uneven staining (UniProt P55010). It identifies a W2 domain at residues 233–392 and several modified residues, including phosphoserine 10 and phosphothreonine 227 (UniProt P55010). The selected caption does not identify the antibody epitope; do not assign staining differences to a specific domain or modification without epitope information (caption A04623-2). Compare retrieval-matched sections and independent specificity controls before interpreting regional differences as EIF5 biology (standard IHC practice).
How can IF help assess the cellular source of EIF5 IHC staining?
For IF/ICC, pair EIF5 with a cell identity marker appropriate to the specimen, then assess whether the signal falls within the expected cells (standard IF practice). Choose a fluorophore channel with low measured tissue autofluorescence and inspect unstained tissue in that channel before calling faint signal positive (standard IF practice). Because EIF5 is mainly cytosolic and has no transmembrane segment, test permeabilisation for access to its cytosolic epitope; compare with a matched condition when assessing additional membrane or cilium signal (HPA subcellular; UniProt P55010 topology; standard IF practice). Cell imaging reports cytosolic, plasma membrane, and primary cilium locations, but it supplies no IF fixation or permeabilisation settings here (HPA subcellular).
What should I check when EIF5 IHC shows diffuse brown background?
Separate brown precipitate over cells from colour in empty spaces, tissue edges, and damaged regions before increasing the positivity threshold (standard chromogenic IHC practice). The selected protocol used a 10% goat serum block, a biotinylated secondary, and DAB development through a streptavidin–biotin complex (caption A04623-2). Check a no-primary control and assess peroxidase blocking and potential biotin-related signal as general controls for that detection workflow (caption A04623-2; standard chromogenic IHC practice). When background persists, compare sections with consistent retrieval at pH 8.0 and primary incubation at 2 μg/ml, and judge improvement against expected cytoplasmic localisation (datasheet A04623-2; UniProt P55010).
How should I quantify EIF5 staining across paraffin sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cell population and cytoplasmic compartment before scoring, because tissue IHC describes ubiquitous cytoplasmic EIF5 expression (HPA tissue IHC). An H-score can combine the percentage of cells at each intensity, while percentage positive cells or positive-cell density per mm² can answer different sampling questions (standard IHC scoring practice). Keep staining thresholds, section sampling, and image settings consistent, and normalise counts to the number of eligible cells or analysed tissue area as appropriate (standard IHC scoring practice). Report cell type and tissue context alongside each score: HPA reports high staining in several cell populations but low staining in cardiomyocytes and adipocytes (HPA tissue IHC).
How can I distinguish genuine EIF5 staining from chromogenic artefact?
A convincing result places signal mainly in intact-cell cytoplasm, consistent with UniProt localisation and the tissue IHC profile (UniProt P55010; HPA tissue IHC). Check cell identity before comparing intensity: HPA reports high staining in several glandular and epithelial populations, whereas cardiomyocytes and adipocytes are listed as low (HPA tissue IHC). Treat isolated nuclear colour, strong section-edge staining, and pigment over necrotic areas as reasons to inspect morphology and matched controls, rather than evidence of a new EIF5 compartment (standard IHC practice). Review a no-primary control for endogenous enzyme or detection-system colour, and retain the HPA tissue profile’s Supported rating and medium RNA–staining consistency when drawing conclusions (standard chromogenic IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC).
Boster reagents

Best EIF5 / Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5 IHC Antibodies

The catalog shows EIF5 IHC in human paraffin tissue sections (A04623-2 image captions) and IF in PC-3 cells (M04623 image caption); listed antibody reactivity covers human, mouse and rat (catalog reactivity).

Real IHC data IHC analysis of EIF5 using anti-EIF5 antibody (A04623-2). EIF5 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human esophageal squamous carcinoma 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-EIF5 Antibody (A04623-2) 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-EIF5 Antibody ®
Cat # A04623-2
Real IF data IF analysis of EIF5 using anti-EIF5 antibody (M04623). EIF5 was detected in an immunocytochemical section of PC-3 cells. Enzyme antigen retrieval was performed using IHC enzyme antigen retrieval reagent (AR0022) for 15 mins. The cells were blocked with 10% goat serum. And then incubated with 5 μg/mL mouse anti-EIF5 Antibody (M04623) overnight at 4°C. DyLight®488 Conjugated Goat Anti-Mouse IgG (BA1126) was used as secondary antibody at 1:100 dilution and incubated for 30 minutes at 37°C. The section was counterstained with DAPI. Visualize using a fluorescence microscope and filter sets appropriate for the label used.
Anti-EIF5 Antibody ® (monoclonal, 2F13C4)
Cat # M04623

A04623-2 will render with IHC data from human paraffin sections of esophageal squamous carcinoma, gastric cancer and lung cancer (A04623-2 image captions). M04623 will render with IF data from PC-3 cells (M04623 image caption).

Which to pick: Choose A04623-2 for tissue IHC: its application list includes IHC, and its staining captions document paraffin sections; the fixative is unreported (A04623-2 applications and image captions). Choose M04623 for IF/ICC: it is a mouse monoclonal antibody with IF and ICC listed, and its caption documents staining in PC-3 cells (M04623 catalog entry and image caption). For work spanning species, A04623-2 lists human, mouse and rat reactivity, while M04623 lists human only; the supplied A04623-2 tissue images show human samples (catalog reactivity; A04623-2 image captions).

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

References

  1. UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P55010 (IF5_HUMAN, Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5).
  2. Human Protein Atlas. EIF5 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Supported).
  3. Human Protein Atlas. EIF5 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to the cytosol. In addition localized to the plasma membrane, primary cilium and primary cilium tip..
  4. Human Protein Atlas. EIF5 antibody validation summary (2 antibodies).
  5. The Prognostic Significance of Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factors (eIFs) in Endometrial Cancer. International journal of molecular sciences 2019 — PMC6941158.
  6. CircRNA-100338 Is Associated With mTOR Signaling Pathway and Poor Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Frontiers in oncology 2019 — PMC6528706.
  7. Novel oncogene 5MP1 reprograms c-Myc translation initiation to drive malignant phenotypes in colorectal cancer. EBioMedicine 2019 — PMC6606960.
  8. Separation of low and high grade colon and rectum carcinoma by eukaryotic translation initiation factors 1, 5 and 6. Oncotarget 2017 — PMC5731869.
  9. PubMed PMID:8663286 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  10. PubMed PMID:11230166 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  11. PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.