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GDF15 / Growth/differentiation factor 15 · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for GDF15
Plan chromogenic GDF15 IHC in paraffin sections with placenta as a high-staining reference and cytoplasmic trophoblast staining as the expected pattern (HPA tissue IHC). Start the catalog antibody A01583 at 1:50–1:100 (datasheet A01583), and account for GDF15 secretion when interpreting staining (UniProt).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
GDF15 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 staining in selected cells (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Staining pattern | Trophoblast, prostate and urothelial cytoplasm; patchy GI cells (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | Tris pH 9.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A01583) | |
| Positive control | Placenta+2 more · see all | |
| Negative control | Adipose tissue+4 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 | Secretion can separate staining from the site of synthesis (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt) | |
| Regulation | Induced by stress (UniProt) | |
| Isoform / epitope | No annotated isoforms; cleavage yields mature chain 195–308 (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended GDF15 IHC & IF Protocols
Use the catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol alongside published GDF15 staining conditions for colorectal, oral, and laryngeal cancer and mouse kidney sections (PMC3101900; PMC4811520; PMC12295036; PMC12755054).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded human placenta tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A01583) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A01583); 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 pH 9.0 (datasheet A01583); 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-GDF15, 1:50-1:100 (datasheet A01583) |
| 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 | GDF15-positive staining in syncytiotrophoblasts - cell body of placenta (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Cytoplasmic expression in placental trophoblasts, prostate, urothelium and fractions of cells in the gastrointestinal tract. No signal in the no-primary control. |
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated Tris pH 9.0 retrieval for the catalog antibody (datasheet A01583); adjust against tissue controls if staining is weak or diffuse (standard IHC practice).
Section 2
What Is the Expected GDF15 Staining Pattern?
GDF15 is secreted and has no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q99988 topology). In IHC, expect cytoplasmic staining in placental syncytiotrophoblasts, with weaker staining in prostate glandular and bladder urothelial cells (HPA tissue IHC). HPA rates the tissue profile Enhanced, while noting medium agreement with RNA because a secreted protein can be found away from its production site (HPA tissue IHC).
| Strong cytoplasmic stain in placental syncytiotrophoblasts (HPA tissue IHC). | Expected positive pattern (HPA: High in syncytiotrophoblast cell bodies). |
| Predominantly nuclear stain (HPA tissue IHC comparison). | Wrong compartment; investigate artefact (HPA: cytoplasmic profile). |
| Stain in adipocytes (HPA tissue IHC comparison). | Unexpected; assess cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity (HPA: not detected in adipocytes). |
| Diffuse stain across the section (HPA tissue IHC comparison). | Assess background before scoring; HPA describes cell-specific cytoplasmic staining (HPA tissue IHC). |
| No stain in placental syncytiotrophoblasts (HPA tissue IHC comparison). | Unexpected in a positive control; review the IHC workflow (HPA: High in syncytiotrophoblasts). |
💡Expected GDF15 appearanceA positive result is high cytoplasmic staining in placental syncytiotrophoblasts; nuclear or adipocyte staining is suspect (HPA tissue IHC).
| Secretion and processing (UniProt Q99988) | GDF15 has a signal peptide and a mature chain at residues 195–308 (UniProt Q99988). |
| Tissue control (HPA tissue IHC) | Placental syncytiotrophoblasts are High; adipocytes are not detected (HPA tissue IHC). |
| Antibody validation (HPA antibodies) | HPA011191 and CAB062554 have Enhanced IHC status (HPA antibodies). |
| IF/ICC Q&A: where is GDF15 seen? (HPA subcellular) | Golgi apparatus; this is an ICC-IF observation (HPA subcellular: enhanced). |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| No placental signal (HPA: High in syncytiotrophoblasts). | IHC workflow may have failed (general IHC practice). | Check the positive control, retrieval and detection steps (general IHC practice). |
| Nuclear-only staining (HPA: cytoplasmic profile). | Possible nonspecific signal (general IHC practice). | Check staining with an independent IHC antibody (general IHC practice). |
| Adipocyte staining (HPA: not detected in adipocytes). | Possible cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity (general IHC practice). | Check a negative control and detection-only control (general IHC practice). |
| Diffuse section-wide staining (HPA tissue IHC comparison). | Possible nonspecific background (general IHC practice). | Review blocking, washes and antibody concentration (general IHC practice). |
| Weak placental staining (HPA: High in syncytiotrophoblasts). | Positive-control performance may be suboptimal (general IHC practice). | Review retrieval and primary-antibody conditions (general IHC practice). |
| Unexpected extracellular stain (UniProt Q99988: secreted). | Secreted GDF15 may differ in location from tissue RNA (HPA tissue IHC). | Score cell-specific stain against the placental control (HPA tissue IHC). |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing GDF15 staining
A01583 · IHCImmunohistochemistry of paraffin-embedded human placenta using GDF15 Rabbit pAb at dilution of 1:100 .Perform microwave antigen retrieval wi
A01583 · IFImmunofluorescence analysis of BALB-3T3 cells using GDF15 Rabbit pAb at dilution of 1:100 . Blue: DAPI for nuclear staining.
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000130513-GDF15/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_3104904
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000130513-GDF15/tissue/colon#imid_3104830
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000130513-GDF15/tissue/liver#imid_3104831
HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000130513-GDF15/tissue/kidney#imid_3104848
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA011191; green = GDF15, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA011191; green = GDF15, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for GDF15 IHC & IF
🧪Run placenta first: syncytiotrophoblast cell bodies should stain strongly (HPA: High). Use adipose tissue adipocytes as the negative comparator (HPA: Not detected); other cells on the placenta slide should remain at background unless their GDF15 expression is independently established (HPA: High is assigned specifically to syncytiotrophoblast cell bodies).
Positive control tissue: Placenta (Syncytiotrophoblasts - cell body, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show GDF15 in A-431, Hep-G2, U2OS, with annotated localisation: Golgi apparatus (enhanced) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include no-primary (secondary-only) and concentration-matched rabbit polyclonal isotype controls (caption: Rabbit pAb), plus GDF15 knockout tissue or a peptide-block control if a matching immunizing peptide is available (standard IHC practice). Check for endogenous peroxidase signal on the placenta slide before interpreting chromogenic staining; check endogenous biotin if using avidin–biotin detection (standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported in the supplied evidence, and the selected A01583 placenta caption does not state a fixative (caption: fixative unreported). That paraffin-section example uses microwave retrieval in 10 mM Tris/Tris, pH 9.0, before staining at 1:100; it does not establish that retrieval is required under other conditions (caption: A01583 placenta IHC). The evidence does not establish that frozen sections or IF are easier; placenta may require attention to endogenous peroxidase in chromogenic IHC and autofluorescence in IF (standard IHC/IF practice).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for GDF15
Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Enhanced — Medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression data. Secreted protein, tissue location of RNA and protein is expected to differ.). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Placenta | Syncytiotrophoblasts - cell body | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Prostate | Glandular cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Urinary bladder | Urothelial cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Undetected expression · recommended negative controls
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adipose tissue | Adipocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Adrenal gland | Glandular cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Bone marrow | Hematopoietic cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Breast | Adipocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Bronchus | Respiratory epithelial cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Section 3
Advanced GDF15 IHC Tips
Troubleshoot GDF15 staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, compartment, tissue controls and scoring before interpreting chromogenic signal.
How should I retrieve GDF15 in paraffin sections when placental staining is weak?
Start with heat-mediated retrieval in Tris pH 9.0 (datasheet A01583). The selected paraffin-section placenta image used microwave retrieval in 10 mM Tris/EDTA at pH 9.0 and an antibody dilution of 1:100 (A01583 caption). Keep heating, cooling and chromogen development consistent between a placenta control and study sections; assess the syncytiotrophoblast cell bodies, where staining is high (HPA: High in placental syncytiotrophoblasts). If signal remains weak, titrate retrieval duration on matched sections while checking tissue morphology, then consider an alternative buffer as a fallback. The caption does not report a fixative (A01583 caption).
Could fixation explain variable GDF15 staining across paraffin blocks?
Target-specific sensitivity to fixation is unknown from the supplied evidence; the selected placenta caption reports paraffin embedding but gives no fixative or fixation time (A01583 caption). Record each block’s fixative and processing history, and compare study sections with a placenta control processed as similarly as possible. If blocks differ, test retrieval and antibody conditions on adjacent sections before attributing an intensity difference to GDF15 abundance. Inspect nuclear detail and section integrity after heating, since damaged morphology makes cell-level interpretation unreliable. Report any unresolved processing differences alongside the staining result rather than treating a stronger signal as proof of higher expression.
Should GDF15 stain the cytoplasm, Golgi region or extracellular space?
Expect interpretable cellular staining in placental trophoblast cell bodies and other reported epithelial populations (HPA: cytoplasmic tissue expression; HPA: High in placental syncytiotrophoblasts). A concentrated perinuclear pattern can fit the reported Golgi localisation in ICC/IF (HPA subcellular: Golgi apparatus, enhanced), while secreted GDF15 may also be found beyond its producing cell (UniProt Q99988: secreted in plasma). GDF15 has no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q99988 topology), so a crisp membrane outline alone deserves scrutiny. Review the counterstain and tissue architecture to distinguish intracellular signal from luminal material or diffuse extracellular deposits. Record these patterns separately rather than assigning every brown region to a positive cell.
How can GDF15 processing affect which structures my antibody detects?
GDF15 is made as a 308-amino-acid precursor with a signal peptide at residues 1–29, propeptide at 30–194 and mature chain at 195–308 (UniProt Q99988 processing). A glycosylation site is annotated at residue 70, and the protein forms a disulfide-linked homodimer (UniProt Q99988 glycosylation; UniProt Q99988 subunit). No isoforms are annotated in the supplied record (UniProt Q99988 isoforms). Check the catalog antibody’s stated immunogen or epitope before inferring which processed form contributes to the chromogenic signal. Without epitope information, cytoplasmic and extracellular staining cannot establish precursor versus mature-chain recognition.
How should I adapt these GDF15 localisation checks for multiplex IF?
Use a marker for the expected cell population when multiplexing: placental syncytiotrophoblast cell bodies show high tissue staining (HPA: High in placental syncytiotrophoblasts). Choose a fluorophore channel after measuring tissue autofluorescence in an unstained section, and include single-stain controls to assess bleed-through. GDF15 is secreted and lacks a transmembrane segment (UniProt Q99988 subcellular; UniProt Q99988 topology); for an intracellular epitope, optimise mild permeabilisation, while an accessible extracellular epitope may need none. Compare any perinuclear signal with the reported Golgi localisation (HPA subcellular: Golgi apparatus, enhanced). Establish IF fixation and antibody conditions independently; the selected paraffin-section caption does not report IF conditions (A01583 caption).
What should I check when GDF15 IHC shows widespread brown staining?
Run a no-primary control on the same tissue and check the peroxidase block before interpreting DAB deposits; these are general chromogenic IHC controls. Examine pigment, folds, cut edges and necrotic regions under the counterstain, then shorten chromogen development or adjust antibody concentration if background obscures cells. Compare the pattern with a placenta control, where syncytiotrophoblast cell bodies stain strongly (HPA: High in placental syncytiotrophoblasts). Adipocytes in adipose tissue are reported as not detected and can provide a contextual tissue comparison (HPA: Not detected in adipose adipocytes). Because GDF15 is secreted, extracellular colour alone does not identify the producing cell (UniProt Q99988 subcellular).
How should I score GDF15 IHC across samples with different cell composition? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the tissue compartment and eligible cells before scoring, then apply the same threshold, counterstain and imaging settings across sections. For cellular signal, record the percentage of positive cells and an H-score using intensity categories 0–3; report area-normalised positive-cell density per mm² when cell counts are the relevant endpoint. Normalise each result to the number or area of the specified cell population, and record extracellular staining separately. This matters because tissue IHC reports cytoplasmic expression in placental trophoblasts, prostate, urothelium and some gastrointestinal cells (HPA: tissue profile). Interpret differences alongside matched controls and processing records, especially when the sampled cell populations differ.
How do I distinguish convincing GDF15 staining from artefact in paraffin sections?
Look for reproducible cytoplasmic signal in the expected cells: placental syncytiotrophoblast cell bodies stain strongly, while prostate glandular and urothelial cells show medium staining (HPA: tissue IHC). A perinuclear pattern may fit the reported Golgi location (HPA subcellular: Golgi apparatus, enhanced), but isolated sharp membrane outlines are difficult to reconcile with a protein lacking a transmembrane segment (UniProt Q99988 topology). Compare adjacent intact tissue with cut edges, folds and necrotic areas, and require a clean no-primary control to exclude endogenous enzyme or nonspecific DAB deposition. Since GDF15 is secreted, extracellular staining cannot by itself establish which cell produced it (UniProt Q99988 subcellular).
Boster reagents
Best GDF15 / Growth/differentiation factor 15 IHC Antibodies
A01583 has pictured GDF15 IHC in paraffin-embedded human placenta and IF in BALB-3T3 cells (catalog image captions); its listed reactivity spans human, mouse and rat (catalog).
Real IHC data
Anti-GDF-15 Antibody
Cat # A01583
A01583 has pictured IHC in paraffin-embedded human placenta and IF in BALB-3T3 cells (catalog image captions). A01583-4 lists IHC for human and mouse, with no IHC or IF image supplied (catalog applications, reactivity and image fields).
Which to pick: For paraffin-section IHC with pictured evidence, choose A01583: its human placenta image used 1:100 and microwave retrieval in 10 mM Tris/Tris, pH 9.0; the fixative is unreported (A01583 IHC image caption). For IF/ICC, choose A01583, which lists both applications and has a pictured IF result in BALB-3T3 cells (catalog applications and IF image caption). For rat samples, A01583 is the listed option; A01583-4 lists human and mouse IHC but supplies no IHC image (catalog reactivity, applications and image fields).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q99988 (GDF15_HUMAN, Growth/differentiation factor 15).
- Human Protein Atlas. GDF15 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Enhanced).
- Human Protein Atlas. GDF15 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Localized to the Golgi apparatus..
- Human Protein Atlas. GDF15 antibody validation summary (3 antibodies).
- Growth differentiation factor 15: a prognostic marker for recurrence in colorectal cancer. British journal of cancer 2011 — PMC3101900.
- Mutant GDF15 presents a poor prognostic outcome for patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. Oncotarget 2016 — PMC4811520.
- Evaluation of GDF15 Significance as a Biomarker in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Journal of clinical medicine 2025 — PMC12295036.
- Novel Roles of GDF15 in Alleviating Renal Fibrosis: Promoting Autophagy and Lysosome Biogenesis via Inhibition of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Pathway. Journal of cellular and molecular medicine 2026 — PMC12755054.
- PubMed PMID:9375789 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:9348093 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:9326641 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for GDF15 (Growth/differentiation factor 15). Expected localisation Cytoplasmic staining in selected cells (HPA tissue IHC). Antigen retrieval: Tris pH 9.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A01583). Validated IHC antibody: A01583 at 1:50-1:100 (the product's own IHC validation image is shown). Controls (HPA): positive Placenta (Syncytiotrophoblasts - cell body); negative Adipose tissue. IHC workflow; specimen preparation unspecified. Protocol steps: 1. Sample: Paraffin-embedded human placenta tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A01583); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A01583); 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 pH 9.0 (datasheet A01583); 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-GDF15, 1:50-1:100 (datasheet A01583); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (standard). Watch for: Fixation: Keep fixation consistent across sections (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Caveat: Secretion can separate staining from the site of synthesis (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt); Isoform / epitope: No annotated isoforms; cleavage yields mature chain 195–308 (UniProt); Regulation: Induced by stress (UniProt). Evidence: UniProt Q99988, HPA tissue IHC · Enhanced, HPA ICC-IF · Golgi apparatus., Datasheet A01583, PMC3101900, PMC4811520. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/GDF15/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.