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GDF15 / Growth/differentiation factor 15 · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for GDF15
Plan GDF15 IHC in paraffin sections using placental syncytiotrophoblasts as a high-staining reference (HPA tissue IHC) and the catalog antibody at 1:50–1:100 (datasheet A01583). Assess cytoplasmic staining while accounting for secretion, which can separate tissue protein from its cellular source (HPA tissue IHC).
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 tissue (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Staining pattern | Cytoplasmic in trophoblasts, prostate, urothelium and some 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 | Matched tissue-IHC evidence does not establish the fixation claim. Validate the specimen-specific method before use. (selected-SKU IHC image A01583) | |
| Caveat | Secretion can separate protein staining from its source cells (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | Produced in response to stress (UniProt) | |
| Isoform / epitope | No isoforms; propeptide/mature epitope matters; no cytoplasmic tail (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended GDF15 IHC & IF Protocols
Compare the catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol (datasheet A01583) with published oral carcinoma, laryngeal carcinoma, and mouse kidney IHC protocols (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); the published mouse kidney protocol specifies microwave retrieval without a buffer (PMC12755054).
Section 2
What Is the Expected GDF15 Staining Pattern?
GDF15 is secreted and has no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q99988 topology). In tissue IHC, expect mainly cytoplasmic staining in placental syncytiotrophoblasts, with weaker staining in prostate glandular cells and bladder urothelial cells (HPA tissue IHC). HPA rates its tissue staining reliability as Enhanced, while noting only medium consistency with RNA because a secreted protein’s RNA and protein locations can differ (HPA tissue IHC).
| Strong cytoplasmic staining in placental syncytiotrophoblast cell bodies, with tissue structure preserved. | This matches HPA’s high placental signal and reported cytoplasmic pattern (HPA tissue IHC). Assess the defined cell bodies rather than treating color in adjacent spaces as equivalent evidence of cellular expression; GDF15 is secreted and detected in plasma (UniProt Q99988 subcellular location and tissue specificity). |
| Cytoplasmic staining in prostate glands or bladder urothelium that is less intense than the placental control. | A moderate result is consistent with HPA’s medium staining in prostate glandular and bladder urothelial cells (HPA tissue IHC). Low signal can also occur in selected gastrointestinal and pancreatic cell populations; compare the actual cell type with HPA’s annotation before assigning a tissue-wide score (HPA tissue IHC). |
| Predominantly sharp nuclear or continuous cell-surface staining, without the expected cytoplasmic pattern. | Treat this compartment mismatch as a possible staining artefact and review controls (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q99988 topology). GDF15 has no annotated transmembrane segment, and HPA describes tissue staining as cytoplasmic (UniProt Q99988 topology; HPA tissue IHC). |
| Strong staining in an unexpected cell population, or widespread color across unrelated structures. | Consider antibody cross-reactivity or endogenous chromogenic detection activity, then check a reagent omission control and the stated cell types (general IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC). HPA reports no detection in adipocytes of adipose tissue, for example; that annotation does not make every cell in adipose tissue a validated negative control (HPA tissue IHC). |
| No cellular signal in a placental section expected to contain syncytiotrophoblasts. | A negative result conflicts with HPA’s high syncytiotrophoblast staining (HPA tissue IHC). Confirm that the relevant cells are present and that the detection controls worked before interpreting the sample as GDF15-negative (general IHC practice). |
💡Expected GDF15 appearanceCall a section positive when placental syncytiotrophoblast cell bodies show strong cytoplasmic staining; isolated nuclear, continuous membrane, or indiscriminate background color is suspect (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q99988 topology).
| Secreted protein and tissue location | GDF15 lacks a transmembrane segment and is detected in plasma (UniProt Q99988 topology and tissue specificity). Cellular staining should be interpreted with morphology and controls; extracellular color alone does not identify its producing cell (general IHC practice). |
| Processing and antibody epitope | The 308-residue precursor contains a signal peptide, propeptide and mature chain spanning residues 195–308 (UniProt Q99988 processing). Interpret an antibody’s result in light of its documented epitope if available; this payload does not specify which GDF15 form it detects. |
| Tissue and cell selection | HPA reports high syncytiotrophoblast staining, medium prostate glandular and bladder urothelial staining, and low staining in specified gastrointestinal and pancreatic populations (HPA tissue IHC). Those levels guide control choice but do not predict identical intensity in every specimen. |
| Evidence strength | HPA labels the tissue IHC pattern Enhanced but describes medium agreement with RNA expression, as expected for a secreted protein (HPA tissue IHC). Read protein localization directly from the stained cells; kidney-enhanced RNA specificity alone does not establish a kidney IHC pattern (HPA tissue IHC). |
| IF/ICC question: where is the signal? | HPA reports an enhanced Golgi apparatus localization in ICC-IF (HPA subcellular). That intracellular pattern is compatible with a secreted protein, but it is an ICC-IF observation and does not replace the tissue IHC cell-type pattern (UniProt Q99988 subcellular location; HPA tissue IHC). |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Placental positive control lacks staining. | The relevant syncytiotrophoblasts may be absent from the examined area, or the staining run may have failed (general IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC). | Locate intact syncytiotrophoblast cell bodies and review the run’s detection control before calling the tissue negative (general IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC). |
| Prostate or bladder signal looks weaker than placenta. | HPA reports medium staining in prostate glandular and bladder urothelial cells versus high staining in placental syncytiotrophoblasts (HPA tissue IHC). | Score each annotated cell type against its own expected level and check the placental control for a functioning run (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
| Unexpected nuclear or continuous membrane staining dominates. | The pattern conflicts with HPA’s cytoplasmic tissue profile and GDF15’s lack of a transmembrane segment (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q99988 topology). | Review morphology, antibody specificity and reagent omission controls before accepting the signal as GDF15 (general IHC practice). |
| Color appears throughout the section, including areas without intact cells. | Diffuse chromogen may reflect background or endogenous detection activity; GDF15’s presence in plasma alone cannot identify the source of that color (general IHC practice; UniProt Q99988 tissue specificity). | Check the reagent omission control and evaluate color within intact annotated cell bodies separately from diffuse staining (general IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC). |
| An HPA-listed negative population stains strongly. | Cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity is possible, although HPA’s negative calls apply to the named cells, such as adipocytes in adipose tissue (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). | Verify the stained cell identity, compare the placental positive control, and inspect the reagent omission control (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
| A colon or pancreatic section appears mostly negative. | HPA reports low staining only in colon mucosal lymphoid cells and pancreatic exocrine glandular cells, not uniform staining across either tissue (HPA tissue IHC). | Inspect those named populations before scoring the section and use a placental control to verify the staining run (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
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 in syncytiotrophoblast cell body). Run adipose tissue as the negative comparator because adipocytes are not detected; on the placenta slide, use cells without specific chromogen deposition as internal background comparators, without assuming those cells are biologically GDF15-negative (HPA: Not detected in adipocytes; standard IHC practice).
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 a no-primary, secondary-only control and a host-matched rabbit IgG isotype control for the rabbit polyclonal primary; use GDF15-knockout material, if available, as a biological negative (caption: Rabbit pAb; standard IHC practice). On placenta, check for endogenous peroxidase signal with the no-primary control when using chromogenic detection (standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: Paraffin-section IHC is documented with microwave retrieval in 10 mM Tris/Tris, pH 9.0, and a 1:100 primary dilution; the selected A01583 caption does not report the fixative (A01583 tissue-IHC caption). No matched source reports a GDF15-specific fixation window or fixation effect, and the supplied evidence does not establish whether frozen sections or IF are easier (supplied target/application evidence). Because GDF15 is secreted, interpret any extracellular staining cautiously when assigning signal to cells (UniProt Q99988: secreted).
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
These IHC troubleshooting checks use the A01583 paraffin-section caption, GDF15 biology, and tissue staining patterns to guide controls and interpretation.
What retrieval should I try first when GDF15 staining is weak?
Start with heat-mediated retrieval in Tris buffer at pH 9.0 (datasheet A01583). The selected paraffin-section placenta image used microwave retrieval in 10 mM Tris/EDTA at pH 9.0 and antibody at 1:100; its fixative was unreported (caption A01583). Keep heating, cooling, and section thickness consistent across test and control slides, then compare signal in syncytiotrophoblast cell bodies with no-primary background (standard IHC practice; HPA: High in placental syncytiotrophoblasts). If staining remains weak, adjust heating time incrementally while watching for section loss or diffuse staining (standard IHC practice).
Could fixation explain weak or uneven GDF15 staining?
Target-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown: the selected paraffin-section caption does not state a fixative, so its staining cannot establish a fixation condition (caption A01583). Record the fixative, fixation duration, processing schedule, and section age for every specimen before comparing GDF15 scores (standard IHC practice). If staining varies between blocks, process a positive control alongside them and repeat with the same retrieval and antibody dilution (standard IHC practice; caption A01583: 1:100). Compare intact central tissue with edges and damaged areas separately, since processing artefacts can create misleading gradients (standard IHC practice).
Should GDF15 appear intracellular, extracellular, or at the membrane?
Expect cytoplasmic staining in placental trophoblasts and selected epithelial cells in tissue sections (HPA: tissue IHC profile). GDF15 is secreted into plasma and has no annotated transmembrane segment, so a crisp, exclusive plasma-membrane rim needs independent validation (UniProt Q99988: subcellular location and topology). Golgi enrichment can be compatible with intracellular processing, although the Golgi assignment comes from subcellular imaging rather than the selected IHC caption (HPA: Golgi apparatus, enhanced; caption A01583). Score cellular staining separately from diffuse extracellular deposits, and check adjacent morphology and no-primary controls before assigning deposits to local production (standard IHC practice).
How might GDF15 processing affect interpretation of this antibody?
GDF15 has an annotated signal peptide at residues 1–29, propeptide at 30–194, and mature chain at 195–308 (UniProt Q99988: processing). Its single annotated glycosylation site is at residue 70, and no isoforms are annotated (UniProt Q99988: glycosylation and isoforms). The supplied caption does not define A01583’s epitope, so IHC staining alone cannot distinguish proprotein from mature GDF15 (caption A01583; UniProt Q99988: processing). Ask for an epitope map or compare independently characterised antibodies to different regions before making a processing-specific claim (standard IHC practice).
How should I follow up an IHC pattern with multiplex IF?
Treat IF as a separate assay and optimise its controls and detection before comparing it with chromogenic IHC (standard IF practice). Multiplex GDF15 with a validated trophoblast marker in placenta, then assess whether signal occupies the same cell bodies reported as strongly positive by tissue IHC (HPA: High in placental syncytiotrophoblasts). Choose a fluorophore channel with low tissue autofluorescence and include single-colour, secondary-only, and unstained controls for spectral separation (standard IF practice). For an intracellular epitope, test gentle permeabilisation; for a surface-accessible epitope, omit it initially, noting that GDF15 has no annotated transmembrane segment (standard IF practice; UniProt Q99988: topology).
How can I reduce diffuse brown staining without losing GDF15 signal?
First compare the stained section with no-primary and secondary-only controls, using the same retrieval and detection steps (standard IHC practice). Block endogenous peroxidase before chromogenic detection and assess whether residual colour follows blood-rich areas or tissue edges rather than cell bodies (standard IHC practice). Titrate the primary around the caption’s 1:100 condition, adjust blocking and washes, and stop DAB development before widespread nonspecific colour appears (caption A01583; standard IHC practice). Because GDF15 is secreted, extracellular staining requires particular care: distinguish reproducible, anatomically coherent signal from diffuse background using matched controls (UniProt Q99988: secreted; standard IHC practice).
What should I measure when comparing GDF15 across paraffin sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the anatomical compartment and eligible cell population before scoring, since GDF15 staining differs across placental trophoblasts and other reported cell types (HPA: tissue IHC profile). For cellular staining, report the percentage of positive eligible cells and an H-score based on intensity categories; retain extracellular deposits as a separate observation (standard IHC practice; UniProt Q99988: secreted). Normalise cell counts to the number of evaluable cells, or positive-cell counts to evaluable tissue area in mm², and document excluded damaged regions (standard IHC practice). Hold retrieval, detection, imaging, and scoring thresholds constant across the comparison (standard IHC practice).
When does a GDF15-positive pattern warrant skepticism?
A convincing placenta result includes staining in syncytiotrophoblast cell bodies, which are reported as strongly positive, with appropriate control-slide contrast (HPA: High in placental syncytiotrophoblasts; standard IHC practice). Question an exclusively sharp membrane pattern because GDF15 is secreted and lacks an annotated transmembrane segment (UniProt Q99988: subcellular location and topology). Flag staining confined to cut edges, necrotic regions, or residual endogenous-peroxidase areas, and verify those patterns against no-primary controls (standard IHC practice). Tissue RNA and protein locations can diverge for this secreted protein, so a mismatch alone does not establish artefact (HPA: Enhanced reliability description; UniProt Q99988: secreted).
Boster reagents
Best GDF15 / Growth/differentiation factor 15 IHC Antibodies
A01583 has IHC data from paraffin-embedded human placenta and IF data from BALB-3T3 cells (catalog image captions); its listed reactivity covers human, mouse and rat (catalog applications/reactivity).
Real IHC data
Anti-GDF-15 Antibody
Cat # A01583
The rendered A01583 card shows IHC staining of paraffin-embedded human placenta with microwave retrieval in 10 mM Tris/Tris, pH 9.0 (A01583 IHC image caption). A01583 also has an IF image from BALB-3T3 cells with DAPI nuclear staining (A01583 IF image caption); A01583-4 is listed for IHC in human and mouse but has no supplied image (catalog applications/reactivity and image alts).
Which to pick: Choose A01583 for paraffin-section IHC when the documented human placenta example is useful; its caption does not report the fixative (A01583 IHC image caption). Choose A01583 for IF/ICC because both applications are listed and an IF image is supplied; A01583-4 lists IHC but not IF/ICC (catalog applications and image alts). For rat samples, A01583 is the listed option; A01583-4 is described as polyclonal and lists human and mouse reactivity (catalog reactivity and dilution data).
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 tissue (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: Matched tissue-IHC evidence does not establish the fixation claim. Validate the specimen-specific method before use. (selected-SKU IHC image A01583); Caveat: Secretion can separate protein staining from its source cells (HPA tissue IHC); Isoform / epitope: No isoforms; propeptide/mature epitope matters; no cytoplasmic tail (UniProt); Regulation: Produced in response to stress (UniProt). Evidence: UniProt Q99988, HPA tissue IHC · Enhanced, HPA ICC-IF · Golgi apparatus., Datasheet A01583, PMC4811520, PMC12295036. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/GDF15/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.