GOT1 / Aspartate aminotransferase, cytoplasmic · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for GOT1

Plan GOT1 IHC in paraffin sections using cytoplasmic staining as the expected pattern (HPA tissue IHC). Compare control and test sections with consistent fixation, and interpret intensity in light of HPA’s medium consistency between staining and RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC).

Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for GOT1 (IHC for GOT1): expected localisation Cytoplasmic tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC), antibody A04085-3, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps
Printable GOT1 IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Cytoplasmic tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC), antibody A04085-3, controls and protocol steps. Open the full GOT1 IHC guide →

GOT1 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)
Staining pattern Cytoplasmic staining; most abundant in CNS, heart and liver (HPA tissue IHC)
Antigen retrieval EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A04085-3)
Positive control ⓘ Testis+4 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 A04085-3)
Caveat Staining has medium consistency with RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC)
Regulation Expression regulation is not annotated (UniProt)
Isoform / epitope Two isoforms; epitope coverage is unspecified (UniProt)
Section 1

Recommended GOT1 IHC & IF Protocols

The catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol is paired with published GOT1 staining methods for pancreatic tumor sections (PMC9735520) and human head and neck carcinoma sections (PMC12671062).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
SampleParaffin-embedded mouse brain tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A04085-3)
FixationImage fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A04085-3); 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 A04085-3); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard)
Peroxidase block3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard)
Blocking10% goat serum (datasheet A04085-3)
Primary antibodyRabbit anti-GOT1, 2-5μg/ml (datasheet A04085-3)
Primary incubationOvernight at 4 °C (datasheet A04085-3)
DetectionStreptavidin-biotin complex (SABC), DAB chromogen (datasheet A04085-3)
CounterstainHematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected resultGOT1-positive staining in round or early spermatids of testis (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: General cytoplasmic expression, most abundant in CNS, heart muscle and liver. No signal in the no-primary control.
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval for the catalog antibody (datasheet: A04085-3). The published methods used trypsin (PMC9735520) or citrate (PMC12671062).
Section 2

What Is the Expected GOT1 Staining Pattern?

GOT1 should appear mainly in the cytoplasm, consistent with its cytoplasmic annotation and lack of a transmembrane segment (UniProt P17174). On paraffin sections, expect staining in round or early spermatids, neuronal cells, and several glandular cell populations (HPA: tissue IHC). HPA calls the overall IHC reliability Enhanced, while noting medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression (HPA: tissue IHC).

What am I looking at on my slide?
Cytoplasmic staining is strong in round or early spermatids and moderate in cortical neurons.This matches the reported cell compartments and levels: GOT1 is cytoplasmic (UniProt P17174); spermatids are High and cortical neurons Medium (HPA: tissue IHC). Compare cells within each tissue, since these reported levels do not set an absolute intensity threshold across slides (general IHC practice).
Signal is predominantly nuclear or outlines cell membranes.That distribution conflicts with the annotated cytoplasmic location and lack of a transmembrane segment (UniProt P17174). Treat it as a suspect pattern; review morphology, counterstain, and detection controls before assigning it to GOT1 (general IHC practice).
Adipocytes stain strongly while the expected positive cells remain unstained.Adipocytes in adipose tissue and breast are reported Not detected (HPA: tissue IHC). This reversal raises concern for antibody cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity; it does not identify which cause is responsible (general IHC practice).
Color spreads across cells and surrounding tissue without clear cytoplasmic boundaries.The diffuse background prevents reliable cell-level scoring against the reported cytoplasmic pattern (UniProt P17174; HPA: tissue IHC). Check the no-primary control, blocking, washes, and detection chemistry before interpreting weak positives (general IHC practice).
Round or early spermatids show no signal despite intact tissue morphology.They are reported High and can serve as a positive reference (HPA: tissue IHC). A blank result warrants a check of retrieval, antibody incubation, and detection controls; a single failed section does not establish biological absence (general IHC practice).
💡Expected GOT1 appearanceCall a result positive when chromogenic signal is cytoplasmic in the reported cells, especially High round or early spermatids or Medium cortical neurons; dominant nuclear, membrane, or adipocyte signal is suspect (UniProt P17174; HPA: tissue IHC).
How each factor affects the staining
Compartment and topologyUniProt places GOT1 in the cytoplasm and reports no transmembrane segment (UniProt P17174). Use cell boundaries and a nuclear counterstain to judge compartment, rather than scoring any brown tissue as positive (general IHC practice).
Cell and tissue contextHPA reports High round or early spermatids, Medium neuronal and selected glandular cells, and Not detected adipocytes in adipose tissue (HPA: tissue IHC). Score the named cell population; whole-tissue labels can hide mixed staining (general IHC practice).
Antibody evidenceTwo listed antibodies, HPA064532 and HPA072629, each have Enhanced IHC status (HPA: antibodies). The tissue profile still notes medium staining–RNA consistency (HPA: tissue IHC), so investigate discordant cells rather than treating validation status as proof of every signal.
Isoforms and processingUniProt lists two isoforms and a chain spanning residues 2–413, with no signal peptide or propeptide (UniProt P17174). The supplied record gives no antibody epitope or isoform-specific IHC result, so a staining difference cannot be assigned to one isoform.
IF/ICC: is the IHC pattern confirmed there?No: HPA provides no main ICC-IF location or imaged cell lines for GOT1 (HPA: subcellular ICC-IF). Cytoplasmic localisation is annotated by UniProt P17174, but this payload does not establish an IF/ICC staining pattern or an IF protocol.
Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
SituationLikely causeNext action
Positive reference is blank.The result conflicts with High staining reported for round or early spermatids (HPA: tissue IHC); retrieval, incubation, or detection may have failed (general IHC practice).Confirm the positive cells are present, then review the antibody's IHC-P instructions and run a known-positive section with the same detection setup (general IHC practice).
Nuclei or cell edges dominate the stain.The compartment conflicts with cytoplasmic GOT1 and its lack of a transmembrane segment (UniProt P17174); the cause cannot be inferred from location alone.Recheck morphology and counterstain, compare a no-primary control, and assess whether the pattern persists with an independently validated IHC antibody (general IHC practice; HPA: antibodies).
Adipocytes or another reported negative cell population stain strongly.Adipocytes are Not detected in adipose tissue and breast (HPA: tissue IHC). Cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity is possible (general IHC practice).Identify the stained cells on the counterstain and compare a no-primary control. If signal persists only with primary antibody, reassess antibody specificity (general IHC practice).
Diffuse brown background obscures cell boundaries.Background can arise from incomplete blocking, washing, or detection controls (general IHC practice); it cannot be scored against the reported cell-level pattern (HPA: tissue IHC).Check no-primary staining, blocking, washes, and detection conditions, then repeat scoring only where cytoplasmic signal can be assigned to individual cells (general IHC practice).
Two tissue sections have different overall signal strength.HPA reports cell-specific High, Medium, Low, and Not detected results across tissues (HPA: tissue IHC). Section-wide darkness alone does not distinguish distribution from technical variation (general IHC practice).Compare the same named cell populations where possible and include a positive reference in the staining run; record compartment and cell-level intensity (general IHC practice).
A faint signal appears in a reported negative population.HPA's Not detected designation describes its observed IHC pattern, not an absolute detection limit (HPA: tissue IHC). Weak chromogen may reflect background or a condition-dependent result (general IHC practice).Compare no-primary and positive-reference sections, inspect whether signal is truly cytoplasmic, and avoid calling the faint result GOT1-specific without supporting controls (general IHC practice; UniProt P17174).

Sample controls for GOT1 IHC & IF

🧪Run testis first: round or early spermatids should show GOT1 staining (HPA: High in round or early spermatids). Use adipose tissue as the negative comparator, assessing adipocytes that HPA reports as not detected; on the testis slide, treat cells without discernible cytoplasmic staining as internal background references, without assigning them a confirmed GOT1-negative identity (HPA: Not detected in adipocytes; UniProt P17174: cytoplasm).
Positive control tissue: Testis (Round or early spermatids, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA carries no ICC-IF cell line for GOT1; derive a cell-line control from the positive tissue's cell type (Round or early spermatids) and confirm it by RNA or western blot first.
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only control and a nonimmune isotype control matched to the primary antibody’s rabbit host and clonality; confirm specificity with a GOT1 knockout specimen or a validated peptide-block control (caption: rabbit primary; standard IHC practice). For DAB detection in testis, quench endogenous peroxidase and check endogenous biotin background if using the caption’s streptavidin–biotin system (caption: SABC with DAB; standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported, and the selected A04085-3 paraffin-section caption does not state a fixative (caption: fixative unreported). The caption reports heat retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0, so use that as the IHC starting condition; it does not establish whether retrieval is essential (caption: heat retrieval in EDTA, pH 8.0). The supplied evidence does not establish that frozen sections or IF are easier; in densely cellular testis, use the negative controls to separate spermatid staining from background (HPA: High in round or early spermatids; standard IHC practice).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for GOT1

Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Enhanced — 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
Testis Round or early spermatids High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Adrenal gland Glandular cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Appendix Glandular cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Caudate Neuronal cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Cerebellum Cells in granular layer Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →

Undetected expression · recommended negative controls

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
Adipose tissue Adipocytes Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Bone marrow Hematopoietic cells Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Breast Adipocytes Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Endometrium Cells in endometrial stroma Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Esophagus Squamous epithelial cells Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Section 3

Advanced GOT1 IHC Tips

Troubleshoot GOT1 staining in paraffin sections using the catalog antibody’s mouse brain IHC result and the reported tissue expression pattern.

What retrieval should I try first if GOT1 staining is weak?
Start with heat-mediated retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 for paraffin sections (datasheet A04085-3). That condition produced GOT1 staining in a mouse brain section, although the caption does not state the fixative or heating duration (datasheet A04085-3). Keep the antibody at the reported 2 µg/mL overnight at 4°C while assessing retrieval, so changes in signal remain interpretable (datasheet A04085-3; standard IHC practice). If staining remains weak, compare a separately optimized retrieval condition on adjacent sections and watch for tissue damage or increased background (standard IHC practice). Use neuronal cells as an internal comparison where appropriate, since HPA reports medium staining in the cerebral cortex and caudate (HPA: cerebral cortex and caudate).
Could fixation explain weak or uneven GOT1 staining?
The selected mouse brain IHC caption identifies a paraffin section but does not report its fixative, so target-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown (datasheet A04085-3). Record the fixative, fixation duration, section age, and processing history for each specimen before comparing staining intensity (standard IHC practice). Test sections processed under different documented conditions with the same EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval and 2 µg/mL primary antibody conditions (datasheet A04085-3; standard IHC practice). Inspect morphology alongside staining, since damaged or poorly preserved areas can confound chromogenic interpretation (standard IHC practice). Do not assign a GOT1-specific fixation effect from its cytoplasmic location or reported phosphoserine and pyridoxal phosphate sites (UniProt P17174: cytoplasm and modified residues).
How should I assess GOT1 staining outside the cytoplasm?
Score predominantly cytoplasmic staining as the expected pattern because GOT1 is annotated in the cytoplasm and has no transmembrane segment (UniProt P17174: subcellular location and topology). HPA also describes general cytoplasmic tissue staining, with medium signal in neuronal cells of the cerebral cortex and caudate (HPA: tissue profile, cerebral cortex and caudate). If a section appears chiefly nuclear or sharply membranous, compare its pattern with a no-primary control and inspect the hematoxylin counterstain for compartment boundaries (standard IHC practice). Assess suspicious staining across intact cells rather than relying on isolated dense deposits or section edges (standard IHC practice). The HPA subcellular record supplies no ICC/IF images to resolve an unexpected intracellular pattern (HPA: subcellular record).
Can isoforms or modified residues affect my GOT1 IHC result?
GOT1 has 2 annotated isoforms, while the supplied antibody caption gives no epitope sequence or isoform coverage (UniProt P17174: isoforms; datasheet A04085-3). Interpret positive cytoplasmic staining as antibody reactivity in tissue, without assigning it to one isoform from this evidence alone (UniProt P17174: cytoplasm and isoforms; datasheet A04085-3). Reported modified residues include phosphoserine at position 149 and a pyridoxal phosphate linked lysine at position 259, but their effect on this antibody’s binding is unknown (UniProt P17174: modified residues; datasheet A04085-3). If staining changes with specimen preparation, first check morphology, retrieval, and controls before proposing epitope masking as the cause (standard IHC practice). An epitope-specific interpretation requires additional antibody mapping or orthogonal validation (standard IHC practice).
How can IF help check a puzzling chromogenic GOT1 pattern?
Use IF as a separate validation experiment and multiplex GOT1 with a marker identifying the expected cell population, such as neuronal cells in cerebral cortex (HPA: cerebral cortex neuronal cells; standard IF practice). Compare fluorophores against unstained tissue, then choose a channel with low tissue autofluorescence; a far-red channel may help where shorter wavelengths are bright (standard IF practice). GOT1 is cytoplasmic and has no transmembrane segment, so access to an intracellular epitope may require permeabilisation, although this antibody’s epitope is unspecified (UniProt P17174: location and topology; datasheet A04085-3; standard IF practice). Include single-label and no-primary controls to separate marker overlap from bleed-through and background (standard IF practice). The supplied product evidence documents paraffin-section chromogenic IHC, not an IF/ICC result (datasheet A04085-3).
What should I change when GOT1 IHC has diffuse brown background?
Compare the section with a no-primary control to distinguish primary-dependent staining from detection-system background (standard IHC practice). The reported mouse brain method used 10% goat serum blocking, 2 µg/mL primary overnight at 4°C, and a biotinylated secondary for 30 minutes at 37°C (datasheet A04085-3). Its avidin–biotin detection and DAB development make a matched detection-only control useful when diffuse brown signal persists (datasheet A04085-3; standard IHC practice). Check peroxidase blocking, washing, and DAB development time as general chromogenic workflow variables (standard IHC practice). Review signal against cell morphology because expected GOT1 staining is cytoplasmic, whereas uniform staining across empty spaces or section edges is suspect (UniProt P17174: cytoplasm; standard IHC practice).
How should I quantify GOT1 across paraffin sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the tissue compartment and cell population before scoring, since HPA reports medium neuronal staining in cerebral cortex and no detected staining in adipose adipocytes (HPA: cerebral cortex and adipose tissue). For intact target cells, record the percentage positive and an intensity-weighted H-score, using the same scoring thresholds across sections (standard IHC practice). Alternatively, report positive-cell density per mm² within a predefined viable tissue area when cell counts are the primary outcome (standard IHC practice). Normalise counts to the number of eligible cells or measured viable area, and exclude folds, edges, and necrotic regions consistently (standard IHC practice). Keep retrieval, antibody concentration, DAB development, imaging, and counterstain comparable before attributing score differences to biology (datasheet A04085-3; standard IHC practice).
How do I distinguish true GOT1 signal from staining artefact?
A credible GOT1-positive cell shows cytoplasmic signal in preserved tissue, consistent with the annotated location and HPA’s general cytoplasmic pattern (UniProt P17174: cytoplasm; HPA: tissue profile). Cell identity matters: HPA reports medium staining in cerebral cortex neuronal cells but no detected staining in lung alveolar cells (HPA: cerebral cortex and lung). Treat staining restricted to section edges, folds, or necrotic areas as suspect and compare it with intact neighboring cells (standard IHC practice). If brown signal persists without primary antibody, investigate endogenous peroxidase activity or the biotin-based detection workflow before assigning it to GOT1 (datasheet A04085-3; standard IHC practice). Interpret weak or discordant staining cautiously because HPA rates antibody staining versus RNA expression consistency as medium (HPA: Enhanced reliability description).
Boster reagents

Best GOT1 / Aspartate aminotransferase, cytoplasmic IHC Antibodies

Anti-GOT1 antibodies have real IHC images from paraffin-embedded mouse brain and human liver cancer; IF examples include T-47D cells, rat kidney, and human pancreas cancer (catalog image captions).

Real IHC data IHC analysis of Aspartate Aminotransferase/GOT1 using anti-Aspartate Aminotransferase/GOT1 antibody (A04085-3). Aspartate Aminotransferase/GOT1 was detected in paraffin-embedded section of mouse brain tissue. Heat mediated antigen retrieval was performed in EDTA buffer (pH8.0, epitope retrieval solution). The tissue section was blocked with 10% goat serum. The tissue section was then incubated with 2μg/ml rabbit anti-Aspartate Aminotransferase/GOT1 Antibody (A04085-3) 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-Aspartate Aminotransferase/GOT1 Antibody ®
Cat # A04085-3
Real IHC data IHC analysis of Aspartate Aminotransferase/GOT1 using anti-Aspartate Aminotransferase/GOT1 antibody (M04085-1). Aspartate Aminotransferase/GOT1 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human liver cancer 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 mouse anti-Aspartate Aminotransferase/GOT1 Antibody (M04085-1) overnight at 4°C. Peroxidase Conjugated Goat Anti-mouse IgG was used as secondary antibody and incubated for 30 minutes at 37°C. The tissue section was developed using HRP Conjugated Mouse IgG Super Vision Assay Kit (Catalog # SV0001) with DAB as the chromogen.
Anti-Aspartate Aminotransferase/GOT1 Antibody ® (monoclonal, 6B3B4)
Cat # M04085-1

A04085-3 has IHC images from paraffin-embedded mouse brain, rat brain, human stomach cancer, and human bladder cancer, plus IF images from T-47D cells, rat kidney, and human pancreas cancer (catalog image captions). M04085-1 has IHC images from paraffin-embedded human liver cancer, renal pelvis squamous tissue, and rectum adenocarcinoma (catalog image captions).

Which to pick: For human tissue IHC, M04085-1 is a mouse monoclonal with paraffin-section examples; its fixative is unreported (catalog entry: clone 6B3B4; M04085-1 IHC captions). For IF/ICC, choose A04085-3, which lists both applications and has IF images from cells and paraffin sections (A04085-3 catalog applications and IF captions). For IHC across human, mouse, and rat samples, choose A04085-3: all three species are listed as reactive and represented in its paraffin-section captions; the fixative is unreported (A04085-3 catalog reactivity and IHC captions).

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

References

  1. UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P17174 (AATC_HUMAN, Aspartate aminotransferase, cytoplasmic).
  2. Human Protein Atlas. GOT1 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Enhanced).
  3. Human Protein Atlas. GOT1 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Variation in transcript expression is correlated to the cell cycle..
  4. Human Protein Atlas. GOT1 antibody validation summary (2 antibodies).
  5. GOT1 inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma progression by regulating SLC25A5-dependent mitochondrial apoptosis. Oncogene 2026 — PMC13167451.
  6. Tumor Cell Derived Exosomal GOT1 Suppresses Tumor Cell Ferroptosis to Accelerate Pancreatic Cancer Progression by Activating Nrf2/HO-1 Axis via Upregulating CCR2 Expression. Cells 2022 — PMC9735520.
  7. Multi-omics revealed GOT1/ALDH3A1 pathway attenuated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and increased cisplatin sensitivity through ROS induced by mitochondrial dysfunction. Redox report : communications in free radical research 2025 — PMC12671062.
  8. Co-administration with A1M does not influence apoptotic response of (177)Lu-octreotate in GOT1 neuroendocrine tumors. Scientific reports 2023 — PMC10115890.
  9. PubMed PMID:1974457 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  10. PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  11. PubMed PMID:15164054 — UniProt-cited evidence.