HNRNPL / Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein L · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for HNRNPL

Plan HNRNPL paraffin IHC around its ubiquitous nuclear tissue pattern (HPA tissue IHC). The guide covers fixation consistency, antibody concentration, chromogenic detection and cell-level scoring; the catalog antibody is used at 2–5 μg/mL for IHC-P (datasheet A03769-4).

Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for HNRNPL (IHC for HNRNPL): expected localisation Ubiquitous nuclear tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC), antibody A03769-4, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps
Printable HNRNPL IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Ubiquitous nuclear tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC), antibody A03769-4, controls and protocol steps. Open the full HNRNPL IHC guide →

HNRNPL 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 nuclear tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC)
Staining pattern Widespread nuclear staining across tissue cell types (HPA tissue IHC)
Antigen retrieval EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A03769-4)
Positive control ⓘ Adrenal gland+4 more · see all
Negative control ⓘ None in HPA (detected in all 45 tissues); use no-primary + isotype controls
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
Fixation Keep fixation conditions consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific)
Caveat Cell composition can shift scores; selected cells stain high (HPA tissue IHC)
Regulation Low tissue specificity; no inducer reported (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt)
Isoform / epitope 2 isoforms; epitope coverage unresolved (UniProt)
Section 1

Recommended HNRNPL IHC & IF Protocols

Start with the catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol, then compare the published paraffin-section procedures in the two articles below (datasheet A03769-4; PMC12103590; PMC6433863).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
SampleParaffin-embedded human breast cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A03769-4)
FixationImage fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A03769-4); 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 A03769-4); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard)
Peroxidase block3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard)
Blocking10% goat serum (datasheet A03769-4)
Primary antibodyRabbit anti-HNRNPL, 2-5 μg/ml (datasheet A03769-4)
Primary incubationOvernight at 4 °C (datasheet A03769-4)
DetectionHRP-conjugated secondary, DAB chromogen (datasheet A03769-4)
CounterstainHematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected resultHNRNPL-positive staining in glandular cells of adrenal gland (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Ubiquitous nuclear expression. No signal in the no-primary control.
💡Decision noteTry heat-mediated EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval first for the catalog antibody (datasheet A03769-4); neither excerpt specifies a retrieval condition (PMC12103590; PMC6433863).
Section 2

What Is the Expected HNRNPL Staining Pattern?

HNRNPL should stain nuclei across many cell types in paraffin tissue sections: HPA reports ubiquitous nuclear expression with a Supported tissue IHC profile (HPA: tissue IHC). UniProt places it mainly in the nucleoplasm and also in cytoplasmic mRNP granules; it has no transmembrane segment (UniProt P14866: subcellular location and topology). Interpret chromogenic staining primarily by its nuclear distribution, using the tissue’s expected cell populations as context (HPA: tissue IHC).

What am I looking at on my slide?
Clear nuclear staining in glandular, hematopoietic, respiratory epithelial, glial, granular-layer, endothelial, or adipose cells.This fits the reported ubiquitous nuclear pattern; HPA rates staining High in these named cell populations (HPA: tissue IHC). Compare nuclei within the same tissue rather than treating High as a universal numeric intensity threshold (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice).
Predominantly cytoplasmic chromogen with little or no nuclear staining.This conflicts with the primary nuclear pattern in tissue IHC and nucleoplasmic localization (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt P14866: subcellular location). UniProt also reports cytoplasmic mRNP granules, so a limited cytoplasmic component alone does not prove an artefact (UniProt P14866: subcellular location).
Strong staining appears only in a surprising cell population, while expected nuclei remain unstained.Investigate cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity before calling a new cell-specific pattern (general IHC practice). HPA supplies no negative cell populations here, so it cannot establish that the surprising population truly lacks HNRNPL (HPA: tissue IHC).
Broad haze covers nuclei, cytoplasm, or empty tissue spaces without clear cell boundaries.Treat the haze as background until control sections establish specific nuclear staining (general IHC practice). The supported HPA pattern is nuclear, and a diffuse deposit cannot be assigned to HNRNPL from appearance alone (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice).
No nuclear signal appears in a tissue with an HPA High cell population.Check the staining run before interpreting absence of expression (general IHC practice). HPA lists High staining in specific cells, including adrenal glandular cells and bone-marrow hematopoietic cells, but does not establish that every section or assay will score High (HPA: tissue IHC).
💡Expected HNRNPL appearanceCall positive when cell nuclei show clear chromogenic staining in an HPA-listed population, potentially High by the HPA category; diffuse extracellular deposit or isolated cytoplasmic staining without nuclei is suspect (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt P14866: subcellular location; general IHC practice).
How each factor affects the staining
Tissue and cell choiceHPA reports Low tissue specificity and ubiquitous nuclear expression, with High staining in the listed cell populations (HPA: tissue IHC). These populations provide practical positive references, while the supplied HPA record identifies no negative tissue comparator (HPA: tissue IHC).
Antibody validationThree listed antibodies have Supported IHC status: HPA051748, HPA052661, and CAB016326 (HPA: antibodies). Supported describes the reported IHC validation; it does not specify a dilution, retrieval condition, or performance for an unlisted catalog antibody (HPA: antibodies).
Molecular form and locationUniProt lists a 589-aa chain, no signal peptide, no propeptide, and no transmembrane segment (UniProt P14866: processing and topology). These annotations support interpreting the principal signal within cells, especially nuclei; they do not establish an epitope-specific staining outcome (UniProt P14866; HPA: tissue IHC).
Isoforms and modified residuesUniProt lists 2 isoforms and multiple modified residues (UniProt P14866: isoforms and modified residues). Without an antibody epitope or isoform-specific staining result in the supplied evidence, do not attribute a change in intensity or compartment to either feature (UniProt P14866).
IF/ICC Q: What localization is expected?A: Nucleoplasmic signal is the HPA enhanced main location in cell images; UniProt also reports cytoplasmic mRNP granules (HPA: subcellular ICC-IF; UniProt P14866: subcellular location). The cell-image finding informs localization but is separate from tissue IHC validation (HPA: subcellular ICC-IF; HPA: antibodies).
Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
SituationLikely causeNext action
Expected nuclei are blank across the slide.The run may have failed, or the tested assay may not reveal its intended target under those conditions (general IHC practice).Review a concurrently stained positive reference and the detection sequence; use an HPA-listed High cell population to assess whether nuclear signal can be recovered (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice).
Only cytoplasm stains strongly.The distribution departs from supported nuclear tissue staining, although UniProt allows cytoplasmic mRNP granules (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt P14866: subcellular location).Check nuclear counterstain and compartment boundaries, then compare an antibody-omission control and an HPA-listed positive tissue (general IHC practice; HPA: tissue IHC). Do not score cytoplasm alone as the expected IHC result.
Acellular areas or unexpected cells carry strong chromogen.Nonspecific antibody binding or endogenous detection activity can create apparent positives (general IHC practice). HPA provides no negative-cell list for proving a cell-specific exception (HPA: tissue IHC).Inspect antibody-omission and detection controls, apply the detection system’s appropriate endogenous-activity control, and require coherent nuclear localization before assigning signal to HNRNPL (general IHC practice; HPA: tissue IHC).
The whole section has a uniform brown haze.Background may obscure the supported nuclear pattern (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice).Compare control sections, inspect reagent exposure and washes, and adjust general blocking or detection conditions as needed (general IHC practice). Judge improvement by clearer nuclear contrast, not simply darker tissue (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice).
Nuclear staining varies among sections.HPA’s High category describes observed cell populations; it does not give a fixed intensity for every preparation (HPA: tissue IHC).Compare sections stained together using the same cell population and scoring criteria (general IHC practice). Record distribution and nuclear contrast separately from intensity; avoid inferring an HNRNPL-specific fixation effect, which the supplied sources do not report.
An IF/ICC image and tissue IHC section appear different.HPA reports enhanced nucleoplasmic localization in cell images and a supported ubiquitous nuclear tissue profile, while UniProt also describes cytoplasmic granules (HPA: subcellular ICC-IF; HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt P14866: subcellular location).Compare the nuclear compartment first and interpret any cytoplasmic signal within its assay context (HPA: tissue IHC; HPA: subcellular ICC-IF; general IHC practice). Do not transfer cell-image intensity expectations directly to chromogenic tissue scoring.

Sample controls for HNRNPL IHC & IF

🧪Run bone marrow first: hematopoietic cells should show nuclear staining (HPA: High in hematopoietic cells; UniProt P14866: nucleoplasm). HPA detects HNRNPL in all 45 scored tissues, so there is no supported negative tissue; no internal negative cell population is established, although a genuinely negative cell would show counterstain without nuclear DAB (HPA: no negative tissue rows; standard IHC interpretation).
Positive control tissue: Adrenal gland (Glandular cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: None in HPA: HNRNPL is detected in all 45 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 HNRNPL in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, CACO-2, MCF-7, NIH 3T3, with annotated localisation: Nucleoplasm (enhanced) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only slide and a rabbit IgG isotype control matched to the primary antibody’s format and concentration (selected-SKU caption: rabbit primary; standard IHC practice). Process HNRNPL-knockout material in parallel as a biological negative, and quench endogenous peroxidase in bone marrow before HRP/DAB detection (standard IHC practice; selected-SKU caption: HRP/DAB detection).
⚠️Feasibility: No target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is reported, and the selected-SKU paraffin-section caption does not state the fixative (selected-SKU caption). The caption uses heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0, but whether retrieval is required has not been established (selected-SKU caption). Frozen-section or IF ease relative to paraffin IHC is unreported; in bone marrow, endogenous peroxidase can produce chromogenic background (standard IHC practice).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for HNRNPL

Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Supported — High 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 →
Appendix Glandular cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Bone marrow Hematopoietic cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Breast Adipocytes High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Bronchus Respiratory epithelial cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →

Undetected expression · recommended negative controls

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
None in HPA: HNRNPL is detected in all 45 scored tissues. Use a no-primary (secondary-only) and an isotype control instead.
Section 3

Advanced HNRNPL IHC Tips

Troubleshoot HNRNPL staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, nuclear localisation, background and scoring against the catalog protocol and reference expression patterns (datasheet A03769-4; HPA).

How should I adjust retrieval when HNRNPL nuclear staining is weak?
Start with heat-mediated antigen retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 for paraffin sections (datasheet A03769-4). Keep heating and cooling conditions consistent across slides so retrieval differences do not look like biological variation (standard IHC practice). Use 2 μg/mL primary antibody overnight at 4°C before changing retrieval strength (datasheet A03769-4). If nuclei remain weak, test a modest increase in heating alongside the original condition and inspect tissue morphology (standard IHC practice). Judge improvement by nuclear contrast in intact cells, with a no-primary control to reveal nonspecific DAB signal (HPA: ubiquitous nuclear expression; standard IHC practice).
Could fixation explain uneven HNRNPL staining between sections?
The pictured section is paraffin-embedded, but its fixative is unreported; HNRNPL-specific fixation sensitivity is therefore unknown (datasheet A03769-4). Record the fixative, fixation duration and processing history for each specimen before comparing staining intensity (standard IHC practice). When possible, stain adjacent sections together using EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 and the same detection run (datasheet A03769-4; standard IHC practice). Inspect weak areas for poor nuclear detail or tissue damage before assigning them a biological score (standard IHC practice). Reference nuclear staining patterns cannot establish how this antibody responds to a particular fixative (HPA: ubiquitous nuclear expression; standard IHC practice).
Should I score cytoplasmic HNRNPL staining as positive?
Prioritise nucleoplasmic staining when scoring chromogenic sections, because HNRNPL is predominantly nuclear in tissue and subcellular reference images (HPA: ubiquitous nuclear expression; HPA: nucleoplasm enhanced). Cytoplasmic localisation is also reported, including mRNP granules containing untranslated mRNAs (UniProt P14866: subcellular location). A diffuse brown cytoplasmic wash without clear nuclear contrast deserves a background check before interpretation (standard IHC practice; HPA: nucleoplasm enhanced). Compare the pattern with intact neighbouring cells and a no-primary control under identical development conditions (standard IHC practice). Report convincing cytoplasmic staining separately from the nuclear score, including its distribution and control results (UniProt P14866: subcellular location; standard IHC practice).
Can this stain distinguish HNRNPL isoforms or modified epitopes?
Do not assign an isoform from chromogenic staining alone: HNRNPL has 2 annotated isoforms, and the supplied caption does not define this antibody’s epitope (UniProt P14866: isoforms; datasheet A03769-4). The protein contains 4 RNA recognition motifs, so an epitope’s position could matter when interpreting isoform coverage (UniProt P14866: domains). Reported modifications include phosphorylation and lysine acetylation, but their effect on this antibody’s staining is unestablished here (UniProt P14866: modified residues; datasheet A03769-4). Compare staining only after keeping retrieval and primary incubation matched between sections (standard IHC practice; datasheet A03769-4). Isoform-specific claims require independent epitope or orthogonal evidence (standard IHC practice).
How can I check HNRNPL localisation by multiplex IF?
For a separate IF/ICC experiment, verify that the chosen antibody works in that application before interpreting its fluorescence (standard IF practice). Pair HNRNPL with a validated marker for the expected cell type, such as appendix glandular cells, and inspect nuclear overlap (HPA: High in appendix glandular cells; HPA: nucleoplasm enhanced). Choose spectrally separated fluorophores and assess tissue autofluorescence in unstained controls, especially before accepting weak extranuclear signal (standard IF practice). Because HNRNPL is nuclear and has no transmembrane segment, use permeabilisation appropriate for an intracellular epitope while preserving nuclear morphology (UniProt P14866: subcellular location and topology; standard IF practice). Include single-stain and secondary-only controls when evaluating multiplex signal (standard IF practice).
What should I check when DAB covers nuclei and cytoplasm?
Begin by comparing a no-primary control with the stained section to separate detection background from antibody-dependent signal (standard IHC practice). The pictured protocol used 10% goat serum blocking, a peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-rabbit secondary and DAB development (datasheet A03769-4). Check that the peroxidase block, washes and DAB development are consistent across slides; these are general chromogenic workflow controls (standard IHC practice). Reduce excessive primary exposure or development in paired sections if brown staining obscures nuclear boundaries (standard IHC practice). Accept a change when intact nuclei remain distinguishable against lower surrounding signal, consistent with the reference nuclear pattern (HPA: ubiquitous nuclear expression; standard IHC practice).
How should I quantify HNRNPL staining across specimens? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the viable cell population and nuclear compartment before scoring, then apply the same inclusion rules across specimens (HPA: ubiquitous nuclear expression; standard IHC practice). For an H-score, grade nuclear intensity from 0–3 and sum each grade multiplied by its percentage of cells, yielding 0–300 (standard IHC practice). Record percentage of positive nuclei alongside the score so changes in prevalence and intensity remain visible (standard IHC practice). Normalise counts to the number of evaluable nuclei; if reporting positive-cell density, use the measured viable tissue area in mm² (standard IHC practice). Exclude folds, damaged edges and necrotic regions using consistent criteria (standard IHC practice).
How can I distinguish genuine HNRNPL staining from artefact?
A credible pattern emphasises intact nuclei, matching the reported ubiquitous nuclear and enhanced nucleoplasmic localisation (HPA: tissue IHC profile; HPA: subcellular location). Check whether staining follows recognisable cells rather than section edges, folds or necrotic material (standard IHC practice). Cytoplasmic signal merits separate review because HNRNPL can occupy mRNP granules, while broad featureless cytoplasmic DAB may reflect background (UniProt P14866: subcellular location; standard IHC practice). Compare a no-primary section to detect endogenous enzyme or detection-system signal before calling weak deposits positive (standard IHC practice). Interpret differences only among sections with comparable retrieval, development and preserved morphology (standard IHC practice).
Boster reagents

Best HNRNPL / Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein L IHC Antibodies

Both antibodies have human paraffin-section IHC images and MCF-7 IF images (catalog image captions). A03769-4 also has human colorectal adenocarcinoma tissue IF images (A03769-4 IF captions).

Real IHC data IHC analysis of hnRNP L/HNRNPL using anti-hnRNP L/HNRNPL antibody (A03769-4). hnRNP L/HNRNPL was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human breast 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 rabbit anti-hnRNP L/HNRNPL Antibody (A03769-4) overnight at 4°C. Peroxidase Conjugated Goat Anti-rabbit IgG was used as secondary antibody and incubated for 30 minutes at 37°C. The tissue section was developed using HRP Conjugated Rabbit IgG Super Vision Assay Kit (Catalog # SV0002) with DAB as the chromogen.
Anti-hnRNP L/HNRNPL Antibody ®
Cat # A03769-4
Real IHC data IHC analysis of HNRNPL using anti-HNRNPL antibody (A03769). HNRNPL was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human breast 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 rabbit anti-HNRNPL Antibody (A03769) overnight at 4°C. Peroxidase Conjugated Goat Anti-rabbit IgG was used as secondary antibody and incubated for 30 minutes at 37°C. The tissue section was developed using HRP Conjugated Rabbit IgG Super Vision Assay Kit (Catalog # SV0002) with DAB as the chromogen.
Anti-HnRNP L/HNRNPL Antibody ®
Cat # A03769

A03769 has IHC images from human breast, colorectal, laryngeal, and liver cancer paraffin sections, plus IF data from MCF-7 cells (A03769 image captions). A03769-4 has IHC images from human breast, colorectal, gastric, and hepatocellular cancer paraffin sections, plus IF data from MCF-7 cells and human colorectal adenocarcinoma paraffin sections (A03769-4 image captions).

Which to pick: For tissue IHC, either SKU has its own paraffin-section images; choose the one with an image matching your tissue when available (A03769 IHC captions; A03769-4 IHC captions). For IF/ICC, both list those applications and show MCF-7 IF data, while A03769-4 also shows tissue IF (catalog applications; A03769 IF caption; A03769-4 IF captions). Both list human, mouse, and rat reactivity, but the supplied images show human samples only; the fixative used for the paraffin sections is unreported (catalog reactivity; catalog image captions).

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

References

  1. UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P14866 (HNRPL_HUMAN, Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein L).
  2. Human Protein Atlas. HNRNPL tissue IHC expression (reliability: Supported).
  3. Human Protein Atlas. HNRNPL subcellular location (ICC-IF): Localized to the nucleoplasm..
  4. Human Protein Atlas. HNRNPL antibody validation summary (3 antibodies).
  5. Antibodies specific for Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen-1 cross-react with human heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein L. Molecular immunology 2016 — PMC4698215.
  6. Unraveling Molecular Differences of Gastric Cancer by Label-Free Quantitative Proteomics Analysis. International journal of molecular sciences 2016 — PMC4730314.
  7. hnRNPL phase separation activates PIK3CB transcription and promotes glycolysis in ovarian cancer. Nature communications 2025 — PMC12103590.
  8. HnRNPL inhibits the osteogenic differentiation of PDLCs stimulated by SrCl(2) through repressing Setd2. Journal of cellular and molecular medicine 2019 — PMC6433863.
  9. PubMed PMID:11280764 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  10. PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  11. PubMed PMID:15057824 — UniProt-cited evidence.