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- Table of Contents
Plan chromogenic IRAK1 staining in paraffin sections with the IHC-validated antibody (datasheet A01021-1). Use cytoplasmic staining and cell-type differences in tissue examples to choose controls and score sections (HPA tissue IHC).
Expected localisation, validated protocols, controls and antibodies — the at-a-glance facts below, then the full design guide.
| Expected localisation | Cytoplasmic staining in tissue IHC (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Staining pattern | Broad cytoplasmic staining that varies by cell type (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | Citrate pH 6 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A01021-1) | |
| Positive control | Breast+4 more · see all | |
| Negative control | Adipose tissue+2 more · see all |
| Fixation | Keep fixation conditions consistent between sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific) | |
| Caveat | Adipocytes and skeletal myocytes may be unstained (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | TLR activation phosphorylates IRAK1 (UniProt) | |
| Isoform / epitope | Four isoforms; verify antibody epitope coverage (UniProt) |
The catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol (datasheet: A01021-1) is followed by three published IRAK1 staining protocols for liver, gastric and breast tissue (PMC5367901; PMC12521082; PMC6438138).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded human Ovarian cancer tissues; fixative not specified (datasheet A01021-1) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A01021-1); verify before use. |
| Sectioning | 4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard) |
| Deparaffinisation | Xylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard) |
| Antigen retrieval | Heat retrieval: Citrate pH 6, 20 min (datasheet A01021-1) |
| Peroxidase block | 3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard) |
| Blocking | 10% goat serum (datasheet A01021-1) |
| Primary antibody | Rabbit anti-IRAK1, 0.5-1μg/ml (datasheet A01021-1) |
| Primary incubation | Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet A01021-1) |
| Detection | Streptavidin-biotin complex (SABC), DAB chromogen (datasheet A01021-1) |
| Counterstain | Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard) |
| Expected result | IRAK1-positive staining in glandular cells of breast (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Ubiquitous cytoplasmic expression. No signal in the no-primary control. |
IRAK1 is expected mainly in the cytoplasm of many cell types, including breast and colon glandular cells and placental trophoblastic cells (HPA: ubiquitous cytoplasmic expression; High in these cells). Nuclear localization can occur under specific conditions (UniProt P51617: nuclear translocation when sumoylated). IRAK1 has no transmembrane segment, so a membrane-restricted pattern is unexpected (UniProt P51617 topology). HPA rates its tissue IHC profile Supported, with medium consistency against RNA data (HPA: tissue IHC reliability).
| Cytoplasmic staining in breast or colon glandular cells, or placental trophoblastic cells. | This matches high signal reported in those cells (HPA: High in breast and colon glandular cells; High in placental trophoblastic cells). Judge the named cells rather than treating every cell in a positive tissue as equally positive (HPA: cell-level tissue IHC profile). |
| Cytoplasmic staining with some nuclear signal in the same cell population. | Cytoplasm is the expected dominant compartment (HPA: ubiquitous cytoplasmic tissue expression). Nuclear IRAK1 is biologically plausible when sumoylated (UniProt P51617: nuclear translocation); supported ICC-IF data also show additional nucleoplasmic localization (HPA: subcellular). Nuclear staining alone needs control review before assigning it to IRAK1 (general IHC practice). |
| A crisp membrane-restricted rim or signal confined to an unexpected compartment. | That pattern conflicts with IRAK1's lack of a transmembrane segment and its reported cytoplasmic tissue distribution (UniProt P51617 topology; HPA: tissue IHC profile). Check staining controls and morphology for artefact before interpreting it as target localization (general IHC practice). |
| Strong staining in adipocytes, skeletal myocytes or smooth muscle cells. | HPA reports IRAK1 as Not detected in these cell types (HPA: adipose tissue, skeletal muscle and smooth muscle IHC). Check whether the signal belongs to an adjacent cell, then assess cross-reactivity or detection background; a tissue label alone does not identify the stained cell (general IHC practice). |
| Diffuse signal across tissue and blank areas, or no signal in a named high-staining cell population. | Uniform haze lacks the cell-specific cytoplasmic pattern in HPA tissue IHC (HPA: tissue IHC profile). Conversely, absent staining in breast or colon glandular cells merits a run-control check before a biological negative call (HPA: High in those cells; general IHC practice). |
| Tissue and cell selection | IRAK1 staining is broadly cytoplasmic, but its reported level varies by cell population (HPA: tissue IHC profile). Breast and colon glandular cells and placental trophoblastic cells are High; adipocytes and skeletal or smooth muscle cells are Not detected (HPA: tissue IHC). Use the cell identity when choosing and reading controls. |
| Localization and activation state | Cytoplasmic staining fits the tissue profile, while nuclear localization is possible when IRAK1 is sumoylated (HPA: tissue IHC profile; UniProt P51617: sumoylation-dependent nuclear translocation). A nuclear pattern by itself does not show that sumoylation occurred; interpretation needs appropriate controls (general IHC practice). |
| Isoforms and antibody epitope | UniProt lists four IRAK1 isoforms and reports isoforms 1 and 2 across examined tissues, with isoform 1 more strongly expressed (UniProt P51617: isoforms; tissue specificity). The supplied evidence gives no antibody epitope or isoform coverage, so it cannot support an isoform-specific staining call. |
| IHC evidence strength | HPA rates the tissue profile Supported and describes medium agreement between antibody staining and RNA expression (HPA: tissue IHC reliability). The listed antibodies, HPA054476 and CAB004461, each have Supported IHC status; neither is listed here as IHC Enhanced (HPA: antibody validation payload). |
| IF/ICC Q&A: should the compartment match? | Yes: mainly cytosolic signal, with additional nucleoplasmic signal, is the supported ICC-IF localization (HPA: subcellular). This informs compartment interpretation, but IF/ICC is a separate application; it does not establish an IHC-P staining intensity, dilution or workflow (HPA: subcellular; general IHC practice). |
| Chromogenic detection background | Endogenous enzyme activity can create staining when an enzyme-based detection system is used (general IHC practice). Assess the detection system and its controls before calling weak or diffuse chromogen IRAK1-positive; the supplied HPA and UniProt records do not identify an IRAK1-specific background mechanism. |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| No signal in breast or colon glandular cells. | These populations are reported High, so a blank slide could reflect an unsuccessful staining run; the record does not establish a target-specific fixation effect (HPA: breast and colon IHC; general IHC practice). | Confirm the named cells are present and review a known-positive control, reagent delivery and detection steps; optimize retrieval only as a general IHC variable (general IHC practice). |
| Staining is strongest in adipocytes or muscle cells. | Those cell types are reported Not detected; mistaken cell assignment, cross-reactivity or background may explain discordance (HPA: adipose and muscle IHC; general IHC practice). | Recheck cell morphology and compare with an appropriate control slide and no-primary control before making a positive call (general IHC practice). |
| Most of the section shows diffuse chromogen. | Diffuse staining does not resemble the reported cell-specific cytoplasmic pattern; detection background is one possible source (HPA: tissue IHC profile; general IHC practice). | Inspect a no-primary control and review blocking, washing and chromogen development for the detection system in use (general IHC practice). |
| Signal forms a membrane-only rim. | A membrane-restricted pattern conflicts with IRAK1's lack of a transmembrane segment and reported cytoplasmic staining (UniProt P51617 topology; HPA: tissue IHC profile). | Check morphology and controls; verify that the rim is not edge artefact or signal from an adjacent cell before assigning localization (general IHC practice). |
| Nuclei stain while cytoplasm is absent or faint. | Nuclear IRAK1 is possible, but the dominant reported pattern is cytoplasmic; nuclear signal alone is insufficient to infer sumoylation (UniProt P51617: localization; HPA: tissue IHC and subcellular). | Compare with a named high-staining cell population and a no-primary control, then report the observed compartment without assigning an activation state (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
| Signal varies between otherwise comparable sections. | Differences in tissue composition or routine staining conditions can change the apparent result; no IRAK1-specific fixation sensitivity is supplied (HPA: cell-level tissue IHC; general IHC practice). | Compare the same cell population, include a run control and review retrieval, antibody dilution and detection conditions as general IHC variables (general IHC practice). |
Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Supported — Medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression data.). Rows are taken directly from the HPA tissue chart — click any row's HPA link to view the source.
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breast | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Cerebellum | Processes in granular layer | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Cerebral cortex | Neuronal cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Colon | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Hippocampus | Glial cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Troubleshoot IRAK1 staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, compartment, cell identity and controls before comparing signal intensity.
Anti-IRAK1 antibodies have IHC images from human ovarian cancer paraffin sections and rat liver, plus IF images from human A549 and HeLa cells (catalog image captions).
A01021-1 has human ovarian cancer paraffin-section IHC data (catalog image caption: A01021-1), and M01021-1 has rat liver IHC data (catalog image caption: M01021-1). A01021 has A549 cell IF data (catalog image caption: A01021), and A01021-2 has HeLa cell IF data (catalog image caption: A01021-2).
Which to pick: For tissue IHC, choose A01021-1 for human ovarian cancer paraffin sections with citrate retrieval at pH 6, or monoclonal M01021-1 for rat liver at 5 μg/mL; neither IHC caption reports the fixative (catalog image captions: A01021-1, M01021-1; catalog: M01021-1 clone 8F1A7). For IF/ICC, choose A01021 for A549 cells or A01021-2 for 4% paraformaldehyde-fixed HeLa cells (catalog image captions: A01021, A01021-2; catalog applications: IF, ICC). For work across species, A01021-1 lists human, mouse and rat reactivity and both IHC and IF applications, while its IHC image documents human tissue only (catalog: A01021-1 applications and reactivity; catalog image caption: A01021-1).