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LPP / Lipoma-preferred partner · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for LPP
Plan LPP staining in paraffin sections using the IHC-validated antibody at 0.5–1 µg/mL (datasheet A01240-2). Assess cytoplasmic staining across cell types, with smooth muscle cells as a strong reference population (HPA tissue IHC).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
LPP 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 | Predominantly cytoplasmic in tissue (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Staining pattern | Cytoplasmic staining, strongest in smooth muscle cells (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A01240-2) | |
| Positive control | Kidney+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 A01240-2) | |
| Caveat | Adipocytes show no detected staining despite the LPP name (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | High in smooth muscle cells (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Isoform / epitope | No annotated isoforms; one chain with no transmembrane region (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended LPP IHC & IF Protocols
The catalog antibody has an IHC-P protocol (datasheet: A01240-2); a published LPP protocol adds a tissue microarray workflow for Paget disease (PMC7748372).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded human lung cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A01240-2) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A01240-2); verify before use. |
| Sectioning | 4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard) |
| Deparaffinisation | Xylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard) |
| Antigen retrieval | Heat retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 (datasheet A01240-2); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard) |
| Peroxidase block | 3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard) |
| Blocking | 10% goat serum (datasheet A01240-2) |
| Primary antibody | Rabbit anti-LPP, 0.5-1μg/ml (datasheet A01240-2) |
| Primary incubation | Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet A01240-2) |
| Detection | Streptavidin-biotin complex (SABC), DAB chromogen (datasheet A01240-2) |
| Counterstain | Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard) |
| Expected result | LPP-positive staining in cells in glomeruli of kidney (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Cytoplasmic expression in several cell types, most abundant in smooth muscle cells. No signal in the no-primary control. |
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 (datasheet: A01240-2); the published protocol does not specify retrieval conditions (PMC7748372).
Section 2
What Is the Expected LPP Staining Pattern?
LPP is found in the cytoplasm, nucleus and cell adhesion sites; it has no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q93052). In tissue IHC, expect predominantly cytoplasmic staining, most abundant in smooth muscle cells, with high staining also reported in kidney glomerular cells and the skin granular layer (HPA tissue IHC). HPA rates the tissue profile Enhanced, while reporting medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC).
| Smooth muscle cells show strong cytoplasmic staining; cells in kidney glomeruli or the skin granular layer also stain strongly (HPA tissue IHC). | This matches the reported tissue distribution (HPA tissue IHC). LPP can occupy cell adhesion sites, but fine focal adhesion staining may be difficult to resolve in chromogenic paraffin sections (UniProt Q93052; general IHC practice). |
| A normal tissue section shows predominantly nuclear staining with little cytoplasmic signal. | Review the pattern before calling it LPP: HPA describes tissue staining as cytoplasmic (HPA tissue IHC). UniProt also places LPP in nuclei and notes that certain fusion proteins are mainly nuclear, so nuclear signal alone is not proof of an artefact (UniProt Q93052). |
| Adipocytes or bone marrow hematopoietic cells stain strongly, while expected positive cells do not. | HPA reports LPP as undetected in those cell populations (HPA tissue IHC). Consider antibody cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity; compare an appropriate positive section and detection controls before assigning the signal to LPP (general IHC practice). |
| Color is diffuse across tissue and lacks a recognizable cell-specific pattern. | That appearance does not match the reported cytoplasmic, cell-dependent profile (HPA tissue IHC). Check background with a primary-antibody omission control, then review blocking, antibody concentration and washing (general IHC practice). |
| Smooth muscle cells and other expected positive cells show no visible signal. | This conflicts with the high smooth muscle staining reported by HPA (HPA tissue IHC). First establish that the section and detection run worked; then assess retrieval and antibody concentration as general IHC variables, without assuming a known LPP-specific fixation effect (general IHC practice). |
💡Expected LPP appearanceCall a section positive when smooth muscle cells show clear, strong cytoplasmic staining, with high signal also possible in glomerular cells or the skin granular layer; widespread cell-independent color is suspicious for background (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice).
| Tissue and cell selection (HPA tissue IHC) | Smooth muscle cells are the clearest reported high-staining population; glomerular cells and the skin granular layer are additional high-staining examples, while adipocytes and bone marrow hematopoietic cells are reported as undetected (HPA tissue IHC). |
| Compartment and resolution (UniProt Q93052; HPA subcellular ICC-IF) | LPP occurs at adhesion sites and in the cytoplasm, with nuclear localization also documented (UniProt Q93052). HPA ICC-IF supports cytosol and focal adhesion sites as main locations; those fine structures may be less distinct by chromogenic IHC (HPA subcellular ICC-IF; general IHC practice). |
| Evidence strength (HPA tissue IHC; HPA antibodies) | HPA calls the tissue profile Enhanced but describes medium consistency with RNA expression; HPA011133 and HPA017342 each have Enhanced IHC validation (HPA tissue IHC; HPA antibodies). Interpret unexpected staining with controls rather than treating validation as proof for every cell type (general IHC practice). |
| Topology and processing (UniProt Q93052) | LPP has no transmembrane segment or signal peptide, and UniProt lists a single chain spanning residues 1–612 (UniProt Q93052). Membrane-adjacent staining can reflect adhesion-site localization; these features provide no basis to predict extracellular staining or a fixation-specific effect (UniProt Q93052). |
| Antigen retrieval and epitope (general IHC practice) | Target-specific fixation effects are not established by the supplied assay evidence. Verify with a matched IHC source before attributing a result to fixation. |
| IF/ICC Q&A (HPA subcellular ICC-IF) | What pattern should IF/ICC show? Mainly cytosol and focal adhesion sites, with additional plasma membrane and cell junction staining (HPA subcellular ICC-IF). These ICC-IF observations help interpret localization; they do not supply an IHC-P protocol (HPA subcellular ICC-IF). |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| No staining in smooth muscle cells (HPA tissue IHC) | The expected high-staining population is negative; the cause cannot be assigned from the image alone (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). | Check a concurrently stained positive section and detection controls, then review the validated IHC conditions and assess retrieval or antibody concentration if needed (general IHC practice). |
| Signal appears only in nuclei of otherwise normal tissue. | HPA describes the tissue profile as cytoplasmic, although UniProt also records nuclear LPP and mainly nuclear fusion forms (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q93052). | Compare cytoplasmic staining in known positive cells and inspect primary-antibody omission controls before interpreting the nuclear signal (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
| Adipocytes or bone marrow hematopoietic cells are strongly colored (HPA tissue IHC). | HPA reports these cell populations as undetected; cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity is possible (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). | Run primary-antibody omission and appropriate detection controls, then compare the suspect cells with smooth muscle cells in the same run (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
| Diffuse color obscures cell boundaries. | Broad background can arise from nonspecific antibody binding, detection activity or inadequate washing (general IHC practice). | Check an omission control, review blocking and washes, and adjust antibody concentration according to the validated IHC workflow (general IHC practice). |
| Membrane-associated color appears without clear focal adhesion puncta. | LPP can occupy adhesion sites and cell junctions, while chromogenic section imaging may not resolve fine focal adhesions (UniProt Q93052; general IHC practice). | Judge the result against the expected cell types and cytoplasmic staining; use the separate IF/ICC localization evidence if fine spatial detail is needed (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular ICC-IF). |
| Different tissue regions give conflicting positive and negative calls. | LPP staining varies by cell population, and HPA reports only medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC). | Score named cell populations separately and compare each with HPA's reported level; repeat ambiguous calls with suitable positive and detection controls (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing LPP staining
A01240-2 · IHCIHC analysis of LPP using anti-LPP antibody (A01240-2). LPP was detected in paraffin-embedded section of human lung cancer tissue. Heat medi
A01240-2 · IHCIHC analysis of LPP using anti-LPP antibody (A01240-2). LPP was detected in paraffin-embedded section of human mammary cancer tissue. Heat m
A01240-2 · IFIF analysis of LPP using anti-LPP antibody (A01240-2). LPP was detected in immunocytochemical section of A431 cells. Enzyme antigen retrieva
A01240-3 · IHCIHC analysis of LPP using anti LPP antibody (A01240-3). LPP was detected in paraffin-embedded section of human mammary cancer tissue. Heat m
A01240-3 · IHCIHC analysis of LPP using anti LPP antibody (A01240-3). LPP was detected in paraffin-embedded section of human rectal cancer tissue. Heat me
A01240-3 · IFIF analysis of LPP using anti-LPP antibody (A01240-3). LPP was detected in paraffin-embedded section of human intestinal cancer tissue. Heat
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000145012-LPP/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_4559584
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000145012-LPP/tissue/colon#imid_4559494
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000145012-LPP/tissue/liver#imid_4559511
HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000145012-LPP/tissue/kidney#imid_4559504
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA011133; green = LPP, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA011133; green = LPP, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for LPP IHC & IF
🧪Run kidney first: cells in the glomeruli should stain strongly (HPA: High in kidney cells in glomeruli). Use adipose tissue as the negative, where adipocytes are not detected (HPA: Not detected in adipocytes); on the kidney slide, assess cells outside the glomeruli for absent or weaker staining without assuming they are validated negatives.
Positive control tissue: Kidney (Cells in glomeruli, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show LPP in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, RPTEC/TERT1, hTERT-RPE1 (serum starved), KOLF2.1J, with annotated localisation: Focal adhesion sites (approved), Cytosol (supported) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary (secondary-only) control, a concentration-matched rabbit IgG isotype control appropriate to the catalog primary’s clonality, and a validated LPP knockout specimen if available (caption: rabbit primary; standard IHC practice). For kidney sections developed with the caption’s biotin-based DAB system, block endogenous peroxidase and check for endogenous biotin background (caption: SABC with DAB; standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window and fixation effect are unreported, and the selected-SKU paraffin-section caption does not state a fixative (caption: fixative unreported). The caption uses heat-mediated retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0, but does not establish whether retrieval is required (caption: EDTA retrieval). HPA ICC-IF images support examining focal adhesions and cytosol by IF/ICC, but the supplied evidence does not establish that IF or frozen sections are easier; endogenous biotin can complicate biotin-based detection in kidney (HPA subcellular: focal adhesion sites and cytosol; caption: SABC detection; standard IHC practice).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for LPP
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
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kidney | Cells in glomeruli | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Skin | Cells in granular layer | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Smooth muscle | Smooth muscle cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Appendix | Glandular cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Breast | Glandular 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 → |
| Endometrium | Cells in endometrial stroma | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Epididymis | Glandular cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Section 3
Advanced LPP IHC Tips
Troubleshoot LPP staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, compartment, tissue context, and controls before changing how signal is scored.
What retrieval should I try first if LPP staining is weak?
Start with heat-mediated retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 (datasheet A01240-2). The selected paraffin-section image used that retrieval before incubation with 1 μg/ml antibody overnight at 4°C, so reproduce those documented conditions when comparing results (datasheet A01240-2). Record heating and cooling times for each run, because the caption does not specify them (datasheet A01240-2; standard IHC practice). If staining remains weak, compare a small retrieval time series on adjacent sections while holding antibody concentration and detection constant, and check whether tissue structure or background deteriorates (standard IHC practice).
Could fixation explain weak or uneven LPP staining?
The selected LPP image documents a paraffin section but does not state its fixative, so target-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown (datasheet A01240-2). Do not assign a fixation effect to LPP from its tissue staining pattern or its intracellular locations (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q93052). Compare sections with documented fixation histories using the same EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval and detection conditions (datasheet A01240-2; standard IHC practice). Include a concurrently processed positive reference, such as smooth muscle cells, and assess morphology before interpreting a weak section as LPP-negative (HPA: High in smooth muscle cells; standard IHC practice).
Should I expect nuclear, cytoplasmic, or junctional LPP staining?
Assess cytoplasmic and adhesion-associated staining first: LPP is mainly cytosolic and at focal adhesion sites, with additional plasma-membrane and cell-junction localization (HPA subcellular). Nuclear staining is biologically possible because LPP shuttles between cytoplasm and nucleus, but the record particularly notes nuclear enrichment in specified fusion contexts (UniProt Q93052). A nuclear-only pattern in an ordinary section therefore needs independent support before being called characteristic LPP (UniProt Q93052; standard IHC practice). Compare the candidate signal with cell outlines and the hematoxylin counterstain at the same magnification, and document compartments separately rather than collapsing them into one positive score (standard IHC practice).
Could the antibody epitope explain an unexpected LPP pattern?
The supplied record lists 0 isoforms and a single LPP chain spanning residues 1–612, but the antibody epitope is not supplied (UniProt Q93052; datasheet A01240-2). LPP has three LIM domains at residues 414–603 and reported modified residues, including phosphoserines and phosphotyrosines (UniProt Q93052). Those features identify possible biological sources of variation, not a demonstrated cause of this antibody’s staining behavior (UniProt Q93052). If a pattern changes with retrieval, compare adjacent sections under matched detection conditions and seek an independently characterized antibody or orthogonal evidence before attributing the difference to an isoform, modification, or masked epitope (standard IHC practice).
How can IF help check an ambiguous chromogenic LPP pattern?
Use IF as a separate localization check and multiplex LPP with a marker that identifies the cell population being assessed, such as a validated smooth-muscle marker when evaluating smooth muscle cells (HPA: High in smooth muscle cells; standard IF practice). Choose a fluorophore channel with low tissue autofluorescence and include an unstained section to identify autofluorescent structures (standard IF practice). LPP has no transmembrane segment and is found in the cytosol and at adhesions, so access to an intracellular epitope generally requires controlled permeabilisation; the catalog antibody’s epitope is unspecified (UniProt Q93052; HPA subcellular; datasheet A01240-2). Keep this comparison separate from the paraffin-section IHC conditions, including EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval (datasheet A01240-2).
How do I distinguish LPP signal from chromogenic background?
First compare the stained section with a no-primary control and examine whether color follows intact cells rather than folds, edges, or debris (standard IHC practice). The documented method used 10% goat-serum blocking, a biotinylated secondary, streptavidin-biotin detection, and DAB (datasheet A01240-2). With that detection system, check for endogenous peroxidase and biotin-associated background using appropriate controls before changing the LPP antibody concentration (datasheet A01240-2; standard IHC practice). If diffuse color persists, shorten chromogen development or optimize blocking and washes on adjacent sections, while retaining the documented EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval for the initial comparison (datasheet A01240-2; standard IHC practice).
How should I quantify LPP staining across tissue sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cell population and compartment before scoring, because LPP may appear in cytoplasm, at adhesion sites, and sometimes in nuclei (UniProt Q93052; HPA subcellular). For chromogenic sections, report the percentage of positive target cells and, if intensity is reproducible, an H-score on a 0–300 scale (standard IHC practice). Normalize positive counts to the number of evaluable cells in the same annotated population, or report positive-cell density per mm² of viable tissue when cell counts are impractical (standard IHC practice). Keep retrieval, DAB development, imaging, and threshold rules matched across sections, and score smooth muscle separately when its abundant LPP signal could skew a mixed-tissue result (HPA: High in smooth muscle cells; standard IHC practice).
When is an apparent LPP-positive area likely to be artefactual?
A credible result should follow intact cellular structures and a plausible LPP compartment, particularly cytoplasm or adhesion-associated regions (HPA subcellular; UniProt Q93052). Check the cell type: smooth muscle cells are reported as strongly positive, whereas adipocytes and bone-marrow hematopoietic cells were not detected in the supplied tissue profile (HPA tissue IHC). Treat isolated staining at section edges, tissue folds, or necrotic areas cautiously, and compare it with a no-primary control (standard IHC practice). If DAB appears without primary antibody, investigate endogenous enzyme activity and the biotin-based detection system before assigning that color to LPP (datasheet A01240-2; standard IHC practice).
Boster reagents
Best LPP / Lipoma-preferred partner IHC Antibodies
Anti-LPP antibodies have IHC images from human cancer, mouse cardiac muscle, and rat intestine paraffin sections, plus IF images from A431 cells and human intestinal cancer sections (catalog IHC/IF captions).
Real IHC data
Anti-Lipoma-preferred partner LPP Antibody ®
Cat # A01240-2
Real IHC data
Anti-LPP Antibody ®
Cat # A01240-3
A01240-2 shows IHC in human lung, mammary, and rectal cancers and mouse cardiac muscle, plus IF in A431 cells (A01240-2 IHC/IF captions). A01240-3 shows IHC in human mammary and rectal cancers and rat intestine, plus IF in human intestinal cancer sections (A01240-3 IHC/IF captions).
Which to pick: For tissue IHC, choose A01240-2 for its human and mouse paraffin-section examples at 0.5–1 μg/ml; A01240-3 provides human and rat paraffin-section examples at 2 μg/ml in its images (catalog dilutions and IHC captions). For IF/ICC, A01240-2 lists both applications and has an A431-cell IF image, while A01240-3 lists IF and has an image from human intestinal cancer sections (catalog applications and IF captions). For broader listed species coverage, A01240-3 includes monkey reactivity, though its IHC images show human and rat samples; neither entry reports a clone designation, and the paraffin-section captions do not report the fixative (catalog reactivity, clone fields, and IHC captions).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q93052 (LPP_HUMAN, Lipoma-preferred partner).
- Human Protein Atlas. LPP tissue IHC expression (reliability: Enhanced).
- Human Protein Atlas. LPP subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to the cytosol and focal adhesion sites. In addition localized to the plasma membrane and cell junctions..
- Human Protein Atlas. LPP antibody validation summary (2 antibodies).
- Clinical, Histopathological Characteristics and Immunohistochemical Findings in Lichen Planus Pigmentosus. Indian journal of dermatology 2017 — PMC5724309.
- Expression of lipoma preferred partner in mammary and extramammary Paget disease. Medicine 2020 — PMC7748372.
- UBE2S interacting with TRIM21 mediates the K11-linked ubiquitination of LPP to promote the lymphatic metastasis of bladder cancer. Cell death & disease 2023 — PMC10329682.
- Association Between Periostin Expression and Disease Progression in Lichen Planopilaris: Insights Into Pathophysiology. Dermatology practical & conceptual 2025 — PMC12090922.
- PubMed PMID:8812423 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:15489334 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:12063392 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for LPP (Lipoma-preferred partner). Expected localisation Predominantly cytoplasmic in tissue (HPA tissue IHC). Antigen retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A01240-2). Validated IHC antibody: A01240-2 at 0.5-1μg/ml (the product's own IHC validation image is shown). Controls (HPA): positive Kidney (Cells in glomeruli); negative Adipose tissue. IHC-P workflow on paraffin sections; fixative unspecified. Protocol steps: 1. Sample: Paraffin-embedded human lung cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A01240-2); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A01240-2); 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: EDTA pH 8.0 (datasheet A01240-2); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard); 6. Peroxidase block: 3% H2O2, 10 min , room temperature (standard); 7. Blocking: 10% goat serum (datasheet A01240-2); 8. Primary antibody: Rabbit anti-LPP, 0.5-1μg/ml (datasheet A01240-2); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet A01240-2). Watch for: Fixation: Matched tissue-IHC evidence does not establish the fixation claim. Validate the specimen-specific method before use. (selected-SKU IHC image A01240-2); Caveat: Adipocytes show no detected staining despite the LPP name (HPA tissue IHC); Isoform / epitope: No annotated isoforms; one chain with no transmembrane region (UniProt); Regulation: High in smooth muscle cells (HPA tissue IHC). Evidence: UniProt Q93052, HPA tissue IHC · Enhanced, HPA ICC-IF · Mainly localized to the cytosol and focal adhesion sites. In…, Datasheet A01240-2, PMC7748372. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/LPP/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.