MAP1S / Microtubule-associated protein 1S · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for MAP1S

Plan MAP1S chromogenic IHC in paraffin sections using the IHC-validated antibody A04308 at 2–5 μg/ml (datasheet A04308). This guide covers the cytoplasmic tissue pattern (HPA tissue IHC) and the heavy and light chains relevant to epitope selection (UniProt).

Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for MAP1S (IHC for MAP1S): expected localisation Cytoplasmic in most tissues (HPA tissue IHC); nuclear location annotated (UniProt), antibody A04308, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps
Printable MAP1S IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Cytoplasmic in most tissues (HPA tissue IHC); nuclear location annotated (UniProt), antibody A04308, controls and protocol steps. Open the full MAP1S IHC guide →

MAP1S 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 in most tissues (HPA tissue IHC); nuclear location annotated (UniProt)
Staining pattern Cytoplasmic in most tissues; high in nasopharyngeal ciliated cells (HPA tissue IHC)
Antigen retrieval EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A04308)
Positive control ⓘ Nasopharynx+4 more · see all
Negative control ⓘ Adipose tissue+4 more · see all
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
Fixation Keep fixation consistent across sections (standard IHC practice; not target-specific)
Caveat Antibody staining has medium agreement with RNA data (HPA tissue IHC)
Regulation Staining intensity regulation is unreported (UniProt)
Isoform / epitope Two isoforms; heavy and light chains affect epitope coverage (UniProt)
Section 1

Recommended MAP1S IHC & IF Protocols

The catalog antibody protocol uses EDTA retrieval (datasheet: A04308). Two published MAP1S tissue staining protocols provide citrate retrieval and chromogenic detection details (PMC9240238; PMC4646605).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
SampleParaffin-embedded mouse brain tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A04308)
FixationImage fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A04308); 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 A04308); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard)
Peroxidase block3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard)
Blocking10% goat serum (datasheet A04308)
Primary antibodyRabbit anti-MAP1S, 2-5 μg/ml (datasheet A04308)
Primary incubationOvernight at 4 °C (datasheet A04308)
DetectionHRP-conjugated secondary, DAB chromogen (datasheet A04308)
CounterstainHematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected resultMAP1S-positive staining in ciliated cells (cell body) of nasopharynx (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Cytoplasmic expression in most tissues. No signal in the no-primary control.
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA pH 8.0 for the catalog antibody (datasheet: A04308); consider citrate pH 6.0 when adapting either published protocol (PMC9240238; PMC4646605).
Section 2

What Is the Expected MAP1S Staining Pattern?

MAP1S is chiefly cytoplasmic in tissue IHC, with expression reported in most tissues (HPA tissue IHC: Approved; medium consistency with RNA; pending external verification). Expect staining in nasopharyngeal ciliated cell bodies and in glandular or basal cells in the specified positive tissues (HPA tissue IHC). Cytoskeletal and context-dependent nuclear localisation are also reported (UniProt Q66K74 localisation); MAP1S has no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q66K74 topology).

What am I looking at on my slide?
Cytoplasmic staining in nasopharyngeal ciliated cell bodies, with glandular or basal cell staining in other positive tissues.This fits the reported tissue pattern: nasopharyngeal ciliated cell bodies are High; appendix, breast, colon, duodenum and endometrium glandular cells, and bronchial basal cells, are Medium (HPA tissue IHC). Judge the named cell population and compartment together; a tissue name alone does not establish that every cell should stain (HPA tissue IHC).
Predominantly nuclear staining in an otherwise routine tissue section, with little cytoplasmic staining.Recheck the compartment assignment and controls before calling this MAP1S: tissue IHC is described as cytoplasmic in most tissues (HPA tissue IHC). Nuclear localisation can occur, including in cells exhibiting apoptosis (UniProt Q66K74 localisation), and nucleoplasmic and nucleolar signals are additional ICC-IF locations (HPA subcellular); nuclear colour alone is therefore not proof of artefact.
Strong staining in an HPA-listed cell population reported as Not detected, such as adipocytes or bone-marrow hematopoietic cells.That result conflicts with the specified cell-level observations (HPA tissue IHC: adipocytes and hematopoietic cells Not detected). Consider antibody cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity, then compare the named cells with a matched control section (general IHC practice). A negative designation for one cell population does not establish that its whole tissue must be blank (HPA tissue IHC).
Diffuse colour across tissue, extracellular space or the slide, obscuring cell borders.This is difficult to score as the reported cell-body or cytoplasmic pattern (HPA tissue IHC). Assess background with a primary-antibody-omission control and check blocking, washes and detection reagents (general IHC practice). Do not interpret widespread colour as broader MAP1S expression until the cell-specific pattern is visible.
No detectable signal in nasopharyngeal ciliated cell bodies or another stated positive cell population.A blank result conflicts with High staining in nasopharyngeal ciliated cell bodies or Medium staining in the specified positive populations (HPA tissue IHC). It does not, by itself, establish MAP1S absence: check section quality, detection controls, antibody working conditions and the identity of the scored cells (general IHC practice). HPA reports medium consistency with RNA and pending external verification (HPA tissue IHC).
💡Expected MAP1S appearanceCall a positive when cell-associated cytoplasmic staining is High in nasopharyngeal ciliated cell bodies or Medium in a listed glandular or basal population (HPA tissue IHC); diffuse noncellular colour or strong signal in a listed Not detected cell population calls for control review (general IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC).
How each factor affects the staining
Cell population and tissue selection (HPA tissue IHC).HPA describes cytoplasmic expression in most tissues, but the listed intensities belong to specific cells: High in nasopharyngeal ciliated cell bodies; Medium in several glandular populations and bronchial basal cells; Not detected in specified populations including adipocytes and bone-marrow hematopoietic cells (HPA tissue IHC). Select and score controls at cell level.
Compartment and cellular state (UniProt Q66K74 localisation; HPA subcellular).Diffuse cytoplasmic staining with partial microtubule localisation is reported in interphase cells, and spindle microtubule localisation during mitosis (UniProt Q66K74 localisation). UniProt also reports a perinuclear punctate network and nuclear detection in cells exhibiting apoptosis; HPA ICC-IF lists cytosol as a main supported location and nucleoplasm and nucleoli as additional supported locations (HPA subcellular).
Antibody evidence (HPA antibodies; HPA tissue IHC).HPA050934 and HPA054637 each have IHC Approved status; HPA050934 has ICC Supported status (HPA antibodies). The tissue IHC profile has medium consistency with RNA and awaits external verification (HPA tissue IHC). These labels support a working expectation, while leaving an unexpected compartment or cell population to be resolved with controls.
Protein processing and isoforms (UniProt Q66K74).UniProt lists a heavy chain spanning residues 1–829, a light chain spanning 830–1059, and 2 isoforms (UniProt Q66K74 processing; isoforms). These facts do not identify the IHC antibody's epitope or predict which processed form a section will display; interpret any proposed chain-specific pattern only if the antibody's epitope is established.
Membrane assignment and retrieval limits (UniProt Q66K74 topology; HPA tissue IHC).No transmembrane segment is annotated (UniProt Q66K74 topology), so a membrane-only outline would need scrutiny against the reported cytoplasmic tissue pattern (HPA tissue IHC). Neither source supplies target-specific fixation sensitivity or an antigen-retrieval condition; optimize retrieval as a general IHC variable without treating an HPA staining level as evidence of a fixation effect (general IHC practice).
Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
SituationLikely causeNext action
The named positive cells are blank or much weaker than expected (HPA tissue IHC).Target-specific fixation effects are not established by the supplied assay evidence. Verify with a matched IHC source before attributing a result to fixation.Confirm the scored cell type, run a stated positive tissue alongside the sample, and check the detection control. If needed, compare retrieval and antibody working conditions systematically (general IHC practice); no MAP1S-specific retrieval setting is supplied.
Brown signal spreads across the section and obscures cell boundaries (general IHC practice).Nonspecific antibody binding, endogenous detection activity or excessive development can produce background (general IHC practice).Inspect a primary-antibody-omission control; review blocking, washes and chromogen development, then rescore only cell-associated signal (general IHC practice). Compare the resulting pattern with HPA's cytoplasmic tissue profile (HPA tissue IHC).
A listed Not detected cell population stains strongly (HPA tissue IHC).Cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity is possible (general IHC practice); HPA's negative calls apply to the named cell populations, not automatically to every cell in those tissues (HPA tissue IHC).Verify cell identity against morphology and counterstain, inspect omission and positive controls, and compare another IHC-approved antibody if available (general IHC practice; HPA antibodies: HPA050934 and HPA054637 IHC Approved).
Signal appears exclusively nuclear in a routine tissue section (HPA tissue IHC).The pattern differs from HPA's usual cytoplasmic tissue profile; genuine nuclear MAP1S is context dependent in UniProt, and HPA reports additional nuclear ICC-IF locations (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q66K74 localisation; HPA subcellular).Check whether the signal is confined to morphologically apoptotic cells, compare cytoplasmic positive cells on the same run, and inspect controls before assigning a localisation or artefact (UniProt Q66K74 localisation; general IHC practice).
Staining varies sharply between adjacent areas of one section (general IHC practice).Uneven reagent coverage, washing or development can create spatial variation (general IHC practice); the supplied sources provide no MAP1S-specific fixation-effect evidence.Inspect section integrity and reagent coverage, repeat with consistent processing, and compare like cell populations across areas (general IHC practice). Avoid inferring a MAP1S fixation effect from this pattern alone.
IF/ICC Q&A: Where should MAP1S fluorescence appear (HPA subcellular)?ICC-IF compartment evidence addresses a different preparation from paraffin tissue IHC (HPA subcellular; HPA tissue IHC).Expect mainly cytosol and sperm principal piece, with additional nucleoplasm and nucleoli (HPA subcellular). UniProt also reports microtubule-associated and context-dependent nuclear localisation (UniProt Q66K74 localisation); use the separate IF/ICC guide for its procedure.

Sample controls for MAP1S IHC & IF

🧪Run nasopharynx first: ciliated cell bodies should stain (HPA: High in ciliated cells). Use adipose tissue as the negative tissue, focusing on adipocytes (HPA: Not detected in adipocytes); on the positive slide, treat cells without cell-body staining as internal background comparisons, without assuming a named cell type is MAP1S-negative (standard IHC interpretation).
Positive control tissue: Nasopharynx (Ciliated cells (cell body), HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show MAP1S in HEK293, PC-3, U2OS, Sperm, with annotated localisation: Cytosol (supported), Principal piece (approved) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only control; rabbit IgG isotype control matched to the primary antibody’s clonality where possible; and MAP1S knockout tissue as a biological negative (caption: rabbit primary; standard IHC practice). Quench endogenous peroxidase before HRP/DAB detection in the nasopharynx section (caption: HRP/DAB; standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported, and the selected A04308 paraffin-section caption does not state the fixative (caption: fixative unreported). That caption uses heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0, but does not establish that retrieval is required; the supplied evidence also does not establish whether frozen sections or IF are easier (caption: EDTA retrieval; supplied evidence). In nasopharynx, assess cell-body staining separately from apical surface background in ciliated cells (HPA: High in ciliated cell bodies; standard IHC interpretation).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for MAP1S

Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Approved — Medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression data. Pending external verification.). 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
Nasopharynx Ciliated cells (cell body) High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Appendix Glandular cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Breast Glandular cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Bronchus Basal cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Colon Glandular cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →

Undetected expression · recommended negative controls

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
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 →
Caudate Glial cells Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Cerebellum Cells in granular layer Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Section 3

Advanced MAP1S IHC Tips

Troubleshoot MAP1S staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, cellular localisation, and controls before comparing signal across specimens.

How should I retrieve MAP1S in paraffin sections when staining is weak?
Start with heat-mediated retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 (datasheet A04308). The catalog image used that retrieval before staining a paraffin-embedded mouse brain section with 2 μg/ml primary antibody overnight at 4°C (datasheet A04308). If signal remains weak, compare retrieval heating times on adjacent sections while keeping primary concentration, detection, and exposure to DAB constant (standard IHC practice). Include a no-primary control and inspect tissue morphology: stronger colour with damaged or detached sections does not establish better MAP1S detection (standard IHC practice).
Could fixation explain weak or uneven MAP1S staining?
Target-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown: the catalog tissue image describes a paraffin section but does not report its fixative (datasheet A04308). Record the fixative and fixation duration for each specimen before comparing staining across runs (standard IHC practice). Test sections with differing documented fixation histories using the same EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval and 2 μg/ml primary concentration used in the catalog image (datasheet A04308; standard IHC practice). Compare signal alongside preserved morphology and matched no-primary controls; a fixation effect cannot be assigned to MAP1S from a staining difference alone (standard IHC practice).
Which MAP1S staining compartments should I accept in tissue sections?
Expect predominantly cytoplasmic staining across many tissues, while assessing the identity of the stained cells (HPA tissue IHC: cytoplasmic expression in most tissues). MAP1S can also occupy the cytosol, cytoskeleton, spindle, and nucleus, with localisation varying by cellular state (UniProt Q66K74). In the documented catalog workflow, evaluate DAB signal against the counterstained cell boundaries and nuclei rather than treating every brown deposit as intracellular signal (datasheet A04308; standard IHC practice). A nuclear pattern alone warrants independent validation because HPA lists cytosol as a main location and nucleoplasm and nucleoli as additional locations (HPA subcellular).
Can processing or isoforms explain discordant MAP1S staining?
MAP1S has 2 annotated isoforms and is processed into a heavy chain spanning residues 1–829 and a light chain spanning 830–1059 (UniProt Q66K74). Interpret staining in light of the antibody’s documented immunogen or epitope, if available; the supplied catalog caption does not identify that epitope (datasheet A04308). An epitope present in only one processed region could yield a different cellular pattern from an epitope shared across MAP1S forms, so verify sequence coverage before assigning that explanation (UniProt Q66K74; standard IHC practice). Compare adjacent sections and independent controls before calling a staining difference isoform specific (standard IHC practice).
How can I use IF to investigate an ambiguous MAP1S IHC pattern?
On a separate section, multiplex MAP1S with a validated marker for the cell type under study and check whether their signals occupy the expected cells (standard IF practice). Choose fluorophores in channels with low tissue autofluorescence, then inspect single-stain and no-primary controls before interpreting overlap (standard IF practice). Because MAP1S has no transmembrane segment and has cytosolic, cytoskeletal, and nuclear locations, permeabilise for access to intracellular epitopes according to the marker and specimen requirements (UniProt Q66K74; standard IF practice). Treat any agreement with the paraffin-section DAB pattern as supporting evidence, while validating the IF conditions independently (datasheet A04308; standard IF practice).
How do I separate MAP1S signal from chromogenic background?
The catalog image used 10% goat serum blocking, an overnight 2 μg/ml primary incubation at 4°C, and peroxidase-based DAB detection (datasheet A04308). Compare those conditions with a no-primary section to identify signal from secondary reagents, endogenous peroxidase, or the chromogen (standard IHC practice). Apply a peroxidase block and assess whether brown deposits persist after primary omission; that block is a general chromogenic IHC step, not evidence of a MAP1S-specific requirement (standard IHC practice). If background remains high, optimise washing and primary concentration while checking that expected cytoplasmic staining remains visible (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
How should I quantify MAP1S IHC across specimens? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the tissue region and cell population before scoring, because HPA reports both stained and undetected cell types within its tissue survey (HPA tissue IHC). For DAB sections, record the percentage of positive target cells and staining intensity, then calculate an H-score using the same thresholds across specimens (standard IHC practice). Alternatively, report positive-cell density per mm² when cell counts and sampled area are reliable (standard IHC practice). Normalise to the number of evaluable cells or tissue area, as appropriate, and exclude folds, necrosis, and section edges using prespecified rules (standard IHC practice).
What distinguishes credible MAP1S staining from an artefact?
Look for intracellular signal in plausible cells: HPA reports high staining in nasopharyngeal ciliated-cell bodies and a broadly cytoplasmic tissue pattern (HPA tissue IHC). Cytoskeletal or occasional nuclear localisation can be biologically plausible, but compartment alone cannot establish antibody specificity (UniProt Q66K74; standard IHC practice). Treat staining confined to section edges, necrotic areas, or no-primary controls as suspect, and check for endogenous peroxidase before accepting DAB deposits (standard IHC practice). Interpret negative cells cautiously because HPA tissue IHC is approved with medium staining-to-RNA consistency and pending external verification (HPA tissue IHC).
Boster reagents

Best MAP1S / Microtubule-associated protein 1S IHC Antibodies

A04308 has IHC images from paraffin-embedded mouse and rat brain sections (catalog image captions); human, mouse and rat reactivity is listed (catalog), but no IF/ICC data are supplied (catalog).

Real IHC data IHC analysis of MAP1S using anti-MAP1S antibody (A04308). MAP1S was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of mouse brain 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-MAP1S Antibody (A04308) 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-MAP1S Antibody ®
Cat # A04308

A04308 is the only SKU rendered and lists IHC among its applications (catalog: A04308 applications). Its images show staining of paraffin-embedded mouse and rat brain sections after EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval, using 2 μg/ml primary antibody (catalog: A04308 IHC image captions).

Which to pick: Choose A04308 for paraffin-section IHC using the captioned mouse or rat brain conditions; the fixative is unreported (catalog: A04308 IHC image captions). For cross-species planning, A04308 lists human, mouse and rat reactivity, though the supplied IHC images cover mouse and rat only (catalog: A04308 reactivity and IHC image captions). No IF/ICC application or image is supplied, so there is no payload-supported IF/ICC pick; A04308 is a rabbit antibody with no clone reported (catalog: A04308 applications, images, host and clone).

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

References

  1. UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q66K74 (MAP1S_HUMAN, Microtubule-associated protein 1S).
  2. Human Protein Atlas. MAP1S tissue IHC expression (reliability: Approved).
  3. Human Protein Atlas. MAP1S subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to the cytosol and principal piece. In addition localized to the nucleoplasm and nucleoli..
  4. Human Protein Atlas. MAP1S antibody validation summary (2 antibodies).
  5. Autophagy defects suggested by low levels of autophagy activator MAP1S and high levels of autophagy inhibitor LRPPRC predict poor prognosis of prostate cancer patients. Molecular carcinogenesis 2015 — PMC4941638.
  6. Hepatitis B Virus Induces Microtubule Stabilization to Promote Productive Infection through Upregulating Microtubule-associated Protein 1S. Journal of clinical and translational hepatology 2022 — PMC9240238.
  7. Transforming Growth Factor TGFβ Increases Levels of Microtubule-Associated Protein MAP1S and Autophagy Flux in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinomas. PloS one 2015 — PMC4646605.
  8. Fast clearance of lipid droplets through MAP1S-activated autophagy suppresses clear cell renal cell carcinomas and promotes patient survival. Oncotarget 2016 — PMC4868754.
  9. PubMed PMID:14627543 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  10. PubMed PMID:16297881 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  11. PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.