This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
- Table of Contents
Plan chromogenic MAP2K3 IHC in paraffin sections using the IHC-validated antibody's documented conditions (datasheet PB9763). Compare cell-specific cytoplasmic staining with tissue references while accounting for the reported disagreement between antibody staining and RNA expression (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 most tissues (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Staining pattern | Cytoplasmic signal in glandular and marrow hematopoietic cells (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet PB9763) | |
| Positive control | Appendix+4 more · see all | |
| Negative control | Adipose tissue+3 more · see all |
| Fixation | Keep fixation consistent across sections (standard IHC practice; not target-specific) | |
| Caveat | Antibody staining has low consistency with RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | Expression regulation unreported (UniProt) | |
| Isoform / epitope | 3 isoforms; epitope coverage is unspecified (UniProt) |
The catalog antibody protocol uses heat-mediated EDTA retrieval (datasheet: PB9763). Two published MAP2K3 IHC protocols provide tissue-specific comparisons (PMC3852118; PMC4466407).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded human liver cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet PB9763) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet PB9763); 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 PB9763); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard) |
| Peroxidase block | 3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard) |
| Blocking | 10% goat serum (datasheet PB9763) |
| Primary antibody | Rabbit anti-MAP2K3, 2-5μg/ml (datasheet PB9763) |
| Primary incubation | Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet PB9763) |
| Detection | HRP-conjugated secondary, DAB chromogen (datasheet PB9763) |
| Counterstain | Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard) |
| Expected result | MAP2K3-positive staining in glandular cells of appendix (HPA tissue IHC: Medium). HPA tissue profile: Cytoplasmic expression in most tissues. No signal in the no-primary control. |
In paraffin-section IHC, expect predominantly cytoplasmic MAP2K3 staining across many tissues, including medium staining in appendix glandular cells, bone marrow hematopoietic cells and cerebral cortex neurons (HPA tissue IHC). MAP2K3 has no transmembrane segment (UniProt P46734 topology). HPA rates the tissue antibody Approved but reports low consistency between staining and RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC).
| Cytoplasmic signal in appendix glandular cells, bone marrow hematopoietic cells or cerebral cortex neurons. | This matches the reported compartment and cell types. HPA calls each example Medium, so assess staining against the local background rather than expecting intense signal throughout every section (HPA tissue IHC). |
| Signal appears exclusively at cell membranes or in extracellular material. | That distribution does not match the predominantly cytoplasmic tissue profile or the cytosol and nucleoplasm seen by ICC-IF (HPA tissue IHC; HPA ICC-IF). Check morphology, counterstain and detection controls before assigning it to MAP2K3 (general IHC practice). Nuclear signal alone needs more cautious interpretation because ICC-IF reports nucleoplasmic localization (HPA ICC-IF). |
| Strong signal is confined to adipocytes, liver cholangiocytes or smooth muscle cells. | Those cell types are listed as Not detected in the sampled HPA tissue IHC results. Consider cross-reactivity or local detection activity, while recognizing that an HPA negative observation does not prove universal absence (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
| Brown color spreads across tissue, empty spaces or many unrelated structures. | A diffuse pattern is difficult to reconcile with the reported cell-associated cytoplasmic staining (HPA tissue IHC). Consider nonspecific binding, residual endogenous detection activity or excessive chromogen development; compare with a no-primary control and the counterstained morphology (general IHC practice). |
| No detectable signal in an otherwise intact appendix or bone marrow section. | HPA reports Medium staining in appendix glandular cells and bone marrow hematopoietic cells, making them useful comparison sites (HPA tissue IHC). First assess control performance and section quality; HPA's low staining–RNA consistency limits how strongly one negative specimen can be interpreted (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
| Tissue and cell choice | HPA reports Medium staining in eight listed examples, including bronchial respiratory epithelium, cerebellar Purkinje cells and colon endothelium; it lists adipocytes and liver cholangiocytes as Not detected (HPA tissue IHC). Select comparisons by the named cell type, since neighboring cells in the same section need not share its reported level (general IHC practice). |
| IHC evidence strength | The listed antibody, CAB018548, has Approved IHC status; the tissue profile also flags low consistency between staining and RNA expression (HPA antibodies; HPA tissue IHC). Treat the reported pattern as a comparison for interpreting slides, and use appropriate controls when a result would support a biological conclusion (general IHC practice). |
| Protein form and epitope | UniProt lists 3 isoforms, a protein kinase region at residues 64–325, no signal peptide, no propeptide and no transmembrane segment (UniProt P46734). The supplied record does not map this antibody's epitope to an isoform or domain, so it cannot predict isoform-specific staining or an epitope-specific retrieval response. |
| Activation and phosphorylation | MAP2K3 is a stress- and cytokine-responsive kinase, and UniProt lists modified residues including Ser218 and Thr222 (UniProt P46734). Those facts do not establish that this catalog antibody distinguishes activated from total MAP2K3; interpret its staining as antibody signal unless separate epitope evidence is available. |
| IF/ICC: where should signal appear? | HPA reports Approved nucleoplasm and cytosol localization, with ICC-IF images listed for A-549 and U-251MG (HPA ICC-IF). This is a compartment comparison for the separate IF/ICC guide, not an IHC protocol or a reason to require nuclear staining in every paraffin section. |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Expected positive cells are unstained. | The run may lack usable detection, or signal may fall below visual detection; HPA reports Medium staining in the named appendix and bone marrow cells (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). | Check section morphology, antibody application, detection reagents and a same-run positive control before concluding that the specimen lacks MAP2K3 (general IHC practice). |
| Most of the section is uniformly brown. | Nonspecific binding, endogenous detection activity or prolonged chromogen development can obscure cellular staining (general IHC practice). | Review the no-primary control, blocking and detection steps; shorten development or adjust antibody concentration according to the validated IHC workflow (general IHC practice). |
| Signal is concentrated on edges, folds or damaged areas. | Section artifacts can concentrate reagent or distort apparent cellular localization (general IHC practice). | Judge intact interior tissue with the counterstain; repeat on a well-mounted section if the apparent pattern depends on damaged regions (general IHC practice). |
| Staining is exclusively membranous or extracellular. | The observed distribution conflicts with the reported cytoplasmic tissue pattern and cytosol/nucleoplasm ICC-IF pattern (HPA tissue IHC; HPA ICC-IF). | Check the no-primary control and cell boundaries, then confirm any persistent unexpected pattern with an independently validated approach (general IHC practice). |
| An HPA-listed undetected cell type stains strongly. | Cross-reactivity or background is possible; HPA lists adipocytes, cholangiocytes, smooth muscle cells and vaginal squamous epithelium as Not detected in its sampled tissue results (HPA tissue IHC). | Compare the suspect cells with adjacent positive cell types and controls. Record the discrepancy without treating one HPA observation as a universal negative rule (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
| Nuclear signal appears alongside cytoplasmic signal. | HPA ICC-IF reports both nucleoplasm and cytosol localization, while its tissue IHC summary emphasizes cytoplasmic expression (HPA ICC-IF; HPA tissue IHC). | Assess whether nuclear color follows intact nuclei and exceeds the no-primary control; document compartment-specific scoring separately if both signals remain credible (general IHC practice). |
Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Approved — Low 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appendix | Glandular cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Bone marrow | Hematopoietic cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Breast | Glandular cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Bronchus | Respiratory epithelial cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Cerebellum | Purkinje cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adipose tissue | Adipocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Liver | Cholangiocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Smooth muscle | Smooth muscle cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Vagina | Squamous epithelial cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Troubleshoot MAP2K3 staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, tissue handling, cell compartment, controls and scoring before interpreting DAB signal.
The catalog shows IHC data from human liver cancer tissue and human liver, plus IF data from HeLa cells (figure captions: PB9763, M02916-1, M02916).
PB9763 shows IHC in paraffin-embedded human liver cancer tissue; M02916-1 shows IHC in paraffin-embedded human liver (figure captions: PB9763, M02916-1). M02916 shows IF in HeLa cells (figure caption: M02916); all three list human, mouse and rat reactivity (catalog: PB9763, M02916-1, M02916).
Which to pick: For tissue IHC, choose PB9763 if you want a documented starting workflow: its paraffin-section caption specifies EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0, 2 μg/ml primary antibody and DAB detection (PB9763 IHC figure caption). M02916-1 is a monoclonal alternative with a paraffin-section IHC image, while M02916 has an IF image in HeLa cells and lists ICC/IF; the fixative is unreported for both captions (catalog and figure captions: M02916-1, M02916). For cross-species planning, all three list human, mouse and rat reactivity, but their rendered images document human samples only (catalog and figure captions: PB9763, M02916-1, M02916).