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MRPL13 / Large ribosomal subunit protein uL13m · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for MRPL13
Plan chromogenic MRPL13 IHC in paraffin sections using the granular cytoplasmic tissue pattern as a reference (HPA tissue IHC). Compare high-staining kidney tubule cells with adipocytes, where signal was not detected (HPA tissue IHC).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
MRPL13 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 | Granular cytoplasm (HPA tissue IHC); mitochondrion (UniProt) | |
| Staining pattern | Granular cytoplasmic staining in most tissues (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | Citrate pH 6.0 HIER, 95–98 °C, 20 min (rule: cytoplasmic / membrane antigen) | |
| Positive control | Appendix+4 more · see all | |
| Negative control | Adipose tissue+1 more · see all |
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
| Fixation | Keep fixation consistent across samples (standard IHC practice; not target-specific) | |
| Caveat | Some cell types have no detected signal (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | No specific regulation annotated (UniProt) | |
| Isoform / epitope | No isoforms annotated; mature chain spans residues 2–178 (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended MRPL13 IHC & IF Protocols
Compare the catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol (datasheet) with the published MRPL13 kidney-section protocol (PMC13411704).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded human breast carcinoma tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A13508-1) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A13508-1); verify before use. |
| Sectioning | 4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard) |
| Deparaffinisation | Xylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard) |
| Antigen retrieval | Heat-induced epitope retrieval in citrate buffer, pH 6.0, 20 min at 95–98 °C (standard rule: cytoplasmic / membrane antigen) |
| Peroxidase block | 3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard) |
| Blocking | 10% normal serum of the secondary host, 30 min, room temperature (standard) |
| Primary antibody | Rabbit anti-MRPL13, 1:100-1:300 (datasheet A13508-1) |
| Primary incubation | Overnight at 4 °C (standard) |
| Detection | HRP-polymer secondary, DAB chromogen 5–10 min (standard) |
| Counterstain | Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard) |
| Expected result | MRPL13-positive staining in glandular cells of appendix (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Cytoplasmic expression with a granular pattern in most tissues. No signal in the no-primary control. |
💡Decision noteStart with citrate pH 6.0 retrieval at 95–98 °C for 20 min (page retrieval rule); the published kidney protocol does not specify retrieval conditions (PMC13411704).
Section 2
What Is the Expected MRPL13 Staining Pattern?
MRPL13 is a mitochondrial protein without a transmembrane segment (UniProt Q9BYD1). In paraffin-section IHC, expect granular cytoplasmic staining in many tissues, particularly the epithelial and tubular cell populations that HPA scores high (HPA tissue IHC). HPA rates the tissue staining Approved, with medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC).
| Granular cytoplasmic staining in bronchial respiratory epithelium, kidney tubules, or pancreatic exocrine glands. | This matches the reported cytoplasmic granular pattern and high staining in those cells (HPA tissue IHC). Assess the cellular pattern as well as intensity: MRPL13 is mitochondrial, but chromogenic IHC alone does not prove that each granule is a mitochondrion (UniProt Q9BYD1; HPA tissue IHC). |
| Strong staining appears predominantly in nuclei or outlines the plasma membrane. | That compartment conflicts with the reported mitochondrial location and granular cytoplasmic IHC profile (UniProt Q9BYD1; HPA tissue IHC). Treat it as suspect; review morphology, detection controls, and staining conditions before interpreting it as MRPL13. |
| Strong staining appears in adipocytes or ovarian stromal cells. | HPA reports MRPL13 as not detected in those populations (HPA tissue IHC). Consider cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity, particularly if a control also stains. A single discrepant field cannot establish that the cells express MRPL13. |
| Brown reaction product is diffuse across cells and surrounding tissue, with little granular structure. | This does not resemble HPA's granular cytoplasmic profile (HPA tissue IHC). Diffuse signal may arise from background in a chromogenic IHC workflow (general IHC practice). Check the control and staining distribution before scoring cells as positive. |
| No convincing signal appears in a section containing kidney tubules or colon glandular cells. | Those cell populations are scored high by HPA, so an entirely blank result warrants a technical check (HPA tissue IHC). Examine tissue preservation, the positive control, retrieval and detection steps; absence of signal alone does not establish biological loss of MRPL13. |
💡Expected MRPL13 appearanceCall a result positive when epithelial or tubular cells show convincing granular cytoplasmic staining, potentially strong in HPA high populations; dominant nuclear, membrane, or diffuse staining is suspect (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q9BYD1).
| Subcellular location and topology | MRPL13 is mitochondrial and has no annotated transmembrane segment (UniProt Q9BYD1). Interpret a granular cytoplasmic pattern in that context; the record does not define an IHC epitope or establish which retrieval condition works best. |
| Cell population and tissue choice | HPA scores respiratory epithelium, several glandular populations, kidney tubules, and cholangiocytes high, while adipocytes and ovarian stromal cells are not detected (HPA tissue IHC). Compare like cell populations when evaluating signal. |
| Breadth and strength of expression | HPA describes granular cytoplasmic staining in most tissues and low tissue specificity by RNA (HPA tissue IHC). Do not require uniformly strong staining across a section: HPA also scores skeletal myocytes, smooth muscle cells, and several other populations low. |
| Evidence behind the staining call | The HPA tissue profile is Approved with medium staining-to-RNA consistency; the listed HPA060899 antibody is Approved for IHC, with no Enhanced designation supplied (HPA tissue IHC; HPA antibodies). Use that level of support when interpreting unexpected staining. |
| IF/ICC evidence boundary | HPA supplies no main ICC-IF location, no cell-line images, and no ICC validation status for the listed antibody (HPA subcellular; HPA antibodies). The IHC pattern can guide an IF expectation, but it is not an observed ICC-IF result. |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| A known-positive epithelial or tubular area is blank. | The outcome conflicts with HPA high staining in those cells; the provided sources do not identify a target-specific fixation or retrieval failure (HPA tissue IHC). | Check section morphology and a working positive control, then review the catalog antibody's IHC-P directions, retrieval, dilution, and detection steps (general IHC practice). |
| Granular staining is obscured by diffuse brown background. | Background can obscure cell-level scoring in chromogenic IHC (general IHC practice); the diffuse pattern differs from HPA's granular cytoplasmic profile (HPA tissue IHC). | Inspect a detection control and review blocking, washes, primary-antibody dilution, and chromogen development (general IHC practice). Score only distinguishable cellular signal. |
| Nuclei or cell borders stain more strongly than cytoplasm. | The distribution conflicts with mitochondrial localisation and the reported granular cytoplasmic IHC pattern (UniProt Q9BYD1; HPA tissue IHC). | Check counterstain and tissue morphology, compare the detection control, and reassess whether the apparent signal belongs to the target cells (general IHC practice). |
| Adipocytes or ovarian stromal cells appear strongly positive. | HPA reports those populations as not detected; cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity is possible, but the images alone do not identify a cause (HPA tissue IHC). | Compare with a detection control and with a high-staining cell population on an appropriate section; review whether staining follows cell boundaries and the expected granular pattern (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
| Weak cells are called negative because adjacent cells stain strongly. | HPA reports both high and low staining among different cell populations, and describes low tissue specificity by RNA (HPA tissue IHC). | Score the named cell population separately and record weak granular cytoplasmic signal when discernible; avoid applying a strong-cell threshold to every tissue compartment (HPA tissue IHC). |
| What should an IF/ICC result look like? | UniProt places MRPL13 in mitochondria, but HPA provides no ICC-IF images, main ICC-IF location, or ICC validation status for HPA060899 (UniProt Q9BYD1; HPA subcellular; HPA antibodies). | Use mitochondrial localisation as a provisional expectation and assess IF controls on the separate IF/ICC guide page; do not treat the HPA IHC profile as IF validation (UniProt Q9BYD1; HPA tissue IHC; general IF practice). |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing MRPL13 staining
A13508-1 · IHCImmunohistochemistry analysis of paraffin-embedded human breast carcinoma tissue, using MRPL13 Antibody. The picture on the right is blocked
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000172172-MRPL13/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_16983887
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000172172-MRPL13/tissue/colon#imid_16983813
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000172172-MRPL13/tissue/liver#imid_16983814
HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000172172-MRPL13/tissue/kidney#imid_16983815
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for MRPL13 IHC & IF
🧪Run colon first and score its glandular cells, which show high MRPL13 staining (HPA: High in colon glandular cells). Use adipose tissue as the negative tissue because adipocytes are not detected (HPA: Not detected in adipocytes); on the colon slide, treat any non-glandular cells at no-primary background levels as internal negative references without assuming they lack MRPL13.
Positive control tissue: Appendix (Glandular cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA carries no ICC-IF cell line for MRPL13; derive a cell-line control from the positive tissue's cell type (Glandular cells) and confirm it by RNA or western blot first.
Technical controls: Include no-primary (secondary-only) and host-species- and clonality-matched isotype controls, plus peptide blocking as a biological specificity control (selected SKU A13508-1 caption: staining blocked with synthesized peptide). For chromogenic colon IHC, quench endogenous peroxidase and check for residual background in the control slides (standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window and antigen-retrieval dependence are unreported; the selected SKU A13508-1 paraffin-section caption does not report a fixative, so retrieval needs empirical optimization. The supplied evidence does not establish whether frozen sections or IF are easier (HPA subcellular: no ICC-IF images). In colon, distinguish glandular-cell staining from luminal deposits or mucus-associated background (HPA: High in colon glandular cells; standard IHC practice).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for MRPL13
Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Approved — 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appendix | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Bronchus | Respiratory epithelial cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Colon | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Duodenum | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Gallbladder | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Section 3
Advanced MRPL13 IHC Tips
Troubleshoot MRPL13 chromogenic IHC in paraffin sections by assessing retrieval, granular cytoplasmic staining, controls, and cell-specific scoring (A13508-1 caption; HPA tissue IHC).
What retrieval should I try when MRPL13 staining is weak in paraffin sections?
Start with citrate buffer at pH 6.0, heat-induced retrieval at 95–98 °C for 20 min (page retrieval setting). Compare the result with a known positive section, such as kidney tubules, processed in the same run (HPA: High in kidney tubule cells; standard IHC practice). If staining remains weak, check section adhesion, heating consistency, and antibody incubation before testing a different retrieval buffer as a fallback (standard IHC practice). Score any gain against tissue damage and nonspecific staining; MRPL13 should show a granular cytoplasmic pattern rather than diffuse nuclear staining (HPA tissue IHC profile).
Could fixation explain weak or uneven MRPL13 staining?
MRPL13-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown: the selected paraffin-section caption does not report a fixative (A13508-1 caption). Record the fixative, fixation duration, tissue thickness, and processing history for each specimen, then compare sections prepared under matched conditions (standard IHC practice). If uneven staining tracks with a processing batch, repeat the validated retrieval setting of citrate pH 6.0 at 95–98 °C for 20 min before changing one processing variable at a time (page retrieval setting; standard IHC practice). Use a same-run positive control to distinguish a processing problem from genuinely weak staining, without assigning a target-specific fixation effect (HPA: High in kidney tubule cells; standard IHC practice).
Where should convincing MRPL13 staining appear in tissue sections?
Expect granular cytoplasmic staining in positive cells (HPA tissue IHC profile), consistent with a mitochondrial protein that belongs to the large mitochondrial ribosomal subunit (UniProt Q9BYD1 subcellular location and subunit). Examine the cytoplasm around an intact counterstained nucleus at high magnification, keeping the staining pattern separate from pigment or precipitate (standard IHC practice). Kidney tubule cells and bronchial respiratory epithelial cells are useful positive-pattern references because both are reported High (HPA tissue IHC). Predominantly nuclear or cell-free staining conflicts with the reported pattern and warrants review of controls, section quality, and chromogen deposition (HPA tissue IHC profile; standard IHC practice).
How should I investigate an unexpected epitope-dependent staining pattern?
Check the catalog antibody’s stated immunogen or epitope against the human MRPL13 sequence before interpreting a negative result (standard IHC practice). The record lists 178 amino acids, no annotated isoforms or transmembrane segment, a chain spanning residues 2–178, and N-acetylserine at residue 2 (UniProt Q9BYD1). Those annotations do not establish which sequence the antibody recognizes or how paraffin processing affects accessibility (UniProt Q9BYD1; A13508-1 caption). If the epitope remains unspecified, compare the expected granular cytoplasmic pattern and a same-run positive control, and treat peptide blocking in the caption as evidence limited to that displayed section (HPA tissue IHC profile; A13508-1 caption; standard IHC practice).
Can IF help resolve ambiguous chromogenic MRPL13 staining?
Use IF/ICC as a separate follow-up experiment to examine whether punctate MRPL13 signal overlaps a mitochondrial marker in the expected cytoplasmic compartment (UniProt Q9BYD1 subcellular location; standard IF practice). For tissue multiplexing, pair MRPL13 with a marker of the cell type under review, such as an epithelial marker for glandular cells, and choose a longer-wavelength fluorophore if tissue autofluorescence obscures the signal (HPA: High in glandular cells of appendix and colon; standard IF practice). MRPL13 has no annotated transmembrane segment, but its antibody epitope is unspecified, so titrate permeabilisation to permit access to mitochondrial ribosomal epitopes while preserving organelle structure (UniProt Q9BYD1; standard IF practice). Include single-stain and no-primary controls when judging overlap (standard IF practice).
How can I reduce diffuse brown background without losing MRPL13 signal?
First inspect a no-primary control and compare background with the granular cytoplasmic pattern expected for MRPL13 (HPA tissue IHC profile; standard IHC practice). In chromogenic IHC, block endogenous peroxidase before horseradish-peroxidase detection and control the DAB development time across sections (standard IHC practice). If background persists, review blocking, wash stringency, primary-antibody concentration, and section drying, changing one variable at a time (standard IHC practice). Retain a positive control such as kidney tubules in every comparison so a cleaner section is not mistaken for an improved assay when specific staining has also disappeared (HPA: High in kidney tubule cells; standard IHC practice).
What is a defensible way to score MRPL13 IHC across samples? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cell population and tissue area before scoring, then record the percentage of positive cells and staining intensity within their cytoplasm (standard IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC profile). An H-score combines intensity categories with their cell percentages on a 0–300 scale; use the same thresholds, counterstain, and imaging conditions across slides (standard IHC practice). If measuring positive-cell density per mm², normalise to evaluable tissue area and exclude necrosis, folds, and edges by a prespecified rule (standard IHC practice). Report scores by cell type rather than treating every tissue as equivalent, since HPA reports High staining in kidney tubules but no detection in adipocytes (HPA tissue IHC).
How do I distinguish true MRPL13 positivity from staining artefact?
A credible positive result is granular and cytoplasmic in intact cells, matching the reported tissue pattern and mitochondrial assignment (HPA tissue IHC profile; UniProt Q9BYD1 subcellular location). Check a same-run positive cell population, such as kidney tubules, alongside no-primary and other assay controls before calling an unfamiliar pattern specific (HPA: High in kidney tubule cells; standard IHC practice). Nuclear-only staining, strong signal over necrosis, section-edge enhancement, or cell-free brown deposits should trigger review for artefact (HPA tissue IHC profile; standard IHC practice). Persistent staining in the no-primary control can reflect endogenous enzyme activity or detection background and should not be scored as MRPL13 (standard IHC practice).
Boster reagents
Best MRPL13 / Large ribosomal subunit protein uL13m IHC Antibodies
A13508-1 has a paraffin-section human IHC image (image caption), lists IF as an application, and lists human, mouse and rat reactivity (catalog: A13508-1); no IF image is supplied (catalog: IF images).
Real IHC data
Anti-MRP-L13 Antibody
Cat # A13508-1
The sole figure-backed card is A13508-1: its image shows IHC on paraffin-embedded human breast carcinoma tissue with synthesized-peptide blocking (A13508-1 image caption). A13508-1 also lists IF as an application and human, mouse and rat reactivity, but supplies no IF image (catalog: A13508-1 applications/reactivity/IF images).
Which to pick: For tissue IHC, choose A13508-1 if a paraffin-section example is useful; its caption shows human breast carcinoma tissue, but does not report the fixative (A13508-1 image caption). For IF, A13508-1 is the IF-listed rabbit polyclonal option; ICC testing and an IF image are unreported (catalog: A13508-1 applications/host/IF images). For mouse or rat work, A13508-1 lists both species; A13508-3 is a human-reactive rabbit polyclonal IHC option with no supplied IHC image (catalog: A13508-1 reactivity; A13508-3 applications/reactivity/host/IHC images).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q9BYD1 (RM13_HUMAN, Large ribosomal subunit protein uL13m).
- Human Protein Atlas. MRPL13 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Approved).
- Human Protein Atlas. MRPL13 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Highest expression in OE19: 141.9 nTPM.
- Human Protein Atlas. MRPL13 antibody validation summary (1 antibodies).
- Systemic delivery of AAV-GFM1 corrects COXPD1 molecular alterations in Gfm1(R671C/-) mice. EMBO molecular medicine 2026 — PMC13269562.
- MRPL13 Act as a Novel Therapeutic Target and Could Promote Cell Proliferation in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Cancer management and research 2021 — PMC8285246.
- Empagliflozin Prevents Cardiac Arrest-Induced Renal Injury Through BHB-Dependent Mitoribosome Maintenance. International journal of molecular sciences 2026 — PMC13411704.
- Multi-omics analysis of MRPL-13 as a tumor-promoting marker from pan-cancer to lung adenocarcinoma. Aging 2023 — PMC10599762.
- PubMed PMID:11279069 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:15489334 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for MRPL13 (Large ribosomal subunit protein uL13m). Expected localisation Granular cytoplasm (HPA tissue IHC); mitochondrion (UniProt). Antigen retrieval: Citrate pH 6.0 HIER, 95–98 °C, 20 min (rule: cytoplasmic / membrane antigen). Validated IHC antibody: A13508-1 at 1:100-1:300 (the product's own IHC validation image is shown). Controls (HPA): positive Appendix (Glandular cells); negative Adipose tissue. IHC-P workflow on paraffin sections; fixative unspecified. Protocol steps: 1. Sample: Paraffin-embedded human breast carcinoma tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A13508-1); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A13508-1); 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-induced epitope retrieval in citrate buffer, pH 6.0 , 20 min at 95–98 °C…; 6. Peroxidase block: 3% H2O2, 10 min , room temperature (standard); 7. Blocking: 10% normal serum of the secondary host, 30 min , room temperature (standard); 8. Primary antibody: Rabbit anti-MRPL13, 1:100-1:300 (datasheet A13508-1); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (standard). Watch for: Fixation: Keep fixation consistent across samples (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Caveat: Some cell types have no detected signal (HPA tissue IHC); Isoform / epitope: No isoforms annotated; mature chain spans residues 2–178 (UniProt); Regulation: No specific regulation annotated (UniProt). Evidence: UniProt Q9BYD1, HPA tissue IHC · Approved, HPA cell-line RNA · Highest expression in OE19: 141.9 nTPM, Datasheet A13508-1, PMC13411704. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/MRPL13/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.