This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
- Table of Contents
MTERF1 / Transcription termination factor 1, mitochondrial · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for MTERF1
Plan paraffin-section MTERF1 IHC with the IHC-validated antibody at 1:100–1:300 (datasheet). Assess cytoplasmic staining (HPA tissue IHC), keeping in mind its low agreement with RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
MTERF1 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 staining (HPA tissue IHC); mitochondrion (UniProt) | |
| Staining pattern | Cytoplasmic staining in most tissues; intensity varies (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | Citrate pH 6.0 HIER, 95–98 °C, 20 min (rule: cytoplasmic / membrane antigen) | |
| Positive control | Adrenal gland+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 conditions consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific) | |
| Caveat | Staining has low agreement with RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | RNA has low tissue specificity (HPA tissue RNA) | |
| Isoform / epitope | No isoforms annotated; mature chain 58–399; epitope unknown (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended MTERF1 IHC & IF Protocols
The catalog antibody's IHC-P protocol (datasheet) is accompanied by one published MTERF1 IHC protocol covering colorectal tissue and xenograft samples (PMC9604058).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded human brain tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A30769) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A30769); 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-MTERF1, 1:100 - 1:300 (datasheet A30769) |
| 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 | MTERF1-positive staining in glandular cells of adrenal gland (HPA tissue IHC: Medium). HPA tissue profile: Cytoplasmic expression 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 antigen-retrieval setting).
Section 2
What Is the Expected MTERF1 Staining Pattern?
MTERF1 localizes to mitochondria (UniProt Q99551; HPA: supported ICC/IF location) and has no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q99551 topology). In paraffin-section IHC, expect cytoplasmic staining in selected glandular, respiratory epithelial, hematopoietic, and neuronal cells reported at medium intensity (HPA: tissue IHC). Treat that expectation cautiously: HPA calls its tissue IHC reliability uncertain because antibody staining and RNA expression have low consistency (HPA: tissue IHC reliability).
| Cytoplasmic, possibly granular staining in colon glandular cells or bronchial respiratory epithelial cells. | This fits the reported medium staining in those cells (HPA: tissue IHC) and mitochondrial localization (UniProt Q99551; HPA: supported ICC/IF). Chromogenic IHC may not resolve individual mitochondria (general IHC practice). |
| Predominantly nuclear, membrane-rim, or extracellular staining with little cytoplasmic signal. | This conflicts with mitochondrial localization and the absence of a transmembrane segment (UniProt Q99551 topology; HPA: supported ICC/IF). Review morphology and controls before interpreting it as MTERF1 (general IHC practice). |
| Strong staining in adipocytes or lymph-node germinal center cells. | HPA reports MTERF1 as not detected in those cell types (HPA: tissue IHC). Consider antibody cross-reactivity or chromogenic endogenous activity; HPA's uncertain IHC reliability prevents treating either explanation as proven (HPA: tissue IHC reliability; general IHC practice). |
| Uniform haze across cells, stroma, and slide background. | This is poorly matched to cell-associated cytoplasmic staining (HPA: tissue IHC). Review background controls, blocking, antibody concentration, and chromogen development as general IHC variables; the supplied sources identify no MTERF1-specific cause (general IHC practice). |
| No staining in colon glandular cells while assay controls develop normally. | Colon glandular cells show medium staining in HPA images (HPA: tissue IHC), so first check the sampled cells, staining run, and antibody performance (general IHC practice). The HPA result is an uncertain benchmark, not proof that every section must stain (HPA: tissue IHC reliability). |
💡Expected MTERF1 appearanceA plausible positive is cell-associated cytoplasmic, sometimes granular, medium staining in an HPA-reported cell population, such as colon glandular cells; dominant nuclear or membrane-rim staining is discordant (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt Q99551; general IHC practice).
| Compartment and topology | Mitochondrial localization supports a cytoplasmic pattern (UniProt Q99551; HPA: supported ICC/IF); no transmembrane segment supports scrutiny of dominant membrane-rim staining (UniProt Q99551 topology). |
| Tissue and cell selection | HPA reports medium staining in several glandular, respiratory epithelial, hematopoietic, and neuronal populations, but not-detected results in selected other cells (HPA: tissue IHC). Match the exact cell type when comparing sections. |
| Strength of IHC evidence | HPA rates tissue IHC uncertain because staining and RNA expression have low consistency; its IHC antibody HPA044894 is also rated uncertain (HPA: tissue IHC reliability; HPA: antibodies). Interpret intensity as an observation, not validation. |
| Mature protein and epitope | UniProt annotates a mature chain at residues 58–399 and no isoforms or glycosylation sites (UniProt Q99551). The supplied record gives no antibody epitope, so these annotations cannot predict its staining performance. |
| Can ICC/IF confirm the compartment? | HPA supports mitochondrial ICC/IF localization and rates antibody HPA069560 supported for ICC (HPA: subcellular; HPA: antibodies). That supports a compartment comparison; it does not resolve the uncertain tissue IHC rating (HPA: tissue IHC reliability). |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| A reported medium-staining cell population appears blank. | The chosen field may lack the relevant cells, or an IHC run variable may have failed (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice). | Confirm cell identity and inspect run controls; review the IHC antibody's validated dilution and retrieval conditions before changing them (general IHC practice). Do not infer MTERF1-specific fixation sensitivity from these sources. |
| Signal is mostly nuclear or outlines plasma membranes. | That distribution conflicts with the mitochondrial location and lack of a transmembrane segment (UniProt Q99551; HPA: supported ICC/IF). | Check morphology and controls, then reassess antibody specificity and chromogen development (general IHC practice). Do not score the discordant compartment as a positive MTERF1 result. |
| Adipocytes or germinal center cells stain strongly. | HPA lists both as not detected; cross-reactivity or endogenous chromogenic activity is possible, not established (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice). | Compare adjacent cell types and controls, including a no-primary control and appropriate endogenous-activity blocking for the detection system (general IHC practice). |
| A widespread brown haze obscures cell boundaries. | Nonspecific binding, excessive reagent concentration, or overdevelopment can raise chromogenic background (general IHC practice). | Inspect the no-primary control, blocking, washes, antibody dilution, and development time; adjust only the implicated step (general IHC practice). HPA provides no MTERF1-specific background mechanism. |
| Signal appears in expected cells but lacks visible puncta. | Mitochondria may not resolve as separate structures in chromogenic paraffin-section IHC (general IHC practice). | Judge the cell-associated cytoplasmic pattern alongside morphology and controls (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice). Avoid requiring discrete puncta to call every IHC field plausible. |
| IHC and ICC/IF results seem inconsistent. | HPA supports mitochondrial ICC/IF yet rates tissue IHC uncertain; these are separate assay assessments (HPA: subcellular; HPA: tissue IHC reliability). | Compare compartment-level findings and each assay's own controls; keep the tissue IHC uncertainty in the interpretation (HPA: subcellular; HPA: tissue IHC reliability; general IHC practice). |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing MTERF1 staining
A30769 · IHCImmunohistochemistry analysis of paraffin-embedded human brain tissue, using MTERF Antibody. The picture on the right is blocked with the sy
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000127989-MTERF1/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_12545129
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000127989-MTERF1/tissue/colon#imid_12545055
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000127989-MTERF1/tissue/liver#imid_12545064
HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000127989-MTERF1/tissue/kidney#imid_12545065
HPA · ICC-IF MCF-7Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, MCF-7, antibody HPA069560; green = MTERF1, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
HPA · ICC-IF MCF-7Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, MCF-7, antibody HPA069560; green = MTERF1, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for MTERF1 IHC & IF
🧪Run adrenal gland first: its glandular cells show Medium MTERF1 staining (HPA: adrenal gland). Run parathyroid gland as a negative tissue: its glandular cells are Not detected (HPA: parathyroid gland); the supplied adrenal row identifies no validated internal negative cell type, so assess other cells against no-primary background rather than assuming they lack MTERF1 (HPA: adrenal gland; standard IHC practice).
Positive control tissue: Adrenal gland (Glandular cells, HPA Medium)
Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show MTERF1 in MCF-7, SK-MEL-30, U2OS, with annotated localisation: Mitochondria (supported) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only control and a host-species and antibody-class-matched isotype control for a monoclonal antibody, or nonimmune IgG for a polyclonal antibody; use a knockout specimen or cognate-peptide competition as a biological negative, noting that the A30769 brain-section caption documents synthesized-peptide blocking (A30769 tissue-IHC caption; standard IHC practice). For adrenal sections, quench endogenous peroxidase and check for pigment-related background in the no-primary section (standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported, and the selected A30769 paraffin-section caption does not state a fixative (A30769 tissue-IHC caption). Antigen-retrieval dependence and frozen-section performance are unreported; HPA shows mitochondrial ICC-IF localization, but the supplied evidence does not establish that IF is easier than paraffin IHC (HPA: subcellular). In adrenal sections, endogenous pigment can complicate interpretation of weak granular chromogenic staining, so compare it with the no-primary control (standard IHC practice).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for MTERF1
Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Uncertain — 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.
Positive expression · recommended positive controls
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrenal gland | Glandular cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Appendix | Glandular cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Bone marrow | Hematopoietic cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Bronchus | Respiratory epithelial cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Caudate | Neuronal cells | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Undetected expression · recommended negative controls
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adipose tissue | Adipocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Lymph node | Germinal center cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Oral mucosa | Squamous epithelial cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Ovary | Ovarian stroma cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Parathyroid gland | Glandular cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Section 3
Advanced MTERF1 IHC Tips
Troubleshoot MTERF1 staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, compartment, controls, and scoring before interpreting chromogenic signal.
How should I adjust retrieval when MTERF1 staining is weak in paraffin sections?
Start with citrate buffer at pH 6.0, heated to 95–98 °C for 20 min (page retrieval specification). If staining remains weak, compare a longer exposure or an alternative retrieval buffer on matched sections, checking tissue preservation and background at the same time (standard IHC practice). Keep the catalog antibody, detection chemistry, and development time constant across that comparison so retrieval is the tested variable (standard IHC practice). A positive signal should be assessed in the cytoplasmic region with mitochondrial localisation in mind (HPA tissue IHC: cytoplasmic expression in most tissues; HPA subcellular: mitochondria supported).
Can fixation explain inconsistent MTERF1 staining between paraffin blocks?
Target-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown because no MTERF1 fixation comparison is supplied (provided evidence: no target-specific fixation data). Record each block’s actual fixative and fixation duration before comparing staining, and process matched sections with the same retrieval and detection conditions (standard IHC practice). If a documented fixation difference coincides with signal loss, test adjacent sections under the page’s citrate pH 6.0, 95–98 °C, 20 min retrieval condition before changing antibody concentration (page retrieval specification; standard IHC practice). Interpret any recovery as a result for those blocks, with tissue morphology and background assessed alongside signal (standard IHC practice).
What staining pattern should I expect for MTERF1 in chromogenic IHC?
Expect predominantly cytoplasmic staining at light-microscope resolution, while considering mitochondria the supported subcellular location (HPA tissue IHC: cytoplasmic expression in most tissues; HPA subcellular: mitochondria supported; UniProt Q99551: mitochondrion). MTERF1 has no annotated transmembrane segment, so a sharply outlined plasma-membrane pattern needs independent validation (UniProt Q99551: topology). Compare staining in neuronal cells of cerebral cortex or caudate with adjacent tissue context, since both are reported at medium intensity (HPA tissue IHC: cerebral cortex and caudate neuronal cells, medium). A nuclear-only or extracellular pattern should prompt review of morphology, controls, retrieval, and detection background before it is scored as MTERF1 (standard IHC practice).
Could processing or epitope accessibility change my MTERF1 IHC result?
MTERF1 is reported as a 399-aa precursor with a mature chain spanning residues 58–399, and no isoforms are annotated (UniProt Q99551: processing and isoforms). Check the catalog antibody’s stated epitope against that chain if epitope information is available; an epitope outside it warrants particular caution when interpreting mature mitochondrial protein (UniProt Q99551: processing; standard IHC practice). No glycosylation sites or modified residues are annotated in the supplied record, which does not establish how fixation affects epitope access (UniProt Q99551: glycosylation and modified residues; provided evidence: no target-specific fixation data). Evaluate a retrieval series on matched sections while holding detection conditions constant (standard IHC practice).
How can I check a mitochondrial MTERF1 pattern by IF without mistaking autofluorescence for signal?
On a separate IF/ICC workflow, multiplex MTERF1 with a mitochondrial marker and a marker identifying the expected cell type, then compare their patterns within individual cells (HPA subcellular: mitochondria supported; standard IF practice). Choose fluorophores after inspecting unstained tissue, favouring channels with less autofluorescence and acquiring single-stain controls to check spectral bleed-through (standard IF practice). Permeabilise fixed cells sufficiently to expose an intracellular mitochondrial epitope, while recognising that the supplied record does not identify the antibody epitope’s precise side of a mitochondrial membrane (UniProt Q99551: mitochondrion and no transmembrane segment; standard IF practice). Do not transfer the paraffin-section image’s preparation assumptions to IF/ICC (caption for SKU A30769: paraffin-embedded human brain; fixative unreported).
How do I distinguish MTERF1 signal from diffuse chromogenic background?
Run a no-primary control and inspect unstained or detection-only sections for pigment and reagent-associated colour before assigning weak cytoplasmic signal to MTERF1 (standard IHC practice). Include an endogenous peroxidase block when using peroxidase-based chromogenic detection, and keep chromogen development comparable across sections (standard IHC practice). The selected paraffin brain image includes a synthesized-peptide blocking comparison for SKU A30769, which can inform specificity assessment for that exact antibody and image (caption for SKU A30769). Treat diffuse staining across unrelated compartments, section edges, or damaged areas as suspect, then reassess blocking, washing, and exposure conditions (standard IHC practice; HPA subcellular: mitochondria supported).
How should I quantify MTERF1 staining across paraffin sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define cell populations and anatomical regions before scoring, then record the percentage of positive cells and an intensity-based H-score using the same thresholds across slides (standard IHC practice). An H-score can combine the proportions at intensity grades 0–3, yielding a 0–300 scale when percentages are used (standard IHC practice). Normalise positive-cell counts to the number of evaluable cells, or report positive-cell density per mm² of viable tissue when counting cells in regions (standard IHC practice). Report cytoplasmic staining separately from nuclear or nonspecific colour, and state the cell type because reported tissue staining varies by cell population (HPA tissue IHC: cell-specific profile; HPA subcellular: mitochondria supported).
When is a positive MTERF1 IHC result convincing?
Give greatest weight to reproducible cytoplasmic staining in intact cells, consistent with the supported mitochondrial location (HPA tissue IHC: cytoplasmic expression in most tissues; HPA subcellular: mitochondria supported). Compare cellular context with reported medium staining in cerebral-cortex neuronal cells or colon glandular cells, while recognising that the HPA tissue IHC reliability is uncertain because staining and RNA expression have low consistency (HPA tissue IHC: cerebral cortex and colon medium; reliability uncertain). Reject edge-concentrated colour, necrotic-region staining, or colour persisting in a no-primary control as evidence on its own (standard IHC practice). Check endogenous enzyme activity and the exact-antibody peptide-blocked image before drawing a target-specific conclusion (standard IHC practice; caption for SKU A30769: synthesized-peptide block).
Boster reagents
Best MTERF1 / Transcription termination factor 1, mitochondrial IHC Antibodies
A30769 is listed for IHC and IF/ICC in human, mouse and rat (catalog: applications and reactivity); its supplied image shows paraffin-section human-brain IHC (A30769 image caption).
Real IHC data
Anti-MTERF Antibody
Cat # A30769
A30769 has an IHC image of paraffin-embedded human brain with a peptide-blocked comparison (A30769 image caption). It is listed for IHC and IF/ICC in human, mouse and rat (catalog: applications and reactivity), but no IF image is supplied (catalog: IF image alts).
Which to pick: For tissue IHC, choose A30769 at the listed 1:100–1:300 dilution (datasheet: IHC dilution); its own image shows paraffin-embedded human brain, and the fixative is unreported (A30769 image caption). For IF/ICC, A30769 is listed for both applications (catalog: applications), though no IF image is supplied (catalog: IF image alts). For human, mouse or rat work, A30769 is the listed rabbit polyclonal option (catalog: reactivity, host and dilution_raw).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q99551 (MTEF1_HUMAN, Transcription termination factor 1, mitochondrial).
- Human Protein Atlas. MTERF1 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Uncertain).
- Human Protein Atlas. MTERF1 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Localized to the mitochondria..
- Human Protein Atlas. MTERF1 antibody validation summary (2 antibodies).
- Modulating p-AMPK/mTOR Pathway of Mitochondrial Dysfunction Caused by MTERF1 Abnormal Expression in Colorectal Cancer Cells. International journal of molecular sciences 2022 — PMC9604058.
- PubMed PMID:9118945 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:12690205 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:12853948 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for MTERF1 (Transcription termination factor 1, mitochondrial). Expected localisation Cytoplasmic staining (HPA tissue IHC); mitochondrion (UniProt). Antigen retrieval: Citrate pH 6.0 HIER, 95–98 °C, 20 min (rule: cytoplasmic / membrane antigen). Validated IHC antibody: A30769 at 1:100 - 1:300 (the product's own IHC validation image is shown). Controls (HPA): positive Adrenal gland (Glandular cells); negative Adipose tissue. IHC-P workflow on paraffin sections; fixative unspecified. Protocol steps: 1. Sample: Paraffin-embedded human brain tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A30769); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A30769); 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-MTERF1, 1:100 - 1:300 (datasheet A30769); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (standard). Watch for: Fixation: Keep fixation conditions consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Caveat: Staining has low agreement with RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC); Isoform / epitope: No isoforms annotated; mature chain 58–399 ; epitope unknown (UniProt); Regulation: RNA has low tissue specificity (HPA tissue RNA). Evidence: UniProt Q99551, HPA tissue IHC · Uncertain, HPA ICC-IF · mitochondria., Datasheet A30769, PMC9604058. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/MTERF1/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.