NFKB1 / Nuclear factor NF-kappa-B p105 subunit · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for NFKB1

Plan NFKB1 staining in paraffin sections around the generally cytoplasmic pattern and additional nuclear staining seen in some tissues (HPA tissue IHC). Use the guide to choose controls and interpret nuclear signal in light of NF-κB activation and p105 processing to p50 (UniProt).

Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for NFKB1 (IHC for NFKB1): expected localisation Cytoplasmic; nuclear in several tissues (HPA tissue IHC), antibody M00283-2, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps
Printable NFKB1 IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Cytoplasmic; nuclear in several tissues (HPA tissue IHC), antibody M00283-2, controls and protocol steps. Open the full NFKB1 IHC guide →

NFKB1 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; nuclear in several tissues (HPA tissue IHC)
Staining pattern Generally cytoplasmic, with nuclear staining in some tissues (HPA tissue IHC)
Antigen retrieval Tris-EDTA pH 9.0 HIER, 95–98 °C, 20 min (rule: nuclear antigen)
Positive control ⓘ Bone marrow+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 Activation can shift staining into nuclei (UniProt)
Regulation IκB loss increases nuclear signal (UniProt)
Isoform / epitope 3 isoforms; p105 processing removes the p50 C terminus, so epitope matters (UniProt)
Section 1

Recommended NFKB1 IHC & IF Protocols

The catalog antibody protocol is accompanied by published IHC workflows for bladder cancer tissue (PMC11618553), colorectal cancer tissue (PMC4574027), and tissue microarrays (PMC4724081).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
SampleParaffin-embedded H. spleen tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet M00283-2)
FixationImage fixative and duration unreported (datasheet M00283-2); verify before use.
Sectioning4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard)
DeparaffinisationXylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard)
Antigen retrievalHeat-induced epitope retrieval in Tris-EDTA buffer, pH 9.0, 20 min at 95–98 °C (standard rule: nuclear antigen)
Peroxidase block3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard)
Blocking10% normal serum of the secondary host, 30 min, room temperature (standard)
Primary antibodyMouse monoclonal (clone 1298CT792.105.117.133) anti-NFKB1, 1:25 (datasheet M00283-2)
Primary incubationOvernight at 4 °C (standard)
DetectionHRP-polymer secondary, DAB chromogen 5–10 min (standard)
CounterstainHematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected resultNFKB1-positive staining in hematopoietic cells of bone marrow (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: General cytoplasmic expression. Additional nuclear expression in several tissues. No signal in the no-primary control.
💡Decision noteStart with Tris-EDTA pH 9.0 retrieval at 95–98 °C for 20 min (page antigen-retrieval rule); adjust to the published retrieval method when reproducing a cited workflow.
Section 2

What Is the Expected NFKB1 Staining Pattern?

NFKB1 is a cytoplasmic and nuclear protein with no transmembrane segment (UniProt P19838). In paraffin-section IHC, expect general cytoplasmic staining and additional nuclear staining in several tissues; high staining is reported in lung macrophages, bone-marrow hematopoietic cells, and lymph-node or tonsil germinal-center cells (HPA tissue IHC). HPA rates the tissue staining Enhanced, with medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC).

What am I looking at on my slide?
Cytoplasmic staining appears in lung macrophages or germinal-center cells, with nuclear staining in some cells (HPA tissue IHC).This fits HPA’s general cytoplasmic and additional nuclear tissue pattern. Nuclear signal can reflect NFKB1 localization, so record nuclear and cytoplasmic staining separately (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt P19838).
Staining outlines cell membranes or appears extracellular, without convincing cytoplasmic or nuclear signal (UniProt P19838).Treat this as a possible localization artifact: NFKB1 has no transmembrane segment, and its supported compartments are cytoplasm and nucleus. Check morphology and detection controls before scoring it as positive (UniProt P19838; standard IHC practice).
Strong staining appears in cardiomyocytes or adipocytes while expected positive cells also stain (HPA tissue IHC).HPA reports NFKB1 as not detected in those cell types. Consider antibody cross-reactivity or endogenous chromogenic activity, but do not treat a single HPA negative observation as proof of absolute absence (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
Brown signal spreads across tissue, vessels, and cell-free areas without clear cell boundaries (standard chromogenic IHC practice).Diffuse background prevents reliable compartment scoring. Consider nonspecific antibody binding, insufficient washing, or endogenous detection activity; compare with a primary-antibody-omission control (standard IHC practice).
No clear staining is seen in lung macrophages or tonsil germinal-center cells (HPA: High in both).An assay failure is possible when an HPA high-staining cell population is negative. Confirm that the relevant cells are present, then review antibody dilution, retrieval, and detection performance; HPA supplies no NFKB1-specific retrieval requirement (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
💡Expected NFKB1 appearanceA credible positive shows cytoplasmic NFKB1, sometimes with nuclear signal, in HPA high-staining cells such as lung macrophages; isolated membrane or extracellular color warrants artifact review (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt P19838).
How each factor affects the staining
Compartment and activation state (UniProt P19838)NFKBIA association retains inactive NFKB1 complexes in the cytoplasm; following NFKBIA degradation, they can move into the nucleus. Nuclear staining is therefore compatible with NFKB1 biology, though staining alone does not establish pathway activation (UniProt P19838).
Precursor processing and antibody epitope (UniProt P19838)NFKB1 yields p105 (residues 1–968) and p50 (residues 1–433). An antibody against a shared region may detect both; one against the p105-only region may not detect p50. The supplied record does not identify the catalog antibody’s epitope (UniProt P19838).
Cell type selection for slide controls (HPA tissue IHC)HPA reports high staining in bone-marrow hematopoietic cells, lung macrophages, germinal-center cells, spermatogonia, and urothelial cells. Choose a documented cell population within the section and score that population, rather than assigning one intensity to an entire tissue (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
Reliability and apparent negatives (HPA tissue IHC)HPA labels tissue IHC Enhanced but reports only medium agreement with RNA data. Its ‘not detected’ calls for adipocytes and cardiomyocytes are useful comparisons, not universal biological negatives; interpret unexpected signal with morphology and controls (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
IF/ICC Q: Should the same compartment pattern be expected? (HPA subcellular ICC-IF)A: HPA ICC-IF mainly shows nucleoplasmic NFKB1 with additional cytosolic signal, whereas tissue IHC describes general cytoplasmic and additional nuclear expression. Compare each result with its own assay evidence; this section offers no IF/ICC protocol (HPA subcellular ICC-IF; HPA tissue IHC).
Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
SituationLikely causeNext action
High-staining reference cells show no signal (HPA tissue IHC).The run may have insufficient assay sensitivity, or the expected cell population may be absent from the section (standard IHC practice).Check cell identity and slide integrity; review the antibody’s IHC dilution, retrieval, and chromogenic detection against its validated instructions (standard IHC practice).
Staining is diffuse across cells and empty spaces (standard IHC practice).Nonspecific binding or inadequate washing can obscure NFKB1’s reported compartments (standard IHC practice; UniProt P19838).Compare a primary-antibody-omission control, optimize blocking and washes, and score only cell-associated signal with interpretable morphology (standard IHC practice).
Brown precipitate persists without primary antibody (standard chromogenic IHC practice).Endogenous enzyme activity or another detection-system background source is possible (standard IHC practice).Review the appropriate endogenous-enzyme block and detection reagents; do not score control-positive precipitate as NFKB1 (standard IHC practice).
Apparent signal is predominantly membranous (UniProt P19838).This conflicts with the reported cytoplasmic and nuclear localization and lack of a transmembrane segment (UniProt P19838).Inspect cell boundaries and counterstain, compare controls, and re-evaluate antibody specificity before interpreting the membrane pattern (standard IHC practice).
Strong staining appears in HPA not-detected cardiomyocytes or adipocytes (HPA tissue IHC).Cross-reactivity or detection background is possible; HPA’s observations alone cannot prove biological absence (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).Compare the same run with HPA high-staining cells and a primary-antibody-omission control; document the discrepancy by cell type (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
Nuclear and cytoplasmic scores differ between specimens (HPA tissue IHC).NFKB1 can occupy both compartments, and nuclear translocation can follow inhibitor degradation; staining alone cannot assign a mechanism (UniProt P19838).Score each compartment separately in matched cell populations and report the observed distribution without inferring activation from localization alone (UniProt P19838; standard IHC practice).

Sample controls for NFKB1 IHC & IF

🧪Run tonsil first and confirm staining in germinal center cells (HPA: High in tonsil germinal center cells). Use skeletal muscle myocytes as the negative tissue (HPA: Not detected in skeletal muscle myocytes); on the tonsil slide, use cells without specific staining as an internal background reference, without assuming that every cell outside the germinal center is negative.
Positive control tissue: Bone marrow (Hematopoietic cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show NFKB1 in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, ASC52telo, RPTEC/TERT1, hTERT-RPE1 (serum starved), with annotated localisation: Nucleoplasm (supported) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include no-primary (secondary-only) and host- and clonality-matched isotype controls, plus NFKB1 knockout tissue as a biological specificity control (standard IHC practice). In tonsil, quench endogenous peroxidase and check the no-primary slide for residual chromogenic background (standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: Paraffin-section IHC is documented for the catalog antibody, but the selected tissue-IHC caption does not report a fixative; a target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported (catalog antibody: M00283-2 spleen paraffin-section caption). Retrieval dependency is unreported, so optimize antigen retrieval against the tonsil positive and skeletal muscle negative controls (HPA: High in tonsil germinal center cells; HPA: Not detected in skeletal muscle myocytes). IF/ICC is feasible based on supported nucleoplasmic and cytosolic localization in HPA images, but the supplied evidence does not establish that frozen sections or IF are easier; tonsil leukocytes may produce endogenous peroxidase background in chromogenic IHC (HPA: supported nucleoplasm and cytosol; standard IHC practice).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for NFKB1

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

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
Bone marrow Hematopoietic cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Lung Macrophages High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Lymph node Germinal center cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Testis Spermatogonia cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Tonsil Germinal center cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →

Undetected expression · recommended negative controls

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
Adipose tissue Adipocytes Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Heart muscle Cardiomyocytes Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Hippocampus Glial cells Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Liver Cholangiocytes Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Skeletal muscle Myocytes Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Section 3

Advanced NFKB1 IHC Tips

Troubleshoot NFKB1 staining by evaluating retrieval, antibody epitope, cell compartment and controls before interpreting nuclear signal as pathway activity.

What retrieval should I start with for NFKB1 in paraffin sections?
Start with Tris-EDTA pH 9.0 heat-induced retrieval at 95–98 °C for 20 min (page retrieval specification). Apply the same heating, cooling and detection conditions to control and experimental sections so a change in nuclear staining can be assigned to the sample rather than processing (standard IHC practice). The catalog image shows staining in a paraffin-embedded human spleen section, but its caption does not report retrieval conditions (catalog caption: M00283-2). If staining remains weak, compare retrieval duration on adjacent sections while monitoring tissue damage and background; do not treat that optimization as a validated NFKB1-specific condition (standard IHC practice).
Could fixation explain weak or uneven NFKB1 staining?
NFKB1-specific sensitivity to fixation is unknown from the supplied evidence; the catalog spleen caption identifies a paraffin section but does not state its fixative (catalog caption: M00283-2). Record the fixative, fixation duration, section age and processing history before comparing cases, and stain matched sections together (standard IHC practice). Assess morphology and staining in an internal positive cell population before increasing antibody concentration, since poor preservation or processing can affect interpretation (standard IHC practice). HPA reports strong staining in lung macrophages and tonsil germinal center cells, but those patterns do not establish a fixation requirement for NFKB1 (HPA: High in lung macrophages and tonsil germinal center cells).
How should I assess cytoplasmic versus nuclear NFKB1 staining?
Score nuclear and cytoplasmic staining separately within the same annotated cell population, using the hematoxylin counterstain to define nuclei (standard IHC practice). NFKB1 is reported in both cytoplasm and nucleus; association with NFKBIA retains inactive complexes in the cytoplasm, and NFKBIA degradation permits nuclear translocation (UniProt P19838: subcellular location). HPA tissue IHC describes general cytoplasmic expression with additional nuclear expression in several tissues, so either compartment can be plausible in context (HPA: tissue profile). Compare compartment ratios only between sections processed and developed together, and check whether apparent nuclear signal extends beyond nuclear boundaries or follows tissue edges (standard IHC practice).
Can this stain distinguish p105 from p50 or NFKB1 isoforms?
Determine the catalog antibody’s mapped epitope before assigning staining to p105 or p50; the supplied caption does not specify an epitope (catalog caption: M00283-2). The p105 precursor spans residues 1–968, whereas processed p50 spans 1–433, so an epitope shared by both cannot distinguish them in a section (UniProt P19838: chains). NFKB1 has 3 annotated isoforms, and the record lists modifications including phosphorylation and acetylation; staining alone does not identify an isoform or modification state (UniProt P19838: isoforms and modified residues). Report the result as NFKB1 immunoreactivity unless antibody specificity and the epitope support a narrower assignment (standard IHC interpretation).
How can I investigate NFKB1 localisation with multiplex IF?
On the separate IF/ICC workflow, pair NFKB1 with a validated marker for the cell population under study; lung macrophages or tonsil germinal center cells are evidence-based candidates for tissue comparisons (HPA: High in lung macrophages and tonsil germinal center cells). Choose spectrally separated fluorophores after checking unstained tissue autofluorescence, and include single-stain controls to assess channel bleed-through (standard IF practice). Because NFKB1 is cytoplasmic and nuclear, use a permeabilization condition that allows antibody access to intracellular epitopes and preserves nuclear boundaries (UniProt P19838: subcellular location; standard IF practice). Interpret nuclear overlap using a nuclear counterstain and matched acquisition settings; HPA ICC/IF supports nucleoplasmic localisation with additional cytosolic signal (HPA: subcellular summary).
What should I check when DAB background obscures NFKB1 staining?
Inspect a no-primary control and compare background across tissue edges, damaged areas and intact cells before changing the NFKB1 antibody dilution (standard IHC practice). The catalog spleen image used antibody M00283-2 at 1:25, a peroxidase-conjugated anti-mouse secondary at 1:400, and DAB; those settings describe that image, not an optimized range for every specimen (catalog caption: M00283-2). Include an endogenous peroxidase block, appropriate serum or protein blocking, thorough washes and controlled DAB development as general chromogenic IHC steps (standard IHC practice). If diffuse background persists, compare serial sections with and without primary antibody while keeping retrieval and detection constant (standard IHC practice).
Which scoring method captures NFKB1 staining without losing localisation information? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Annotate the relevant cell population first, then score nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments independently on matched sections (standard IHC practice). For each compartment, report an H-score based on staining intensity and the percentage of positive cells, or report positive-cell percentage when intensity grading is unreliable (standard IHC practice). For focal infiltrates, positive-cell density per mm² can supplement those measures; normalize counts to viable tissue area or to the number of eligible cells in the annotated population (standard IHC practice). Keep threshold, counterstain interpretation and DAB development consistent, and report which compartments contributed to the final measure (standard IHC practice).
How do I separate genuine NFKB1 staining from artefact or overinterpretation?
Look for cell-bound cytoplasmic or nuclear staining with preserved morphology, using the no-primary control to identify detection background (standard IHC practice). High signal in lung macrophages or lymph node germinal center cells is consistent with the HPA tissue profile; signal in a different cell population needs its own controls (HPA: High in lung macrophages and lymph node germinal center cells). Treat edge-only staining, necrotic regions, diffuse extracellular DAB and residual endogenous enzyme activity as potential artefacts (standard IHC practice). Nuclear NFKB1 can fit translocation after NFKBIA degradation, but staining alone cannot establish transcriptional activation or distinguish p50-containing activator from repressor complexes (UniProt P19838: subcellular location and function).
Boster reagents

Best NFKB1 / Nuclear factor NF-kappa-B p105 subunit IHC Antibodies

Anti-NFKB1 antibodies have IHC images from human spleen, tonsil, kidney and prostate carcinoma, plus an IF/ICC image from U2OS cells (catalog image captions). Catalog reactivity includes human, mouse and rat (catalog reactivity).

Real IHC data Immunohistochemical analysis of paraffin-embedded H. spleen section using NFKB1 (Cat#M00283-2). M00283-2 was diluted at 1:25 dilution. A peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-mouse IgG at 1:400 dilution was used as the secondary antibody, followed by DAB staining.
Anti-NFKB1 Antibody
Cat # M00283-2
Real IHC data Immunohistochemical analysis of paraffin-embedded human kidney, using NF-κB p105/p50 Antibody.
Anti-NF-Kappa B (p105/p50) NFKB1 Rabbit Monoclonal Antibody
Cat # M00283
Real IHC data Human prostate carcinoma was stained with anti-NF-κB1 p105/p50 rabbit antibody
Anti-NF-κB1 p105/p50 Rabbit Monoclonal Antibody
Cat # M00283-3
Real IF data IF analysis of NFkB p105/p50/NFKB1 using anti-NFkB p105/p50/NFKB1 antibody (PB9149). NFkB p105/p50/NFKB1 was detected in an immunocytochemical section of U2OS cells. Enzyme antigen retrieval was performed using IHC enzyme antigen retrieval reagent (AR0022) for 15 mins. The cells were blocked with 10% goat serum. And then incubated with 5 μg/mL rabbit anti-NFkB p105/p50/NFKB1 Antibody (PB9149) overnight at 4°C. Cy3 Conjugated Goat Anti-Rabbit IgG (BA1032) was used as secondary antibody at 1:500 dilution and incubated for 30 minutes at 37°C. The section was counterstained with DAPI. Visualize using a fluorescence microscope and filter sets appropriate for the label used.
Anti-NFkB/NFKB1 p105/p50 Antibody ®
Cat # PB9149

M00283-2 has paraffin-section IHC images from human spleen and tonsil; M00283 has a paraffin-section IHC image from human kidney (catalog image captions). M00283-3 has an IHC image from human prostate carcinoma, while PB9149 has an IF/ICC image from U2OS cells (catalog image captions).

Which to pick: For tissue IHC, choose M00283-2 for human paraffin sections at 1:25 or M00283 for paraffin-embedded human kidney at 1:50; neither IHC caption reports the fixative (M00283-2 and M00283 image captions; catalog IHC dilutions). For IF/ICC, choose PB9149 at 5 μg/ml, as shown in its U2OS cell image (PB9149 applications, dilution and image caption). For work across species, M00283-3 is a rabbit monoclonal listed for IHC and IF with human, mouse and rat reactivity; its IHC image shows human prostate carcinoma, but reports neither section processing nor fixative (M00283-3 catalog applications, reactivity and image caption).

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

References

  1. UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P19838 (NFKB1_HUMAN, Nuclear factor NF-kappa-B p105 subunit).
  2. Human Protein Atlas. NFKB1 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Enhanced).
  3. Human Protein Atlas. NFKB1 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to the nucleoplasm. In addition localized to the cytosol..
  4. Human Protein Atlas. NFKB1 antibody validation summary (2 antibodies).
  5. Identification and construction of prognostic clusters and risk-prognosis model based on aging-immune related genes in bladder cancer. Discover oncology 2024 — PMC11618553.
  6. Integrated transcriptional profiling and genomic analyses reveal RPN2 and HMGB1 as promising biomarkers in colorectal cancer. Cell & bioscience 2015 — PMC4574027.
  7. Case Report: Molecular and immunological insights into primary extramedullary plasmacytoma: discovery of a novel IGH::NFKB1 fusion and its impact on disease progression and treatment. Frontiers in immunology 2025 — PMC12585950.
  8. miR-508-3p concordantly silences NFKB1 and RELA to inactivate canonical NF-κB signaling in gastric carcinogenesis. Molecular cancer 2016 — PMC4724081.
  9. PubMed PMID:2203531 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  10. PubMed PMID:2234062 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  11. PubMed PMID:1992489 — UniProt-cited evidence.