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OAZ1 / Ornithine decarboxylase antizyme 1 · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for OAZ1
Plan paraffin section IHC for OAZ1 using its reported cytoplasmic and membranous tissue pattern (HPA tissue IHC). The guide covers controls and interpretation in light of the uncertain tissue staining reliability (HPA tissue IHC).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
OAZ1 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 | General cytoplasmic and membranous staining (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Staining pattern | Cells show general cytoplasmic and membranous staining (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A06486-4) | |
| Positive control | Bronchus+4 more · see all | |
| Negative control | Bone marrow |
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
| Fixation | Keep fixation consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific) | |
| Caveat | Tissue staining reliability is uncertain; verify controls (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | Responds to increased intracellular polyamines (UniProt) | |
| Isoform / epitope | 1 isoform; no annotated processing (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended OAZ1 IHC & IF Protocols
The catalog antibody protocol is paired with published OAZ1 IHC methods using a tissue microarray and paraffin-embedded tumor sections (PMC6534535; PMC12350266).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded human colon cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A06486-4) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A06486-4); 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 A06486-4); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard) |
| Peroxidase block | 3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard) |
| Blocking | 10% goat serum (datasheet A06486-4) |
| Primary antibody | Rabbit anti-OAZ1, 2-5 μg/ml (datasheet A06486-4) |
| Primary incubation | Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet A06486-4) |
| Detection | HRP-conjugated secondary, DAB chromogen (datasheet A06486-4) |
| Counterstain | Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard) |
| Expected result | OAZ1-positive staining in respiratory epithelial cells of bronchus (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: General cytoplasmic and membranous expression. No signal in the no-primary control. |
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 for the catalog antibody (datasheet A06486-4).
Section 2
What Is the Expected OAZ1 Staining Pattern?
OAZ1 should show mainly cytoplasmic staining, sometimes with a membranous component, in cells where HPA reports expression (HPA tissue IHC: general cytoplasmic and membranous expression). High staining is reported in respiratory epithelial cells, neurons, glomerular cells, myocytes, peripheral nerve and stomach glandular cells (HPA tissue IHC: High). Interpret the pattern cautiously: tissue IHC reliability is Uncertain, and OAZ1 has no annotated transmembrane segment (HPA tissue IHC: Uncertain; UniProt P54368 topology).
| Cytoplasmic staining in bronchial respiratory epithelial cells or stomach glandular cells. | This fits the reported compartment and high-staining cell types (HPA tissue IHC: general cytoplasmic and membranous expression; High in both cell types). Compare cell-level staining with tissue structure; intensity alone cannot establish antibody specificity when tissue IHC reliability is Uncertain (HPA tissue IHC: Uncertain; general IHC practice). |
| A cytoplasmic signal with some membrane-associated staining in cells expected to be positive. | A membranous component is compatible with HPA's tissue profile, but it does not establish that OAZ1 spans the plasma membrane (HPA tissue IHC: cytoplasmic and membranous; UniProt P54368 topology: no transmembrane segment). Do not require the fine vesicular puncta seen by ICC-IF to be resolved in chromogenic sections (HPA ICC-IF: vesicles; general IHC practice). |
| Predominantly nuclear staining with little cytoplasmic signal in an expected positive cell population. | A nucleus-dominant pattern conflicts with the supplied tissue profile and approved ICC-IF locations (HPA tissue IHC: cytoplasmic and membranous; HPA ICC-IF: vesicles and centriolar satellites). Treat it as suspect, then compare controls and section morphology before calling it artefact (general IHC practice). |
| Strong staining in hematopoietic cells of bone marrow while expected positive cells do not stain. | That distribution conflicts with HPA's reported bone-marrow result and positive examples (HPA tissue IHC: Not detected in bone-marrow hematopoietic cells; High in respiratory epithelial cells). Cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity is possible; compare reagent controls before assigning a cause (general IHC practice). HPA's Uncertain reliability makes the bone-marrow finding a comparison, not an absolute exclusion (HPA tissue IHC: Uncertain). |
| Uniform haze across cells, stroma and empty areas, or no signal in a reported high-staining tissue. | Neither provides convincing cell-specific OAZ1 staining (HPA tissue IHC: cell-level distribution; general IHC practice). Haze suggests background; absent signal may reflect the assay or specimen. Check controls and tissue preservation before interpreting either as OAZ1 biology (general IHC practice). |
💡Expected OAZ1 appearanceA convincing positive result is cell-associated cytoplasmic staining, possibly with a membranous component, in a reported high-staining population such as bronchial respiratory epithelium; broad haze or a nucleus-only pattern is suspect (HPA tissue IHC: profile, High in respiratory epithelial cells, Uncertain; general IHC practice).
| Tissue and cell selection | HPA reports high staining in several distinct cell populations, but low tissue RNA specificity (HPA tissue IHC: High examples; low tissue specificity). Score the named cells within the section instead of treating an entire organ as uniformly positive (general IHC practice). |
| Strength of the tissue-IHC evidence | The tissue profile is rated Uncertain because antibody staining and RNA expression have medium consistency, with external verification pending (HPA tissue IHC: reliability description). Use reported high and not-detected cells as provisional references, and document discordant patterns (general IHC practice). |
| Compartment interpretation | HPA describes cytoplasmic and membranous tissue staining, while UniProt lists no transmembrane segment (HPA tissue IHC: profile; UniProt P54368 topology). Membrane-associated staining can be recorded as observed; topology alone cannot identify its precise structure or prove membrane insertion. |
| Relationship to IF/ICC | HPA approves vesicles as the main ICC-IF location and centriolar satellites as an additional location (HPA ICC-IF: approved locations). Those finer structures provide context for an IF/ICC question, but chromogenic tissue IHC has its own, broader cytoplasmic and membranous profile (HPA tissue IHC: profile; general IHC practice). |
| Protein form | UniProt lists one isoform and a chain spanning residues 1–228, with no signal peptide, propeptide or annotated glycosylation sites (UniProt P54368: isoforms, processing, glycosylation). The supplied record therefore gives no basis for predicting a secreted or shed staining pattern; epitope-specific behavior remains unspecified. |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| No staining in bronchial respiratory epithelium or another reported high-staining population. | The result conflicts with an HPA positive reference, but the tissue-IHC evidence is Uncertain (HPA tissue IHC: High examples; Uncertain). Assay performance or specimen quality may account for loss of signal (general IHC practice). | Confirm the expected cells are present and assess morphology, counterstain, detection controls and the antibody's documented IHC-P conditions before interpreting a negative result (general IHC practice). |
| Diffuse chromogen covers stroma, empty areas and expected negative cells. | The distribution lacks the cell-specific pattern described by HPA and is compatible with nonspecific background or endogenous detection activity (HPA tissue IHC: profile; general IHC practice). | Compare reagent and detection controls, then review blocking, wash steps and chromogen development as general IHC variables (general IHC practice). Rescore only distinguishable cellular staining. |
| Staining is mainly nuclear. | That compartment is unsupported by the supplied HPA tissue and ICC-IF locations (HPA tissue IHC: cytoplasmic and membranous; HPA ICC-IF: vesicles and centriolar satellites). | Verify cell identity and compare controls; document the mismatch instead of scoring nuclei as expected OAZ1 signal (general IHC practice). |
| Bone-marrow hematopoietic cells stain strongly. | HPA reports them as not detected, although its tissue-IHC reliability is Uncertain (HPA tissue IHC: Not detected in hematopoietic cells; Uncertain). Cross-reactivity or endogenous activity is possible (general IHC practice). | Check a reagent control and compare staining in a reported positive cell population on the same run before judging specificity (general IHC practice). |
| A sharp membrane outline appears without convincing cytoplasmic staining. | HPA permits a membranous component, but its general profile also includes cytoplasm; UniProt reports no transmembrane segment (HPA tissue IHC: profile; UniProt P54368 topology). A membrane-only outline needs corroboration. | Inspect tissue edges and control sections for the same outline, then report the observed compartment precisely rather than inferring membrane insertion (general IHC practice). |
| IF/ICC shows puncta that are hard to recognize in paraffin-section IHC. | HPA approves vesicular and centriolar-satellite ICC-IF localisation, while its tissue-IHC description is broader (HPA ICC-IF: approved locations; HPA tissue IHC: profile). The readouts resolve different visual detail (general IHC practice). | Interpret each application against its own HPA pattern; score chromogenic tissue IHC by cellular compartment and cell type, without requiring ICC-IF puncta (HPA tissue IHC: profile; general IHC practice). |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing OAZ1 staining
A06486-4 · IHCIHC analysis of OAZ1 using anti-OAZ1 antibody (A06486-4). OAZ1 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human colon cancer tissue. Hea
A06486-4 · IHCIHC analysis of OAZ1 using anti-OAZ1 antibody (A06486-4). OAZ1 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human colon tissue. Heat media
A06486-2 · IHCImmunohistochemistry analysis of paraffin-embedded human brain tissue, using OAZ1 Antibody. The picture on the right is blocked with the syn
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000104904-OAZ1/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_2717604
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000104904-OAZ1/tissue/colon#imid_2717546
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000104904-OAZ1/tissue/liver#imid_2717539
HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000104904-OAZ1/tissue/kidney#imid_2717548
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA009291; green = OAZ1, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA009291; green = OAZ1, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for OAZ1 IHC & IF
🧪Run bronchus first: respiratory epithelial cells should stain (HPA: High in respiratory epithelial cells). Use bone marrow hematopoietic cells as the negative tissue (HPA: Not detected); on the bronchus slide, assess neighboring cells without specific staining as candidate internal negatives, without assuming a particular cell type is OAZ1-negative.
Positive control tissue: Bronchus (Respiratory epithelial cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Bone marrow (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show OAZ1 in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, with annotated localisation: Vesicles (approved) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only control, a matched rabbit IgG isotype control (caption: rabbit primary antibody), and OAZ1-knockout tissue as a biological negative (standard IHC practice). Quench endogenous peroxidase before HRP/DAB detection and check for nonspecific background on the bronchus section (caption: HRP/DAB detection; standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported, and the selected A06486-4 tissue-IHC caption does not state the fixative (caption: fixative not stated). Heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 was used in the paraffin-section example, but a retrieval requirement has not been established (caption: EDTA pH 8.0); the supplied evidence does not establish that frozen sections or IF are easier. For bronchus, review the respiratory epithelium alongside background and pigment before scoring specific chromogenic signal (HPA: High in respiratory epithelial cells; standard IHC practice).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for OAZ1
Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Uncertain — 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
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronchus | Respiratory epithelial cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Cerebellum | Purkinje cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Cerebral cortex | Neuronal cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Hippocampus | Neuronal cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Kidney | Cells in glomeruli | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Undetected expression · recommended negative controls
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bone marrow | Hematopoietic cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Section 3
Advanced OAZ1 IHC Tips
Troubleshoot OAZ1 staining in paraffin sections using the catalog antibody’s documented conditions, tissue context, and controls appropriate to chromogenic IHC.
Which retrieval conditions should I use when OAZ1 staining is weak?
Start with heat-mediated antigen retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 for this paraffin-section assay (datasheet A06486-4). The selected image used this retrieval before 2 μg/ml primary antibody overnight at 4°C; retain those conditions while testing retrieval (caption A06486-4). Compare heating exposures on adjacent sections while keeping cooling and detection constant, because the caption does not report a heating time (caption A06486-4; standard IHC practice). If staining remains weak, test citrate at pH 6.0 as a fallback alongside EDTA controls, checking morphology for excessive retrieval damage (standard IHC practice).
Can fixation explain inconsistent OAZ1 staining across paraffin blocks?
The selected OAZ1 image documents a paraffin-embedded human colon cancer section but does not state its fixative, so target-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown (caption A06486-4). Record each block’s fixative, fixation duration, processing history, and section age before comparing staining intensity (standard IHC practice). When those variables differ, stain adjacent control sections in the same run with the documented EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval and 2 μg/ml primary concentration (caption A06486-4; standard IHC practice). If morphology and OAZ1 signal both vary by block, compare matched material before interpreting the difference as biological expression (standard IHC practice).
How should I assess cytoplasmic, membranous, or punctate OAZ1 staining?
Assess signal within identified cells before assigning a compartment: tissue IHC reports general cytoplasmic and membranous staining, with uncertain reliability (HPA tissue IHC). Separately, cell-based imaging places OAZ1 mainly in vesicles and additionally at centriolar satellites (HPA subcellular). OAZ1 has no annotated transmembrane segment, so apparent membrane outlines in DAB sections need corroboration rather than an assumed membrane topology (UniProt P54368 topology; standard IHC practice). Compare the suspected compartment with matched negative controls and adjacent morphology at the same magnification, and document diffuse versus punctate staining separately (standard IHC practice). A tissue-section DAB pattern alone cannot resolve vesicles from nearby structures (standard IHC practice).
Could isoforms or epitope masking explain discordant OAZ1 staining?
UniProt lists one OAZ1 isoform and a chain spanning residues 1–228, so an isoform-specific explanation needs independent evidence (UniProt P54368 isoforms and processing). The supplied record annotates no glycosylation sites or modified residues, but it does not identify the catalog antibody’s epitope (UniProt P54368 modifications; supplied antibody evidence). First compare EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval and the documented 2 μg/ml concentration across matched sections, while checking tissue preservation (caption A06486-4; standard IHC practice). If staining remains discordant, use an independently characterized antibody or an appropriate loss-of-target control to test specificity; do not assign the result to a particular epitope without mapping it (standard IHC practice).
How can IF help resolve ambiguous OAZ1 staining in tissue?
Use IF as a separate validation experiment and multiplex OAZ1 with a marker for the cell population under examination, such as respiratory epithelium where tissue IHC reports high staining (HPA tissue IHC; standard IF practice). Choose a spectrally separated fluorophore, preferably toward the far-red when tissue autofluorescence interferes, and include single-stain and no-primary controls (standard IF practice). Because the antibody epitope is unspecified and OAZ1 has no annotated transmembrane segment, establish epitope accessibility empirically with gentle permeabilisation and a paired unpermeabilised control (supplied antibody evidence; UniProt P54368 topology; standard IF practice). Examine puncta against the reported vesicular and centriolar-satellite locations, without treating IF appearance as proof of the chromogenic IHC pattern (HPA subcellular; standard IF practice).
How do I reduce diffuse or patchy DAB background?
The selected IHC image used 10% goat serum blocking, 2 μg/ml rabbit primary overnight at 4°C, and a peroxidase-conjugated secondary (caption A06486-4). Reproduce those documented conditions before titrating primary antibody or shortening incubation on adjacent sections (caption A06486-4; standard IHC practice). Include a no-primary section and an appropriate endogenous-peroxidase block to distinguish secondary or enzyme background from antibody-dependent signal (standard IHC practice). Limit DAB development consistently, wash between incubations, and compare tissue edges with intact central regions because drying, uneven reagent coverage, and overdevelopment can create patchy signal (standard IHC practice). Record background separately from cell-associated OAZ1 staining (standard IHC practice).
What should I measure when comparing OAZ1 across IHC sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cell population and tissue region before scoring, because reported OAZ1 staining varies among cell types and the tissue IHC evidence has uncertain reliability (HPA tissue IHC). For comparable regions, record the percentage of positive cells and intensity, then calculate an H-score from 0–300 if intensity categories are reproducible (standard IHC practice). If counting isolated positive cells, report density per mm² of viable tissue and the number of regions sampled (standard IHC practice). Normalise comparisons to the same eligible cell population or viable tissue area, with matched retrieval, DAB development, imaging, and threshold settings; exclude necrosis and damaged edges by a prespecified rule (standard IHC practice).
When should I distrust an apparent OAZ1-positive area?
Check whether staining is cell-associated and compatible with the reported general cytoplasmic or membranous tissue pattern; that reference itself has uncertain reliability (HPA tissue IHC). Strong staining in an unexpected cell population is a prompt to check morphology and controls, not evidence by itself of a new OAZ1 distribution (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice). Distrust signal confined to section edges, necrotic areas, or a no-primary control, which can indicate processing artefact or endogenous enzyme activity (standard IHC practice). For context, HPA reports high staining in respiratory epithelial cells and no detected staining in bone-marrow hematopoietic cells; confirm any consequential conclusion with independent specificity evidence (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
Boster reagents
Best OAZ1 / Ornithine decarboxylase antizyme 1 IHC Antibodies
Two anti-OAZ1 antibodies have real IHC images from paraffin sections of human colon cancer and brain tissue (catalog image captions); IF is listed for A06486-2, with no IF image supplied (catalog applications; catalog IF images).
Real IHC data
Anti-OAZ1 Antibody ®
Cat # A06486-4
Real IHC data
Anti-OAZ1 Antibody
Cat # A06486-2
A06486-4 has IHC images from paraffin sections of human colon cancer, colon and lung cancer tissue, and lists human reactivity (A06486-4 image captions; catalog reactivity). A06486-2 has a paraffin-section IHC image from human brain with a peptide-blocked comparison; it lists human, mouse and rat reactivity and IF/ICC applications (A06486-2 image caption; catalog applications and reactivity).
Which to pick: For human tissue IHC, choose A06486-4 when its documented paraffin-section examples match your needs; its caption reports EDTA retrieval and 2 μg/ml primary antibody (A06486-4 image captions). For IF/ICC or mouse and rat samples, choose A06486-2 because those applications and species are listed; its IHC image shows a human brain paraffin section, and no IF image is supplied (catalog applications, reactivity and image captions). The fixative is unreported in both IHC captions (A06486-4 and A06486-2 image captions).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P54368 (OAZ1_HUMAN, Ornithine decarboxylase antizyme 1).
- Human Protein Atlas. OAZ1 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Uncertain).
- Human Protein Atlas. OAZ1 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to vesicles. In addition localized to the centriolar satellites..
- Human Protein Atlas. OAZ1 antibody validation summary (1 antibodies).
- Targeting HDAC/OAZ1 axis with a novel inhibitor effectively reverses cisplatin resistance in non-small cell lung cancer. Cell death & disease 2019 — PMC6534535.
- Polyamine metabolism related gene index prediction of prognosis and immunotherapy response in breast cancer. Frontiers in oncology 2025 — PMC12350266.
- PubMed PMID:7811704 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:9132164 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:9426243 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for OAZ1 (Ornithine decarboxylase antizyme 1). Expected localisation General cytoplasmic and membranous staining (HPA tissue IHC). Antigen retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A06486-4). Validated IHC antibody: A06486-4 at 2-5 μg/ml (the product's own IHC validation image is shown). Controls (HPA): positive Bronchus (Respiratory epithelial cells); negative Bone marrow. IHC-P workflow on paraffin sections; fixative unspecified. Protocol steps: 1. Sample: Paraffin-embedded human colon cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A06486-4); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A06486-4); 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 retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 (datasheet A06486-4); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard); 6. Peroxidase block: 3% H2O2, 10 min , room temperature (standard); 7. Blocking: 10% goat serum (datasheet A06486-4); 8. Primary antibody: Rabbit anti-OAZ1, 2-5 μg/ml (datasheet A06486-4); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet A06486-4). Watch for: Fixation: Keep fixation consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Caveat: Tissue staining reliability is uncertain; verify controls (HPA tissue IHC); Isoform / epitope: 1 isoform; no annotated processing (UniProt); Regulation: Responds to increased intracellular polyamines (UniProt). Evidence: UniProt P54368, HPA tissue IHC · Uncertain, HPA ICC-IF · Mainly localized to vesicles. In addition localized to the…, Datasheet A06486-4, PMC6534535, PMC12350266. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/OAZ1/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.