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PARVA / Alpha-parvin · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for PARVA
Plan chromogenic PARVA IHC on paraffin sections using the catalog antibody’s 0.5–1 μg/mL range (datasheet PB9555). Use tissue controls to assess the expected cytoplasmic staining, including in smooth muscle (HPA tissue IHC).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
PARVA 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 in tissue; focal adhesions are molecular sites (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt) | |
| Staining pattern | Cytoplasmic staining, including in smooth muscle (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet PB9555) | |
| Positive control | Adrenal gland+4 more · see all | |
| Negative control | Adipose tissue |
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
| Fixation | Keep fixation consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific) | |
| Caveat | Hematopoietic cells can contribute signal in mixed tissue (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | Expression varies by tissue (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Isoform / epitope | 2 isoforms; verify epitope coverage for both (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended PARVA IHC & IF Protocols
Compare the catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol (datasheet: PB9555) with one published PARVA tissue-staining protocol (PMC7947443).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded human mammary cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet PB9555) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet PB9555); 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 PB9555); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard) |
| Peroxidase block | 3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard) |
| Blocking | 10% goat serum (datasheet PB9555) |
| Primary antibody | Rabbit anti-PARVA, 0.5-1μg/ml (datasheet PB9555) |
| Primary incubation | Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet PB9555) |
| Detection | Streptavidin-biotin complex (SABC), DAB chromogen (datasheet PB9555) |
| Counterstain | Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard) |
| Expected result | PARVA-positive staining in glandular cells of adrenal gland (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Ubiquitous cytoplasmic expression, including in smooth muscle. No signal in the no-primary control. |
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 for the catalog antibody (datasheet: PB9555); the published protocol used citrate retrieval (PMC7947443).
Section 2
What Is the Expected PARVA Staining Pattern?
PARVA is expected mainly in the cytoplasm and at cell adhesion structures, including focal adhesions; it has no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q9NVD7). Tissue IHC shows widespread cytoplasmic staining, including smooth muscle, with high staining in cardiomyocytes and several glandular cell populations (HPA: tissue IHC). Treat this as a guide rather than an absolute rule: HPA rates its tissue IHC data Approved, with medium consistency between staining and RNA expression (HPA: reliability).
| Cytoplasmic staining in cardiomyocytes or glandular cells, with staining in smooth muscle. | This fits PARVA's reported cytoplasmic distribution and the cell populations observed in tissue sections (HPA: tissue IHC). Cardiomyocytes and glandular cells in adrenal gland, breast, duodenum and other listed tissues are scored High; staining intensity can still vary within a section (HPA: tissue IHC). |
| Predominantly nuclear staining, with little convincing cytoplasmic signal. | A nuclear dominant result conflicts with the reported cell junction, cytoskeletal and cytoplasmic locations (UniProt Q9NVD7; HPA: subcellular). Review counterstain, detection background and controls before assigning it to PARVA. The supplied sources do not establish a nuclear IHC pattern. |
| Strong staining in adipocytes, especially if expected positive cells are weak. | Adipocytes are scored Not detected in HPA tissue IHC, so this pattern warrants checking specificity or detection background (HPA: adipose tissue). It is a warning, not proof of cross reactivity: HPA reports only medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA data (HPA: reliability). |
| Diffuse chromogen over extracellular spaces, tissue edges or the whole section. | Widespread cytoplasmic expression is expected, but deposit outside recognizable cells cannot establish PARVA localization (HPA: tissue IHC; standard IHC interpretation). Compare a no primary control and inspect the counterstain and tissue morphology to distinguish cellular signal from general background (standard IHC practice). |
| No detectable signal in intact cardiomyocytes in a heart muscle section. | Cardiomyocytes are scored High and provide a useful positive tissue reference (HPA: heart muscle). A blank result raises a technical or antibody performance question; it does not by itself establish absent PARVA. Check tissue preservation, assay controls and detection steps before interpreting other sections (standard IHC practice). |
💡Expected PARVA appearanceCall a positive result when chromogen marks recognizable cytoplasm in expected cells, such as cardiomyocytes or glandular cells, with a stronger signal than matched background controls (HPA: tissue IHC; standard IHC interpretation); isolated nuclear staining, adipocyte dominant staining or extracellular deposit warrants investigation (UniProt Q9NVD7; HPA: adipose tissue).
| Tissue and cell selection | Heart muscle cardiomyocytes and several glandular populations are scored High, while adipocytes are Not detected (HPA: tissue IHC). Use cell identity when judging a section: PARVA is broadly expressed, so a tissue name alone does not identify which cells should carry the signal (HPA: tissue IHC). |
| Compartment and topology | PARVA has no transmembrane segment and is reported at focal adhesions, the cytoskeleton and in cytoplasm (UniProt Q9NVD7). These annotations support an intracellular interpretation. They do not establish that a routine chromogenic section must resolve individual focal adhesions (standard IHC interpretation). |
| Antibody evidence | The listed rabbit polyclonal antibody HPA005964 is Approved for IHC and Supported for ICC (HPA: antibodies). Overall tissue IHC reliability is Approved, with medium staining to RNA consistency (HPA: reliability). Interpret an unexpected cell pattern with controls rather than treating the approval rating as proof of specificity in every specimen. |
| Isoforms and processing | UniProt lists two PARVA isoforms, no signal peptide, no propeptide and a chain spanning residues 2–372 (UniProt Q9NVD7). These facts do not show which isoform the listed antibody recognizes or predict epitope accessibility in paraffin sections; no epitope or target specific retrieval evidence is supplied. |
| IF/ICC Q: What should a separate fluorescence assay show? | A: HPA reports supported localization mainly to actin filaments and focal adhesion sites, with additional cytosol signal in ICC IF (HPA: subcellular). That higher resolution pattern can inform interpretation, but it is separate from the chromogenic tissue IHC result and supplies no IHC protocol setting. |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Heart muscle positive reference is blank. | The result conflicts with High cardiomyocyte staining in HPA tissue IHC (HPA: heart muscle); a failed detection step or unsuitable assay setting is possible (standard IHC practice). | Check the positive control, antibody and detection reagents, and section integrity; then review the assay's documented retrieval and dilution settings (standard IHC practice). No PARVA specific retrieval condition or dilution is supplied here. |
| Nuclei dominate the staining. | This does not match the supplied cytoplasmic, cytoskeletal and focal adhesion localization (UniProt Q9NVD7; HPA: subcellular). Counterstain or nonspecific signal may be misread (standard IHC practice). | Compare stained and no primary sections, inspect nuclear boundaries, and score only signal assigned to intact cells (standard IHC practice). Do not classify a nuclear dominant section as an expected PARVA pattern. |
| Adipocytes stain more strongly than nearby expected positive cells. | HPA scores adipocytes Not detected, making the cell distribution unexpected (HPA: adipose tissue). Cross reactivity or background is possible, but the image alone cannot distinguish them. | Confirm cell identity and compare with a no primary control and a positive tissue reference (standard IHC practice; HPA: heart muscle). Reassess the antibody result if the unexpected staining persists. |
| Brown deposit appears throughout the section, including extracellular areas. | Chromogen outside cells is not supported by PARVA's reported intracellular localization (UniProt Q9NVD7). In chromogenic IHC, nonspecific detection or endogenous enzyme activity can cause background (standard IHC practice). | Run a no primary control; review blocking, washes and the detection system, including any relevant endogenous peroxidase control (standard IHC practice). Judge PARVA only where cellular morphology remains clear. |
| Only weak cytoplasmic staining appears in a selected tissue. | HPA reports different cell level intensities: prostate glandular cells and ovarian stroma cells are Low, whereas cardiomyocytes are High (HPA: tissue IHC). Weak staining alone therefore does not establish assay failure. | Identify the stained cell type and compare it with the corresponding HPA tissue observation and an appropriate positive reference (HPA: tissue IHC; standard IHC practice). Avoid applying one intensity threshold across all tissues. |
| A punctate or peripheral pattern is difficult to interpret in paraffin IHC. | Focal adhesion and actin filament localization is supported by ICC IF, while tissue IHC is summarized as cytoplasmic (HPA: subcellular; HPA: tissue IHC). The supplied evidence does not require focal adhesions to be individually visible in chromogenic sections. | Assess the staining against cell morphology and cytoplasmic signal first (HPA: tissue IHC; standard IHC interpretation). Use the separate IF/ICC guide when the experimental question requires resolving focal adhesion sites. |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing PARVA staining
PB9555 · IHCIHC analysis of Parvin alpha using anti-Parvin alpha antibody (PB9555). Parvin alpha was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human ma
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000197702-PARVA/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_1836056
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000197702-PARVA/tissue/colon#imid_1835982
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000197702-PARVA/tissue/liver#imid_1835983
HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000197702-PARVA/tissue/kidney#imid_1835976
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA005964; green = PARVA, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA005964; green = PARVA, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for PARVA IHC & IF
🧪Run breast first: glandular cells should stain (HPA: High in breast glandular cells). Use adipose tissue as the negative tissue (HPA: Not detected in adipocytes); on a breast slide, adipocytes, if present, should provide an internal negative comparison (HPA: Not detected in adipose-tissue adipocytes).
Positive control tissue: Adrenal gland (Glandular cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show PARVA in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, NIH 3T3, with annotated localisation: Actin filaments (supported), Focal adhesion sites (supported) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include no-primary (secondary-only) and concentration-matched rabbit IgG isotype controls for the catalog antibody (caption: rabbit primary antibody; standard IHC practice). Use a PARVA knockout specimen as a biological negative, and block endogenous peroxidase and biotin when using the caption’s SABC–DAB detection method (caption: SABC–DAB; standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported, and the selected PB9555 caption does not state the fixative (caption: fixative unreported). Heat retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 was used for a paraffin-embedded mammary cancer section, but the caption does not establish that retrieval is required (caption: EDTA pH 8.0 heat retrieval). The supplied evidence does not establish that frozen sections or IF are easier than paraffin IHC, and it reports no breast-specific artefact; assess glandular staining separately from any adipocytes (HPA: High in breast glandular cells; Not detected in adipose-tissue adipocytes).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for PARVA
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrenal gland | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Appendix | Lymphoid tissue | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Bone marrow | Hematopoietic cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Breast | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Duodenum | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Undetected expression · recommended negative controls
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adipose tissue | Adipocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Section 3
Advanced PARVA IHC Tips
Troubleshoot PARVA chromogenic IHC in paraffin sections using the catalog antibody’s tissue image, HPA staining patterns, and known protein localisation.
What retrieval should I try first if PARVA staining is weak?
Start with heat-mediated retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 (datasheet PB9555). This is the condition used for the catalog antibody’s paraffin-section image, although that caption gives no heating duration or temperature (datasheet PB9555). If signal remains weak, compare a citrate-buffer retrieval condition on adjacent sections while keeping antibody concentration, detection, and exposure to chromogen constant (standard IHC practice). Use the documented 1 μg/ml primary incubation overnight at 4°C as a starting point, then judge retrieval by cellular signal and tissue preservation together (datasheet PB9555; standard IHC practice).
Could fixation explain weak or uneven PARVA staining?
PARVA-specific sensitivity to fixation is unknown from the supplied evidence, and the catalog image identifies a paraffin section without stating its fixative (datasheet PB9555). Record each specimen’s fixative, fixation duration, and processing history before comparing staining between cases (standard IHC practice). For troubleshooting, stain adjacent sections from similarly processed material using the same EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval and 1 μg/ml primary condition (datasheet PB9555; standard IHC practice). If staining varies with processing history, describe that association as a technical possibility rather than a demonstrated PARVA-specific fixation effect (standard IHC practice).
Where should convincing PARVA staining appear in tissue sections?
Expect predominantly cytoplasmic staining in tissue, including smooth muscle, rather than a uniform nuclear pattern (HPA tissue IHC: ubiquitous cytoplasmic expression). PARVA also associates with focal adhesions, actin filaments, and the cytoskeleton, so staining near cell borders or contractile structures can be plausible when morphology supports it (HPA subcellular: supported locations; UniProt Q9NVD7 localisation). Its record reports no transmembrane segment, making an exclusively crisp, continuous membrane outline a reason to recheck specificity (UniProt Q9NVD7 topology; standard IHC interpretation). Compare suspect staining with tissue architecture and a no-primary control before calling a compartment positive (standard IHC practice).
How should unknown epitope recognition affect my IHC interpretation?
The supplied record lists 2 PARVA isoforms, but the catalog image does not identify which isoforms its antibody recognises (UniProt Q9NVD7 isoforms; datasheet PB9555). PARVA contains calponin-homology regions at residues 95–202 and 262–369; these coordinates do not establish the antibody’s epitope (UniProt Q9NVD7 domains). Likewise, reported N-terminal acetylation and phosphorylation do not establish a staining effect without epitope and validation data (UniProt Q9NVD7 modified residues; standard IHC interpretation). Report the result as PARVA immunoreactivity, and require isoform-specific validation before assigning staining to isoform 1 or 2 (UniProt Q9NVD7 isoforms; standard IHC practice).
How can I use IF to investigate an ambiguous IHC pattern?
On the separate IF/ICC workflow, multiplex PARVA with a marker identifying the cell type under investigation, then compare signal within that marked population (standard IF practice). Choose fluorophores after checking the tissue’s autofluorescence, and include single-label controls to assess channel bleed-through (standard IF practice). Because PARVA has no transmembrane segment and localises to actin filaments, focal adhesions, and cytosol, use permeabilisation appropriate for intracellular epitope access (UniProt Q9NVD7 topology; HPA subcellular: supported locations; standard IF practice). Treat any IF pattern as supporting evidence for the chromogenic tissue result only after accounting for the different preparations and detection methods (standard IHC/IF practice).
What should I check when DAB background obscures PARVA?
The documented chromogenic workflow used 10% goat serum, a biotinylated secondary antibody, streptavidin-biotin detection, and DAB (datasheet PB9555). First inspect a no-primary control for secondary binding, endogenous biotin-related signal, or residual endogenous peroxidase activity (standard IHC practice). Include a peroxidase-blocking step and check wash stringency and DAB development time when diffuse deposit masks tissue structure (standard chromogenic IHC practice). If background persists, compare a more dilute primary condition with the documented 1 μg/ml overnight at 4°C while retaining a positive-control section (datasheet PB9555; standard IHC practice).
How should I quantify PARVA staining across specimens? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cellular compartment and tissue region before scoring, because HPA describes PARVA tissue staining as broadly cytoplasmic (HPA tissue IHC: ubiquitous cytoplasmic expression; standard IHC practice). An H-score combines the percentage of cells at each intensity with intensity grades, while percentage-positive scoring is simpler when intensity is unreliable (standard IHC practice). For spatial questions, count positive cells per mm² of viable tissue or measure signal within a prespecified cell population (standard IHC practice). Normalise to viable area or the number of eligible cells, and keep retrieval, staining batch, chromogen development, and scoring thresholds consistent (standard IHC practice).
How do I distinguish true PARVA staining from artefact?
A plausible positive pattern is cytoplasmic staining in intact cells; supported actin-filament and focal-adhesion localisation can help interpret peripheral signal (HPA tissue IHC: cytoplasmic expression; HPA subcellular: supported locations). Check cell identity and morphology rather than assuming every brown region represents the same population, because HPA reports broad tissue expression (HPA tissue IHC: ubiquitous expression; standard IHC interpretation). Treat staining restricted to section edges, folds, or necrotic areas as suspect until it reproduces in intact interior tissue (standard IHC practice). Use a no-primary control and peroxidase block to assess detection artefact before attributing DAB deposit to PARVA (standard chromogenic IHC practice).
Boster reagents
Best PARVA / Alpha-parvin IHC Antibodies
The IHC-validated anti-PARVA antibody PB9555 has an image from a paraffin section of human mammary cancer tissue (catalog IHC caption). Human, mouse and rat are listed as reactive species (catalog reactivity).
Real IHC data
Anti-Parvin alpha/PARVA Antibody ®
Cat # PB9555
PB9555 will render with its own IHC image from a paraffin section of human mammary cancer tissue (catalog IHC caption). Its listed applications are IHC and WB, and its listed reactivity is human, mouse and rat; no IF image is supplied (catalog applications, reactivity and image records).
Which to pick: Choose PB9555 for paraffin-section IHC: its own caption documents staining at 1 μg/ml after EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval (catalog IHC caption). No SKU in this payload is listed for IF/ICC; PB9555 is a rabbit antibody with no clone reported (catalog applications, host and clone fields). For mouse or rat work, PB9555 lists reactivity with both species, but its IHC image documents human tissue only, and the fixative is unreported (catalog reactivity and IHC caption).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q9NVD7 (PARVA_HUMAN, Alpha-parvin).
- Human Protein Atlas. PARVA tissue IHC expression (reliability: Approved).
- Human Protein Atlas. PARVA subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to the actin filaments and focal adhesion sites. In addition localized to the cytosol..
- Human Protein Atlas. PARVA antibody validation summary (1 antibodies).
- Isolation of infectious Theileria parva sporozoites secreted by infected Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks into an in vitro tick feeding system. Parasites & vectors 2021 — PMC8704063.
- East Coast Fever Caused by Theileria parva Is Characterized by Macrophage Activation Associated with Vasculitis and Respiratory Failure. PloS one 2016 — PMC4873194.
- Downregulation of PARVA promotes metastasis by modulating integrin-linked kinase activity and regulating MAPK/ERK and MLC2 signaling in prostate cancer. Translational andrology and urology 2021 — PMC7947443.
- PARVA promotes metastasis by modulating ILK signalling pathway in lung adenocarcinoma. PloS one 2015 — PMC4349696.
- PubMed PMID:11171322 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:11331308 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for PARVA (Alpha-parvin). Expected localisation Cytoplasmic staining in tissue; focal adhesions are molecular sites (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt). Antigen retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet PB9555). Validated IHC antibody: PB9555 at 0.5-1μg/ml (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 mammary cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet PB9555); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet PB9555); 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 PB9555); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard); 6. Peroxidase block: 3% H2O2, 10 min , room temperature (standard); 7. Blocking: 10% goat serum (datasheet PB9555); 8. Primary antibody: Rabbit anti-PARVA, 0.5-1μg/ml (datasheet PB9555); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet PB9555). Watch for: Fixation: Keep fixation consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Caveat: Hematopoietic cells can contribute signal in mixed tissue (HPA tissue IHC); Isoform / epitope: 2 isoforms; verify epitope coverage for both (UniProt); Regulation: Expression varies by tissue (HPA tissue IHC). Evidence: UniProt Q9NVD7, HPA tissue IHC · Approved, HPA ICC-IF · Mainly localized to the actin filaments and focal adhesion sites. In…, Datasheet PB9555, PMC7947443. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/PARVA/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.