PGM1 / Phosphoglucomutase-1 · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for PGM1

Plan PGM1 staining in paraffin sections using hepatocytes as a positive reference for cytoplasmic and nuclear signal (HPA tissue IHC). The guide covers fixation, staining interpretation, and the HPA warning that the antibody may detect protein from more than one gene (HPA tissue IHC).

Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use

Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for PGM1 (IHC for PGM1): expected localisation Cytoplasm; hepatocytes also show nuclear staining (HPA tissue IHC), antibody M02318, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps — Printable **PGM1** IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Cytoplasm; hepatocytes also show nuclear staining (HPA tissue IHC), antibody M02318, controls and protocol steps. Open the full PGM1 IHC guide →

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PGM1 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	Cytoplasm; hepatocytes also show nuclear staining (HPA tissue IHC)
	Staining pattern	Hepatocytes: cytoplasmic and nuclear staining (HPA tissue IHC)
	Antigen retrieval	Citrate pH 6 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet M02318)
	Positive control ⓘ	Liver+4 more · see all
	Negative control ⓘ	Adipose tissue+4 more · see all

Important caveats

Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.

	Fixation	Use formaldehyde-fixed paraffin sections (datasheet M02318 IHC-P) (selected-SKU IHC image M02318)
	Caveat	Staining may include protein from more than one gene (HPA tissue IHC)
	Regulation	RNA enriched: skeletal muscle, tongue (HPA tissue RNA)
	Isoform / epitope	3 isoforms; epitope coverage is unspecified (UniProt)

Section 1

Recommended PGM1 IHC & IF Protocols

The catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol is paired with published PGM1 staining protocols for melanoma and colorectal cancer tissue microarrays (PMC13483203; PMC9134613).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
Sample	Formaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded human heart tissue (datasheet M02318)
Fixation	Image formalin-fixed; duration unreported (datasheet M02318); verify before use.
Sectioning	4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard)
Deparaffinisation	Xylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard)
Antigen retrieval	Heat retrieval: Citrate pH 6 (datasheet M02318); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard)
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-PGM1, 1:25 (datasheet M02318)
Primary incubation	1 hours at 37°C (datasheet M02318)
Detection	HRP-polymer secondary, DAB chromogen 5–10 min (standard)
Counterstain	Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected result	PGM1-positive staining in hepatocytes of liver (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Cytoplasmic expression in several different tissue types. Cytoplasmic and nuclear expression in hepatocytes. No signal in the no-primary control.

💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated citrate retrieval at pH 6 for the catalog antibody; the colorectal cancer protocol also uses citrate at pH 6 (datasheet M02318; PMC9134613).

Section 2

What Is the Expected PGM1 Staining Pattern?

PGM1 is a cytoplasmic protein with no transmembrane segment (UniProt P36871: cytoplasm; topology). In paraffin section IHC, expect cytoplasmic staining in hepatocytes and several other cell types, with cytoplasmic and nuclear staining possible in hepatocytes (HPA tissue IHC). HPA rates the tissue profile Enhanced but reports only medium consistency with RNA and cautions that its antibodies may target proteins from more than one gene (HPA tissue IHC).

What am I looking at on my slide?
Strong hepatocyte staining, with cytoplasmic signal and some nuclear signal.	This fits the reported high hepatocyte expression and permitted nuclear component (HPA tissue IHC: liver, High; hepatocyte profile). Judge signal in identified hepatocytes, because an overall liver score can hide staining in other cells (standard IHC interpretation).
Predominantly cytoplasmic staining in adrenal or colon glandular cells, breast myoepithelial cells, kidney tubule cells, or hippocampal glia.	These named populations have Medium staining in the HPA tissue profile (HPA tissue IHC). A weaker result than liver can therefore be compatible with the reference pattern; compare the same cell type and compartment (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC interpretation).
Predominantly nuclear staining outside hepatocytes, or staining confined to membranes.	These compartments differ from the reported cytoplasmic tissue pattern; HPA additionally permits nuclear staining in hepatocytes (HPA tissue IHC). Check morphology, counterstain, and controls before calling an unexpected compartment PGM1 (standard IHC interpretation).
Strong staining in HPA listed non-detected populations, or color over tissue edges and unrelated cells.	Adipocytes and lung alveolar cells, for example, are reported Not detected (HPA tissue IHC). Unexpected cell staining raises cross-reactivity; broad color may also reflect endogenous detection activity or nonspecific background (standard IHC interpretation).
No hepatocyte signal, including on a liver control section.	This conflicts with HPA High hepatocyte staining (HPA tissue IHC: liver). First assess control quality, retrieval, primary antibody use, and detection performance (standard IHC practice). One failed section cannot establish that PGM1 is absent from the specimen.

💡Expected PGM1 appearanceCall a result positive when hepatocytes show strong cytoplasmic staining, with possible nuclear staining; broad edge staining or strong signal in HPA non-detected cell populations is suspect (HPA tissue IHC: hepatocytes High; cell-specific negatives; standard IHC interpretation).

How each factor affects the staining
Cell type and tissue choice	Liver hepatocytes are a High reference; adrenal and colon glandular cells, breast myoepithelial cells, kidney tubule cells, and hippocampal glia are Medium (HPA tissue IHC). Match the cell population, not just the organ name.
Strength of the HPA reference	The tissue profile is Enhanced, yet RNA and staining show medium consistency and HPA cautions that antibodies may target proteins from more than one gene (HPA tissue IHC). Treat unexpected staining as provisional.
Antibody specific validation	HPA lists IHC Enhanced for HPA024190, HPA024637, and CAB004666, and IHC Approved for HPA046329 (HPA antibodies). Those ratings describe the listed antibodies; they do not establish validation for the catalog antibody.
Isoforms and processing	UniProt lists three isoforms, one chain spanning residues 1–562, and no signal peptide or propeptide (UniProt P36871). The supplied records do not identify the catalog antibody epitope or show isoform specific IHC staining.
IF/ICC: what pattern should appear?	Cytosolic staining is supported in HPA ICC-IF, with a caution that the antibodies may target proteins from multiple genes (HPA subcellular). This is an interpretation reference; IF/ICC belongs to its own guide page.

Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
Situation	Likely cause	Next action
Liver control is blank.	A failed control or IHC workflow is possible when expected High hepatocyte staining is absent (HPA tissue IHC: liver; standard IHC practice).	Check tissue preservation, retrieval, primary antibody application, detection reagents, and counterstain against a concurrently processed positive control (standard IHC practice). Do not infer a PGM1 specific retrieval requirement from HPA.
All cells have pale, even chromogen.	Nonspecific background, residual endogenous enzyme activity, or excessive detection signal can obscure cell boundaries (standard chromogenic IHC practice).	Inspect a no primary control; review blocking, washes, detection chemistry, and development time (standard IHC practice). Interpret staining only after the control identifies the background source.
Adipocytes or lung alveolar cells stain strongly.	These cell populations are reported Not detected, so cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity warrants investigation (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC interpretation).	Compare neighboring positive cell types, examine a no primary control, and confirm cell identity on the counterstain (standard IHC practice). Do not use an organ wide negative label.
Signal appears confined to cell membranes.	PGM1 is cytoplasmic and lacks a transmembrane segment (UniProt P36871); the reported tissue pattern is cytoplasmic, with a hepatocyte nuclear component (HPA tissue IHC).	Recheck cellular boundaries and staining controls; score membrane only signal as discordant until independently verified (standard IHC interpretation).
Hepatocyte nuclei stain along with cytoplasm.	HPA explicitly reports cytoplasmic and nuclear hepatocyte expression (HPA tissue IHC). Nuclear color alone does not establish an artefact.	Confirm that the cytoplasmic hepatocyte pattern and controls are credible, then record nuclear staining separately (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC scoring).
A Medium reference tissue looks weaker than liver.	HPA reports Medium staining for the named non-liver populations and High staining for hepatocytes (HPA tissue IHC).	Compare like cell populations and score intensity by compartment; avoid treating weaker staining alone as assay failure (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC scoring).

Source: UniProt P36871 Human Protein Atlas tissue Human Protein Atlas subcellular

Experiment evidence

IHC & IF images showing PGM1 staining

M02318 staining PGM1 in human heart tissue sections by Immunohistochemistry (IHC-P -paraformaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections). Tissue was fixed with formaldehyde and blocked with 3% BSA for 0. 5 hour at room temperature; antigen retrieval was by heat mediation with a citrate buffer (pH6). Samples were incubated with primary antibody (1/25) for 1 hours at 37°C. A undiluted biotinylated goat polyvalent antibody was used as the secondary antibody.

M02318 · IHCM02318 staining PGM1 in human heart tissue sections by Immunohistochemistry (IHC-P -paraformaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections). Tis

M02318 staining PGM1 in human liver tissue sections by Immunohistochemistry (IHC-P -paraformaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections). Tissue was fixed with formaldehyde and blocked with 3% BSA for 0. 5 hour at room temperature; antigen retrieval was by heat mediation with a citrate buffer (pH6). Samples were incubated with primary antibody (1/25) for 1 hours at 37°C. A undiluted biotinylated goat polyvalent antibody was used as the secondary antibody.

M02318 · IHCM02318 staining PGM1 in human liver tissue sections by Immunohistochemistry (IHC-P -paraformaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections). Tis

HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000079739-PGM1/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_14013627

HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000079739-PGM1/tissue/colon#imid_14013553

HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000079739-PGM1/tissue/liver#imid_14013554

HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000079739-PGM1/tissue/kidney#imid_14013547

HPA · ICC-IF PC-3Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, PC-3, antibody HPA046329; green = PGM1, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.

← swipe / scroll for more images →

Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.

Sample controls for PGM1 IHC & IF

🧪Run liver first: hepatocytes should show cytoplasmic staining (HPA: High in hepatocytes; UniProt P36871: cytoplasm); run adipose tissue as the negative, focusing on adipocytes (HPA: Not detected in adipocytes). On the liver slide, morphologically identifiable non-hepatocytes lacking cytoplasmic signal can serve as internal negative comparators, but their absence of PGM1 staining must be verified (HPA: High in hepatocytes only among the supplied liver rows).

Positive control tissue: Liver (Hepatocytes, HPA High)

Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)

ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show PGM1 in PC-3, SK-MEL-30, U2OS, KOLF2.1J, with annotated localisation: Cytosol (supported) (HPA subcellular).

Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only control; a concentration-matched isotype control appropriate to the primary antibody’s host species and clonality; and, where available, a PGM1 knockout or validated peptide-block control (standard IHC practice). For liver chromogenic IHC, block endogenous peroxidase and check endogenous biotin background if using biotin-based detection (standard IHC practice).

⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported, and the selected M02318 tissue-IHC caption does not establish a fixative (selected-SKU caption: fixative unreported). The caption uses heat retrieval in citrate buffer at pH 6, but does not establish that PGM1 staining depends on retrieval (selected-SKU tissue-IHC caption). The supplied evidence does not establish whether frozen sections or IF are easier; in liver, assess endogenous peroxidase and, with biotin-based detection, endogenous biotin as possible background sources (standard IHC practice).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for PGM1

Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Enhanced — Medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression data. Caution, targets protein from more than one gene.). 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
Liver	Hepatocytes	High	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Adrenal gland	Glandular cells	Medium	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Breast	Myoepithelial cells	Medium	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Colon	Glandular cells	Medium	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Duodenum	Glandular cells	Medium	Protein (IHC)	HPA →

Undetected expression · recommended negative controls

Tissue	Cell type	Level	Evidence	Source
Adipose tissue	Adipocytes	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Cerebellum	Cells in granular layer	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Cerebral cortex	Glial cells	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Endometrium	Cells in endometrial stroma	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Esophagus	Squamous epithelial cells	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →

Section 3

Advanced PGM1 IHC Tips

Troubleshoot PGM1 staining by checking retrieval, tissue handling, cellular localisation and controls before comparing chromogenic IHC results across sections.

How should I retrieve PGM1 in paraffin sections when staining is weak?

Start with heat-mediated retrieval in citrate buffer at pH 6 (datasheet M02318). The selected tissue-IHC image used citrate retrieval, a 1:25 primary dilution and a 1-hour incubation at 37°C (M02318 tissue-IHC caption); use those conditions as a documented comparison, while recognising that the image does not isolate retrieval as the cause of staining. If signal is weak, compare retrieval heating and cooling across matched sections while holding antibody concentration and detection constant (standard IHC practice). Include a known positive tissue and a no-primary control so stronger staining can be judged against tissue damage and nonspecific chromogen deposition (standard IHC practice).

Could fixation explain weak or uneven PGM1 staining in my sections?

PGM1-specific sensitivity to fixation is unknown from the supplied evidence; do not infer it from tissue staining patterns or protein annotations. Record fixative, fixation duration, tissue thickness and processing history for each block, then compare sections processed in parallel (standard IHC practice). Excessive fixation can mask epitopes, whereas inadequate fixation can impair morphology and promote uneven staining in paraffin IHC (standard IHC practice). Keep citrate retrieval at pH 6 as the documented starting condition (datasheet M02318), and use a matched positive control to distinguish a block-wide processing problem from a change confined to the specimen (standard IHC practice).

Should nuclear staining be accepted as PGM1 signal?

Expect predominantly cytoplasmic staining because PGM1 is annotated in the cytoplasm (UniProt P36871) and the supported subcellular location is cytosol (HPA subcellular). Nuclear staining in hepatocytes has also been reported alongside cytoplasmic staining (HPA tissue IHC), so assess it within that tissue context rather than rejecting every nuclear signal. Compare nuclear intensity with cytoplasmic intensity in the same cells and check the no-primary control for nonspecific nuclear colour (standard IHC practice). Treat strong nuclear-only staining elsewhere cautiously, particularly because the HPA subcellular assignment carries a warning that its antibodies target proteins from multiple genes (HPA subcellular).

How can epitope uncertainty affect comparisons between PGM1 samples?

PGM1 has 3 annotated isoforms and no annotated transmembrane segment (UniProt P36871), but the supplied evidence does not map the catalog antibody’s epitope or establish isoform coverage. Its listed modified residues include phosphothreonine 115 and phosphoserines 117 and 134 (UniProt P36871); their effect on this antibody’s binding is unknown. Keep retrieval, dilution and detection consistent when comparing samples, since changes in those conditions can alter apparent staining independently of antigen abundance (standard IHC practice). If samples disagree, seek epitope and isoform information or an independently validated reagent before assigning the difference to a specific PGM1 isoform (standard IHC practice).

How should I assess a PGM1 immunofluorescence result alongside this IHC guide?

For the separate IF/ICC assay, assess PGM1 signal against the expected cytosolic pattern (UniProt P36871; HPA subcellular) and multiplex with a marker identifying the cell population being examined (standard IF practice). In tissue, hepatocytes provide a documented high-staining population for comparison (HPA tissue IHC), although that chromogenic observation does not establish this antibody’s IF performance. Choose fluorophores after checking tissue autofluorescence in an unstained section, and separate their emission from the autofluorescent range (standard IF practice). Because PGM1 has no annotated transmembrane segment and is cytoplasmic (UniProt P36871), test permeabilisation for access to the intracellular epitope and include single-colour controls (standard IF practice).

What should I check when PGM1 chromogen covers the whole section?

First inspect a no-primary section for colour produced by endogenous peroxidase or the detection system, and apply a peroxidase block when using peroxidase-based detection (standard chromogenic IHC practice). The selected image used 3% BSA for 0.5 hour at room temperature and an undiluted biotinylated secondary antibody (M02318 tissue-IHC caption); these are documented conditions, not proof that background will be low in another specimen. Compare antibody dilutions around the documented 1:25 condition while keeping development time constant (M02318 tissue-IHC caption; standard IHC practice). Check whether diffuse colour persists in stromal spaces or tissue edges rather than following the expected cytoplasmic distribution (UniProt P36871; standard IHC practice).

How should I score PGM1 staining across paraffin sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION

Define the scored cell population and compartment before measuring, with cytoplasm as the principal compartment (UniProt P36871; HPA tissue IHC). For chromogenic sections, report an H-score from staining intensity and the percentage of positive cells, or report positive-cell percentage alone when intensity grading is unreliable (standard IHC practice). Normalise counts to the number of evaluable cells; if measuring stained area, report positive area per mm² of viable tissue and exclude folds or necrosis (standard IHC practice). Keep retrieval, chromogen development, imaging and scoring thresholds consistent, and report nuclear and cytoplasmic staining separately where hepatocytes are assessed (standard IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC).

When is apparent PGM1 positivity more likely to be artefact?

A plausible positive follows the predominantly cytoplasmic distribution (UniProt P36871; HPA subcellular) and occurs in an appropriate cell population, such as hepatocytes with reported high staining (HPA tissue IHC). Interpret nuclear signal in hepatocytes separately because cytoplasmic and nuclear expression is reported there (HPA tissue IHC). Suspect artefact when colour concentrates at section edges, folds or necrotic regions, or persists in a no-primary control after peroxidase detection (standard IHC practice). Use cell identity, a matched positive section and control staining together before calling a discordant pattern PGM1, especially given the HPA warning about antibodies targeting proteins from multiple genes (HPA tissue IHC).

Boster reagents

Best PGM1 / Phosphoglucomutase-1 IHC Antibodies

Anti-PGM1 options include an IHC-P antibody with human heart and liver staining images and an IF/ICC antibody listed for human, mouse and rat (M02318 image captions; M02318-1 catalog: applications/reactivity).

Real IHC data

Anti-PGM1 Antibody (C-Term)

Cat # M02318

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The M02318 card shows staining in human heart paraffin sections; a second catalog caption describes human liver paraffin sections (M02318 image captions). M02318-1 is listed for IF/ICC in human, mouse and rat, but has no IF image in the payload (M02318-1 catalog: applications/reactivity; IF image list).

Which to pick: Choose M02318 for tissue IHC: this rabbit polyclonal is listed for IHC-P in human and mouse, with its own human heart and liver paraffin-section captions (M02318 catalog: applications/reactivity/clonality; M02318 image captions). Choose M02318-1 for IF/ICC or rat samples: this rabbit monoclonal is listed for IF/ICC in human, mouse and rat at 1:50–1:200, though no IF image is supplied (M02318-1 catalog: applications/reactivity/clonality/dilution; IF image list). For cross-species IHC, M02318 lists mouse reactivity, but its pictured tissue is human; its captions give conflicting fixative descriptions, paraformaldehyde and formaldehyde (M02318 catalog: reactivity; M02318 image captions).

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

References

UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P36871 (PGM1_HUMAN, Phosphoglucomutase-1).
Human Protein Atlas. PGM1 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Enhanced).
Human Protein Atlas. PGM1 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Localized to the cytosol. Caution: Based on antibodies targeting proteins from multiple genes..
Human Protein Atlas. PGM1 antibody validation summary (4 antibodies).
Metabolic buffering restricts phenotype switching in melanoma. The EMBO journal 2026 — PMC13483203.
PGM1 suppresses colorectal cancer cell migration and invasion by regulating the PI3K/AKT pathway. Cancer cell international 2022 — PMC9134613.
PGM1 deficiency is linked to sarcomeric and mitochondrial dysfunction in patient-derived iPSC-cardiomyocytes. Journal of translational medicine 2026 — PMC13032676.
Outcome of creatine supplementation therapy in phosphoglucomutase-1 deficiency associated congenital disorders of glycosylation: Novel insights. Molecular genetics and metabolism reports 2025 — PMC12002938.
PubMed PMID:1530890 — UniProt-cited evidence.
PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.
PubMed PMID:16710414 — UniProt-cited evidence.