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POC1A / POC1 centriolar protein homolog A · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for POC1A
Plan paraffin-section POC1A IHC with 2–5 μg/mL catalog antibody and chromogenic detection (datasheet A08694-1). Use high-staining glandular tissue or testis Leydig cells as positive controls, with adipocytes as a negative comparator (HPA tissue IHC).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
POC1A 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 | Granular cytoplasm in tissue (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Staining pattern | Granular cytoplasm in glandular and Leydig cells (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A08694-1) | |
| Positive control | Adrenal gland+4 more · see all | |
| Negative control | Adipose tissue+2 more · see all |
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
| Fixation | Keep paraffin-section fixation consistent across samples. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific) | |
| Caveat | Tissue staining has medium RNA concordance (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | No expression regulator annotated (UniProt) | |
| Isoform / epitope | 3 isoforms; no TM segment; epitope coverage unknown (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended POC1A IHC & IF Protocols
The catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol (datasheet: A08694-1) is accompanied by four published POC1A IHC protocols (PMC13286842; PMC10907829; PMC7732308; PMC12366406).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded human prostate cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A08694-1) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A08694-1); 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 A08694-1); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard) |
| Peroxidase block | 3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard) |
| Blocking | 10% goat serum (datasheet A08694-1) |
| Primary antibody | Rabbit anti-POC1A, 2-5 μg/ml (datasheet A08694-1) |
| Primary incubation | Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet A08694-1) |
| Detection | HRP-conjugated secondary, DAB chromogen (datasheet A08694-1) |
| Counterstain | Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard) |
| Expected result | POC1A-positive staining in glandular cells of adrenal gland (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: General granular cytoplasmic expression. No signal in the no-primary control. |
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 (datasheet: A08694-1). Citric acid retrieval was used for gastric tissue microarrays (PMC7732308).
Section 2
What Is the Expected POC1A Staining Pattern?
POC1A is a centriolar and basal body protein with no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q8NBT0). In paraffin IHC, expect granular cytoplasmic staining, especially in adrenal, appendix, duodenal, gallbladder, rectal and small-intestinal glandular cells and testicular Leydig cells (HPA tissue IHC). HPA rates its tissue staining “Approved,” with medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression; interpret the pattern with that limitation (HPA tissue IHC).
| Granular cytoplasmic staining is strong in glandular cells of the listed positive tissues or in testicular Leydig cells (HPA tissue IHC). | This matches the reported tissue IHC pattern and high staining levels (HPA tissue IHC). Granularity is the practical paraffin-section readout; individual centrioles need not be resolved to call a tissue pattern consistent with POC1A (UniProt Q8NBT0; general IHC practice). |
| A strong, predominantly nuclear or cell-surface pattern replaces granular cytoplasmic staining (HPA tissue IHC). | That compartment is discordant with the reported tissue pattern and centriolar localization (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q8NBT0). Check antibody specificity and detection controls before interpreting it as POC1A; a discordant pattern alone does not identify its cause (general IHC practice). |
| Prominent staining appears in adipocytes, ovarian stromal cells or skeletal myocytes (HPA tissue IHC). | HPA reports POC1A as not detected in those cell types (HPA tissue IHC). Treat conspicuous staining there as unexpected and assess cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity with appropriate controls (general IHC practice). A negative HPA call does not prove absolute absence in every specimen. |
| Diffuse stain covers cells and surrounding section without a readable granular cytoplasmic pattern (HPA tissue IHC). | The distribution cannot support a POC1A localization call (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). Nonspecific reagent binding or detection background are possibilities; compare a no-primary control and review blocking, washing and chromogen development (general IHC practice). |
| No convincing signal appears in adrenal or intestinal glandular cells, or in testicular Leydig cells (HPA tissue IHC). | These are reported high-staining cell populations, so an entirely negative run needs technical review (HPA tissue IHC). Check tissue identity and assay controls, then evaluate retrieval, antibody dilution and detection performance as general IHC variables; no POC1A-specific retrieval sensitivity is supplied (general IHC practice). |
💡Expected POC1A appearanceCall a paraffin IHC result consistent with POC1A when glandular cells in reported positive tissues or testicular Leydig cells show clear granular cytoplasmic staining, often at high reported levels (HPA tissue IHC); dominant nuclear, membrane-like or widespread control-positive color is suspicious rather than a characteristic positive pattern (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice).
| Tissue and cell selection | Reported high staining occurs in adrenal, appendix, duodenal, gallbladder, rectal and small-intestinal glandular cells and testicular Leydig cells (HPA tissue IHC). Stomach glandular cells are reported at medium level; adipocytes, ovarian stromal cells and skeletal myocytes are reported as not detected (HPA tissue IHC). |
| Compartment and image resolution | POC1A is assigned to centrioles, centrosomes, cilium basal bodies and spindle poles (UniProt Q8NBT0). Tissue IHC is described as generally granular cytoplasmic (HPA tissue IHC). Interpret the paraffin-section pattern at the resolution actually obtained, rather than requiring visible individual centrioles (general IHC practice). |
| Strength of tissue evidence | The tissue IHC profile is “Approved,” with medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC). HPA040600 is listed as IHC “Approved” and ICC “Approved” (HPA antibodies). These classifications support a reference pattern but do not make every stained structure specific. |
| Molecular forms and topology | UniProt lists three POC1A isoforms, no transmembrane segment, no signal peptide or propeptide, and a chain spanning residues 1–407 (UniProt Q8NBT0). Without an epitope map, these annotations cannot establish which isoforms an antibody detects or predict retrieval behavior; avoid isoform claims from staining alone. |
| IF/ICC interpretation | HPA's ICC-IF images are from sperm; the supported main location is the flagellar centriole, with approved additional mid-piece and principal-piece localization (HPA subcellular). This is a distinct imaging context from the granular cytoplasmic tissue IHC profile and does not set a paraffin-IHC scoring threshold (HPA tissue IHC). |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| A reported high-staining glandular or Leydig-cell population is blank (HPA tissue IHC). | Possible assay failure, unsuitable tissue identification or inadequate signal development (general IHC practice); POC1A-specific fixation or retrieval sensitivity is unreported in the supplied evidence. | Confirm the cell population and a working positive control; review retrieval conditions, antibody dilution and detection reagents using the validated assay instructions (general IHC practice). Do not infer target absence from one blank section. |
| The whole section has brown haze or extracellular deposit instead of readable granular cytoplasm (HPA tissue IHC). | Excess detection background, incomplete blocking or washing, or excessive chromogen development can obscure localization (general IHC practice). | Compare the no-primary control, then adjust blocking, washing or development within the assay workflow (general IHC practice). Score POC1A only where cell-associated granular staining is distinguishable from background (HPA tissue IHC). |
| Unexpected adipocyte, ovarian stromal-cell or myocyte staining is conspicuous (HPA tissue IHC). | These populations are reported as not detected (HPA tissue IHC). Cross-reactivity or endogenous enzyme activity is possible in chromogenic IHC (general IHC practice). | Check a no-primary control and the relevant endogenous-activity control; reassess the antibody pattern against a reported positive tissue (general IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC). Do not score unexpected color as POC1A solely because it is strong. |
| Nuclear or membrane-like staining dominates a reported positive cell population (HPA tissue IHC). | The localization differs from granular cytoplasmic tissue IHC and centriolar assignment (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q8NBT0). The appearance alone cannot distinguish cross-reactivity from detection artefact. | Review control slides, staining distribution and cell morphology; repeat with an independently validated specificity control if available (general IHC practice). Record the result as discordant until the compartment assignment is supported. |
| Only faint staining is visible in stomach glandular cells (HPA tissue IHC). | HPA reports stomach glandular cells at medium level, whereas several other glandular populations are high (HPA tissue IHC); intensity need not match across tissues. | Compare like-for-like processed sections and confirm the pattern in a reported high-staining population before treating the stomach result as assay failure (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
| Q: What should an IF/ICC image show? | HPA's subcellular ICC-IF evidence comes from sperm, while the primary tissue IHC profile is granular cytoplasmic (HPA subcellular; HPA tissue IHC). | A: In sperm ICC-IF, assess a flagellar centriole signal; mid-piece and principal-piece signals are also reported (HPA subcellular). Use the separate IF/ICC guide for assay setup; do not apply that sperm image pattern as a paraffin-IHC requirement. |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing POC1A staining
A08694-1 · IHCIHC analysis of POC1A using anti-POC1A antibody (A08694-1). POC1A was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human prostate cancer tissu
A08694-1 · IHCIHC analysis of POC1A using anti-POC1A antibody (A08694-1). POC1A was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human stomach cancer tissue
A08694-1 · IFIF analysis of POC1A using anti-POC1A antibody (A08694-1). POC1A was detected in an immunocytochemical section of A549 cells. Enzyme antigen
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000164087-POC1A/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_10289945
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000164087-POC1A/tissue/colon#imid_10289879
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000164087-POC1A/tissue/liver#imid_10289872
HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000164087-POC1A/tissue/kidney#imid_10289889
HPA · ICC-IF SpermHuman Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, Sperm, antibody HPA040600; green = POC1A, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
HPA · ICC-IF SpermHuman Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, Sperm, antibody HPA040600; green = POC1A, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for POC1A IHC & IF
🧪Run appendix first; its glandular cells should stain (HPA: High in appendix glandular cells). Use skeletal muscle myocytes as the negative tissue (HPA: Not detected in skeletal muscle myocytes); on the appendix slide, unstained nonglandular cells can serve as an internal background reference, but their POC1A status is unreported (HPA: appendix row reports glandular cells only).
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 POC1A in Sperm, with annotated localisation: Flagellar centriole (supported) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include no-primary (secondary-only) and host- and format-matched rabbit IgG isotype controls, plus POC1A knockout tissue or a validated peptide-block control if available (caption: rabbit primary; standard IHC practice). Quench endogenous peroxidase and check for luminal DAB deposits in appendix glands before scoring cellular staining (caption: HRP/DAB detection; standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported, and the selected A08694-1 tissue-IHC caption does not state a fixative (caption: fixative unreported). That paraffin-section example used heat retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0, but does not establish that retrieval is required or that frozen sections or IF are easier (caption: EDTA retrieval; standard IHC interpretation). For appendix, score staining within glandular cells separately from luminal material or chromogen deposits (HPA: High in appendix glandular cells; standard IHC practice).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for POC1A
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 | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Duodenum | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Gallbladder | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Rectum | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Section 3
Advanced POC1A IHC Tips
Troubleshoot POC1A staining in paraffin sections by comparing matched controls, documented processing conditions, and the expected cellular pattern.
How should I optimize antigen retrieval when POC1A staining is weak?
Start with heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 for paraffin sections (datasheet A08694-1). The selected tissue image used 2 μg/ml primary antibody overnight at 4°C, a 10% goat-serum block, and DAB detection; keep these conditions fixed while comparing retrieval durations on matched sections (caption A08694-1). Include a no-primary slide and a previously stained reference section so weak signal is not mistaken for failed retrieval (standard IHC practice). If staining remains weak, compare a second retrieval duration before trying another buffer, and assess edge damage and diffuse DAB haze alongside signal intensity (standard IHC practice).
Could fixation explain variable POC1A staining between paraffin blocks?
Target-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown: the selected paraffin-section caption does not report its fixative (caption A08694-1). Record the fixative and fixation duration for each block, then compare sections with similar handling before changing antibody concentration (standard IHC practice). For a controlled pilot, process matched samples with documented 10% neutral buffered formalin exposure times and apply the same EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 to every section (standard IHC practice; datasheet A08694-1). Include a no-primary control to reveal processing-related background, and judge signal in preserved tissue away from folds, edges, and necrosis (standard IHC practice).
What POC1A staining pattern should I expect in chromogenic sections?
POC1A is associated with centrioles, centrosomes, ciliary basal bodies, and spindle poles (UniProt Q8NBT0 localisation). Tissue IHC has also been described as generally granular cytoplasmic staining, with high staining in several glandular-cell populations and testicular Leydig cells (HPA tissue IHC). Because a DAB section may not resolve individual centrioles, assess whether granular signal sits within intact cells rather than requiring visible paired puncta (standard IHC interpretation). Compare the same cell population across sections, using the HPA pattern as context rather than proof of specificity (HPA tissue IHC: Approved, medium consistency). Diffuse extracellular deposits or staining confined to torn edges warrant a background check (standard IHC practice).
Could isoforms or epitope accessibility explain inconsistent POC1A staining?
POC1A has 3 annotated isoforms, but the supplied evidence does not map this antibody’s epitope to any one of them (UniProt Q8NBT0 isoforms; caption A08694-1). Request the immunogen or epitope information before interpreting a negative section as absence of every isoform (standard antibody-validation practice). POC1A has no annotated transmembrane segment, glycosylation sites, or modified residues, which does not establish how its epitope behaves after paraffin processing (UniProt Q8NBT0 topology and modifications). Compare matched sections under the stated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 and include positive and no-primary controls (datasheet A08694-1; standard IHC practice). Document any retrieval-dependent pattern without assigning it to a particular isoform (standard IHC interpretation).
How can IF help check a questionable POC1A IHC pattern?
Use IF as a separate localisation check, since the supplied tissue protocol describes chromogenic IHC in a paraffin section (caption A08694-1). For multiplexing, pair POC1A with a validated marker of the cell population under study; Leydig cells are one population with high reported tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC: High in Leydig cells). Choose fluorophores after inspecting unstained tissue for autofluorescence, and include single-label controls to check channel bleed-through (standard IF practice). POC1A has no transmembrane segment and is annotated at centrioles and related cytoskeletal structures, so assess permeabilisation for an intracellular epitope without assuming its precise location in each isoform (UniProt Q8NBT0 topology, localisation, isoforms; standard IF practice).
How do I reduce diffuse brown background without losing POC1A signal?
First compare a no-primary slide with the stained section to separate detection-system background from primary-dependent staining (standard IHC practice). The selected image used a 10% goat-serum block, 2 μg/ml primary antibody, a peroxidase-conjugated secondary, and DAB; those are documented image conditions, not proof that every section needs the same concentration (caption A08694-1). Check endogenous peroxidase blocking and shorten DAB development if the no-primary control is brown (standard chromogenic IHC practice). If background appears only with primary antibody, titrate antibody concentration and improve washing on matched sections while retaining a positive reference (standard IHC practice). Evaluate granular intracellular signal separately from precipitate, folds, and section edges (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
How should I score POC1A staining across heterogeneous sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cell population and viable region before scoring, then apply the same threshold and imaging settings across cases (standard IHC quantification practice). Report the percentage of positive cells and an intensity-weighted H-score, or count positive cells per mm² when cell density is the main question (standard IHC quantification practice). Normalize positive-cell counts to the number of evaluable cells, or stained area to viable tissue area, and exclude folds, necrosis, and edge artefacts (standard IHC quantification practice). Score cell populations separately because reported high staining includes glandular cells in several tissues and Leydig cells in testis (HPA tissue IHC). Record retrieval and development conditions alongside the scores (standard IHC practice).
When is a positive POC1A IHC result credible rather than artefactual?
Give greatest weight to reproducible intracellular granular staining in intact, expected cell populations, supported by a clean no-primary control (HPA tissue IHC: general granular cytoplasmic expression; standard IHC practice). POC1A’s centriole, centrosome, basal-body, and spindle-pole annotations support a cytoskeletal interpretation, although chromogenic sections may not resolve those structures individually (UniProt Q8NBT0 localisation; standard IHC interpretation). Question staining that is predominantly extracellular, limited to section edges or necrosis, or present in the no-primary control after DAB development (standard IHC practice). Compare cellular distribution with the reported high glandular-cell and Leydig-cell staining, while treating HPA’s medium staining–RNA consistency as a limit on confidence (HPA tissue IHC). Confirm disputed patterns with an independent specificity control (standard IHC practice).
Boster reagents
Best POC1A / POC1 centriolar protein homolog A IHC Antibodies
Anti-POC1A A08694-1 has IHC images from human prostate and stomach cancer sections and mouse and rat testis sections, plus an IF image from A549 cells (catalog image captions).
Real IHC data
Anti-POC1A Antibody ®
Cat # A08694-1
A08694-1 is listed for IHC and IF/ICC and is reactive with human, mouse, and rat samples (catalog applications and reactivity). Its IHC captions show paraffin sections of human prostate and stomach cancer and mouse and rat testis; its IF caption shows A549 cells (catalog image captions).
Which to pick: Choose A08694-1 for tissue IHC: its images show staining in paraffin sections, with an IHC working range of 2–5 μg/ml (catalog IHC captions; datasheet: 2–5 μg/ml); the fixative is unreported (catalog IHC captions). For IF/ICC, A08694-1 has an A549 cell image and a listed dilution of 5 μg/ml (catalog IF caption; datasheet: 5 μg/ml). For cross-species IHC, A08694-1 lists human, mouse, and rat reactivity and has IHC images for each; its host is rabbit, and clonality is unreported (catalog reactivity, IHC captions, and antibody details).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q8NBT0 (POC1A_HUMAN, POC1 centriolar protein homolog A).
- Human Protein Atlas. POC1A tissue IHC expression (reliability: Approved).
- Human Protein Atlas. POC1A subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to the flagellar centriole. In addition localized to the mid piece and principal piece..
- Human Protein Atlas. POC1A antibody validation summary (1 antibodies).
- POC1A promotes malignant phenotypes in non-triple-negative breast cancer cell models with EMT- and Wnt/β-catenin-related alterations. Frontiers in oncology 2026 — PMC13286842.
- Upregulation of POC1A in lung adenocarcinoma promotes tumour progression and predicts poor prognosis. Journal of cellular and molecular medicine 2024 — PMC10907829.
- POC1A acts as a promising prognostic biomarker associated with high tumor immune cell infiltration in gastric cancer. Aging 2020 — PMC7732308.
- POC1A induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition to promote growth and metastasis through the STAT3 signaling pathway in triple-negative breast cancer. Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.) 2025 — PMC12366406.
- PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:16641997 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:15489334 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for POC1A (POC1 centriolar protein homolog A). Expected localisation Granular cytoplasm in tissue (HPA tissue IHC). Antigen retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A08694-1). Validated IHC antibody: A08694-1 at 2-5 μg/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 prostate cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A08694-1); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A08694-1); 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 A08694-1); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard); 6. Peroxidase block: 3% H2O2, 10 min , room temperature (standard); 7. Blocking: 10% goat serum (datasheet A08694-1); 8. Primary antibody: Rabbit anti-POC1A, 2-5 μg/ml (datasheet A08694-1); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet A08694-1). Watch for: Fixation: Keep paraffin-section fixation consistent across samples. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Caveat: Tissue staining has medium RNA concordance (HPA tissue IHC); Isoform / epitope: 3 isoforms; no TM segment; epitope coverage unknown (UniProt); Regulation: No expression regulator annotated (UniProt). Evidence: UniProt Q8NBT0, HPA tissue IHC · Approved, HPA ICC-IF · Mainly localized to the flagellar centriole. In addition localized…, Datasheet A08694-1, PMC13286842, PMC10907829. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/POC1A/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.