PRMT8 / Protein arginine N-methyltransferase 8 · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for PRMT8

Plan PRMT8 chromogenic IHC on paraffin sections using neuronal staining in caudate or cerebral cortex as a tissue reference (HPA tissue IHC). Start the IHC-validated antibody at 2–5 μg/mL (datasheet A07980-1), and interpret staining in light of the multi-gene targeting caution (HPA tissue IHC).

Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for PRMT8 (IHC for PRMT8): expected localisation Neuronal nuclei (HPA tissue IHC); cell membrane (UniProt), antibody A07980-1, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps
Printable PRMT8 IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Neuronal nuclei (HPA tissue IHC); cell membrane (UniProt), antibody A07980-1, controls and protocol steps. Open the full PRMT8 IHC guide →

PRMT8 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 Neuronal nuclei (HPA tissue IHC); cell membrane (UniProt)
Staining pattern Nuclear staining in neuronal cells (HPA tissue IHC)
Antigen retrieval EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A07980-1)
Positive control ⓘ Testis+2 more · see all
Negative control ⓘ Adipose tissue+4 more · see all
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
Fixation Keep fixation consistent (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Matched tissue-IHC evidence does not establish the fixation claim. Validate the specimen-specific method before use. (selected-SKU IHC image A07980-1)
Caveat Antibody may recognize proteins from more than one gene (HPA tissue IHC)
Regulation Brain-enriched RNA (HPA tissue data)
Isoform / epitope 2 isoforms; epitope differences are unspecified (UniProt)
Section 1

Recommended PRMT8 IHC & IF Protocols

The catalog antibody has a datasheet IHC-P protocol (datasheet: A07980-1). One published PRMT8 brain IHC protocol provides a second option (PMC7890232 methods).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
SampleParaffin-embedded human breast cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A07980-1)
FixationImage fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A07980-1); verify before use.
Sectioning4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard)
DeparaffinisationXylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard)
Antigen retrievalHeat retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 (datasheet A07980-1); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard)
Peroxidase block3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard)
Blocking10% goat serum (datasheet A07980-1)
Primary antibodyRabbit anti-PRMT8, 2-5μg/ml (datasheet A07980-1)
Primary incubationOvernight at 4 °C (datasheet A07980-1)
DetectionHRP-conjugated secondary, DAB chromogen (datasheet A07980-1)
CounterstainHematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected resultPRMT8-positive staining in leydig cells of testis (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Nuclear expression in neuronal cells. No signal in the no-primary control.
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 for the catalog antibody (datasheet: A07980-1); the published protocol does not specify retrieval conditions (PMC7890232 methods).
Section 2

What Is the Expected PRMT8 Staining Pattern?

In paraffin section IHC, expect predominantly nuclear staining in neuronal cells, with medium staining reported in caudate and cerebral cortex (HPA: tissue IHC). Interpret that pattern cautiously: HPA rates the tissue result Enhanced but flags recognition of proteins from more than one gene and a subcellular conflict with limited external data (HPA: reliability description). UniProt places PRMT8 at the cell membrane despite reporting no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q9NR22: subcellular location and topology).

What am I looking at on my slide?
Distinct neuronal nuclei stain in caudate or cerebral cortex, with relatively little staining in surrounding cells.This fits the reported medium neuronal signal and nuclear profile in brain sections (HPA: caudate, cerebral cortex and tissue profile). Score the relevant cell population rather than the whole field. Nuclear staining is an observed IHC pattern, while its disagreement with UniProt's membrane assignment remains unresolved (UniProt Q9NR22: subcellular location; HPA: reliability description).
Signal is confined to cell borders, or broad nuclear and cytoplasmic staining obscures individual neuronal nuclei.A membrane-only result differs from HPA's nuclear IHC profile but could relate to UniProt's membrane localization; compartment alone cannot settle specificity (HPA: tissue profile; UniProt Q9NR22: subcellular location). Broad staining that also appears in a negative control favors staining artifact. Compare matched controls before assigning either pattern to PRMT8 (standard IHC practice).
Strong staining appears in an unexpected cell population, including many cells outside the reported neuronal pattern.Consider antibody cross-reactivity or endogenous chromogen-generating activity, using an appropriate detection control to distinguish them (standard IHC practice). This concern is material because HPA cautions that its tissue staining can represent protein from more than one gene (HPA: reliability description). High Leydig cell staining is itself reported, so it should be assessed separately rather than dismissed solely for being outside brain (HPA: testis).
Diffuse color covers tissue and background, with little separation between nuclei and the surrounding section.The slide does not permit a reliable compartment or cell type call. Background can arise from detection chemistry, inadequate blocking or antibody concentration (standard IHC practice). Check a matched detection control and examine whether the reported neuronal pattern remains visible above background (HPA: tissue profile). Background alone provides no evidence that PRMT8 has changed location.
No neuronal signal is visible in caudate or cerebral cortex while the section otherwise appears intact.Treat this as an unresolved assay result: HPA reports medium neuronal staining in both tissues, but that observation does not guarantee detection with every antibody or run (HPA: caudate and cerebral cortex). Confirm the tissue region and antibody identity, then review the catalog antibody's IHC-P instructions and run controls (standard IHC practice). Do not infer biological absence from one blank slide.
💡Expected PRMT8 appearanceCall a section positive when identifiable neuronal nuclei show clear, approximately medium chromogenic signal in caudate or cerebral cortex (HPA: tissue IHC); widespread diffuse color or control-positive staining is a potential false positive (standard IHC practice).
How each factor affects the staining
Compartment assignmentHPA describes nuclear neuronal staining, whereas UniProt assigns PRMT8 to the cell membrane and lists no transmembrane segment (HPA: tissue profile; UniProt Q9NR22: subcellular location and topology). Record the observed compartment and the discrepancy; neither source alone resolves whether a particular slide's nuclear or membrane signal is target-specific.
Tissue and cell choiceCaudate and cerebral cortex provide reported medium neuronal signal; hippocampal neurons and cerebellar Purkinje cells are reported low (HPA: tissue IHC). Adipocytes in adipose tissue and several listed non-neuronal populations are reported undetected (HPA: tissue IHC). These are reference patterns for selecting and interpreting controls, rather than universal guarantees for individual specimens.
Testis exceptionHPA reports high Leydig cell staining despite brain-enriched RNA in HPA and brain-specific tissue annotation in UniProt (HPA: testis and RNA specificity; UniProt Q9NR22: tissue specificity). HPA also warns that its tissue antibody can recognize protein from more than one gene (HPA: reliability description). Interpret Leydig cell staining with that uncertainty attached.
Antibody validationHPA039747 has Enhanced IHC status, while HPA069769 has Approved IHC status (HPA: antibody validation). Enhanced reflects reproduction by independent antibodies or orthogonal data, yet HPA's tissue profile still carries its cross-gene and localization cautions (HPA: validation definition and reliability description). Record which antibody produced the slide before comparing its pattern with the reference.
Isoforms and epitope coverageUniProt lists two PRMT8 isoforms and a mature chain spanning residues 2–394 (UniProt Q9NR22: isoforms and processing). The supplied record does not map either antibody's epitope to an isoform. If two antibodies disagree, check their documented immunogens or epitopes before attributing the difference to isoform expression (standard IHC interpretation practice).
IF/ICC evidenceQ: Can this IHC localization be used as a confirmed IF/ICC pattern? A: HPA supplies no main IF/ICC location and lists no cell lines with ICC-IF images (HPA: subcellular record). Treat nuclear IHC and UniProt membrane localization as separate evidence until an IF/ICC experiment establishes its own pattern (HPA: tissue profile; UniProt Q9NR22: subcellular location).
Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
SituationLikely causeNext action
Brain positive-control section has no visible neuronal staining.The sampled region may lack the expected cells, or an IHC detection step may have failed; HPA reports medium signal specifically in caudate and cortical neurons (HPA: tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).Verify region and cell morphology. Check the antibody's documented IHC-P dilution and retrieval conditions, then review detection controls before changing conditions (standard IHC practice).
All cells show nuclear color, including populations expected to be unstained.A broadly reactive primary antibody or detection background may be obscuring the cell-restricted pattern (standard IHC practice). HPA explicitly cautions that its tissue signal can include protein from another gene (HPA: reliability description).Compare a matched primary-omission control and HPA-listed undetected cell populations; assess whether neuronal nuclei remain selectively stained (standard IHC practice; HPA: tissue IHC).
Brown signal appears on the control slide without primary antibody.Endogenous enzyme activity or nonspecific detection-reagent binding is possible in chromogenic IHC (standard IHC practice). This control result cannot establish PRMT8 localization.Apply detection-system-appropriate endogenous-activity quenching and blocking, then repeat the matched control before scoring the test section (standard IHC practice).
Only membrane staining appears in neurons.UniProt assigns membrane localization, while HPA's observed tissue IHC pattern is nuclear; the supplied evidence does not explain the conflict (UniProt Q9NR22: subcellular location; HPA: tissue profile and reliability description).Record the compartment, inspect controls and compare an independently validated antibody where available. Report the discrepancy without treating compartment alone as proof of specificity (standard IHC practice).
Leydig cells stain strongly while the brain section is weak.High Leydig cell and medium caudate and cortical neuronal staining match HPA's observations, although HPA flags cross-gene recognition and UniProt calls PRMT8 brain-specific (HPA: testis, brain and reliability description; UniProt Q9NR22: tissue specificity).Score each cell population separately and retain the specificity caveat. Use antibody comparison or an orthogonal control before treating testis signal as definitive PRMT8 (standard IHC practice).
The slide is uniformly pale or strongly colored, preventing neuronal scoring.Primary antibody concentration, retrieval or chromogen development may be poorly matched to the assay (standard IHC practice). No supplied source establishes PRMT8-specific fixation or retrieval sensitivity.Start with the catalog antibody's IHC-P instructions; adjust one general IHC condition at a time with positive and detection controls, then reassess neuronal contrast (standard IHC practice; HPA: brain tissue IHC).

Sample controls for PRMT8 IHC & IF

🧪Run testis first and look for staining in Leydig cells (High; HPA: testis). Use adipose tissue as the negative tissue (HPA: adipocytes not detected); on the testis slide, compare Leydig cells with neighboring non-Leydig cells as an internal background reference, without assuming those cells are PRMT8-negative (HPA: Leydig cells High).
Positive control tissue: Testis (Leydig cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA carries no ICC-IF cell line for PRMT8; derive a cell-line control from the positive tissue's cell type (Leydig cells) and confirm it by RNA or western blot first.
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only control, a rabbit isotype control matched to the primary antibody’s format, and a PRMT8 knockout control or peptide competition if a suitable peptide is available (caption: rabbit primary antibody; standard IHC practice). For DAB detection in testis, block endogenous peroxidase and compare any brown endogenous pigment with the no-primary control (caption: DAB detection; standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported, and the selected A07980-1 tissue-IHC caption does not state a fixative (selected-SKU caption). The caption uses heat retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0, but does not establish that retrieval is required (selected-SKU caption). There is no supplied evidence that frozen sections or IF are easier, and no HPA ICC-IF images are listed; in testis, distinguish brown endogenous pigment from DAB signal with the no-primary control (HPA: subcellular record; standard IHC practice).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for PRMT8

Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Enhanced — Caution, targets protein from more than one gene. Subcellular location is contradicted by limited external data.). Rows are taken directly from the HPA tissue chart — click any row's HPA link to view the source.

Positive expression · recommended positive controls

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
Testis Leydig cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Caudate Neuronal cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Cerebral cortex Neuronal cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →

Undetected expression · recommended negative controls

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
Adipose tissue Adipocytes Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Adrenal gland Glandular cells Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Appendix Glandular cells Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Bone marrow Hematopoietic cells Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Breast Adipocytes Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Section 3

Advanced PRMT8 IHC Tips

These questions focus on interpreting PRMT8 staining in paraffin sections using chromogenic IHC, with one entry on the separate IF/ICC application.

How should I retrieve PRMT8 antigen when paraffin sections stain weakly?
Start with heat-mediated antigen retrieval in EDTA buffer at pH 8.0 for paraffin sections (datasheet A07980-1). Keep retrieval time, cooling, and section thickness consistent across test and control sections so changes in staining can be attributed to the variable under study (standard IHC practice). The catalog image used this retrieval with 2 μg/ml primary antibody overnight at 4°C, but its caption does not report a fixative (datasheet A07980-1). If staining remains weak, trial citrate at pH 6.0 as a fallback on matched sections (standard IHC practice). Judge improvement against neuronal cells in caudate or cerebral cortex, where staining was reported at medium level (HPA tissue IHC).
Can I assume a particular fixative preserves PRMT8 staining best?
No target-specific fixation sensitivity has been established by the supplied evidence: the catalog caption describes a paraffin section but does not state its fixative (datasheet A07980-1). If preparing new specimens, document the fixative and fixation duration, then process positive and comparison sections alike (standard IHC practice). Test a small fixation series under identical pH 8.0 EDTA retrieval and 2 μg/ml primary antibody conditions before adopting one schedule (datasheet A07980-1; standard IHC practice). Compare signal in intact cells while checking tissue morphology and background, since poor preservation can make either measurement misleading (standard IHC practice). Neither the tissue staining pattern nor PRMT8 topology establishes which fixation condition is optimal (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q9NR22).
Should PRMT8 staining appear at the membrane or in neuronal nuclei?
PRMT8 is annotated at the cell membrane without a transmembrane segment, and its oligomerization is linked to membrane localization (UniProt Q9NR22). HPA instead describes nuclear expression in neuronal cells and flags its subcellular assignment as contradicted by limited external data (HPA tissue IHC). For chromogenic sections, score membrane-associated and nuclear staining separately, using intact neuronal cells and their morphology to define compartments (standard IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC). A nuclear-only result should therefore prompt an independent antibody or another orthogonal check before being assigned to PRMT8 (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q9NR22). Record the retrieval and detection conditions alongside each compartment score, since these affect visual comparison (standard IHC practice).
Could isoforms or modification sites explain a change in PRMT8 IHC staining?
PRMT8 has 2 annotated isoforms, while the supplied caption does not identify the catalog antibody's epitope or isoform coverage (UniProt Q9NR22; datasheet A07980-1). Its annotated methyltransferase domain spans residues 73–394, with autocatalytic methylation reported at residues 58 and 73 (UniProt Q9NR22). Those annotations alone cannot show whether either modification changes antibody binding in a paraffin section (UniProt Q9NR22; standard IHC interpretation). Check the antibody's immunogen or mapped epitope before treating staining as isoform-specific, and document any remaining uncertainty (standard IHC practice). If an unexpected compartment or cell population stains, seek independent target evidence before attributing it to an isoform (standard IHC practice).
How can I compare PRMT8 IF with chromogenic IHC localisation?
Use the separate IF/ICC guide for assay conditions; the supplied catalog evidence here documents paraffin-section chromogenic detection, not IF/ICC validation (datasheet A07980-1). For a localisation comparison, multiplex PRMT8 with a neuronal marker and examine matched neuronal populations, because neuronal staining is reported in caudate and cerebral cortex (HPA tissue IHC; standard IF practice). Choose a fluorophore whose signal can be distinguished from the specimen's autofluorescence, and include single-channel and secondary-only controls (standard IF practice). Decide whether permeabilisation is needed after establishing where the antibody's epitope lies relative to the membrane; PRMT8 has no annotated transmembrane segment, but its epitope side is unspecified (UniProt Q9NR22; standard IF practice). Compare nuclear and membrane-associated signal separately (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q9NR22).
How do I distinguish weak PRMT8 signal from chromogenic background?
The catalog image used a 10% goat-serum block, a peroxidase-conjugated anti-rabbit secondary for 30 minutes at 37°C, and DAB development (datasheet A07980-1). Apply a peroxidase block and run a primary-omission control to assess endogenous enzyme activity and secondary-dependent staining (standard IHC practice). If diffuse color persists, compare matched sections while adjusting primary concentration, block, wash stringency, and DAB development one variable at a time (standard IHC practice). Inspect tissue edges, damaged areas, and pigment before counting positive cells, because these can confound chromogenic scoring (standard IHC practice). Preserve a positive tissue control during optimization so a background reduction is not mistaken for improved specificity (standard IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC).
What is a defensible way to quantify PRMT8-positive cells in sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the scored cell population and compartment before analysis, because neuronal nuclear staining is reported while membrane localization is annotated separately (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q9NR22). For intact neuronal cells, record the percentage positive and an H-score from 0–300 using staining intensity and positive-cell fractions (standard IHC practice). If cell distribution is the question, report positive-cell density per mm² of viable, annotated tissue as well (standard IHC practice). Normalize counts to the number of evaluable cells or viable tissue area, and keep retrieval, DAB development, imaging, and thresholds consistent (standard IHC practice). Report nuclear and membrane-associated scores separately, with background defined from control sections (standard IHC practice).
Which staining patterns would make a PRMT8-positive call uncertain?
A credible result should reproduce in intact cells of the expected population: HPA reports medium staining in caudate and cerebral-cortex neurons, but its antibody reliability note warns of recognition of proteins from more than one gene (HPA tissue IHC). Treat isolated staining at section edges, in necrotic areas, or in a primary-omission control as possible artefact (standard IHC practice). Strong signal in an unexpected cell type needs independent target evidence; a catalog image also shows staining in a paraffin breast-cancer section, while the broader HPA pattern is brain enriched (datasheet A07980-1; HPA tissue IHC). Record nuclear and membrane-associated signal separately because these locations conflict across sources (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q9NR22). Check endogenous peroxidase before interpreting DAB deposits as PRMT8 (standard IHC practice).
Boster reagents

Best PRMT8 / Protein arginine N-methyltransferase 8 IHC Antibodies

A07980-1 has IHC images from paraffin sections of human breast cancer and brain, and mouse and rat brain (catalog image captions). No IF data are supplied (catalog applications and images).

Real IHC data IHC analysis of PRMT8 using anti-PRMT8 antibody (A07980-1). PRMT8 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human breast cancer tissue. Heat mediated antigen retrieval was performed in EDTA buffer (pH 8.0, epitope retrieval solution). The tissue section was blocked with 10% goat serum. The tissue section was then incubated with 2 μg/ml rabbit anti-PRMT8 Antibody (A07980-1) overnight at 4°C. Peroxidase Conjugated Goat Anti-rabbit IgG was used as secondary antibody and incubated for 30 minutes at 37°C. The tissue section was developed using HRP Conjugated Rabbit IgG Super Vision Assay Kit (Catalog # SV0002) with DAB as the chromogen.
Anti-PRMT8 Antibody ®
Cat # A07980-1

A07980-1 is listed for IHC in human, mouse and rat (catalog applications and reactivity). Its IHC captions document paraffin sections of human breast cancer and brain, mouse brain and rat brain (catalog image captions).

Which to pick: Choose A07980-1 for tissue IHC, including work across human, mouse and rat, because IHC is listed for all three species and its own captions document paraffin sections from each (catalog applications, reactivity and image captions). Start at 2 μg/ml with EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 if reproducing the pictured IHC conditions; the fixative is unreported (A07980-1 image captions). No IF/ICC option is validated in this payload, and A07980-1 has no reported clone (catalog applications, IF images and clone field).

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

References

  1. UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q9NR22 (ANM8_HUMAN, Protein arginine N-methyltransferase 8).
  2. Human Protein Atlas. PRMT8 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Enhanced).
  3. Human Protein Atlas. PRMT8 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Highest expression in HTCEpi: 4.3 nTPM.
  4. Human Protein Atlas. PRMT8 antibody validation summary (2 antibodies).
  5. 7p21.3 Together With a 12p13.32 Deletion in a Patient With Microcephaly-Does 12p13.32 Locus Possibly Comprises a Candidate Gene Region for Microcephaly?. Frontiers in molecular neuroscience 2021 — PMC7890232.
  6. Identification, chromosomal arrangements and expression analyses of the evolutionarily conserved prmt1 gene in chicken in comparison with its vertebrate paralogue prmt8. PloS one 2017 — PMC5608299.
  7. PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  8. PubMed PMID:16541075 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  9. PubMed PMID:15489334 — UniProt-cited evidence.