PSME2 / Proteasome activator complex subunit 2 · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for PSME2

Plan PSME2 IHC in paraffin sections using the catalog antibody’s validated protocol. Compare cytoplasmic and nuclear staining with the tissue profile, while accounting for its low consistency with RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC).

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

Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for PSME2 (IHC for PSME2): expected localisation Cytoplasmic and nuclear in several tissues (HPA tissue IHC), antibody A07053-1, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps — Printable **PSME2** IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Cytoplasmic and nuclear in several tissues (HPA tissue IHC), antibody A07053-1, controls and protocol steps. Open the full PSME2 IHC guide →

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PSME2 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 and nuclear in several tissues (HPA tissue IHC)
	Staining pattern	Cytoplasmic and nuclear staining in several tissues (HPA tissue IHC)
	Antigen retrieval	EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A07053-1)
	Positive control ⓘ	Bronchus+4 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 across sections (standard IHC practice; not target-specific)
	Caveat	Staining and RNA expression have low consistency (HPA tissue IHC)
	Regulation	No expression regulator annotated (UniProt)
	Isoform / epitope	No isoforms annotated; mature chain spans residues 2–239 (UniProt)

Section 1

Recommended PSME2 IHC & IF Protocols

The catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol uses heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 (datasheet: A07053-1). The published PSME2 IHC protocols below report additional tissue staining conditions (cited PMC methods).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
Sample	Paraffin-embedded human rectal cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A07053-1)
Fixation	Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A07053-1); 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 A07053-1); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard)
Peroxidase block	3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard)
Blocking	10% goat serum (datasheet A07053-1)
Primary antibody	Rabbit anti-PSME2, 2-5μg/ml (datasheet A07053-1)
Primary incubation	Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet A07053-1)
Detection	Streptavidin-biotin complex (SABC), DAB chromogen (datasheet A07053-1)
Counterstain	Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected result	PSME2-positive staining in respiratory epithelial cells of bronchus (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Cytoplasmic and nuclear expression in several different tissues. No signal in the no-primary control.

💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA at pH 8.0 (datasheet: A07053-1); the NSCLC study used microwave EDTA at pH 9.0 (PMC12479417: methods).

Section 2

What Is the Expected PSME2 Staining Pattern?

In paraffin-section IHC, expect cytoplasmic and nuclear PSME2 staining in selected cells, including bronchial respiratory epithelium, intestinal glandular cells, lung alveolar cells, and lymph-node non-germinal-center cells (HPA: tissue IHC). HPA rates its tissue staining Approved but reports low consistency with RNA expression (HPA: reliability). PSME2 has no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q9UL46: topology), so a membrane-only pattern needs scrutiny.

What am I looking at on my slide?
Distinct nuclear and cytoplasmic staining in bronchial respiratory epithelial cells or colon glandular cells.	This fits the reported compartments and two cell populations scored High (HPA: tissue IHC). Judge the cell-associated pattern alongside a negative control and tissue morphology (general IHC practice). HPA's low staining–RNA consistency limits how confidently intensity alone identifies PSME2 (HPA: reliability).
A crisp membrane rim or staining confined to extracellular material, with little cell-body signal.	This departs from the reported nuclear and cytoplasmic tissue pattern (HPA: tissue IHC). PSME2 has no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q9UL46: topology). Check morphology and controls before interpreting the rim as target staining; the topology alone cannot prove which technical artefact caused it (general IHC practice).
Strong signal in adipocytes or cardiomyocytes, while expected positive cells stain weakly.	Those particular cells were scored Not detected (HPA: adipose tissue; HPA: heart muscle). Unexpected signal may reflect cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity (general IHC practice). The HPA entries are cell-specific observations, not claims that every cell in either tissue must be negative.
Diffuse color across cells, stroma, and empty regions, obscuring cell boundaries.	A widespread haze cannot be scored as the reported cell-associated nuclear and cytoplasmic pattern (HPA: tissue IHC). Uneven blocking, residual detection reagent, or excessive chromogen development are general IHC possibilities; compare a no-primary control and review reagent and wash steps (general IHC practice).
No convincing signal in bronchial respiratory epithelium or duodenal glandular cells.	Both are reported High in tissue IHC (HPA: bronchus; HPA: duodenum), so a blank result warrants an assay check before a biological absence claim. Inspect tissue preservation, control staining, retrieval conditions, antibody dilution, and detection performance as general IHC checks (general IHC practice).

💡Expected PSME2 appearanceCall a section positive when identifiable bronchial respiratory epithelial or intestinal glandular cells show distinct nuclear and cytoplasmic chromogen, potentially strong in HPA High populations (HPA: tissue IHC); diffuse haze or an isolated membrane rim is suspect (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt Q9UL46: topology).

How each factor affects the staining
Compartment and cell identity	HPA reports cytoplasmic and nuclear tissue expression, with High staining assigned to named cell types rather than entire organs (HPA: tissue IHC). Score the relevant cells and compartments separately; mixed tissue composition can otherwise mislead the comparison (general IHC practice).
Reference tissue selection	Bronchial respiratory epithelium, colon glandular cells, and lung alveolar cells are reported High; adipocytes and cardiomyocytes are Not detected (HPA: tissue IHC). These are practical comparison populations, while HPA's low staining–RNA consistency argues against treating them as absolute biological standards (HPA: reliability).
Antibody evidence	One listed antibody has Approved IHC status, while the other has Approved ICC status and no listed IHC status (HPA: antibodies). The tissue profile itself is Approved with low staining–RNA consistency (HPA: reliability); retain the antibody identity and assay context when comparing results.
Topology and processing	No transmembrane segment, signal peptide, or propeptide is annotated, and the listed chain spans residues 2–239 (UniProt Q9UL46: topology and processing). These features support questioning a membrane-only or secreted-looking pattern, but they do not establish antigen-retrieval behavior or fixation sensitivity.
IF/ICC Q&A: should the signal be nuclear?	Yes: HPA reports an approved nucleoplasmic main location in ICC-IF (HPA: subcellular). Tissue IHC reports both nuclear and cytoplasmic expression (HPA: tissue IHC). Interpret each assay against its own observation; ICC-IF nucleoplasm does not require excluding cytoplasmic IHC staining.

Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
Situation	Likely cause	Next action
A reported High cell population remains blank (HPA: tissue IHC).	The assay may have failed, or the sampled section may lack intact target cells (general IHC practice).	Confirm cell identity and morphology, then review the run's positive control, retrieval record, dilution, and detection steps (general IHC practice). Avoid calling PSME2 absent from one blank section.
A no-primary control shows widespread chromogen.	Background can arise from endogenous detection activity or the detection system (general IHC practice).	Identify the affected cells and compare control and test sections; review blocking, washes, and chromogen development (general IHC practice). Do not score shared background as PSME2.
The test slide has diffuse haze but the no-primary control is clean.	Nonspecific primary-antibody binding or an overly strong assay setting is possible (general IHC practice).	Review the validated dilution and incubation settings and seek crisp nuclear or cytoplasmic cell-associated signal (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice).
Only cell borders or extracellular deposits appear positive.	That distribution conflicts with reported tissue compartments (HPA: tissue IHC) and lacks support from PSME2 topology (UniProt Q9UL46: topology).	Check whether the pattern follows tissue edges, folds, or debris; compare controls and repeat the assay if needed (general IHC practice).
Adipocytes or cardiomyocytes stain strongly (HPA: tissue IHC).	HPA scored those cell types Not detected, so cross-reactivity or endogenous activity is plausible (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice).	Verify cell identity and compare a no-primary control with a reported High cell population in the same run (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice).
ICC-IF appears nucleoplasmic while IHC shows nuclear and cytoplasmic staining.	Those are the respective reported patterns, so the difference alone does not establish assay failure (HPA: subcellular; HPA: tissue IHC).	Score each image within its assay and cell context, and investigate only if its own controls or expected cell pattern also disagree (general IHC/IF practice).

Source: UniProt Q9UL46 Human Protein Atlas tissue Human Protein Atlas subcellular

Experiment evidence

IHC & IF images showing PSME2 staining

IHC analysis of PSME2 using anti-PSME2 antibody (A07053-1). PSME2 was detected in paraffin-embedded section of human rectal cancer tissue. Heat mediated antigen retrieval was performed in EDTA buffer (pH8.0, epitope retrieval solution). The tissue section was blocked with 10% goat serum. The tissue section was then incubated with 2μg/ml rabbit anti-PSME2 Antibody (A07053-1) overnight at 4°C. Biotinylated goat anti-rabbit IgG was used as secondary antibody and incubated for 30 minutes at 37°C. The tissue section was developed using Strepavidin-Biotin-Complex (SABC) (Catalog # SA1022) with DAB as the chromogen.

A07053-1 · IHCIHC analysis of PSME2 using anti-PSME2 antibody (A07053-1). PSME2 was detected in paraffin-embedded section of human rectal cancer tissue. H

IF analysis of PSME2 using anti-PSME2 antibody (A07053-1). PSME2 was detected in immunocytochemical section of A549 cells. Enzyme antigen retrieval was performed using IHC enzyme antigen retrieval reagent (AR0022) for 15 mins. The cells were blocked with 10% goat serum. And then incubated with 5μg/mL rabbit anti-PSME2 Antibody (A07053-1) overnight at 4°C. DyLight®488 Conjugated Goat Anti-Rabbit IgG (BA1127) was used as secondary antibody at 1:100 dilution and incubated for 30 minutes at 37°C. The section was counterstained with DAPI. Visualize using a fluorescence microscope and filter sets appropriate for the label used.

A07053-1 · IFIF analysis of PSME2 using anti-PSME2 antibody (A07053-1). PSME2 was detected in immunocytochemical section of A549 cells. Enzyme antigen re

HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000100911-PSME2/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_21310311

HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000100911-PSME2/tissue/colon#imid_21310685

HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000100911-PSME2/tissue/liver#imid_21310686

HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000100911-PSME2/tissue/kidney#imid_21310671

HPA · ICC-IF Hep-G2Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, Hep-G2, antibody HPA062661; green = PSME2, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.

← swipe / scroll for more images →

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

Sample controls for PSME2 IHC & IF

🧪Run bronchus first and require staining in respiratory epithelial cells (HPA: High in bronchus respiratory epithelial cells). Run adipose tissue as the negative tissue; adipocytes should lack specific staining (HPA: Not detected in adipocytes). On the bronchus slide, cells without specific signal should show counterstain and background only; the supplied HPA row does not identify a named internal-negative cell type (HPA: bronchus respiratory epithelial cells High).

Positive control tissue: Bronchus (Respiratory epithelial cells, HPA High)

Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)

ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show PSME2 in Hep-G2, MCF-7, U2OS, with annotated localisation: Nucleoplasm (approved) (HPA subcellular).

Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only control and a concentration-matched rabbit IgG isotype control for the rabbit primary antibody (selected-SKU caption: rabbit anti-PSME2). Use PSME2-knockout material as a biological negative where available, and check endogenous peroxidase activity and endogenous biotin before interpreting DAB signal from the biotin-based detection system (selected-SKU caption: biotinylated secondary, streptavidin-biotin complex and DAB).

⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported, and the selected-SKU paraffin-section caption does not state the fixative (selected-SKU caption: paraffin-embedded section; fixative not stated). The demonstrated IHC procedure used heat-mediated EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0, but the evidence does not establish whether retrieval is required for every specimen (selected-SKU caption: EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval). Frozen-section feasibility and whether IF is easier are unreported; for bronchus, assess nonspecific chromogen signal from endogenous peroxidase or biotin in the same run (HPA: bronchus respiratory epithelial cells High; selected-SKU caption: biotin-based DAB detection).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for PSME2

Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Approved — Low 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
Bronchus	Respiratory epithelial cells	High	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Colon	Glandular cells	High	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Duodenum	Glandular cells	High	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Lung	Alveolar cells	High	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Lymph node	Non-germinal center cells	High	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	Endothelial cells	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Heart muscle	Cardiomyocytes	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Hippocampus	Glial cells	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →

Section 3

Advanced PSME2 IHC Tips

Troubleshoot PSME2 staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, compartment pattern, controls and cell-specific scoring (datasheet A07053-1; HPA tissue IHC).

What retrieval should I start with if PSME2 staining is weak?

Start with heat-mediated retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 (datasheet A07053-1). The documented paraffin-section workflow then used 10% goat serum blocking and 2 µg/mL primary antibody overnight at 4°C (datasheet A07053-1). If staining remains weak, adjust heating duration on matched sections while holding antibody concentration and detection conditions constant (standard IHC practice). Compare glandular cells with a no-primary control; rectal glandular cells are a useful expected-positive population, although the published tissue staining has low consistency with RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC). Record heating and cooling conditions for each run so changes in signal can be traced to retrieval (standard IHC practice).

Could fixation explain weak or uneven PSME2 staining?

The selected paraffin-section caption does not state a fixative, so target-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown (datasheet A07053-1 caption). Do not infer a preferred fixation duration from tissue staining patterns or from PSME2 topology and modifications (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q9UL46). For troubleshooting, compare sections prepared with documented, consistent fixation and processing, then change one variable at a time (standard IHC practice). Include a matched section processed without primary antibody to identify detection background before attributing weak signal to fixation (standard IHC practice). If only older blocks stain poorly, examine tissue preservation and retrieval records before changing the primary concentration (standard IHC practice).

Should PSME2 staining be nuclear, cytoplasmic, or both?

Expect possible nuclear and cytoplasmic staining across tissue sections (HPA tissue IHC), while nucleoplasm is the approved location in cell imaging (HPA subcellular). UniProt supplies no subcellular annotation for PSME2, so it does not independently resolve a compartment discrepancy (UniProt Q9UL46). Score nuclear and cytoplasmic staining separately in the same identified cell population, with consistent counterstaining and exposure to chromogen (standard IHC practice). A purely membranous rim deserves scrutiny because the record lists no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q9UL46 topology); inspect morphology and the no-primary control before assigning that pattern to PSME2 (standard IHC practice).

Could an isoform or modified epitope alter the IHC pattern?

The supplied record lists 0 annotated isoforms, no signal peptide and no transmembrane segment for PSME2 (UniProt Q9UL46). It records N-acetylalanine at residue 2 and phosphoserine at residue 10, but provides no antibody epitope or evidence that either modification changes staining (UniProt Q9UL46; datasheet A07053-1 caption). Avoid assigning discrepant nuclear and cytoplasmic staining to a particular isoform or modification on this evidence (UniProt Q9UL46; HPA tissue IHC). Compare retrieval and primary-antibody conditions on adjacent sections, then use an independent specificity control if available (standard IHC practice). Interpret an altered pattern only after checking tissue morphology and the no-primary control (standard IHC practice).

How should I check a PSME2 pattern by multiplex IF?

For a parallel IF check, pair PSME2 with a validated marker of the expected glandular cell population; rectal glandular cells show high tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC). Include a nuclear counterstain, since nucleoplasm is the approved cell-imaging location, while tissue IHC also reports cytoplasmic signal (HPA subcellular; HPA tissue IHC). Choose spectrally separated fluorophores and place the weaker channel away from strong tissue autofluorescence, checking single-stain and no-primary controls (standard IF practice). Permeabilise the plasma membrane for intracellular access and verify nuclear access when assessing nucleoplasmic signal; PSME2 has no transmembrane segment (standard IF practice; UniProt Q9UL46 topology). Optimise IF fixation and permeabilisation independently because the supplied IHC caption reports neither IF conditions nor its fixative (datasheet A07053-1 caption).

How can I reduce diffuse or patchy DAB background?

The documented method used 10% goat serum, 2 µg/mL primary overnight at 4°C, and a biotin-based DAB detection sequence (datasheet A07053-1). Run a no-primary section and check endogenous peroxidase and endogenous biotin contributions before changing the primary antibody (standard chromogenic IHC practice). If background follows tissue edges or damaged regions, inspect section drying, washing and morphology on an adjacent section (standard IHC practice). Titrate primary concentration and detection development separately while retaining the documented retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 (standard IHC practice; datasheet A07053-1). Judge improvement in identified cells rather than by overall slide darkness, because tissue expression spans multiple compartments (HPA tissue IHC).

How should I quantify PSME2 across tissue sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION

Define the cell population and compartment before scoring: glandular cells can stain highly in rectum and colon, and tissue signal can be nuclear or cytoplasmic (HPA tissue IHC). For each compartment, report an H-score from staining intensity and the percentage of positive cells, with the same thresholds across slides (standard IHC practice). Normalise counts to the number of evaluable cells in that population, or report positive-cell density per mm² of evaluable tissue when cell counts are impractical (standard IHC practice). Exclude folds, necrosis and poorly preserved edges using consistent rules, and retain no-primary controls for background assessment (standard IHC practice). Avoid treating pooled whole-section darkness as a cell-specific measure when tissue contains differently staining populations (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).

When is apparent PSME2 positivity likely to be artefactual?

A convincing result follows preserved cell morphology and the expected nuclear or cytoplasmic distribution, with nucleoplasm supported by cell imaging (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular). Check the stained cell type: rectal glandular cells show high staining, whereas adipocytes are reported as undetected in their sampled tissue (HPA tissue IHC). Treat isolated edge staining, necrotic deposits and no-primary-positive DAB signal as possible processing or endogenous-enzyme artefacts (standard IHC practice). A strong membrane-only outline needs additional scrutiny because PSME2 has no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q9UL46 topology). Require concordant controls before biological interpretation, particularly because the tissue antibody profile is approved yet has low staining-to-RNA consistency (HPA tissue IHC).

Boster reagents

Best PSME2 / Proteasome activator complex subunit 2 IHC Antibodies

Anti-PSME2 antibody A07053-1 has IHC data from paraffin-embedded human rectal cancer tissue and IF data from A549 cells (catalog image captions). Listed reactivity covers human, mouse and rat (catalog reactivity).

Real IHC data

Anti-PSME2 Antibody ®

Cat # A07053-1

View product →

A07053-1 has an IHC image from a paraffin-embedded human rectal cancer section (A07053-1 IHC caption). The same SKU lists ICC and IF applications and has an IF image from A549 cells (catalog applications; A07053-1 IF caption).

Which to pick: For tissue IHC, choose A07053-1: its image documents EDTA pH 8 retrieval and 2 μg/ml primary antibody on a paraffin-embedded section; the fixative is unreported (A07053-1 IHC caption). For IF/ICC, A07053-1 lists both applications and has an A549-cell IF image using 5 μg/ml primary antibody (catalog applications; A07053-1 IF caption). For cross-species planning, A07053-1 lists human, mouse and rat reactivity, though its supplied IHC and IF images document only human tissue and A549 cells; clonality is unreported (catalog reactivity; catalog image captions; catalog clone field).

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

References

UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q9UL46 (PSME2_HUMAN, Proteasome activator complex subunit 2).
Human Protein Atlas. PSME2 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Approved).
Human Protein Atlas. PSME2 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Localized to the nucleoplasm..
Human Protein Atlas. PSME2 antibody validation summary (2 antibodies).
Immunoproteasome components LMP2, PSME1, and PSME2 as novel tissue biomarkers predicting response and survival in neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy for resectable NSCLC. Frontiers in immunology 2025 — PMC12479417.
Polyamine metabolism and immune related genes as prognostic features in breast cancer: a novel risk model approach. Translational cancer research 2025 — PMC12268881.
Multiomics integration of single-cell transcriptomics and bulk sequencing data identifies key biomarkers and predictive models for IBD subtype classification. Frontiers in medicine 2026 — PMC13044067.
Expression profiling of lymph nodes in tuberculosis patients reveal inflammatory milieu at site of infection. Scientific reports 2015 — PMC4606593.
PubMed PMID:10199920 — UniProt-cited evidence.
PubMed PMID:7789512 — UniProt-cited evidence.
PubMed PMID:12508121 — UniProt-cited evidence.