PTPRF / Receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase F · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for PTPRF

Plan paraffin-section PTPRF IHC around the reported cytoplasmic tissue staining, including high staining in several glandular cell populations (HPA tissue IHC). The guide helps interpret staining alongside PTPRF’s membrane topology and the tissue evidence’s pending external verification (UniProt; HPA tissue IHC).

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

Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for PTPRF (IHC for PTPRF): expected localisation Cytoplasmic tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC); membrane protein (UniProt), antibody PB9786, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps — Printable **PTPRF** IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Cytoplasmic tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC); membrane protein (UniProt), antibody PB9786, controls and protocol steps. Open the full PTPRF IHC guide →

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PTPRF 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 tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC); membrane protein (UniProt)
	Staining pattern	Cytoplasmic staining across tissues, including glandular cells (HPA tissue IHC)
	Antigen retrieval	EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet PB9786)
	Positive control ⓘ	Adrenal gland+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 formalin fixation consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific)
	Caveat	Splice or transcript discrepancy may affect staining (HPA tissue IHC)
	Regulation	Tissue-specific regulation unannotated (UniProt)
	Isoform / epitope	2 isoforms; check whether the epitope is extracellular or cytoplasmic (UniProt)

Section 1

Recommended PTPRF IHC & IF Protocols

The catalog antibody has an IHC-P protocol (datasheet: PB9786); the published IHC protocols below cover gastric tissue (PMC6223389) and prostate cancer tissue (PMC8312432).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
Sample	Paraffin-embedded human lung cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet PB9786)
Fixation	Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet PB9786); 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 PB9786); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard)
Peroxidase block	3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard)
Blocking	10% goat serum (datasheet PB9786)
Primary antibody	Rabbit anti-PTPRF, 0.5-1μg/ml (datasheet PB9786)
Primary incubation	Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet PB9786)
Detection	Streptavidin-biotin complex (SABC), DAB chromogen (datasheet PB9786)
Counterstain	Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected result	PTPRF-positive staining in glandular cells of adrenal gland (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Cytoplasmic expression in all tissues. No signal in the no-primary control.

💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval (datasheet: PB9786). Microwave citrate pH 6.0 is a published alternative for prostate cancer tissue (PMC8312432).

Section 2

What Is the Expected PTPRF Staining Pattern?

For paraffin section IHC, expect chiefly cytoplasmic staining in glandular cells, respiratory epithelium, and kidney tubule cells; HPA reports high staining in these cell types but rates its tissue IHC profile Uncertain (HPA tissue IHC). PTPRF is a transmembrane receptor with extracellular and cytoplasmic regions (UniProt P10586 topology). Interpret the cytoplasmic IHC pattern alongside that membrane topology, without assuming that either source resolves the discrepancy.

What am I looking at on my slide?
Cytoplasmic staining is strong in colon or duodenum glandular cells, bronchial respiratory epithelium, or kidney tubule cells.	These are reported high staining cell populations and useful positive reference areas (HPA tissue IHC). Score the named cells and their compartment; HPA rates the tissue IHC evidence Uncertain, so this pattern alone does not establish antibody specificity (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice).
A crisp membrane rim appears, with little cytoplasmic staining in an otherwise positive area.	Membrane staining is biologically plausible for a receptor spanning the plasma membrane (UniProt P10586 topology). It differs from HPA’s reported cytoplasmic tissue IHC profile; document both compartments and investigate the difference before calling the result a match (HPA tissue IHC).
Predominantly nuclear staining appears in the expected positive cells.	Neither the reported cytoplasmic tissue IHC pattern nor the annotated membrane location predicts a nuclear dominant result (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt P10586 subcellular location). Treat it as a possible artefact and review controls, detection, and antibody conditions before interpreting it as PTPRF (general IHC practice).
Strong staining appears mainly in adipocytes, glial cells, or muscle cells while expected positive cells remain weak.	HPA reports no detection in adipocytes, the listed glial populations, and skeletal or smooth muscle cells (HPA tissue IHC). This mismatch raises concern for cross reactivity or endogenous chromogenic activity; compare cell morphology and appropriate controls before assigning target expression (general IHC practice).
Broad, hazy chromogen obscures cell boundaries, or no staining appears in a reported high staining tissue.	Haze prevents a reliable compartment call and may reflect background from blocking, detection, or antibody conditions (general IHC practice). Absent signal in a reported high staining population may reflect technical failure or biological variation; the uncertain HPA IHC reliability limits a definitive negative call (HPA tissue IHC).

💡Expected PTPRF appearanceA supported positive is distinct cytoplasmic staining in the named glandular, respiratory epithelial, or kidney tubule cells, potentially high in the HPA examples; isolated nuclear signal or uniform haze is suspect (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice).

How each factor affects the staining
Topology and compartment	PTPRF has an extracellular region at residues 30–1263, a transmembrane segment at 1264–1284, and a cytoplasmic region at 1285–1907 (UniProt P10586 topology). HPA nevertheless describes cytoplasmic tissue IHC staining; preserve this source difference when scoring (HPA tissue IHC).
Tissue and antibody evidence	HPA labels the tissue IHC profile Uncertain and notes a splice or transcript discrepancy; antibody HPA012710 is Uncertain for IHC and Approved for ICC (HPA tissue IHC; HPA antibodies). Use the reported staining as a reference pattern, with independent specificity controls for a new assay (general IHC practice).
Isoforms and epitope interpretation	UniProt lists 2 isoforms and a signal peptide at residues 1–29 (UniProt P10586 isoforms; processing). The supplied sources do not map the antibody epitope, so they cannot establish which isoform or region a particular IHC signal represents.
Extracellular modifications	UniProt annotates 5 extracellular glycosylation sites and multiple Ig like and fibronectin type III domains (UniProt P10586 topology; glycosylation; domains). These features describe the protein; no supplied evidence shows that they alter this antibody’s staining or antigen retrieval response.
IF/ICC Q: Should the same compartment be expected?	HPA reports an approved Golgi apparatus location in ICC IF images from A-431, U-251MG, and U2OS (HPA subcellular). That is a separate modality and does not establish the paraffin section IHC compartment, which HPA describes as cytoplasmic with Uncertain reliability (HPA tissue IHC).
Antigen retrieval and detection	No target specific retrieval or fixation sensitivity is supplied. For a chromogenic IHC assay, optimize retrieval and check endogenous enzyme blocking with appropriate controls as general IHC practice; do not infer a PTPRF specific retrieval effect from HPA staining or UniProt topology.

Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
Situation	Likely cause	Next action
No signal in colon or kidney positive reference cells.	Retrieval, antibody, or detection conditions may be inadequate; the reported high staining is itself Uncertain (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice).	Check tissue integrity and positive control performance, then optimize the IHC workflow within validated assay guidance (general IHC practice). Record a negative result without treating the HPA reference as definitive (HPA tissue IHC).
Diffuse chromogen covers epithelium and stroma.	Nonspecific binding, insufficient blocking, or excess detection signal can obscure a cellular pattern (general IHC practice).	Review a no primary control, blocking, washing, and antibody concentration; score only interpretable cellular signal after background is controlled (general IHC practice).
Unexpected staining dominates adipocytes or muscle cells.	These cells are listed as not detected in HPA tissue IHC; cross reactivity or endogenous chromogenic activity is possible (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice).	Compare matched negative controls and tissue morphology, and assess endogenous enzyme blocking before attributing staining to PTPRF (general IHC practice).
Nuclear staining dominates expected positive cells.	A nuclear dominant pattern conflicts with HPA’s cytoplasmic IHC profile and UniProt’s membrane annotation (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt P10586 subcellular location).	Check control slides and detection background, then repeat scoring by compartment; retain the unexpected pattern as unresolved if controls do not explain it (general IHC practice).
Only a membrane rim is visible.	A rim fits PTPRF transmembrane topology but differs from HPA’s reported cytoplasmic tissue IHC profile (UniProt P10586 topology; HPA tissue IHC).	Record membrane and cytoplasmic staining separately and compare with controls or an independently validated antibody before interpreting the difference (general IHC practice).
A putative negative reference stains weakly.	HPA’s not detected calls apply to specified cell types, and its overall tissue IHC reliability is Uncertain (HPA tissue IHC). Weak chromogen may also be background (general IHC practice).	Verify the exact cell population, inspect no primary controls, and compare its intensity with reported high staining cells on the same run (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice).

Source: UniProt P10586 Human Protein Atlas tissue Human Protein Atlas subcellular

Experiment evidence

IHC & IF images showing PTPRF staining

IHC analysis of LAR using anti-LAR antibody (PB9786). LAR was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human lung 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 1 μg/ml rabbit anti-LAR Antibody (PB9786) 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.

PB9786 · IHCIHC analysis of LAR using anti-LAR antibody (PB9786). LAR was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human lung cancer tissue. Heat medi

HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000142949-PTPRF/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_3268972

HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000142949-PTPRF/tissue/colon#imid_3268890

HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000142949-PTPRF/tissue/liver#imid_3268891

HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000142949-PTPRF/tissue/kidney#imid_3268892

HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA012710; green = PTPRF, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.

← swipe / scroll for more images →

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

Sample controls for PTPRF IHC & IF

🧪Run colon first: glandular cells should stain (HPA: High in colon glandular cells). Use skeletal muscle myocytes as the negative tissue (HPA: Not detected); on the colon slide, neighboring nonglandular cells should show only background if independently verified as PTPRF-negative.

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 PTPRF in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, with annotated localisation: Golgi apparatus (approved) (HPA subcellular).

Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only control, a matched rabbit IgG isotype control, and PTPRF-knockout tissue as a biological negative (caption: rabbit anti-LAR antibody; standard IHC controls). Quench endogenous peroxidase and block endogenous biotin when using the caption’s biotin-based DAB detection (caption: biotinylated secondary, SABC and DAB).

⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported, and the selected PB9786 paraffin-section caption does not state the fixative (caption: fixative not stated). The reported IHC conditions use heat retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 before staining (caption: EDTA retrieval); whether frozen sections or IF are easier is unreported. Assess background from endogenous peroxidase and biotin in colon tissue when using the reported SABC–DAB method (caption: SABC–DAB detection; standard IHC practice).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for PTPRF

Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Uncertain — Pending external verification. Caution, Splice and/or transcript discrepancy exists.). 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 →
Bronchus	Respiratory epithelial cells	High	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Cervix	Glandular cells	High	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Colon	Glandular cells	High	Protein (IHC)	HPA →

Undetected expression · recommended negative controls

Tissue	Cell type	Level	Evidence	Source
Adipose tissue	Adipocytes	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Caudate	Glial cells	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Cerebellum	Cells in granular layer	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Hippocampus	Glial cells	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Skeletal muscle	Myocytes	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →

Section 3

Advanced PTPRF IHC Tips

Use compartment, cell type, and controls to troubleshoot chromogenic PTPRF staining; the catalog image documents paraffin sections but does not report fixation.

How should I troubleshoot weak PTPRF staining after antigen retrieval?

Start with heat-mediated retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 for paraffin sections (datasheet PB9786). The documented staining used this retrieval before 1 μg/ml primary antibody overnight at 4°C, so keep those conditions together for an initial comparison (datasheet PB9786). If staining is weak, vary heating duration within your instrument’s validated range and compare adjacent sections, recording tissue preservation alongside signal (standard IHC practice). Include a known positive compartment, such as kidney tubule cells, when assessing whether retrieval improved specific staining (HPA: High in kidney tubule cells). Avoid treating stronger diffuse cytoplasmic color alone as proof of improved PTPRF detection, because tissue IHC reliability is uncertain (HPA: Uncertain).

Can fixation explain weak or uneven PTPRF staining in paraffin sections?

The selected paraffin-section image does not state its fixative, so target-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown (datasheet PB9786: fixative not stated). Record fixative, fixation duration, tissue thickness, and processing history before comparing staining across cases (standard IHC practice). If sections differ in staining, compare similarly processed blocks and use an internal positive compartment or a separately validated control section to assess the run (standard IHC practice). Review morphology for poor preservation and compare adjacent sections with the same retrieval and antibody conditions before attributing variation to PTPRF biology (standard IHC practice). Do not infer fixation tolerance from reported tissue staining patterns or membrane topology (HPA: Uncertain; UniProt P10586 topology).

Should PTPRF staining be membranous when tissue IHC appears cytoplasmic?

PTPRF has an extracellular region at residues 30–1263, a transmembrane segment at 1264–1284, and a cytoplasmic region at 1285–1907 (UniProt P10586 topology). Therefore, assess membrane-associated staining separately from diffuse cytoplasmic color, while documenting the compartment observed in each cell population (UniProt P10586 topology; standard IHC practice). Tissue IHC reports cytoplasmic expression across tissues, but assigns its results uncertain reliability because of pending verification and splice or transcript discrepancy (HPA: Uncertain). Golgi localisation has also been reported in cell imaging, which can inform follow-up experiments without establishing the pattern in your tissue section (HPA subcellular: Golgi apparatus). Compare morphology, cell identity, and controls before calling an unexpected compartment positive (standard IHC practice).

Could epitope location or isoforms explain discordant PTPRF staining?

PTPRF has 2 listed isoforms, but the supplied catalog caption does not identify the antibody epitope or establish which isoforms it detects (UniProt P10586 isoforms; datasheet PB9786). Determine whether its immunogen lies in the extracellular 30–1263 region or cytoplasmic 1285–1907 region before assigning meaning to discordant compartments (UniProt P10586 topology; standard IHC practice). Five annotated glycosylation sites occur extracellularly, so epitope accessibility may need experimental evaluation if the antibody binds that region (UniProt P10586 glycosylation and topology). Compare serial sections and, where available, an independently validated antibody to a mapped region (standard IHC practice). Treat disagreements cautiously because tissue IHC carries a splice or transcript discrepancy warning (HPA: Uncertain).

How can IF help resolve ambiguous PTPRF tissue IHC staining?

Use IF as a follow-up to the chromogenic section result, multiplexing PTPRF with a marker validated for the cell population under examination (standard IF practice). Choose fluorophores after inspecting unstained tissue autofluorescence, and place the weaker signal in a channel with favorable separation from that background (standard IF practice). If the antibody recognizes the extracellular 30–1263 region, assess whether permeabilisation is needed for the specimen; a cytoplasmic 1285–1907 epitope generally requires access through the membrane (UniProt P10586 topology; standard IF practice). Include single-stain and secondary-only controls to check channel spillover and nonspecific signal (standard IF practice). Golgi localisation has been reported by cell imaging, but should be verified in the chosen specimen (HPA subcellular: Golgi apparatus).

How do I distinguish PTPRF staining from chromogenic background?

Check a section without primary antibody to reveal secondary-reagent binding or detection-system color unrelated to PTPRF (standard IHC practice). For a biotin-based DAB workflow, assess endogenous biotin and peroxidase contributions with appropriate control sections and routine blocking (datasheet PB9786: biotinylated secondary and DAB; standard IHC practice). The documented image used 10% goat serum block and 1 μg/ml primary antibody overnight at 4°C; these provide starting conditions for the same assay (datasheet PB9786). Compare background in tissue edges, damaged areas, and cell-free spaces against intact cells rather than scoring all brown deposits as positive (standard IHC practice). Record whether signal follows plausible cell boundaries or persists in controls (standard IHC practice).

What scoring method best captures PTPRF expression in tissue IHC? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION

Define the scored cell population and compartment before analysis, then report percentage of positive cells with intensity categories or an H-score (standard IHC practice). Normalise counts to the number of eligible intact cells; if measuring spatial density, report positive cells per mm² of evaluable tissue (standard IHC practice). Score membrane-associated and cytoplasmic staining separately because PTPRF is membrane annotated while tissue IHC describes cytoplasmic expression (UniProt P10586 topology; HPA: cytoplasmic expression). Exclude necrosis, folds, and section edges using the same rules across samples (standard IHC practice). Report controls and uncertainty when comparing cases, since the tissue IHC profile remains pending external verification (HPA: Uncertain).

When is a PTPRF-positive IHC result biologically credible?

A credible call combines reproducible cellular staining, appropriate controls, intact morphology, and a recorded compartment rather than color intensity alone (standard IHC practice). Membrane-associated signal fits the annotated receptor topology, while cytoplasmic staining needs cautious interpretation because tissue IHC reports that pattern with uncertain reliability (UniProt P10586 topology; HPA: Uncertain). Check that the labeled cells match the claimed population; kidney tubule cells and bronchial respiratory epithelial cells are reported high, whereas adipocytes are reported undetected (HPA: kidney, bronchus, and adipose tissue). Discount staining concentrated at cut edges or necrosis, and investigate color remaining without primary antibody as possible detection artefact (standard IHC practice). Seek an independent antibody or orthogonal assay for consequential findings (standard IHC practice).

Boster reagents

Best PTPRF / Receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase F IHC Antibodies

PB9786 has an IHC image from a paraffin-embedded human lung cancer section (PB9786 IHC caption). The catalog supplies no IF image (catalog IF image alts).

Real IHC data

Anti-LAR/PTPRF Antibody ®

Cat # PB9786

View product →

PB9786 is listed for human IHC and has a paraffin-section image from human lung cancer tissue (catalog applications/reactivity; PB9786 IHC caption). No IF/ICC validation or IF image is supplied for PB9786 (catalog applications; catalog IF image alts).

Which to pick: For tissue IHC, choose PB9786: it is a rabbit antibody listed for human IHC, with a paraffin-section image (catalog host/applications/reactivity; PB9786 IHC caption). Its caption reports EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 and 1 μg/ml primary antibody; the fixative is unreported (PB9786 IHC caption). The payload supports no IF/ICC or cross-species choice because PB9786 is listed for human IHC and WB only, with no IF image (catalog applications/reactivity; catalog IF image alts).

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

References

UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P10586 (PTPRF_HUMAN, Receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase F).
Human Protein Atlas. PTPRF tissue IHC expression (reliability: Uncertain).
Human Protein Atlas. PTPRF subcellular location (ICC-IF): Localized to the Golgi apparatus..
Human Protein Atlas. PTPRF antibody validation summary (1 antibodies).
PTPRF as a novel tumor suppressor through deactivation of ERK1/2 signaling in gastric adenocarcinoma. OncoTargets and therapy 2018 — PMC6223389.
Prognostic signatures associated with high infiltration of Tregs in bone metastatic prostate cancer. Aging 2021 — PMC8312432.
MiR-199a-3p Regulates the PTPRF/β-Catenin Axis in Hair Follicle Development: Insights into the Pathogenic Mechanism of Alopecia Areata. International journal of molecular sciences 2023 — PMC10743674.
PubMed PMID:2972792 — UniProt-cited evidence.
PubMed PMID:15491607 — UniProt-cited evidence.
PubMed PMID:16710414 — UniProt-cited evidence.