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SLC2A2 / Solute carrier family 2, facilitated glucose transporter member 2 · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for SLC2A2
Plan chromogenic paraffin IHC around membranous SLC2A2 staining in hepatocytes, enterocytes and renal tubule cells (HPA tissue IHC). The guide pairs these tissue references with the catalog antibody’s 0.5–1 μg/ml IHC range (datasheet PB9436).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
SLC2A2 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 | Membranous in hepatocytes, enterocytes and renal tubules (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Staining pattern | Selective membranous staining in liver, intestine and kidney (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet PB9436) | |
| Positive control | Duodenum+3 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 samples (standard IHC practice; not target-specific) | |
| Caveat | Renal tubule staining is medium; liver staining is high (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | Liver-enriched expression (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Isoform / epitope | 2 isoforms; epitope sidedness matters, variant map unknown (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended SLC2A2 IHC & IF Protocols
The catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol uses EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval (datasheet: PB9436); one published gastric tissue microarray protocol provides a comparison (PMC10773219).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded human liver cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet PB9436) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet PB9436); 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 PB9436); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard) |
| Peroxidase block | 3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard) |
| Blocking | 10% goat serum (datasheet PB9436) |
| Primary antibody | Rabbit anti-SLC2A2, 0.5-1μg/ml (datasheet PB9436) |
| Primary incubation | Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet PB9436) |
| Detection | Streptavidin-biotin complex (SABC), DAB chromogen (datasheet PB9436) |
| Counterstain | Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard) |
| Expected result | SLC2A2-positive staining in enterocytes of duodenum (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Selective membranous expression in hepatocytes, small intestine, duodenum and renal tubules. No signal in the no-primary control. |
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval for the catalog antibody (datasheet: PB9436); the published gastric tissue protocol used EDTA pH 6.0 (PMC10773219).
Section 2
What Is the Expected SLC2A2 Staining Pattern?
SLC2A2 (GLUT2) is a 12-pass cell-membrane transporter (UniProt P11168 topology). In paraffin-section IHC, expect selective membranous staining in hepatocytes and duodenal or small-intestinal enterocytes, with staining also reported in renal tubule cells (HPA: tissue IHC profile). HPA rates the tissue pattern Enhanced, reflecting high consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression (HPA: reliability description).
| Clear membrane outlines in hepatocytes and intestinal enterocytes; renal tubule cells may also stain (HPA: tissue IHC profile). | This matches the reported compartment and cell types. HPA scores hepatocytes and enterocytes High, and renal tubule cells Medium; compare like tissues under the same scoring conditions (HPA: tissue IHC levels). |
| Predominantly nuclear or uniformly cytoplasmic stain without discernible membrane enrichment (UniProt P11168: cell membrane; HPA: tissue IHC profile). | The compartment disagrees with the expected pattern and warrants an artefact check. Review morphology and controls, then reassess antibody concentration and detection; an unusual compartment alone does not identify its cause (general IHC practice). |
| Prominent signal in adipocytes or respiratory epithelial cells, where HPA reports Not detected (HPA: adipose tissue and bronchus IHC). | Consider cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity, especially if the signal lacks membrane definition (general IHC practice). HPA's finding applies to the listed cell types; it does not establish that every cell in those tissues is negative. |
| Diffuse stain across tissue and background, obscuring cell borders (general IHC practice). | The distribution cannot establish SLC2A2 localisation. Compare a no-primary control, inspect washing and blocking, and adjust antibody or detection conditions before assigning a positive score (general IHC practice). |
| No stain in hepatocytes or intestinal enterocytes, both scored High by HPA (HPA: liver, duodenum and small-intestine IHC). | Treat the run as potentially uninformative until tissue preservation and assay controls are checked. A negative section alone cannot distinguish biological absence from failed staining (general IHC practice). |
💡Expected SLC2A2 appearanceCall a convincing positive when High membranous staining marks hepatocytes or enterocytes, with possible Medium staining in renal tubule cells; strong nuclear or widespread diffuse staining is discordant with the reported pattern (HPA: tissue IHC profile and levels; UniProt P11168: cell membrane).
| Tissue and cell choice | Liver hepatocytes and duodenal or small-intestinal enterocytes provide reported High staining; renal tubule cells are Medium (HPA: tissue IHC levels). Score the named cells rather than the whole section. |
| Membrane topology | SLC2A2 has 12 transmembrane segments and both extracellular and cytoplasmic regions (UniProt P11168 topology). The supplied record does not locate the catalog antibody's epitope, so it cannot predict epitope-specific retrieval needs. |
| Glycosylation and isoforms | UniProt lists one glycosylation site at residue 62 and 2 isoforms (UniProt P11168). The supplied evidence does not show whether either changes this antibody's IHC staining. |
| Validation strength | HPA rates tissue IHC Enhanced and lists three rabbit polyclonal antibodies with Enhanced IHC validation (HPA: tissue reliability; antibody records). This supports the reported pattern, without proving every signal in a new run is specific. |
| Negative comparator | HPA reports adipocytes and respiratory epithelial cells as Not detected (HPA: adipose tissue and bronchus IHC). Use those specific cell types as pattern checks; their status does not validate every other cell on the slide. |
| IF/ICC Q&A: what localisation should I expect? | HPA reports plasma-membrane localisation as Supported in ICC-IF; mid piece and principal piece are Approved (HPA: subcellular record). This is an interpretation reference, not an IF/ICC protocol. |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Known-positive hepatocytes show no membrane stain (HPA: liver hepatocytes High). | The run may have inadequate primary staining or detection, or the section may be unsuitable (general IHC practice). | Check tissue morphology and run controls; review the IHC-validated antibody's stated dilution, retrieval and detection instructions before changing one condition at a time (general IHC practice). |
| Stain is chiefly nuclear or cytoplasmic (UniProt P11168: cell membrane; HPA: membranous tissue profile). | The observed compartment is discordant; its cause is unresolved from localisation alone (general IHC practice). | Compare with a positive tissue and no-primary control, verify morphology, and reassess antibody concentration and detection conditions (general IHC practice). |
| Adipocytes stain strongly despite HPA's Not detected call (HPA: adipose tissue IHC). | Cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity is possible; the image alone cannot distinguish them (general IHC practice). | Inspect membrane definition and a no-primary control; check endogenous activity and blocking controls before interpreting the signal (general IHC practice). |
| Diffuse background prevents cell-level scoring (general IHC practice). | Excess antibody or detection signal, incomplete washing, or inadequate blocking may contribute (general IHC practice). | Review the no-primary control, washing and blocking; titrate staining conditions while retaining a reported positive tissue as a reference (general IHC practice; HPA: liver hepatocytes High). |
| Renal tubules look weaker than liver hepatocytes (HPA: kidney Medium; liver High). | This relative intensity matches HPA's cell-level scores and does not by itself indicate assay failure (HPA: tissue IHC levels). | Check for membrane-localised tubule signal and compare tissues processed in the same run; avoid requiring liver-level intensity in kidney (HPA: tissue IHC levels; general IHC practice). |
| Changing retrieval appears to change signal (general IHC practice). | The supplied UniProt and HPA records do not report SLC2A2-specific fixation sensitivity or an optimal retrieval condition. | Document the conditions and judge each run against morphology, controls and the reported cell-level membrane pattern; do not infer a target-specific fixation mechanism from intensity alone (general IHC practice; HPA: tissue IHC profile). |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing SLC2A2 staining
PB9436 · IHCIHC analysis of SLC2A2 using anti-SLC2A2 antibody (PB9436). SLC2A2 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human liver cancer tissue.
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000163581-SLC2A2/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_15249106
HPA · Small intestineHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Small intestine. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000163581-SLC2A2/tissue/small+intestine#imid_15249073
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000163581-SLC2A2/tissue/colon#imid_15249139
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000163581-SLC2A2/tissue/liver#imid_15249078
HPA · ICC-IF Hep-G2Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, Hep-G2, antibody HPA028997; green = SLC2A2, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
HPA · ICC-IF Hep-G2Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, Hep-G2, antibody HPA028997; green = SLC2A2, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for SLC2A2 IHC & IF
🧪Run liver first: hepatocytes should stain (High; HPA: liver hepatocytes). Use adipose tissue as the negative tissue: adipocytes are listed as Not detected (HPA: adipose adipocytes). On the liver slide, compare non-hepatocyte areas with the no-primary control and treat them as internal negative areas only where they remain at background (HPA: High in hepatocytes).
Positive control tissue: Duodenum (Enterocytes, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show SLC2A2 in Hep-G2, U2OS, Sperm, with annotated localisation: Plasma membrane (supported), Mid piece (approved), Principal piece (approved) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only control and a concentration-matched rabbit IgG isotype control (caption: rabbit primary and goat anti-rabbit secondary); confirm specificity with SLC2A2 knockout material or peptide blocking if a suitable peptide is available. Block endogenous peroxidase and biotin, which can contribute background with the reported avidin–biotin/DAB detection in liver (caption: SABC with DAB in liver tissue).
⚠️Feasibility: The selected PB9436 paraffin-section caption does not report a fixative, and no target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is reported in the supplied evidence. The caption reports heat retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0, but does not establish that retrieval is required (caption: EDTA retrieval); the supplied evidence also does not establish whether frozen-section IHC or IF/ICC is easier. For the reported liver DAB workflow, check background from endogenous peroxidase and biotin (caption: liver tissue and SABC/DAB detection).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for SLC2A2
Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Enhanced — High 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duodenum | Enterocytes | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Liver | Hepatocytes | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Small intestine | Enterocytes | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Kidney | Cells in tubules | Medium | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Undetected expression · recommended negative controls
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adipose tissue | Adipocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Adrenal gland | Glandular cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Appendix | Endocrine 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 SLC2A2 IHC Tips
Use compartment, cell type, and control staining together when optimizing SLC2A2 chromogenic IHC; the selected product has paraffin section evidence (datasheet PB9436).
How should I retrieve SLC2A2 in paraffin sections when membranous staining is weak?
Use heat-mediated antigen retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 for paraffin sections (datasheet PB9436). The selected product image used this retrieval before overnight incubation with 1 μg/ml antibody at 4°C, so keep those conditions consistent during the first comparison (datasheet PB9436). If staining remains weak, compare a longer or shorter heating period on adjacent sections while keeping antibody concentration and DAB development constant (standard IHC practice). Assess whether signal becomes sharply membranous in hepatocytes or enterocytes, rather than judging total brown intensity alone (HPA: tissue IHC; standard IHC practice). If needed, test another retrieval buffer only as a documented fallback and include the original EDTA condition alongside it (standard IHC practice).
Does fixation explain loss of SLC2A2 staining in my tissue sections?
Target-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown from the supplied evidence; the selected image describes a paraffin section but does not state its fixative (datasheet PB9436). Record the fixative, fixation duration, processing schedule, and section age for each specimen before comparing staining intensity (standard IHC practice). Run sections from differently processed specimens together with the same EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval and 1 μg/ml primary antibody conditions used in the selected image (datasheet PB9436; standard IHC practice). Compare membrane staining in viable, comparable cells and include a known positive tissue in each run (HPA: tissue IHC; standard IHC practice). A fixation effect requires a controlled processing comparison; tissue expression patterns alone cannot establish one (standard IHC practice).
What staining pattern should count as convincing SLC2A2 localisation?
Prioritize a crisp cell membrane pattern because SLC2A2 is annotated at the cell membrane and has 12 transmembrane segments (UniProt P11168). In tissue IHC, expected cells include hepatocytes and intestinal enterocytes with high reported expression, plus renal tubular cells with medium expression (HPA: tissue IHC). Compare neighboring cells within the same section and confirm that staining follows cell borders rather than pooling diffusely in cytoplasm or nuclei (standard IHC practice). The selected product image demonstrates staining in a paraffin section of human liver cancer tissue, whose architecture should be assessed on its own merits (datasheet PB9436; standard IHC practice). Use a counterstain to identify viable cells before calling their membrane signal positive (standard IHC practice).
Could epitope position or alternative splicing explain inconsistent SLC2A2 staining?
SLC2A2 has 2 annotated isoforms, but the supplied product caption does not locate the antibody epitope or establish isoform recognition (UniProt P11168; datasheet PB9436). Check the antibody's documented immunogen before interpreting a negative section as absence of both isoforms (standard IHC practice). The protein has extracellular residues 32–98, a cytoplasmic tail at 483–524, and an annotated glycosylation site at residue 62 (UniProt P11168 topology and processing). Those features make epitope accessibility a plausible optimization question, but they do not establish this antibody's binding site or a fixation effect (UniProt P11168; standard IHC practice). Compare retrieval conditions with the same positive control and score membrane localisation separately from overall intensity (standard IHC practice).
How can I assess SLC2A2 by multiplex immunofluorescence alongside tissue IHC?
Treat IF as a separate application and establish antibody performance on the chosen specimen before comparing its signal with chromogenic IHC (standard IF practice). Pair SLC2A2 with a validated marker of the expected cell type, such as a hepatocyte or enterocyte marker, and inspect membrane colocalisation in those cells (HPA: tissue IHC; standard IF practice). Choose a spectrally separated, preferably far-red fluorophore after checking tissue autofluorescence in an unstained section and testing each channel alone (standard IF practice). Select permeabilisation only after confirming the antibody epitope: an extracellular loop and the cytoplasmic tail at 483–524 have different access requirements (UniProt P11168 topology; standard IF practice). HPA reports plasma membrane localisation in subcellular imaging, which provides a pattern to compare, not validation of this antibody for IF (HPA: subcellular).
How do I distinguish nonspecific DAB deposition from SLC2A2 signal?
The selected product image used a biotinylated secondary antibody, streptavidin–biotin complex, and DAB, so evaluate background across the full detection chain (datasheet PB9436). Include a no-primary control, block endogenous peroxidase, and check for endogenous biotin signal when using that detection chemistry (standard IHC practice). Keep DAB development time identical across comparison sections and shorten it if diffuse brown deposit obscures cell borders (standard IHC practice). Titrate the primary around the documented 1 μg/ml starting condition while holding retrieval at EDTA pH 8.0 (datasheet PB9436; standard IHC practice). Specific staining should retain a membrane pattern in expected cells, including hepatocytes and enterocytes, after background controls are applied (HPA: tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
What should I score when comparing SLC2A2 across tissue sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the analysis region and identify viable cells on the counterstained section before measuring SLC2A2 staining (standard IHC practice). Score the percentage of cells with convincing membrane signal and record intensity on a consistent 0–3 scale; an H-score then spans 0–300 (standard IHC practice). Normalize positive counts to the number of viable cells of the relevant type, or report membrane-positive cell density per mm² of viable tissue (standard IHC practice). Keep retrieval, primary concentration, DAB development, imaging, and scoring thresholds matched across sections (standard IHC practice). Report hepatocytes, enterocytes, and renal tubular cells separately when those compartments are present, because their reported expression levels differ (HPA: tissue IHC).
When is an apparent SLC2A2-positive result likely to be artefactual?
Give greatest weight to reproducible membrane staining in expected cells, consistent with the cell membrane annotation and selective tissue pattern (UniProt P11168; HPA: tissue IHC). Treat isolated nuclear staining or broad cytoplasmic haze cautiously when membrane staining is absent (UniProt P11168; standard IHC practice). Inspect section edges, folds, and necrotic areas for local staining that does not track viable cell membranes (standard IHC practice). Compare no-primary and detection controls to identify endogenous enzyme or biotin-associated DAB signal in the chosen workflow (datasheet PB9436; standard IHC practice). A positive call is stronger when comparable cells stain across replicate sections while reported negative cell populations remain unstained (HPA: tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
Boster reagents
Best SLC2A2 / Solute carrier family 2, facilitated glucose transporter member 2 IHC Antibodies
Two anti-SLC2A2 antibodies list IHC use; the only supplied image shows a paraffin-embedded human liver cancer section (PB9436 IHC caption). No IF/ICC data are supplied (catalog application lists).
Real IHC data
Anti-Glucose Transporter GLUT2/SLC2A2 Antibody ®
Cat # PB9436
PB9436 lists human IHC and has an image from a paraffin-embedded human liver cancer section (PB9436 application list and IHC caption). M02297-2 lists IHC and human, mouse, and rat reactivity, but has no supplied IHC image (M02297-2 catalog entry).
Which to pick: For human tissue IHC, choose PB9436 when a documented paraffin-section example matters; the caption does not report the fixative (PB9436 IHC caption). For cross-species IHC, consider rabbit monoclonal M02297-2, which lists human, mouse, and rat reactivity but has no supplied tissue image (M02297-2 catalog entry). Neither SKU lists IF/ICC validation, so there is no supported IF/ICC pick here (catalog application lists).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P11168 (GTR2_HUMAN, Solute carrier family 2, facilitated glucose transporter member 2).
- Human Protein Atlas. SLC2A2 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Enhanced).
- Human Protein Atlas. SLC2A2 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Localized to the plasma membrane, mid piece and principal piece..
- Human Protein Atlas. SLC2A2 antibody validation summary (3 antibodies).
- Prediction and verification of the prognostic biomarker SLC2A2 and its association with immune infiltration in gastric cancer. Oncology letters 2024 — PMC10773219.
- Vertical sleeve gastrectomy triggers fast β-cell recovery upon overt diabetes. Molecular metabolism 2021 — PMC8487975.
- β-Cell Dedifferentiation in HOMA-βlow and HOMA-βhigh Subjects. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism 2025 — PMC12012814.
- Solute carrier family 2 members 1 and 2 as prognostic biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma associated with immune infiltration. World journal of clinical cases 2022 — PMC9131213.
- PubMed PMID:3399500 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:16641997 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for SLC2A2 (Solute carrier family 2, facilitated glucose transporter member 2). Expected localisation Membranous in hepatocytes, enterocytes and renal tubules (HPA tissue IHC). Antigen retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet PB9436). Validated IHC antibody: PB9436 at 0.5-1μg/ml (the product's own IHC validation image is shown). Controls (HPA): positive Duodenum (Enterocytes); negative Adipose tissue. IHC-P workflow on paraffin sections; fixative unspecified. Protocol steps: 1. Sample: Paraffin-embedded human liver cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet PB9436); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet PB9436); 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 PB9436); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard); 6. Peroxidase block: 3% H2O2, 10 min , room temperature (standard); 7. Blocking: 10% goat serum (datasheet PB9436); 8. Primary antibody: Rabbit anti-SLC2A2, 0.5-1μg/ml (datasheet PB9436); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet PB9436). Watch for: Fixation: Keep fixation consistent across samples (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Caveat: Renal tubule staining is medium; liver staining is high (HPA tissue IHC); Isoform / epitope: 2 isoforms; epitope sidedness matters, variant map unknown (UniProt); Regulation: Liver-enriched expression (HPA tissue IHC). Evidence: UniProt P11168, HPA tissue IHC · Enhanced, HPA ICC-IF · plasma membrane, mid piece and principal piece., Datasheet PB9436, PMC10773219. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/SLC2A2/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.