SULT2A1 / Sulfotransferase 2A1 · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for SULT2A1

Plan paraffin-section chromogenic IHC around cytoplasmic SULT2A1 staining in hepatocytes and adrenal glandular cells (HPA tissue IHC). This guide covers tissue controls, consistent fixation, and interpretation of presumed off-target staining (HPA tissue IHC).

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

Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for SULT2A1 (IHC for SULT2A1): expected localisation Selective cytoplasmic staining in liver and adrenal gland (HPA tissue IHC), antibody PB9821, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps — Printable **SULT2A1** IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Selective cytoplasmic staining in liver and adrenal gland (HPA tissue IHC), antibody PB9821, controls and protocol steps. Open the full SULT2A1 IHC guide →

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SULT2A1 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	Selective cytoplasmic staining in liver and adrenal gland (HPA tissue IHC)
	Staining pattern	Cytoplasmic staining in hepatocytes and adrenal glandular cells (HPA tissue IHC)
	Antigen retrieval	EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet PB9821)
	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	Matched tissue-IHC evidence does not establish the fixation claim. Validate the specimen-specific method before use. (selected-SKU IHC image PB9821)
	Caveat	Presumed off-target binding can mimic positive staining (HPA tissue IHC)
	Regulation	Fetal adrenal exceeds liver and kidney (UniProt)
	Isoform / epitope	0 isoforms; one cytoplasmic chain, no extracellular epitope (UniProt)

Section 1

Recommended SULT2A1 IHC & IF Protocols

Compare the catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol (datasheet: PB9821) with published SULT2A1 staining of human adrenal tissue (PMC4159054) and pig uterine sections (PMC7866100).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
Sample	Paraffin-embedded mouse liver tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet PB9821)
Fixation	Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet PB9821); 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 PB9821); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard)
Peroxidase block	3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard)
Blocking	10% goat serum (datasheet PB9821)
Primary antibody	Rabbit anti-SULT2A1, 0.5-1μg/ml (datasheet PB9821)
Primary incubation	Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet PB9821)
Detection	Streptavidin-biotin complex (SABC), DAB chromogen (datasheet PB9821)
Counterstain	Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected result	SULT2A1-positive staining in glandular cells of adrenal gland (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Selective cytoplasmic expression, most abundant in liver and adrenal gland. No signal in the no-primary control.

💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval for the catalog antibody (datasheet: PB9821); the published adrenal protocol does not specify SULT2A1 retrieval (PMC4159054).

Section 2

What Is the Expected SULT2A1 Staining Pattern?

SULT2A1 should produce cytoplasmic staining, strongest in liver hepatocytes and adrenal glandular cells, with medium staining reported in glandular cells of the duodenum, small intestine and stomach (HPA: tissue IHC). Cytosolic localisation is also supported by ICC-IF (HPA: subcellular). The protein has no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q06520: topology). HPA rates the tissue IHC profile Enhanced, while noting presumed off-target binding that was disregarded (HPA: tissue IHC).

What am I looking at on my slide?
Strong cytoplasmic staining in hepatocytes or adrenal glandular cells.	This matches the reported high staining in both cell types (HPA: liver hepatocytes High; adrenal glandular cells High). Assess the labelled cells and their compartment together; intensity alone cannot establish specificity. HPA’s Enhanced reliability reflects agreement between staining and RNA expression, with presumed off-target binding disregarded (HPA: tissue IHC).
Predominantly nuclear, membranous or extracellular staining.	Treat a pattern outside the cytoplasm as suspect and check controls and detection conditions. UniProt places SULT2A1 in the cytoplasm and reports no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q06520: subcellular location; topology); HPA supports cytosolic localisation (HPA: subcellular). An unexpected compartment does not, by itself, identify the source of an artefact.
Strong staining in a cell type reported as not detected.	Consider cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity, then verify which cells carry the signal. For example, HPA reports no staining in adipocytes of adipose tissue and hematopoietic cells of bone marrow (HPA: tissue IHC). Those observations concern the named cell types, not every cell in either section.
Colour spreads across tissue or appears without clear cell boundaries.	Diffuse background cannot be scored as SULT2A1 expression. Compare the test section with a control lacking primary antibody and inspect whether colour tracks tissue features rather than cytoplasm (general IHC practice). The expected localisation is cytoplasmic (UniProt Q06520: subcellular location; HPA: tissue IHC).
Little or no cytoplasmic signal in a liver or adrenal section.	First establish that the expected cells are present and interpretable: HPA reports high staining in hepatocytes and adrenal glandular cells (HPA: tissue IHC). A negative result there warrants a check of antibody, detection and controls before concluding that the sample lacks SULT2A1 (general IHC practice).

💡Expected SULT2A1 appearanceCall a result consistent when hepatocytes or adrenal glandular cells show high cytoplasmic staining (HPA: tissue IHC); prominent nuclear, membranous or cell-wide background signal is suspect against the supported cytosolic location (HPA: subcellular; UniProt Q06520: topology).

How each factor affects the staining
Cell compartment	SULT2A1 is cytoplasmic, and HPA ICC-IF supports a cytosolic location (UniProt Q06520: subcellular location; HPA: subcellular). UniProt lists no transmembrane segment or signal peptide (UniProt Q06520: topology; processing). Use the cellular distribution, rather than colour intensity alone, when judging a chromogenic result.
Tissue and cell selection	Liver hepatocytes and adrenal glandular cells provide high-staining reference patterns; duodenal, small-intestinal and stomach glandular cells are reported at medium intensity (HPA: tissue IHC). Colon and rectal glandular cells are listed at low intensity (HPA: tissue IHC). Match comparisons to the named cell type because an organ-level label can hide mixed populations.
Evidence strength	HPA assigns the tissue profile Enhanced reliability and lists three antibodies with Enhanced IHC validation (HPA: tissue IHC; antibodies). It also notes presumed off-target binding that was disregarded (HPA: tissue IHC). This supports the reported pattern, while leaving an individual slide’s unexpected staining in need of controls.
Processing and isoforms	UniProt lists one chain spanning residues 1–285, with no signal peptide, propeptide or annotated isoforms (UniProt Q06520: processing; isoforms). These annotations give no basis for predicting a separate secreted or membrane pool. They do not establish how a particular antibody epitope behaves in paraffin sections.

Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
Situation	Likely cause	Next action
No staining in the expected positive cells.	Hepatocytes and adrenal glandular cells are reported High (HPA: tissue IHC); absent signal may reflect a failed staining run or an uninformative section (general IHC practice).	Confirm that the named cells are present, then compare a known-positive section and the run controls. Review the antibody’s IHC-P instructions and the detection workflow before interpreting the negative result (general IHC practice).
Nuclear or membranous signal dominates.	That distribution conflicts with the cytoplasmic location and lack of a transmembrane segment (UniProt Q06520: subcellular location; topology). The image alone cannot establish its cause.	Check the no-primary control and compare the same cell type in a known-positive section (general IHC practice). Score cytoplasmic staining separately from unexpected compartments; investigate persistent unexpected signal before assigning it to SULT2A1.
Unexpected cells stain strongly.	Cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity is possible (general IHC practice). HPA reports presumed off-target binding in its tissue assessment and specifies which cells were not detected (HPA: tissue IHC).	Identify the stained cell type, compare its HPA annotation and inspect detection controls. If the signal persists, seek confirmation with an independently validated antibody (general IHC practice; HPA: antibodies).
Diffuse chromogen obscures cell boundaries.	Background from the staining or detection workflow can obscure cytoplasmic localisation (general IHC practice). Such colour cannot be equated with HPA’s selective cytoplasmic pattern (HPA: tissue IHC).	Inspect a no-primary control and review blocking, washing and detection conditions (general IHC practice). Interpret the test section only where the labelled cells and cytoplasm remain distinguishable.
Staining seems weaker outside liver and adrenal gland.	That can fit the reference distribution: HPA reports medium staining in selected gastrointestinal glandular cells and low staining in colon and rectal glandular cells (HPA: tissue IHC).	Compare the same annotated cell type across sections and include a liver or adrenal reference. Do not treat every weaker tissue as a failed run when its reported level is lower (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice).
Can IF/ICC help assess the compartment?	HPA reports supported cytosolic ICC-IF localisation and lists Hep-G2 and RT-4 images (HPA: subcellular). That evidence addresses localisation, not the performance of this IHC-P run.	Yes. Use the HPA ICC-IF result as a compartment reference when reviewing an unexpected IHC pattern (HPA: subcellular). Consult the separate IF/ICC guide for that application.

Source: UniProt Q06520 Human Protein Atlas tissue Human Protein Atlas subcellular

Experiment evidence

IHC & IF images showing SULT2A1 staining

IHC analysis of SULT2A1 using anti-SULT2A1 antibody (PB9821). SULT2A1 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of mouse liver 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-SULT2A1 Antibody (PB9821) 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.

PB9821 · IHCIHC analysis of SULT2A1 using anti-SULT2A1 antibody (PB9821). SULT2A1 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of mouse liver tissue. Hea

IHC analysis of SULT2A1 using anti-SULT2A1 antibody (PB9821). SULT2A1 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of rat liver 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-SULT2A1 Antibody (PB9821) 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.

PB9821 · IHCIHC analysis of SULT2A1 using anti-SULT2A1 antibody (PB9821). SULT2A1 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of rat liver tissue. Heat

HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000105398-SULT2A1/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_4802212

HPA · Adrenal glandHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Adrenal gland. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000105398-SULT2A1/tissue/adrenal+gland#imid_4802172

HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000105398-SULT2A1/tissue/colon#imid_4802122

HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000105398-SULT2A1/tissue/liver#imid_4802131

HPA · ICC-IF Hep-G2Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, Hep-G2, antibody HPA041487; green = SULT2A1, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.

← swipe / scroll for more images →

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

Sample controls for SULT2A1 IHC & IF

🧪Run liver first: hepatocytes should stain (HPA: High in hepatocytes), consistent with the reported mouse liver IHC image (PB9821 caption). Use adipose tissue as a negative tissue: adipocytes are not detected (HPA: Not detected in adipocytes); on the liver slide, compare hepatocytes with adjacent non-hepatocyte cells and expect those cells to remain at background, while treating any staining there as a finding to assess rather than an established negative pattern.

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 SULT2A1 in Hep-G2, RT-4, with annotated localisation: Cytosol (supported) (HPA subcellular).

Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only control, a rabbit IgG isotype control matched to the primary antibody’s clonality, and SULT2A1-knockout tissue if available (PB9821 caption: rabbit primary). In liver, block endogenous peroxidase and check endogenous biotin because the reported chromogenic method uses a streptavidin–biotin complex with DAB (PB9821 caption).

⚠️Feasibility: The reported paraffin-section IHC uses heat retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0, but the caption does not report a fixative or establish that retrieval is required for all specimens (PB9821 caption). A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported in the supplied evidence; whether frozen sections are easier is also unreported. IF/ICC is feasible to evaluate as a separate application because cytosolic localisation is supported and ICC-IF images exist for Hep-G2 and RT-4 (HPA: Cytosol supported; ICC-IF images in Hep-G2 and RT-4); assess liver background from endogenous biotin when using the caption’s chromogenic detection system (PB9821 caption).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for SULT2A1

Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Enhanced — High consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression data. Presumed off target binding observed and disregarded.). 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 →
Liver	Hepatocytes	High	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Duodenum	Glandular cells	Medium	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Small intestine	Glandular cells	Medium	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Stomach	Glandular cells	Medium	Protein (IHC)	HPA →

Undetected expression · recommended negative controls

Tissue	Cell type	Level	Evidence	Source
Adipose tissue	Adipocytes	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Bone marrow	Hematopoietic cells	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Breast	Adipocytes	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Bronchus	Respiratory epithelial cells	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →
Caudate	Glial cells	Not detected	Protein (IHC)	HPA →

Section 3

Advanced SULT2A1 IHC Tips

Use tissue matched controls and cytoplasmic localisation to troubleshoot SULT2A1 staining in paraffin sections; assess IF/ICC separately.

How should I troubleshoot weak SULT2A1 staining after antigen retrieval?

Start with heat-mediated retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 for the catalog antibody (datasheet PB9821). The illustrated paraffin-embedded mouse liver section was incubated with 1 μg/ml primary antibody overnight at 4°C, so compare retrieval changes while holding those conditions constant (datasheet PB9821). Include a liver section as a positive control because hepatocytes show high SULT2A1 expression (HPA: liver tissue IHC). If staining remains weak, compare a second retrieval condition on serial sections, keeping heating and cooling consistent across slides (standard IHC practice). Excessive retrieval can damage morphology or raise background, so judge signal against tissue preservation and the negative control (standard IHC practice).

Could fixation explain weak or uneven SULT2A1 staining?

Target-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown: the selected paraffin-section caption does not state a fixative (datasheet PB9821). Record the actual fixative and fixation interval for each specimen, and compare sections processed together before attributing differences to SULT2A1 abundance (standard IHC practice). Excessive or uneven fixation can change antigen accessibility in paraffin IHC, while poor fixation can impair morphology; these are general considerations, not demonstrated SULT2A1 effects (standard IHC practice). Keep section thickness, retrieval, antibody incubation and chromogen development matched when comparing specimens (standard IHC practice). Interpret staining only in intact cells with preserved morphology and an appropriately stained positive control (standard IHC practice).

Where should convincing SULT2A1 staining appear in a tissue section?

Expect predominantly cytoplasmic staining: SULT2A1 is annotated in the cytoplasm, and tissue IHC shows selective cytoplasmic expression (UniProt Q06520: subcellular location; HPA: tissue IHC profile). Hepatocytes and adrenal glandular cells are useful reference populations because both show high staining in the tissue atlas (HPA: liver and adrenal gland tissue IHC). Inspect the intracellular pattern at high magnification before interpreting broad regional colour as cellular signal (standard IHC practice). Predominantly nuclear or sharply membranous staining deserves additional validation because SULT2A1 has no annotated transmembrane segment and cytosolic localisation is supported (UniProt Q06520: topology; HPA: subcellular). Compare the same cell type across specimens (standard IHC practice).

Could an isoform or altered epitope explain discordant staining?

The supplied record lists a single 1–285 amino-acid chain and no annotated isoforms, signal peptide or propeptide (UniProt Q06520: processing and isoforms). SULT2A1 also has no annotated transmembrane segment or glycosylation sites, and phosphoserine 251 is listed as a modified residue (UniProt Q06520: topology, glycosylation and modified residues). The antibody epitope is not specified in the supplied caption, so these annotations cannot establish whether fixation, retrieval or phosphorylation affects its binding (datasheet PB9821: tissue-IHC caption). When staining conflicts with expected cytoplasmic distribution, compare retrieval conditions and antibody controls on adjacent sections (standard IHC practice). Avoid assigning an unexpected pattern to an isoform without independent evidence (UniProt Q06520: isoforms).

How should I investigate SULT2A1 signal by multiplex IF/ICC?

Treat IF/ICC optimisation as a separate experiment: the selected antibody evidence describes chromogenic IHC on a paraffin-embedded mouse liver section (datasheet PB9821). Pair SULT2A1 with an independently validated hepatocyte or adrenal glandular-cell marker, according to the specimen, because those populations show high tissue staining (HPA: liver and adrenal gland tissue IHC). Choose fluorophores and exposure settings after measuring unstained tissue autofluorescence, and use single-stain controls to check spectral bleed-through (standard IF practice). Because SULT2A1 is cytosolic and lacks a transmembrane segment, use permeabilisation appropriate for intracellular access and the specimen preparation (HPA: subcellular; UniProt Q06520: topology; standard IF practice). Confirm a cytosolic pattern against no-primary controls before interpreting overlap (HPA: subcellular; standard IF practice).

What controls help distinguish SULT2A1 signal from chromogenic background?

The illustrated workflow uses a biotinylated secondary, a streptavidin–biotin complex and DAB, so assess background across that detection sequence (datasheet PB9821). Run a no-primary section and inspect tissue outside the expected positive cell populations; these checks expose secondary or detection-system staining (standard IHC practice). Include a peroxidase block before DAB development and assess endogenous biotin background when using biotin-based detection (standard IHC practice). The caption specifies a 10% goat-serum block, 1 μg/ml primary antibody overnight at 4°C, and 30 minutes of secondary incubation at 37°C (datasheet PB9821). If background persists, optimise antibody concentration and wash conditions while retaining a positive control (standard IHC practice).

How should I quantify SULT2A1 across paraffin sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION

Define the cell population and tissue area before scoring; hepatocytes and adrenal glandular cells are documented high-staining populations (HPA: liver and adrenal gland tissue IHC). For cytoplasmic DAB, report the percentage of positive target cells and an intensity-based H-score using a fixed threshold across the comparison (HPA: tissue IHC profile; standard IHC scoring practice). Normalise positive-cell counts to the number of assessable target cells, or staining density to the analysed viable tissue area in mm² (standard IHC scoring practice). Exclude folds, edges and necrotic regions by a prespecified rule, and keep chromogen development and imaging settings consistent (standard IHC practice). Report the number of sections and sampled fields so variation remains visible (standard IHC scoring practice).

How can I distinguish true SULT2A1 positivity from artefact?

A credible pattern is cytoplasmic staining in the expected cells, particularly hepatocytes or adrenal glandular cells (UniProt Q06520: subcellular location; HPA: liver and adrenal gland tissue IHC). Question predominantly nuclear or membranous signal because cytosolic localisation is supported and no transmembrane segment is annotated (HPA: subcellular; UniProt Q06520: topology). Compare intact tissue with section edges and necrotic areas, where staining artefacts can complicate interpretation (standard IHC practice). Check a no-primary control and the peroxidase block when diffuse DAB signal appears, since endogenous enzyme activity can contribute colour (standard IHC practice). Finally, compare with a positive reference section and consider that the tissue atlas notes presumed off-target staining despite its enhanced reliability designation (HPA: tissue IHC reliability).

Boster reagents

Best SULT2A1 / Sulfotransferase 2A1 IHC Antibodies

PB9821 has IHC images from paraffin sections of mouse liver, rat liver, and human renal cancer (PB9821 image captions). M02839-1 is listed for IF/ICC in human, mouse, and rat (catalog).

Real IHC data

Anti-SULT2A1 Antibody ®

Cat # PB9821

View product →

The rendered card is PB9821, with IHC images from paraffin sections of mouse liver, rat liver, and human renal cancer (PB9821 image captions). M02839-1 is listed for IHC and IF/ICC in human, mouse, and rat, but has no supplied IHC or IF image (catalog).

Which to pick: For tissue IHC, choose PB9821: its images document staining of paraffin sections from mouse liver, rat liver, and human renal cancer; the fixative is unreported (PB9821 image captions). For IF/ICC, choose rabbit monoclonal M02839-1, which lists those applications but has no supplied IF image (catalog: clone 19S15; applications; image alts). For work across human, mouse, and rat, both SKUs list reactivity in all three species; PB9821 has IHC images for each, while M02839-1 also lists IF/ICC (catalog reactivity and applications; PB9821 image captions).

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

References

UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q06520 (ST2A1_HUMAN, Sulfotransferase 2A1).
Human Protein Atlas. SULT2A1 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Enhanced).
Human Protein Atlas. SULT2A1 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Localized to the cytosol..
Human Protein Atlas. SULT2A1 antibody validation summary (3 antibodies).
Development of the human adrenal zona reticularis: morphometric and immunohistochemical studies from birth to adolescence. The Journal of endocrinology 2009 — PMC4159054.
Integrating LCM-Based Spatio-Temporal Transcriptomics Uncovers Conceptus and Endometrial Luminal Epithelium Communication that Coordinates the Conceptus Attachment in Pigs. International journal of molecular sciences 2021 — PMC7866100.
Development of adrenal cortical zonation and expression of key elements of adrenal androgen production in the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) from birth to adulthood. Molecular and cellular endocrinology 2014 — PMC4016767.
Resveratrol Alleviates Arsenic-Induced Liver Fibrosis in Rats by Correcting SIRT1-Mediated Disorder of Hepatic Bile Acid Metabolism. International journal of molecular sciences 2026 — PMC13257504.
PubMed PMID:7678732 — UniProt-cited evidence.
PubMed PMID:1588921 — UniProt-cited evidence.
PubMed PMID:7589785 — UniProt-cited evidence.