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TCEA1 / Transcription elongation factor A protein 1 · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for TCEA1
Plan paraffin-section IHC for TCEA1 using high-staining glandular tissues and a low-staining comparator (HPA tissue IHC). Interpret nuclear staining in light of the observed cytoplasmic signal (UniProt; HPA tissue IHC).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
TCEA1 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 | Nuclear expected (UniProt); nuclear and cytoplasmic in tissue (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Staining pattern | High glandular cell staining, nuclear and cytoplasmic (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | Tris-EDTA pH 9.0 HIER, 95–98 °C, 20 min (rule: nuclear antigen) | |
| Positive control | Appendix+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 | Cytoplasmic signal may complicate nuclear scoring (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | Low tissue specificity at the RNA level (HPA tissue RNA) | |
| Isoform / epitope | 2 isoforms; epitope differences are unreported (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended TCEA1 IHC & IF Protocols
The catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol is accompanied by a published mouse liver IHC protocol for TCEA1 (PMC9134917).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded mouse large intestine tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet M08133) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet M08133); verify before use. |
| Sectioning | 4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard) |
| Deparaffinisation | Xylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard) |
| Antigen retrieval | Heat-induced epitope retrieval in Tris-EDTA buffer, pH 9.0, 20 min at 95–98 °C (standard rule: nuclear antigen) |
| Peroxidase block | 3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard) |
| Blocking | 10% normal serum of the secondary host, 30 min, room temperature (standard) |
| Primary antibody | Rabbit monoclonal (clone 29T88) anti-TCEA1, 1:50-1:200 (datasheet M08133) |
| Primary incubation | Overnight at 4 °C (standard) |
| Detection | HRP-polymer secondary, DAB chromogen 5–10 min (standard) |
| Counterstain | Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard) |
| Expected result | TCEA1-positive staining in glandular cells of appendix (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: General nuclear and cytoplasmic expression. No signal in the no-primary control. |
💡Decision noteStart with Tris-EDTA pH 9.0 retrieval at 95–98 °C for 20 min (page retrieval; UniProt P23193: nucleus).
Section 2
What Is the Expected TCEA1 Staining Pattern?
TCEA1 is a nuclear transcription factor (UniProt P23193: nucleus; no transmembrane segment). In paraffin sections, expect staining in glandular cells of the appendix, cervix, duodenum, fallopian tube, gallbladder and rectum, among other HPA high-staining cell populations (HPA: tissue IHC). HPA describes general nuclear and cytoplasmic expression; its tissue IHC assessment is Approved, with medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression (HPA: tissue IHC).
| Clear nuclear staining in glandular cells, with some cytoplasmic staining. | This fits the expected compartment and cell pattern: UniProt places TCEA1 in the nucleus, while HPA tissue IHC reports general nuclear and cytoplasmic expression and high staining in several glandular cell populations (UniProt P23193: nucleus; HPA: tissue IHC). Compare the signal with adjacent tissue structures before assigning a score. |
| Cytoplasmic staining dominates while nuclei remain unstained. | That pattern deserves review because nuclear localization is supported by UniProt and HPA ICC-IF (UniProt P23193: nucleus; HPA: supported nucleoplasm). Cytoplasmic staining alone is not proof of an artefact: HPA tissue IHC also describes cytoplasmic expression. Check nuclear counterstaining and the positive control before interpreting the compartment. |
| Strong staining appears in adipocytes, cardiomyocytes or skeletal myocytes. | HPA reports TCEA1 as not detected in those cell populations (HPA: tissue IHC). Unexpected signal could reflect cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity (general IHC practice). Review its location within the cells and compare it with appropriate detection controls; an HPA 'not detected' call is a reference pattern, not an absolute exclusion. |
| Colour is spread evenly across cells, connective tissue and blank slide areas. | A pattern without cell boundaries or the expected nuclear enrichment is difficult to attribute to TCEA1 (UniProt P23193: nucleus; HPA: tissue IHC). Assess blocking, detection reagents and washes using control sections (general IHC practice). HPA's reported cytoplasmic staining should not be confused with uniform slide background. |
| No staining is visible in a high-staining reference cell population. | This conflicts with HPA observations for, for example, appendix glandular cells or lymph-node germinal center cells (HPA: High in those cells). Verify that the expected cells are present and that the staining run worked (general IHC practice). A single negative section cannot establish that TCEA1 is absent. |
💡Expected TCEA1 appearanceCall a positive result when identifiable cells show convincing nuclear staining, with possible cytoplasmic staining, and high signal in an HPA high-staining population; isolated off-pattern colour warrants review (UniProt P23193: nucleus; HPA: tissue IHC).
| Reference cell population | HPA reports high staining in pancreatic exocrine glandular cells and lymph-node germinal center cells, as well as the listed glandular populations (HPA: tissue IHC). Score the identified cells rather than treating an entire tissue section as uniformly positive. |
| Compartment evidence | UniProt lists the nucleus; HPA tissue IHC describes nuclear and cytoplasmic expression (UniProt P23193: nucleus; HPA: tissue IHC). These sources support a nuclear expectation while allowing cytoplasmic signal in tissue sections. |
| Antibody validation | HPA043786 is Approved for IHC and Supported for ICC (HPA: antibody validation). HPA describes medium consistency between tissue staining and RNA expression (HPA: tissue IHC). Interpret ambiguous or unexpected staining with controls rather than treating the validation label as proof of specificity in every section. |
| Isoforms and processing | UniProt lists 2 isoforms and a single annotated chain spanning residues 1–301, with no signal peptide or propeptide (UniProt P23193). The supplied record gives no antibody epitope, so it cannot establish whether staining distinguishes the isoforms. |
| IF/ICC Q&A | Where should IF/ICC signal appear? Mainly in the nucleoplasm, with additional nucleolar localization (HPA: subcellular ICC-IF). This is an IF/ICC observation; assess the paraffin IHC result against the tissue IHC pattern (HPA: tissue IHC). |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| A reference section has no convincing signal. | The expected cells may be absent from the section, or the staining run may have failed (general IHC practice). | Locate a documented high-staining cell population, such as appendix glandular cells (HPA: High), and check the run controls before changing staining conditions (general IHC practice). |
| Signal is mainly cytoplasmic. | HPA permits cytoplasmic staining in tissue IHC, but a complete lack of nuclear signal needs evaluation (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt P23193: nucleus). | Check compartment boundaries with the counterstain and compare a high-staining reference section (general IHC practice; HPA: tissue IHC). |
| A normally unstained cell population looks strongly positive. | Possible cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity (general IHC practice); HPA reports adipocytes and cardiomyocytes as not detected (HPA: tissue IHC). | Compare the signal with a detection control and confirm the cell identity and staining compartment (general IHC practice). |
| The whole section has diffuse colour. | Nonspecific background can arise from blocking, detection or washing conditions (general IHC practice). | Inspect control sections and adjust the relevant general IHC steps; do not score diffuse colour as TCEA1 staining (general IHC practice). |
| Staining varies between fields of one tissue. | HPA levels refer to named cell populations, not every cell in a tissue (HPA: tissue IHC). | Identify and score comparable cells in each field; record compartment and intensity separately (general IHC practice). |
| The IHC pattern differs from an IF/ICC image. | HPA's tissue IHC profile includes nuclear and cytoplasmic staining, whereas its ICC-IF summary emphasizes nucleoplasm and nucleoli (HPA: tissue IHC; HPA: subcellular ICC-IF). | Judge each preparation against its matching HPA observation and review any unexplained compartment difference with controls (general IHC practice). |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing TCEA1 staining
M08133 · IHCImmunohistochemical analysis of paraffin-embedded mouse large intestine tissue with TCEA1 antibody
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000187735-TCEA1/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_11883335
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000187735-TCEA1/tissue/colon#imid_11883245
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000187735-TCEA1/tissue/liver#imid_11883246
HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000187735-TCEA1/tissue/kidney#imid_11883255
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA043786; green = TCEA1, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA043786; green = TCEA1, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for TCEA1 IHC & IF
🧪Run appendix first: glandular-cell nuclei should stain (HPA: High in appendix glandular cells; UniProt P23193: nucleus). Use adipose tissue as the negative comparator, focusing on adipocytes (HPA: Not detected in adipocytes); on the appendix slide, nonglandular cells with absent or faint nuclear chromogen can help assess background, but their TCEA1-negative status is unverified by the supplied HPA rows.
Positive control tissue: Appendix (Glandular cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Adipose tissue (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show TCEA1 in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, with annotated localisation: Nucleoplasm (supported) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only control and an irrelevant primary control: host- and isotype-matched IgG for a monoclonal antibody, or host-matched nonimmune IgG for a polyclonal antibody; use TCEA1-knockout material as a biological negative (standard IHC practice). For chromogenic appendix IHC, block endogenous peroxidase and check for endogenous biotin if using avidin–biotin detection (standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported, and the M08133 paraffin-section caption does not state a fixative (caption: paraffin-embedded mouse large intestine; fixative not stated). Retrieval dependence is also unreported, so optimize antigen retrieval empirically for paraffin IHC; the supplied evidence does not establish whether frozen sections or IF would be easier (caption: paraffin-embedded tissue only; HPA: ICC-IF localization images). In appendix, inspect glandular lumens and debris for trapped chromogen when interpreting nuclear staining (standard IHC practice; HPA: High in appendix glandular cells).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for TCEA1
Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Approved — Medium 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appendix | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Cervix | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Duodenum | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Fallopian tube | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Gallbladder | 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 → |
| Cerebellum | Cells in granular layer | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Heart muscle | Cardiomyocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Hippocampus | Glial cells | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Skeletal muscle | Myocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Section 3
Advanced TCEA1 IHC Tips
Troubleshoot TCEA1 staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, nuclear localisation, controls and scoring before interpreting chromogenic signal.
How should I retrieve TCEA1 in paraffin sections when nuclear staining is weak?
Use Tris-EDTA pH 9.0 heat-induced epitope retrieval at 95–98 °C for 20 min for paraffin-section TCEA1 IHC (page retrieval rule). Let slides cool in retrieval buffer, then compare staining with a matched section processed in the same run (standard IHC practice). Assess nuclei in glandular cells alongside tissue morphology; high staining is reported in several glandular-cell populations, while TCEA1 is mainly nucleoplasmic (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular). If signal remains weak, adjust retrieval duration in a small time series while holding antibody incubation and chromogen development constant, because excessive heating can compromise morphology (standard IHC practice).
Could fixation explain weak or uneven TCEA1 staining?
Target-specific sensitivity of TCEA1 to fixation is unknown from the supplied evidence; the catalog image identifies paraffin-embedded mouse large intestine but does not state its fixative (catalog caption M08133). Record the fixative and fixation duration for each specimen, and compare sections with different histories in separate, clearly documented runs (standard IHC practice). For routine formalin-fixed material, compare a 20 min Tris-EDTA pH 9.0 retrieval run with a carefully varied retrieval time while preserving morphology (page retrieval rule; standard IHC practice). Do not attribute weak nuclear staining to overfixation without a controlled comparison and a working positive tissue control (standard IHC practice).
How should I assess TCEA1 staining outside the nucleus?
Score nuclear and cytoplasmic chromogen separately: TCEA1 is annotated as nuclear, with supported nucleoplasmic and additional nucleolar localisation in cell imaging (UniProt P23193; HPA subcellular). Tissue IHC reports general nuclear and cytoplasmic expression, so cytoplasmic colour alone cannot establish a specific cellular distribution (HPA tissue IHC). Examine a matched negative reagent control and confirm that apparent cytoplasmic signal follows intact cells rather than folds, debris or extracellular material (standard IHC practice). TCEA1 has no annotated transmembrane segment or signal peptide, so a crisp membrane-only pattern deserves particular scrutiny before biological interpretation (UniProt P23193 topology; UniProt P23193 processing).
Could isoforms or epitope accessibility change the IHC pattern?
TCEA1 has 2 annotated isoforms, but the supplied evidence does not identify the catalog antibody's epitope or establish which isoforms it detects (UniProt P23193 isoforms; supplied catalog evidence). Map the immunogen sequence to each isoform before assigning an absent or altered stain to isoform expression (standard IHC validation practice). The protein has annotated phosphorylation sites at residues 57, 81, 97 and 100; their effect on this antibody's IHC staining is unknown (UniProt P23193 modified residues; supplied catalog evidence). Compare retrieval-matched sections with an independent validated antibody targeting a documented different epitope if an epitope-dependent pattern is suspected (standard IHC validation practice).
How can IF help check an ambiguous chromogenic TCEA1 pattern?
Use IF as a separate localisation check and multiplex TCEA1 with a marker of the expected cell population, such as a glandular epithelial marker when examining glandular cells reported as TCEA1-high (HPA tissue IHC; standard IF practice). Choose spectrally separated fluorophores and place the weaker signal in a far-red channel if the tissue has strong short-wavelength autofluorescence (standard IF practice). Because TCEA1 is mainly nucleoplasmic and has no transmembrane segment, use controlled permeabilisation that permits antibody access to the nucleus, then check nuclear boundaries with a DNA counterstain (HPA subcellular; UniProt P23193 topology; standard IF practice). Include single-label and secondary-only controls when judging colocalisation or bleed-through (standard IF practice).
What should I check when brown signal appears across the section?
Compare an antibody-omission control with the stained section to distinguish detection-system background from staining that depends on the primary antibody (standard IHC practice). In a peroxidase-DAB workflow, block endogenous peroxidase before detection and inspect blood-rich areas for residual activity (standard IHC practice). If background tracks section edges, folds or dried areas, improve hydration, reagent coverage and washes before changing the primary antibody concentration (standard IHC practice). Judge improvements against preserved nuclear signal in a positive control population; high staining is reported in appendix glandular cells and lymph-node germinal-center cells (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
How should I quantify TCEA1 across tissue samples? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Predefine whether the endpoint is nuclear staining alone or separate nuclear and cytoplasmic staining, because tissue IHC reports both while cell imaging supports mainly nucleoplasmic localisation (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular). For each annotated cell population, report the percentage of positive cells and an intensity-based H-score from 0–300, using the same thresholds across slides (standard IHC scoring practice). Normalise counts to the number of intact cells assessed, or report positive-cell density per mm² of viable tissue when sampling area differs (standard IHC scoring practice). Exclude folds and necrotic regions consistently, and document retrieval and staining batches before comparing groups (standard IHC practice).
How can I distinguish a credible TCEA1 result from staining artefact?
A credible result should show interpretable staining in intact cells, with nuclear signal supported by TCEA1's annotated nuclear and mainly nucleoplasmic localisation (UniProt P23193; HPA subcellular; standard IHC practice). Compare the cell population with the reported tissue pattern: glandular cells in appendix and rectum are high, whereas adipocytes and cardiomyocytes were not detected in the cited survey (HPA tissue IHC). Treat isolated edge staining, necrotic debris and diffuse colour in an antibody-omission control as artefact candidates, and check endogenous peroxidase blocking in a DAB assay (standard IHC practice). Interpret discordance cautiously because the tissue IHC profile has approved reliability with medium consistency against RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC).
Boster reagents
Best TCEA1 / Transcription elongation factor A protein 1 IHC Antibodies
Anti-TCEA1 catalog antibodies list IHC and IF/ICC use in human, mouse and rat (catalog: M08133, M08133-1 applications and reactivity); only M08133 has a supplied IHC image, from mouse large intestine (M08133 image caption).
Real IHC data
Anti-TCEA1 Rabbit Monoclonal Antibody
Cat # M08133
M08133 lists IHC and IF/ICC for human, mouse and rat, with an IHC image of a paraffin-embedded mouse large intestine section (M08133 applications, reactivity and image caption). M08133-1 lists IHC and IF/ICC for the same species, but has no supplied IHC or IF image (M08133-1 applications, reactivity and image captions).
Which to pick: Choose M08133 for tissue IHC when an illustrated paraffin-section example matters (M08133 image caption); the caption does not report the fixative (M08133 image caption). Both are rabbit monoclonals listed for IF/ICC and for human, mouse and rat, so either is a catalog-supported starting point for IF/ICC or work across those species (M08133 and M08133-1 host, clone, applications and reactivity). M08133-1 has a different clone and no supplied IHC or IF figure (M08133-1 clone and image captions).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P23193 (TCEA1_HUMAN, Transcription elongation factor A protein 1).
- Human Protein Atlas. TCEA1 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Approved).
- Human Protein Atlas. TCEA1 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to the nucleoplasm. In addition localized to the nucleoli..
- Human Protein Atlas. TCEA1 antibody validation summary (1 antibodies).
- Quantitative proteomics of HFD-induced fatty liver uncovers novel transcription factors of lipid metabolism. International journal of biological sciences 2022 — PMC9134917.
- PubMed PMID:1708494 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:1378807 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:8112616 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for TCEA1 (Transcription elongation factor A protein 1). Expected localisation Nuclear expected (UniProt); nuclear and cytoplasmic in tissue (HPA tissue IHC). Antigen retrieval: Tris-EDTA pH 9.0 HIER, 95–98 °C, 20 min (rule: nuclear antigen). Validated IHC antibody: M08133 at 1:50-1:200 (the product's own IHC validation image is shown). Controls (HPA): positive Appendix (Glandular cells); negative Adipose tissue. IHC-P workflow on paraffin sections; fixative unspecified. Protocol steps: 1. Sample: Paraffin-embedded mouse large intestine tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet M08133); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet M08133); 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-induced epitope retrieval in Tris-EDTA buffer, pH 9.0 , 20 min at 95–98 °C…; 6. Peroxidase block: 3% H2O2, 10 min , room temperature (standard); 7. Blocking: 10% normal serum of the secondary host, 30 min , room temperature (standard); 8. Primary antibody: Rabbit monoclonal (clone 29T88) anti-TCEA1, 1:50-1:200 (datasheet M08133); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (standard). Watch for: Fixation: Keep formalin fixation consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Caveat: Cytoplasmic signal may complicate nuclear scoring (HPA tissue IHC); Isoform / epitope: 2 isoforms; epitope differences are unreported (UniProt); Regulation: Low tissue specificity at the RNA level (HPA tissue RNA). Evidence: UniProt P23193, HPA tissue IHC · Approved, HPA ICC-IF · Mainly localized to the nucleoplasm. In addition localized to the…, Datasheet M08133, PMC9134917. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/TCEA1/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.