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TMEM192 / Transmembrane protein 192 · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for TMEM192
Plan TMEM192 IHC-P around granular cytoplasmic staining in most cells (HPA tissue IHC). The catalog antibody A11938 has an IHC starting concentration of 5 μg/mL (datasheet); lung macrophages provide a high-staining reference (HPA tissue IHC).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
TMEM192 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 | Granular cytoplasm (HPA tissue IHC); lysosome membrane and late endosome (UniProt) | |
| Staining pattern | Granular cytoplasmic staining in most cells (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | Citrate pH 6.0 HIER, 95–98 °C, 20 min (rule: cytoplasmic / membrane antigen) | |
| Positive control | Adrenal gland+4 more · see all | |
| Negative control | None in HPA (detected in all 45 tissues); use no-primary + isotype controls |
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
| Fixation | Keep fixation conditions consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific) | |
| Caveat | High staining in lung macrophages can affect tissue-level scoring (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | No expression regulator annotated (UniProt) | |
| Isoform / epitope | 2 isoforms; verify epitope coverage across cytoplasmic and lumenal regions (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended TMEM192 IHC & IF Protocols
The catalog antibody’s IHC-P protocol is accompanied by a published mouse brain cryosection IHC method (PMC5546430).
| Sample | Tissue sections; selected-image fixative not specified (standard IHC workflow) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A11938); 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 citrate buffer, pH 6.0, 20 min at 95–98 °C (standard rule: cytoplasmic / membrane 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 anti-TMEM192, 5 μg/mL (datasheet A11938) |
| 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 | TMEM192-positive staining in glandular cells of adrenal gland (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Granular cytoplasmic expression in most cells. No signal in the no-primary control. |
💡Decision noteFor paraffin sections, start with citrate pH 6.0 retrieval at 95–98 °C for 20 min (page retrieval rule). The cryosection method does not report retrieval (PMC5546430).
Section 2
What Is the Expected TMEM192 Staining Pattern?
TMEM192 is a four-pass lysosomal membrane protein also found in late endosomes (UniProt Q8IY95 topology and subcellular location). In paraffin-section IHC, expect granular cytoplasmic staining, including in lung macrophages, hippocampal neurons and several glandular cell populations (HPA tissue IHC: High; granular cytoplasmic expression in most cells). HPA rates tissue staining Enhanced, with medium consistency against RNA data and external verification pending (HPA tissue IHC reliability).
| Discrete cytoplasmic granules in lung macrophages, with stronger staining than nearby cells. | This fits a plausible positive IHC result: HPA reports High staining in lung macrophages and granular cytoplasmic expression in most cells (HPA tissue IHC). Score the macrophages separately from surrounding lung cells; the HPA level does not specify an intensity threshold for every slide. |
| Predominantly smooth plasma-membrane, diffuse cytoplasmic or dominant nuclear staining in a paraffin section. | Recheck specificity and morphology: the expected IHC profile is granular cytoplasm (HPA tissue IHC), consistent with lysosome and late-endosome localisation (UniProt Q8IY95). Nuclear signal needs context: HPA also reports an additional nucleoplasmic location in ICC-IF (HPA subcellular), so its presence alone does not prove artefact. |
| Strong staining concentrated in vaginal squamous epithelium, ovarian stromal cells or soft-tissue fibroblasts. | HPA lists these cell populations as Low (HPA tissue IHC). Unexpectedly strong staining warrants a specificity check, including antibody cross-reactivity and endogenous chromogenic detection activity as general IHC possibilities. Compare cell identity and staining distribution before calling the whole tissue positive. |
| Broad, even colour across tissue, stroma or blank areas, obscuring individual cytoplasmic granules. | This does not match the reported granular cytoplasmic profile (HPA tissue IHC). In general chromogenic IHC practice, incomplete blocking, excess antibody or detection reagent, or residual endogenous enzyme activity can produce background; inspect a detection-only control before interpreting weak cell staining. |
| No convincing granules in an adequately represented lung-macrophage or other HPA High cell population. | Check the run before assigning biological absence: HPA reports High staining in lung macrophages and selected neuronal, glandular, placental and Leydig cells (HPA tissue IHC). HPA tissue reliability is Enhanced but has only medium RNA–staining consistency and awaits external verification, so a single negative section is not decisive. |
💡Expected TMEM192 appearanceCall a positive IHC result when identifiable HPA High cells show distinct cytoplasmic granules—especially lung macrophages or the listed neuronal and glandular populations (HPA tissue IHC)—while broad haze, smooth surface staining or dominant nuclear colour prompts review against the reported granular profile (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q8IY95 subcellular location).
| Cell population and tissue context | HPA records High staining in lung macrophages; hippocampal neuronal cells; cerebellar molecular-layer cells; adrenal, parathyroid and thyroid glandular cells; placental cytotrophoblasts; and testicular Leydig cells (HPA tissue IHC). Its Low entries for selected other cells are comparison points, not validated negative controls. |
| Organelle location and topology | TMEM192 has four membrane-spanning segments and cytoplasmic and lumenal regions (UniProt Q8IY95 topology). Lysosome-membrane and late-endosome localisation supports a punctate intracellular interpretation (UniProt Q8IY95; HPA tissue IHC). Antibody epitope location is not supplied, so topology cannot determine a retrieval or permeabilisation setting. |
| Isoforms and processing | Two isoforms are listed, with no signal peptide or propeptide and a chain annotated from residues 1–271 (UniProt Q8IY95). The payload does not identify antibody epitopes or isoform coverage. An altered staining pattern therefore cannot be assigned to an isoform or processing event from these records. |
| Strength of tissue-pattern evidence | HPA calls tissue IHC reliability Enhanced but describes only medium agreement between staining and RNA expression, pending external verification (HPA tissue IHC). HPA014717 and HPA024110 each have Enhanced IHC status (HPA antibodies); those ratings do not independently validate an unspecified catalog antibody or every observed compartment. |
| Paraffin-section detection conditions | No TMEM192-specific fixation, retrieval, dilution or endogenous-enzyme result is supplied. For chromogenic IHC, assess retrieval, blocking and detection controls using general IHC practice and the chosen antibody's validated IHC-P instructions; do not infer a TMEM192 fixation effect from topology or HPA staining levels. |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| A known HPA High cell population is blank. | Possible run failure, weak detection or poorly represented target cells; HPA's High classification is a population observation, not a guarantee for each section (HPA tissue IHC). | Confirm the cell population on the counterstain, check that the positive-control section stained, and review the chosen antibody's IHC-P instructions for retrieval and detection. Repeat the run before reporting absence. |
| Signal is uniformly diffuse instead of granular. | Diffuse colour conflicts with HPA's granular cytoplasmic profile (HPA tissue IHC); nonspecific reagent deposition or incomplete background control are general IHC possibilities. | Compare with a detection-only control, inspect unstained spaces, and adjust blocking, washing or reagent concentration within the chosen IHC-P workflow. Score discrete cell-associated granules only after background is controlled. |
| Unexpectedly strong colour appears in an HPA Low cell population. | HPA lists vaginal squamous cells, ovarian stromal cells and soft-tissue fibroblasts as Low (HPA tissue IHC). Cell misidentification, cross-reactivity or endogenous chromogenic activity may explain a discordant result. | Verify cell identity and compartment on the counterstain; compare a detection-only control and an HPA High cell population processed in the same run. Treat the discordance as unresolved until those checks support the stain. |
| Staining is dominated by a cell-surface rim or nuclei. | A rim conflicts with lysosome-membrane and late-endosome localisation (UniProt Q8IY95). Dominant nuclear IHC colour differs from HPA's granular tissue profile, although nucleoplasm is an additional ICC-IF location (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular). | Recheck morphology and background controls, then compare independent staining evidence if available. Describe nuclear IHC signal separately; do not discard it solely because the main expected compartment is cytoplasmic. |
| Two plausible positive tissues give different staining strengths. | HPA reports cell-specific High entries and an overall granular profile, while its tissue reliability description notes medium consistency with RNA data (HPA tissue IHC). Section composition and assay variation are general IHC considerations. | Compare the same named cell populations, counterstain quality and controls across sections. Record intensity and the fraction of stained target cells separately, without converting HPA's High category into a universal numeric cutoff. |
| IF/ICC Q&A: what localisation should an IF result show? | HPA reports supported endosomal and lysosomal locations, plus an approved additional nucleoplasmic location in ICC-IF (HPA subcellular). These ICC-IF observations do not define a paraffin-IHC protocol. | For IF interpretation, look for intracellular endosomal or lysosomal puncta and document any nucleoplasmic signal separately (HPA subcellular). Use the dedicated IF/ICC guide for experimental settings; this section supplies no IF protocol option. |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing TMEM192 staining
A11938 · IHCImmunohistochemistry of TMEM192 in mouse brain tissue with TMEM192 antibody at 5 μg/mL.
A11938 · IFImmunofluorescence of TMEM192 in mouse brain tissue with TMEM192 antibody at 20 μg/mL.
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000170088-TMEM192/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_3823440
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000170088-TMEM192/tissue/colon#imid_3823366
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000170088-TMEM192/tissue/liver#imid_3823383
HPA · PancreasHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Pancreas. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000170088-TMEM192/tissue/pancreas#imid_3823318
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA014717; green = TMEM192, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA014717; green = TMEM192, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for TMEM192 IHC & IF
🧪Run lung first and expect staining in macrophages (HPA: High in lung macrophages). HPA detects TMEM192 in all 45 scored tissues, so there is no supported negative tissue; use no-primary and isotype controls, and treat unstained cells within the lung section as background comparators rather than confirmed TMEM192-negative cells (HPA: no negative rows; detected in all 45 tissues).
Positive control tissue: Adrenal gland (Glandular cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: None in HPA: TMEM192 is detected in all 45 scored tissues. Use a no-primary (secondary-only) and an isotype control instead.
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show TMEM192 in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, with annotated localisation: Endosomes (supported), Lysosomes (supported) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only control, an isotype control matched to the primary antibody’s host species and clonality, and a TMEM192 knockout sample or validated peptide-block control if available. In lung, check endogenous peroxidase signal for chromogenic IHC and autofluorescence if evaluating IF (HPA: lung macrophages High).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window and the effect of fixation on TMEM192 staining are unreported in the supplied evidence; the selected A11938 mouse-brain IHC caption also leaves the fixative unreported (A11938 tissue-IHC caption). Antigen-retrieval dependency is unreported, so assess retrieval conditions empirically for paraffin sections; the supplied evidence does not establish that frozen sections or IF are easier. TMEM192 is a lysosome and late-endosome membrane protein, making intracellular punctate staining a useful localization check, while lung macrophage staining should be assessed against the controls for background (UniProt Q8IY95 subcellular location; HPA: High in lung macrophages).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for TMEM192
Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Enhanced — Medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression data. Pending external verification.). 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 → |
| Cerebellum | Cells in molecular layer | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Hippocampus | Neuronal cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Lung | Macrophages | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Parathyroid gland | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Undetected expression · recommended negative controls
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None in HPA: TMEM192 is detected in all 45 scored tissues. Use a no-primary (secondary-only) and an isotype control instead. | ||||
Section 3
Advanced TMEM192 IHC Tips
Troubleshoot TMEM192 staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, compartmental pattern, controls, and scoring before comparing specimens.
How should I retrieve TMEM192 in paraffin sections when punctate staining is weak?
Start with citrate buffer at pH 6.0 for heat-induced retrieval at 95–98 °C for 20 min (page retrieval rule: cytoplasmic or membrane antigen). Allow sections to cool in buffer before washing, and keep heating and cooling conditions identical across comparison slides (standard IHC practice). TMEM192 spans the membrane 4 times, so epitope accessibility may depend on the antibody’s binding site (UniProt Q8IY95 topology). If staining remains weak, compare a small retrieval time series while holding antibody concentration and detection constant (standard IHC practice). Judge improvement by punctate cytoplasmic staining with low background, rather than total brown signal alone (HPA: granular cytoplasmic expression; standard IHC practice).
Can fixation explain variable TMEM192 staining between paraffin blocks?
TMEM192-specific sensitivity to fixative type or duration is unknown from the supplied evidence (selected A11938 tissue-IHC caption: fixative not stated). Record each block’s fixative, time to fixation, and fixation duration before comparing staining across specimens (standard IHC practice). Use the same citrate pH 6.0, 95–98 °C, 20 min retrieval on matched sections when checking a suspected fixation effect (page retrieval rule). Compare preserved cell morphology, granular cytoplasmic signal, and background within each run (HPA: granular cytoplasmic expression; standard IHC practice). The mouse brain caption reports 5 µg/mL antibody but gives no fixation condition, so it cannot establish an optimal fixative (A11938 tissue-IHC caption).
What staining pattern should count as TMEM192 localisation in tissue?
Look for granular cytoplasmic staining consistent with endosomal and lysosomal compartments (HPA: tissue IHC profile; HPA: supported subcellular locations). TMEM192 is annotated at lysosome membranes and late endosomes, with 4 transmembrane segments (UniProt Q8IY95 localisation and topology). In chromogenic sections, score the cellular distribution of puncta rather than assigning every individual granule to a named organelle (standard IHC interpretation). Compare the candidate signal with a matched negative control and with nearby intact cells under the same counterstain (standard IHC practice). Predominantly diffuse nuclear staining needs caution: nucleoplasm is an additional IF localisation, whereas granular cytoplasm is the reported tissue-IHC pattern (HPA: subcellular summary; HPA: tissue IHC profile).
How can isoforms and membrane topology affect TMEM192 epitope detection?
TMEM192 has 2 annotated isoforms, so check which sequence the antibody immunogen represents before interpreting staining differences (UniProt Q8IY95 isoforms; standard antibody validation practice). Its cytoplasmic regions are residues 1–46, 115–138, and 193–271; lumenal regions are 68–93 and 160–171 (UniProt Q8IY95 topology). If the immunogen is unknown, do not assign a cytoplasmic or lumenal epitope from staining appearance alone (standard IHC interpretation). Compare citrate pH 6.0 retrieval at 95–98 °C for 20 min before changing detection conditions (page retrieval rule). Phosphorylation sites include residues 15, 17, 213, 229, and 230, but their effects on this antibody’s staining are unreported (UniProt Q8IY95 modified residues; supplied antibody evidence).
How should I investigate a TMEM192 pattern with multiplex IF?
Use a separate IF/ICC validation workflow before treating fluorescence as confirmation of the chromogenic tissue pattern (standard antibody validation practice). Pair TMEM192 with a marker for the cell population under study; macrophages are one high-staining lung population in tissue IHC (HPA: high in lung macrophages). Choose fluorophores in channels with low measured tissue autofluorescence, and include unstained and single-channel controls to assess bleed-through (standard IF practice). TMEM192 has both cytoplasmic and lumenal loops, so select permeabilisation conditions after checking the antibody’s epitope side; that side is not supplied here (UniProt Q8IY95 topology; supplied antibody evidence). The expected organelle comparison is endosomal or lysosomal puncta, with nucleoplasmic localisation also reported in IF (HPA: supported endosomes and lysosomes; approved nucleoplasm).
How can I reduce diffuse brown background without losing TMEM192 puncta?
First compare a no-primary control, an isotype control where appropriate, and an intact positive region on the same run (standard IHC practice). For peroxidase detection, use a routine endogenous-peroxidase block and check whether residual colour appears without primary antibody (standard chromogenic IHC practice). Titrate the catalog antibody around the reported 5 µg/mL mouse brain tissue-IHC condition only as an empirical starting point; the caption does not state fixation (A11938 tissue-IHC caption). Keep citrate pH 6.0 retrieval at 95–98 °C for 20 min constant during that titration (page retrieval rule). Prefer conditions that preserve granular cytoplasmic signal while reducing diffuse staining, edge deposits, and colour in the negative control (HPA: tissue IHC profile; standard IHC practice).
What is a defensible way to quantify TMEM192 chromogenic IHC? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define positive cells by granular cytoplasmic signal above the threshold set with negative controls, then apply that threshold uniformly (HPA: tissue IHC profile; standard IHC scoring practice). Report the percentage of positive cells and, if intensity is reproducible, an H-score calculated from the proportions at each intensity grade (standard IHC scoring practice). For sparse populations, report positive-cell density per mm² of viable tissue and identify the cell compartment scored (standard histology quantification practice). Normalise counts to viable tissue area or to the number of eligible cells, rather than total slide area (standard IHC quantification practice). Analyse matched regions and batches consistently because HPA reports only medium agreement between staining and RNA expression (HPA: Enhanced reliability description).
When should apparent TMEM192 positivity be treated as artefact?
A credible result is granular cytoplasmic staining in intact cells, consistent with the reported tissue pattern and endolysosomal localisation (HPA: tissue IHC profile; UniProt Q8IY95 localisation). High staining in lung macrophages or hippocampal neuronal cells can help select comparison regions, but neither pattern alone proves specificity (HPA: high in those cells; standard IHC interpretation). Treat signal concentrated at section edges, in necrotic areas, or in no-primary controls as suspect (standard chromogenic IHC interpretation). Check endogenous-peroxidase controls before accepting widespread brown colour as TMEM192 (standard chromogenic IHC practice). Predominantly nuclear staining warrants separate validation because nucleoplasm is an additional IF location, while granular cytoplasm is the tissue-IHC profile (HPA: subcellular summary; HPA: tissue IHC profile).
Boster reagents
Best TMEM192 / Transmembrane protein 192 IHC Antibodies
A11938 has mouse brain IHC and IF images (catalog image captions) and lists Human, Mouse, and Rat reactivity (catalog reactivity).
Real IHC data
Anti-Transmembrane protein 192 TMEM192 Antibody
Cat # A11938
A11938 is the figure-backed card: mouse brain IHC at 5 μg/mL and IF at 20 μg/mL (A11938 image captions). M11938 lists IF/ICC but has no IHC or IF image in the payload, so it has no figure-backed card here (M11938 applications and image alts).
Which to pick: Choose A11938 for paraffin-section IHC: IHC-P is listed, and its own caption documents mouse brain tissue staining at 5 μg/mL (A11938 applications and IHC image caption); the fixative is unreported (A11938 IHC image caption). For IF/ICC, A11938 has a mouse brain IF image, while rabbit monoclonal M11938 lists IF and ICC without a supplied image (A11938 IF image caption; M11938 host, clone, applications and image alts). Both list Human, Mouse, and Rat reactivity, but the supplied staining images document mouse tissue only (catalog reactivity; A11938 image captions).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q8IY95 (TM192_HUMAN, Transmembrane protein 192).
- Human Protein Atlas. TMEM192 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Enhanced).
- Human Protein Atlas. TMEM192 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to the endosomes and lysosomes. In addition localized to the nucleoplasm..
- Human Protein Atlas. TMEM192 antibody validation summary (2 antibodies).
- Functional characterization of the lysosomal membrane protein TMEM192 in mice. Oncotarget 2017 — PMC5546430.
- HIV-1 Tat endocytosis and retention in endolysosomes affects HIV-1 Tat-induced LTR transactivation in astrocytes. FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 2022 — PMC9627655.
- PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:17974005 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:15489334 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for TMEM192 (Transmembrane protein 192). Expected localisation Granular cytoplasm (HPA tissue IHC); lysosome membrane and late endosome (UniProt). Antigen retrieval: Citrate pH 6.0 HIER, 95–98 °C, 20 min (rule: cytoplasmic / membrane antigen). Validated IHC antibody: A11938 at 5 μg/mL (the product's own IHC validation image is shown). Controls (HPA): positive Adrenal gland (Glandular cells); negative None in HPA (detected in all 45 tissues); use no-primary + isotype controls. IHC workflow; specimen preparation unspecified. Protocol steps: 1. Sample: Tissue sections; selected-image fixative not specified (standard IHC workflow); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A11938); 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 citrate buffer, pH 6.0 , 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 anti-TMEM192, 5 μg/mL (datasheet A11938); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (standard). Watch for: Fixation: Keep fixation conditions consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Caveat: High staining in lung macrophages can affect tissue-level scoring (HPA tissue IHC); Isoform / epitope: 2 isoforms; verify epitope coverage across cytoplasmic and lumenal regions (UniProt); Regulation: No expression regulator annotated (UniProt). Evidence: UniProt Q8IY95, HPA tissue IHC · Enhanced, HPA ICC-IF · Mainly localized to the endosomes and lysosomes. In addition…, Datasheet A11938, PMC5546430. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/TMEM192/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.