TOLLIP / Toll-interacting protein · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for TOLLIP

Plan paraffin-section TOLLIP IHC around cytoplasmic staining, including strong signal in brain neurons (HPA tissue IHC). The catalog antibody has a documented 2 μg/mL starting concentration (datasheet: PA2005); compare staining by cell type because levels vary across tissues (HPA tissue IHC).

Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for TOLLIP (IHC for TOLLIP): expected localisation Cytoplasmic in tissue (HPA tissue IHC); endosomal location (UniProt), antibody PA2005, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps
Printable TOLLIP IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Cytoplasmic in tissue (HPA tissue IHC); endosomal location (UniProt), antibody PA2005, controls and protocol steps. Open the full TOLLIP IHC guide →

TOLLIP Immunohistochemistry Experimental Design Guide

Expected localisation, validated protocols, controls and antibodies — the at-a-glance facts below, then the full design guide.

Must know before staining
Expected localisation Cytoplasmic in tissue (HPA tissue IHC); endosomal location (UniProt)
Staining pattern Cytoplasmic across tissues; strong in brain neurons (HPA tissue IHC)
Antigen retrieval EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet PA2005)
Positive control ⓘ Caudate+4 more · see all
Negative control ⓘ Smooth muscle+1 more · see all
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 Brain staining varies: high in cortex, low in hippocampus (HPA tissue IHC)
Regulation Expression regulation not established (UniProt)
Isoform / epitope 2 isoforms; epitope coverage is unestablished (UniProt)
Section 1

Recommended TOLLIP IHC & IF Protocols

The catalog antibody has an IHC-P protocol (datasheet PA2005). These four published TOLLIP IHC protocols cover skin, rat renal cortex, human renal tissue, and frozen human lung (PMC13426103; PMC9203234; PMC9741407; PMC8175118).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
SampleParaffin-embedded human lung cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet PA2005)
FixationImage fixative and duration unreported (datasheet PA2005); verify before use.
Sectioning4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard)
DeparaffinisationXylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard)
Antigen retrievalHeat retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 (datasheet PA2005); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard)
Peroxidase block3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard)
Blocking10% goat serum (datasheet PA2005)
Primary antibodyRabbit anti-TOLLIP, 2-5μg/ml (datasheet PA2005)
Primary incubationOvernight at 4 °C (datasheet PA2005)
DetectionHRP-conjugated secondary, DAB chromogen (datasheet PA2005)
CounterstainHematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected resultTOLLIP-positive staining in neuronal cells of caudate (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: General cytoplasmic expression, highest levels in the brain. No signal in the no-primary control.
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval for the catalog antibody (datasheet PA2005); published paraffin-section protocols also report Tris-EDTA pH 9.0 and high-pH retrieval (PMC13426103; PMC9741407).
Section 2

What Is the Expected TOLLIP Staining Pattern?

TOLLIP should appear mainly in the cytoplasm of stained cells, consistent with its cytoplasmic and endosomal localization and lack of a transmembrane segment (UniProt Q9H0E2). In paraffin sections, expect strong staining in caudate and cerebral cortex neurons, epididymal glandular cells, pancreatic endocrine cells, and skin fibrohistiocytic cells (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA rates the tissue profile Enhanced, while noting medium consistency between staining and RNA expression (HPA tissue IHC).

What am I looking at on my slide?
Cytoplasmic staining is strong in neurons of the caudate or cerebral cortex (HPA tissue IHC: High).This fits the reported tissue pattern and TOLLIP localization (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q9H0E2). Score the named cell population and its compartment, rather than assigning one intensity to the whole section (general IHC practice).
Staining is confined to nuclei, cell surfaces, or extracellular material in an otherwise positive area.A dominant pattern in those compartments conflicts with the reported general cytoplasmic tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC) and cytoplasmic/endosomal localization (UniProt Q9H0E2). Treat it as suspect and compare controls before interpreting it as TOLLIP (general IHC practice).
Smooth muscle cells or spleen red-pulp cells stain strongly despite a quiet expected-positive population (HPA tissue IHC: Not detected; High populations).The cell distribution conflicts with HPA observations; cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity is possible (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice). A reported 'Not detected' result is a reference pattern, not proof that every specimen must be negative (HPA tissue IHC).
Diffuse color covers many structures without a clear cytoplasmic boundary or cell-specific contrast.This is difficult to score against the reported cytoplasmic profile (HPA tissue IHC). Background from detection chemistry or insufficient blocking may obscure the pattern; inspect a no-primary control and section morphology (general IHC practice).
No signal appears in caudate neurons or another HPA High population (HPA tissue IHC: High).First check tissue preservation, retrieval, antibody incubation, and detection with appropriate controls (general IHC practice). HPA's Enhanced rating supports the reference pattern, but its medium RNA–staining consistency does not guarantee positivity in every specimen (HPA tissue IHC).
💡Expected TOLLIP appearanceCall a result positive when recognizable cytoplasmic staining is strong in an HPA High population, such as cortical neurons or pancreatic endocrine cells; isolated strong nuclear or extracellular color is suspect (HPA tissue IHC: High, general cytoplasmic expression; UniProt Q9H0E2: cytoplasmic/endosomal localization).
How each factor affects the staining
Choice of tissue and cell populationCaudate and cerebral cortex neurons, epididymal glandular cells, pancreatic endocrine cells, and skin fibrohistiocytic cells are High references; adipocytes and adrenal or appendix glandular cells are Medium (HPA tissue IHC). Compare like cell types when judging intensity (general IHC practice).
Antibody evidenceHPA038621 and HPA038622 each have Enhanced IHC validation, with similar staining from paired antibodies supporting the protein profile (HPA antibodies; HPA tissue IHC). This strengthens the reference pattern without establishing specificity in every preparation (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice).
Compartment and isoformsTOLLIP is cytoplasmic and endosomal, with two listed isoforms and no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q9H0E2). The payload gives no antibody epitope mapping, so it does not establish whether either isoform changes staining with a particular antibody (UniProt Q9H0E2; HPA antibodies).
IF/ICC cross-check: what should be seen?HPA supports cytosol as the main ICC-IF location; nucleoplasm, primary cilium, and cilium tip are uncertain additional locations (HPA subcellular). Use that as compartment context, while interpreting paraffin-section results against the tissue IHC profile (HPA subcellular; HPA tissue IHC).
Retrieval and detection choicesTarget-specific fixation effects are not established by the supplied assay evidence. Verify with a matched IHC source before attributing a result to fixation.
Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
SituationLikely causeNext action
Expected-positive neurons are unstained (HPA tissue IHC: caudate and cortex High).Weak assay performance, unsuitable retrieval, or lost tissue integrity may explain absent signal; the payload identifies no TOLLIP-specific fixation effect (general IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC).Verify morphology and positive-control performance, then adjust retrieval and antibody incubation within the assay workflow (general IHC practice).
All cells show similar diffuse chromogen, including cells without clear cytoplasmic staining.Excess detection signal, insufficient blocking, or nonspecific primary binding may overwhelm the cell pattern (general IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC: general cytoplasmic profile).Run a no-primary control, review blocking and detection steps, and reduce assay signal until cell boundaries can be scored (general IHC practice).
Color remains in a no-primary control.Endogenous detection activity or reagent background can produce color without primary antibody binding (general IHC practice).Apply the detection system's appropriate blocking control and reassess the no-primary section before scoring TOLLIP (general IHC practice).
Nuclear staining dominates an IHC section.It conflicts with general cytoplasmic tissue staining; HPA's uncertain nucleoplasmic ICC-IF observation does not establish a dominant nuclear IHC pattern (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular).Check positive-cell cytoplasm and no-primary controls; confirm the compartment pattern with another IHC-validated antibody if available (HPA antibodies: two Enhanced IHC reagents; general IHC practice).
A smooth muscle cell population stains as strongly as a High reference population (HPA tissue IHC).HPA reports smooth muscle cells as Not detected; nonspecific binding or endogenous activity is possible, though specimen variation remains possible (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice).Compare the same run with an HPA High population and the no-primary control; investigate discordance before calling the smooth muscle signal specific (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice).
A low-reference population appears faint beside a strong positive population (HPA tissue IHC).Low neuronal staining in hippocampus or low staining in liver cholangiocytes is reported and need not indicate assay failure (HPA tissue IHC: Low).Judge the run using an HPA High population and control sections; record the faint signal by cell type and compartment (HPA tissue IHC; general IHC practice).

Sample controls for TOLLIP IHC & IF

🧪Run cerebral cortex first and score neuronal cells, which HPA rates High for TOLLIP staining (HPA: High in cerebral cortex neuronal cells). Use smooth muscle as the negative tissue (HPA: Not detected in smooth muscle cells); on the cortex slide, cells without specific staining can indicate background, but HPA does not identify a validated negative cell type there.
Positive control tissue: Caudate (Neuronal cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Smooth muscle (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show TOLLIP in U-251MG, U2OS, ASC52telo, RPTEC/TERT1, hTERT-RPE1 (serum starved), KOLF2.1J, with annotated localisation: Cytosol (supported) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary (secondary-only) slide, a concentration-matched rabbit isotype control appropriate to the primary antibody, and a TOLLIP knockout specimen or validated peptide-block control (PA2005 caption: rabbit primary; standard IHC practice). For chromogenic IHC, quench endogenous peroxidase; for IF in cerebral cortex, check autofluorescence with an unstained section (PA2005 caption: peroxidase/DAB detection; standard IHC/IF practice).
⚠️Feasibility: No matched source reports a TOLLIP-specific fixation window or fixation effect, and the selected paraffin-section caption does not state the fixative (PA2005 caption). Heat retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 preceded incubation with 2 μg/mL primary antibody overnight at 4 °C; this is a starting condition, while retrieval dependency remains unreported (PA2005 caption). The supplied evidence does not establish whether frozen sections or IF are easier; neuronal lipofuscin may complicate IF interpretation in cerebral cortex (standard IF practice).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for TOLLIP

Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Enhanced — Medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression data. Paired antibodies with high similarity supports the protein expression profile.). Rows are taken directly from the HPA tissue chart — click any row's HPA link to view the source.

Positive expression · recommended positive controls

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
Caudate Neuronal cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Cerebral cortex Neuronal cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Epididymis Glandular cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Pancreas Pancreatic endocrine cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Skin Fibrohistiocytic cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →

Undetected expression · recommended negative controls

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
Smooth muscle Smooth muscle cells Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Spleen Cells in red pulp Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Section 3

Advanced TOLLIP IHC Tips

Troubleshoot TOLLIP staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, cell type, subcellular pattern, and controls before comparing signal across samples.

How should I adjust retrieval when TOLLIP staining is weak in paraffin sections?
Start with heat mediated retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 for paraffin sections (datasheet PA2005). The selected tissue image used this retrieval before overnight incubation with 2 μg/ml catalog antibody at 4°C, so first check that retrieval and antibody incubation match the documented conditions (datasheet PA2005). If signal remains weak, vary heating time cautiously and compare sections from the same block side by side, watching for tissue loss or damaged morphology (standard IHC practice). Include a positive control such as cerebral cortex neuronal cells, where staining is reported as high, and judge any gain against background in the same run (HPA: High in cerebral cortex neuronal cells; standard IHC practice).
Could fixation explain weak or uneven TOLLIP staining?
The selected image identifies a paraffin embedded section but does not report its fixative, so TOLLIP specific fixation sensitivity is unknown (datasheet PA2005). Record the fixative, fixation duration, tissue thickness, and processing history for each block before attributing a staining difference to TOLLIP abundance (standard IHC practice). Compare matched sections using the documented EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval and 2 μg/ml primary antibody conditions, changing only one processing variable at a time (datasheet PA2005; standard IHC practice). If staining varies within a section, assess morphology and section adhesion alongside signal, then repeat with a consistently processed control block (standard IHC practice).
Which staining pattern fits TOLLIP, and when should localisation raise concern?
Expect predominantly cytoplasmic staining: tissue IHC reports general cytoplasmic expression, while the protein record lists cytoplasm and endosomes (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q9H0E2 subcellular). TOLLIP also localizes to early endosomes and endo/exosomal vesicles, so discrete cytoplasmic puncta can be plausible when morphology and controls support them (UniProt Q9H0E2 subcellular; standard IHC practice). A uniformly nuclear pattern needs closer scrutiny because nucleoplasm is an uncertain additional location in cellular imaging, whereas cytosol is supported (HPA subcellular). Compare the suspect compartment with a no primary control and a matched section from a positive tissue before interpreting it as TOLLIP (standard IHC practice; HPA: High in cerebral cortex neuronal cells).
Can the antibody epitope or TOLLIP isoforms change what I see?
TOLLIP has 2 annotated isoforms and a C2 domain at residues 35–152 plus a CUE domain at 229–272 (UniProt Q9H0E2). The supplied PA2005 image does not identify the recognized epitope, so its ability to distinguish those isoforms or retain binding after processing cannot be established here (datasheet PA2005). Check the antibody's documented immunogen or epitope, if available, before assigning differences between sections to a particular isoform (standard IHC practice; UniProt Q9H0E2 isoforms). Keep retrieval at EDTA pH 8.0 during that comparison, and use matched tissue processing and exposure to separate epitope access from staining intensity (datasheet PA2005; standard IHC practice).
How should I investigate TOLLIP localisation with multiplex IF?
Use IF/ICC as a separate validation experiment and multiplex TOLLIP with a marker for the cell type being assessed, such as a neuronal marker when investigating cerebral cortex neuronal cells (HPA: High in cerebral cortex neuronal cells; standard IF practice). Choose fluorophores after inspecting unstained tissue for autofluorescence, and include single stain controls to check channel bleed through (standard IF practice). TOLLIP lacks a transmembrane segment and is reported in cytosol and endosomes, so use permeabilisation appropriate for intracellular epitopes while preserving cellular structure (UniProt Q9H0E2 topology and subcellular; standard IF practice). Compare any puncta with the cytosolic signal and controls; additional nucleoplasmic and ciliary locations have uncertain support (HPA subcellular; standard IF practice).
What should I check when DAB background obscures TOLLIP staining?
The selected paraffin section used 10% goat serum blocking, a peroxidase conjugated secondary, and DAB detection (datasheet PA2005). For diffuse brown staining, inspect a no primary control and apply a peroxidase block before detection to assess endogenous enzyme signal (standard chromogenic IHC practice). Titrate the primary antibody and DAB development against the documented 2 μg/ml overnight incubation at 4°C, keeping retrieval at EDTA pH 8.0 while comparing conditions (datasheet PA2005; standard IHC practice). Review folds, tissue edges, and necrotic areas separately from intact cells, and score only staining that remains interpretable against the control (standard IHC practice).
How can I score TOLLIP IHC across samples reproducibly? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cell population and region before scoring, then record the percentage of positive cells and staining intensity in intact cytoplasm (standard IHC practice; HPA tissue IHC: general cytoplasmic expression). An H-score can summarize intensity weighted by the percentage of cells at each intensity, while positive cell density per mm² helps when cell abundance differs (standard IHC practice). Normalize comparisons to the number of evaluable cells or analyzed tissue area within the same cell type, and keep retrieval, detection, and scoring thresholds consistent (standard IHC practice). Report cell composition alongside scores because HPA describes low tissue specificity but differing expression levels among annotated cell populations (HPA RNA specificity; HPA tissue IHC).
How do I distinguish credible TOLLIP staining from artefact?
A credible result should show interpretable cytoplasmic signal in intact cells, consistent with TOLLIP's reported cytoplasmic and endosomal localisation (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt Q9H0E2 subcellular; standard IHC practice). Use a reported high expression population, such as pancreatic endocrine cells, as a positive comparison, while assessing each specimen's cell identity and morphology (HPA: High in pancreatic endocrine cells; standard IHC practice). Treat strong staining confined to cut edges or necrotic regions, or signal reproduced in a no primary control, as suspect; check endogenous peroxidase when DAB is involved (standard chromogenic IHC practice). Unexpected exclusively nuclear staining also warrants verification because nucleoplasm is an uncertain additional location, whereas cytosol has supported localisation (HPA subcellular).
Boster reagents

Best TOLLIP / Toll-interacting protein IHC Antibodies

Three anti-TOLLIP antibodies have tissue IHC images from human samples, with mouse and rat tissue examples for selected products; each also has IF or ICC images (catalog IHC and IF captions).

Real IHC data IHC analysis of Tollip using anti-Tollip antibody (PA2005). Tollip was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human lung cancer tissue. Heat mediated antigen retrieval was performed in EDTA buffer (pH 8.0, epitope retrieval solution). The tissue section was blocked with 10% goat serum. The tissue section was then incubated with 2 μg/ml rabbit anti-Tollip Antibody (PA2005) overnight at 4°C. Peroxidase Conjugated Goat Anti-rabbit IgG was used as secondary antibody and incubated for 30 minutes at 37°C. The tissue section was developed using HRP Conjugated Rabbit IgG Super Vision Assay Kit (Catalog # SV0002) with DAB as the chromogen.
Anti-Toll-interacting protein Tollip Antibody ®
Cat # PA2005
Real IHC data IHC analysis of TOLLIP using anti-TOLLIP antibody (A02039-1). TOLLIP was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human prostate cancer tissue. Heat mediated antigen retrieval was performed in EDTA buffer (pH 8.0, epitope retrieval solution). The tissue section was blocked with 10% goat serum. The tissue section was then incubated with 2 μg/ml rabbit anti-TOLLIP Antibody (A02039-1) overnight at 4°C. Peroxidase Conjugated Goat Anti-rabbit IgG was used as secondary antibody and incubated for 30 minutes at 37°C. The tissue section was developed using HRP Conjugated Rabbit IgG Super Vision Assay Kit (Catalog # SV0002) with DAB as the chromogen.
Anti-TOLLIP Antibody ®
Cat # A02039-1
Real IHC data Immunohistochemistry of TOLLIP in human brain tissue with TOLLIP antibody at 5 μg/ml.
Anti-Toll-interacting protein TOLLIP Antibody
Cat # A02039

PA2005 has paraffin-section IHC images from human lung and ovarian cancers and mouse and rat brain, plus IF in U2OS cells (PA2005 captions). A02039-1 has paraffin-section IHC images from human prostate and cervical cancers and rat brain, plus IF in A549 cells; A02039 has IHC in human brain and IF or ICC in human brain and THP-1 cells (A02039-1 and A02039 captions).

Which to pick: For paraffin-section IHC, choose PA2005 for the broadest illustrated species coverage, or A02039-1 for its human and rat examples; A02039 lists IHC-P, but its IHC caption identifies human brain tissue without describing processing (PA2005, A02039-1 and A02039 captions; A02039 application list). For IF/ICC, choose by the illustrated sample: PA2005 for U2OS cells, A02039-1 for A549 cells, or A02039 for THP-1 cells or human brain; all three list human, mouse and rat reactivity, while clonality is unreported (catalog IF captions; reactivity and clone fields). The PA2005 and A02039-1 IHC captions specify paraffin sections and EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0, but none of the three IHC captions reports the fixative (catalog IHC captions).

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

References

  1. UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q9H0E2 (TOLIP_HUMAN, Toll-interacting protein).
  2. Human Protein Atlas. TOLLIP tissue IHC expression (reliability: Enhanced).
  3. Human Protein Atlas. TOLLIP subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to the cytosol. In addition localized to the nucleoplasm, primary cilium and primary cilium tip..
  4. Human Protein Atlas. TOLLIP antibody validation summary (2 antibodies).
  5. TOLLIP Inhibits Psoriasis Progression via Suppressing PKM2-Mediated Glycolysis in Keratinocytes. Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) 2026 — PMC13426103.
  6. Isorhapontigenin Modulates SOX9/TOLLIP Expression to Attenuate Cell Apoptosis and Oxidative Stress in Paraquat-Induced Acute Kidney Injury. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity 2022 — PMC9203234.
  7. TOLLIP Protein Expression Predicts Unfavorable Outcome in Renal Cell Carcinoma. International journal of molecular sciences 2022 — PMC9741407.
  8. Toll interacting protein protects bronchial epithelial cells from bleomycin-induced apoptosis. FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 2020 — PMC8175118.
  9. PubMed PMID:10854325 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  10. PubMed PMID:11230166 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  11. PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.