TPI1 / Triosephosphate isomerase · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for TPI1

Plan chromogenic IHC-P for TPI1 using the catalog antibody at 1:50–1:100 (datasheet: A02559-1). Compare the cytoplasmic expectation (UniProt) with nuclear and cytoplasmic tissue staining reported with uncertain reliability (HPA tissue IHC).

Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for TPI1 (IHC for TPI1): expected localisation Cytoplasm expected (UniProt); nuclear and cytoplasmic staining observed (HPA tissue IHC), antibody A02559-1, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps
Printable TPI1 IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Cytoplasm expected (UniProt); nuclear and cytoplasmic staining observed (HPA tissue IHC), antibody A02559-1, controls and protocol steps. Open the full TPI1 IHC guide →

TPI1 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 Cytoplasm expected (UniProt); nuclear and cytoplasmic staining observed (HPA tissue IHC)
Staining pattern Adipocytes and glandular cells show nuclear/cytoplasmic staining (HPA tissue IHC)
Antigen retrieval Citrate pH 6.0 HIER, 95–98 °C, 20 min (rule: cytoplasmic / membrane antigen)
Positive control ⓘ Adipose tissue+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 Formalin-fixed paraffin tissue shown (selected-SKU IHC image A02559-1); Matched tissue-IHC evidence does not establish the fixation claim. Validate the specimen-specific method before use. (selected-SKU IHC image A02559-1)
Caveat Tissue staining has uncertain reliability (HPA tissue IHC)
Regulation Staining-linked regulation unreported (UniProt)
Isoform / epitope 3 isoforms; C-terminal epitope coverage unknown (UniProt; datasheet: A02559-1)
Section 1

Recommended TPI1 IHC & IF Protocols

The catalog antibody protocol is followed by published TPI1 IHC methods for ccRCC, pancreatic cancer tissue samples, and HCC tumors (PMC13379248; PMC11531968; PMC10896104).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
SampleFFPE human prostate carcinoma tissue (datasheet A02559-1)
FixationImage formalin-fixed; duration unreported (datasheet A02559-1); verify before use.
Sectioning4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard)
DeparaffinisationXylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard)
Antigen retrievalHeat-induced epitope retrieval in citrate buffer, pH 6.0, 20 min at 95–98 °C (standard rule: cytoplasmic / membrane antigen)
Peroxidase block3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard)
Blocking10% normal serum of the secondary host, 30 min, room temperature (standard)
Primary antibodyRabbit anti-TPI1, 1:50-1:100 (datasheet A02559-1)
Primary incubationOvernight at 4 °C (standard)
DetectionHRP-polymer secondary, DAB chromogen 5–10 min (standard)
CounterstainHematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected resultTPI1-positive staining in adipocytes of adipose tissue (HPA tissue IHC: Medium). HPA tissue profile: General nuclear and cytoplasmic expression. No signal in the no-primary control.
💡Decision noteStart with citrate pH 6.0 retrieval at 95–98 °C for 20 min (page retrieval); this matches the published ccRCC retrieval buffer (PMC13379248).
Section 2

What Is the Expected TPI1 Staining Pattern?

TPI1 is a cytoplasmic enzyme with no transmembrane segment (UniProt P60174: location and topology). In tissue IHC, HPA reports general nuclear and cytoplasmic staining, including medium staining in adipocytes and several glandular and epithelial cell types (HPA: tissue IHC). Treat that distribution as provisional: HPA rates the tissue IHC pattern Uncertain because antibody staining has low consistency with RNA expression (HPA: reliability).

What am I looking at on my slide?
Cellular staining in adipocytes or adrenal glandular cells, with cytoplasmic signal and possible nuclear signal (HPA: tissue IHC).This resembles HPA's medium staining in those cells and its general nuclear and cytoplasmic tissue pattern (HPA: tissue IHC). Score the compartments separately. Cytoplasmic signal agrees with UniProt's location; nuclear signal agrees with HPA tissue IHC, but neither resolves HPA's Uncertain reliability rating (UniProt P60174: location; HPA: reliability).
A sharp membrane rim or extracellular deposit dominates the slide (UniProt P60174: topology and location).This is discordant with UniProt's cytoplasmic location and absence of a transmembrane segment, and with HPA's reported cellular pattern (UniProt P60174: location and topology; HPA: tissue IHC). Check an appropriate negative control and the chromogen distribution before calling it TPI1; a discordant compartment alone does not identify the artefact (general IHC practice).
Strong staining occurs mainly outside the HPA-listed medium-staining cell populations (HPA: tissue IHC).Consider antibody cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity and inspect control sections (general IHC practice). HPA lists no negative tissue or cell population, so staining elsewhere is a prompt to verify specificity, not proof of a false positive (HPA: tissue IHC). Compare cellular staining with nearby deposits and with a no-primary control (general IHC practice).
A diffuse haze covers cells and tissue spaces without a discernible cellular pattern (general IHC practice).Background can arise from nonspecific reagent binding, incomplete blocking or detection chemistry (general IHC practice). It cannot be scored as HPA's nuclear and cytoplasmic pattern until cell boundaries and compartments remain interpretable (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice). Compare with the no-primary control and assess whether background obscures the expected medium-level signal (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice).
No signal appears in a section containing adipocytes or adrenal glandular cells (HPA: Medium).Those cells are practical positive-reference populations because HPA reports medium staining, but its tissue IHC reliability is Uncertain (HPA: tissue IHC and reliability). A blank result warrants checks of antibody application, retrieval conditions, detection reagents and section integrity before a biological absence is inferred (general IHC practice). An HPA medium result is not a guaranteed result for every specimen (HPA: reliability).
💡Expected TPI1 appearanceCall a result provisionally consistent when adipocytes or adrenal glandular cells show discernible medium cellular staining, cytoplasmic with possible nuclear signal; treat dominant membrane rims, extracellular deposits or control-matched haze as suspect (HPA: tissue IHC and Uncertain reliability; UniProt P60174: location and topology; general IHC practice).
How each factor affects the staining
Compartment evidence (UniProt P60174: Cytoplasm; HPA: tissue IHC and ICC-IF).UniProt places TPI1 in the cytoplasm; HPA tissue IHC reports nuclear and cytoplasmic staining, while HPA ICC-IF approves a mainly nucleoplasmic location (UniProt P60174: location; HPA: tissue IHC and ICC-IF). Record nuclear and cytoplasmic signal separately. The IF observation informs interpretation but does not establish an IHC protocol or settle the uncertain tissue pattern (HPA: tissue IHC reliability).
Tissue comparison and validation (HPA: tissue IHC; HPA050924 and HPA053568).HPA reports medium staining in listed populations, but rates tissue IHC Uncertain; both listed antibodies have Uncertain IHC status (HPA: tissue IHC and antibodies). Use the listed populations as reference points for slide review, not as a verified sensitivity benchmark. The empty HPA negative list supplies no validated negative tissue (HPA: tissue IHC).
Protein topology and processing (UniProt P60174: topology and processing).TPI1 has no transmembrane segment or signal peptide, and UniProt records a chain spanning residues 2–249 (UniProt P60174: topology and processing). These facts support inspecting intracellular signal and questioning a dominant surface or extracellular pattern. They do not identify an antibody epitope or establish an effect of retrieval or fixation (UniProt P60174: record scope).
Isoforms and modified residues (UniProt P60174: isoforms and modifications).UniProt lists three isoforms and modified residues, including acetylation and phosphorylation (UniProt P60174: isoforms and modified residues). Without an epitope map for the antibody, this record cannot predict which isoforms it recognizes or whether a modification changes staining. Do not explain a weak or compartment-specific result by invoking a particular isoform or modification alone (UniProt P60174: record scope).
Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
SituationLikely causeNext action
Expected cellular signal is absent in an HPA-listed medium-staining population (HPA: tissue IHC).A failed staining step is possible; HPA's Uncertain rating also limits how confidently the reference population predicts an individual section (general IHC practice; HPA: reliability).Check section integrity, primary-antibody application, the established IHC-P retrieval procedure and detection reagents; include a documented positive-reference section in the same run (general IHC practice).
Nuclear staining appears alongside cytoplasmic staining (HPA: tissue IHC).HPA describes both compartments in tissue IHC and reports mainly nucleoplasmic ICC-IF signal, while UniProt lists cytoplasm (HPA: tissue IHC and ICC-IF; UniProt P60174: location).Score each compartment and its cell type separately; compare with no-primary controls. Keep the interpretation provisional because HPA rates tissue IHC Uncertain (general IHC practice; HPA: reliability).
Signal outlines membranes or pools outside cells (UniProt P60174: topology and location).That distribution conflicts with UniProt's cytoplasmic, non-transmembrane annotation; deposited chromogen or nonspecific staining may account for it (UniProt P60174: location and topology; general IHC practice).Inspect morphology and no-primary controls, then review washing and detection steps before counting the signal as positive (general IHC practice).
Unexpected cells stain more strongly than the listed medium-staining populations (HPA: tissue IHC).Cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity is possible; HPA supplies no validated negative population for a definitive exclusion call (general IHC practice; HPA: tissue IHC).Check no-primary controls and the relevant endogenous-enzyme control for the chromogenic method; compare cellular localisation with HPA's reported pattern (general IHC practice; HPA: tissue IHC).
Diffuse colour obscures cell boundaries or compartments (general IHC practice).Nonspecific reagent binding or detection background may obscure the cellular pattern (general IHC practice).Compare a no-primary section, then review blocking, washing and detection conditions; score only distinguishable cellular signal (general IHC practice).
Two antibody stains give conflicting tissue patterns (HPA: antibodies and tissue IHC).Both HPA-listed antibodies carry Uncertain IHC status, and the tissue profile has low consistency with RNA expression (HPA: antibodies and reliability).Document antibody identity, compartments and cell types for each stain; seek independent validation before assigning the discordance to TPI1 biology (HPA: reliability; general IHC practice).

Sample controls for TPI1 IHC & IF

🧪Run adipose tissue first and score staining in adipocyte cytoplasm; HPA rates adipocytes Medium (HPA: adipose tissue, Medium; UniProt P60174: cytoplasm). HPA detects TPI1 in all 45 scored tissues, so there is no supported negative tissue; use no-primary and isotype controls, and do not treat any cell type within the positive slide as a validated internal negative (HPA: no negative tissue rows; TPI1 detected in all 45 scored tissues).
Positive control tissue: Adipose tissue (Adipocytes, HPA Medium)
Negative control tissue: None in HPA: TPI1 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 TPI1 in HEK293, MCF-7, U2OS, NIH 3T3, with annotated localisation: Nucleoplasm (approved) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only slide, an isotype control matched to the primary antibody’s host species and clonality, and a TPI1 knockout sample as a biological negative. For adipose tissue, quench endogenous peroxidase for chromogenic IHC and assess tissue autofluorescence if using IF (standard IHC/IF practice).
⚠️Feasibility: The selected A02559-1 tissue-IHC caption explicitly reports formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded prostate carcinoma, but supplies no TPI1-specific fixation window or fixation effect (selected tissue-IHC caption: A02559-1). Retrieval dependence and whether frozen sections or IF are easier are unreported in the supplied evidence; optimize retrieval against matched controls (selected tissue-IHC caption: A02559-1). In paraffin adipose sections, lipid extraction can leave empty vacuoles and a thin rim of cytoplasm, so score adipocyte staining at the rim (standard histology practice; HPA: adipocytes, Medium).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for TPI1

Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Uncertain — Low 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

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
Adipose tissue Adipocytes Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Adrenal gland Glandular cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Breast Adipocytes Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Bronchus Respiratory epithelial cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Caudate Glial cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →

Undetected expression · recommended negative controls

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
None in HPA: TPI1 is detected in all 45 scored tissues. Use a no-primary (secondary-only) and an isotype control instead.
Section 3

Advanced TPI1 IHC Tips

Troubleshoot TPI1 staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, compartment, controls and scoring before interpreting differences in signal.

How should I retrieve TPI1 in paraffin sections when staining is weak?
Start with citrate buffer at pH 6.0, heated to 95–98 °C for 20 min (page retrieval setting). Allow slides to cool consistently, then compare a known staining section with a no-primary control in the same run (standard IHC practice). If staining remains weak, test a second retrieval condition on adjacent sections while holding antibody concentration and detection constant (standard IHC practice). Record both cytoplasmic signal and tissue damage, because TPI1 is annotated as cytoplasmic (UniProt P60174), while reported tissue staining includes nuclear signal of uncertain reliability (HPA tissue IHC: Uncertain).
Does fixation explain weak or uneven TPI1 staining?
The selected antibody has been shown on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded human prostate carcinoma, with peroxidase detection and DAB staining (A02559-1 tissue-IHC caption). That image does not establish how sensitive TPI1 staining is to fixation duration or alternative fixatives; target-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown (A02559-1 tissue-IHC caption). When sections differ, compare regions with similar preservation and exclude folds, detached tissue and visibly damaged areas before changing antibody conditions (standard IHC practice). Keep fixation and processing records with each sample, and run sections with different histories in a balanced staining batch so a processing difference is not mistaken for a biological one (standard IHC practice).
Should TPI1 staining be cytoplasmic, nuclear, or both?
Expect cytoplasmic staining as the primary localisation reference because TPI1 is annotated in the cytoplasm and has no transmembrane segment (UniProt P60174). Nuclear interpretation needs caution: tissue IHC reports general nuclear and cytoplasmic expression, but its reliability is uncertain because staining and RNA data have low consistency (HPA tissue IHC: Uncertain). The subcellular IF summary instead calls nucleoplasm the main location, so compare compartment patterns without treating either assay as proof of tissue localisation (HPA subcellular: Nucleoplasm; HPA tissue IHC: Uncertain). Score nuclear and cytoplasmic signal separately, using matched no-primary controls and intact cells to distinguish localisation from diffuse chromogen deposit (standard IHC practice).
Can epitope choice change which TPI1 signal I detect?
TPI1 has three annotated isoforms, while the selected antibody is described only as C-terminal in its tissue-IHC caption (UniProt P60174: isoforms 1–3; A02559-1 tissue-IHC caption). That description alone does not establish which isoforms it recognises or whether fixation exposes their epitopes equally (A02559-1 tissue-IHC caption). If staining differs across samples, check the antibody’s stated immunogen and isoform coverage before assigning a difference to expression (standard antibody-validation practice). TPI1 also has annotated modified residues, including phosphoserines at positions 21, 80 and 106; do not infer that these alter antibody binding without epitope and validation data (UniProt P60174).
How can IF help resolve an ambiguous TPI1 IHC pattern?
Use IF as a separate localisation check: TPI1 is annotated as cytoplasmic, whereas the HPA subcellular IF summary reports mainly nucleoplasmic signal (UniProt P60174; HPA subcellular: Nucleoplasm). Multiplex with a validated marker for the cell population being assessed, and include single-colour controls to separate overlapping signals (standard IF practice). Choose fluorophores in channels with low measured tissue autofluorescence, and inspect unstained sections before assigning faint signal to TPI1 (standard IF practice). Because TPI1 has no transmembrane segment, use permeabilisation appropriate for an intracellular epitope, then check whether it preserves morphology and both cytoplasmic and nuclear boundaries (UniProt P60174 topology; standard IF practice).
What should I adjust when TPI1 DAB staining looks diffuse?
Compare the stained section with no-primary and secondary-only controls to identify detection background before changing retrieval or antibody concentration (standard IHC practice). Block endogenous peroxidase before DAB development, and inspect whether brown signal follows tissue edges, folds or damaged regions (standard chromogenic IHC practice). If background persists, optimise blocking, washing and primary incubation on adjacent sections while keeping DAB development time identical (standard IHC practice). TPI1 is a cytoplasmic metabolic enzyme, but the HPA tissue profile also reports nuclear staining with uncertain reliability; diffuse brown colour alone is therefore insufficient to assign a compartment or positive cell (UniProt P60174; HPA tissue IHC: Uncertain).
How should I score TPI1 staining across sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cell population and compartment before scoring, then report cytoplasmic and nuclear staining separately because their supporting localisation evidence differs (UniProt P60174: Cytoplasm; HPA tissue IHC: Uncertain). For cell-level staining, record the percentage of positive cells and intensity, or calculate an H-score from intensity categories using the same thresholds across batches (standard IHC scoring practice). For a spatial readout, report positive-cell density per mm² of viable, analysable tissue and document excluded regions (standard image-analysis practice). Normalise comparisons to the counted cells or viable tissue area, and use a shared reference section to monitor staining drift between runs (standard IHC practice).
When is an apparent TPI1-positive region likely to be artefactual?
Give greatest weight to reproducible staining in intact cell cytoplasm, consistent with TPI1’s annotated location and intracellular topology (UniProt P60174: Cytoplasm; UniProt P60174 topology). Treat isolated nuclear signal cautiously because HPA reports nuclear staining but rates its tissue IHC evidence uncertain (HPA tissue IHC: Uncertain). Check whether the apparent positive region instead tracks a tissue edge, necrotic area, fold or endogenous peroxidase signal seen in a control section (standard chromogenic IHC practice). The selected antibody’s prostate carcinoma image demonstrates an IHC application, but its caption does not establish clinical meaning; interpret differences only after controls and tissue preservation support them (A02559-1 tissue-IHC caption; standard IHC practice).
Boster reagents

Best TPI1 / Triosephosphate isomerase IHC Antibodies

The IHC-validated anti-TPI1 antibody has an image from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded human prostate carcinoma (A02559-1 image caption). Listed reactivity includes human, mouse, and rat (catalog: reactivity).

Real IHC data Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded human prostate carcinoma reacted with TPI1 Antibody (C-term), which was peroxidase-conjugated to the secondary antibody, followed by DAB staining. This data demonstrates the use of this antibody for immunohistochemistry; clinical relevance has not been evaluated.
Anti-TPI1 Antibody (C-term)
Cat # A02559-1

A02559-1 will render with a DAB-stained IHC image of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded human prostate carcinoma (A02559-1 image caption). It lists IHC-P among its applications and human, mouse, and rat reactivity (catalog: applications; reactivity).

Which to pick: Choose A02559-1 for tissue IHC: it is rabbit polyclonal (catalog: host; dilution_raw), lists IHC-P (catalog: applications), and its own image documents formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded human prostate carcinoma (A02559-1 image caption). For IF/ICC, A02559-1 has no listed IF/ICC application or IF image (catalog: applications; IF images). For cross-species work, A02559-1 lists human, mouse, and rat reactivity, while its IHC image documents only a human specimen (catalog: reactivity; A02559-1 image caption).

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

References

  1. UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P60174 (TPIS_HUMAN, Triosephosphate isomerase).
  2. Human Protein Atlas. TPI1 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Uncertain).
  3. Human Protein Atlas. TPI1 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to the nucleoplasm..
  4. Human Protein Atlas. TPI1 antibody validation summary (2 antibodies).
  5. Glycolysis- and immune-related novel prognostic biomarkers of Ewing's sarcoma: glucuronic acid epimerase and triosephosphate isomerase 1. Aging 2021 — PMC8312448.
  6. TPI1 Loss Triggers a Metabolite-Driven Mitochondrial Redox Vulnerability via the SARM1-cADPR-Ca(2+) Axis. Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) 2026 — PMC13379248.
  7. Identification of TPI1 As a potential therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer with dependency of TP53 mutation using multi-omics analysis. Cancer science 2024 — PMC11531968.
  8. Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Revealed That the Enrichment of TPI1(+) Malignant Hepatocytes Was Linked to HCC Metastasis and Immunosuppressive Microenvironment. Journal of hepatocellular carcinoma 2024 — PMC10896104.
  9. PubMed PMID:2579079 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  10. PubMed PMID:4022011 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  11. PubMed PMID:8723724 — UniProt-cited evidence.