TPR / Nucleoprotein TPR · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for TPR

This IHC-P guide uses the observed nuclear and nuclear membranous tissue pattern to plan TPR staining and scoring (HPA tissue IHC). It also flags mitotic redistribution when interpreting cells with atypical staining (UniProt).

Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for TPR (IHC for TPR): expected localisation Nuclear and nuclear membranous staining (HPA tissue IHC), antibody A00695-1, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps
Printable TPR IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Nuclear and nuclear membranous staining (HPA tissue IHC), antibody A00695-1, controls and protocol steps. Open the full TPR IHC guide →

TPR 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 and nuclear membranous staining (HPA tissue IHC)
Staining pattern Ubiquitous nuclear and nuclear membranous staining (HPA tissue IHC)
Antigen retrieval Citrate pH 6 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A00695-1)
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 consistent across sections (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Matched tissue-IHC evidence does not establish the fixation claim. Validate the specimen-specific method before use. (selected-SKU IHC image A00695-1)
Caveat Mitotic TPR redistributes to the spindle (UniProt)
Regulation No expression regulator established (UniProt)
Isoform / epitope 2 isoforms; epitope differences unreported (UniProt)
Section 1

Recommended TPR IHC & IF Protocols

The catalog antibody's IHC-P protocol (datasheet A00695-1) is accompanied by four published TPR tissue IHC protocols (PMC13109368; PMC5862582; PMC8078762; PMC8225803).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
SampleParaffin-embedded human lung cancer tissues; fixative not specified (datasheet A00695-1)
FixationImage fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A00695-1); verify before use.
Sectioning4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard)
DeparaffinisationXylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard)
Antigen retrievalHeat retrieval: Citrate pH 6, 20 min (datasheet A00695-1)
Peroxidase block3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard)
Blocking10% goat serum (datasheet A00695-1)
Primary antibodyRabbit anti-TPR, 0.5-1μg/ml (datasheet A00695-1)
Primary incubationOvernight at 4 °C (datasheet A00695-1)
DetectionStreptavidin-biotin complex (SABC), DAB chromogen (datasheet A00695-1)
CounterstainHematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected resultTPR-positive staining in glandular cells of adrenal gland (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Ubiquitous nuclear and nuclear membranous expression. No signal in the no-primary control.
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated citrate retrieval at pH 6 (datasheet A00695-1); two published protocols specify 15 min of microwave heating (PMC13109368; PMC8225803).
Section 2

What Is the Expected TPR Staining Pattern?

TPR should stain the nuclear membrane and nucleus across many cell types in paraffin IHC sections (HPA: ubiquitous nuclear and nuclear membranous expression). Its interphase position at the nuclear pore complex supports a nuclear rim pattern (UniProt P12270: nuclear basket localization). High staining is reported in several glandular, hematopoietic, neuronal and glial populations (HPA: tissue IHC). Tissue IHC reliability is Enhanced, with high consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression (HPA: reliability).

What am I looking at on my slide?
Nuclear rim staining, with some intranuclear signal, in colon glandular cells.This fits the reported nuclear membranous and nuclear pattern (HPA: tissue IHC) in a high-staining cell population (HPA: colon glandular cells, High). Assess the rim against nuclear morphology and the counterstain; a uniformly filled nucleus alone is less specific for the expected rim pattern (HPA: tissue IHC).
Strong staining confined mainly to cytoplasm, without a nuclear rim.Treat this as a compartment mismatch for an interphase tissue section: the observed IHC profile is nuclear and nuclear membranous (HPA: tissue IHC). UniProt also lists cytoplasmic and spindle locations, including mitotic redistribution (UniProt P12270: subcellular location); review cell-cycle context before assigning a cytoplasmic signal to artefact.
Strong staining in cells outside the expected high-staining population, while the expected cells remain weak.For example, cholangiocytes are reported as Low, whereas several glandular populations are High (HPA: tissue IHC). An unexpected cell-type reversal warrants checks for cross-reactivity or endogenous chromogenic activity (general IHC practice). HPA's listed cells are examples, not an exhaustive map of negative cell types (HPA: tissue IHC).
Diffuse chromogen covers nuclei, cytoplasm and tissue spaces.A broad, compartment-independent deposit obscures the reported nuclear and nuclear membranous distribution (HPA: tissue IHC). Check background with appropriate negative controls and review blocking, antibody concentration and detection chemistry (general IHC practice). Do not score diffuse deposit as TPR-positive cells without a discernible cellular pattern.
No staining in a section containing an expected high-staining population.Absent signal in colon glandular cells or bone-marrow hematopoietic cells conflicts with their reported High staining (HPA: tissue IHC). First review section quality, detection controls and the antibody's IHC validation (general IHC practice; HPA: IHC Enhanced for HPA019661, HPA019663 and HPA024336). A blank slide alone does not establish absent TPR expression.
💡Expected TPR appearanceCall a positive result when a recognizable nuclear rim, potentially with nuclear signal, appears in an expected high-staining cell population (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt P12270: nuclear basket); intense compartment-independent deposit or cytoplasm-only staining should prompt review before scoring (general IHC practice; HPA: tissue IHC).
How each factor affects the staining
Which cells make useful positive references?Colon glandular cells, bone-marrow hematopoietic cells and cerebellar Bergmann glia nuclei are reported High (HPA: tissue IHC). Choose a reference whose cell identity is clear on the section (general IHC practice).
How should low staining be interpreted?Cholangiocytes are listed as Low, not negative (HPA: liver cholangiocytes). A faint result there is less informative as a failure check than an absent result in a reported High population (HPA: tissue IHC).
What does antibody validation establish?HPA019661, HPA019663 and HPA024336 each have Enhanced IHC status (HPA: antibody validation). HPA reports high agreement between tissue staining and RNA expression (HPA: reliability); this supports the overall pattern, not every deposit on an individual slide.
Do isoforms or modifications change the expected slide pattern?Two isoforms and modified residues are recorded (UniProt P12270: isoforms and modified residues). The supplied evidence does not assign a distinct IHC pattern or antibody epitope to either isoform (UniProt P12270; HPA: antibody data), so avoid isoform-specific interpretation.
Is a TPR-specific antigen-retrieval or fixation effect established?No target-specific retrieval response or fixation sensitivity is supplied (UniProt P12270; HPA: tissue IHC). Select and verify retrieval conditions using the chosen antibody's validated IHC procedure and section controls (general IHC practice).
What should IF/ICC show?HPA reports an enhanced nuclear-membrane location in ICC-IF images from A-431, U-251MG, U2OS and KOLF2.1J cells (HPA: subcellular). This supports a nuclear-rim localization check for IF/ICC (HPA: subcellular); IF/ICC procedure selection belongs to its separate guide.
Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
SituationLikely causeNext action
Expected high-staining cells are blank.The result conflicts with reported High tissue staining (HPA: tissue IHC); a failed staining run is one possibility (general IHC practice).Confirm cell identity and section quality, then inspect positive and detection controls and the selected antibody's validated IHC procedure (general IHC practice).
Signal appears only in cytoplasm.That differs from the usual nuclear and nuclear membranous IHC profile (HPA: tissue IHC), although mitotic TPR can associate with spindle structures (UniProt P12270: subcellular location).Check nuclear boundaries and mitotic morphology; compare with a known high-staining reference before scoring the cytoplasmic signal (general IHC practice; HPA: tissue IHC).
The nuclear rim is hidden by widespread brown deposit.Diffuse background can conceal compartment localization (general IHC practice; HPA: nuclear and nuclear membranous profile).Review negative controls, blocking, antibody concentration and chromogenic detection; score only interpretable cells after background is resolved (general IHC practice).
Unexpected cells stain strongly but reference cells do not.Cross-reactivity or endogenous chromogenic activity may account for a reversed cell pattern (general IHC practice); HPA lists high and low examples, not a complete negative-cell list (HPA: tissue IHC).Compare the named cell populations on the same or a reference section and inspect appropriate reagent controls before assigning TPR positivity (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice).
A low-staining liver cell population seems negative.Cholangiocytes are reported Low, so their faint signal can be difficult to judge (HPA: liver cholangiocytes; general IHC practice).Use a reported High cell population to assess run performance instead of treating cholangiocytes as a negative or decisive positive control (HPA: tissue IHC).
The pattern differs between antibodies.An individual reagent or staining run may account for disagreement; three listed antibodies carry Enhanced IHC status (HPA: antibody validation; general IHC practice).Compare nuclear-rim localization and cell-type distribution under each antibody's validated conditions, then resolve discrepancies with controls before interpreting the section (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice).

Sample controls for TPR IHC & IF

🧪Run adrenal gland first: glandular cells should show TPR staining at the nuclear envelope (HPA: High in adrenal gland glandular cells; HPA subcellular: nuclear membrane). HPA detects TPR in all 45 scored tissues, so no negative tissue is identified; use no-primary and isotype controls, and expect cells on those slides to show counterstain without specific staining (HPA: no negative tissue rows; standard IHC practice).
Positive control tissue: Adrenal gland (Glandular cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: None in HPA: TPR 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 TPR in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, KOLF2.1J, with annotated localisation: Nuclear membrane (enhanced) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only slide and a concentration-matched rabbit isotype control; validate biological specificity with TPR knockout material if available (A00695-1 caption: rabbit primary antibody; standard IHC practice). Quench endogenous peroxidase for DAB detection and check endogenous biotin background because the caption uses a streptavidin–biotin complex (A00695-1 caption: SABC with DAB; standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: The selected paraffin-section caption reports citrate retrieval at pH 6 for 20 minutes, but does not report the fixative; no target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is supplied (A00695-1 caption). Retrieval is therefore a documented starting condition, while the evidence does not establish whether frozen sections or IF are easier; HPA ICC-IF places TPR at the nuclear membrane (A00695-1 caption; HPA subcellular: nuclear membrane). In adrenal gland, assess any brown background with the secondary-only control before scoring glandular cells, particularly with the caption’s biotin-based detection (A00695-1 caption: SABC with DAB; standard IHC practice).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for TPR

Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Enhanced — High 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

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
Adrenal gland Glandular cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Bone marrow Hematopoietic cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Bronchus Ciliated cells (cell body) High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Caudate Neuronal cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Cerebellum Bergmann glia - nucleus High Protein (IHC) HPA →

Undetected expression · recommended negative controls

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

Advanced TPR IHC Tips

Troubleshoot TPR staining by checking retrieval, nuclear envelope localisation, and cell-specific controls before interpreting chromogenic signal.

How should I retrieve TPR in paraffin sections when nuclear staining is weak?
Start with heat-mediated citrate buffer at pH 6 for 20 minutes (datasheet A00695-1). The catalog antibody produced a TPR signal in a paraffin section of human lung cancer tissue using that retrieval method, although the caption does not state the fixative (datasheet A00695-1). Compare a retrieved section with a no-retrieval section and keep antibody concentration and chromogen development constant so the retrieval effect is interpretable (standard IHC practice). If staining remains weak, optimise heating and cooling consistently across sections before testing an alternative buffer as a fallback (standard IHC practice). Judge improvement by nuclear and nuclear membranous signal rather than stronger staining everywhere (HPA: tissue IHC profile).
Could fixation explain weak or uneven TPR staining in my paraffin sections?
Target-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown: the catalog tissue-IHC caption describes a paraffin section but does not report its fixative (datasheet A00695-1). Record the fixative, fixation duration, tissue thickness, and processing history for each specimen, then compare sections processed alike (standard IHC practice). Use the documented citrate pH 6, 20-minute retrieval as a common starting condition when assessing staining differences (datasheet A00695-1). Avoid assigning a fixation effect to TPR from its nuclear pore location or modified residues; those annotations do not establish fixation sensitivity (UniProt P12270; standard IHC interpretation). Assess preserved nuclear morphology alongside staining, because damaged areas can mislead chromogenic scoring (standard IHC practice).
Should TPR appear at the nuclear rim or throughout the nucleus?
Expect nuclear and nuclear membranous staining in tissue sections, with the nuclear envelope pattern carrying particular weight (HPA: tissue IHC profile; HPA: enhanced nuclear membrane location). TPR occupies the nucleoplasmic side of the nuclear pore basket in interphase, while the record also describes intranuclear foci and context-dependent cytoplasmic or mitotic structures (UniProt P12270 localisation). Interpret diffuse nuclear signal against a matched positive section rather than treating every non-rim pixel as artefact (HPA: tissue IHC profile; standard IHC practice). Examine intact nuclei at high magnification and compare staining with the counterstain and adjacent unstained controls (standard IHC practice). Predominantly extracellular or structureless cytoplasmic DAB staining warrants renewed background assessment (HPA: tissue IHC profile; standard IHC interpretation).
Can alternative isoforms or epitope masking change the TPR IHC pattern?
TPR has 2 annotated isoforms, but the supplied antibody caption does not map its epitope or establish isoform selectivity (UniProt P12270 isoforms; datasheet A00695-1). Do not label a staining difference as isoform-specific without independent epitope and isoform evidence (standard IHC interpretation). The record lists modified residues, including acetyllysines and phosphoserine, yet it provides no evidence that these modifications alter this antibody's tissue staining (UniProt P12270 modified residues). If nuclear signal varies between sections, first compare retrieval, processing, and background under matched conditions (standard IHC practice). Report the observed compartment and cell population separately from any proposed isoform or modification mechanism (standard IHC interpretation).
How can IF help resolve ambiguous TPR nuclear-envelope staining?
For a separate IF experiment, co-stain TPR with a validated marker of the expected cell population, such as a ciliated-cell marker when examining bronchial ciliated cells (HPA: bronchus ciliated cells, High; standard IF practice). Select fluorophores after inspecting unstained tissue autofluorescence, and place the weaker signal in a channel with a favourable signal-to-background ratio (standard IF practice). Because interphase TPR is anchored on the nucleoplasmic side of the nuclear pore, validate permeabilisation sufficient to access that side of the nuclear envelope (UniProt P12270 localisation; standard IF practice). Include single-label controls for spectral bleed-through and compare the TPR rim with a nuclear counterstain (standard IF practice). Treat IF colocalisation as supportive spatial evidence rather than proof of antibody specificity (standard IF interpretation).
How do I reduce diffuse DAB or false nuclear-rim staining?
The catalog tissue-IHC example used 10% goat serum blocking, 1 µg/ml primary antibody overnight at 4°C, and a biotin-based DAB detection sequence (datasheet A00695-1). Start troubleshooting with a no-primary control, a peroxidase block, and matched chromogen development across sections (standard chromogenic IHC practice). If background persists, review blocking, antibody concentration, washing, and potential endogenous biotin contribution in the chosen detection system (standard IHC practice). Compare background in damaged tissue and section edges with staining in intact, counterstained nuclei (standard IHC practice). A credible TPR pattern should align with nuclear or nuclear membranous localisation rather than indiscriminate DAB deposition (HPA: tissue IHC profile).
What is a defensible way to score TPR IHC across specimens? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the scored compartment as nuclear and nuclear membranous before examining group differences (HPA: tissue IHC profile; standard IHC practice). For each prespecified cell population, record the percentage of positive intact nuclei and an intensity category, then calculate an H-score if intensity is reproducible (standard IHC scoring practice). Normalise positive counts to all evaluable nuclei in that population, or report positive-cell density per mm² of evaluable tissue when area is the denominator (standard IHC scoring practice). Exclude necrosis, folds, and section edges using the same rules for every specimen (standard IHC practice). Report retrieval and detection conditions with the score, since the catalog example uses citrate pH 6 retrieval and DAB (datasheet A00695-1).
How can I distinguish true TPR positivity from tissue artefact?
Give greatest weight to signal in intact nuclear envelopes and nuclei within an identifiable cell population (HPA: tissue IHC profile; HPA: enhanced nuclear membrane location). Compare the pattern with a matched no-primary control and check whether DAB also accumulates at edges, in necrotic material, or where endogenous enzyme activity could contribute (standard chromogenic IHC practice). Predominantly extracellular staining is inconsistent with the reported TPR compartments and calls for technical review (UniProt P12270 localisation; standard IHC interpretation). A weak cell population is not automatically negative: HPA reports low staining in liver cholangiocytes and a broadly nuclear tissue profile (HPA: liver cholangiocytes, Low; HPA: tissue IHC profile). Base a positive call on reproducible compartment-specific staining across evaluable cells (standard IHC interpretation).
Boster reagents

Best TPR / Nucleoprotein TPR IHC Antibodies

Both anti-TPR antibodies have paraffin-section IHC images from human, mouse and rat samples (catalog: IHC image captions); IF images cover tissue sections and cultured cells (catalog: IF image captions).

Real IHC data IHC analysis of TPR using anti-TPR antibody (A00695-1). TPR was detected in paraffin-embedded section of human lung cancer tissues. Heat mediated antigen retrieval was performed in citrate buffer (pH6, epitope retrieval solution) for 20 mins. The tissue section was blocked with 10% goat serum. The tissue section was then incubated with 1μg/ml rabbit anti-TPR Antibody (A00695-1) overnight at 4°C. Biotinylated goat anti-rabbit IgG was used as secondary antibody and incubated for 30 minutes at 37°C. The tissue section was developed using Strepavidin-Biotin-Complex (SABC)(Catalog # SA1022) with DAB as the chromogen.
Anti-TPR Antibody ®
Cat # A00695-1
Real IHC data IHC analysis of TPR using anti-TPR antibody (A00695-2). TPR was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of human colorectal 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-TPR Antibody (A00695-2) 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-TPR Antibody ®
Cat # A00695-2

A00695-1 has IHC images from human lung cancer, mouse brain and kidney, and rat spleen, plus IF images from human intestinal cancer and mouse brain sections (catalog: A00695-1 image captions). A00695-2 has IHC images from human colorectal cancer, mouse brain and rat brain sections, plus IF images from SiHa and CACO-2 cells (catalog: A00695-2 image captions).

Which to pick: For paraffin-section IHC, choose A00695-1 when using citrate retrieval at pH 6, or A00695-2 when using EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 (catalog: each SKU’s IHC image captions); fixation is unreported in both captions. For IF in tissue sections, A00695-1 has image evidence; for ICC/IF in cultured cells, A00695-2 has image evidence (catalog: IF image captions and application lists). Both list human, mouse and rat reactivity and have IHC images from all three species; clonality is unreported for both (catalog: reactivity, IHC image captions and clone fields).

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

References

  1. UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P12270 (TPR_HUMAN, Nucleoprotein TPR).
  2. Human Protein Atlas. TPR tissue IHC expression (reliability: Enhanced).
  3. Human Protein Atlas. TPR subcellular location (ICC-IF): Localized to the nuclear membrane..
  4. Human Protein Atlas. TPR antibody validation summary (3 antibodies).
  5. Nucleoporin TPR integrates MAPK signaling with mitogen-induced transcriptional programs. Cell death & disease 2026 — PMC13109368.
  6. Colorectal cancer cells require glycogen synthase kinase-3β for sustaining mitosis via translocated promoter region (TPR)-dynein interaction. Oncotarget 2018 — PMC5862582.
  7. Nucleoporin TPR (translocated promoter region, nuclear basket protein) upregulation alters MTOR-HSF1 trails and suppresses autophagy induction in ependymoma. Autophagy 2021 — PMC8078762.
  8. The human nucleoporin Tpr protects cells from RNA-mediated replication stress. Nature communications 2021 — PMC8225803.
  9. PubMed PMID:1549355 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  10. PubMed PMID:1437155 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  11. PubMed PMID:7798308 — UniProt-cited evidence.