USP7 / Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase 7 · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for USP7

Plan USP7 staining in paraffin sections around the mainly nuclear tissue pattern (HPA tissue IHC). Start with the catalog antibody at 0.5–1 μg/mL (datasheet: M01239-1) and compare nuclear staining across consistently fixed sections.

Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for USP7 (IHC for USP7): expected localisation Mainly nuclear tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC), antibody M01239-1, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps
Printable USP7 IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Mainly nuclear tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC), antibody M01239-1, controls and protocol steps. Open the full USP7 IHC guide →

USP7 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 Mainly nuclear tissue staining (HPA tissue IHC)
Staining pattern Mainly nuclear staining across several tissue types (HPA tissue IHC)
Antigen retrieval EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet M01239-1)
Positive control ⓘ Adrenal gland+4 more · see all
Negative control ⓘ Smooth muscle+2 more · see all
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
Fixation Keep fixation consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific)
Caveat Antibody staining and RNA show medium consistency (HPA tissue IHC)
Regulation Overexpressed in prostate cancer (UniProt)
Isoform / epitope 3 isoforms; epitope coverage is unspecified (UniProt)
Section 1

Recommended USP7 IHC & IF Protocols

The catalog antibody's IHC-P protocol (datasheet M01239-1) is accompanied by published USP7 paraffin-section methods (PMC9640964; PMC4803273).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
SampleParaffin-embedded human lung cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet M01239-1)
FixationImage fixative and duration unreported (datasheet M01239-1); 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 M01239-1); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard)
Peroxidase block3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard)
Blocking10% goat serum (datasheet M01239-1)
Primary antibodyMouse monoclonal (clone 5E2) anti-USP7, 0.5-1μg/ml (datasheet M01239-1)
Primary incubationOvernight at 4 °C (datasheet M01239-1)
DetectionStreptavidin-biotin complex (SABC), DAB chromogen (datasheet M01239-1)
CounterstainHematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected resultUSP7-positive staining in glandular cells of adrenal gland (HPA tissue IHC: Medium). HPA tissue profile: Mainly nuclear expression in several different tissue types. No signal in the no-primary control.
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval (datasheet M01239-1); optimize the primary dilution for the tissue (standard IHC practice).
Section 2

What Is the Expected USP7 Staining Pattern?

USP7 should appear mainly in nuclei across several tissue types, with signal in the cell populations HPA reports as positive, including glandular, respiratory epithelial, neuronal and glial cells (HPA: tissue IHC profile). Cytoplasmic signal can occur, but a purely cytoplasmic pattern needs scrutiny (UniProt Q93009: nucleus and cytoplasm). USP7 has no transmembrane segment (UniProt Q93009: topology). HPA rates its tissue IHC data Approved, with medium consistency between staining and RNA expression (HPA: tissue IHC reliability).

What am I looking at on my slide?
Brown nuclear staining in glandular cells of colon or duodenum, with some nuclei stronger than others (HPA: Medium in both cell populations).This matches the reported mainly nuclear tissue pattern (HPA: tissue IHC profile). Score the proportion and intensity of stained target cells against nearby background; HPA’s Medium category describes its observations and is not a universal scoring threshold (HPA: tissue IHC levels; general IHC practice).
Signal is exclusively cytoplasmic, or outlines cell membranes while nuclei remain clear.A cytoplasmic component is biologically plausible (UniProt Q93009: cytoplasm), but cytoplasm-only or membrane-dominant staining does not match the mainly nuclear tissue IHC profile (HPA: tissue IHC profile; UniProt Q93009: no transmembrane segment). Check whether the pattern persists with a separately validated antibody before assigning it to USP7 (general IHC practice).
Strong staining appears in smooth muscle cells, soft-tissue fibroblasts or spleen red-pulp cells (HPA: Not detected in these sampled populations).Treat the mismatch as a specificity warning, especially if expected nuclear staining is absent elsewhere on the section (HPA: tissue IHC profile). Cross-reactivity or endogenous detection activity are possible explanations, not conclusions from one slide (general IHC practice). HPA’s observations do not prove that every specimen of these cell types must be negative (HPA: tissue IHC data).
A broad brown haze covers tissue structures and blank areas, obscuring nuclear boundaries.This distribution cannot be scored as USP7-positive nuclei (HPA: mainly nuclear tissue IHC profile). Diffuse background may reflect nonspecific reagent binding, endogenous chromogenic activity or detection conditions (general IHC practice). Compare a no-primary control and inspect whether the deposit follows cells or extends into cell-free areas (general IHC practice).
No nuclear signal is visible in colon or duodenal glandular cells (HPA: Medium in these sampled populations).A negative result there conflicts with the HPA examples, but cannot by itself establish absent USP7 or a failed assay (HPA: tissue IHC levels and Approved reliability). Confirm that the section contains the expected cells and that controls worked; then reassess staining conditions using the IHC-validated antibody’s instructions (general IHC practice).
💡Expected USP7 appearanceCall a section positive when identifiable target cells show predominantly nuclear chromogen, typically around HPA’s Medium level in its listed positive examples; diffuse haze or membrane-only staining is suspect (HPA: tissue IHC profile and levels; UniProt Q93009: topology).
How each factor affects the staining
Cell population and reference tissueHPA reports Medium staining in colon and duodenal glandular cells, bronchial respiratory epithelium, caudate neurons and cerebral-cortex glia; it reports Low staining in lung macrophages and Not detected in sampled smooth muscle cells (HPA: tissue IHC levels). Choose the reference cell population explicitly, because a whole-tissue average can conceal a weak or absent population (general IHC practice).
Antibody validation scopeHPA lists Approved IHC results for HPA015641 and CAB008108, with medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA data at the tissue-profile level (HPA: antibody validation; tissue IHC reliability). Approved supports use as a reference pattern; it is not proof that every brown deposit is specific (general IHC practice). CAB079904 is listed as Supported for ICC, without an IHC status in the supplied record (HPA: antibody validation).
Protein form and epitope coverageUSP7 has 3 reported isoforms, and the listed protein chain spans residues 1–1102 without a signal peptide, propeptide or transmembrane segment (UniProt Q93009: isoforms, processing and topology). The supplied record gives no antibody epitope, so it cannot establish which isoforms an antibody detects or predict a staining difference from epitope position (UniProt Q93009: supplied record).
IF/ICC Q: What pattern should a separate IF assay show?A: Mainly nucleoplasmic signal, with possible nuclear-body and cytosolic signal (HPA: supported ICC-IF locations). UniProt also places USP7 in nuclei, cytoplasm and a minority of ND10 nuclear bodies (UniProt Q93009: subcellular location). HPA lists ICC-IF images from U2OS and KOLF2.1J and marks CAB079904 Supported for ICC (HPA: subcellular and antibody records). These IF observations inform localisation, not an IHC protocol choice.
Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
SituationLikely causeNext action
Expected cells show weak nuclear chromogen, making scoring uncertain (HPA: Medium in colon and duodenal glandular cells).Cell identification, detection settings or the chosen reference section may limit interpretation (general IHC practice); target-specific fixation sensitivity is unreported in the supplied sources.Verify the cell population and run a documented positive section alongside the sample. Review the IHC-validated antibody’s staining conditions, including retrieval and dilution, without assuming a USP7-specific retrieval requirement (general IHC practice).
Cytoplasm dominates while nuclei lack a clear signal.Some cytoplasmic USP7 is plausible (UniProt Q93009: cytoplasm), but this differs from the mainly nuclear IHC profile (HPA: tissue IHC profile).Check nuclear boundaries with the counterstain and compare a second, independently validated IHC antibody if available; record cytoplasmic and nuclear scores separately (general IHC practice).
A reported Not detected cell population stains strongly (HPA: smooth muscle cells, soft-tissue fibroblasts or spleen red-pulp cells).The result may reflect cross-reactivity or endogenous chromogenic activity; a single mismatch does not identify which (general IHC practice).Compare a no-primary control and an HPA-listed positive cell population on the same run. Investigate persistent cell-specific staining with an independent IHC antibody (general IHC practice; HPA: tissue IHC examples).
Brown deposit is diffuse across tissue or appears outside cells.Background from nonspecific binding, endogenous activity or detection reagents can obscure the mainly nuclear pattern (general IHC practice; HPA: tissue IHC profile).Inspect the no-primary control; review blocking, endogenous-enzyme quenching, washes and detection conditions before scoring nuclei (general IHC practice).
A reference section has no visible staining in its expected positive cells (HPA: Medium in colon or duodenal glandular cells).The run may have failed, or the sampled section may lack the expected cells; HPA’s Approved profile has medium consistency with RNA data (general IHC practice; HPA: tissue IHC reliability).Check section identity and morphology, then confirm control performance and the catalog antibody’s IHC-P conditions before interpreting the specimen as negative (general IHC practice).

Sample controls for USP7 IHC & IF

🧪Run bronchus first and look for staining in respiratory epithelial cells (Medium; HPA: bronchus). Run smooth muscle as the negative tissue (HPA: smooth muscle cells not detected). On the bronchus slide, assess smooth muscle as a candidate internal negative; it should lack specific USP7 staining, but confirm this in the same specimen (HPA: smooth muscle cells not detected).
Positive control tissue: Adrenal gland (Glandular cells, HPA Medium)
Negative control tissue: Smooth muscle (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show USP7 in U2OS, KOLF2.1J, with annotated localisation: Nucleoplasm (supported) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only control and a mouse immunoglobulin isotype control matched to the catalog antibody when its isotype is known (caption: mouse primary antibody). Use a USP7 knockout specimen as a biological negative, or peptide competition if the relevant peptide is available. For the bronchus slide, quench endogenous peroxidase and check for endogenous biotin background because the caption uses biotin-based DAB detection (caption: biotinylated secondary, SABC and DAB).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window and fixation effect are unreported, and the selected M01239-1 paraffin-section caption does not state a fixative (caption: fixative unreported). Start with heat retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0, as used in that IHC caption; whether USP7 staining depends on retrieval has not been established by the supplied evidence. The supplied evidence does not establish whether frozen sections or IF are easier than paraffin IHC; in bronchus, distinguish intracellular staining from signal over airway mucus or debris (HPA: bronchus respiratory epithelial cells; standard IHC practice).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for USP7

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

Positive expression · recommended positive controls

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
Adrenal gland Glandular cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Appendix Glandular cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Bronchus Respiratory epithelial cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Caudate Neuronal cells Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →
Cerebellum Cells in molecular layer Medium Protein (IHC) HPA →

Undetected expression · recommended negative controls

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

Advanced USP7 IHC Tips

Troubleshoot USP7 staining in paraffin sections by checking retrieval, compartment, cell type and controls before interpreting chromogenic signal.

Which retrieval conditions should I try first for weak USP7 staining?
Start with heat-mediated retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 (datasheet M01239-1). The catalog antibody detected USP7 in a paraffin section of human lung cancer tissue after that retrieval, followed by 1 μg/ml primary antibody overnight at 4°C (datasheet M01239-1). If staining remains weak, compare retrieval heating and cooling conditions on matched sections while keeping antibody concentration and DAB development constant (standard IHC practice). Judge improvement by interpretable nuclear staining and preserved tissue morphology; the expected pattern is mainly nuclear, with possible cytosolic signal (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular).
Could fixation explain weak or uneven USP7 staining?
Target-specific sensitivity to fixation is unknown: the selected caption identifies a paraffin section but does not state its fixative (datasheet M01239-1). Record the fixative and processing history, then compare similarly processed sections before changing retrieval or antibody concentration (standard IHC practice). If formalin fixation is part of your workflow, assess suspected overfixation or uneven penetration through tissue morphology and a separately validated control stain; these observations do not establish a USP7-specific fixation effect (standard IHC practice). Keep EDTA at pH 8.0 as the initial USP7 retrieval condition, and interpret weak staining only alongside a processed positive control (datasheet M01239-1; standard IHC practice).
How should I assess cytoplasmic or punctate USP7 signal in IHC?
Expect predominantly nuclear staining across several tissue types (HPA tissue IHC); USP7 also has supported nucleoplasmic, nuclear-body and cytosolic locations (HPA subcellular). In the selected chromogenic example, the antibody was applied to paraffin-section human lung cancer tissue at 1 μg/ml overnight at 4°C (datasheet M01239-1). Score nuclear and cytoplasmic staining separately, using the counterstain to define nuclei and adjacent no-primary sections to check nonspecific colour (standard IHC practice). Treat apparent nuclear puncta cautiously: USP7 occurs in only a minority of ND10 bodies, and ordinary chromogenic IHC does not establish colocalisation with PML (UniProt Q93009, PubMed:9034339; standard IHC practice).
Can this stain distinguish USP7 isoforms or modified epitopes?
USP7 has 3 listed isoforms and a 1–1102 amino-acid canonical chain, with MATH at 68–195 and USP at 214–521 (UniProt Q93009). The supplied caption gives staining conditions but no antibody epitope, so staining cannot be assigned to an isoform or domain from this evidence (datasheet M01239-1). Phosphorylation and acetylation sites are annotated, but their effects on recognition by this antibody are unknown (UniProt Q93009; datasheet M01239-1). For an isoform-specific claim, obtain epitope mapping and validate it with an appropriate isoform control; meanwhile, report the result as USP7 immunoreactivity (standard IHC practice).
How can IF help verify cell identity and USP7 compartment?
Use IF as a complementary check, while keeping this guide’s selected workflow anchored to chromogenic paraffin-section IHC (datasheet M01239-1). For bronchus, multiplex USP7 with an epithelial marker such as pan-cytokeratin to identify respiratory epithelial cells, where medium staining is reported (HPA tissue IHC; standard IF practice). Choose a far-red fluorophore when tissue autofluorescence obscures shorter wavelengths, and include single-colour and no-primary controls (standard IF practice). Because USP7 lacks a transmembrane segment and occurs in nucleoplasm and cytosol, optimise permeabilisation for access to intracellular epitopes; the exact antibody epitope and IF permeabilisation conditions are not supplied (UniProt Q93009; HPA subcellular; datasheet M01239-1).
What should I check when USP7 DAB staining is diffuse?
First compare a no-primary section and inspect whether colour follows cells, damaged edges or tissue deposits (standard IHC practice). The selected method used 10% goat serum blocking, a biotinylated anti-mouse secondary, a streptavidin–biotin complex and DAB (datasheet M01239-1). Check endogenous peroxidase and biotin-related background with appropriate controls before attributing diffuse colour to USP7; peroxidase blocking is a general chromogenic IHC step (standard IHC practice). Retitrate primary antibody around the documented 1 μg/ml condition only after confirming retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0, and retain a positive section in each comparison (datasheet M01239-1; standard IHC practice).
How should I quantify USP7 staining across paraffin sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cell population and region before scoring, then quantify nuclear USP7 separately from cytoplasmic signal because the tissue pattern is mainly nuclear (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice). For nuclear staining, record percent positive cells and intensity on a 0–3 scale; an H-score combines them into a 0–300 range (standard IHC practice). Alternatively, count positive cells per mm² when cell density differs, and normalise to evaluable cells or viable tissue area rather than total slide area (standard IHC practice). Keep retrieval, DAB development, counterstain and image thresholds consistent, with a shared control section across staining runs (standard IHC practice).
When is an unexpected USP7 signal likely to be artefact?
Give greatest weight to cell-associated nuclear staining: USP7 is mainly nuclear in tissue and supported in the nucleoplasm, with additional cytosolic localisation (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular). Bronchial respiratory epithelial cells show medium staining, whereas smooth muscle cells are reported as not detected, so compare compartments and cell identities before calling a field positive (HPA tissue IHC). Signal confined to section edges, necrotic areas or no-primary controls supports an artefact; endogenous enzyme activity can also create chromogenic background (standard IHC practice). A negative field alone is inconclusive because the HPA tissue assay has medium staining-to-RNA consistency; confirm interpretation with morphology and matched controls (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
Boster reagents

Best USP7 / Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase 7 IHC Antibodies

Two anti-USP7 antibodies have IHC images from paraffin-embedded human tissues (catalog IHC captions) and IF/ICC images from cells (catalog IF captions); both list human, mouse, and rat reactivity (catalog).

Real IHC data IHC analysis of HAUSP/USP7 using anti-HAUSP/USP7 antibody (M01239-1). HAUSP/USP7 was detected in paraffin-embedded section of human lung cancer tissue. Heat mediated antigen retrieval was performed in EDTA buffer (pH8.0, epitope retrieval solution). The tissue section was blocked with 10% goat serum. The tissue section was then incubated with 1μg/ml mouse anti-HAUSP/USP7 Antibody (M01239-1) overnight at 4°C. Biotinylated goat anti-mouse 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 # SA1021) with DAB as the chromogen.
Anti-HAUSP/USP7 Antibody ® (monoclonal, 5E2)
Cat # M01239-1
Real IHC data IHC analysis of HAUSP/USP7 using anti-HAUSP/USP7 antibody (A01239-2). HAUSP/USP7 was detected in paraffin-embedded section of human mammary cancer tissue. 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-HAUSP/USP7 Antibody (A01239-2) 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-HAUSP/USP7 Antibody ®
Cat # A01239-2

M01239-1 has IHC images from paraffin-embedded human lung cancer and placenta tissues and rat intestine (M01239-1 IHC captions), plus an IF/ICC cell image (M01239-1 IF caption). A01239-2 has IHC images from paraffin-embedded human mammary cancer and placenta tissues and mouse lymph nodes (A01239-2 IHC captions), plus IF/ICC cell images (A01239-2 IF captions).

Which to pick: For tissue IHC, choose mouse monoclonal M01239-1 when using EDTA at pH 8 (catalog host and clone; M01239-1 IHC captions), or rabbit A01239-2 when using citrate at pH 6 (catalog host; A01239-2 IHC captions); both captions describe paraffin sections but leave the fixative unreported (respective IHC captions). For IF/ICC, either SKU lists those applications and 2 µg/ml (catalog applications and dilution), with the choice of mouse or rabbit primary guided by the available secondary antibody (catalog hosts; standard IF practice). For cross-species tissue IHC, both list human, mouse, and rat reactivity (catalog); A01239-2 has a mouse lymph-node IHC image (A01239-2 IHC caption), while M01239-1 has a rat-intestine IHC image (M01239-1 IHC caption).

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

References

  1. UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry Q93009 (UBP7_HUMAN, Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase 7).
  2. Human Protein Atlas. USP7 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Approved).
  3. Human Protein Atlas. USP7 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to the nucleoplasm. In addition localized to the nuclear bodies and cytosol..
  4. Human Protein Atlas. USP7 antibody validation summary (3 antibodies).
  5. Administration of USP7 inhibitor P22077 inhibited cardiac hypertrophy and remodeling in Ang II-induced hypertensive mice. Frontiers in pharmacology 2022 — PMC9640964.
  6. Ubiquitin-specific protease 7 expression is a prognostic factor in epithelial ovarian cancer and correlates with lymph node metastasis. OncoTargets and therapy 2016 — PMC4803273.
  7. CCDC6 and USP7 expression levels suggest novel treatment options in high-grade urothelial bladder cancer. Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR 2019 — PMC6381716.
  8. USP7 is a novel Deubiquitinase sustaining PLK1 protein stability and regulating chromosome alignment in mitosis. Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR 2019 — PMC6858727.
  9. PubMed PMID:9034339 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  10. PubMed PMID:9130697 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  11. PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.