XRCC5 / DNA repair protein Ku80 · IHC design guide

Design Immunohistochemistry for XRCC5

Plan XRCC5/Ku80 paraffin-section IHC using the reported ubiquitous nuclear pattern (HPA tissue IHC). Compare staining in high-expression breast glandular cells with the lack of detectable staining in liver cholangiocytes (HPA tissue IHC).

Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for XRCC5 (IHC for XRCC5): expected localisation Ubiquitous nuclear staining (HPA tissue IHC), antibody PA1641, validated IHC image, and IHC protocol steps
Printable XRCC5 IHC protocol sheet — expected localisation Ubiquitous nuclear staining (HPA tissue IHC), antibody PA1641, controls and protocol steps. Open the full XRCC5 IHC guide →

XRCC5 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 Ubiquitous nuclear staining (HPA tissue IHC)
Staining pattern Nuclear staining; high in breast glandular cells (HPA tissue IHC)
Antigen retrieval EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet PA1641)
Positive control ⓘ Appendix+4 more · see all
Negative control ⓘ Liver
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
Fixation Keep fixation consistent across paraffin sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific)
Caveat Liver cholangiocytes have no detectable staining (HPA tissue IHC)
Regulation Ku70 binding stabilizes Ku80 (UniProt)
Isoform / epitope No annotated isoforms; mature chain spans residues 2–732 (UniProt)
Section 1

Recommended XRCC5 IHC & IF Protocols

The catalog antibody uses EDTA retrieval (datasheet: PA1641). Published XRCC5 IHC protocols cover mouse xenograft tumors (PMC5648251), lung cancer specimens (PMC5354834), and gastric cancer specimens (PMC6137920).

Recommended immunohistochemistry (IHC-P) protocol parameters
SampleParaffin-embedded human intestinal cancer tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet PA1641)
FixationImage fixative and duration unreported (datasheet PA1641); 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 PA1641); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard)
Peroxidase block3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard)
Blocking10% goat serum (datasheet PA1641)
Primary antibodyRabbit anti-XRCC5, 0.5-1μg/ml (datasheet PA1641)
Primary incubationOvernight at 4 °C (datasheet PA1641)
DetectionStreptavidin-biotin complex (SABC), DAB chromogen (datasheet PA1641)
CounterstainHematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard)
Expected resultXRCC5-positive staining in endocrine cells of appendix (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: Ubiquitous nuclear expression. No signal in the no-primary control.
💡Decision noteStart with EDTA pH 8.0 heat retrieval for the catalog antibody (datasheet: PA1641). For mouse xenograft sections, a published alternative uses 10 mM citrate and microwave heating (PMC5648251).
Section 2

What Is the Expected XRCC5 Staining Pattern?

XRCC5 should appear predominantly in nuclei across many cell types (HPA: ubiquitous nuclear expression; UniProt P13010: nucleus). HPA reports high staining in breast glandular cells, bone marrow hematopoietic cells, and several other cell populations (HPA: tissue IHC). Its tissue IHC reliability is Supported, with medium consistency between staining and RNA expression (HPA: tissue IHC). XRCC5 has no transmembrane segment (UniProt P13010: topology).

What am I looking at on my slide?
Nuclear staining in breast glandular cells or bone marrow hematopoietic cells (HPA: High in both).This fits the reported tissue pattern when nuclear staining is clearly distinguishable from background (HPA: ubiquitous nuclear expression; standard IHC practice). Compare cells within the section as well as a control section, because HPA reports differing staining levels among cell populations (HPA: tissue IHC).
Strong cytoplasmic or membrane staining with little nuclear signal (HPA: expected nuclear pattern).Treat this as a localisation mismatch requiring investigation, not evidence of the expected XRCC5 pattern (HPA: ubiquitous nuclear expression; UniProt P13010: nucleus, no transmembrane segment). Check the no-primary control and whether the nuclear counterstain identifies intact nuclei (standard IHC practice).
Strong staining in liver cholangiocytes, a population reported as Not detected (HPA: tissue IHC).Consider cross-reactivity or endogenous chromogenic activity and inspect controls (standard IHC practice). The HPA observation applies to cholangiocytes in its liver material; it does not establish that every liver cell or every preparation must be negative (HPA: tissue IHC).
Diffuse colour over nuclei, cytoplasm, and empty areas (standard IHC practice).This obscures a nuclear interpretation and suggests nonspecific background or detection-system activity (standard IHC practice). Compare a no-primary control, review blocking and washing, and assess whether colour extends beyond tissue boundaries (standard IHC practice).
No nuclear signal in a section containing breast glandular cells reported High by HPA (HPA: tissue IHC).First assess section quality and the IHC detection run with controls, then review antibody use and antigen retrieval (standard IHC practice). HPA's High observation supports this as a useful comparison, but does not establish that every specimen will stain strongly (HPA: tissue IHC).
💡Expected XRCC5 appearanceCall a result consistent with XRCC5 when nuclear chromogen is clear in cells reported High, such as breast glandular cells (HPA: tissue IHC); dominant cytoplasmic or membrane colour, or colour in empty areas, warrants a false-positive check (UniProt P13010: nucleus, no transmembrane segment; standard IHC practice).
How each factor affects the staining
Compartment and tissue context (UniProt P13010: nucleus; HPA: tissue IHC).Expect a predominantly nuclear readout across tissues, with cell-level variation: HPA reports High staining in breast glandular cells and Not detected in liver cholangiocytes (HPA: tissue IHC). Use those observations as context, not universal specimen-level thresholds (HPA: Supported, medium consistency).
Antibody evidence (HPA: antibody validation).HPA lists IHC as Supported for HPA025813 and CAB004468; HPA064685 has ICC Supported but no IHC status listed (HPA: antibody validation). Match any comparison to the antibody and application actually used; an ICC status alone supplies no IHC validation claim (HPA: antibody validation).
Antigen retrieval in paraffin-section IHC (standard IHC practice).Record the retrieval condition and compare runs with the same condition when troubleshooting signal (standard IHC practice). No supplied source establishes an XRCC5-specific retrieval optimum or fixation sensitivity; HPA staining levels and UniProt features cannot determine one (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt P13010: record).
Detection-system background (standard chromogenic IHC practice).A no-primary control helps identify colour generated without primary-antibody binding; endogenous activity and nonspecific detection can confound interpretation (standard IHC practice). Judge the pattern against nuclear counterstaining and tissue morphology before scoring (standard IHC practice).
IF/ICC Q: Where should XRCC5 appear? (HPA: subcellular ICC-IF).A: Mainly in the nucleoplasm; HPA supports this main location and lists ICC as Supported for HPA025813 and HPA064685 (HPA: subcellular ICC-IF; HPA: antibody validation). That IF observation complements the nuclear IHC expectation but does not supply an IHC protocol (HPA: tissue IHC; HPA: subcellular ICC-IF).
Why is my staining missing, weak or wrong?
SituationLikely causeNext action
Nuclear staining is weak in breast glandular cells (HPA: High in breast glandular cells).The run may have limited signal, or the specimen may differ from HPA's observed material (standard IHC practice; HPA: tissue IHC).Check a positive comparison section and detection controls; review the recorded retrieval and primary-antibody conditions before changing them (standard IHC practice).
No staining appears anywhere, including expected positive cells (HPA: ubiquitous nuclear expression).A failed staining or detection step is possible; a blank slide alone cannot establish absent XRCC5 (standard IHC practice).Confirm tissue is present and preserved, verify the primary and detection steps, and examine a separately processed positive control (standard IHC practice).
Cytoplasmic or membrane colour dominates (HPA: expected nuclear expression).The compartment conflicts with HPA and UniProt localisation; nonspecific binding or detection background is possible (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt P13010: nucleus; standard IHC practice).Inspect a no-primary control, nuclear counterstain, and cell boundaries; withhold a positive XRCC5 call until nuclear staining is resolved (standard IHC practice).
Strong colour appears in HPA Not detected liver cholangiocytes (HPA: tissue IHC).Cross-reactivity or endogenous activity is possible, though HPA's observation cannot define every specimen's result (standard IHC practice; HPA: tissue IHC).Compare no-primary and positive controls, assess whether colour is nuclear, and record the discrepancy without treating cholangiocytes as a universal negative control (standard IHC practice; HPA: tissue IHC).
Diffuse colour makes nuclei hard to score (standard IHC practice).Background from detection chemistry, nonspecific binding, or insufficient washing may obscure the compartment (standard IHC practice).Compare the no-primary control and review blocking, washing, and chromogen development; score only cells whose nuclear signal can be separated from background (standard IHC practice).
IF/ICC looks nucleoplasmic, but the IHC section has no clear nuclear signal (HPA: subcellular ICC-IF; HPA: tissue IHC).The applications have different preparation and detection workflows; concordant IF localisation does not establish that an IHC run succeeded (standard IHC/IF practice).Evaluate IHC controls and its antibody's IHC status independently; HPA lists IHC Supported for HPA025813 and CAB004468 (standard IHC practice; HPA: antibody validation).

Sample controls for XRCC5 IHC & IF

🧪Run breast first: glandular cells should show XRCC5 staining (HPA: High in breast glandular cells). Use liver cholangiocytes as the negative comparison (HPA: Not detected in liver cholangiocytes); on the breast slide, any morphologically distinct cells verified as negative should retain counterstained nuclei without specific chromogen, although HPA does not identify an internal negative cell type.
Positive control tissue: Appendix (Endocrine cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Liver (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show XRCC5 in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, Rh30, SH-SY5Y, with annotated localisation: Nucleoplasm (supported) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include no-primary (secondary-only) and concentration- and isotype-matched rabbit immunoglobulin controls (caption: rabbit anti-XRCC5 primary), plus an XRCC5 knockout specimen as a biological negative if available. Quench endogenous peroxidase and check endogenous biotin background in breast sections when using the caption’s biotin-based DAB detection (caption: biotinylated secondary, SABC and DAB).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window and fixation effect are unreported in the supplied evidence; the selected PA1641 paraffin-section caption also leaves the fixative unreported (caption: fixative not stated). The reported IHC conditions use heat retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0, but the evidence does not establish whether retrieval is required or whether frozen sections or IF are easier (caption: heat-mediated EDTA retrieval; HPA: ICC-IF images). Check breast glandular and surrounding compartments for nonspecific DAB background before scoring nuclear signal (HPA: High in breast glandular cells; UniProt P13010: nuclear localization).

HPA tissue IHC evidence for XRCC5

Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Supported — 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
Appendix Endocrine cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Bone marrow Hematopoietic cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Breast Glandular cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Caudate Glial cells High Protein (IHC) HPA →
Cerebellum Cells in granular layer High Protein (IHC) HPA →

Undetected expression · recommended negative controls

TissueCell typeLevelEvidenceSource
Liver Cholangiocytes Not detected Protein (IHC) HPA →
Section 3

Advanced XRCC5 IHC Tips

Use nuclear staining as the primary readout for XRCC5 in paraffin section IHC, with retrieval and detection anchored to the PA1641 tissue protocol (HPA tissue IHC; PA1641 tissue IHC caption).

How should I troubleshoot weak XRCC5 staining after antigen retrieval?
Start with heat mediated antigen retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 for PA1641 stained paraffin sections (datasheet PA1641). The documented tissue workflow then used 1 μg/ml primary antibody overnight at 4°C, so check those conditions before changing retrieval (PA1641 tissue IHC caption). Compare sections heated and cooled under consistent conditions, and judge improvement by nuclear signal alongside tissue morphology and a no primary control (standard IHC practice; UniProt P13010 localisation). If staining remains weak, test another retrieval condition on matched sections as a fallback, recording any gain in background or tissue damage (standard IHC practice).
Could fixation explain inconsistent XRCC5 nuclear staining between sections?
The PA1641 tissue caption reports paraffin embedding but does not identify the fixative, so XRCC5 specific fixation sensitivity is unknown (PA1641 tissue IHC caption). Record each specimen’s fixative, fixation duration and processing history before comparing staining intensity across sections (standard IHC practice). Run differently processed specimens together using the documented EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval and 1 μg/ml antibody condition to reduce staining run variation (datasheet PA1641; PA1641 tissue IHC caption; standard IHC practice). Assess nuclear signal, morphology and background together; a staining difference alone cannot establish that fixation altered the XRCC5 epitope (UniProt P13010 localisation; standard IHC practice).
Where should XRCC5 appear, and how should I assess cytoplasmic staining?
Expect predominantly nuclear staining: tissue IHC shows ubiquitous nuclear expression, and cellular imaging places XRCC5 mainly in the nucleoplasm (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular). UniProt also lists nucleolar and chromosome localisation, so inspect nuclear substructures while retaining the nucleus as the main scoring compartment (UniProt P13010 localisation). Score cytoplasmic colour separately and check whether it persists in a no primary control or tracks section edges and damaged areas (standard IHC practice). Because XRCC5 has no transmembrane segment, a dominant membrane pattern needs independent validation before it is attributed to XRCC5 (UniProt P13010 topology; standard IHC practice).
Could epitope choice or modification explain different XRCC5 staining patterns?
The supplied UniProt record annotates 0 isoforms, so do not explain discordant staining by assigning it to an unlisted splice variant (UniProt P13010 isoforms). XRCC5 has a VWFA region at residues 9–231, a Ku region at 253–452 and annotated modified residues, including phosphoserines at 255 and 258 (UniProt P13010 domains and modified residues). If the antibody epitope is disclosed, map it against those features before proposing an epitope based mechanism (standard IHC practice; UniProt P13010 record). Compare retrieval conditions and a second, independently validated epitope on matched sections if staining remains discordant; modification dependent recognition is unproven here (standard IHC practice).
How can IF help verify an ambiguous XRCC5 IHC pattern?
On a separate IF section, pair XRCC5 with a marker for the expected cell population and compare signal within individual nuclei, rather than relying on tissue wide overlap (standard IF practice; HPA subcellular). Choose a fluorophore in a channel with low measured tissue autofluorescence and include single stain and no primary controls for multiplex interpretation (standard IF practice). Because XRCC5 is mainly nucleoplasmic and has no transmembrane segment, permeabilise fixed cells or sections sufficiently for antibody access to the nuclear epitope (HPA subcellular; UniProt P13010 topology; standard IF practice). Optimise fixation, permeabilisation and antibody conditions for IF independently; the PA1641 caption documents chromogenic tissue IHC, not an IF validation (PA1641 tissue IHC caption; standard IF practice).
What should I check when XRCC5 IHC shows diffuse brown background?
First distinguish diffuse chromogen from the expected nuclear pattern using a no primary control and an adjacent section stained in the same run (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice). The PA1641 example used 10% goat serum, biotinylated goat anti rabbit IgG, a streptavidin biotin complex and DAB, making blocking and detection controls directly relevant (PA1641 tissue IHC caption). Check peroxide blocking, reagent specific background and endogenous biotin with appropriate controls before interpreting brown signal as XRCC5 (standard chromogenic IHC practice). Titrate primary antibody around the documented 1 μg/ml condition and assess whether nuclear contrast improves without losing tissue morphology (PA1641 tissue IHC caption; standard IHC practice).
How should I quantify XRCC5 across regions with different cell densities? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the population and region before scoring, then record the percentage of nuclei staining above a threshold set from controls (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC quantification practice). For intensity comparisons, use a nuclear H-score combining intensity categories with the percentage of cells in each category, and keep imaging and scoring settings consistent (standard IHC quantification practice). If counting positive cells per mm², also report total nuclei per mm² or the positive fraction so cellularity does not drive the comparison (standard IHC quantification practice). Report cell populations separately where possible, since HPA describes broadly nuclear expression but variable levels among listed cell types (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC quantification practice).
How can I distinguish genuine XRCC5 positivity from staining artefacts?
A credible result places signal chiefly in intact nuclei, consistent with the HPA tissue pattern and supported nucleoplasmic location (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular). Compare the stained cell population with tissue morphology: HPA reports high signal in several listed populations but no detection in liver cholangiocytes, so cell identity matters (HPA tissue IHC). Treat isolated edge staining, necrotic regions and diffuse cytoplasmic colour cautiously, checking their behaviour in no primary and enzyme detection controls (standard IHC practice; UniProt P13010 localisation). Even convincing nuclear staining measures detectable antigen under these conditions; it does not by itself measure XRCC5 DNA repair activity (UniProt P13010 function; standard IHC interpretation).
Boster reagents

Best XRCC5 / DNA repair protein Ku80 IHC Antibodies

Human paraffin-section IHC is shown for intestinal cancer, lung cancer, and colon (catalog IHC captions); IF is shown in A549 and U20S cells (catalog IF captions).

Real IHC data IHC analysis of XRCC5 using anti-XRCC5 antibody (PA1641). XRCC5 was detected in paraffin-embedded section of human intestinal 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 rabbit anti-XRCC5 Antibody (PA1641) 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-Ku80/XRCC5 Antibody ®
Cat # PA1641
Real IHC data IHC analysis of KU80 using anti-KU80 antibody (PB9464). KU80 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 1 μg/ml rabbit anti-KU80 Antibody (PB9464) 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-Ku80/XRCC5 Antibody ®
Cat # PB9464
Real IHC data Immunohistochemical analysis of paraffin-embedded human colon, using Ku80 Antibody.
Anti-Ku80 XRCC5 Rabbit Monoclonal Antibody
Cat # M01275

PA1641 shows IHC in human intestinal cancer paraffin sections and IF in A549 cells (PA1641 image captions); PB9464 shows IHC in human lung cancer paraffin sections and IF in U20S cells (PB9464 image captions). M01275 shows IHC in paraffin-embedded human colon (M01275 IHC caption).

Which to pick: For tissue IHC, choose PA1641 for human intestinal cancer, PB9464 for human lung cancer, or monoclonal M01275 for human colon; each has a paraffin-section IHC image for that sample (respective IHC captions; M01275 catalog: clone FAE-24). For IF/ICC, PA1641 has an A549 IF image and PB9464 has a U20S IF image; M01275 lists IF without an IF image (catalog applications and IF captions). For cross-species planning, PB9464 lists human, mouse, and rat reactivity, while its paraffin-section IHC listing and image document human samples; the fixative is unreported in all three paraffin-section IHC captions (PB9464 catalog reactivity and IHC listing; respective IHC captions).

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

References

  1. UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P13010 (XRCC5_HUMAN, DNA repair protein Ku80).
  2. Human Protein Atlas. XRCC5 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Supported).
  3. Human Protein Atlas. XRCC5 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Mainly localized to the nucleoplasm..
  4. Human Protein Atlas. XRCC5 antibody validation summary (3 antibodies).
  5. XRCC5 cooperates with p300 to promote cyclooxygenase-2 expression and tumor growth in colon cancers. PloS one 2017 — PMC5648251.
  6. The NRF2-dependent transcriptional axis, XRCC5/hTERT drives tumor progression and 5-Fu insensitivity in hepatocellular carcinoma. Molecular therapy oncolytics 2022 — PMC8762376.
  7. MSH2/BRCA1 expression as a DNA-repair signature predicting survival in early-stage lung cancer patients from the IFCT-0002 Phase 3 Trial. Oncotarget 2017 — PMC5354834.
  8. Overexpression of CLC-3 is regulated by XRCC5 and is a poor prognostic biomarker for gastric cancer. Journal of hematology & oncology 2018 — PMC6137920.
  9. PubMed PMID:2760028 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  10. PubMed PMID:2308937 — UniProt-cited evidence.
  11. PubMed PMID:14702039 — UniProt-cited evidence.