04/03/2007 • Focus on Products at Analytica • Laboratory diagnostics

The only pan-specific macrophage marker that recognises microglia…

The F4/80 antigen is a 160 kDa plasma membrane glycoprotein belonging to a family of proteins containing an extracellular epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domain and a G protein-coupled transmembrane region. It has been well characterised and referenced as an excellent marker for almost all mature mouse macrophages and blood monocytes.

Macrophages are involved in a wide variety of cellular processes including phagocytosis, antigen processing and presentation, inflammation, wound healing, bone remodelling and development. Expression of F4/80 is heterogeneous and is reported to vary during macrophage maturation and activation.

Clone C1:A3-1 is the original monoclonal against the F4/80 antigen produced in Siamon Gordon’s laboratory at the University of Oxford1. Today, AbD Serotec is the primary distributor of this antibody with 12 formats (see table). Many of these are exclusive versions e.g. RPE-Alexa 647 and RPE-Alexa 750 tandem conjugates for flow cytometry.

In addition to recognizing Kupffer cells, Langerhans, peritoneal macrophages, and splenic red pulp macrophages, clone C1:A3-1 also stains microglia (macrophages of the central nervous system). This distinguishes it from clone BM8, a more recent alternative F4/80 marker, which is not reported to share this property. Perhaps this is explained by C1:A3-1 and BM8 recognising different F4/80 regions.

Microglia are implicated in a number of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, AIDS, & Prion’s making clone C1:A3-1 a significant research tool. Clone C1:A3-1 can be used for functional studies and is available in a low endotoxin format for this purpose (refer to page 11). The antibody is also paraffin reactive allowing immunohistological studies of paraffin-embedded brain sections and other tissues.
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