AnaSpec Introduces Suite of Labeled & Unlabeled Anti-Actin Antibodies

AnaSpec has introduced a suite of labeled and unlabeled anti-Actin antibodies. Labeling options include biotin, conventional fluorescent dyes, and AnaSpec’s proprietary line of HiLyte™ dyes.

According to Company, Actin is a highly conserved protein of approximately 42-kDa, expressed in all eukaryotic cells. Actin filaments are constituents of the cytoskeleton and play essential roles in regulating cell shape, cell division, cell junctions, cell signaling, and movement.

Actins are divided into three classes - alpha, beta and gamma. At least six Actin isotypes have been identified in mammalian cells. Alpha Actins are found in muscle (a-skeletal, a-aortic smooth, a-cardiac, and ?2-enteric smooth). Beta and gamma isoforms are prominent in non-muscle cells.

Smooth muscle a-Actin is important because its expression is mostly detected in vascular smooth muscle cells. Anti-Actin antibodies stain smooth muscle cells in vessel walls, gut wall, myometrium, myoepithelial cells, and is reactive with tumors arising from smooth muscles and myoepithelial cells.