Chromatin & Transcription Antibodies

Antibodies that target proteins associated with chromatin and transcription such as histone deacetylases (HDACs), histone acetyltransferases (HATs), histone methyltransferases (HMTs), and heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) are important to understanding the epigenetic regulation of chromatin structure and its function. Chromatin is involved in crucial functions of the cell including division, replication, and gene expression.

Chromatin remodeling antibodies may assist researchers in investigating several families of chromatin remodelers in eukaryotes, including the SWI/SNF, ISWI, CHD, and INO80 family of chromatin remodelers. These chromatin remodeling families share a conserved ATPase domain for ATP-hydrolysis and DNA binding. Other families have epigenetic reader domains which allow them to bind methylated histones or acetylated histones, for example. Many researchers study chromatin remodeling and protein-DNA interactions with ChIP.

DNA replication & transcription antibodies are useful especially for studying the regulation of gene expression. Transcription factors are proteins that bind to DNA that can alter the expression of certain genes. Transcription factors might also catalyze histone acetylation or histone deacetylation. Certain stimuli during development can lead transcription factors to downregulate or upregulate gene expression at particular times, ensuring proper growth. They are also highly implicated in cancer research as they can act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors.

Cell growth antibodies can be used by epigenetic researchers to investigate transcription factors which activate the expression of certain gene sets related to cell cycle progression and cellular growth. For example, the E2F family of transcription factors controls the progression of the cell cycle by inducing the transcription of genes needed to enter into the cell cycle’s S-phase.

Development & differentiation antibodies offer insight into the process by which an organism develops from a single cell and forms into multiple types of cells, creating various organs and tissues. For example, the HOX genes are an important group of genes that control cellular differentiation during development. They are expressed later in the process of development by tissue stem cells in order to differentiate into their lineages. In addition, embryonic stem cells express transcription factors crucial for pluripotency, such as NANOG and OCT3/4 (POU5F1). Somatic cells can be reprogrammed to become induced pluripotent cells (iPS) by introducing transcription factors SOX2, KLF4, NANOG and OCT3/4.