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Ayoubi R, Ryan J, Biddle MS, Alshafie W, Fotouhi M, Bolivar SG, Ruiz Moleon V, Eckmann P, Worrall D, McDowell I, Southern K, Reintsch W, Durcan TM, Brown C, Bandrowski A, Virk H, Edwards AM, McPherson P, Laflamme C. Scaling of an antibody validation procedure enables quantification of antibody performance in major research applications. eLife 2023; 12:RP91645. [PMID: 37995198 PMCID: PMC10666931 DOI: 10.7554/elife.91645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibodies are critical reagents to detect and characterize proteins. It is commonly understood that many commercial antibodies do not recognize their intended targets, but information on the scope of the problem remains largely anecdotal, and as such, feasibility of the goal of at least one potent and specific antibody targeting each protein in a proteome cannot be assessed. Focusing on antibodies for human proteins, we have scaled a standardized characterization approach using parental and knockout cell lines (Laflamme et al., 2019) to assess the performance of 614 commercial antibodies for 65 neuroscience-related proteins. Side-by-side comparisons of all antibodies against each target, obtained from multiple commercial partners, have demonstrated that: (i) more than 50% of all antibodies failed in one or more applications, (ii) yet, ~50-75% of the protein set was covered by at least one high-performing antibody, depending on application, suggesting that coverage of human proteins by commercial antibodies is significant; and (iii) recombinant antibodies performed better than monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies. The hundreds of underperforming antibodies identified in this study were found to have been used in a large number of published articles, which should raise alarm. Encouragingly, more than half of the underperforming commercial antibodies were reassessed by the manufacturers, and many had alterations to their recommended usage or were removed from the market. This first study helps demonstrate the scale of the antibody specificity problem but also suggests an efficient strategy toward achieving coverage of the human proteome; mine the existing commercial antibody repertoire, and use the data to focus new renewable antibody generation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riham Ayoubi
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
| | - Joel Ryan
- Advanced BioImaging Facility (ABIF), McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
| | - Michael S Biddle
- NIHR Respiratory BRC, Department of Respiratory Sciences, University of LeicesterLeicesterUnited Kingdom
| | - Walaa Alshafie
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
| | - Maryam Fotouhi
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
| | - Sara Gonzalez Bolivar
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
| | - Vera Ruiz Moleon
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
| | - Peter Eckmann
- Department of Neuroscience, UC San DiegoLa JollaUnited States
| | - Donovan Worrall
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
| | - Ian McDowell
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
| | - Kathleen Southern
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
| | - Wolfgang Reintsch
- The Neuro's Early Drug Discovery Unit (EDDU), Structural Genomics Consortium, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
| | - Thomas M Durcan
- The Neuro's Early Drug Discovery Unit (EDDU), Structural Genomics Consortium, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
| | - Claire Brown
- Advanced BioImaging Facility (ABIF), McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
| | | | - Harvinder Virk
- NIHR Respiratory BRC, Department of Respiratory Sciences, University of LeicesterLeicesterUnited Kingdom
| | - Aled M Edwards
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
| | - Peter McPherson
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
| | - Carl Laflamme
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
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Ayoubi R, Ryan J, Biddle MS, Alshafie W, Fotouhi M, Bolivar SG, Moleon VR, Eckmann P, Worrall D, McDowell I, Southern K, Reintsch W, Durcan TM, Brown CM, Bandrowski A, Virk HS, Edwards AM, McPherson PS, Laflamme C. Scaling of an antibody validation procedure enables quantification of antibody performance in major research applications. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.01.543292. [PMID: 37398479 PMCID: PMC10312534 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.01.543292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Antibodies are critical reagents to detect and characterize proteins. It is commonly understood that many commercial antibodies do not recognize their intended targets, but information on the scope of the problem remains largely anecdotal, and as such, feasibility of the goal of at least one potent and specific antibody targeting each protein in a proteome cannot be assessed. Focusing on antibodies for human proteins, we have scaled a standardized characterization approach using parental and knockout cell lines (Laflamme et al., 2019) to assess the performance of 614 commercial antibodies for 65 neuroscience-related proteins. Side-by-side comparisons of all antibodies against each target, obtained from multiple commercial partners, demonstrates that: i) more than 50% of all antibodies failed in one or more tests, ii) yet, ~50-75% of the protein set was covered by at least one high-performing antibody, depending on application, suggesting that coverage of human proteins by commercial antibodies is significant; and iii) recombinant antibodies performed better than monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies. The hundreds of underperforming antibodies identified in this study were found to have been used in a large number of published articles, which should raise alarm. Encouragingly, more than half of the underperforming commercial antibodies were reassessed by the manufacturers, and many had alterations to their recommended usage or were removed from the market. This first such study helps demonstrate the scale of the antibody specificity problem but also suggests an efficient strategy toward achieving coverage of the human proteome; mine the existing commercial antibody repertoire, and use the data to focus new renewable antibody generation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riham Ayoubi
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Joel Ryan
- Advanced BioImaging Facility (ABIF), McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Michael S Biddle
- NIHR Respiratory BRC, Department of Respiratory Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Walaa Alshafie
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Maryam Fotouhi
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sara Gonzalez Bolivar
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Vera Ruiz Moleon
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Peter Eckmann
- Department of Neuroscience, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - Donovan Worrall
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Ian McDowell
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kathleen Southern
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Wolfgang Reintsch
- The Neuro’s Early Drug Discovery Unit (EDDU), Structural Genomics Consortium, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Thomas M Durcan
- The Neuro’s Early Drug Discovery Unit (EDDU), Structural Genomics Consortium, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Claire M Brown
- Advanced BioImaging Facility (ABIF), McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Anita Bandrowski
- Department of Neuroscience, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - Harvinder S Virk
- NIHR Respiratory BRC, Department of Respiratory Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Aled M Edwards
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Peter S McPherson
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Carl Laflamme
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Structural Genomics Consortium, The Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Ye D, Liu T, Li Y, Wang Y, Hu W, Zhu Z, Sun Y. Identification of fish spermatogenic cells through high-throughput immunofluorescence against testis with an antibody set. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1044318. [PMID: 37077350 PMCID: PMC10106697 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1044318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Image-based identification and quantification of different types of spermatogenic cells is of great importance, not only for reproductive studies but also for genetic breeding. Here, we have developed antibodies against spermatogenesis-related proteins in zebrafish (Danio rerio), including Ddx4, Piwil1, Sycp3, and Pcna, and a high-throughput method for immunofluorescence analysis of zebrafish testicular sections. By immunofluorescence analysis of zebrafish testes, our results demonstrate that the expression of Ddx4 decreases progressively during spermatogenesis, Piwil1 is strongly expressed in type A spermatogonia and moderately expressed in type B spermatogonia, and Sycp3 has distinct expression patterns in different subtypes of spermatocytes. Additionally, we observed polar expression of Sycp3 and Pcna in primary spermatocytes at the leptotene stage. By a triple staining of Ddx4, Sycp3, and Pcna, different types/subtypes of spermatogenic cells were easily characterized. We further demonstrated the practicality of our antibodies in other fish species, including Chinese rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus), common carp (Cyprinus carpio), blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala), rice field eel (Monopterus albus) and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). Finally, we proposed an integrated criterion for identifying different types/subtypes of spermatogenic cells in zebrafish and other fishes using this high-throughput immunofluorescence approach based on these antibodies. Therefore, our study provides a simple, practical, and efficient tool for the study of spermatogenesis in fish species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ding Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Tao Liu
- College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, China
| | - Yongming Li
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yaping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Wei Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Zuoyan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yonghua Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
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Tedjawirja VN, Hooijer GKJ, Savci-Heijink CD, Kovac K, Balm R, de Waard V. Inadequate detection of the FSHR complicates future research on extragonadal FSHR localization. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1095031. [PMID: 36875462 PMCID: PMC9978812 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1095031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Recently, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) through interaction with its receptor (FSHR) has been proposed to play a role in postmenopausal osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, rather than the loss of estrogen. To explore this hypothesis, unravelling which cells express extragonadal FSHR on protein level is key. METHODS We used two commercial anti-FSHR antibodies and validated them by performing immunohistochemistry on positive (ovary, testis) and negative controls (skin). RESULTS The monoclonal anti-FSHR antibody could not identify the FSHR in ovary or testis. The polyclonal anti-FSHR antibody stained the granulosa cells (ovary) and Sertoli cells (testis), yet there was equally intense staining of other cells/extracellular matrix. Furthermore, the polyclonal anti-FSHR antibody also stained skin tissue extensively, suggesting that the antibody stains more than just FSHR. DISCUSSION The findings in this study may add accuracy to literature on extragonadal FSHR localization and warrants attention to the use of inadequate anti-FSHR antibodies to value the potential role of FSH/FSHR in postmenopausal disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria N. Tedjawirja
- Department of Surgery, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centre (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- *Correspondence: Victoria N. Tedjawirja,
| | - Gerrit K. J. Hooijer
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam University Medical Centre (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - C. Dilara Savci-Heijink
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam University Medical Centre (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Kristina Kovac
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centre (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Ron Balm
- Department of Surgery, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centre (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Vivian de Waard
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centre (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Yang J, Qi L, Chiang HC, Yuan B, Li R, Hu Y. BRCA1 Antibodies Matter. Int J Biol Sci 2021; 17:3239-3254. [PMID: 34421362 PMCID: PMC8375228 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.63115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) encodes a tumor suppressor that is frequently mutated in familial breast and ovarian cancer patients. BRCA1 functions in multiple important cellular processes including DNA damage repair, cell cycle checkpoint activation, protein ubiquitination, chromatin remodeling, transcriptional regulation, as well as R-loop formation and apoptosis. A large number of BRCA1 antibodies have been generated and become commercially available over the past three decades, however, many commercial antibodies are poorly characterized and, when widely used, led to unreliable data. In search of reliable and specific BRCA1 antibodies (Abs), particularly antibodies recognizing mouse BRCA1, we performed a rigorous validation of a number of commercially available anti-BRCA1 antibodies, using proper controls in a panel of validation applications, including Western blot (WB), immunoprecipitation (IP), immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry (IP-MS), chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and immunofluorescence (IF). Furthermore, we assessed the specificity of these antibodies to detect mouse BRCA1 protein through the use of testis tissue and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) from Brca1+/+ and Brca1Δ11/Δ11 mice. We find that Ab1, D-9, 07-434 (for recognizing human BRCA1) and 287.17, 440621, BR-64 (for recognizing mouse BRCA1) are specific with high quality performance in the indicated assays. We share these results here with the goal of helping the community combat the common challenges associated with anti-BRCA1 antibody specificity and reproducibility and, hopefully, better understanding BRCA1 functions at cellular and tissue levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yang
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Leilei Qi
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Huai-Chin Chiang
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Bin Yuan
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Rong Li
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Yanfen Hu
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
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7
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Pillai-Kastoori L, Heaton S, Shiflett SD, Roberts AC, Solache A, Schutz-Geschwender AR. Antibody validation for Western blot: By the user, for the user. J Biol Chem 2019; 295:926-939. [PMID: 31819006 PMCID: PMC6983856 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.010472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Revised: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Well-characterized antibody reagents play a key role in the reproducibility of research findings, and inconsistent antibody performance leads to variability in Western blotting and other immunoassays. The current lack of clear, accepted standards for antibody validation and reporting of experimental details contributes to this problem. Because the performance of primary antibodies is strongly influenced by assay context, recommendations for validation and usage are unique to each type of immunoassay. Practical strategies are proposed for the validation of primary antibody specificity, selectivity, and reproducibility using Western blot analysis. The antibody should produce reproducible results within and between Western blotting experiments and the observed effect confirmed with a complementary or orthogonal method. Routine implementation of standardized antibody validation and reporting in immunoassays such as Western blotting may promote improved reproducibility across the global life sciences community.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sam Heaton
- Abcam Plc, Discovery Drive, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0AX, United Kingdom
| | | | - Annabelle C Roberts
- Abcam Plc, Discovery Drive, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0AX, United Kingdom
| | - Alejandra Solache
- Abcam Plc, Discovery Drive, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0AX, United Kingdom
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Kalina T, Lundsten K, Engel P. Relevance of Antibody Validation for Flow Cytometry. Cytometry A 2019; 97:126-136. [DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.23895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Kalina
- CLIP‐Childhood Leukemia Investigation Prague, Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, 2nd Medical SchoolCharles University and University Hospital Motol Prague Czech Republic
| | | | - Pablo Engel
- Department of Biomedical SciencesFaculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona Barcelona Spain
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Sikorski K, Mehta A, Inngjerdingen M, Thakor F, Kling S, Kalina T, Nyman TA, Stensland ME, Zhou W, de Souza GA, Holden L, Stuchly J, Templin M, Lund-Johansen F. A high-throughput pipeline for validation of antibodies. Nat Methods 2018; 15:909-912. [PMID: 30377371 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-018-0179-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Western blotting (WB) is widely used to test antibody specificity, but the assay has low throughput and precision. Here we used preparative gel electrophoresis to develop a capture format for WB. Fractions with soluble, size-separated proteins facilitated parallel readout with antibody arrays, shotgun mass spectrometry (MS) and immunoprecipitation followed by MS (IP-MS). This pipeline provided the means for large-scale implementation of antibody validation concepts proposed by an international working group on antibody validation (IWGAV).
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Affiliation(s)
- Krzysztof Sikorski
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,K.G. Jebsen Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Adi Mehta
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Pathology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,K.G. Jebsen Inflammation Research Centre, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Marit Inngjerdingen
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Flourina Thakor
- Department of Pathology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,K.G. Jebsen Inflammation Research Centre, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Simon Kling
- NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Tübingen, Reutlingen, Germany
| | - Tomas Kalina
- CLIP-Childhood Leukemia Investigation Prague, Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University Prague and University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Tuula A Nyman
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Maria Ekman Stensland
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Wei Zhou
- SeekQuence, Mountain View, CA, USA
| | - Gustavo A de Souza
- The Brain Institute, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | | | - Jan Stuchly
- CLIP-Childhood Leukemia Investigation Prague, Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University Prague and University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Markus Templin
- NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Tübingen, Reutlingen, Germany
| | - Fridtjof Lund-Johansen
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. .,K.G. Jebsen Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
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Goodman SL. The path to VICTORy - a beginner's guide to success using commercial research antibodies. J Cell Sci 2018; 131:131/10/jcs216416. [PMID: 29764917 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.216416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Commercial research antibodies are crucial tools in modern cell biology and biochemistry. In the USA some $2 billion a year are spent on them, but many are apparently not fit-for-purpose, and this may contribute to the 'reproducibility crisis' in biological sciences. Inadequate antibody validation and characterization, lack of user awareness, and occasional incompetence amongst suppliers have had immense scientific and personal costs. In this Opinion, I suggest some paths to make the use of these vital tools more successful. I have attempted to summarize and extend expert views from the literature to suggest that sustained routine efforts should made in: (1) the validation of antibodies, (2) their identification, (3) communication and controls, (4) the training of potential users, (5) the transparency of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) marketing agreements, and (5) in a more widespread use of recombinant antibodies (together denoted the 'VICTOR' approach).
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