The average adult human brain contains approximately 86 billion neurons and a nearly equal amount of non-neuronal cells, such as glia.
Neural synaptic connections are estimated to number between one to five hundred trillion.
The complex brain, its organization and functions, as well as those of the global nervous system are the focus of neuroscience, a research area wide in scope and rapid in its advancement.
In 2016 alone, at least twenty thousand articles have been published in over 40 neuroscience journals worldwide.
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This proliferation is mediated in part by the wide application of techniques in areas such as molecular and cell biology, genetics, biochemistry, and immunology.
For instance, immunodetection methods for identification and purification of neurological proteins and structures are common in investigating key neural components such as protein channels, receptors, neurotransmitters, and synaptic vesicles.
This in turn leads to a finer understanding of neural cell activities, cell-cell communication, and signal transduction, providing new insights from tissue development to neurodegeneration.
Here we have catalogued an extensive selection of antibodies that target key cellular markers and signature proteins that are commonly studied within neuroscience.
Some examples include:
Neuronal Cell Markers:
NeuN
- one of the earliest antigens discovered, a robust marker for neuronal cells. Also known as Fox3.
PGP9.5
- also known as ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase (UCHL1), it is specifically expressed in neurons.
Beta III Tubulin
- also known Class III beta-Tubulin, this cytoskeletal protein has been widely used as a neuronal cell marker. However, in early development its expression has also been reported in astrocytes.
Astrocyte Markers:
S100B
- also known as calcium-binding protein B, it is specific to glial cells and mainly expressed in astrocytes.
GFAP
- Glial fibrillary acidic protein is believed to play a role in astrocyte-neuron interactions.
Microglia Markers:
CD11B
- also known as Integrin alpha M, this protein is expressed on the surface the monocyte-derived microglia.
Iba1
- also known as Allograft inflammatory factor 1 (AIF1), this cytoplasmic protein is specific to the microglia among brain tissue.
Oligodendrocyte Markers:
Myelin basic protein
- this protein is a major component of the myelin sheath formed by oligodendrocytes.
Claudin 11
- is also known as oligodendrocyte-specific protein (OSP).
Synaptic Vesicle Markers:
Synaptophysin
- is also known as major synaptic vesicle protein p38. This transmembrane glycoprotein is expressed in all brain neurons.
SYT1
- is one of 15 members of the Synaptotagmin protein family. SYT1 is a membrane calcium ion sensor involved in vesicle fusion and exocytosis.
Neurotransmitter Transporters and
Receptors:
DAT
- or dopamine active transporter, reuptakes dopamine from the synaptic cleft and pumps it back into the cytosol of surrounding neurons.
CB1
- or cannabinoid receptor type 1, is a G-protein-coupled receptor activated by neurotransmitters such as anandamide, 2-AG, and THC.
Markers for Neurodegenerative Diseases:
Amyloid Beta
- A-beta are 36-43 aa peptide cleavage products of amyloid precursor protein (APP) by beta and gamma secretases. They constitute the amyloid plaque deposits known to cause Alzheimer’s disease.
Huntingtin
- a mutant variant of this protein containing over 36 CAG repeats is known to cause Huntington’s disease. It is highly expressed in the brain.
Alpha-synuclein
- abnormal aggregates of this protein result in the formation of Lewy bodies, associated with conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
Neural Stem Cell Markers:
Nestin
- was so named for its first discovery specifically in neuroepithelial stem cells. It is an intermediate filament protein involved with the radial growth of axons.
SOX2
- also known as sex determining region Y box 2, SOX2 is a transcription factor expressed in the embryonic neural tube and in neural progenitors.
1http://www.scimagojr.com/journalrank.php