Description
Principle of the Assay: The Rat DLL4 ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) kit is an in vitro enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the quantitative measurement of Rat DLL4 in Cell Culture Supernates, Serum, Plasma. This assay employs an antibody specific for Rat DLL4 coated on a 96-well plate. Standards and samples are pipetted into the wells and DLL4 present in a sample is bound to the wells by the immobilized antibody. The wells are washed and biotinylated anti-Rat DLL4 antibody is added. After washing away unbound biotinylated antibody, HRP-conjugated streptavidin is pipetted to the wells. The wells are again washed, a TMB substrate solution is added to the wells and color develops in proportion to the amount of DLL4 bound. The Stop Solution changes the color from blue to yellow, and the intensity of the color is measured at 450 nm.
Background: Delta like ligand 4 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the DLL4 gene. It is mapped to 15q15.1. This gene is a homolog of the Drosophila delta gene. DLL4 is a transmembrane ligand for Notch receptors that shows restricted expression to endothelial cells (ECs), in particular to arteries and capillaries, and is involved in vascular development, and it also appeared to be a major trigger of Notch receptor activities previously implicated in arterial and vascular development. DLL4 acts as a negative regulator of tumor angiogenesis, its blockade results in the striking uncoupling of tumor growth from vessel density, presenting a novel therapeutic approach even for tumors resistant to anti-VEGF therapies. In addition to it, this gene also plays an important role in promoting Th17 effector activity during mycobacterial challenge