Anti-MELK antibodies are used in the immunodetection of the protein maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase. In humans, the canonical protein has a reported length of 651 amino acid residues and a mass of 74.6 kDa. Its subcellular localization is in the cell membrane. Up to 8 different isoforms have been reported for this protein. It is reported to be expressed in the placenta, kidney, thymus, testis, ovary and intestine. A member of the CAMK Ser/Thr protein kinase protein family, MELK is known to be a protein kinase involved in various processes such as cell cycle regulation, self-renewal of stem cells, apoptosis and splicing regulation. Synonyms for this target antigen include pEg3 kinase, protein kinase Eg3, protein kinase PK38, tyrosine-protein kinase MELK, and HPK38. MELK gene orthologs have been reported in the mouse, rat, bovine, frog, zebrafish, chimpanzee and chicken species. Over 60 citations in the literature describe the use of MELK antibodies in research. Western Blot is a widely used application for these antibodies. ELISA and Immunofluorescence are also common applications.