Anti-EPCAM antibodies are used in the immunodetection of the protein epithelial cell adhesion molecule. In humans, the canonical protein has a reported length of 314 amino acid residues and a mass of 34.9 kDa. Its subcellular localization is in the cell membrane. It is notably expressed in many tissues, such as the appendix and colon. A member of the EPCAM protein family, EPCAM is believed to act as a physical homophilic interaction molecule between intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) at the mucosal epithelium for providing immunological barrier as a first line of defense against mucosal infection. Post-translational modifications have been described, including glycosylation.
The EPCAM marker can be used to identify Early Erythroid Cells, Airway Submucosal Gland Ciliated Duct Cells, Airway Submucosal Gland Duct Basal Cells, Airway Submucosal Gland Collecting Duct Epithelial Cells, and Bronchus Submucosal Gland Myoepithelial Cells Serous Secreting Cells.* Synonyms for this target antigen include BerEp4, DIAR5, EGP-2, EGP314, EGP40, ESA, HNPCC8, and Ber-Ep4. EPCAM gene orthologs have been reported in the mouse, rat, bovine, frog, zebrafish, chimpanzee and chicken species.
*HuBMAP Human Reference Atlas v1.4