Anti-CD59 antibodies are used in the immunodetection of the protein CD59 molecule (CD59 blood group). In humans, the canonical protein has a reported length of 128 amino acid residues and a mass of 14.2 kDa. Its subcellular localization is in the cell membrane and is secreted. Up to 2 different isoforms have been reported for this protein. It is notably widely expressed in many tissue types. CD59 is reported to be a potent inhibitor of the complement membrane attack complex (MAC) action. Post-translational modifications have been described, including O-glycosylation and N-glycosylation. The CD59 gene has been associated with the disease, Hemolytic anemia. Synonyms for this target antigen include 1F5, EJ16, EJ30, EL32, G344, HRF-20, HRF20, and 16.3A5. CD59 gene orthologs have been reported in the mouse, rat, bovine, frog, zebrafish, chimpanzee and chicken species.