Anti-MCAM antibodies are used in the immunodetection of the protein melanoma cell adhesion molecule. In humans, the canonical protein has a reported length of 646 amino acid residues and a mass of 71.6 kDa. Its subcellular localization is in the membrane. Up to 2 different isoforms have been reported for this protein. It is notably expressed in endothelial cells in vascular tissue throughout the body. MCAM is reported to play a role in cell adhesion, and in cohesion of the endothelial monolayer at intercellular junctions in vascular tissue.
The MCAM marker can be used to identify Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells, Vascular Endothelial Cells, Extravillous Interstitial Trophoblasts, Extravillous Trophoblasts (EVT), and Endometrial Microvascular Endothelial Cells (EMEC).* Synonyms for this target antigen include HEMCAM, METCAM, MUC18, MelCAM, cell surface glycoprotein MUC18, and CD146. MCAM gene orthologs have been reported in the mouse, rat, bovine, frog, chimpanzee and chicken species. Over 790 citations in the literature describe the use of MCAM antibodies in research. Flow Cytometry is a widely used application for these antibodies. Western Blot and Immunohistochemistry are also common applications.
*HuBMAP Human Reference Atlas v1.4