What are SSEA-3 antibodies?
Anti-SSEA-3 antibodies are immunoglobulins that specifically recognize and bind stage-specific embryonic antigen-3 (SSEA-3), a glycosphingolipid cell-surface antigen. In research applications, these antibodies are used to detect SSEA-3 on cultured cells and in tissue samples by flow cytometry and imaging-based methods. SSEA-3 is expressed on the surface of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells and certain adult stem cell populations, and its expression declines as cells differentiate. Detecting SSEA-3 supports research into stem cell identification, sorting, and characterization, including its use as a prognostic marker in several cancers.
Catalog highlights and purchasing considerations
About the Biocompare SSEA-3 antibody catalog
The Biocompare antibody search tool lists anti-SSEA-3 antibodies from a range of suppliers, spanning unconjugated and fluorophore- or enzyme-conjugated formats suited to flow cytometry. Flow cytometry is the most common validated application among these listings, followed by immunocytochemistry and immunofluorescence. Several SSEA-3 antibodies mentioned here have been cited across a range of stem cell and cancer research, including SSEA3 and Globo H as prognostic markers in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, SSEA3/CD105 co-positivity in neural crest-derived stem cell therapy for Alzheimer's disease, and glycosphingolipid profiling in soft-tissue sarcomas.
Considerations when choosing an SSEA-3 antibody for research
Confirm that the antibody's intended target is accurate, as many genes carry synonym symbols that can create ambiguity across suppliers. Specificity should be verified against the immunogen sequence or region listed on the product datasheet, since antibodies raised against different epitopes of the same protein can behave differently across applications. Beyond specificity, several target-related attributes can affect antibody binding, including subcellular location, extracellular and cytoplasmic domain boundaries for membrane-associated targets, tissue specificity, post-translational modifications, and the presence of additional isoforms or disease-associated variants. In parallel, antibody-specific selection criteria warrant consideration, including clonality (monoclonal versus polyclonal), host species, species reactivity, and conjugate or label choice suited to the detection method. Supplier validation data, such as western blot bands at the expected molecular weight, immunohistochemistry staining patterns consistent with known tissue distribution, and knockout or knockdown controls, should also be carefully reviewed before purchase.