Anti-UPK1A antibodies are used in the immunodetection of the protein uroplakin 1A. In humans, the canonical protein has a reported length of 258 amino acid residues and a mass of 28.9 kDa. Its subcellular localization is in the membrane. Up to 2 different isoforms have been reported for this protein. It is notably expressed in the urinary bladder. A member of the Tetraspanin (TM4SF) protein family, Upk1a is a known component of the asymmetric unit membrane (AUM); a highly specialized biomembrane elaborated by terminally differentiated urothelial cells. Post-translational modifications have been described, including glycosylation.
The UPK1A marker can be used to identify Ureter Urothelium Superficial Cells.* Synonyms for this target antigen include UP1A, UPIA, UPKA, tetraspanin-21, tspan-21, uroplakin Ia, and TSPAN21. UPK1A gene orthologs have been reported in the mouse, rat, bovine, frog, zebrafish and chimpanzee species. A number of Upk1a antibodies have been mentioned in research publications and have associated citations. ELISA is a widely used application for these antibodies. Immunocytochemistry and Immunohistochemistry are also common applications.
*HuBMAP Human Reference Atlas v1.4