Anti-DFFA/ICAD Antibody Picoband® Fluoro488 Conjugated

DNA fragmentation factor subunit alpha (DFFA), also known as Inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase (ICAD), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the DFFA gene. Apoptosis is a cell death process that removes toxic and/or useless cells during mammalian development. The apoptotic process is accompanied by shrinkage and fragmentation of the cells and nuclei and degradation of the chromosomal DNA into nucleosomal units. DNA fragmentation factor (DFF) is a heterodimeric protein of 40-kD (DFFB) and 45-kD (DFFA) subunits. DFFA is the substrate for caspase-3 and triggers DNA fragmentation during apoptosis. DFF becomes activated when DFFA is cleaved by caspase-3. The cleaved fragments of DFFA dissociate from DFFB, the active component of DFF. DFFB has been found to trigger both DNA fragmentation and chromatin condensation during apoptosis. Two alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms have been found for this gene.

Widely expressed with highest levels in heart, skeletal muscle, liver, adipose tissue, mammary gland, adrenal gland and colon (PubMed:9099716) . Isoform 3 is expressed in skeletal muscle, adipose tissue and liver (at protein level) (PubMed:19190759) . Isoform 3 is detected at high levels in adipose tissue with lower levels in heart, liver, skeletal muscle and testis (PubMed:19190759) .

Catalyzes the ATP-dependent carboxylation of acetyl-CoA to malonyl-CoA (PubMed:20457939, PubMed:19236960, PubMed:20952656) . Carries out three functions: biotin carboxyl carrier protein, biotin carboxylase and carboxyltransferase (PubMed:20457939, PubMed:19236960, PubMed:20952656) . Involved in inhibition of fatty acid and glucose oxidation and enhancement of fat storage (By similarity) . May play a role in regulation of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation through malonyl-CoA-dependent inhibition of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (By similarity) .

1. Abel, F., Sjoberg, R.-M., Ejeskar, K., Krona, C., Martinsson, T. Analyses of apoptotic regulators CASP9 and DFFA at 1p36.2, reveal rare allele variants in human neuroblastoma tumours. Brit. J. Cancer 86: 596-604, 2002. 2. Inohara, N., Koseki, T., Chen, S., Wu, X., Nunez, G. CIDE, a novel family of cell death activators with homology to the 45 kDa subunit of the DNA fragmentation factor. EMBO J. 17: 2526-2533, 1998. 3. Leek, J. P., Carr, I. M., Bell, S. M., Markham, A. F., Lench, N. J. Assignment of the DNA fragmentation factor gene (DFFA) to human chromosome bands 1p36.3-p36.2 by in situ hybridization. Cytogenet. Cell Genet. 79: 212-213, 1997.