Anti-Telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT)

Telomerase is a reverse transcriptase that adds telomeric repeats (TTAGGG)n to chromosomal ends, compensating for the telomere shortening that occurs with DNA replication. In normal human somatic cells, telomerase is repressed and telomeres progressively shorten, leading to limited lifespan and senescence. Reactivation of telomerase activity is associated with human cancer and cell immortalization. Approximately 85% of human cancers, including breast, prostate, stomach, bladder, colon, and liver cancer, have telomerase activity, whereas most normal somatic cells do not. The specificity of telomerase to human cancer has led to investigations of telomerase activity and expression as a tumor marker. For example, the presence of telomerase activity in human urine has been identified as a marker for human bladder carcinoma. Human telomerase consists of three major subunits: a catalytic protein subunit called hTERT (for human TElomerase Reverse Transcriptase), a template RNA called hTR, and telomerase-associated protein (TEP-1). TERT and hTR are minimally required to reconstitute telomerase activity in vitro. In human cells, hTR is constitutively expressed. TERT transcription is a primary mechanism for regulation of telomerase activity.

Product Specifications

Reactivity

Human

Immunogen

This affinity purified antibody was prepared from whole rabbit serum produced by repeated immunizations with a synthetic peptide corresponding to a region near the carboxy terminal end of hTERT (accession number AF018167).

Clonality

Polyclonal

Type

Antibodies-Polyclonal

Applications

WB,ICC/IF

Concentration

1ug/ul

Purity

Affinity Purified

Buffer

PBS, pH 7.4 with 0.05% sodium azide.

Shipping Conditions

Ice Pack

Storage Conditions

This product is stable for several weeks at 4° C as an undiluted liquid. Dilute only prior to immediate use. For extended storage, aliquot contents and freeze at -20° C or below. Avoid cycles of freezing and thawing. Expiration date is one (1) year from date of receipt.

Fragment

IgG

Specificity

This antiserum primarily detects hTERT, but several non-specific bands appear on immunoblots (Figure 1). In immunofluorescence microscopy assays, staining with anti-TERT-16 was specific to the nuclei of cells with ectopic TERT expression.

Applications Notes

This affinity purified antibody has been tested for use in immunoblotting (Figure 1), immunoprecipitation (Figure 2), and immunofluorescence microscopy (Figure 3). In these assays, the antibody detects ectopically-expressed hTERT and high levels of endogenous hTERT. Although it has been reported that this antibody reacts with mouse TERT (mTERT) (see Drissi, et al. 2001), the binding to mTERT is considerably weaker and less specific than the binding to hTERT (not shown). A SY5Y cell nuclear extract can be used as a positive control.