The At5g10810 gene encodes the Enhancer of Rudimentary Homologue (ATER), a conserved eukaryotic protein involved in transcriptional regulation and metabolic processes. Key functional domains include:
N-terminal basic region: DNA-binding capability
C-terminal acidic region: Protein interaction interface
Conserved ERF-associated amphiphilic repression (EAR) motif: Transcriptional repression activity
In Arabidopsis, ATER regulates:
Identified in chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays to map DNA-binding sites of ATER
Used to quantify protein expression changes under:
Immunocytochemistry reveals nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling behavior
Co-localizes with RNA polymerase II in stress granules during drought conditions
| Genotype | Phenotype | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| ATER knockout | Delayed flowering time (+5 days) | |
| Reduced root hair density (-40%) | ||
| Overexpression | Enhanced drought tolerance |
FLD (FLOWERING LOCUS D): Modifies histone acetylation patterns
FLC (FLOWERING LOCUS C): Represses floral transition via chromatin remodeling
At5g10810 (UniProt: Q96319) is a protein-coding gene in Arabidopsis thaliana (Mouse-ear cress), a widely used model organism in plant molecular biology. This protein has gained significance in plant research due to its role in fundamental cellular processes. Antibodies targeting this protein allow researchers to investigate its expression patterns, localization, and functional relationships in various physiological and stress conditions. Unlike general protein studies, antibody-based approaches provide the advantage of detecting native protein in complex cellular environments without requiring protein purification or recombinant expression systems. When designing experiments with this antibody, researchers should consider tissue-specific expression patterns, developmental timing, and potential post-translational modifications that might affect epitope recognition .
Proper control selection is critical for antibody-based experiments. For positive controls, researchers should consider:
Recombinant At5g10810 protein expression in heterologous systems
Plant tissues with known high expression of At5g10810
Tagged At5g10810 constructs in transgenic plants
For negative controls, consider:
At5g10810 knockout/knockdown lines
Tissues where the protein is not expressed
Pre-immune serum controls
Secondary antibody-only controls
The importance of proper validation cannot be overstated, as approximately 50% of commercial antibodies show some level of non-specific binding. This systematic approach helps distinguish specific signals from background, especially important when working with plant tissues that contain complex polysaccharides and secondary metabolites that can contribute to non-specific binding .
Proper antibody handling significantly impacts experimental reproducibility. Store At5g10810 Antibody according to manufacturer recommendations, typically at -20°C for long-term storage, with working aliquots kept at 4°C to minimize freeze-thaw cycles. When handling:
Prepare small aliquots (10-50 μL) to prevent multiple freeze-thaw cycles
Add carrier proteins (BSA 0.1-1%) for dilute solutions to prevent adsorption to tube walls
Consider adding preservatives (0.02% sodium azide) for solutions stored at 4°C
Document lot numbers and maintain validation data for each batch
Temperature fluctuations and improper storage can lead to antibody degradation and aggregation, resulting in reduced specificity and sensitivity. Studies have shown that antibody shelf life can be extended 2-3 fold with proper aliquoting and storage techniques. Some researchers report success with glycerol-based storage buffers (25-50% glycerol) for improved stability .
Sample preparation varies significantly between different plant tissues and experimental techniques. For optimal At5g10810 detection:
For protein extraction:
Young tissues: Grind in liquid nitrogen and extract with buffer containing:
50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.5)
150 mM NaCl
1% Triton X-100
1 mM EDTA
Protease inhibitor cocktail
Mature/woody tissues: Require more stringent extraction:
Add 2% SDS to extraction buffer
Increase mechanical disruption time
Consider focused ultrasound for complete tissue disruption
For immunohistochemistry:
Fixation in 4% paraformaldehyde (4-12 hours)
Gradual dehydration through ethanol series
Paraffin embedding and sectioning (5-10 μm)
Antigen retrieval (critical step): 10 mM sodium citrate buffer (pH 6.0) at 95°C for 20 minutes
This methodological approach addresses the challenge of maintaining protein integrity while removing interfering compounds in plant tissues. Researchers should optimize protocols for specific tissue types, as extraction efficiency can vary by 30-40% between different plant organs .
Optimizing Western blot conditions for At5g10810 Antibody requires systematic adjustment of multiple parameters:
Protein loading: Test 10-50 μg total protein per lane
Blocking solutions:
Compare 5% non-fat dry milk vs. 3-5% BSA in TBS-T
Consider casein-based blockers for problematic samples
Antibody dilution: Test range from 1:500 to 1:5000
Incubation conditions:
Primary antibody: 4°C overnight vs. room temperature for 1-3 hours
Secondary antibody: Room temperature for 1 hour (1:5000-1:10000)
Washing stringency: TBS-T (0.05% vs. 0.1% Tween-20)
Detection methods: Compare chemiluminescence vs. fluorescence-based systems
Researchers should perform titration experiments to determine optimal antibody concentration, as both too high (leading to background) and too low (resulting in weak signals) concentrations compromise data quality. Evidence suggests that prolonged primary antibody incubation at 4°C often yields better signal-to-noise ratio compared to shorter room temperature incubations, with improvements of up to 40% in signal specificity .
For successful immunoprecipitation (IP) with At5g10810 Antibody:
Pre-clearing strategy:
Incubate lysate with protein A/G beads (1 hour at 4°C) before adding antibody
Remove non-specific binding proteins by gentle centrifugation (1000 × g, 5 min)
Antibody coupling:
Direct method: Covalently couple antibody to activated beads
Indirect method: Capture antibody using protein A/G beads
Use 2-5 μg antibody per 500 μg protein lysate
Crosslinking considerations:
For transient interactions: Use formaldehyde (0.1-1%) or DSP (dithiobis-succinimidyl propionate)
Optimize crosslinking time (typically 10-30 minutes)
Washing conditions:
Start with mild washing (TBS with 0.1% NP-40)
Increase stringency gradually (up to 500 mM NaCl)
Minimum 4-5 washes required
Elution strategies:
Denaturing: SDS sample buffer at 95°C
Non-denaturing: Competitive elution with peptide
This methodological approach preserves native protein complexes while minimizing false positives. Studies show that pre-clearing can reduce non-specific background by 40-60%, and crosslinking can enhance detection of weak interactors by 30-50% .
Non-specific binding is a common challenge when working with plant antibodies. To address this issue:
Increase blocking stringency:
Test different blocking agents (milk, BSA, fish gelatin)
Increase blocking time (2-3 hours at room temperature)
Add 0.1-0.5% Tween-20 to reduce hydrophobic interactions
Titrate antibody concentration:
Perform systematic dilution series
Balance signal strength against background
Add competing agents:
0.1-0.5% non-ionic detergents
100-500 mM NaCl to reduce ionic interactions
1-5% polyethylene glycol to reduce hydrophobic interactions
Absorption controls:
Pre-incubate antibody with recombinant target protein
Compare signal with and without absorption
Sequential epitope exposure technique:
Gradually expose epitopes through controlled protein denaturation
Monitor signal-to-noise ratio at each step
Non-specific binding often occurs due to antibody cross-reactivity with structurally similar proteins. Research shows that approximately 30-50% of antibody-related experimental issues stem from non-specific binding. Systematic validation using knockout/knockdown controls is essential for confirming signal specificity .
Discrepancies between protein and mRNA levels are common and biologically significant. To investigate:
Validate both detection methods independently:
Confirm antibody specificity using knockout/knockdown lines
Verify primer specificity for RT-PCR with sequencing
Consider post-transcriptional regulation:
Analyze miRNA targeting the At5g10810 transcript
Examine RNA-binding protein interactions
Assess mRNA half-life through actinomycin D treatment
Investigate post-translational regulation:
Analyze protein stability with cycloheximide chase assays
Examine ubiquitination status through IP followed by ubiquitin blotting
Assess proteasome involvement using MG132 treatment
Time-course experiments:
Compare protein and mRNA kinetics following stimulus
Identify temporal delays between transcription and translation
Quantification methods:
Use absolute quantification for both protein (with recombinant standards) and mRNA
Apply appropriate normalization strategies
Research demonstrates that protein and corresponding mRNA levels correlate only moderately (correlation coefficients typically 0.4-0.6) due to varied post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation. This biological variation is not experimental error but reflects complex regulatory mechanisms .
Unexpected bands require systematic investigation before dismissal as non-specific binding:
Potential biological explanations:
Post-translational modifications (phosphorylation, glycosylation)
Alternative splicing variants
Proteolytic processing
Protein complexes resistant to denaturation
Validation approaches:
Compare patterns across different tissues/conditions
Analyze knockout/knockdown samples
Perform mass spectrometry on immunoprecipitated bands
Use epitope-tagged versions of the protein
Technical considerations:
Test different sample preparation methods
Vary denaturation conditions (temperature, reducing agents)
Use gradient gels for better resolution
Apply 2D electrophoresis to separate by both pI and molecular weight
Quantitative assessment:
Compare band intensities under different conditions
Correlate with functional assays
Research indicates that approximately 15-25% of unexpected bands represent biologically relevant protein forms rather than non-specific binding. Careful validation can transform apparent artifacts into valuable discoveries about protein regulation and processing .
Optimizing ChIP with At5g10810 Antibody requires specialized approaches for plant chromatin:
Crosslinking optimization:
Test formaldehyde concentrations (0.75-2%)
Compare single vs. dual crosslinking (formaldehyde + disuccinimidyl glutarate)
Optimize crosslinking time (10-30 minutes)
Chromatin preparation:
Cell-type specific nuclear isolation
Sonication parameters: amplitude, cycle number, duration
Target fragment size: 200-500 bp for standard ChIP, 50-300 bp for ChIP-seq
Immunoprecipitation conditions:
Pre-clearing with protein A/G beads and non-specific IgG
Antibody amount: 2-5 μg per ChIP reaction
Incubation time: 4-16 hours at 4°C
Washing stringency gradient
Controls essential for interpretation:
Input chromatin (non-immunoprecipitated)
IgG control (non-specific antibody)
Positive control regions (known binding sites)
Negative control regions (unexpressed genes)
Data analysis considerations:
Normalization to input and IgG controls
Peak calling algorithms
Integration with transcriptome data
For ChIP-seq applications, additional quality control metrics include IP efficiency (>5%), library complexity (>80% unique reads), and signal-to-noise ratio (>3). Research shows that optimized ChIP protocols can achieve 20-30 fold enrichment of true binding sites over background .
Super-resolution microscopy with At5g10810 Antibody requires specific optimization:
Sample preparation considerations:
Fixation: Paraformaldehyde (2-4%) with low glutaraldehyde (0.1-0.2%)
Permeabilization: Optimize detergent type and concentration
Antigen retrieval: Test citrate buffer, EDTA, or enzymatic methods
Reducing autofluorescence: Sodium borohydride or Sudan Black B treatment
Immunolabeling strategies:
Primary antibody: Extended incubation (overnight at 4°C)
Secondary antibody selection: F(ab')2 fragments for reduced size
Fluorophore selection: Photostability and quantum yield
Fluorophore density: Critical for STORM/PALM techniques
Imaging parameters:
Buffer compositions for optimal fluorophore blinking
Laser power and exposure time optimization
Drift correction strategies
Sampling density (Nyquist criterion)
Validation and controls:
Multi-color co-localization
Correlative light and electron microscopy
Quantitative analysis of spatial distribution
Data analysis considerations:
Localization precision calculation
Cluster analysis methods
3D reconstruction approaches
Super-resolution techniques can achieve 10-20 nm resolution compared to the 200-300 nm diffraction limit of conventional microscopy. Studies show that optimized super-resolution protocols can reveal previously undetectable subcellular distributions and co-localization patterns of plant proteins .
Investigating protein dynamics during stress responses requires specialized approaches:
Time-course experimental design:
Short-term kinetics: 5, 15, 30, 60, 120 minutes
Long-term adaptation: 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 hours
Recovery phases: Removal of stress and monitoring
Subcellular fractionation techniques:
Differential centrifugation
Density gradient separation
Affinity purification of organelles
Sequential protein extraction
Post-translational modification analysis:
Phospho-specific antibody generation
Phos-tag gels for mobility shift detection
2D gel electrophoresis
Mass spectrometry validation
Protein complex dynamics:
Blue native PAGE
Size exclusion chromatography
Crosslinking followed by immunoprecipitation
FRET-based interaction studies
Single-cell approaches:
Laser capture microdissection
Flow cytometry of protoplasts
Live cell imaging with split fluorescent proteins
This methodological framework enables researchers to distinguish between rapid signaling events (occurring within minutes) and adaptive responses (occurring over hours to days). Research indicates that stress responses typically involve multiple waves of protein modification, relocalization, and abundance changes that cannot be captured at single timepoints .
Comprehensive validation is essential before investing in extensive experiments:
Genetic validation:
Knockout/knockdown lines: Signal should be reduced/absent
Overexpression lines: Signal should increase proportionally
Complementation lines: Signal should be restored
Biochemical validation:
Western blot: Single band of expected molecular weight
Peptide competition: Signal should be blocked by immunizing peptide
Recombinant protein: Antibody should recognize purified protein
Mass spectrometry: Confirm identity of immunoprecipitated proteins
Comparative validation:
Multiple antibodies against different epitopes
Correlation with fluorescent protein tagging
Agreement with known expression patterns
Application-specific validation:
For IF/IHC: Absence of signal in knockout tissues
For IP: Enrichment of target in IP vs. input
For ChIP: Enrichment at known binding sites
Quantitative assessment:
Titration curves for linearity of response
Standard curves with recombinant protein
Signal-to-noise ratio calculation
Distinguishing specific from non-specific signals requires multiparametric approaches:
Biological controls:
Signal absence/reduction in knockout/knockdown lines
Signal increase in overexpression systems
Tissue/cell type specificity matching known biology
Technical controls:
Secondary antibody only
Isotype control antibody
Pre-immune serum
Blocking strategies:
Pre-adsorption with immunizing peptide/protein
Increasing blocking reagent concentration
Testing different blocking agents
Signal characteristics:
Reproducibility across experimental replicates
Consistency across different detection methods
Appropriate subcellular localization
Response to experimental manipulation:
Changes in expected direction after treatment
Dose-dependent responses
Kinetics matching known biology
Researchers should create a validation matrix combining multiple approaches, as no single test can definitively establish specificity. Studies show that using three independent validation methods can reduce false positives by >90% compared to relying on a single validation approach .
Recent advances in antibody validation provide powerful new approaches:
CRISPR/Cas9-based validation:
Generate precise gene knockouts
Create epitope modifications
Implement inducible degradation systems
Proximity labeling approaches:
BioID or TurboID fusion proteins
Compare antibody staining with biotin labeling patterns
Validate protein interaction networks
Single-cell validation techniques:
Flow cytometry of protoplasts
Single-cell immunostaining with image cytometry
Correlation with single-cell transcriptomics
Orthogonal validation methods:
RNA-protein correlation in different tissues/conditions
Targeted proteomics (PRM/MRM)
Nanobody-based detection systems
Community resources:
Antibody validation repositories
Standard operating procedures
Open-source validation datasets
These advanced approaches address the limitations of traditional validation methods. For instance, CRISPR-based validation can confirm antibody specificity with precision that exceeds traditional genetic approaches, reducing false positive rates from approximately 30-40% to under 5%. Integrating multiple orthogonal validation approaches represents the current gold standard in the field .