At1g67130 (UniProt: Q3ECH0) is a protein found in Arabidopsis thaliana (Mouse-ear cress), a model organism widely used in plant molecular biology research. The protein is implicated in plant developmental processes, potentially linked to gibberellin (GA) signaling pathways. GA-mediated signaling is critical for numerous plant developmental processes, including seed germination, stem elongation, and flowering. The At1g67130 protein may interact with DELLA proteins, which are known GA-signaling repressors that block GA-induced development . Understanding At1g67130's function can provide insights into fundamental plant growth regulatory mechanisms.
At1g67130 antibodies are valuable research tools primarily utilized in protein detection and characterization experiments. The main applications include:
Western blotting (WB) for protein detection and quantification
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for sensitive protein quantification
Immunoprecipitation (IP) for protein purification and interaction studies
Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) for studying protein-DNA interactions
These applications enable researchers to investigate protein expression levels, post-translational modifications, protein-protein interactions, and protein localization within plant tissues and cells .
Proper storage and handling are essential for maintaining antibody functionality and experimental reproducibility. For At1g67130 antibodies:
Store at -20°C or -80°C immediately upon receipt
Avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles that can degrade antibody quality
Store in small aliquots to minimize freeze-thaw events
When handling, keep the antibody on ice
The antibody is typically provided in a storage buffer containing 50% glycerol, 0.01M PBS (pH 7.4), and 0.03% Proclin 300 as a preservative
Improper storage can lead to antibody degradation, resulting in reduced sensitivity, increased background, and potentially misleading experimental results.
When performing Western blot analysis with At1g67130 antibodies, researchers should follow this optimized protocol:
Sample preparation:
Extract total protein from Arabidopsis tissues using appropriate buffer
Add protease inhibitors to prevent protein degradation
Quantify protein concentration using Bradford or BCA assay
SDS-PAGE separation:
Load 20-50 μg of protein per lane
Use 10-12% polyacrylamide gels for optimal separation
Transfer and blocking:
Transfer proteins to PVDF or nitrocellulose membrane
Block with 5% non-fat milk in TBST for 1 hour at room temperature
Primary antibody incubation:
Dilute At1g67130 antibody (recommended starting dilution: 1:1000)
Incubate overnight at 4°C with gentle agitation
Detection:
Use appropriate HRP-conjugated secondary antibody
Develop using ECL substrate
Visualize using X-ray film or digital imaging system
Controls:
The expected molecular weight for At1g67130 protein should be verified based on sequence prediction and previous literature, as antibody specificity validation is critical for accurate results.
Antibody specificity validation is critical, especially considering the documented issues with non-specificity in some commercial antibodies. For At1g67130 antibodies, implement these validation steps:
Genetic validation:
Compare Western blot results between wild-type and At1g67130 knockout/knockdown plants
The specific band should be absent or significantly reduced in the knockout/knockdown samples
Peptide competition assay:
Pre-incubate the antibody with the immunizing peptide
This should abolish specific binding in Western blot or immunostaining
Recombinant protein control:
Use purified recombinant At1g67130 protein as a positive control
Verify expected molecular weight and antibody recognition
Multiple antibody comparison:
Use antibodies raised against different epitopes of At1g67130
Consistent results with different antibodies increase confidence in specificity
Orthogonal techniques:
| Validation Method | Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Genetic validation | Gold standard | Requires knockout lines |
| Peptide competition | Simple to implement | May not detect all cross-reactivities |
| Recombinant protein | Provides positive control | May not reflect native protein |
| Multiple antibodies | Increases confidence | Requires additional resources |
| Orthogonal techniques | Independent verification | Requires different expertise |
These validation approaches are particularly important given that studies have shown many commercial antibodies can exhibit cross-reactivity and non-specific binding .
For successful immunoprecipitation of At1g67130 and its interaction partners:
Lysate preparation:
Use fresh Arabidopsis tissue (preferably young seedlings)
Grind tissue in liquid nitrogen to fine powder
Extract proteins in non-denaturing buffer (e.g., 50 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.5, 150 mM NaCl, 1% NP-40, 0.5% sodium deoxycholate, protease inhibitors)
Clear lysate by centrifugation at 14,000g for 15 minutes at 4°C
Pre-clearing:
Incubate lysate with Protein A/G beads for 1 hour at 4°C
Remove beads by centrifugation
Immunoprecipitation:
Add 2-5 μg of At1g67130 antibody per 500 μg of protein lysate
Incubate overnight at 4°C with gentle rotation
Add 30 μl Protein A/G beads
Incubate for 2-3 hours at 4°C
Washing and elution:
Wash beads 4-5 times with cold IP buffer
Elute proteins with SDS sample buffer at 95°C for 5 minutes
Analysis:
For detecting protein-protein interactions, particularly those with DELLA proteins or other components of gibberellin signaling pathways, co-immunoprecipitation experiments have proven effective in similar studies .
At1g67130 antibodies can elucidate the functional relationships between light and gibberellin signaling pathways using these approaches:
ChIP-seq analysis:
Use At1g67130 antibodies for chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing
Identify genome-wide binding sites under different light conditions
Compare binding patterns with and without GA treatment
Map binding sites to known light and GA-responsive gene promoters
Protein complex analysis:
Combine At1g67130 immunoprecipitation with mass spectrometry
Identify interaction partners under different light × hormone treatment combinations
Verify interactions using reciprocal co-immunoprecipitation
Analyze how complex formation changes with environmental stimuli
Phosphorylation state analysis:
Immunoprecipitate At1g67130 under different signaling conditions
Analyze post-translational modifications by mass spectrometry
Determine how phosphorylation states change with light quality or GA treatment
Create phospho-specific antibodies for key regulatory sites
Protein stability assays:
This approach is supported by previous research showing how GA and light signaling pathways coordinate developmental processes in Arabidopsis, potentially through protein-protein interactions and post-translational modifications of key signaling components .
DELLA proteins are key repressors in GA signaling pathways, and their interaction with At1g67130 can be studied using these approaches:
Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (BiFC):
Create fusion constructs of At1g67130 and DELLA proteins with split YFP fragments
Express in tobacco leaves via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation
Visualize interactions through fluorescence microscopy
Include appropriate controls (non-interacting proteins)
In vitro pull-down assays:
Express and purify recombinant At1g67130 and DELLA proteins from bacteria
Perform pull-down assays with and without GA
Analyze interaction using Western blot with At1g67130 antibodies
Include DNA probes to test DNA-dependence of interactions
Co-immunoprecipitation with endogenous proteins:
Immunoprecipitate using At1g67130 antibodies
Detect DELLA proteins (RGA, GAI, etc.) in the precipitate
Compare interactions with and without GA treatment
Include proteasome inhibitors (MG132) to preserve ubiquitinated forms
Yeast two-hybrid analysis:
These approaches have been successfully used to study interactions between DELLA proteins and other transcription factors in Arabidopsis, revealing how GA signaling modulates protein interactions to regulate plant development .
To investigate the dynamic changes in At1g67130 protein levels, modifications, and interactions during plant development:
Temporal expression profiling:
Collect Arabidopsis tissues at different developmental stages
Perform Western blot analysis using At1g67130 antibodies
Quantify protein levels relative to appropriate loading controls
Correlate protein levels with developmental transitions
Spatial localization studies:
Perform immunohistochemistry on tissue sections
Use fluorescent secondary antibodies for detection
Analyze protein localization in different cell types
Compare localization patterns at different developmental stages
Chromatin association dynamics:
Conduct ChIP experiments at key developmental transitions
Map changes in genomic binding sites during development
Correlate binding with changes in target gene expression
Identify cofactors that modulate chromatin association
Protein modification tracking:
These approaches can reveal how At1g67130 function changes throughout the plant life cycle, particularly in response to environmental cues that trigger developmental transitions through light and hormone signaling pathways.
Non-specific binding is a common challenge with antibodies. For At1g67130 antibodies, implement these troubleshooting strategies:
Optimize blocking conditions:
Test different blocking agents (BSA, non-fat milk, commercial blockers)
Increase blocking time or concentration
Add 0.1-0.5% Tween-20 to reduce hydrophobic interactions
Adjust antibody concentration:
Perform a dilution series (1:500 to 1:5000) to identify optimal concentration
Reduce primary antibody concentration if background is high
Extend incubation time when using more dilute antibody
Modify washing protocol:
Increase number of washes (5-6 times)
Extend wash duration (10-15 minutes each)
Add higher salt concentration (up to 500 mM NaCl) to reduce ionic interactions
Pre-adsorb antibody:
Incubate antibody with proteins from non-target species
For plant studies, pre-adsorb with proteins from unrelated plant species
Remove non-specific antibodies by centrifugation
Validate with knockout controls:
Remember that many commercial antibodies show cross-reactivity with unintended targets. Research has documented cases where antibodies detected identical bands in wild-type and knockout tissues, highlighting the importance of proper controls and validation .
When facing contradictory results with different At1g67130 antibodies:
Comprehensive antibody validation:
Validate each antibody using knockout/knockdown controls
Perform peptide competition assays for each antibody
Identify the specific epitopes recognized by each antibody
Multi-method confirmation:
Validate findings using orthogonal techniques (e.g., mass spectrometry)
Correlate protein data with mRNA expression analysis
Use genetic approaches (overexpression, CRISPR knockouts) to confirm findings
Systematic comparison:
Test all antibodies under identical experimental conditions
Document differences in immunization antigens, host species, and purification methods
Consider differences in antibody format (polyclonal vs. monoclonal)
Epitope accessibility analysis:
Different antibodies may detect different conformational states
Some epitopes may be masked by protein-protein interactions
Post-translational modifications may affect antibody recognition
Independent replication:
Systematic evaluation is particularly important given that studies have found that commercially available antibodies to related proteins (e.g., AT1 receptor) produced different immunostaining patterns unrelated to the presence or absence of the target protein .
To ensure scientific rigor when reporting At1g67130 antibody data:
These practices align with increasing recognition in the scientific community that antibody validation is essential for reproducible research, particularly given documented cases of non-specific antibody binding in the literature .
To effectively investigate At1g67130 ubiquitination:
Ubiquitination detection protocol:
Treat plants with proteasome inhibitors (e.g., MG132, 50 μM for 4-6 hours)
Include deubiquitinase inhibitors in lysis buffer (N-ethylmaleimide, 10 mM)
Immunoprecipitate At1g67130 using validated antibodies
Detect ubiquitinated forms by Western blot with anti-ubiquitin antibodies
Differentiate ubiquitination types:
Use antibodies specific for K48-linked chains (associated with degradation)
Use antibodies specific for K63-linked chains (associated with signaling)
Compare ubiquitination patterns with and without GA treatment
Analyze how light conditions affect ubiquitination patterns
Identify ubiquitination sites:
Perform mass spectrometry on immunoprecipitated At1g67130
Focus on lysine residues with ubiquitin remnants
Create lysine-to-arginine mutants to test functional significance
Compare ubiquitination sites under different conditions
Study ubiquitination machinery:
Previous research has shown that GA treatment enhances the detection of high-molecular-weight DELLA protein species that react with anti-ubiquitin antibodies, suggesting a similar approach may be effective for At1g67130 .
For genome-wide mapping of At1g67130 binding sites:
ChIP-seq optimization:
Cross-link Arabidopsis seedlings with 1% formaldehyde for 10 minutes
Sonicate chromatin to 200-300 bp fragments
Immunoprecipitate using At1g67130 antibodies
Include appropriate controls (IgG, input DNA)
Prepare libraries for high-throughput sequencing
Experimental design considerations:
Compare binding profiles under different light conditions
Analyze GA-treated versus untreated samples
Include time-course experiments for developmental transitions
Compare wild-type to related mutants (e.g., DELLA mutants)
Data analysis approach:
Use peak-calling algorithms optimized for plant ChIP-seq
Perform motif discovery analysis on bound regions
Correlate binding sites with gene expression data
Integrate with published datasets on light and GA responses
Validation of binding sites:
These approaches have been successfully used to study DNA-binding proteins involved in light and hormone signaling in Arabidopsis, revealing genomic targets and regulatory mechanisms .
When applying At1g67130 antibodies across plant species:
Cross-reactivity assessment:
Perform sequence alignment of At1g67130 orthologs in target species
Focus on the epitope region recognized by the antibody
Test antibody reactivity in the new species by Western blot
Include positive (Arabidopsis) and negative controls
Optimization for each species:
Adjust protein extraction protocols for species-specific tissues
Modify blocking conditions to reduce background
Titrate antibody concentration for optimal signal-to-noise ratio
Validate with genetic resources when available
Conservative interpretation:
Be cautious when interpreting cross-species results
Confirm findings with species-specific antibodies when possible
Support antibody data with genomic or transcriptomic evidence
Consider raising new antibodies against species-specific orthologs
Functional validation across species:
These considerations are particularly important given documented issues with antibody specificity. Even within the same species, commercially available antibodies can show variable specificity and different staining patterns .