KATNA1 Antibody

What is KATNA1 Antibody?

KATNA1 antibodies are immunoreagents designed to detect the catalytic A-subunit of the katanin complex, which severs microtubules in an ATP-dependent manner . These antibodies are critical for visualizing KATNA1 localization, quantifying expression levels, and understanding its interactions with regulatory subunits like KATNB1 and KATNBL1 .

Research Applications and Findings

KATNA1 antibodies have been instrumental in advancing our understanding of microtubule dynamics and disease mechanisms:

Microtubule Regulation

• Mitosis and Meiosis: KATNA1 localizes to spindle poles and regulates microtubule flux during cell division. Knockout studies in mice reveal its co-operative role with KATNAL1 in meiotic spindle organization and cytokinesis .

• Ciliogenesis: KATNA1 and KATNAL2 are critical for axoneme formation in cilia, with knockdown models showing shortened cilia and defective motility .

Neuronal Development

• Overexpression of KATNA1 in neurons inhibits axon growth and disrupts nucleus-centrosome coupling, while its loss correlates with intellectual disabilities and impaired learning .

• SUMOylation at lysine 330 enhances KATNA1’s microtubule-severing activity, promoting hippocampal neurite outgrowth .

Cancer Pathology

• Elevated KATNA1 expression is linked to metastatic breast, prostate, and non-small cell lung cancers. It drives chromosome missegregation, aneuploidy, and tumor progression .

• In papillary thyroid carcinoma, high KATNA1 levels correlate with advanced staging and poor survival .

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

• Haploinsufficiency of KATNA1 paralogues (e.g., KATNAL1) is associated with autism spectrum disorder and microcephaly .

• Mutations in KATNB1, a regulatory partner of KATNA1, cause holoprosencephaly and forebrain defects in zebrafish and mice .

Antibody Performance in Disease Models

• IHC Staining: KATNA1 antibodies localize to neuronal cell bodies and processes in human brain tissues (globus pallidus) .

• Western Blot: Validated in NIH/3T3, HeLa, and pig tissue lysates, showing specificity for the 56 kDa band .

Technical Considerations

• Storage: Stable at -20°C in PBS with 0.02% sodium azide and 50% glycerol .

• Epitope Retrieval: Heat-induced methods (e.g., Antigen Retrieval Reagent-Basic) are recommended for paraffin-embedded tissues .

• Cross-Reactivity: Sheep-derived antibodies (R&D Systems) show high specificity for human KATNA1, while rabbit polyclonals (Proteintech, Abcam) cross-react with mouse and rat homologs .

Future Directions

• Therapeutic Targeting: Inhibiting KATNA1’s severing activity may suppress microtubule-driven invasiveness in cancers .

• Structural Studies: Cryo-EM and X-ray diffraction analyses are needed to resolve full-length KATNA1 oligomerization mechanisms .