The PPDPF antibody (Pancreatic Progenitor Cell Differentiation and Proliferation Factor antibody) is a polyclonal rabbit-derived immunoglobulin designed to detect the PPDPF protein in human and murine samples. It has gained prominence in oncology research due to its role in identifying PPDPF overexpression in multiple cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), colorectal cancer (CRC), and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). This antibody is validated for applications such as Western blot (WB), immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF/ICC), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) .
The PPDPF antibody has been instrumental in elucidating PPDPF’s role in cancer progression and prognosis. Key findings include:
A transgenic mouse model (KRAS-G12D-driven PDAC) demonstrated that PPDPF knockout inhibits tumor progression. Overexpression of PPDPF in pancreatic cancer cells promotes anchorage-independent growth and RAS activation .
The antibody has been used to validate PPDPF’s role as a biomarker for prognosis, with high expression linked to poor survival outcomes .
PPDPF phosphorylation at tyrosine residues (Y16/Y17) via IL6-JAK2 signaling stabilizes the protein and activates Wnt/β-catenin signaling, driving CRC progression. WB and IHC using the antibody confirmed these findings in 104 CRC tissues .
Elevated PPDPF expression was observed in 54.07% of HCC samples (n = 135), correlating with larger tumor size (p = 0.003) and recurrence (p = 0.010). Multivariate analysis confirmed PPDPF as an independent prognostic marker (p = 0.014) .
| Characteristic | PPDPF Low (n = 52) | PPDPF High (n = 52) | χ² | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tumor size (>5 cm) | 25 | 27 | 0.038 | 0.844 |
| Recurrence | 10 | 25 | 6.633 | 0.010 |
| Edmondson-Steiner Grade | 21 | 32 | 5.326 | 0.021 |
Based on the available literature, researchers have successfully used polyclonal anti-rabbit PPDPF antibodies in their studies. Specifically, PPDPF antibodies from Proteintech (catalog number 19912-1-AP for lung cancer studies and referenced in HCC research) have been validated in multiple experimental settings including western blotting (1:1000 dilution) and immunohistochemistry (1:100 dilution) . Both studies demonstrate that these antibodies can reliably detect PPDPF expression in tissue samples and cell lines.
PPDPF antibodies have been successfully employed in several experimental techniques:
Western blotting (WB) - For protein expression analysis in cell and tissue lysates at 1:1000 dilution
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) - For visualization of PPDPF in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections at 1:100 dilution
Immunoprecipitation (IP) - For studying protein-protein interactions, particularly when investigating PPDPF binding partners like BABAM2
These applications have been validated in lung cancer cell lines (A549, H1299, H157, H358, and H520), normal bronchial epithelial cells (Beas-2B), and HCC tissue specimens .
While specific storage conditions were not explicitly stated in the search results, standard antibody storage practices should be followed. Generally, antibodies should be stored at -20°C for long-term storage and 4°C for short-term use. Aliquoting antibodies to avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles is recommended to maintain antibody integrity and specificity. When preparing working dilutions, use buffers containing protein stabilizers like BSA and sodium azide as a preservative.
Research has revealed that PPDPF promotes radioresistance in lung cancer cells through a specific molecular mechanism. PPDPF directly interacts with BABAM2, an antiapoptotic protein, as demonstrated through co-immunoprecipitation experiments . This interaction prevents BABAM2 from being ubiquitinated by MDM2, thereby stabilizing BABAM2 and enhancing its antiapoptotic functions .
Mechanistically, when lung cancer cells overexpress PPDPF, they show:
Decreased apoptosis following radiation treatment
Reduced expression of cleaved Caspase 3
Increased expression of Bcl-xl and BABAM2
Lower levels of γH2AX (a marker of DNA damage) after irradiation
Faster restoration of γH2AX to basal levels, indicating enhanced DNA repair capacity
These findings suggest that targeting the PPDPF-BABAM2-MDM2 axis could potentially sensitize lung cancer cells to radiotherapy, making it a valuable research direction for improving cancer treatment efficacy.
For quantification of PPDPF expression in tissue samples, researchers have employed several complementary approaches:
mRNA quantification: Real-time PCR using SYBR Green can be performed with the following primers:
Protein quantification: Western blotting using anti-PPDPF antibody (Proteintech, 19912-1-AP, 1:1000)
Tissue expression patterns: Immunohistochemistry with anti-PPDPF antibody (1:100 dilution) evaluated using the German semiquantitative scoring system
For interpretation, researchers should consider that:
When designing co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) experiments to study PPDPF interactions, researchers should consider:
Antibody selection: For detecting interactions between PPDPF and binding partners (e.g., BABAM2), researchers have successfully used anti-MYC antibody (Proteintech, 16286-1-AP, 1:2000) for MYC-tagged PPDPF and anti-Flag antibody (Sigma, F1804) for Flag-tagged BABAM2 .
Lysis conditions: Use IP lysis buffer containing 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0), 150 mM NaCl, 0.1% NP-40, and protease/phosphatase inhibitors to preserve protein-protein interactions .
Incubation parameters: After collecting the supernatant, incubate with antibody-coupled beads for 4 hours, followed by three washes with wash buffer (50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0), 150 mM NaCl, and 0.1% NP-40) .
Controls: Include appropriate negative controls (IgG or empty vector) and input samples to validate specific interactions.
Detection: For western blotting after Co-IP, use anti-PPDPF (1:1000) and anti-BABAM2 (1:1000) antibodies to confirm the interaction .
PPDPF antibodies can be instrumental in studying radioresistance mechanisms through several experimental approaches:
Expression analysis: Compare PPDPF levels before and after radiation treatment using western blotting (1:1000 dilution) .
Apoptosis assessment: Evaluate how PPDPF expression affects radiation-induced apoptosis by measuring:
DNA damage repair evaluation: Monitor γH2AX expression kinetics (a marker of DNA double-strand breaks) after radiation in cells with different PPDPF expression levels. In cells overexpressing PPDPF, γH2AX levels decrease more rapidly, indicating enhanced DNA repair capacity .
Colony formation assay: Assess radiation sensitivity by determining survival rates of cancer cells with modified PPDPF expression after different radiation doses .
Mechanistic studies: Use PPDPF antibodies in Co-IP experiments to identify radiation-induced changes in PPDPF interactions with partners like BABAM2 .
These approaches can provide comprehensive insights into how PPDPF contributes to radioresistance and may help identify strategies to improve radiotherapy outcomes.
For optimal immunohistochemical detection of PPDPF in tissue samples, the following protocol is recommended based on successful previous studies:
Sample preparation:
Use formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections (4 μm thickness)
Deparaffinize and rehydrate sections using standard procedures
Perform antigen retrieval (specific conditions not mentioned in the search results, but typically involves heat-induced epitope retrieval in citrate buffer pH 6.0 or EDTA buffer pH 9.0)
Primary antibody incubation:
Detection system:
Controls:
Evaluation:
For western blot detection of PPDPF in cell lysates, the following protocol has been successfully implemented:
Sample preparation:
SDS-PAGE and transfer:
Antibody incubation:
Detection:
Controls:
While specific troubleshooting information for PPDPF antibodies was not provided in the search results, researchers may encounter several common challenges when working with antibodies for relatively less-studied proteins:
Low signal intensity in western blots:
Increase antibody concentration (start with 1:500 instead of 1:1000)
Optimize incubation time and temperature (e.g., overnight at 4°C instead of 1-2 hours at room temperature)
Use enhanced chemiluminescence detection systems with higher sensitivity
Increase protein loading amount
High background in immunohistochemistry:
Optimize blocking conditions (try different blocking agents like BSA, normal serum, or commercial blocking solutions)
Reduce primary antibody concentration (try 1:200 instead of 1:100)
Increase washing duration and frequency
Use more specific detection systems
Inconsistent results across experiments:
Standardize lysate preparation methods
Use the same antibody lot when possible
Implement rigorous positive and negative controls
Consider using recombinant PPDPF protein as a standard
Co-IP efficiency issues:
Optimize lysis conditions to preserve protein interactions
Try crosslinking before lysis
Adjust salt and detergent concentrations in wash buffers
Consider tagged versions of PPDPF for enhanced pulldown efficiency
Ensuring antibody specificity is crucial for generating reliable research data. For PPDPF antibodies, validation can be performed through several approaches:
Genetic validation:
Peptide competition assay:
Pre-incubate the antibody with excess PPDPF peptide before application
A specific antibody will show diminished signal after peptide blocking
Multi-technique confirmation:
Cross-validation with different antibodies:
If available, compare results using antibodies from different suppliers or those targeting different epitopes of PPDPF
Mass spectrometry confirmation:
Perform immunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry to confirm the identity of the precipitated protein
PPDPF antibodies could play crucial roles in developing novel therapeutic strategies for cancer, particularly those targeting radioresistance mechanisms:
Target validation:
Mechanism exploration:
Therapeutic development:
Response monitoring:
Diagnostic applications:
The research indicates that PPDPF may be a valuable therapeutic target, particularly for overcoming resistance to radiotherapy in lung cancer patients .
Based on the available research, several experimental models have proven effective for studying PPDPF function:
Cell line models:
Animal models:
Clinical samples:
Tissue microarrays containing multiple patient samples allow for high-throughput analysis of PPDPF expression
The lung cancer tissue array containing 90 lung cancer tissues and 88 paired adjacent tissues has been effectively used for PPDPF studies
HCC tissue specimens and adjacent normal liver tissues from surgical resections provide valuable clinical correlation
Genetic manipulation models:
These models, combined with appropriate antibody-based techniques (western blot, IHC, Co-IP), provide comprehensive platforms for investigating PPDPF's role in cancer progression and therapy resistance.