UFM1 antibodies are immunoreagents designed to recognize and bind to UFM1 or its conjugates. These antibodies enable researchers to investigate UFM1's expression, localization, and functional roles in cellular pathways. Two commercially available UFM1 antibodies are widely cited:
UFM1 antibodies are pivotal in studying UFMylation's role in disease mechanisms:
Gastric Cancer: UFM1 overexpression suppresses tumor invasion and metastasis by modulating migration pathways . Knockdown of UFM1 in gastric cancer cells (e.g., HGC-27) increased invasiveness in vitro and in vivo .
Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC): High UFM1 expression correlates with poor prognosis and immune infiltration (e.g., Th17 and cytotoxic cells) . Inhibition of UFM1 reduced OSCC cell proliferation and migration .
PD-L1 Modulation: UFM1 antibodies identified UFL1 (E3 ligase for UFMylation) as a regulator of PD-L1 stability. Loss of UFL1 increases PD-L1 membrane localization, impairing CD8+ T cell-mediated tumor immunity .
Antiviral Response: UFM1 antibodies confirmed UFL1's role in stabilizing STING, enhancing cGAS-STING pathway activity during DNA virus infection .
Cell Signaling #63445: Validated in WB and IP, detecting endogenous UFM1 at ~10 kDa .
Proteintech 15883-1-AP: Recognizes UFM1 in human/mouse tissues (e.g., liver, lung) and cell lines (HEK-293, HepG2) . Bands >100 kDa may indicate UFM1-conjugated proteins .
Proteintech’s antibody demonstrated reactivity in human lung cancer tissues, with optimal antigen retrieval using TE buffer (pH 9.0) .
Biomarker Potential: Elevated UFM1 in OSCC correlates with poor survival and immune evasion .
Therapeutic Target: Small-molecule inhibitors targeting UFSP2 (a UFM1 protease) enhanced PD-L1 degradation, improving anti-PD1 therapy efficacy in preclinical models .
Research priorities include:
The ubiquitin-fold modifier 1 (UFM1) antibody is critical for studying ufmylation's role in cellular processes. Below are structured FAQs addressing key technical and methodological considerations for researchers, derived from peer-reviewed studies and antibody validation data.
Problem: Inconsistent detection of UFL1-UFC1-CDK5RAP3 complexes.
Solution:
Model systems: Use Sendai virus (SenV)-infected HEK293T cells to monitor IFN-β/λ1 downregulation in UFM1 KO models .
Key readouts:
| Pathway Component | Methodological Consideration |
|---|---|
| RIG-I activation | Confirm ufmylation via UFM1G82A mutant trapping |
| 14-3-3ε interaction | Deplete 14-3-3ε to test UFL1-RIG-I binding dependency |
Cause: Transient ufmylation states or protease degradation.
Fix:
Positive: Anisomycin-treated cells to induce ribosomal stress and ufmylation .
Negative: UFM1/UFL1 KO cells + rescue with catalytically dead mutants (e.g., UFL1 D129A) .
Compare migration patterns across cell types (e.g., L02 vs. U-251 cells) .
Perform λ-phosphatase treatment to rule out phosphorylation-induced mobility shifts .
Key factors:
| Cell Line | UFM1 Expression Profile |
|---|---|
| HEK293T | Moderate, inducible by ER stress |
| Mouse liver | High constitutive levels |