Alpha-Smooth Muscle Actin Recombinant Rabbit Monoclonal Antibody (17H19L35)

Product Specific Information

This antibody is predicted to react with bovine, canine, rabbit, rat and porcine based on sequence homology.

Intact IgG appears on a non-reducing gel as ~150 kDa band and upon reduction generating a ~25 kDa light chain band and a ~50 kDa heavy chain.

Recombinant rabbit monoclonal antibodies are produced using in vitro expression systems. The expression systems are developed by cloning in the specific antibody DNA sequences from immunoreactive rabbits. Then, individual clones are screened to select the best candidates for production. The advantages of using recombinant rabbit monoclonal antibodies include: better specificity and sensitivity, lot-to-lot consistency, animal origin-free formulations, and broader immunoreactivity to diverse targets due to larger rabbit immune repertoire.

Target Information

Smooth Muscle Actin belongs to the actin family of proteins, which are highly conserved proteins that play a role in cell motility, structure and integrity. Alpha, beta and gamma actin isoforms have been identified, with alpha actin being a major constituent of the contractile apparatus, while beta and gamma actins are involved in the regulation of cell motility. In particular, smooth muscle actin is an alpha actin that is found in skeletal muscle. Actin exists as a ubiquitous protein involved with filament formation that make up large portions of the cytoskeleton. Actin filaments interact with myosin to assist in muscle contraction as well as aiding in cell motility and cytokinesis. Smooth muscle actin is found on smooth muscle vessel walls, gut wall, myometrium, myoepithelial cells in breast and salivary glands. Defects in the smooth muscle actin gene cause aortic aneurysm familial thoracic type 6. Actin isoforms differ slightly in their N-terminus and the sequences of each are perfectly conserved in higher vertebrates. Alpha-smooth muscle actin is abundant in vascular and visceral smooth muscle cells. In addition, it has also been shown that smooth muscle actin appear in stress fibers of fibroblastic cells during pathological situations involving contractile phenomena such as wound healing and fibrocontractive diseases. Multiple alternatively spliced variants of smooth muscle actin have been identified.