White Paper from Atlas Antibodies, December 2021
Gliomas are among the most aggressive and lethal solid tumors of the central nervous system. They arise from the neoplastic transformation of glial cells (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and ependymal cells). These cells serve as supporting cells of the brain and spinal cord and also provide electrical insulation by enveloping the nerve cells. Approximately 80% of all malignant brain tumors are gliomas. They are classified by cell type of origin, differentiation degree of malignancy and by the tumor’s genetic features. Gliomas exhibit considerable variability in age of onset, severity, histologic features, and ability to progress and metastasize.
According to the World Health Organization classification, gliomas are divided into the grades 1 to 4. The grades 1 to 3 are classified as low-grade gliomas, while grade 4 is classified as high-grade gliomas. The most common form of glioma is an astrocytoma, representing approximately 50% of all gliomas. Grade 4 astrocytoma is also known as glioblastoma or glioblastoma multiforme. Despite continuous research, the molecular pathogenetic mechanisms of gliomas are not yet fully understood. Nowadays, there are several approaches that aim at understanding the biology of the disease and identifying promising markers that could enable effective new therapies.
Atlas Antibodies was founded by researchers of the "Human Protein Atlas" project and is one of our newest suppliers. This project aimed to analyze and map the expression and localization of all human proteins in healthy as well as cancerous tissues. Due to the extremely positive response of the project, the company is making the resulting unique antibodies available to the scientific community. Since 2012, Atlas has been producing its own monoclonal antibodies and this group has recently included antibodies for the identification and characterization of different glioma types (glioma markers). Among the new products are antibodies targeting PTEN, NF1, EZH2 and ID1. PTEN and NF1 are among the most frequently mutated genes in high-grade gliomas. EZH2 is a transcription factor that is highly expressed in gliomas (Fig. 1). It functions as a histone H3 lysine methyltransferase that promotes tumorigenesis by altering the expression of tumor suppressor genes. Take a look at the full White Paper from Atlas Antibodies for more exciting information!
Fig. 1: Multiplexed IHC-IF staining of human normal cortex and glioblastoma samples using the Anti-EZH2 monoclonal ATA-AMAb91750 (nuclear, in green) and the Anti-SGO2 polyclonal ATA-HPA035163 (nuclear, in magenta) antibodies.
Now you can obtain these and other Atlas antibodies for your glioma research in our store. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the high-quality Atlas products!
Do you want to learn more about the history and products of Atlas Antibodies? There will be exciting news about this on the Biomol blog soon!
