Species predicted to react based on 100% sequence homology:Monkey
Specificity / Sensitivity
Maspin (T50) Antibody detects endogenous levels of total maspin protein.
Source / Purification
Polyclonal antibodies are produced by immunizing animals with a synthetic peptide corresponding to residues surrounding Thr50 of human maspin. Antibodies were purified by peptide affinity chromatography.
Background
Maspin (SERPINB5) was discovered as a mammary tumor suppressor that is expressed in normal mammary epithelium but lost in most breast cancer cell lines (1). While maspin is related to the serpin family of serine protease inhibitors, it may not function as a protease inhibitor (2). It plays an essential role in embryonic development through critical roles in cell adhesion (3). While the precise mechanism of maspin signaling is unclear (4), the tumor suppressing activity of maspin has been attributed to its ability to inhibit cell invasion/metastasis (5,6) and angiogenesis (7), while promoting apoptosis (8). Nuclear translocation of active IKKα has been shown to repress maspin transcription and promote prostate cancer metastasis (9).