Left: Rat hippocampus section stained by Immunohistochemistry with mouse anti-MAP2 (green, 1:5,000) and rabbit antibody to alpha-internexin (R-1379-50, red, 1:2,000). IHC Method: Following transcardial perfusion of rat with 4% paraformaldehyde, brain was post-fixed for 24 hours, cut to 45 um, and free-floating sections were stained. MAP2 protein is detected in the perikarya and dendrites of the most neurons, and the alpha-internexin antibody selectively stains axons and dendrites of neuronal cells. Right: Western blot analysis of tissue lysates using mouse anti-MAP2 (green, 1:10,000). [1] protein standard, [2] adult rat whole brain, [2] embryonic (E20) rat brain, [4] adult rat spinal cord, and [5] adult mouse brain. A band at about 280 kDa corresponds to full length MAP2A and MAP2B protein. MAP2A/B is expressed heavily in adult brain particularly in cortical regions, but is a more minor component of spinal cord and almost absent from the embryonic brain sample. Note that the epitope for this antibody in within the projection domain found only in MAP2A and MAP2B, thus the antibody does not bind to the lower molecular weight MAP2C and MAP2D isoforms which lack this region.
MAP2 staining in fixed and permeabilized striatal neurons (7 DIV) by Immunocytochemistry. Primary antibody concentration: 1 µg/mL. Image courtesy of QBM Cell Science.