Skin cancer continues to be of major concern to antibody research groups in the United States, with an estimated one million cases diagnosed each year, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The most dangerous type of skin cancer is the malignant melanoma, which accounts for around 75% of all skin cancer-related deaths. Melanomas are traditionally diagnosed using the polyclonal antibody HMB-45 and S-100 protein marker. However, we at Novus Biologicals recently added three new melanoma marker antibodies to our antibody database: Melan-A; Mitf and tyrosinase. These have superior specificity and sensitivity.

UVB radiation can cause two types of DNA mutation: pyrimidine-pyrimidone photoproducts and cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs). Depending on the severity of radiation damage, keratinocytosis may progress along either DNA repair or apoptosis pathways. In either case the cell cycle is arrested, enabling the keratinocyte to undergo DNA-repair or programmed cell death. Apoptosis can also be prevented via nucleotide excision repair, or NER. Thus it can be seen that cells are highly adaptive to DNA damage, allowing either DNA repair or apoptosis to take place on a cell-by-cell basis. However, aberrations can increase the risk of cancer.

Our antibody catalog contains a number of interleukin antibody products which are used in immunology research. Human interleukin 12, or IL-12 is a pro-inflammatory heterodimer which plays a central role in both innate and cell-mediated immunity, being the major cytokine in the TH1, NK and cytotoxic T-cell immune responses.

In 2002, an IL-12 antibody study by A. Schwartz et al showed IL-12 also suppressed apoptosis and promoted NER in vivo and in vitro. IL12-treated mice exposed to UVB showed a marked increase in cell survival, with a corresponding decrease in CPDs and apoptotic cells. Enhanced upregulation of NER genes was another noticeable factor.

Schwartz next used Xpa antibodies to develop a knockout mouse model for the human autosomal recessive disorder Xermoderma Pigmentosum (XP). XP sufferers have a faulty NER system, increased risk of skin cancer and hyperactivity to sunlight. The antibody results suggested the cancer risks associated with UVB-exposure may be reduced by harnessing IL-12 for NER therapy.

 
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