Anti-AMPKα1/2 (D168) Antibody

AMPKα1/2 catalytic subunits sit at the core of cellular energy sensing, where heterotrimeric complexes respond to rising AMP:ATP ratios by phosphorylating substrates that tune glucose uptake, fatty acid oxidation, and mitochondrial biogenesis. Distinguishing the α1 and α2 isoforms in tissue lysates or fixed sections is therefore a routine requirement in metabolism, exercise physiology, and cancer research, where their relative expression shifts depending on cell type and stress conditions.

This Antibodies.com reagent is a rabbit polyclonal antibody raised against the D168 epitope, supplied at 1 mg/ml in phosphate buffered saline with 0.05% sodium azide at approximately pH 7.2. It is unconjugated, validated for Western blot and immunohistochemistry, and reacts with human, mouse, and rat samples. Each vial contains 50 µl of the working stock.

For Western blot, researchers commonly load 20–40 µg of total protein per lane and probe overnight at 4 °C, then develop with an HRP-conjugated secondary. For immunohistochemistry on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue, antigen retrieval in citrate buffer at pH 6.0 followed by incubation at room temperature gives clean cytoplasmic and occasional nuclear staining consistent with the known distribution of AMPK. Because sodium azide is present, the buffer is not suitable for direct addition to live-cell preparations; an azide-free format or a thorough buffer exchange should be used if live-cell staining is planned.

Storage at 4 °C is appropriate for short-term use, while aliquoting and freezing at –20 °C in single-use volumes preserves activity across multiple freeze-thaw cycles. With proper handling, the antibody remains stable for months and supports reproducible detection of endogenous AMPKα subunits across standard immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry workflows.