Anti-Connexin 43 (R361) Antibody

Connexin 43 (also known as GJA1 or Cx43), the principal gap-junction-forming connexin expressed in mammalian tissues, is the target recognised by this unconjugated rabbit polyclonal antibody preparation, which binds an epitope located within the long cytoplasmic C-terminal regulatory domain of the protein. Connexin 43 subunits oligomerise into hexameric connexon hemichannels that dock head-to-head across the extracellular gap with apposing hemichannels on a neighbouring cell, generating intercellular gap junction channels that mediate direct cytoplasmic exchange of ions, small metabolites, and second messengers such as IP3 and cAMP. Through this gap junction intercellular communication, Cx43 supports electrical and metabolic coupling between cardiomyocytes at cardiac intercalated discs, between astrocytes and other neural cells, throughout the epidermis and lens, and across many epithelial barriers, while the C-terminus undergoes multi-site phosphorylation by PKA, PKC, Src, and MAPK family kinases that dynamically gate channel conductance in response to developmental, physiological, and pathological signals.

Supplied by Antibodies.com as a 100 µl vial of antiserum formulated at 1 mg/ml in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) containing 0.05% sodium azide at approximately pH 7.2, the reagent is validated for Western blot detection of the ~43 kDa connexin band in lysates of human, mouse, and rat origin, and for immunohistochemistry on fixed tissue sections, where it can be used to map gap-junction plaque distribution in myocardium, brain, and epidermis. The antibody is provided at working stock concentration and titration is recommended for individual assay conditions. The azide-containing formulation should be kept refrigerated, protected from light, and dispensed into single-use aliquots to limit freeze-thaw cycles and preserve binding activity over its shelf life.