Rabbit Polyclonal Antibody to Coronin 1a
Cat# RPCA-Cor1a

      Coronin was originally discovered in the slime mold Dictyostelium, where it was found to be involved in the chemotactic response of these amoeboid cells (1,2). The name derives from from “corona”, which is Latin for crown, since the protein was localized at the leading edge or crown of these highly motile cells. In mammals, there are at least five coronin family proteins derived from 5 distinct genes. These are named coronins 1 to 5 in one nomenclature or coronins 1a and 1b, 2a, 2b and 2c in another (1,2). Coronins are members of the WD or WD40 family of proteins, which are generally involved in mediating important protein to protein interactions (3). The basic structure of WD molecules is a seven bladed β-propellor structure each blade being based on some variant of a ~40 amino acid WD (Trp-Asp) containing peptide. Structural studies show that coronin 1a is a typical 7 bladed β-propellor member of this protein family (4) Coronin 1a, a.k.a coronin 1 is found exclusively in hematopoietic lineage cells such as lymphocytes, macrophages and neutrophils. The only hematopoietic cells normally found within the neuropil and white matter of the central nervous system are the microglia, so antibodies to coronin 1a are useful to identify this important cell type (5). Microglia mediate immune responses in the CNS and are able to actively phagocytose infectious or damaged material. They are very active cells, constantly migrating through the brain and interacting with other cells (6). A typical response to CNS damage or disease is increase the number of microglia at the compromised site.
      The RPCA-Cor1a antibody was made against the C-terminal peptide of human coronin 1a chemically coupled to keyhole limpet hemocyanin carrier protein. The antibody is known to work on many mammalian species both on western blots and on cells grown in tissue culture. EnCor markets another antibody which is useful in the identification of microglia which binds a peptide in IBA1, a.k.a AIF1, RPCA-IBA1. Like coronin 1a, IBA1 is a protein expressed only in hematopoietic cells and so is also a useful marker of microglia. Mouse select image at left for a larger view.