Rabbit Polyclonal Antibody to β-synuclein
RPCA-SNCB

      β-synuclein is a member of the synuclein protein family, the other two members being α and γ-synuclein, each protein being coded for by a distinct but related gene. α-synuclein was originally isolated as a major synaptic vesicle associated protein from the electric organ of the fish Torpedo (1), and direct homologues of α-synuclein are found in all vertebrates. Later work connected α-synuclein expression with several human brain pathologies, so that it is a major component of the Lewy bodies of Parkinson’s disease (2-5). β-synuclein was isolated as a component of normal and diseased human brain as a protein clearly related to but distinct from α-synuclein (6). The human β-synuclein molecule is 134 amino acids in size compared to 140 amino acids for α-synuclein, and the N-terminal halves of the two molecules are virtually identical while the C-terminal regions is more variable. As a result we made our new β-synuclein antibodies to this region. Like α-synuclein, β-synuclein is heavily concentrated in the brain in presynaptic regions. A third synuclein, γ-synuclein was originally identified as breast cancer specific gene 1, (BCSG1), but is also heavily expressed in brain and also has a similar N-terminal sequence (7). The three synucleins appear to have overlapping functions so genetic deletion of all three in mice is required to obtain serious neurological deficits (7).
      The RPCA-SNCB antibody was made against full length human recombinant β-synuclein protein expressed in and purified from E.Coli. This antibody recognizes full length human and rodent β-synuclein specifically both in western blots and in immunocytochemical experiments. EnCor also supplies a high quality monoclonal antibody to β-synuclein MCA-6A10, and high quality antibodies to α-synuclein MCA-2A7 and CPCA-SCNA. Mouse select image at left for larger view.