Each lot of this antibody is quality control tested by immunofluorescent staining with flow cytometric analysis. For immunofluorescent staining, the suggested use of this reagent is ≤ 0.25 µg per 10⁶ cells in 100 µl volume. It is recommended that the reagent be titrated for optimal performance for each application.

FC - Quality tested
IP, Block, IHC - Reported in the literature

Additional reported applications (for the relevant formats) include: immunoprecipitation¹, blocking of cell adhesion^1-3, and immunohistochemistry of acetone-fixed frozen sections. The LEAF™ Purified antibody (Endotoxin <0.1 EU/μg, Azide-Free, 0.2 μm filtered) is recommended for functional assays.

1. Miyake S, et al. 1994. Eur. J. Immunol. 24:2000.
2. Noto K, et al. 1995. Int. Immunol. 7:835.
3. Arase H, et al. 2001. J. Immunol. 167:1141.

CD49b is a 150 kD glycoprotein, also known as α₂ integrin, VLA-2 α chain, Integrin α₂ chain, and HMα2. It is a member of the integrin family, expressed on NK cells, a subset of splenic CD4⁺ T cells, NK-T cells, intestinal intraepithelial and lamina propria lymphocytes, epithelial cells, and plaets. By associating with CD29 (integrin β₁ subunit), CD49b forms the VLA-2 (integrin α₂β₁ ) complex. It plays a critical role in both adhesion and lymphocyte activation. The primary ligands for CD49b are collagen, laminin, and fibronectin. The HMα2 antibody has been shown to be useful for partially blocking CD49b mediated interactions with collagen. Additionally, this antibody blocks staining of splenic NK cells by the monoclonal antibody DX5.