Antibodies are among the most frequently inclined instruments in the biosciences, as they enable researchers to identify molecules. Nonetheless, many commercial antibodies are no longer explicit enough, with the consequence that they enact no longer detect the molecules they are presupposed to condominium.
A team led by Dr. Johan Duchêne (Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention) has now investigated commercial antibodies against the molecule ACKR1, which is expressed on crimson blood cells, endothelial cells, and a few neurons. On endothelial cells, it is miles a necessary regulator of irritation, as it controls the migration of white blood cells into tissue. It had been shown that the malaria pathogen uses ACKR1 to contaminate crimson blood cells.
A search for from 2016 reported that ACKR1 will most likely be expressed on monocytes and macrophages. This could per chance have influenced prevailing assumptions about the pathophysiological functions of ACKR1 and must always restful raise the request, to illustrate, as to whether the malaria parasite also infects macrophages and monocytes.
Duchêne has now refuted this search for by demonstrating that the antibodies enact no longer detect the molecule and ACKR1 is no longer expressed by macrophages and monocytes. Reproducibility and replicability of learn results are necessary quality criteria in science. Because the authors emphasize, their search for exemplifies the importance for the scientific neighborhood of publishing corrections.
The learn used to be printed in Cell Stem Cell.