Clusterin (Apolipoprotein J, Apo J)

Clusterin is a 75-80 kD disulfide-linked heterodimeric protein containing about 30% of N-linked carbohydrate rich in sialic acid, but truncated forms targeted to the nucleus have also been identified. The precursor polypeptide chain is cleaved proteolytically to remove the 22-mer secretory signal peptide and subsequently between residues 227/228 to generate the alpha and beta chains. These are assembled anti-parallel to give a heterodimeric molecule in which the cysteine-rich centers are linked by five disulfide bridges and are flanked by two predicted coiled-coil alpha-helices and three predicted amphipathic alpha-helices. The six sites of N-linked glycosylation are indicated as yellow spots. Across a broad range of species clusterin shows 70% to 80% of sequence homology. It is ubiquitously expressed in most mammalian tissues and can be found in plasma, milk, urine, cerebrospinal fluid and semen. It is able to bind and form complexes with numerous partners such as immunoglobulins, lipids, heparin, bacteria, complement components, paraoxonase, beta amyloid, leptin and others. Clusterin has been ascribed a plethora of functions such as phagocyte recruitment, aggregation induction, complement attack prevention, apoptosis inhibition, membrane remodelling, lipid transport, hormone transport and/or scavenging, matrix metalloproteinase inhibition. A detailed mechanism of clusterin has not been defined. One tempting hypothesis says that clusterin is an extracellular chaperone protecting cells from stress induced by degraded and misfolded protein precipitates.Clus-terin is up- or downregulated on the mRNA or protein level in many pathological and clinically relevant situations including cancer, organ regeneration, infection, Alzheimer disease, retinitis pigmentosa, myocardial infarction, renal tubular damage, autoimmunity and others. Applications: Suitable for use in ELISA and Western lot. Other applications not tested. Recommended Dilution: Optimal dilutions to be determined by the researcher. Storage and Stabillty: Lyophilized powder may be stored at -20 degrees C. Stable for 12 months at -20 degrees C. Reconstitute with sterile ddH2O. Aliquot to avoid repeated freezing and thawing. Store at -20 degrees C. Reconstituted product is stable for 12 months at -20 degrees C. For maximum recovery of product, centrifuge the original vial after thawing and prior to removing the cap. Further dilutions can be made in assay buffer.