SER

[Bernard P. Murray, PhD]

In article <36956287.5A37CD2A at scripps.edu>, "Michael H. Bracey"
<bracey at scripps.edu> wrote:

> Hello all.
> Can anyone suggest an antibody for use in immunofluorescence studies and
> immunogold electron microscopy of rat liver that would serve as a
> specific marker for smooth endoplasmic reticulum?  Just about every ER
> marker I can find is for rough ER.  Would a P450 Ab do the trick?  Can
> anyone
> share some anti-epoxide hydrolase?  (EMBO 4:2793)  I'm having a
> difficult
> time finding literature precedent for *smooth* ER markers.
> Thanks so much for any help.  E-mailed replies are preferable to posts
> only.
> Michael

I doubt if you'll find anything really *specific* for SER.
While P450 is highly enriched in SER it is first synthesised in
the RER so the SER location is not absolute and will vary with the
level of translation.  You may prefer to look at cytochrome b5 as
this is SER-enriched like P450 but the levels are less variable
(P450 reductase would fall somewhere in between).  If I remember
correctly glucose-6-phosphatase and NADPH diaphorase are also
SER-enriched.
     I assume you have looked at the fractionation studies of
people like Dallner and what is apparent is that it is much
easier to obtain pure RER than pure SER as the latter is usually
contaminated with "light" RER.  Because of this it has been hard
to assign absolute marker activities for SER.
     Good luck,
          Bernard
-- 
Bernard P. Murray, PhD
Dept. Cell. Mol. Pharmacol., UCSF, San Francisco, USA