Description

Human folate receptors alpha and beta (FR-α and FR-β) are members of a family of folate binding receptors that have diverse structural identities but mediate transport of folates into cells. The FR-α and FR-β isoforms are both GPI-anchored proteins with high affinity for folic acid. It is postulated that these receptors function as folate scavengers when folate supply is low or rapid cell growth requires elevated uptake of folate for methylation reactions including DNA biosynthesis. The expression of FR-α and FR-β are distinct in normal and malignant tissues. In normal tissue, FR-α is mainly expressed on the surface of a subset of polarized epithelial cells whereas its aberrant expression has been prominently correlated with malignancies of epithelial origin. Although the FR-β protein was originally thought to be specific to placenta, it can also exist in other tissues, and it may play a role in the transport of methotrexate in synovial macrophages in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Formulation

Recommended Usage

Each lot of this antibody is quality control tested by immunofluorescent staining with flow cytometric analysis. For flow cytometric staining, the suggested use of this reagent is 5 µl per million cells or 5 µl per 100 µl of whole blood. It is recommended that the reagent be titrated for optimal performance for each application.

References

1. Elwood PC, 1989. J Biol Chem. 264:14893

2. Shen F, et al. 1994. Biochemistry. 33:1209-15

3. Yi YS, 2016. Immune Netw. 16:337