GFAP Recombinant Rabbit Monoclonal Antibody

Function

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a protein that is encoded by the GFAP gene in humans. It is a type III intermediate filament (IF) protein that is expressed by numerous cell types of the central nervous system (CNS), including astrocytes and ependymal cells during development. GFAP has also been found to be expressed in glomeruli and peritubular fibroblasts taken from rat kidneys, Leydig cells of the testis in both hamsters and humans, human keratinocytes, human osteocytes and chondrocytes and stellate cells of the pancreas and liver in rats. GFAP is closely related to the other three non-epithelial type III IF family members, vimentin, desmin and peripherin, which are all involved in the structure and function of the cell’s cytoskeleton. GFAP is thought to help to maintain astrocyte mechanical strength as well as the shape of cells, but its exact function remains poorly understood, despite the number of studies using it as a cell marker.

Background References

1. Zhang N et al. A self-assembly peptide nanofibrous scaffold reduces inflammatory response and promotes functional recovery in a mouse model of intracerebral hemorrhage. Nanomedicine N/A:N/A (2016).

2. Green AL et al. Preclinical antitumor efficacy of selective exportin 1 inhibitors in glioblastoma. Neuro Oncol 17:697-707 (2015).

Sequence Similarity

Belongs to the intermediate filament family.

Tissue Specificity

Expressed in cells lacking fibronectin.

Post-translational Modification

Phosphorylated by PKN1.

Subcellular Location

Cytoplasm

UNIPROT

SwissProt: P03995 Mouse

Synonyms