Anti-Neurofilament L (NF-L) antibody ValidAb™

(HB6433)
Technical documents: SDS Datasheet

Product overview

Name Anti-Neurofilament L (NF-L) antibody ValidAb™
Host Mouse
Clonality Monoclonal
Target Neurofilament L
Description

Antibody to Neurofilament L - neurofilament component expressed in neurones. Part of the ValidAb™ range of highly validated, data-rich antibodies.

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Validation data

Figure 1. Neurofilament L expression in cultured rat neurones visualised using HB6433.

HB6433 visualised the dense neurofilament network of cultured rat neurones. Method: neurones were cultured from PND2 rats following established protocols (Brewer and Torricelli, 2007. Nat Protoc 2, 1490–1498) and fixed with 4% PFA on DIV21. Cells were permeabilised with 0.1% Triton X-100 followed by blocking in 1% BSA, 300mM glycine. HB6433 was incubated overnight (4°C) at a 1:1000 dilution (1µg/ml) followed by a one hour incubation with secondary antibody (Polyclonal goat anti-mouse DyLight 488 conjugated, Thermofisher 35503, 1:300 dilution). DAPI (HB0747) was used at 1µg/ml to visualise cell nuclei. For more detail please see our ICC protocol. Images were captured using a Leica SPE confocal laser scanning microscope coupled to a Leica DMi8 inverted epifluorescence microscope. The image was captured using a 40x objective, 405 (19.5% power) and 488nm (20.3% power) laser lines in a z-stack (0.44 µm spacing). Deconvolution was carried out using Huygens Essential (Scientific Volume Imagine) followed by the stack being flattened using a maximum Z projection in ImageJ (Schindelin et al., 2012. Nat Methods, 9(7), 676–682).

Figure 2. Independent antibody validation of HB6433 in cultured rat neurons.

HB6433 (mouse monoclonal antibody) and HB7266 (rabbit monoclonal antibody) staining co-localises therefore shows strong evidence for the specificity of both antibodies. Method: neurones were cultured from PND2 rats following established protocols (Brewer and Torricelli, 2007. Nat Protoc 2, 1490–1498) and fixed with 4% PFA on DIV21. Cells were permeabilised with 0.1% Triton X-100 followed by blocking in 1% BSA, 300mM glycine. HB7266 (1:2000, 0.5µg/ml) and HB6433 (1:1000, 1µg/ml) were incubated overnight at 4°C followed by a one hour incubation with secondary antibodies (Polyclonal goat anti-mouse DyLight 594 conjugated, Thermofisher 35511, 1:300 dilution and polyclonal goat anti-rabbit DyLight 488 conjugated, Thermofisher 35552, 1:300 dilution). DAPI (HB0747) was used at 1µg/ml to visualise cell nuclei. For more detail please see our ICC protocol. Images were captured using a Leica SPE confocal laser scanning microscope coupled to a Leica DMi8 inverted epifluorescence microscope. The image was captured using a 63x objective, 405nm (28.9% power, gain: 624), 488nm (28.9% power, gain: 564) and 532nm laser lines (28.9% power, gain: 771) in a z-stack (0.35 µm spacing). Deconvolution was carried out using Huygens Essential version (Scientific Volume Imagine) followed by the stack being flattened using a maximum Z projection in ImageJ (Schindelin et al., 2012. Nat Methods, 9(7), 676–682).

Figure 3. The effect of varying HB6433 concentration upon staining in cultured rat neurones.

HB6433 produced a strong signal to noise ratio at dilutions as low as 1in4000 (250 ng/ml). Method: neurones were cultured from PND2 rats following established protocols (Brewer and Torricelli, 2007. Nat Protoc 2, 1490–1498) and fixed with 4% PFA on DIV21. Cells were permeabilised with 0.1% Triton X-100 followed by blocking in 1% BSA, 300mM glycine. HB6433 was incubated overnight (4°C) at dilutions ranging from 1:500 (2µg/ml) to 1:4000 (0.25µg/ml) with a no primary step omitting the addition of HB6433 to the incubation buffer. This was followed by a one hour incubation with secondary antibody (Polyclonal goat anti-mouse DyLight 488 conjugated, Thermofisher 35503, 1:300 dilution). DAPI (HB0747) was used at 1µg/ml to visualise cell nuclei. For more detail please see our ICC protocol. Images were captured using a Leica DMi8 inverted epifluorescence microscope (20x objective) coupled to a Leica DFC365FX monochrome digital camera with DAPI LP and FITC LP filters. Exposure times were as follows:


  • 1:500 – DAPI LP 1x gain, 57.4ms exposure, FITC LP 3.1x gain, 90ms exposure
  • 1:1000 – DAPI LP 1x gain, 35.2ms exposure, FITC LP 4.4x gain, 160ms exposure
  • 1:2000 – DAPI LP 1x gain, 29.3ms exposure, FITC LP 4.9x gain, 411ms exposure
  • 1:4000 – DAPI LP 1x gain, 50.1ms exposure, FITC LP 4.5x gain, 90ms exposure

  • Images were processed in ImageJ (Schindelin et al., 2012. Nat Methods, 9(7), 676–682) using the subtract background (50px rolling ball radius) tool followed by stacking and montage creation.

    Figure 4. Neurofilament L expression in various tissue lysates and preparations.

    HB6433 revealed a single band of size 60kDa only present in brain cytosol fractions. Endogenous mouse IgGs were also detected by the secondary antibody in mouse tissue. Method: mouse brain and rat brain membrane (P2) and cytosol fractions were prepared following previous work (Molnar et al., 1993. Neuroscience 53:307-326) from freshly collected adult brains. Other tissue lysates were prepared following established protocols from freshly dissected tissue (see our guide on WB sample preparation). Samples were loaded (20µg / lane) onto a 12% acrylamide gel alongside a protein ladder (BioRad Precision Plus dual colour, 1610374) before being run at 60V for 30 minutes followed by 120V for 100 minutes. Wet transfer to a PVDF membrane was completed in 90 minutes using 400mA. The membrane was blocked for 2hrs in 5% non-fat dry milk before being incubated overnight at 4°C in HB6433 at a 1:5000 dilution (0.2µg/ml). Following washing the membrane was incubated in secondary antibody (1:10,000 dilution, Polyclonal goat anti-mouse HRP conjugated, Sigma Aldrich A3682) for 2hrs. For more detail please see our Western blotting protocol. Detection was accomplished using Clarity Western ECL substrate (BioRad, 1705061) and a Licor Odyssey Fc imaging system (ECL channel: 10 min exposure, 700nm channel: 30 sec exposure).

    Figure 5. Concentration response of HB6433 staining in a rat brain cytosol preparation.

    HB6433 shows consistent results with low background at dilutions as low as 1:160,000 (6.25 ng/ml). Method: cytosol fractions were prepared from fresh rat brains following established protocols (Molnar et al., 1993. Neuroscience 53:307-326). Rat cytosol samples were loaded (20µg / lane) onto a 12% acrylamide gel alongside a protein ladder (BioRad Precision Plus dual colour, 1610374) before being run at 60V for 30 minutes followed by 120V for 110 minutes. Wet transfer to a PVDF membrane was completed in 90 minutes using 400mA. Following transfer the membrane was cut into strips using Ponceau dye to visualise and cut individual lanes. Strips were blocked for 2hrs in 5% non-fat dry milk before being incubated overnight at 4°C in HB6433. Each strip was incubated separately with a separate HB6433 concentration with this ranging from 1µg/ml (1:1000 dilution) to 3.1ng/ml (1:320,000 dilution). Following washing the membrane was incubated in secondary antibody (1:10,000 dilution, Polyclonal goat anti-mouse HRP conjugated, Sigma Aldrich A3682) for 2hrs. For more detail please see our Western blotting protocol. Detection was accomplished using Clarity Western ECL substrate (BioRad, 1705061) and a Licor Odyssey Fc imaging system (ECL channel: 10 min exposure, 700nm channel: 30 sec exposure). Band intensity was calculated using Image Studio version 5.2.5 (LiCor) and a graph was constructed in GraphPad Prism 9 using a 3-parameter Hill equation curve fit.

    Figure 6. Neurofilament L and GAPDH expression in various tissue lysates and preparations.

    HB6433 revealed a band of size 66kDa primarily present in brain cytosol fractions (presence in P2 fraction is likely due to incomplete separation). Endogenous mouse IgGs were also detected by the secondary antibody in mouse tissue. Method: mouse brain and rat brain membrane (P2) and cytosol fractions were prepared following previous work (Molnar et al., 1993. Neuroscience 53:307-326) from freshly collected adult brains. Other tissue lysates were prepared following established protocols from freshly dissected tissue (see our guide on WB sample preparation). Samples were loaded (20µg / lane) onto a 12% acrylamide gel alongside a protein ladder (BioRad Precision Plus dual colour, 1610374) before being run at 60V for 35 minutes followed by 120V for 100 minutes. Wet transfer to a PVDF membrane was completed in 90 minutes using 400mA. The membrane was blocked for 2hrs in 5% non-fat dry milk before being incubated overnight at 4°C in HB6433 at a 1:5000 dilution (0.2µg/ml) and HB9177 at a 1:2,000 dilution (0.5 µg/ml). Following washing the membrane was incubated in secondary antibody (1:10,000 dilution, Polyclonal goat anti-mouse HRP conjugated, Sigma Aldrich A3682) for 2hrs. For more detail please see our Western blotting protocol. Detection was accomplished using Clarity Western ECL substrate (BioRad, 1705061) and a Licor Odyssey Fc imaging system (ECL channel: 10 min exposure, 700nm channel: 30 sec exposure). Separate histogram adjustments were used for each target to ensure they were in the linear range.

    Figure 7. Neurofilament L expression in cultured rat neurones visualised using HB6433.

    HB6433 visualised the dense neurofilament network of cultured rat neurones. Method: neurones were cultured from PND2 rats following established protocols (Brewer and Torricelli, 2007. Nat Protoc 2, 1490–1498) and fixed with 4% PFA on DIV21. Cells were permeabilised with 0.1% Triton X-100 followed by blocking in 1% BSA, 300mM glycine. HB6433 was incubated overnight (4°C) at a 1:1000 dilution (1µg/ml) followed by a one hour incubation with secondary antibody (Polyclonal goat anti-mouse DyLight 488 conjugated, Thermofisher 35503, 1:300 dilution). DAPI (HB0747) was used at 1µg/ml to visualise cell nuclei. For more detail please see our ICC protocol. Images were captured using a Leica SPE confocal laser scanning microscope coupled to a Leica DMi8 inverted epifluorescence microscope. The image was captured using a 40x objective, 405 (19.5% power) and 488nm (20.3% power) laser lines in a z-stack (0.44 µm spacing). Deconvolution was carried out using Huygens Essential (Scientific Volume Imagine) followed by the stack being flattened using a maximum Z projection in ImageJ (Schindelin et al., 2012. Nat Methods, 9(7), 676–682).

    Figure 8. Neurofilament L expression in cultured rat neurones visualised using HB6433.

    HB6433 visualised the dense neurofilament network of cultured rat neurones. Method: neurones were cultured from PND2 rats following established protocols (Brewer and Torricelli, 2007. Nat Protoc 2, 1490–1498) and fixed with 4% PFA on DIV21. Cells were permeabilised with 0.1% Triton X-100 followed by blocking in 1% BSA, 300mM glycine. HB6433 was incubated overnight (4°C) at a 1:1000 dilution (1µg/ml) followed by a one hour incubation with secondary antibody (Polyclonal goat anti-mouse DyLight 488 conjugated, Thermofisher 35503, 1:300 dilution). DAPI (HB0747) was used at 1µg/ml to visualise cell nuclei. For more detail please see our ICC protocol. The image was captured using a Leica DMi8 inverted epifluorescence microscope coupled (20x objective) to a Leica DFC365FX monochrome digital camera with DAPI LP and FITC LP filters. Exposure time were: DAPI LP 5x gain, 88ms exposure, FITC LP 3.4x gain, 167ms exposure. The Image was processed in ImageJ (Schindelin et al., 2012. Nat Methods, 9(7), 676–682) using the subtract background (50px rolling ball radius) tool.

    Figure 9. Neurofilament L and GAPDH expression in brain cytosol and liver preparations.

    HB6433 revealed a single band of size 69kDa only present in brain cytosol fractions (presence in P2 fraction is likely due to incomplete separation during sample preparation process). Endogenous mouse IgGs were also detected by the secondary antibody in mouse tissue. Method: mouse brain and rat brain cytosol fractions were prepared following previous work (Molnar et al., 1993. Neuroscience 53:307-326) from freshly collected adult brains. Liver lysates were prepared following established protocols from freshly dissected tissue (see our guide on WB sample preparation). Samples were loaded (20µg / lane) onto a 12% acrylamide gel alongside a protein ladder (BioRad Precision Plus dual colour, 1610374) before being run at 60V for 60 minutes followed by 120V for 90 minutes. Wet transfer to a PVDF membrane was completed in 90 minutes using 400mA. The membrane was blocked for 2hrs in 5% non-fat dry milk before being incubated overnight at 4°C in HB6433 at a 1:5000 dilution (0.2µg/ml) and HB9177 at a 1:2,000 dilution (0.5 µg/ml). Following washing the membrane was incubated in secondary antibody (1:10,000 dilution, Polyclonal goat anti-mouse HRP conjugated, Sigma Aldrich A3682) for 2hrs. For more detail please see our Western blotting protocol. Detection was accomplished using Clarity Western ECL substrate (BioRad, 1705061) and a Licor Odyssey Fc imaging system (ECL channel: 10 min exposure, 700nm channel: 30 sec exposure). Separate histogram adjustments were used for each target to ensure they were in the linear range.

    Product information

    Immunogen Full length dephosphorylated neurofilament L protein of porcine origin
    Epitope Amino acids 446 - 456 (HVQEEQIEVE)
    Clone number DA2
    Isotype IgG1
    Purification

    Protein G affinity chromatography

    Concentration 1mg/ml
    Formulation 50% PBS, 50% glycerol + 5mM sodium azide
    Predicted species reactivity Mouse, Rat, Human, Pig, Cow, Horse
    Tested species reactivity Mouse, Rat

    Tested applications

    Applications ICC, WB
    Western blot optimal concentration 50ng/ml (1:20,000 dilution) as tested in rat brain cytosol fraction
    ICC optimal concentration 1μg/ml (1:1000) as measured in cultured rat neurones
    Positive control

    Neurofilament L is highly expressed in neural tissue and also found in HEK293 cells.

    Negative control

    Any tissue not of neural origin and nearly all cell lines.

    Open data link

    Please follow this link to OSF

    Target information

    Other names NF-L, NFL, 68 kDa neurofilament protein, Neurofilament triplet L protein, Neurofilament light polypeptide
    UniProt ID P07196
    Structure image  Chemical Structure
    Gene name NEFL
    NCBI full gene name neurofilament light chain
    Entrez gene ID

    4747

    Amino acids 543 (61.5kDa)
    Isoforms NFL has no isoforms other than the canonical sequence
    Expression Expressed within neurones only throughout the body
    Subcellular expression Expressed within the cyotoskeleton and axons only
    Processing The leading methionine is removed to leave the mature polypeptide chain.
    Post translational modifications

    Has 7 phosphorylation sites, 2 glycosylation sites and 3 other modified residues. The high number of phosphorylation sites makes NFL appear to run at a higher molecular weight in SDS-PAGE than it's structure would predict.

    Homology (compared to human) Mouse and rat show 97.3% and 97.5% homology to human neurofilament L respectively.
    Similar proteins The most similar proteins, assessed using BLAST, are alpha-internexin (52.2% identity), vimentin (49.9% identity), neurofilament M (44.4% identity) and neurofilament H (44.9% identity).
    Epitope homology (between species) Human Neurofilament L has 100% homology wheras rat and mouse have 90% homology with the epitope sequence.
    Epitope homology (other proteins) Transcription initiation factor TFIID subunit 1 (212.7kDa) and kinesin like protein KIF11 (119.1kDa) show 80% and 88.9% homology with the epitope sequence for HB6433. Neither of these proteins have been identified as showing reactivity with HB6433 during QC.

    Storage & Handling

    Storage instructions -20°C
    Important This product is for RESEARCH USE ONLY and is not intended for therapeutic or diagnostic use. Not for human or veterinary use

    FAQs

    What mounting media do you recommend to use with this antibody?
    What other neuroscience markers are available?
    Why is the molecular weight of neurofilament proteins different in western blots to their predicted mass?

    Neurofilament proteins are subject to heavy phosphorylation which has the effect of making the protein migrate slower than it’s mass would predict. This therefore makes the protein appear at a heavier molecular weight than predicted.

    What guarantee do you have that my Neurofilament L antibody will perform as expected?

    We guarantee that your Neurofilament L antibody will work for the applications and species we list on the datasheet. If the antibody fails to perform as expected then we are happy to offer a 100% refund guarantee. For more details please see our guarantee policy.

    Will my Neurofilament L antibody work against species that have not been listed on the datasheet?

    A species not being listed doesn’t mean that the Neurofilament L antibody won’t work, just that we haven’t tested it. If you test one of our antibodies in a new species please let us know (positive or negative)!

    What protocols are available for use with this Neurofilament L antibody

    We have made a comprehensive collection of protocols that we have used in our experiments to validate this Neurofilament L antibody.

    What counterstains do you recommend for use in ICC and IHC with this Neurofilament L antibody?

    We recommend using either DAPI or Hoechst 33342 to label cell nuclei. In some experiments it is also helpful to label actin filaments in the cytoskeleton using a Phalloidin conjugate such as FITC Phalloidin or Rhodamine Phalloidin-TRITC.

    Any other questions?

    For any other questions about our antibody products please see our technical FAQs for antibodies

    References for Anti-Neurofilament L (NF-L) antibody ValidAb™

    References are publications that support the biological activity of the product
    • Serum neurofilament light levels in normal aging and their association with morphologic brain changes

      Khalil M et al (2020) Nature Communications 11(1) : 812
    • Neurofilament light chain as a biomarker in neurological disorders

      Gaetani L et al (2019 ) J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 90(8) : 870-881
    • Neurofilaments and Neurofilament Proteins in Health and Disease

      Yuan A et al (2017) Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology 9(4) : a018309
    • Neurofilament subunits are integral components of synapses and modulate neurotransmission and behavior in vivo

      Yuan A et al (2015) Molecular Psychiatry 20(8) : 986-94
    • Neurofilaments at a glance

      Yuan A et al (2012 ) Journal of Cell Science 125(14) : 3257–3263