Recommended IHC Control Tissue
This is JMD Histologistics growing list of tissue necessary for antibody staining. We do not in any way attest to the tissue working perfectly for everyone. With the varied amount of antibodies and their manufacturers, control tissue types should be found through antibody data sheets. This is an ongoing list, it started with my introduction into the world of antibody staining in research. Moving through clinical work, academia and now research again, the list grows.
Since this is our list, it is not complete, we add new antibody types and tissues regularly. We also know that some antibodies have more than one positive control type. This may or may not be listed depending on our time to update the list, website or receiving conflicting information. If you plan to start staining with an antibody, it is your duty to take our information lightly, do your own research before taking our word for a positive control. We have included a PDF version for your enjoyment.
If you have other antibodies not on this list and would like to have us update it with your control tissue(s), please email us hans@histologistics.com This also goes for corrections and or additions. I am always happy to make new acquaintances and helpful colleagues.
Positive Controls -IHC -IF & special stains
Proliferation markers
MIB-1(Ki-67) – Tonsil
Endothelial markers
CD31 – Tonsil/BM
CD34 – Tonsil/BM
Factor VIII – Tonsil/BM
Epithelial Markers
CAM 5.2 – Skin
CK7 – Lung
CK8 – Lung
CK19 – Liver
EMA – Skin
Pan keratin – Skin
MNF-116 – Skin
Muscle & mesenchymal
actin/SMA/1A4 – Tonsil/BM
Actin/MSA/HHF35 – Tonsil/BM
Desmin – Appendix
Myogenin – Rhabdo
MYOD1 – Rhabdo
S100 – Skin
SM myosin Intestine
Vimentin Tonsil/BM
Neural and Glial
GFAP Brain
Myelin basic protein Brain
NeuN Brain
Neurofilament Spinal cord
(SMI-31) Spinal cord
NB84a Neuroblastoma
Olig-2 Brain
PGP9.5 Neuroblastoma
NSE Pancreas
Synaptophysin Pancreas
Tumor Associated
AFP AFP tissue
Alpha1-antitrypsin Tonsil
Beta-HCG Placenta
Calretinin Appendix
CD99 Ewings
FLI-1 Ewings
Galectin-3 Thyroid
HMB-45 Melanoma
Melan-A/mart-1 Skin
PLAP Placenta
TTF-1 Thyroid
Infectious
Use infected tissue
Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
EBV/EBER in situ
Hep B(core)
Hep B (surface)
H.pylori – infected
HHV8
HSVI
HSVII
Endocrine- pituitary
ACTH pituitary
Calcitonin Thyroid
Chromogranin pancreas
FSH pituitary
Glucagon pancreas
Inhibin placenta
Insulin pancreas
Insulin A Pancreas
LH pituitary
Thyroglobulin thyroid
TSH pituitary
Hematopoetic Markers
Bcl-2 tonsil/BM
Bcl-6 tonsil/BM
CD1a skin
CD3 tonsil/BM
CD4 tonsil/BM
CD5 tonsil/BM
CD8 tonsil/BM
CD10 tonsil/BM
CD15 tonsil/BM
CD20 tonsil/BM
CD21 tonsil/BM
CD30(KI-67) tonsil/BM
CD31 tonsil/BM
CD34 tonsil/BM
CD43 tonsil/BM
CD45-LCA tonsil/BM
CD45RO tonsil/BM
CD56 neuroblastoma
CD57 tonsil
CD61 BM
CD68 tonsil/BM
CD71(TfR) tonsil/BM
Hematopoetic Markers cont.
CD79a tonsil/BM
CD117/C-kit skin/BM
CD163 placenta
Fascin tonsil/BM
Granzyme B tonsil/BM
J chain tonsil/BM
Kappa light chain tonsil/BM
Alpha light chain tonsil/BM
Kappa light chain in situ tonsil/BM
Alpha light chain in situ tonsil/BM
Langerin skin
Lysozyme tonsil/BM
Myeloperoxidase BM
TdT BM
8-OHdG Skin
Alphabetical Order
ACTH Anterior pituitary
Actin Muscle specific Skeletal Muscle, leiomyoma
Actin Smooth muscle(SMA) Uterus
AFP Germ cell, liver hepatoma, fetal liver
Albumin Liver
ALK-1 Large cell lymphoma
Alpha 1 fetoprotein hepatoma, fetal liver
Alpha 1 Antichymotrypsin(AACT) tonsil, hepatoma
Alpha 1 antitrypsin(AAT) tonsil, hepatoma
Androgen Receptor prostate
Aurora A/STK-15 MCF-7 cell, cancer tissue
B72.3 colon carcinoma, pancreatic carcinoma, breast
Bax Mammary carcinoma, breast carcinoma
BCL-1(cyclin D-1) mantle cell lymphoma
BCL-2 lymph node, tonsil
BCL-6 tonsil
Beta-Catenin – Spleen, testicle, colon, kidney, skin, breast, liver
Ber-H2 Lymphoma, panceas
Ber-EP4 (epithelial antigen) skin, colon adenocarcinoma, mesothelioma, lung CA
Beta amyloid alzheimer’s brain
Bim Skin/ skin tumor
Bombesin Stomach, Duodenum, lung
BrdU BrdU treated tissue
CA 125 Ovarian carcinoma, breast CA
CA19-9 Lung
Calbindin D Cerebellum
Calcitonin thyroid, medulla carcinoma of thyroid
Calponin fibro adenoma
Calretinin mesothelioma, brain
Cam 5.2 Breast carcinoma
Casein Lactating mammary gland
Caspase 3 Skin/ tumor, embryo, heart, appendix, tonsil
Catalase Liver, brain (basal ganglia, thalamus, cerebellum)
Catenin Intestine
Cathepsin D breast carcinoma
CC10 Lung
CD1a Skin, thymus, tonsil
CD3 Tonsil
CD4 Tonsil
CD5 Tonsil
CD7 Tonsil
CD8 Ewing’s sarcoma, pancreas
CD10 Tonsil, kidney, uterus
CD11b Spleen, cerebellum (microglia)
CD13 Brain (striatum)
CD14 Placenta
CD15 (leuM1) metastatic adenocarcinoma of pleura or Hodgkin’s lymphoma
CD20, B-cell tonsil
CD21 tonsil
CD23, B-cell tonsil, spleen
CD25 Tonsil, spleen, thymus
CD30 hodgkin’s lymphoma, reed sterberg
CD31 tonsil
CD34, vascular Ag tonsil
CD35 tonsil
CD38 Spleen
CD40 Spleen
CD41 Spleen
ChromograninCD43 tonsil
CD44 Spleen, tonsil
CD44V6 baby thymus, tonsil
CD45(LCA) tonsil, lymph node, lymphoma
CD45RA tonsil
CD45RO, t-cell tonsil
CD54 Liver, spleen, lung
CD56 tonsil
CD57 tonsil
CD68 tonsil, lymph node
CD74 tonsil
CDw75 tonsil
CD79a tonsil
CD80 Spleen
CD99 Ewing’s sarcoma Ewing’s sarcoma
CD105 Kidney
CD117 (C-KIT) GI stromal tumor
CD138 Tonsil
Cdc2 Lung tumor, breast carcinoma
Cdk2 Colon
Cdk4 Skin
CDw49f (integrin-alpha6) Skin (basement membrane)
CDx2 – Colon Carcinoma – https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000165556-CDX2/tissue
CEA 1- Normal colon, appendix, Breast carcinoma, colon adenocarcinoma, lung cancer – https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000079385-CEACAM1/tissue
CERB2 – Breast cancer, gastric cancer, adenocarcinoma –
HCG 3 – Placenta – https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000104827-CGB3/tissue
Chromogranin A – pancreas – https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000100604-CHGA/tissue
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) – Infected
C-MYC – Lung Carcinoma, Breast Carcinoma , colon Carcinoma – https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000136997-MYC/tissue
Collagen IVA3 – skin, kidney, tonsil – https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000169031-COL4A3/tissue
Cytokeratin 20 – colon & Colon carcinoma – https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000171431-KRT20/pathology
Cytokeratin 5/6 mesothelioma
Cytokeratin 7 adenocarcinoma, breast cancer
Cytokeratin 14 Skin
Cytokeratin 8&18 – Skin, prostate carcinoma, breast, pancreas/tumor
Cytokeratin 903 skin, adenocarcinoma
Cytokeratin AE1/AE3 – skin, prostate adenocarcinoma
Cytokeratin MNF-116 skin, squamous cell carcinoma
Cytokeratin WSS skin
Cytokeratin Pan (AE1&Cam5.2) skin, adenocarcinoma
CKR6 Lymph node
CKR7 Lymph node
CNPase Brain/ glia tumor
Collagen I Placenta. Kidney
Collagen IV Kidney, skin, placenta, lymph node
Cox2 Colon, kidney
CX3CR1 Lymph node
CXCR4 Skin
CYP1B1 Liver
DBA.44 hairy cell reactive lymph node, spleen, hairy cell leukemia
Defensin1-alpha (HDEFA-1) Skin
Defensin1-beta (NBD-1) Skin
Defensin2-beta (HBD-2) Skin
Desmin leimyoma
Dopamine Hydroxylase Brain (stratum/Substantia nigra)
EBV-LMP EBV infected tissue
E-Cadherin pancreas, lung carcinoma, breast carcinoma
EGFR Placenta
EMA breast
Epithelial antigen colon adenocarcinoma
Estrogen receptor breast carcinoma, breast
F4/80 – Spleen, Thymus, lung, liver
Factor VIII tonsil, skin, intestine
Factor XIII dermatofiboma
Fas Spleen, Thymus, colon
Fas-L Spleen, thymus, colon
Flag (M2) Heart muscle
Fhit Muscle
Flk-1 Colon carcinoma, blood vessel endothelium
Filaggrin Skin
Flt-1 Kidney, heart
FOXP3
FSH pituitary
Gastrin stomach, antrum
GAPDH (V-18) Lens, liver, lung, prostate cancer
GCDFP/BRST 2 breast carcinoma
GFAP astrocytoma, brain
Glucagon pancreas
Glycophorin A 3rd term placenta
Glycoprotein IIIa 1st term placenta
Granzyme B, T-cell tonsil, melanoma, spleen
GRB2 Colon carcinoma
GSH2 (E-20) Lens
Growth hormone(hGH) pituitary
HbcAg hepatitis B core infected liver
HbcAg hepatitis B surface infected liver
HDJ2 Tonsil
Heme-Oxygenase-1 (HO-1) Lung
Hemoglobin tonsil
Her2Neu (cerbB2) breast carcinoma
Herpes simplex virus I infected lung
Herpes simplex virus II infected lung
HGF Liver
HIF-1 alpha Prostate tumor, lung tumor
Histone H2AX Tonsil, skin
Histone H3 (Phospho-histone H3) Tonsil, skin, spleen, small intestine
HMB45(melanosome) melanoma
HMGB1 – Colon, stomach, colon adenocarcinoma, liver, tonsil, kidney
HPL placenta, tonsil, colon
HPV HPV infected tissue, anogenital tissue
HSA (hepatocyte specific antigen) Normal liver or liver carcinoma
HSP70 Skin, pulmonary arteries, smooth muscle
Indolamine – Spleen, tonsil, colon, GIST, Colon adenocarcinoma
IgA tonsil
IgD Tonsil
IgG tonsil
IgM tonsil
IL-1 Lung
IL-6 Lung
IL-8 Lung
Inhibin granular cell tumor
Integrin Skin (basement membrane)
Involucin Skin
Kappa – Most cancers
KP-1 Colon, Small Bowel, Liver, Skin
Keratin Skin
Keratin7 Lung, Ovary, endometrium and breast carcinoma, skin
Keratin14 Skin
Keratin15 Skin
KI67 Skin, small intestine, tonsil, thymus, breast carcinoma
Lambda – Testicle, lymph node
Laminin Skin, Kidney
LAT Spleen
LCA Tonsil
Ly-6A/E Thymus
Ly-6G Spleen
Ly-49 Spleen
Hormone Tonsil
MAC Placenta, spleen
MAP2 Brain (cerebral cortex)
Mast cell tryptase Bone marrow, lung, skin, colon
MEK ½ (phosphor-MEK ½) Breast cancer
MHV MHV liver
MIP2 Skin
MItf Bone marrow, lung, skin, colon
MMP-2 Placenta, skin
MMP9 Lung
MOMA1 Spleen
MRP14 CAPAN-1 cells, lung cancer
MT-1 Tonsil
MT-2 Tonsil
Myeloperoxidase Bone marrow, spleen, tonsil
Myosin Skeletal muscle, tonsil, tongue
Myoglobin Heart, tonsil
Pan keratin (AE1 / AE3) –