Invitrogen™ Rat TNF alpha Uncoated ELISA Kit with Plates

Description

The Rat Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-α) Uncoated ELISA Kit contains pre-matched antibody pairs, plates and reagents for performing quantitative enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) to detect and quantify protein levels of rat TNF-α. Wash Buffer and Stop Solution are needed to complete the ELISA reaction and are sold separately. Principle of the method ELISAs are designed to measure the amount of the target bound between a matched antibody pair. A target-specific antibody is coated to the bottom of the wells of a microplate, which is an overnight process. Samples, standards, or controls are then added into these wells and bind to the immobilized (capture) antibody. A sandwich is formed by the addition of the second (detector) antibody, a substrate solution is added that reacts with the enzyme-antibody-target complex to produce measurable signal. The intensity of this signal is directly proportional to the concentration of target present in the original specimen.

TNF alpha is a multifunctional proinflammatory cytokine that belongs to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily. This cytokine is mainly secreted by macrophage and bind to its receptors, TNFRSF1A/TNFR1 and TNFRSF1B/TNFBR. TNF alpha is involved in the regulation of immune cells, cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, lipid metabolism, and coagulation. TNF alpha exists as a multimer of two, three, or five noncovalently linked units, but shows a single 17 kDa band following SDS-PAGE under non-reducing conditions. Knockout studies in mice also suggested the neuroprotective function of TNF alpha, and has been observed to causes tumor necrosis when injected into tumor-bearing mice. Other functions of TNF-alpha include its role in the immune response to bacterial, viral, parasitic and certain fungal infections, as well as its role in the necrosis of specific tumors. TNF alpha causes cytolysis or cytostasis of certain transformed cells, being synergistic with interferon-gamma in its cytotoxicity. This cytokine has been implicated in a variety of diseases, including autoimmune diseases, insulin resistance, and cancer.