**Background of CTSB Antibodies**
Cathepsin B (CTSB) is a lysosomal cysteine protease belonging to the papain family, involved in protein degradation, antigen processing, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Dysregulation of CTSB is linked to pathologies such as cancer metastasis, neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s), and inflammatory disorders. CTSB antibodies are immunological tools designed to detect, quantify, or inhibit CTSB in research and clinical settings.
These antibodies are widely used in techniques like Western blotting, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and flow cytometry to study CTSB expression, localization, and activity in tissues or cell lines. In cancer research, CTSB antibodies help assess its role in tumor invasion, as elevated CTSB levels correlate with poor prognosis. In neuroscience, they aid in exploring CTSB's contribution to amyloid-beta processing or neuroinflammation.
CTSB antibodies may be monoclonal (high specificity) or polyclonal (broad epitope recognition), generated in hosts like rabbits or mice. Validation includes knockout controls or activity-based probes to confirm target specificity. Commercial antibodies often cite applications in metabolic and infectious disease studies, reflecting CTSB's role in pathogen clearance (e.g., in tuberculosis).
Challenges include distinguishing CTSB from homologous proteases (e.g., Cathepsin L) and ensuring performance across species. Ongoing research focuses on therapeutic CTSB inhibitors, bolstering the demand for reliable antibodies in drug development and biomarker studies.