The ENPP4 (ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 4) antibody is a tool used to study the ENPP4 protein, a member of the ENPP family involved in nucleotide metabolism and cellular signaling. ENPP4 hydrolyzes extracellular nucleotides like ATP and ADP, regulating purinergic signaling pathways that influence processes such as inflammation, immune responses, and cancer progression. Structurally, ENPP4 contains a catalytic domain and transmembrane regions, functioning as a type II transmembrane protein.
ENPP4 is expressed in various tissues, including the kidney, liver, and immune cells. Its dysregulation has been implicated in pathological conditions, such as tumor growth, metastasis, and immune evasion. For example, ENPP4 overexpression in certain cancers may promote an immunosuppressive microenvironment by altering extracellular adenosine levels, which dampen anti-tumor immune activity.
Antibodies targeting ENPP4 are typically developed in hosts like rabbits or mice using immunogenic peptide sequences or recombinant protein fragments. These antibodies enable applications such as Western blotting, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and flow cytometry to detect ENPP4 expression, localization, and interactions in biological samples. Commercial ENPP4 antibodies often undergo validation using knockout controls or siRNA-mediated silencing to confirm specificity. Researchers utilize these tools to explore ENPP4's role in disease mechanisms, therapeutic targeting potential, and as a biomarker. However, performance may vary depending on epitope specificity, sample preparation, and experimental conditions.