The eukaryotic elongation factor 1 alpha 1 (eEF1A1) is a critical protein involved in translation elongation, facilitating the GTP-dependent delivery of aminoacyl-tRNA to the ribosome during protein synthesis. As one of two isoforms (eEF1A1 and eEF1A2), eEF1A1 is ubiquitously expressed in proliferating cells, while eEF1A2 is restricted to muscle and neuronal tissues. Beyond its canonical role in translation, eEF1A1 participates in diverse non-canonical cellular processes, including cytoskeletal remodeling, apoptosis, autophagy, and viral replication, making it a multifunctional protein of broad research interest.
Antibodies targeting eEF1A1 are essential tools for investigating its expression, localization, and functional interactions. They are widely used in techniques such as Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and co-immunoprecipitation to study its regulation under physiological or pathological conditions. Due to eEF1A1's high homology with eEF1A2. isoform-specific antibodies are crucial to avoid cross-reactivity in experimental models.
Research involving eEF1A1 antibodies has uncovered its dysregulation in cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and infections, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target or biomarker. For instance, eEF1A1 overexpression correlates with tumor progression and drug resistance, while its post-translational modifications (e.g., phosphorylation, methylation) influence cellular stress responses. Validating these antibodies using knockout controls or siRNA-mediated knockdown remains critical to ensure specificity, particularly given eEF1A1's constitutive expression and housekeeping roles.