anti-MARCO monoclonal antibody

The monoclonal antibody recognizes the Macrophage Receptor with Collagenous structure (MARCO). The scavenger receptors (SRs) expressed by macrophages are thought to play an important role in the immune response against bacteria by mediating binding and phagocytosis. An important family of receptors involved in these processes are the class A macrophage scavenger receptors (SRA). There are three classes of SRs, namely A, B and C. SR-A, type I and type II, are homotrimeric glycoproteins composed of three 77 kD monomers. MARCO is a member of this class A of scavenger receptors. The molecular structure of MARCO resembles that of SR-AI, containing a triple-helical collagenous domain and a scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) domain at the C terminus. MARCO is expressed by distinct populations of macrophages in the spleen and lymph nodes. It is rapidly induced on macrophages in other tissues (e.g. liver Kupfer cells) during infection or LPS treatment. MARCO seems to play an important role in the lungs response to inhaled particles and airborne pathogens. The monoclonal antibody PLK-1 binds to MARCO, and has been shown to partially block ligand binding.

Applications

The monoclonal antibody PLK-1 can be used for immunohistology on frozen sections and flow cytometry. Furthermore, the monoclonal antibody PLK-1 is useful for inhibition of biological activity of Macrophage Receptor with Collagenous structure (MARCO).

Intellectual Property Status: Patent(s) Pending