SERPINB2 Polyclonal Antibody, Invitrogen™

Description

• Antibody detects endogenous levels of total PAI 2
• PAI-2 is an inhibitory serpin expressed mainly in keratinocytes, activated monocytes, and placental trophoblasts
• It exists predominantly as a 47 kDa, nonglycosylated, intracellular protein, which can be induced to be secreted as 60 kDa glycoprotein
• The glycosylated and unglycosylated forms of PAI-2 are equally effective as inhibitors of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), the only established physiological target of this serpin
• PAI-2 has a unique ability to form dormant polymers spontaneously and reversibly under physiological conditions
• The physiological relevance of this property, which is neither a consequence of any mutation in the PAI-2 gene nor associated with any known disorder, is still unclear
• However, it appears that the formation of intracellular, dormant polymers may be important for the controlled release of the inhibitor from PAI-2 producing cells
• Plasma levels of PAI-2 are usually low or undetectable, except during pregnancy and in some forms of monocytic leukemia
• Secretion of PAI-2 from the placenta normally occurs during the third trimester of pregnancy, and accounts for the dramatic increase in PAI-2 levels (up to 250 ng/ml), which are maintained at these levels until postpartum, and then rapidly decline
• In addition to its vital role in protecting the placenta from degradation by uPA and/or uPA-activated proteases, PAI-2 has been shown to be essential for the prevention of metastatic spread of neck, lung and breast cancers
• The beneficial effect of PAI-2 seen in these studies is presumed to stem from its ability to inhibit uPA-dependent cell dissemination
• PAI-2 has also been reported to inhibit keratinocyte proliferation, and to participate in the innate immune response during viral infection.