DLK1 (F8J8Y) Rabbit Monoclonal Antibody recognizes endogenous levels of total DLK1 protein.

Monoclonal antibody is produced by immunizing animals with a synthetic peptide corresponding to residues surrounding Pro270 of human DLK1 protein.

Delta-like-1 homolog (DLK1), also known as fetal antigen 1 (FA1) and preadipocyte factor 1 (pref-1), is a member of the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like family of proteins, containing six tandem EGF-like repeats (1,2). DLK1 is a paternally expressed, imprinted gene that plays an important role in normal development and homeostasis maintenance of adipose tissue mass (3). DLK1-deficient mice display growth retardation, obesity, skeletal malformation, and increased serum lipid metabolites (4). It has been reported that the DLK1 ectodomain is shredded from the cell surface and inhibits adipocyte differentiation (5-7).

Humans and rodents express multiple DLK1 isoforms, which are either membrane-bound or contain an ADAM17/TACE cleavage site for release of the soluble ectodomain (8). As high DLK1 expression is pro-oncogenic in some contexts, differential isoform expression may promote cancer cell survival, with both the ectodomain and intracellular domain having distinct functions (9). Under hypoxic conditions, HIF proteins induce ADAM17/TACE cleavage and internalization of the DLK1 intracellular domain, which localizes to the nucleus and alters Akt and p53 signaling cascades in glioma (10). Hypoxia increases DLK1 expression, and phosphorylation of the DLK1 C-terminus at Tyr339 and Ser355 increases neuronal tumor sphere growth (11). Nuclear DLK1 directly interacts with tumor suppressor NCoR1, correlating with poor prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (12). DLK1 has emerged as a target for novel antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) in neuroblastoma and adrenocortical carcinoma (13,14).