The STAT5A antibody is a crucial tool in studying the signal transducer and activator of transcription 5A (STAT5A), a transcription factor involved in the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. STAT5A, along with its paralog STAT5B, mediates cellular responses to cytokines, growth factors, and hormones by translocating to the nucleus upon phosphorylation, regulating genes critical for proliferation, differentiation, and survival. While STAT5A and STAT5B share 96% amino acid identity, they exhibit distinct roles in development and disease, with STAT5A being particularly vital in mammary gland function and lactation.
STAT5A antibodies are designed to detect and quantify STAT5A expression, phosphorylation status, or interaction partners in various experimental settings, including Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, and co-immunoprecipitation. These antibodies are typically raised against specific epitopes, such as the N-terminal domain or phosphorylated tyrosine residues (e.g., Tyr694), enabling the study of activation dynamics. High-quality STAT5A antibodies demonstrate minimal cross-reactivity with STAT5B, a key consideration given their structural similarity. Applications span cancer research (e.g., leukemia, breast cancer), immunology, and metabolic studies, as aberrant STAT5A activation is linked to oncogenesis and therapy resistance. Validation using knockout controls or siRNA-mediated knockdown is essential to confirm specificity, particularly when distinguishing STAT5A/5B isoforms in complex biological samples.