Cyt C Specific Neutra™ Antibody Products

Are prolonged drug discovery cycles, inconsistent protein functionality assessments, or inefficient apoptosis studies hindering your progress? Creative Biolabs' Cyt c-specific Neutra™ antibody products leverage advanced epitope mapping and robust validation workflows to accelerate the development of therapies targeting mitochondrial dysfunction, ensuring high specificity and reliability in apoptosis regulation studies.

Introduction to Cyt c

Cytochrome c (Cyt c) is a 12-14 kDa hemoprotein ubiquitously expressed in mitochondria across eukaryotic organisms. It functions as an essential electron shuttle in the respiratory chain, transferring electrons between complexes III and IV. Beyond its involvement in ATP synthesis, Cyt c acts as a major modulator of intrinsic apoptosis. Upon mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP), Cyt c is released into the cytoplasm, where it activates the apoptosome cascade, triggering caspase-9 and downstream executioner caspases.

• Structure

Cyt c comprises a single polypeptide chain of 104 amino acids in humans, folded into a compact α-helical structure stabilized by a covalently bound heme group. The iron-containing heme center enables reversible redox transitions critical for electron transport. Structural studies reveal that Cyt c's N-terminal helix interacts with cardiolipin on the inner mitochondrial membrane, anchoring it under physiological conditions. Under apoptotic stress, conformational changes disrupt these interactions, facilitating Cyt c's release into the cytosol.

• Related Signaling Pathways

Cyt c is central to the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Its cytoplasmic translocation activates APAF1, forming the apoptosome complex that activates caspase-9, subsequently cleaving caspase-3/7 to execute apoptosis. Dysregulation of this pathway is implicated in pathologies ranging from cancer to neurodegeneration. Additionally, Cyt c modulates redox signaling, influencing ROS production and cellular responses to oxidative stress.

Fig.1 Survival and stress signaling of Cyt c.¹

• Associated Diseases

Aberrant Cyt c dynamics underlie multiple diseases. Insufficient release contributes to cancer cell survival and chemoresistance, while excessive Cyt c leakage drives neuronal death in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. In myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, Cyt c release exacerbates tissue damage by amplifying apoptotic signals. Targeting Cyt c offers therapeutic potential for modulating apoptosis in these contexts.

Applications of Cyt c-Specific Neutralizing Antibodies

• Therapeutic Development in Myocardial Injury

In myocardial ischemia-reperfusion models, neutralizing Cyt c reduces infarct size by suppressing caspase activation. Preclinical studies demonstrate that intravenously administered anti-Cyt c antibodies mitigate cardiomyocyte apoptosis, improving functional recovery post-infarction.

• Oncology Research

Anti-Cyt c antibodies enhance the efficacy of chemotherapeutics by preventing cancer cells from evading apoptosis. They sensitize resistant tumors to DNA-damaging agents, as validated in ovarian and colorectal carcinoma cell lines. Combinatorial approaches using these antibodies with BCL-2 inhibitors show synergistic effects in xenograft models.

• Neurodegenerative Disease Studies

In Parkinson's disease models, blocking Cyt c release preserves dopaminergic neurons. Intracerebral injection of neutralizing antibodies reduces caspase-3 activation, slowing disease progression. These findings support the use of Cyt c inhibitors as neuroprotectants.

• Sepsis Management

Excessive Cyt c release during sepsis exacerbates multi-organ failure. Anti-Cyt c antibodies neutralize circulating Cyt c, attenuating systemic inflammation and organ damage in preclinical sepsis models, highlighting their potential for critical care therapeutics.

• Diagnostic Assay Development

Quantifying Cyt c levels in serum or cerebrospinal fluid using ELISA-based assays aids in diagnosing mitochondrial dysfunction. Our antibodies enable the development of high-sensitivity diagnostic kits for early detection of neurodegenerative or cardiac pathologies.

Our Anti-Cyt c Antibodies

Creative Biolabs offers Cyt c-specific Neutra™ antibody products with unparalleled precision for apoptosis research and therapeutic development. Engineered for high specificity and reproducibility, these tools empower researchers to dissect mitochondrial pathways and accelerate drug discovery.

Our anti-Cyt c neutralizing antibodies are rigorously validated for specificity across applications, including Western blotting, immunofluorescence, and in vivo functional assays. Our antibodies recognize both the native and oxidized forms of Cyt c, enabling precise tracking of mitochondrial release during apoptosis. High-affinity clones inhibit Cyt c-APAF1 interactions, effectively blocking apoptosome assembly in mechanistic studies. Engineered for low cross-reactivity, these tools are indispensable for apoptosis research, drug screening, and therapeutic candidate validation.

Contact our scientific team today to discuss customized solutions for your project.

REFERENCE

1. Morse, Paul T., et al. "Phosphorylations and acetylations of cytochrome c control mitochondrial respiration, mitochondrial membrane potential, energy, ROS, and apoptosis." Cells 13.6 (2024): 493. Distributed under Open Access license CC BY 4.0, without modification. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13060493