The TARDBP gene encodes the TDP-43 protein, initially found to repress HIV-1 transcription by binding TAR DNA. TDP-43 has since been shown to bind RNA as well as DNA, and have multiple functions in transcriptional repression, translational regulation and pre-mRNA splicing. For instance, it is reported to regulate alternate splicing of the CTFR gene.

In 2006 Neumann et al. found that hyperphosphorylated, ubiquitinated and/or cleaved forms of TDP-43, collectively known as pathological TDP-43, play a major role in the disease mechanisms of ubiquitin-positive, tau- and alpha-synuclein-negative frontotemporal dementia (FTLD-U) and in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Proteintech’s 10782-2-AP antibody is a rabbit polyclonal antibody recognizing N-terminal TDP-43. Generated using the first 260 amino acids of TDP-43, it recognizes the intact 45 kDa protein as well as all posttranslationally modified and truncated forms in multiple applications.