Generation of rat monoclonal antibody specific for mouse importin α8

The transport of proteins in and out of the nucleus plays important roles in major cellular processes, such as signal transduction and regulation of cell cycle. Proteins that contain a nuclear localization signal (NLS) are recognized by an importin α/β heterodimer and targeted to the nucleus. Here, we report the generation of a rat monoclonal antibody (MAb) that recognizes a novel importin α family member, importin α8, which is expressed during oocyte maturation and early embryonic development. Immunoblot and immunolocalization analyses showed that this MAb was specific for mouse importin α8 and not other importin α family members. These data suggest that this MAb is useful for analyzing molecular functions of importin α8.