Anti-Mouse CD11c [Clone N418] — Purified in vivo GOLD™ Functional Grade

Clone N418 is most commonly used in vivo in mice to label, target, or deplete CD11c-positive dendritic cells, providing a powerful tool for immunology research focused on the function and roles of these cells. The most typical in vivo applications are:

• Dendritic Cell Depletion: N418 is widely used for in vivo depletion of CD11c+ dendritic cells. By targeting CD11c, a marker highly expressed on mouse dendritic cells, N418 enables researchers to transiently remove these cells to study their roles in immune responses, autoimmunity, tumor immunity, infection, and vaccination models.
• Targeted Antigen Delivery: N418 can be conjugated to antigens to deliver them specifically to dendritic cells, thereby promoting targeted antigen presentation, which can be harnessed in vaccine studies or to probe immune tolerance and activation.
• Functional Modulation: Beyond depletion, in vivo targeting of dendritic cells with N418 can modulate immune responses — for example, to enhance antigen-specific responses or manipulate immune tolerance.
• Labeling and Tracking: N418 can also be used to label dendritic cells in vivo for imaging or tracking their migration and fate after experimental manipulations.

Dosage and Considerations:

• A typical in vivo dose for depletion ranges from 100–200 µg per mouse via intraperitoneal or intravenous injection.
• Key considerations include potential off-target effects (since CD11c is also present on some macrophages and other cell types) and the need for dosage optimization to maximize depletion while minimizing adverse effects.

Examples from Research:

• Depletion of dendritic cells with N418 in mouse models has been used to investigate cancer immunology, infectious diseases, and mechanisms of immune tolerance.
• Antigen targeting with N418 has been shown to induce robust antibody responses when used as a vaccination approach in vivo.

In summary, clone N418 is a standard tool for in vivo manipulation of mouse dendritic cells, most often for depletion, targeted antigen delivery, or immune function studies.

N418, an anti-CD11c antibody commonly used for dendritic cell labeling, is frequently employed alongside various other antibodies and proteins in immunological research. The specific combinations depend on the experimental context and research objectives.

Dendritic Cell Subset Markers

When studying dendritic cells with N418, researchers commonly use markers that help identify and characterize different dendritic cell subsets. These markers allow for more precise identification and functional analysis of specific dendritic cell populations.

T Cell and Myeloid Lineage Markers

N418 is regularly combined with T cell markers and other myeloid lineage markers to comprehensively profile immune cell populations. For example, in flow cytometry experiments, N418 has been used simultaneously with CD3 PE-conjugated antibodies to distinguish between dendritic cells and T lymphocytes. Additionally, studies have employed N418 alongside CD45 and CD11b markers, with gating strategies targeting CD45+ CD11b+ populations to identify specific myeloid cell subsets.

Polyclonal and Targeting Antibodies

In immunization studies, N418 has been used in combination with several polyclonal antibodies, including polyclonal goat anti-hamster IgG antibody, goat anti-Armenian hamster IgG, and mouse anti-goat IgG. These combinations were utilized to study targeted delivery to dendritic cells. The research demonstrated that specific interaction between the antigen and N418 was required for enhanced antibody responses, as control experiments using hamster anti-TNP (trinitrophenol) IgG and goat anti-biotin IgG showed different immune response patterns.

Functional Context Proteins

The antibodies and proteins used alongside N418 also include those relevant to immune function, though the specific combinations vary based on whether researchers are conducting Western blot analyses, examining cell-specific markers, or performing functional assays in different experimental systems.

Clone N418 is a monoclonal antibody widely cited in scientific literature for its utility in immunology, particularly for identifying and studying mouse CD11c, a key marker of dendritic cells. The key findings and applications from N418 citations are:

• Specificity: N418 selectively targets mouse CD11c, a 150 kDa cell surface integrin (αX) that forms a heterodimer with CD18. CD11c is highly expressed on dendritic cells, and also found on monocytes, macrophages, and some granulocytes, making N418 a robust tool for distinguishing dendritic cell populations from other leukocytes.

• Methodological Impact: N418 is extensively used for:

  • Flow cytometry: As a primary marker for defining and sorting mouse dendritic cell subsets in immunophenotyping protocols. Recommended concentrations for staining are typically ≤1 µg per 10^6 cells in 100 µL.
  • Immunohistochemistry: For staining frozen tissue sections and localizing dendritic cells within tissues.
  • Immunoprecipitation and Western Blotting: For detecting or isolating CD11c protein for biochemical analysis.

• Functional Insights:

  • Advances in Dendritic Cell Biology: Studies using N418 reveal dendritic cell lineage, origins, and differentiation from Cx3cr1+ progenitors, showing shared developmental pathways between conventional and plasmacytoid DCs.
  • Immunomodulation: N418-based targeting has been shown to enhance antigen-specific immune responses, useful in dendritic cell-based immunotherapies and vaccination models.
  • Tumor Immunology: Recent work highlights N418 in studies on antigen presentation, immune evasion, and tumor microenvironment characterization by tracking dendritic cell dynamics.
  • Chronic Inflammation: N418 enables delineation of dendritic cell roles in chronic and unresolved inflammation models.

• Technical Details and Citation Requirements:

  • Optimal use requires careful titration, often tailored to cell number and experimental conditions.
  • When citing N418, include the clone designation, supplier catalog number, and relevant reagent details to ensure reproducibility.
  • N418 antibodies are available conjugated to various fluorescent labels (e.g., APC, PE-Cy7, BV421, Alexa Fluor 647) for multi-color flow analysis.

In summary, clone N418 is foundational for mouse immunology research, especially for studies of dendritic cell biology, immune response modulation, and preclinical models of disease. Its specificity for CD11c, versatility in diverse assays, and broad adoption are confirmed by hundreds of citations in the literature.

Dosing regimens of clone N418 (anti-mouse CD11c antibody) vary substantially depending on the mouse model and experimental objective, typically ranging from 1–10 µg per mouse for ex vivo labeling to 50–200 µg per mouse for in vivo depletion or targeting.

Key details include:

• Ex vivo or flow cytometry labeling: Doses are lower, usually around 1–10 µg per mouse, often administered as a single dose to label dendritic cells or for phenotyping applications.
• In vivo targeting, depletion, or functional studies: Doses are higher, generally between 50–200 µg per mouse, with frequency and duration (e.g., single vs. repeated doses) adjusted based on the specific disease model, endpoint, and whether sustained depletion or pathway modulation is needed.
• Route of administration can influence regimen, with intravenous (IV), intraperitoneal (IP), or subcutaneous (SC) injections used according to experimental design. The precise dosing schedule (single injection vs. multiple over days/weeks) is determined based on factors such as desired cell depletion kinetics and model sensitivity.

Further considerations:

• Model-dependent titration: Optimal dose and schedule should be determined experimentally for each mouse strain, disease state, and endpoint, as tissue distribution, immune status, and CD11c expression levels vary.
• Isotype and antibody grade: Both hamster IgG2 kappa and mouse IgG1 variants are used; in vivo grade recombinant antibodies are preferred for functional or depletion studies, especially for minimizing off-target effects and maximizing reproducibility.

In summary, clone N418 dosing is highly context-dependent, and must be empirically optimized for each specific mouse model and experimental aim.