Immunohistochemistry to Study YAP in Human Tissue Samples.

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis of YAP in human tissue samples represents an important means to analyze overall expression levels and subcellular localization of YAP in specimen of interest. As transcriptional coactivator, alterations of YAP levels in the cellular nucleus allow important predictions for YAP activity and transcriptional state of target genes. In the following report, IHC procedures optimized for the detection of YAP in tissue slides of FFPE material are provided. Of note, de-paraffinization and heat-induced antigen retrieval are strictly necessary for successful YAP IHC staining. Further, immunostaining using a labelled polymer-HRP system combined with diaminobenzidine (DAB), as signal-amplifying chromogen, allows strong staining results with minimal unspecific background signal.