Nestin Mouse, Alexa Fluor 647, Clone: 25/NESTIN, BD

The cytoskeleton consists primarily of core structural proteins that include microfilaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments (IFs). IFs contain more than 50 distinct proteins that are organized into six different subtypes: Type I/II keratins expressed in epithelia, type III vimentin/desmin, type IV neurofilament proteins, type V nuclear lamins, and type VI nestin expressed primarily in embryonic cells. Nestin has a conserved core region (amino acids 7 to 314), which contains an α helical domain that is involved in coiled-coil assembly of IFs. The C-terminal region of nestin is similar to type IV IFs, since it contains highly charged amino acids, many glutamate residues, and an 11 amino acid repeat motif. Nestin is expressed in the cerebrum during embryonic development, in the cerebellum during early postnatal development, and in dermatomal cells and myoblasts during myogenesis. In vitro, nestin forms homodimers and homotetramers, but not IFs, and can co-assemble with type III vimentin and type IV internexin proteins. Thus, nestin is a core IF protein that is essential for proper cytoskeletal formation during neurogenesis and myogenesis.