Agrisera News

Agrisera supports 25th Conference of the Austrian Society of Plant Biology

Agrisera supported the 25th conference of the Austrian Society of Plant Biology, which took place between the 29th and 31st of May, in Tulin, organized by the Institute of Botany of BOKU University.

Conference topics included covered many aspects of the biology of plant cell.

Agrisera educational posters focused on photosynthesis, epigenetics, protein extraction and Western blot were offered for participants, as well as Western blot guide and Agrisera catalogue.

Agrisera supports the 25th conference of Austrian Society of Plant Biology

Interview with Prof. Govindjee

Prof. Govindjee

Dr. Govindjee is professor emeritus of plant biology, biochemistry and biophysics at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, with a focus on the mechanism of oxygenic photosynthesis, especially Photosystem II, the one that gives us oxygen. During the 1960s, he led the team that focused on the use of changes in light absorption and light- emission from chlorophyll a in deciphering the photochemistry and biochemistry of oxygenic photosynthesis, in particular the unique role of bicarbonate in Photosystem II. His achievements led to the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award of the International Society of Photosynthesis Research (ISPR), and his work has led to many other international awards and honors. Agrisera has enjoyed a long-standing collaboration with Prof. Govindjee through the development of educational posters on the mechanism of photosynthesis and its use in improving plant productivity.

- Please tell us about yourself and your research/institution.

I started my research life in 1954 at the University of Allahabad, India, working on the effects of virus infection on the amino acid metabolism of many plants including tobacco. However, after receiving my PhD (in Biophysics) in 1960, from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign (UIUC), I have focused on Oxygenic Photosynthesis, especially the molecular mechanism of the electron flow from water to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP+), working as an Assistant Professor (1961-1965), an Associate Professor (1965- 1969), a Professor (1969-1999), and then as Professor Emeritus of Plant Biology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, starting in 1999, also at the UIUC. My interaction with Agrisera began (and continues) through discussions on the many wonderful educational posters (https://www.agrisera.com/en/educational-posters).

- What motivated you to get into plant science?

My interest in plants began when I was in the 4th class – through my teacher in what was called ‘Nature study’. Further, during my college days, I detested the idea of ‘dissecting’ animals, but I loved examining plants and their leaves and examining them under microscopes. When I came to the UIUC in 1956, as a graduate student, I began culturing the green alga Chlorella pyrenoidosa, the red alga Porphyridium cruentum, and the cyanobacterium Anacystis nidulans.

Further, I was fascinated with the controversy of the minimum quantum requirement of 3-4 photons (by the Noble laureate Otto Warburg) per oxygen versus 8-12 by the others including my first mentor on ‘Photosynthesis’ Robert Emerson. And, yes, the topic of ‘Primary Photochemistry and Biophysics’ -- from femto-seconds to kilo-seconds- became my life-work – after I interacted with my second – but most influential mentor Eugene Rabinowitch. And hence the commitment to oxygenic photosynthesis at all levels.

- How have you used (Agrisera) antibodies in your research?

Personally, I have not used Agrisera antibodies in my research, but I have been deeply involved in providing detailed information to Agrisera for making educational posters on Oxygenic Photosynthesis (2016), Vertical Z-Scheme (2018), Photosynthesis and Respiration (2019) and Rubisco (2020); these may be accessed at https://www.agrisera.com/en/info/educational-posters.html.

- Any further comments?

I have always enjoyed a wonderful, friendly relationship with Joanna and her team – in person as well as through e-mails and phone conversations. I wish Agrisera the best in all their future endeavors.

Links

• Honoring Govindjee, celebrating 90 years
• Prof. Govindjee - Wikipedia
• Agrisera's Educational Posters
• Agrisera Antibodies - Photosynthesis

What after-sales service is offered by Agrisera?

Q: I purchased an antibody from Agrisera and need some technichal guidance. What should I do?

A: Contact Agrisera Technical Support for help. We will promptly reply to your questions. To be able provide you with the best help, we will need the following information:

- Image of the obtained results (whole membrane with MW markers for Western blot, section image for immunolocalization)

- Exact details of the applied protocol

Once we receive the results with all experimental details included, we will provide suggestions on how to solve the issue and/or optimize the protocol.

Each case is solved individually, as there can be various reasons as to why a desired result cannot be obtained.

You will receive prompt and professional support.
Contact us for help!

Most common reasons why the desired result can not be obtained with a given antibody:

Wrong antibody was purchased. Sequence used to elicit an antibody, is not found in the protein which is to be visualized.

The sample contains too little of the target protein. For proteins of low abundance, the specific cellular fraction needs to be analyzed.

The sample was not harvested in conditions, in which the target protein is most abundant in the tissue, or the extraction buffer was not optimal (for example: no specific protease or proteasome inhibitors were included).

Antibody was incubated for too short time. Always check the product information sheet for guidance, or contact the supplier.

Give your blots a chance to improve - educational poster by Agrisera

How to choose the right antibody?
What is a Western blot workflow and what to do to succeed with this complex technique?

The answers to these questions, and many more, can be found on the latest educational poster prepared by Agrisera. The poster is aimed to be a community resource for beginners and experienced users of the Western blot technique.

It is based on hundreds of blots which have been troubleshooted each year for the last 25 years, by Agrisera technical support, as well as a valuable input from the plant community worldwide, which was involved in production of this educational resource. Thank you!

The poster is summarizing, in a graphical form, information from Agrisera Western blot resources and Agrisera webinars focused on antibodies and Western blot technique.

We welcome your comments, ideas for next poster and feedback. Mail them to: [email protected]

Educational poster about Western blot technique

The poster can be downloaded here , or a hard copy can be requested on Agrisera website.

View other educational posters focused on photosynthesis and epigenetics, here.

Graphical work has been done by Dr. Dmitri Shevela, from SciGrafik in Umeå, Sweden.

Agrisera – Antibody Supplier Succeeding in Plant Science

We are thrilled to announce that Agrisera has been honored with the 2025 CiteAb Award Antibody Supplier Succeeding in Plant Science!

Thanks to target suggestions from the plant community, as well as their contribution in our antibody validation process, on endogenous samples from a range of model species, Agrisera antibodies have been cited in over 10,000 publications. Agrisera's publication record has granted us the 2025 award Antibody Supplier Succeeding in Plant Science.

Each year, CiteAb select winners in various categories, based on publication analyses, as well as nominations by the research community. The last time a plant science category appeared in the CiteAb awards, Agrisera was awarded the 2019 CiteAb award Plant Science Antibody Supplier of the Year, for having the most antibody citations in research related to plant science. On average, Agrisera antibodies are cited in over 800 scientific articles per year.

"Plant Science is a really important field that powers developments in sustainability, global health, food security and more. Agrisera have a particular focus on plant and algal research, and have shown their successful support of researchers in this field by providing products that facilitate published discoveries," says Rhys Williams, Head of Antibody data at CiteAb.

New Agrisera antibodies to tags

Agrisera has released three new antibodies to tags:
Trx Tag | Sumo tag | RFP

Thioredoxin 1 Fusion protein (Trx Tag)
Trx tag is so-called Solubility/Expression Enhancer Tag (SEET) which improves the solubility, stability, or expression of the target protein in systems where proteins may otherwise aggregate or be poorly expressed.

Product number: AS21 4508

Tested applications: Western blot

Product page: Trx Tag | Thioredoxin

Sumo tag
SUMO is short for Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier, SUMO tag can be added in the N-terminal of a target protein, to increase its expression and solubility.

Product number: AS23 4970

Tested applications: Western blot

Product page: Anti-SUMO tag antibodies

Red flourescent protein (RFP)
RFP once excited is fluorescing red-orange light. The mass of RFP is approximately 25.9 kDa and its excitation maximum is 558 nm and emission maximum is 583 nm.

Product number: AS24 5006

Tested applications: Immunohistochemistry (IHC)

Product page: Anti-RFP | Red flourescent protein (mRFP, mCherry, tdTomato, mScarlet) antibodies

Read more about the new antibodies on each product page.

Need help to choose a suitable tag antibody? Check out our Tag Antibody Guide!

Interview with Prof. Blake Meyers

Prof. Blake Meyers

Dr. Blake Meyers serves as the Director of the UC Davis Genome Center and holds the titles of Distinguished Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences, and Novozymes Chair of Genomics. Before joining UC Davis, he was a faculty member at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the University of Missouri – Columbia, and the University of Delaware. He is a Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Society of Plant Biologists. Since 2008, he has been an editor of The Plant Cell, serving as Editor-in-Chief between 2020 and 2024.

- Please tell us about yourself and your research/institution.

I am Blake Meyers, a plant biologist specializing in small RNAs and their roles in gene regulation, particularly in reproductive development and anther development. My research focuses on small RNA biology, recently including the biogenesis and functions of phased, secondary siRNAs (phasiRNAs). I am at the University of California, Davis, where I am the Director of the Genome Center, a multidisciplinary institute of 18 faculty members that share a common interest in genomic technologies and the application of these methods to diverse biological questions, including biomedicine, microbiology, bioinformatics, and plants. I am a faculty member in the Department of Plant Sciences. In my group, I have a talented team of researchers who are working to explore the molecular mechanisms, evolution, and diversity of plant RNAs, particularly small RNAs — and to identify applications of these discoveries to real world problems in crop plants.

- What motivated you to get into plant science?

My interest in plant science started through a love of plants, but grew further out of a fascination for genetics and molecular biology. I was especially drawn to the complexity and elegance of plant regulatory networks and the ways these are encoded in the genome. Plants offer unique insights into gene silencing, epigenetics, and small RNA biology — areas that remain at the forefront of my research today. The potential for discovery in plant science is immense, and its impact from agriculture to biotechnology, makes it an incredibly rewarding field.

- How have you used (Agrisera) antibodies in your research?

Agrisera antibodies have been instrumental in our studies on ARGONAUTE (AGO) proteins, which are key components of small RNA pathways. These proteins are the effectors of guide RNAs, much like the Cas proteins of the better known CRISPR system. The AGO antibodies allowed us to track the expression, localization, and interactions of AGO proteins in different plant tissues, helping to uncover their diverse functions in small RNA-guided gene regulation. Beyond AGO research, Agrisera’s commitment to high-quality plant antibodies has been a valuable resource for the plant biology community.

- Any further comments?

I appreciate Agrisera’s dedication to supporting plant research over the past 40 years. Their plant-specific antibodies and educational resources, such as the two posters that we collaborated on, have helped advance research and training for scientists worldwide. It’s exciting to see how these tools continue to contribute to new discoveries in plant molecular biology!

Links

• Meyers lab, UC Davis
• Agrisera antibodies to DNA/RNA/Cell Cycle
• Agrisera's Educational Posters

Antibody validation strategies, interview with experts

With millions of catalog antibodies available, the antibody product datasheets should be carefully analyzed, in terms of specific validation data, before choosing an antibody for your experimental setup.

Poor antibody validation contributes substantially to the ongoing reproducibility crisis. There is a lack of universal guidelines in antibody validation, as well as in how antibodies should be cited in scientific publications.

In a recent Editorial Article published by Biocompare, tilted: "Advanced Antibody Validation Strategies to Ensure Scientific Reproducibility" many important aspects of the antibody validation process were covered, and discussed by experts in the field. The interviewees were:

Dr. Joanna Porankiewicz-Asplund, Customer Support Manager at Agrisera Antibodies
Shamim Mohammad, Ph.D., Lead Scientist at ATCC
Tracey Long Ph.D., Senior Marketing Manager, Catalog Antibodies, Life Science Group at Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc
Julia Gilden, Ph.D., Sr. Research Scientist Promega

Article excerpt to pay specific attention to:

Another common validation strategy involves Western blot detection of the recombinant protein. However, Porankiewicz Asplund cautions that this can be misleading if the antibody datasheet is not read carefully. "Based on this type of data, researchers might expect to see a very intense band on a Western blot, not realizing that it is impossible to achieve this in an endogenous extract, for a target of low abundance," she says. Protein abundance can be easily checked in PaxDb.

Read full article!

What information to look for before purchasing an antibody?

Agrisera Western blot workshop part II with Yao-Hong Biotechnology for researchers in Taiwan

Agrisera Western blot workshop with Yao-Hong Biotechnology

Agrisera antibody applied in expansion microscopy on Arabidopsis primary root

While the technique of expansion microscopy (ExM) is commonly used in animal cells and tissues, plant-specific protocols are very few. However, the interest in this technique is growing, and Agrisera antibodies were recently applied in ExM on Arabidopsis thaliana primary roots.

Using this method, called ROOT-ExM, the authors successfully imaged various organelles and subcellular compartments, including Golgi apparatus, the endoplasmic reticulum, the cytoskeleton and plasmodesmata.

ExM opens new avenues for discoveries in studies of plant cells on the molecular level, as it circumvents the resolution limitations of traditional microscopy methods, and allows the revealing of finer details of cellular structures.

Read the recently published article "Root expansion microscopy: A robust method for super resolution imaging in Arabidopsis".

Cited Agrisera antibody:

• SUN1,2 | SUN domain-containing protein 1,2

Agrisera polyclonal antibody to SUN1,2 | SUN domain-containing protein 1,2 (AS18 4224) was applied to visualize SUN1,2 protein using expansion microscopy (ExM) in Ar. thaliana roots. Details of the method are described here.

Latest

Interview with Prof. Emilio Gutiérrez
2025-06-11 Agrisera supports 25th Conference of the Austrian Society of Plant Biology
2025-05-30 Interview with Prof. Govindjee
2025-05-28 What after-sales service is offered by Agrisera?
2025-05-23 Give your blots a chance to improve - educational poster by Agrisera
2025-05-21 Agrisera – Antibody Supplier Succeeding in Plant Science
2025-05-16 New Agrisera antibodies to tags
2025-05-15 Interview with Prof. Blake Meyers
2025-05-14 Antibody validation strategies, interview with experts
2025-05-08 Agrisera Western blot workshop part II with Yao-Hong Biotechnology for researchers in Taiwan
2025-05-06

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Prof. Govindjee

Prof. Blake Meyers

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