Cell Signaling Technology

Product Pathways - Phosphatases

Okadaic Acid #5934

Molecular Formula:
C44H68O13
Molecular Weight:
805.00 g/mol
Purity:
>98%

Directions for Use

Okadaic Acid is supplied as a lyophilized powder. For a 1 mM stock, reconstitute the 25 µg in 31.1 µl DMSO. Working concentrations and length of treatments vary depending on the desired effect, but it is typically used at 10-1000 nM for 15-60 min. Soluble in DMSO or ethanol.

Western Blotting

Western Blotting

Western blot analysis of extracts from HeLa cells, untreated (-) or treated with Okadaic Acid (1 µM, 1 hr; +), using Phospho-LATS1 (Thr1079) (D57D3) Rabbit mAb #8654 (upper) or LATS1 (C66B5) Rabbit mAb #3477 (lower).

Western Blotting

Western Blotting

Western blot analysis of extracts from HeLa cells, untreated or treated with Okadaic Acid (1 hr) at the indicated concentrations, using Phospho-Threonine Antibody (P-Thr-Polyclonal) #9381 (upper) or β-Actin (D6A8) Rabbit mAb #8457 (lower).

Structure

Structure

Chemical structure of okadaic acid.


Background

Okadaic acid is an inhibitor of the serine/theorine protein phosphatases PP1 (IC50 = 15-20 nM) and PP2A (IC50 = 0.1 nM), exhibiting much greater activity towards the latter. PP2A is completely inhibited at 1-2 nM, compared to greater than 1 µM for PP1 (1). This is unlike the protein phosphatase inhibitor Calyculin A, which potently inhibits both PP1 (IC50 = 2 nM) and PP2A (IC50 = 0.5-1 nM) (2). Okadaic acid does not effectively inhibit PP2C (3), acid and alkaline phosphatases, nor phosphotyrosine protein phosphatases (2,3). It has shown to inhibit PP2B, but at much higher concentrations than with PP1 and PP2A (3). Okadaic acid has also been described as a non-TPA type potent tumor promoter (4). These tumor-promoting properties and its ability to significantly increase protein phosphorylation make okadaic acid a very useful tool for studying cellular processes that are regulated by reversible phosphorylation of proteins (5).

  1. Cohen, P. et al. (1989) FEBS Lett 250, 596-600.
  2. Ishihara, H. et al. (1989) Biochem Biophys Res Commun 159, 871-7.
  3. Bialojan, C. and Takai, A. (1988) Biochem J 256, 283-90.
  4. Suganuma, M. et al. (1988) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 85, 1768-71.
  5. Fernández, J.J. et al. (2002) Curr Med Chem 9, 229-62.

Application References

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For Research Use Only. Not For Use In Diagnostic Procedures.

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