Antibodies specific to the retinoic acid human nuclear receptors alpha and beta.

Abstract
Two cDNAs encoding two human receptors for retinoic acid (RA), RAR-.alpha. and RAR-.beta., have been characterized recently. Synthetic peptides corresponding to the cDNA-deduced amino acid sequences unique to RAR-.alpha. and RAR-.beta. were used to generate anti-RAR-.alpha. antiserum (SP171) and anti-RAR-.beta. antisera (SP172 and SP248). The specificity of these antisera was confirmed both by immunocytochemical detection of these receptors in COS-1 cells transfected with RAR-.alpha. and RAR-.beta. expression vectors and by immunoblot analyses performed with whole extracts of these cells. We also demonstrate that these antisera recognize RAR-.alpha. and RAR-.beta. endogenously expressed in the RA-responsive human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60.