Polyclonal Antibodies

Polyclonal Antibodies

Polyclonal antibodies (pAbs) are antibodies that are secreted by different B cell lineages within the body (whereas monoclonal antibodies come from a single cell lineage). They are a collection of immunoglobulin molecules that react against a specific antigen, each identifying a different epitope.

Production

For the production of polyclonal antibodies, lab animals are immunized with a specific antigen. After a few weeks, its immune system produces a high level of antibodies against this specific antigen. These antibodies are collected in an antiserum of the animals. This antiserum contains antibodies from several clones of B cells. The antigen is injected twice or thrice with antigen to produce this antiserum. These injections stimulate memory cells that make IgG antibodies against the antigen. Most of the antigens having multiple epitopes produce multiple antibodies in the body of these animals.

Advantages

  • Its production is inexpensive and less time-consuming.
  • They can be easily stored.
  • These purified antibodies can be used in four months.
  • These antibodies are tolerant to buffer conditions and not sensitive to pH.

Disadvantages

  • Different batches of these antibodies produced at different times are not homogeneous.
  • Due to multiple epitopes, they are very prone to cross-reactivity.

Uses

  • Polyclonal antibodies are used to design sandwich ELIS for antigens or tumor markers.
  • To detect a low level of any antigen.
  • To identify and hold a high quantity of antigens and denatured proteins.
  • To detect or recognize any unknown or known antigen with high antigen homology.
  • To identify a target in solutions with varying salt concentrations and pH.
Search