ABSTRACT
Antibodies are proteins of the immunoglobulin family each of which may have the potential to bind to a different antigen molecule. Antibodies are produced by the B-lymphocytes of the immune system. Monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) can be produced by the fusion of an myeloma cell line with a B-lymphocyte to produce a hybridoma cell line. Mabs are frequently used to detect, quantitate and localize proteins and other antigens within tissues. They can also be used to purify the antigen to permit biochemical analysis. Methods for immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry with Mabs are essentially the same as those used with polyclonal antibodies. The key advantage of using monoclonal antibodies is their potential as a highly specific probe. A Mab should bind only to a single epitope. An epitope can consist of as few as 5 amino acid residues of a protein or even just a sugar or lipid modification of a protein.
