![]() ![]() The term "antibody production" has both general and specific meanings. Procedures for generating, purifying, and modifying antibodies for use as antigen-specific probes were developed during the 1970s and 1980s and have remained relatively unchanged since Harlow and Lane published their classic Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual in 1988. For example, except in those portions that determine antigen binding, antibodies share a relatively uniform and well-characterized protein structure that enables them to be purified, labeled, and detected predictably and reproducibly by generalized methods. ![]() Several important features besides their high specificity make antibodies particularly conducive to development as probes. Certainly, no other current technology allows researchers to design and manufacture such highly specific molecular recognition tools. This ability of animal immune systems to produce antibodies capable of binding specifically to antigens can be harnessed to manufacture probes for detection of molecules of interest in a variety of research and diagnostic applications. Antibodies are made by B lymphocytes and circulate throughout the blood and lymph where they bind to their specific antigen, enabling it to be cleared from circulation. These foreign molecules are called antigens, and their molecular recognition by the immune system results in selective production of antibodies that are able to bind the specific antigen. Antibodies are host proteins that are produced by the immune system in response to foreign molecules that enter the body.
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