Secondary Antibodies

Secondary antibodies are valuable biological tools that are employed extensively in research applications and diagnostic assays. Secondary antibodies are conjugated to reporter molecules, such as enzymes or fluorochromes, which provide a signal that can be detected and measured. They are commonly used in antibody based applications to detect an antigen specific primary antibody that is not already conjugated to a reporter. Applications that may require a secondary antibody include immunohistology, immunofluorescence, western blotting, enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), flow cytometry and lateral flow assays. Careful selection of suitable secondary antibodies also allows researchers to perform simultaneous labelling of multiple targets in a single sample.

A diverse range of monoclonal (Mab), polyclonal (PAb) secondary antibodies are available that vary according to the host, in which the antibody was raised. They are also grouped according to characteristics of the primary antibody recognised with respect to animal species, antibody class and region of the antibody. Secondary antibodies may also be supplied as whole antibodies or as antibody fragments, which can provide technical advantages in some applications.

In addition, antibodies can be conjugated to numerous different reporter molecules thus providing researchers and assay developers with enormous application and assay design flexibility. The correct selection of an appropriate secondary antibody is vital to the success of any immunostaining technique.

Exalpha manufactures and supplies polyclonal secondary antibodies that have been raised in goats and are specific for the Fc portion of mouse IgG. The secondary antibodies recognise all subclasses of mouse IgG and are available conjugated to fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) or tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate (TRITC). The antibodies are suitable for use in immunocytochemistry, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry and ELISA applications.

In addition, Exalpha offers an extensive range of high quality polyclonal secondary antibodies that are suitable for the detection of mouse and rat immunoglobulin classes and subclasses. The range includes secondary antibodies conjugated to horseradish peroxidase, biotin, FITC or TRITC. The antibodies have been tested for Ig cross reactivity and are designed for use in a wide range of research applications.