Description
Rabbit monoclonal antibodies are a useful and preferred tool in research and development. They are used in many applications, including immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, western blot, and ELISA. Compared to other animal models (eg, mouse and rat), rabbits provide a better system for the production of monoclonal antibodies because the rabbit’s immune system responds to a broader range of antigens. Also, physically, rabbits are larger animals with larger spleens that can produce more antibodies.
Production of rabbit monoclonal antibodies
Rabbit monoclonal antibodies have a consistency similar to traditional mouse monoclonal antibodies while offering greater specificity and sensitivity. The rabbits are immunized and the resulting spleen cells are fused with associated cells to form an immortal cell line that expresses antibodies. The antibodies are derived from a single clone and are characterized by their performance in applications. The best clone for antibody production is then selected.
Advantages of rabbit monoclonal antibodies
Because the natural repertoire of the rabbit is more diverse than that of the mouse and the spleen is larger, its antibodies exhibit a higher affinity for the antigen. Therefore, rabbit monoclonal antibodies tend to provide superior sensitivity in the application for which the clones were selected. An additional advantage of the diversity of rabbits is that it allows the recognition of epitopes that may not be feasible with other systems.
Other benefits include:
- Natural diversity
- High affinity and specificity.
- Recognition of novel epitopes
- Cross-reactivity with human and mouse targets
- Ease of humanization
Consider Recombinant Rabbit Monoclonal Antibodies
Check out our Invitrogen Recombinant Rabbit Monoclonal Antibodies for even better specificity, sensitivity, and performance. Recombinant rabbit monoclonal antibodies resemble rabbit monoclonal antibodies produced in hybridomas. However, because recombinant rabbit antibodies are derived from cloned DNA sequences, they are not susceptible to cell line drift or lot-to-lot variation.
