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From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia A secondary
antibody is an antibody that binds to primary antibodies or antibody
fragments. They are typically labeled with probes that make them useful for
detection, purification or cell sorting applications.
Secondary antibodies may be polyclonal or monoclonal, and are available with
specificity for whole Ig molecules or antibody fragments such as the Fc or
Fab regions.
Specific secondary antibodies are usually chosen to work in specific
laboratory applications. Frequently, any one of several secondary antibodies
perform adequately in a particular application. They are selected according
to the source of the primary antibody, the class of the primary antibody
(e.g., IgG or IgM), and the kind of label which is preferred. Identifying
the optimal secondary antibody is normally done through trial and error.
[edit] Applications
Secondary antibodies are used in many biochemical assays [1] including:
* ELISA, including many HIV tests
* Western blot
* Immunostaining
* Immunohistochemistry
* Immunocytochemistry
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