Lesson OutlineLesson Media Objects |
Protein Detection in Plants
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Antibody CharacteristicsA key component in all immunoassays, including the ELISA formats, is an antibody (Fig 6).
There are three components of antibodies: heavy chain, light chain, and binding sites. Notice in Figure 7 that the binding sites reside at the top of the heavy and light chains. This is where the antigen (or in our case the target protein, such as the cryIA Bt protein) will bind to the specific antibody (Fig 8). As indicated in the Figure 8 diagram, the antibody’s binding strength is determined by the three-dimensional 'fit' and chemical interactions between it and the antigen. It is this strength, also referred to as 'affinity', which determines how sensitive the protein test is. A greater affinity results in a greater sensitivity, meaning the test can detect lower amounts of the protein in a sample and also more specifically bind to only that protein. |
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