What is the difference between monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the distinctions between monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies are identical antibodies produced by a single clone of cells, while polyclonal antibodies are produced by multiple clones, leading to a mixture of antibodies that recognize different epitopes on an antigen.
Answer
Polyclonal antibodies target multiple epitopes; monoclonal antibodies target a single epitope.
Polyclonal antibodies are made using several different immune cells and can bind to multiple epitopes on the same antigen. Monoclonal antibodies are made using identical immune cells cloned from a single parent cell and bind to a single epitope on an antigen.
Answer for screen readers
Polyclonal antibodies are made using several different immune cells and can bind to multiple epitopes on the same antigen. Monoclonal antibodies are made using identical immune cells cloned from a single parent cell and bind to a single epitope on an antigen.
More Information
Monoclonal antibodies are often preferred for therapeutic use due to their high specificity, while polyclonal antibodies are widely used in research for their ability to detect multiple epitopes.
Tips
A common mistake is thinking monoclonal antibodies bind to multiple epitopes. Remember, 'mono-' means one.
Sources
- Polyclonal vs. monoclonal antibodies | Proteintech Group - ptglab.com
- Monoclonal vs Polyclonal Antibodies | Thermo Fisher Scientific - US - thermofisher.com
- Polyclonal vs Monoclonal Antibodies-GenScript - genscript.com
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