Would attaching a carrier molecule help in enhancing the immune response? Also how do I ensure that antibodies are not directed against the carrier molecule? Are there any such carrier molecules that can serve this purpose?
Very short peptides are essentially haptens. You would need a carrier protein to get a good response.
Dear Shumaila, there is abundant literature on this topic in conjunction with detection of neurotransmitter molecules (GABA, neuropeptides... ) One approach which has been successful for us is to use glutaraldehyde conjugated to the peptide as immunogen (and fix your tissue with gluta). If the peptide is very small,you will need a way to cross-link it in situ anyway, to avoid losing the signal as soon as the cell is permeabilized. I hope this helps
Carrier proteins for peptide conjugation include ovalbumin and keyhole limpet hemocyanin. The resulting polyclonal antiserum will contain antibodies against the carrier protein, but that should not be a problem because the carrier protein will not be present in your antigen-containing sample. If for some reason you feel the need to remove the antibodies against the carrier protein, you can make a carrier protein affinity column and pass the antiserum over it to remove the antibodies that recognize the carrier protein.
The short answer is yes. We have done many times with 6-8 mers using a caproic acid extension (Ahx Groups) on the peptide to couple to KLH.
you may couple your peptide to a carrier protein such as ovalbumin or KLH, but take care to end up with a balanced molar ratio of peptide to carrier, for example 2 or 3 peptide molecules per carrier molecule
Hello
Yes, this is possible . see link
Good Luck
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8487776
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