I am working on human-GDF/BMP11. I ordered anti-GDF11 antibodies (poly-clonal) and its description says, Specific activity against Pig and Mouse. Will it detect human GDF11 in Western analysis? Although its CORE PEPTIDE sequence is identical. Difference is in Signal and Pro-peptides which are absent in my protein.
Please suggest
thanks in advance
Antibodies against secreted peptides or cytokines are generally of low affinity and poor quality. This is because proteins conserved across species that are in circualtion are not recognized as foreign antigens in mice or rabbits. Do not be surprised if your antibodies do not work well.
I'm not sure if I understood well, but you ordered antibodies specific against mice and pigs expecting them to also recognize the human variant?
Being polyclonal antibodies that recognize pigs and mice (which are not more related between them than to primates) chances are that they could recognize human variant as well, but possibly with lower affinity. As you never know which motives of the protein are being recognized by policlonal antibodies, untill you try them there is really no way to know it. But when you receive them be sure to first try some different dilutions of the antibodies untill you find one that suits your means (in the case it actually happens, because the answer of Gregory is good to take into account)
If the mature GDF11 is identical in all of the species, and if the mature GDF11 or a peptide therof was used as the antigen against which the antibody was raised, then the antibody should detect GDF11 from all of the species with near-equal affinity.
You might want to check whether this AB is likely to cross-react with Myostatic, as has been an issue for prior GDF11 work.
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