Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies

Antibodies (whatever their class or subclass) are produced and purified in two basic forms for use as reagents in immunoassays: polyclonal and monoclonal. Typically, the immunological response to an antigen is heterogeneous, resulting in many different cell lines of B-lymphocytes (precursors of plasma cells) producing antibodies to the same antigen. All of these cells originate from common stem cells, yet each develops the individual capacity to make an antibody that recognizes a particular determinant (epitope) on the same antigen. As a consequence of this heterogeneous response, serum from an immunized animal will contain numerous antigen-specific antibody clones, potentially of several different immuglobulin classes and subclasses comprising generally 2 to 5% of the total immunoglobulin. Because it contains this heterogeneous collection of antigen-binding immunoglobulins, an antibody purified from such a sample is called a polyclonal antibody. Polyclonal antibodies, which are generally purified directly from serum, are especially useful as labeled secondary antibodies in immunoassays.

Because an individual B-lymphocyte produces and secretes only one specific antibody molecule, clones of B-lymphocytes produce monoclonal antibodies. All antibodies secreted by a B-cell clone are identical, providing a source of homogeneous antibody having a single defined specificity. However, while B-lymphocytes can be isolated from suspensions of spleen or lymph node cells excised from immunized animals, they have a limited life span and cannot be cultured directly to produce antibody in useful amounts. Fortunately, this restriction has been overcome with the development of hybridoma technology, wherein isolated B-lymphocytes in suspension are fused with myeloma cells from the same species (usually mouse) to create monoclonal hybrid cell lines that are virtually immortal while still retaining their antibody-producing abilities. Such hybridomas may be stored frozen and cultured as needed to produce the specific monoclonal antibody. Monoclonal antibodies are especially useful as primary antibodies in applications that require single epitope specificity and an unchanging supply over many years of use. Hybridoma clones may be grown in cell culture for collection of antibodies from ascites fluid.