Immunoprecipitation: Ouchterlony Assay

Question 1

Immunoglobulins, aka antibodies are produced how?

Answer 1

By the body through the adaptive immune system.

Question 2

What is the function of antibodies?

Answer 2

To bind “non-self” substances (antigens) in the body. Immobilizing them/making them for susceptible to being destroyed by the immune system.

Question 3

How specific are Antigen-Antibody relationships?

Answer 3

So specific a given antibody will recognize and bind to only one particular antigen.

Question 4

What is Immunoprecipitation?

Answer 4

One way to identify antigen-antibody binding.
Relies on the fact that when this formation happens, product is often formation of an insoluble protein complex in the form of visible precipitation.

Question 5

Antibodies are bivalent, and antigen is usually polyvalent, what does this mean?

Answer 5

At optimal concentration, each antibody molecule will bind 2 epitopes.
If these two epitopes are on different antigens respectively, this creates a cross linked insoluble lattice like structure which precipitates.

Question 6

Come back to later half of paragraph 3