Recombinant antibodies are an essential part of the next generation of research reagents. Explore the capabilities and benefits of using customized recombinant antibodies, as well as other recombinant proteins. We make the custom product ordering process simple, so you can get to your experiments faster. Learn more below.
Antibodies are complex molecules, made by specialized cells (plasma cells) of the immune system, and ultimately designed to fight foreign agents, such as pathogens. Antibodies are among the most specific molecules known in nature, as they can recognize very small sections of those foreign agents, commonly referred to as antigens. Thanks to the discoveries made regarding B cell physiology, antibody structure and function, and importantly, the development of techniques to consistently produce antibodies derived from a single B cell (hybridoma-produced monoclonal antibodies), these unique molecules have become one of the most powerful tools in biomedical research and diagnostics. As our capacity to manipulate genetic material evolved, new methods to produce antibodies starting from genetic material have been developed. These are known as recombinant antibodies.
At BioLegend, we understand the need of different platforms when producing antibodies, as they all have their own properties. Thus, we are happy to introduce our custom recombinant antibody service.
We can provide the following recombinant antibody services:
- Full length antibodies: Species and Isotype switching (Human IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4; Mouse IgG1, IgG2a, IgG3; Rat IgG1, IgG2a, IgGb, IgG2c; and Rabbit IgG)
- Partial length antibodies: scFv, Fab, F(ab)2, bispecific
Recombinant antibodies are just a special kind of recombinant protein. In general, a recombinant protein is a protein encoded by a segment of DNA that has been manipulated to optimize the expression of the encoded protein by a host cell. The difference between recombinant DNA and natural genetic DNA recombination is that the former is created experimentally with a defined goal, e.g., to produce a large amount of a specific protein. If you would like us to produce a custom recombinant protein, please contact our custom solution team or click in the form button below.
Properties
A great advantage of recombinant antibodies over classical antibodies produced using hybridomas is that, by controlling the DNA sequence, we can control what type of antibody is made. In other words, we can produce either full antibodies, or a functional fraction. Likewise, we can select a specific desired isotype or host species.
| Fv: Fragment variable | scFv: Single chain fragment variable |
| Fab: Fragment antigen binding | scFv-Fc: Single chain fragment variable Fragment constant |
| Fc: Fragment crystallizable |
Advantages of smaller fragments such as Fab, F(ab)2, and scFV include rapid tissue penetration and rapid clearance from blood, useful in drug conjugation. The main disadvantage is that they can't mediate functions through the Fc receptors, a very useful property of immunoglobulins. Recombinant antibodies containing the Fc portion such as scFv-Fc are aimed at retaining Fc-Fc Receptor interactions, but still be smaller than conventional antibodies for deeper penetration.
Other features include:
- Highly consistent and reproducible. Recombinant antibodies are made of defined DNA sequences.
- Great integration between customization and production. Custom modifications can be implemented relatively easy, and they are quickly incorporated to the production process.
- If desired, animal-free production can be implemented once the sequence of the genes is known.
Custom Recombinant Antibody Data
Recombinant antibodies can be used for any of the applications where antibodies are used. That includes Flow cytometry, western blot, ELISA, and many others. Their performance is as good as classical antibodies produced from hybridomas, and in many cases they can be further optimized for specific applications.
Figure 1. Flow cytometry staining using parental clone anti-mouse/human CD282 (TLR2) (classical hybridoma-produced antibody) and clone QA16A01 (recombinant antibody). Both clones were used unconjugated, followed by a secondary anti-mouse IgG conjugated to PE.
Other extremely valuable data refers to bioactivity of certain clones. In the case of anti-mouse/human CD282 (TLR2), we validated the capacity of both clones, parental (hybridoma produced) and QA16A01 (recombinant antibody), to block TLR2 stimulation using P3CSK4 (tripalmitoyl-cysteinyl-seryl-(lysyl)3- lysine).
Figure 2. 1 x 105 RAW264.1 cells were cultured in a 96-well plate and starved for 16 hours. Cells were then either left untreated or stimulated with P3CSK4 (100ng/ml), adding isotype control (MOPC-21), parental clone, or recombinant QA16A01. Supernatant was harvested and TNF-α and IL-6 production was determined using BioLegend sandwich ELISAs. Purple bars indicate antibodies at 1µg. Orange bars indicate antibodies at 10µg. Black bars indicate a mean of all unstimulated samples, which includes wells with antibodies at 1 and 10µg but no P3CSK4.
Custom Recombinant Protein Data
Customized expression of recombinant proteins can also accelerate scientific discovery. From functional assays to structural research, recombinant proteins are extremely valuable tools for the scientific community. The data below from Yao G et al. illustrates in an elegant way how to use custom made recombinant proteins.
Figure 3. Botulinum toxin (Botox) is a large protein that is composed of three domains (upper right corner, crystal structure shown in yellow, green, and pink). A recent study reveals a novel mechanism by which the toxin hijacks three receptors on the host neuronal surface as its "GPS" - the peptide moiety of protein SV2 (green-blue ribbon model), a conserved glycan modification of SV2 (green and light blue sticks), and a lipid (brown sticks) - to launch its attack. Credit: Rongsheng Jin and Guorui Yao / UCI.
Note: Recombinant glycosylated SV2 isoform C was custom made by BioLegend; expressed in, and secreted from HEK 293 cells. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2016 Jul; 23(7): 656–662, Pubmed.
Inquiry Form
Note: Adaptation of antibodies offered by BioLegend to recombinant format is limited to a selected portion of our portfolio. You can still use this form to indicate your interest. Once received, we will contact you to discuss feasibility and cost of your project. Please indicate below the details of your request.
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