Generation and application of immunological probes for the study of membrane-bound proteins and enzymes - A review

Immunological techniques are widely used for the detection of enzymes in food systems and for elucidating protein structure and function. The generation of antibodies recognizing membrane-bound proteins is difficult due to their hydrophobic nature, and reduced antigenicity. This review summarizes strategies for the production and purification of polyclonal antibodies recognizing membrane proteins. Applications such as enzyme immunoprecipitation, use of site-specific anti-peptide antibodies for determination of the topology of membrane-embedded proteins, immunocytochemistry, and expression vector cloning are described.