KEGG: ath:AT5G57100
UniGene: At.9675
Methodological approach:
Immunoprecipitation coupled with mass spectrometry (IP-MS): Confirm target protein enrichment and rule out cross-reactivity with unrelated proteins (e.g., AMPD2/TRIM28 cross-reactivity observed in anti-GR antibodies ).
Knockout/knockdown controls: Use Arabidopsis lines lacking At5g57100 to verify loss of signal in Western blot or immunofluorescence .
Orthogonal validation: Compare results with independent antibodies targeting different epitopes of At5g57100 (e.g., anti-GR clones G-5 vs. 5E4 ).
| Validation Method | Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| IP-MS | Identifies all bound proteins | Requires specialized equipment |
| Knockout controls | Definitive specificity confirmation | Time-consuming to generate mutants |
| Multiple antibodies | Reduces false positives | Limited by antibody availability |
Key applications:
Subcellular localization: Combine immunofluorescence with organelle-specific markers (e.g., Golgi inhibitors to study trafficking, as in anti-GR studies ).
Protein-protein interaction assays: Co-immunoprecipitation followed by quantitative proteomics.
Developmental expression profiling: Use tissue-specific protein extraction protocols to avoid cross-reactivity with homologs (e.g., AMPD2 in non-target tissues ).
Critical controls:
Strategies:
Epitope mapping: Use alanine-scanning mutagenesis to identify critical binding residues (e.g., hotspot prediction via Rosetta-based protocols ).
Competitive ELISA: Test antibody binding against truncated At5g57100 variants or homologs .
Structural modeling: Predict off-target interactions using tools like RosettaAntibodyDesign to identify regions prone to cross-reactivity .
Integrated workflow:
| Step | Key Consideration |
|---|---|
| Tag design | Avoid epitope masking by placing tags outside antibody-binding regions |
| Phenotypic analysis | Link antibody-based protein quantification to morphological/physiological traits |
Tools and protocols:
Stepwise protocol:
Phage display: Screen peptide libraries to identify linear epitopes.
HDX-MS (Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry): Map conformational epitopes by detecting regions protected from deuterium exchange .
Surface plasmon resonance (SPR): Quantify binding affinity to recombinant protein domains (e.g., domain 3 of IL-5Rα in anti-IL-5Rα studies ).
Engineering strategies:
Yeast surface display: Screen mutant libraries for improved binding (e.g., anti-IL-5Rα affinity maturation ).
Framework shuffling: Retain CDR regions while modifying framework residues to enhance stability .
Glycoengineering: Modify Fc regions to improve antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) in plant-pathogen systems .