| Abstract | This chapter discusses the principles and applications of recombinant antibody phage display technology to plant biology. The availability of large quantities of monospecific antibody has provided research scientists with a variety of diagnostic, biochemical, and molecular tools with which to address their particular biological problems. The process of recovering phage displaying a recombinant antibody by biological panning entails the indirect immobilization of phage to a solid surface or recoverable particle via an antibody–antigen interaction. In one such approach, the antigen is immobilized to a solid surface such as polystyrene petri dishes or Immunotubes (Nunc). In another approach, the antigen is biotinylated and presented to the phage library in solution, followed by recovery of the antigen–antibody complex using streptavidin-coated paramagnetic beads. The past decade has seen a dramatic increase in the understanding of the molecular genetic bases of antibody expression in mammalian systems. In particular, the application of recombinant DNA techniques has made possible the precise manipulation of those genetic segments encoding the vast combinatorial repertoire of antibody structures that are characteristic of the animal immune response. Corresponding advances have been made in the understanding of the structure of immunoglobin gene family hierarchies, particularly from murine and human sources. |
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