Chris, 
Because the vast majority of primary antibodies used are IgG, most labeled
secondary antibody kits are developed to detect IgG (for instance, the Lab
Vision kits note that they detect "IgG's). Unless whole serum is used as a
detection reagent there are not going to be significant amounts of
antibodies against other Ig fractions. Unfortunately, the ambiguous (and
historical) term "immunoglobulins" is often used to describe the IgG
fraction rather than being more specific.

Tim Morken
Product Development
Lab Vision / NeoMarkers
47790 Westinghouse Dr
Fremont, CA 94539
PH: 510-991-2840
www.labvision.com


-----Original Message-----
From: C.M. van der Loos [mailto:c.m.vanderloos@amc.uva.nl] 
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2003 6:12 AM
To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] RE: IHC- using IgM vs. IgG

Dear Majid,
To my knowledge secondary antibodies aren't just anti-IgG 
specific rather than "anti-immunoglobulins" specific. This includes 
that whenever a vendor uses the term "anti-immunoglobulin" with respect 
to a secondary antibody reagent (no matter the label) there should be a 
specificity against the heavy + light chain of all immunoglobulin 
isotypes IgG, IgM, etc. of the indicated species. Unless stated by the 
vendor that a secondary antibody is for example anti-IgG heavy chain 
specific. In those cases there will be no reaction with a mouse IgM 
primary antibody. 
So far I failed in finding some literature references about this. 
Somebody else perhaps? I would like to have it too....

Chris van der Loos
Dept. of Cardiovascular Pathology
Academical Medical Center H0-120
Meibergdreef 9
NL-1105 AZ Amsterdam - The Netherlands  

>From: Majid Ghoddusi 
>To: "'histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu'" 
>Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2003 17:21:26 +1000
>Subject: [Histonet] IHC- using IgM vs. IgG
>
>Hello dear histonetters
>
>Just a very basic question for IHC experts:
>if your primary antibody is a mouse IgM, by using a secondary anti-
>mouse IgG are you running any risk  of getting artefactual signals?
>Thanks very much in advance for any help and advice including pointing 
>to a reference that might discuss this in detail.
>
>Majid Ghoddusi 
>Children's Medical Research Institute
>Locked Bag 23, Wentworthville NSW 2145





_______________________________________________
Histonet mailing list
Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet

_______________________________________________
Histonet mailing list
Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet