Question

laboratory notebook

• explain why antibodies allow scientists to target and identify specific disease agents.
• why is the secondary antibody used in an elisa test conjugated with an enzyme? what happens when this enzyme meets up with its substrate?

Explanation:

Antibodies have unique antigen - binding sites. Each antibody is specific to a particular antigen on a disease agent, allowing for targeting and identification. In an ELISA test, the secondary antibody conjugated with an enzyme is used to detect the primary antibody - antigen complex. When the enzyme meets its substrate, a chemical reaction occurs, often producing a color change or other detectable signal, which indicates the presence of the target antigen.

Answer:

Antibodies have specific antigen - binding sites for targeting and identification. In ELISA, conjugated secondary antibody with enzyme detects primary - antigen complex and enzyme - substrate reaction gives detectable signal.