We can define primary antibodies as
immunoglobulin binding specifically to proteins. This is an antibody that
directly binds to the antigen. On the other hand, secondary antibodies help in
the identification, sorting, as well as purification of the target antigens by
binding to the heavy chains of primary antibodies. In this article, we have
thrown light on the main differences between a primary antibody and a secondary antibody.
The similarities
• Both primary antibodies and secondary
antibodies share the antibody’s typical structure.
• Both take an active part in immune
responses.
The differences
1. We can define primary antibodies as
immunoglobulin specifically binding to any specific protein or any other
biomolecules for purification or detection and measuring. On the other hand,
secondary antibodies happen to be a type of antibody that binds with antigens
indirectly for helping in detecting, sorting, as well as purifying target
antigens.
2. Primary
antibody will be binding to the antigen directly. On the contrary,
secondary antibodies are not going to bind to the antigen directly. Instead,
they will interact with the primary antibodies through binding.
3. We make use of primary antibodies as
biomarkers for identifying some ailments such as diabetes, cancer, Parkinson’s
disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and so on. However, we use secondary antibodies
in immunoglobulin.
What are the benefits of
using secondary antibodies?
It is a fact that secondary antibodies
are going to detect and bind to primary antibodies and not to any particular
antigen existing within the specimen. The usage of secondary antibodies helps
to improve sensitivity significantly because of the resultant amplification of
the signal from a number of secondary antibodies binding to primary antibodies.
Conclusion
Thus, it is evident from the above-mentioned article that antibodies are usually of types, namely, primary and secondary antibodies. While primary antibodies will be capable of binding directly to the antigen, secondary antibodies are not going to bind directly to the antigen. This happens to be the primary difference between these two types of antibodies.
