A researcher identified an uncharacterized mouse gene and the protein it encoded. The researcher prepared antibodies to the purified protein. To determine the specificity of the antibody the researcher incubated tissue sections from a knock-out mouse with the new antibody. If the antibody were specific for the protein under study, would you expect to see labeling in these tissue sections?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The specificity of an antibody towards its target protein means that the antibody will only bind to the presence of that specific protein. In a knockout mouse, where the gene encoding for the protein has been intentionally disrupted or removed, the protein itself cannot be produced. Therefore, if the antibody is specific to the protein encoded by the knocked-out gene, there should be no labeling observed in the tissue sections from the knockout mouse because the protein of interest would not be present.

A Researcher Identified an Uncharacterized Mouse Gene and the Protein