NANOBODIES® are tiny, recombinantly produced antigen binding VHH fragments, derived from the Alpaca heavy chain IgG antibody (HCAb).
Pictured Bottom Row: The VHH domain represents the absolute smallest antibody fragment necessary to specifically bind an antigen with exceptionally high affinity.
When compared to traditional monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies, NANOBODIES® are:
- Smaller
- More consistent
- Higher affinity
- Easier to use
NANOBODIES® are available in a variety of formats, antibodies-online offers Catcher for effective pulldown of fusion proteins.
NANOBODIES® have many superior performance characteristics:
| Characteristic | Monoclonal Antibody | Poylclonal Antibody | NANOBODY® |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | ~150 kDa unconjugated (IgG) | ~150 kDa unconjugated (IgG) | Only ~15 kDa unconjugated |
| Binding Affinity | Medium to High (nM - μM Kd values) | Low to Medium (μM Kd values) | Consistently High (pM - nM Kd values) |
| Lot-to-Lot Consistency | High - Hybridoma cell line production can suffer from "drift" | Very Low - Produced in live animals - significant variance between lots and bleeds | Very High - Recombinantly produced from clonal DNA - same product every time! |
How can I use a NANOBODY® ?
In short, nearly any way you please!
NANOBODIES® come in a variety of formats. They are raised against a fairly diverse range of antigens, and are thus highly versatile tools, capable of being employed in a variety of different situations.
The most common uses for a NANOBODY® are experiments that you are likely already familiar with, like immunoprecipitation, or fluorescence microscopy.
There are also a handful of applications where use of a NANOBODY® is feasible, but use of a conventional antibody would be impractical or impossible.
* NANOBODIES® compounds is a registered trademark of Ablynx N.V.
What is a Nano-Catcher?
Nano-Catcher have been conjugated to agarose or magnetic beads to facilitate cleaner, faster, simpler immunoprecipitations. Nano-Traps are available in a variety of formats, and target a variety of common tags, including Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), Red Fluorescent protein (RFP), BFP & MBP. Nano-Traps allow you to perform IP experiments with exceptionally high yield, and without contamination from antibody heavy or light chains.
Nano-Catcher significantly improve conventional IP protocols.
- Faster (roughly half the time required for an antibody IP)
- Cleaner (no heavy or light chain antibody contamination)
- More consistent (recombinant reagents for the same interaction every time)
- Higher yield (picomolar to nanomolar affinity constants for GFP and RFP-Catcher)
In order to facilitate the most versatility in IP methodology, all nano-traps come conjugated to agarose beads, ferromagnetic beads, or agarose/magnetic beads.
Nano-Catcher available at antibodies-online:
Offered pre- and post-sales consultation and support to antibodies-online customers. Provided troubleshooting and technical assistance with proteomics and genomics experiments. Composed and distributed cross-channel digital marketing campaigns.
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