In: Biology
How would the signal intensity (amount of color detected) in an indirect IHC experiment compare to the signal intensity of direct IHC. Explain your answer.
- In direct detection methods, the primary antibody is directly
conjugated to a label. During indirect detection, the primary
antibody is bound by a labeled secondary antibody that has been
raised against the host species of the primary antibody.
- Indirect method use to increase signal intensity.
- Direct detection is suitable for detecting highly expressed
antigens. For direct detection, the primary antibody can be
conjugated to an enzyme.
- Benifits of direct detection is increased flexibility in the
design of multicolor experiments.
- ​Indirect detection is more suitable for studies of poorly
expressed antigens, which benefit from the signal amplification
provided by the secondary reagent .