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Updated: May 8, 2026
09:47
Analysis of Histone Antibody Specificity with Peptide Microarrays
Published on: August 1, 2017
Recombinant antibodies to histone post-translational modifications
Takamitsu Hattori1, Joseph M Taft, Kalina M Swist
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Nature Methods
|August 20, 2013
Summary
Researchers developed high-quality recombinant antibodies for histone post-translational modifications (PTMs). These reliable tools overcome variability issues in epigenetics research and reveal new PTM correlations.
Area of Science:
- Epigenetics
- Molecular Biology
- Antibody Engineering
Background:
- Antibody quality variability is a significant challenge in epigenetics research.
- Existing antibodies against histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) often lack specificity and exhibit lot-to-lot variation.
- This inconsistency hinders reliable and reproducible results in the study of gene regulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop recombinant antibodies against trimethylated lysine residues of histone H3.
- To ensure high specificity, affinity, and lot-to-lot consistency in the produced antibodies.
- To provide reliable tools for advancing epigenetics research and understanding histone PTMs.
Main Methods:
- Production of recombinant antibodies targeting specific histone H3 lysine trimethylation marks.
- Characterization of antibody specificity and affinity using biochemical and cellular assays.
- Validation of antibody performance in standard epigenetics applications, such as Western blotting and immunofluorescence.
Main Results:
- Successfully generated recombinant antibodies with high specificity and affinity for trimethylated histone H3 lysine residues.
- Demonstrated the absence of lot-to-lot variation in the recombinant antibody batches.
- Confirmed robust performance of these antibodies across various epigenetics research applications.
- Identified novel positive and negative correlations between different histone PTMs using the developed antibodies.
Conclusions:
- Recombinant antibody technology offers a solution to the long-standing problem of antibody variability in epigenetics.
- The developed antibodies provide a reliable and consistent tool for studying histone PTMs.
- These antibodies facilitate the discovery of complex regulatory networks involving histone modifications.
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