Conjugation of fluorochromes to monoclonal antibodies.

UNLABELLED: Detection of cell surface molecules labeled by monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies conjugated to a fluorochrome is probably the most widely used application of flow cytometry. This unit contains protocols for tagging monoclonal antibodies with fluorescein, biotin, Texas Red, and phycobiliproteins. In addition, it provides a procedure for preparing a PE-Texas Red tandem conjugate dye that can then be used for antibody conjugation. These protocols enable investigators to label antibodies of their choice with multiple fluorochromes and permit more combinations of antibodies for multicolor flow applications. KEYWORDS: flow cytometry; monoclonal antibodies; fluorochromes; antibody labeling.