Chicken IgY Antibody Discovery Introduction

Chicken lgY antibody is a mammalian IgG antibody equivalent from avian sources. Compared to IgG, although IgY also consists of two heavy chains (H chains) and two light chains (L chains), the heavy chain of IgY does not have a hinge region, but instead consists of one variable region (V region) and four constant regions (CH1-CH4), whereas conventional IgG has only three constant regions. In practice, compared with mammalian IgG antibodies, chicken IgY antibodies have higher affinity, less cross-reactivity, and higher specificity, making them more valuable in laboratory experiments and diagnostic tests. Based on our rich field experience and advanced antibody preparation platform, Creative Biolabs provides comprehensive antibody discovery services to support chicken IgY antibody production.

Fig 1. Chicken. (Creative Biolabs Authorized)

Chicken IgY Antibody Discovery

In 1962, Williams J et al. found that when laying hens were stimulated by external antigens, the corresponding specific antibodies, IgG, were produced in the hen's serum. The IgG in the serum is then transferred to the yolk during egg production, and using different antigens, specific immunoglobulins corresponding to them are produced. This antibody is very similar to the mammalian immunoglobulin IgG in terms of structural, physical, chemical, and antigenic properties. Yolk antibody was named lgY in 1969 in order to distinguish between the two types of antibodies. lgY antibodies are the main immunoglobulins found in birds, amphibians, and reptiles.

lgY antibodies have many unique advantages over mammalian IgG. lgY antibodies have a strong immune response. Due to evolutionary phylogenetic gaps, lgY antibodies are readily available in avian eggs against antigens that are less immunogenic in mammals. lgY antibodies are highly specific. lgY antibodies have a different Fc fragment than IgG and do not bind to the Fc receptor of IgG, resulting in greater detection accuracy. lgY antibodies are also more sensitive to the presence of antigens that are less immunogenic in mammals. At the same time, it does not cross-react with a variety of factors in mammals, which enhances the specificity of the lgY antibody. In addition, lgY antibodies are cheaper to prepare. lgY antibody can be extracted directly from egg yolks without blood collection, which is an example of practicing the 3R principles of laboratory animal welfare. Eggs are low cost and easy to store. The content of lgY antibody in eggs is about 50–150 mg/egg, which is easy to purify, and the yield is much higher than the yield of immunoglobulins from other mammals of similar size.

Initially, lgY antibodies were prepared by hybridoma technology. However, it is not easy to prepare lgY antibodies using the hybridoma technique. Currently, no cell line in the chicken system is suitable for unlimited proliferation of antibody secretion, as in the murine source. Moreover, the secretion rate of positive clones of monoclonal IgY antibody (mIgY) is very low, and the concentration of antibody produced is much lower than that of murine mAb. In addition, since IgY does not bind to protein A and protein G, it makes mIgY difficult to be purified. This difficulty can be effectively solved by phage display antibody library construction. The preparation of immune antibody libraries against lgY antibodies can effectively screen for high affinity and high specificity antibodies. The humanization of lgY antibodies can be achieved by the phage display of a combinatorial antibody library.

Creative Biolabs has a wealth of knowledge and experience in antibody discovery. We would be happy to share with you our knowledge and experience related to chicken IgY antibody discovery.

All listed services and products are For Research Use Only. Do Not use in any diagnostic or therapeutic applications.

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