Thermo Scientific™ Imject™ mcKLH Subunits, High Purity Research Grade, 20mg

Thermo Scientific™ Imject™ mcKLH Subunits, High Purity Research Grade is a purified keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) carrier protein, optimized for hapten conjugation, immunogen preparation, and antibody production. It provides researchers with a high-quality, sustainable, and highly immunogenic carrier protein, essential for vaccine research, immunological studies, and antigen presentation.

Unlike traditional KLH sources, Imject™ mcKLH is harvested from mariculture-grown keyhole limpets (Megathura crenulata), ensuring environmental sustainability and batch-to-batch consistency. The product is carefully purified and lyophilized to enhance stability, solubility, and conjugation efficiency with small antigens (haptens).

Key Features & Benefits

✔ High Immunogenicity – Generates a stronger immune response than other carrier proteins such as Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) or Ovalbumin (OVA).

✔ Sustainable Source – Harvested from mariculture-grown keyhole limpets, reducing environmental impact and ensuring high purity.

✔ Validated Quality – Highly purified and lyophilized to ensure optimal solubility and conjugation efficiency in aqueous solutions.

✔ High-Yield Conjugation – Contains hundreds of primary amines and carboxyl groups for hapten coupling via EDC, NHS-ester, or maleimide crosslinkers.

✔ Versatile Applications – Ideal for antibody production, vaccine research, immunological assays, and T-cell activation studies.

✔ Low Cross-Reactivity – Derived from mollusks, making it phylogenetically distant from mammalian species, reducing unwanted cross-reactivity in immunoassays.

Applications

🔹 Hapten Carrier for Immunogen Preparation – Facilitates the conjugation of small antigens (haptens) to elicit strong immune responses.

🔹 Antibody Production – Used in monoclonal and polyclonal antibody generation in animal models like mice, rabbits, and goats.

🔹 Vaccine Development – Supports preclinical vaccine research by enhancing antigenic presentation.

🔹 Autoimmune & Inflammation Research – Acts as an immune response activator in various disease models.

🔹 Cancer Immunotherapy – Used in tumor antigen studies for developing cancer vaccines and immune-based therapies.

🔹 T-Cell Activation Studies – KLH is a potent stimulator of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and T-cell-mediated immune responses.

Conjugation & Crosslinking Methods

Carrier proteins like KLH enhance the immunogenicity of small antigens (haptens), making them suitable for vaccine development and antibody production. Imject™ mcKLH supports multiple conjugation methods:

1. EDC Crosslinking (Carbodiimide Reaction)

✔ For Carboxyl-Terminal Peptides

✔ Conjugation in MES Buffer

✔ Efficient for peptides low in aspartic/glutamic acid and lysine residues

2. NHS-Ester Crosslinking

✔ For Amine-Terminal Peptides

✔ Conjugation in Phosphate Buffer

✔ Ensures stable, covalent attachment

3. Maleimide Crosslinking

✔ For Cysteine-Terminal Peptides

✔ Specific sulfhydryl (-SH) targeting

✔ Prevents random orientation in conjugation

4. Glutaraldehyde Crosslinking

✔ General-purpose crosslinking

✔ Useful for high antigen loading

✔ Can potentially mask key epitopes if not optimized

⚠ Considerations:

• Select the appropriate buffer system (PBS or MES) and crosslinking method to preserve antigenic integrity.
• Ensure epitopes are not masked by the conjugation process to maintain optimal immunogenicity.

Usage Guidelines

📌 Reconstitution & Preparation:

• Dissolve in Milli-Q water or PBS at a concentration of 10 mg/mL to form a clear to turbid blue solution.
• Select an appropriate hapten conjugation strategy (EDC, NHS-ester, Maleimide, or Glutaraldehyde).
• Mix antigen/hapten and carrier protein at the recommended molar ratio for effective conjugation.

📌 Injection Protocol for Immunization:

• Mix mcKLH-antigen conjugate with an adjuvant such as Freund’s Complete Adjuvant (FCA) for the first injection.
• Administer via subcutaneous or intramuscular injection into the chosen animal model.
• For booster doses, use Freund’s Incomplete Adjuvant (FIA).
• Monitor antibody titers and collect sera for further analysis.

📌 Antibody Screening & Characterization:

✔ Confirm specificity using ELISA, Western Blot (WB), or Immunohistochemistry (IHC).

✔ Purify antibodies using Protein A/G affinity chromatography.

Storage & Stability

📦 Storage Temperature: 4°C (Refrigerated) upon receipt.

❄ Do NOT freeze, as freezing may affect solubility and structural integrity.

⚠ Shelf Life: Long-term stability when stored under proper conditions.

Safety Considerations

⚠ For Research Use Only (RUO) – Not intended for human or clinical use.

⚠ Wear PPE – Gloves, lab coat, and eye protection recommended.

⚠ Avoid excessive agitation to prevent protein degradation.

⚠ Dispose of waste according to laboratory safety protocols.

Related Products

🔹 Imject™ mcKLH (in PBS) – Purified KLH in phosphate-buffered saline for NHS-ester conjugation.

🔹 Imject™ mcKLH (in MES Buffer) – Optimized for EDC conjugation of carboxyl-terminal peptides.

🔹 Imject™ EDC mcKLH Spin Kit – Ready-to-use hapten conjugation kit with activated mcKLH.

🔹 Imject™ Freund’s Complete Adjuvant (FCA) – For primary immunization with KLH-antigen conjugates.

🔹 Imject™ Freund’s Incomplete Adjuvant (FIA) – For booster injections to sustain antibody production.

Product Specifications

Thermo Scientific™ Imject™ mcKLH Subunits are high-purity, high-immunogenicity carrier proteins, designed for hapten conjugation, vaccine development, and antibody production. Its sustainability, high-quality purification, and versatility make it a gold standard for immunological research.