Carbohydrates antibody molecules

The following protocol describes the oxidation of carbohydrate (glycans) on antibody molecules to form aldehydes and the subsequent coupling to hydrazide particles. 

Figure 9-1 Schematic diagram of IgG antibody molecule showing carbohydrate (Cbh), disulfide bonds (—S——), and major fragments produced by proteolytic enzyme treatment (F[ab ]2, Fc, Fab, Fd).

Mucous secretions act to move infectious agents away from their sites of attachment and out of the body. Infections from bacteria are also opposed by the enzyme lysozyme, which is capable of degrading the carbohydrate structures of the bacterial cell walls. One particular type of antibody molecule, IgA (see below), is present in the mucous secretions and participates in this first line of defense against invading organisms. 

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