Normal Rat Serum (Filtered) (S5002-10mL)

Normal rat serum is used in research for preventing unwanted antibody interactions during tissue and cell staining experiments. It blocks two main issues: 1) Fc receptor binding- The serum blocks Fc receptors on the sample from attaching to the primary and secondary antibodies used in the experiment. 2) Non-specific antibody binding- It also prevents the antibodies themselves from sticking to irrelevant parts of the sample. What to look for when choosing a blocking serum: 1) Species matters- The serum typically comes from a different animal species than the one used to create the primary antibody. 2) Secondary antibody consideration- Often, the blocking serum is derived from the same species as the secondary antibody. This serum can be used in two ways: 1) Direct application- The serum is applied directly to the sample for blocking. 2) Blocking buffer component- The serum can be incorporated into a solution specifically designed for blocking, called a blocking buffer.