How long should a peptide that is going to be used as an antigen for antibody production be?
AWe usually use peptides that are 13 to 15 amino acids long in length, however shorter and longer peptides have been known to work. We have successfully raised anti-peptide antibodies to peptides that differ in the presence/absence of a single phosphate (our phospho-specific antibody programme). Antibodies typically recognise epitopes are typically between 6-8 amino acids, by presenting a peptide that is 15 amino acids long we increase the likelihood of generating useful antibodies but limit the chance of producing a peptide with a secondary structure that might be unrelated to the antigen.
