Mouse monoclonal antibody against the ricin A-chain (RTA) of Ricinus communis (castor bean), clone MMA, 0.05 mg. Binds free / dissociated / reduced / cleaved RTA but does NOT cross-react with the intact ricin holotoxin — the epitope is masked in the assembled toxin. The companion clone cat. 177 (MMH) recognises intact ricin, so pairing the two enables free-RTA-versus-holotoxin discrimination. For ricin / RTA sandwich ELISA, lateral-flow and bead-based immunoassays, IHC, Western blot, and immunotoxin / ADC characterisation.
SPECIFICATIONS
Catalogue number: 174 | Host: Mouse | Target: Ricin A-chain (RTA)
Target antigen: Ricin A-chain (RTA) of Ricinus communis (castor bean)
Target type: Plant ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) type II
Clonality: Monoclonal | Clone: MMA | Conjugate: Unconjugated
Epitope: A surface on the RTA subunit that is NOT accessible on the intact ricin holotoxin
Specificity: Binds free / dissociated / reduced / cleaved RTA; does NOT cross-react with the intact ricin holotoxin. Companion clone cat. 177 (MMH) recognises intact ricin.
Format: Lyophilised (standard YO formulation) | Package size: 0.05 mg
STORAGE / RECONSTITUTION
Reconstitute and handle per the supplied protocol. Ships at ambient temperature. Store lyophilised antibody 2 years at -20 °C or lower; store reconstituted antibody at +4 °C up to 4 weeks, or aliquot and freeze at -20 °C. Avoid repeated freeze-thaw.
APPLICATIONS
- ELISA — RTA detection as the capture or detection arm of a sandwich ELISA for free / dissociated RTA. For intact-ricin sandwich ELISA, pair with cat. 177 (MMH); use free-RTA-only ELISA for immunotoxin pharmacokinetic samples and reduced ricin preparations.
- Lateral-flow / bead-based immunoassays — custom lateral-flow strip development and Luminex MagPlex multiplex assays.
- IHC — RTA accumulation in ricin-intoxicated tissue specimens.
- Western blot — detects the ricin A-chain (~32 kDa) under reducing conditions; for non-reduced intact-ricin WB use cat. 177.
- Immunotoxin / ADC characterisation — QC of antibody-RTA immunotoxin conjugates; detects RTA that has dissociated from the conjugate.
APPLICATION HIGHLIGHTS — HIGH-VALUE RESEARCH NICHES
- Immunotoxin / ADC QC and pharmacokinetic monitoring — free-RTA detection for RTA-based immunotoxin therapeutics in pre-clinical models.
- Antitoxin vaccine development — reference reagent for antigenic characterisation of recombinant RTA vaccine immunogens (e.g. RiVax) and anti-RTA titre readout in vaccinated sera.
- Biodefense / forensic ricin detection — free-RTA-versus-holotoxin discrimination.
- Custom conjugation — the stable lyophilised 0.05 mg unit is suitable for HRP / biotin conjugation.
