What does KLH stand for? Why is conjugation to KLH necessary when using a peptide as an antigen?
KLH , Keyhole Limpet Hemacyanin, is the most commonly used carrier protein because species cross-reactivity is very minimal. It is conjugated to small molecules of haptens or short peptides for antibody production. Most peptides are not large enough in size to be immunogenic on their own. Conjugation to a carrier protein will make the peptide antigen adequately large to be immunogenic.
