The simplest way to determine whether two monoclonal antibodies bind to distinct sites on a protein antigen is to carry out a competition assay. The assay can be used with antibodies that bind both conformational and linear epitopes, and it is most useful in the analysis of monoclonal antibody specificity because polyclonal sera typically recognize multiple different epitopes. - [Read Epitope Mapping by Competition Assay Protocol]
The target sequence is simultaneously labeled and amplified, then heat-denatured and resolved by non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Differences in sequence alter the conformation of the DNA and hence its electrophoretic mobility and, because of the high resolution of polyacrylamide gels, most conformational changes caused by subtle changes in sequence can be detected. - [Read Single-Strand Conformation Polymorphism Analysis Protocol]