FITC-conjugated anti-pig primary antibodies are directly labeled immunoreagents that combine a porcine antigen-specific immunoglobulin with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), enabling single-step detection of swine leukocyte subsets and tissue antigens. The pig is both a major agricultural species and an increasingly important large-animal model for translational medicine and xenotransplantation, making validated directly conjugated anti-pig reagents essential for immunophenotyping in this species. FITC has an excitation maximum of approximately 490 nm and an emission maximum of approximately 525 nm, matching the 488 nm blue laser line standard on most flow cytometers and the FITC detection channel.

Applications

FITC-conjugated anti-pig primary antibodies are used primarily in flow cytometry for immunophenotyping of porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells and tissue-derived leukocytes. Multicolor panels combining FITC-conjugated anti-pig CD3ε or CD4 with PE-conjugated anti-pig CD8α or CD4 are commonly employed to resolve T cell subsets, including CD4+ helper T cells, CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, and the CD4+/CD8+ double-positive population that is unusually prominent in pigs. Clone 76-2-11 against CD8α is particularly valued in multi-color staining panels because it does not inhibit the binding of CD8β-specific clones, making it the preferred CD8α reagent for complex panels. Anti-pig CD3ε clone PPT3 is also mitogenic when immobilized and can be used for functional T cell activation studies in addition to phenotyping. Beyond flow cytometry, FITC conjugates support immunofluorescence microscopy, and some clones are validated for immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.