Bacteriophage epitope libraries. The generation of specific binding proteins and peptides in vitro.

New concepts and methodologies that can be used to generate proteins, such as specific variable regions of immunoglobulins and other binding peptides in an in vitro selection system are reviewed. These technologies can also be used to alter the kinetics, affinity and avidity of various binding interactions. The nature of epitopes recognized by specific antibodies or receptors can be delineated using selected epitopes displayed on bacteriophages. The basic principles of the technology is predicted upon the belief that if one has a large enough variety of keys, one can open any given lock. The range of utility of these systems to generate new reagents will impact upon the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic reagents. This technology should allow for a much wider range of probes which may have increased binding capacity and allow the development of more sensitive assays with higher signal to noise ratios. These reagents can be produced more efficiently without the use of animals and will be used in diagnostic and experimental pathology. This brief review presents a concise description of the concepts and uses of this new technology. Selected references and reviews are given as sources for further details.