Hapten, small molecule that stimulates the production of antibody molecules only when conjugated to a larger molecule, called a carrier molecule. These antigens, including small molecules, urushiol, quinone, steroids and peptides, usually need to conjugate with a carrier protein such as BSA or KLH (keyhole limpet hemocyanin) to become intact immunogens which could induce strong immune responses and produce high-titer antibodies in host body. Some small molecules can't induce an enough immunized reaction in host species to produce high-titer antibody even though a carrier used as a chaperone, since the production of antigen-special antibodies also depends on the design of hapten, selection of the appropriate carrier protein and the method of conjugation.

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