Production and Characterization of Generic Antibodies Against s-Triazine and Sulfonylurea Herbicides

Two different hapten designs have been suggested for production of generic antibodies. The first approach was based on the immunogen prepared by conjugating simazine mimic to carrier proteins through the Cl position of the s-triazine herbicide. For sulfonylurea herbicides a single ring hapten strategy was designed in order to produce antibodies with dominant selectivity towards arylsulfonyl or triazine moieties of metsulfuron-methyl. The best monoclonal antibody raised against simazine-derived hapten mimic (clone B10/B8/D2) exhibited in direct ELISA a broad pattern for a group of methylthio and methoxy s-triazines. Cross-reactivities based on simazine ( = 100%) were 417, 125, 25, 50, 28, 42 and 11% for simetryn, ametryn, prometryn, terbutryn, aziprotryn, atraton and atrazine, respectively. The superiour generic pattern was found for monoclonal antibody raised against s-triazine moiety of metsulfuron-methyl herbicide (clone 2C8/C8). This antibody showed in indirect ELISA the cross-reactivity values 100, 142, 95, 60, 40, 167, 83 and 21% for metsulfuronmethyl, cinosulfuron, triasulfuron, primisulfuron-methyl, thifensulfuron-methyl, chlorsulfuron and prosulfuron and tribenuron-methyl, respectively. The assays using both monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies operated within the ppt-ppb calibration ranges.