Antigen attachment in ELISA

The amount of antigen on the solid phase was studied during various steps of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for chicken anti-bovine serum albumin (BSA) antibodies. Three materials for the solid phase were used: polystyrene, nylon and cyanogen bromide activated paper. There was noticeable leakage of antigen during the assay from both polystyrene (30%) and nylon (60%). This occurred during all steps of the assay: during incubation with the sample serum, incubation with the enzyme conjugated antibodies and during the washing procedures. During incubation with the sample serum detachment of antigen was quite rapid and could result in competition between bound and free antigen for antibodies. The presence of antigen-antibody complexes in reaction mixtures could also lead to erroneous results in the antibody assay. With covalent coupling of antigen to solid phase (cyanogen bromide activated paper), batch-to-batch variation in the surface concentration of antigen was strikingly less than in the assay using plastics. Detachment of antigen from activated paper during the assay was less than with polystyrene or nylon. ELISA with activated paper as the solid phase thus seems suitable as a reference method for standardisation of the antigen phase in ELISA systems.     

Effect of antibody affinity on the isotherm of antibody binding to surface-immobilized antigen

The binding of monoclonal antibodies to surface-adsorbed antigen was studied. Mouse IgG antibodies directed against dinitrophenyl groups (DNP) and O6-ethyl-2'-deoxyguanosine with known affinity for the antigen were used. The hapten was coupled to a protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA) or keyhole limpet hemocyanin, and adsorbed to polystyrene or silicone surfaces. Four different DNP-BSA epitope densities were used. Antibodies were incubated with the antigen-coated surface overnight. The bound antibodies were detected either optically by ellipsometry or by enzyme-conjugated anti-mouse IgG antibodies in the common ELISA technique. Absorbance values from ELISA measurements were transformed to surface density through calibration by ellipsometry. The experimental data showed that the binding of a high affinity antibody (Ka = 2.0 X 10(10] was diffusion rate limited after 24 h incubation time. Identical binding isotherms were found for high and low affinity clones of anti-DNP antibodies (Ka = 4.1 X 10(7) and 3.5 X 10(5] when antigen of high epitope density was used. At low epitope density the amount of bound low affinity antibodies decreased. Electron microscopy was used for studies of the distribution of colloidal gold-antibody complexes bound to surface-immobilized antigen. The results of the experiment showed that low affinity antibodies were bound in clusters whereas high affinity antibodies bound as single particles. These findings were related to the ELISA measurements. The results indicate that the binding isotherm of antibody to surface adsorbed antigen is not merely a reflection of the intrinsic antibody affinity measured in solution. Other macromolecular properties of antibodies, e.g., lateral intermolecular interactions and phase separation, affect the heterogeneous binding reaction.     

多种单抗联合检测HIV抗原

目的 建立多种单抗联合早期检测HIV抗原的夹心ELISA方法.方法 以SAS盐析沉淀法和亲和层析法纯化抗HIV-1 p24、gp41、gp120及抗HIV-2 gp36的腹水型单克隆抗体(McAb),用高碘酸钠法将纯化的McAb以HRP进行标记.建立针对单个抗原的双抗体夹心ELISA法,对其灵敏度及特异性进行检测.将筛选得到的4株捕获McAb按比例混合作为捕获抗体,4株酶标McAb按比例混合作为检测抗体,建立多种单抗联合检测HIV抗原的夹心ELISA方法,检测混合HIV抗原.结果 按确定的最优反应条件建立的多种McAb联合夹心ELISA方法,检测到的最高稀释度的HIV混合抗原中各抗原的终浓度分别为:重组HIV-1 p24:0.625 pg/ml,gp41:6.25 ng/ml,gp120:6.25 ng/ml;HIV-2 gp36:9.25 ng/ml.结论 建立了具有高度敏感性的鸡尾酒式多种单抗联合检测HIV抗原的夹心ELISA法,为早期榆测HIV抗原提供了新的思路,为后续的研究奠定了一定基础.     

多种单抗联合检测HIV抗原

目的 建立多种单抗联合早期检测HIV抗原的夹心ELISA方法.方法 以SAS盐析沉淀法和亲和层析法纯化抗HIV-1 p24、gp41、gp120及抗HIV-2 gp36的腹水型单克隆抗体(McAb),用高碘酸钠法将纯化的McAb以HRP进行标记.建立针对单个抗原的双抗体夹心ELISA法,对其灵敏度及特异性进行检测.将筛选得到的4株捕获McAb按比例混合作为捕获抗体,4株酶标McAb按比例混合作为检测抗体,建立多种单抗联合检测HIV抗原的夹心ELISA方法,检测混合HIV抗原.结果 按确定的最优反应条件建立的多种McAb联合夹心ELISA方法,检测到的最高稀释度的HIV混合抗原中各抗原的终浓度分别为:重组HIV-1 p24:0.625 pg/ml,gp41:6.25 ng/ml,gp120:6.25 ng/ml;HIV-2 gp36:9.25 ng/ml.结论 建立了具有高度敏感性的鸡尾酒式多种单抗联合检测HIV抗原的夹心ELISA法,为早期榆测HIV抗原提供了新的思路,为后续的研究奠定了一定基础.     

Use of two monoclonal antibodies in an ELISA test for the detection of antibodies to bovine leukaemia virus envelope protein gp51

A competition ELISA technique involving two monoclonal anti-gp51 antibodies has been developed for the detection of bovine leukaemia virus (BLV) antibodies. Precoated gp51 antigen-microtitre plates were obtained by incubation of plastic adsorbed monoclonal antibody with a non-purified BLV preparation. Samples to be tested were incubated in the wells of the gp51-coated plates; the presence of anti-gp51 antibodies was indicated by competition for antigen binding with an enzyme linked monoclonal antibody directed to an important epitope on gp51. This test is as sensitive as a routinely used indirect ELISA test; it is highly specific, reliable and easy to perform.     

Sensitive two-site sandwich enzyme immunoassay with antipeptide antibodies for detection of viral antigens

Two-site sandwich ELISAs with antipeptide antibodies were developed for measuring the amounts of polyoma virus medium T and SV40 virus large T antigen in extracts from virus infected and transformed cells. In order to exclude crossreactive proteins, two antipeptide antibodies directed against different regions of the antigen were used in series. Both antigenic determinants have to be recognized for the assay to score positive. A positive signal was obtained with as little as 10 μ1 of polyoma virus infected cell lysate and 100 μl of extract prepared from medium T antigen-transformed FR18-1 cells which were shown to contain 37 and 15 pg of medium T antigen, respectively. This two-site sandwich ELISA is a sensitive tool to detect novel or closely related proteins.     

Heterologous enzyme immunoassay for the determination of free indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) using antibodies against ring-linked IAA

A solid phase indirect enzyme immunoassay method for the plant growth substance indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) using polyclonal antibodies raised to IAA linked to rabbit serum albumin (RSA) is described. The sensitivity for IAA increased by more than three orders of magnitude as the number of IAA ligands on the coating antigen decreased. Further improvements in assay sensitivity were limited by the high affinity of the antibodies for the bridge group in the IAA conjugate. Substitution of the IAA in the coating antigen by either indole-3-propionic acid or indole-3-lactic acid reduced antibody recognition of the bridge group. The resulting heterologous assay compares favourably with existing homologous immunoassays for IAA in terms of sensitivity and specificity.     

A highly sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the measurement of interleukin-8 in biological fluids.

Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a chemotactic and activating cytokine for neutrophils, which plays an important role in acute inflammatory responses. We aimed to develop a sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for IL-8 and established 18 clones of anti-IL-8 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). These mAbs were evaluated in terms of their antigen-binding affinities, and five clones were selected and used for the comparative study of various combinations of antibodies in sandwich ELISA. Affinity purified rabbit polyclonal antibody was also used in this study. One antibody pair, which showed relatively high sensitivity and which was not severely interfered with blood components, was selected and the assay conditions were optimized by choosing the appropriate buffer for sample dilution and by directly labeling the second antibody with enzyme. The finalized ELISA, using polyclonal antibody as first (coated) antibody and horseradish peroxidase-labeled mAb (clone EL139) Fab' fragment as second antibody, could detect as low as 2.5 pg/ml (0.125 pg/well) of IL-8 by in total 2 h incubation, without being affected by body fluid components. The ELISA was specific to IL-8, showing no cross-reactivity with other cytokines or various IL-8 family proteins which share some amino acid sequence homology with IL-8. As an example of its application to clinical specimens, plasma samples from patients with septic shock were measured. The results showed that sepsis patients contain significantly higher levels of plasma IL-8 compared to normal controls. When analyzed by gel-filtration chromatography, IL-8 in sepsis plasma was eluted in a molecular weight (M(r) region corresponding to the monomer form. The ELISA established here is expected to be effectively used for further investigations on the relationship between IL-8 and various diseases.     

Antibodies against different epitopes of heat-shock protein 60 in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus

The aim of this study was to investigate the amounts and epitope specificity of antibodies against heat shock protein 60 (hsp60) in the sera of type 1 diabetic and healthy children. Antibodies specific for peptide p277 of human hsp60 and of M. bovis as well as for human hsp60, M. bovis hsp65 proteins were measured by ELISA. Other autoantibodies (islet cell antibodies, glutamate decarboxylase antibodies and IA-2 antibodies) were also determined. A total number of 83 serum samples from children with type 1 diabetes mellitus and 81 samples of control children were investigated. Epitope scanning of the hsp60 for linear antibody epitopes was carried out using synthetic peptides attached to pins. The antibody levels specific for peptide p277 of human- and of M. bovis origin were significantly (human: P=0.0002, M. bovis: P=0.0044) higher in the diabetic children group than in the healthy children. We could not find significant difference in the antibody levels to whole, recombinant hsp proteins among the examined groups of children. Antibodies to two epitope regions on hsp60 (AA394–413 and AA435–454) were detected in high titres in sera of children with diabetes mellitus. The first region similar to the sequence found in glutamate decarboxylase, whereas the second one overlaps with p277 epitope to a large extent. Presence of antibodies to certain epitopes of hsp60 (AA394–413—glutamic acid decarboxylase-like epitope; AA435–454—p277-like epitope) in diabetic children may reflect their possible role in the autoimmune diabetogenic process of the early diabetes.     

Comparison of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with enzyme-linked fluorescence assay with automated readers for detection of rubella virus antibody and herpes simplex virus.

The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was compared with the enzyme-linked fluorescence assay (ELFA) for the detection of rubella antibody and herpes simplex virus antigen. Test parameters, specimens, antigen or antibody, and conjugates for the two types of assays were identical except that p-nitrophenyl phosphate was used as the substrate for the ELISA and 4-methylumbelliferyl phosphate was used as the substrate for ELFA. Automated readers were used for both assays. Antibody titers and sensitivity of antigen detection were quite similar for ELISA and ELFA. ELFA for rubella antibody, however, could be conducted with less antigen or shorter substrate incubation time (5 min for ELFA versus 30 min for ELISA). For herpes simplex virus antigen detection, ELFA could also be read after a shorter substrate incubation time (15 min for ELFA versus 30 min for ELISA). Clear polystyrene microtiter plates routinely used for ELISA could be used for ELFA, but clear polyvinyl chloride plates had high background fluorescence. Black polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride plates gave lower background fluorescence than did clear plates. ELFA is of particular value as a substitute for ELISAs in which long substrate incubations are required or antigens of only low titer are available.     

Development and evaluation of ELISA procedures to detect antibodies against the major envelope protein (G(L)) of equine arteritis virus

Enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays (ELISAs) were developed for the detection of antibodies against the major envelope glycoprotein (G_L) of equine arteritis virus (EAV). A 6-Histidine tagged recombinant protein expressing the complete G_L ectodomain (G_L-6His), a glutathione-S-transferase recombinant protein expressing amino acids 55–98 of G_L (G_L-GST) and an ovalbumin-conjugated synthetic peptide representing amino acids 81–106 of G_L (G_L-OVA) were used as diagnostic antigens. An ELISA procedure was developed and optimised for each antigen. The G_L-OVA and G_L-6His assays showed the greatest specificity while the G_L-GST assay was slightly more sensitive that the G_L-OVA and G_L-6His assays; results based on the analysis of 50 virus neutralisation positive and 50 virus neutralisation negative sera. The G_L-OVA ELISA was selected for further evaluation since it was simpler to use than ELISAs based on recombinant antigens and did not suffer from background reactivity. The final sensitivity and specificity of the G_L-OVA ELISA were 96.75 and 95.6%, respectively, results based on the analysis of 400 virus neutralisation positive and 400 virus neutralisation negative sera. It also detected EAV antibody (100% efficiency) in seropositive shedding stallions and, in ponies infected experimentally with the UK93 isolate of EAV, the appearance of virus neutralising antibodies and G_L-OVA ELISA-specific immunoglobulins coincided.     

Highly sensitive enzyme immunoassay for human lymphotoxin (tumor necrosis factor β) in serum

We have developed a rapid, simple and highly sensitive ‘sandwich’ enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) for the detection and quantification of human lymphotoxin (= tumor necrosis factor β) in serum. The assay performed in microtiter plates, employs two monoclonal murine antibodies able to neutralize the cytotoxic activity of lymphotoxin. In a one-step procedure, antibody LTX-21 (IgG2b) coated on to the solid phase captures antigen present in the sample; subsequently antibody LTX-22 (IgG1), covalently coupled to horseradish peroxidase, labels the bound antigen. The assay is able to detect lymphotoxin spiked into human serum in concentrations as low as 7 pg/ml, whereas human tumor necrosis factor does not cross-react even at 10⁷-fold higher concentrations. Only biologically active protein is recognized by the antibodies, since inactivation of lymphotoxin measured by bioassay results in a parallel decrease in immunoreactivity. Natural, glycosylated lymphotoxin shows the same reactivity as recombinant, unglycosylated protein. The assay will be useful for the qunatification of endogenous human lymphotoxin in serum, other body fluids, and culture supernatants of human cells, and can also be used to monitor levels of recombinant human lymphotoxin in animal studies and clinical trials.     

Reverse ELISA for IgG and IgM antibodies to detect Lassa virus infections in Africa.

BACKGROUND: Anti-Lassa antibodies are detected by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) or by enzyme-immunoassay (ELISA). Both methods have problems to detect low amounts of specific antibodies. OBJECTIVES: We report here highly sensitive and specific reverse ELISAs to detect Lassa virus IgG and IgM antibodies. Due to the reverse techniques, serum samples could be applied at dilutions of 1:10 without increasing non-specific background reactions. STUDY DESIGN: For IgM antibody detection microtiter plates were coated with anti-IgM antibodies and for IgG antibody detection with rheumatoid factor (RF) (Sachers M, Emmerich P, Mohr H, Schmitz H. Simple detection of antibodies to different viruses using rheumatoid factor and enzyme-labelled antigen (ELA). J Virol Methods 1985;10:99-110). In both assays a tissue culture antigen was used in combination with a labeled anti-Lassa monoclonal antibody (Hufert FT, Ludke W, Schmitz H. Epitope mapping of the Lassa virus nucleoprotein using monoclonal anti-nucleocapsid antibodies. Arch Virol 1989;106(3-4):201-12). RESULTS: The reverse ELISA turned out to detect virus-specific IgG and IgM antibody in all 20 samples of West African patients collected 2-8 weeks after onset of Lassa fever. Moreover, both IFA and reverse ELISA found IgG antibodies in 53 out of 643 samples of healthy West Africans (sensitivity of 100%). Six of the 643 samples were positive by reverse IgG ELISA only. Thus, the specificity compared to IIF was 99.0%, but it may be even higher, because compared to IFA the IgG ELISA was clearly more sensitive in detecting low antibody titers. CONCLUSIONS: In Ghana 3% seropositives were found by IFA, but 4% by the reverse ELISA. The reverse ELISAs can be performed with high sensitivity and specificity under field conditions in Africa.     

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for immunoglobulin G antibody to Pasteurella multocida in rabbits.

Three antigen preparations of Pasteurella multocida, lipopolysaccharide antigen, boiled-cell extract antigen, and boiled whole-bacterium antigen, were used in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect rabbit immunoglobulin G antibody to P. multocida. The sensitivity of each antigen preparation was compared by using sera from P. multocida-infected and uninfected rabbits and sera from two rabbits immunized with different serotypes of P. multocida. In the ELISA, all three antigen preparations detected high titers of antibodies in infected rabbits and markedly lower levels in uninfected rabbits. When whole-bacterium or boiled-cell extract antigens were used, the ELISA detected antibodies in sera from both immunized rabbits, but with lipopolysaccharide antigen, only antibody to the homologous serotype was detected. Sera absorbed with P. multocida and Bordetella bronchiseptica, another respiratory pathogen of rabbits, revealed that antibodies detected in the ELISA did not cross-react. Since the lipopolysaccharide antigen was more difficult to prepare and may be type specific, and since the whole-bacterium antigen was the least sensitive, the boiled-cell extract was chosen as the best antigen preparation to use in the ELISA.     

Urinary IgG antibody against mixed heat-killed coliform antigen and lipopolysaccharide core antigen.

AIMS: To determine whether antibody to lipopolysaccharide-core (LPS-core) antigen is an important component of the antibody, detected by mixed heat-killed coliform antigen, in urine from patients with suspected urinary tract infection. METHODS: LPS-core antigen and mixed heat-killed coliform antigen were used in an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure IgG antibody in midstream urine samples. Seventy two samples from students attending their general practitioner with symptoms suggestive of urinary tract infection, six samples from which a Gram positive organism was isolated, and 16 asymptomatic controls were tested. Plates coated with LPS-core antigen were also used to absorb out the antibody detected by the mixed heat-killed coliform antigen. RESULTS: Antibody to either antigen was associated with a positive culture, but neither was a useful predictor of a positive culture. There was a significant correlation between the results of the two assays (r = 0.7633; p less than 0.001), and absorption with LPS-core antigen did reduce the level of antibody to the mixed heat-killed coliform antigen. Antibody to both preparations was found in patients with Gram positive urinary tract infection. CONCLUSION: Antibody to LPS-core antigen forms a substantial part of the antibody detected by mixed heat-killed coliform ELISA. The antibodies detected by these assays are probably the result of non-specific leakage of antibody into the urine, rather than a specific immune response.     

Anti-peripheral nerve antibodies in leprosy patients recognize an epitope shared by the M. leprae 65 kDa heat shock protein

Binding of leprosy sera to peripheral nerve from different species (mouse, guinea pig and rabbit) was evaluated by ELISA. A majority of sera, whatever the clinical form of leprosy, bind to these antigens. Absorption with Mycobacterium bovis BCG demonstrated that these antibodies recognize cross-reactive epitopes between peripheral nerve and mycobacteria. In immunoblot analysis, both leprosy patient sera and a monoclonal antibody directed at the 65 kDa heat shock protein of M. leprae were shown to react with a heat-shock 67–68 kDa sciatic nerve protein. Binding of the monoclonal antibody to this sciatic nerve antigen was prevented by incubation with lepromatous patient sera, showing that some peripheral nerve epitopes recognized by patient antibodies are shared by the 65 kDa heat shock protein of M. leprae.     

骆驼重组SpaA-N单域抗体的制备与性质研究

目的:获得特异识别SpaA-N的单域抗体。方法:用His-SpaA-N重组抗原从新疆双峰驼单域抗体噬菌体展示文库中,筛选SpaA-N的结合子。经测序后亚克隆至pET30a并在E.coli BL21高表达,用镍离子亲和层析柱纯化。ELISA分析重组单域抗体的热稳定性,Western blot检测结合特异性。结果:经His-SpaA-N筛选富集后,筛选得到2个目的克隆。构建至pET30a,PCR和酶切鉴定目的基因大小与预计相符。SDS-PAGE显示,Mr 29 000和23 000有特异性目的条带。ELISA检测显示,抗SpaA-N的VHH对SpaA-N重组蛋白具有很好的结合活性;VHH热变性后,经室温复性均可以恢复其抗原结合活性。Western blot显示,重组VHH在Mr 66 000处可以识别丹毒丝菌中存在的表面蛋白。结论:获得了具有热稳定性和特异结合SpaA-N的单域抗体,为进一步研究spaA抗原在丹毒丝菌感染免疫中的作用提供了基础。     

Specifics on the refinement and application of two serological assays for the detection of antibodies to HHV-8.

BACKGROUND: Serologic assays for the detection of antibodies to human herpesvirus type 8 (HHV-8) are important for epidemiological studies and to further investigate the proposed pathogenesis of the virus in cancer. Although a variety of assays are available, a lack of optimization and standardization makes their usefulness uncertain, and may be responsible for the controversy concerning the prevalence of infection. OBJECTIVES: To refine an indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA) for the detection of latent antibodies and a recombinant ORF 65 ELISA for the detection of lytic antibodies in order to increase their ability to differentiate individuals at higher and lower risk for HHV-8 infection. STUDY DESIGN: Sera from Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) patients and blood donors (BDs) were used to modify assay parameters in an attempt to better discriminate between the two populations. Modifications included methods of substrate fixation, incubation times, sample dilution, and antigen/conjugate concentrations. RESULTS: Optimal modifications to the latent IFA included acetone fixation of substrate, and dilution of sera to 1:64 which enhanced detection of HHV-8 antibodies from 68 to 92% in the KS population. Similarly, successful refinement of the ORF 65 ELISA to increase the signal-to-noise ratio included the use of 88 ng of ORF 65 antigen per well and serum dilutions of 1:50. Optical density-to-cut-off ratios directly correlated with titers, thereby introducing a strategy to predict antibody concentrations. The ORF 65 ELISA and the latent IFA were both able to discriminate between the two populations but with different efficiencies. CONCLUSIONS: Although neither the latent IFA nor the ORF 65 ELISA produced perfect test indices, improvement in their performances was noted following the optimization strategies. The ELISA produced better detection of antibodies to the virus than the IFA and permitted prediction of sample titers, thus improving cost and time effectiveness.     

人源抗SARS病毒噬菌体抗体库的构建及筛选

目的: 构建人源抗SARS病毒的Fab片段抗体基因的噬菌体表面呈现文库, 筛选抗SARS病毒特异性的噬菌体抗体。方法: 用PCR扩增人Fab片段抗体基因, 连入载体pComb3内, 构建噬菌体抗体库。以固相化的SARS抗原淘筛抗体库, 并用ELISA检测噬菌体抗体结合SARS病毒的特异性。结果: 用PCR共扩增出 13条Ig基因片段。电转化构建的噬菌体抗体库的库容为 1. 3×106, Fab基因的重组率为60%。以纯化的SARS抗原淘筛 3轮, 特异性富集了抗SARS病毒的噬菌体抗体, 并用ELISA法从中筛选出了 10个结合活性好、特异性强的克隆。结论: 成功地构建了人源抗SARS病毒的组合抗体文库, 从中获得人源抗SARS病毒的特异性抗体。     

IgG but not IgM anti-phospholipid antibody binding is temperature dependent

We examined the effect of temperature on the measurement of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-defined human polyclonal antiphospholipid antibody. Both IgG and IgM antibodies were easily demonstrable when sera were incubated on phospholipid-coated ELISA plates at 4–22° C. When incubations were done at 37–45° C IgG antibody binding markedly decreased but IgM antibody binding did not. Warming the phospholipid-coated ELISA plate alone, the serum alone, the buffer alone, or the blocking reagent alone had no effect. When the antigen content of the wells was increased fourfold the effect of warming still occurred. The effect of warmth was reversible and was seen with affinity-purified antibody as well as with whole serum. Phospholipid vesicles in suspension, however, absorbed antibody in a dose-dependent fashion at 4, 22, and 42° C. These results indicate that antibody binding to phospholipid is temperature dependent when phospholipid is adherent to the solid phase. Whether the change in IgG-phospholipid interaction results from a change in antigen or in antibody remains unknown.