Pea lectin as a universal cell binding agent for ELISA (screening) tests

A cell binding assay (CBA) was developed in which plant lectins are used as binding agents between microtiter plates and human cells. After binding, the cells were fixed by mild glutaraldehyde treatment. Their antigenic activity was investigated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with several monoclonal antibodies. The binding method resulted in cell layers that remained firmly attached to the plates during the washing and incubation procedures of the ELISA. A comparative phenotype analysis, performed by indirect membrane fluorescence, showed that cells bound by this method, do not lose their antigenic activity. This binding assay can be used as a rapid, large scale screening test for monoclonal antibodies to membrane antigens of malignant and normal cells.