One of the important analytical challenges is the fast and reliable trace detection of explosives in the context of security issues, ammunition disposal, and environmental pollution. Antibodies (Ab) are a promising tool for this purpose and the combination with a
surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor opens the opportunity of highly selective and fast, label-free detection. A robust and sensitive method for the detection of the explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT) was developed. The detection limit was determined to be around 0.5 μg/L. The fast signal response of less than 1 minute shows that this approach is suitable for security and other time-critical applications. In addition, the very low crossreactivity highly reduces the number of false-positives in relation to competing techniques, including sniffer dogs. Due to the multianalyte ability of the SAW system, several explosives might be detected in parallel. Terminal amino groups were functionalized with trinitrophenyl (TNP) groups by reaction with trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). In less than 1 minute, a good signal response was obtained. 50 μL of sample was used. No non-specific interaction with the SAM surface was observed. A complete measuring cycle needed 19 minutes including a surface regeneration step with 50 μL of acetonitrile/water/propionic acid (50:50:1) and 150 μL of SDS solution (0.1 %, pH 1 with 100 mM glycine and 100 mM NaCl). A good long-term stability could be shown for at least 6 hours. Two polyclonal antibodies (R1, R2, affinity purified with Protein A) and a monoclonal antibody (A1.1.1) were tested successfully. A commercially available SAW sensor (sam5 blue, SAW Instruments) was used for liquid handling and detection. Self-assembled monolayers (SAM) of alkanethiol derivatives were
prepared on gold surfaces leading to non-fouling and hydrophilic properties, due to attached polyethylene glycol (PEG) residues. A continuous flow of buffer (phosphate-buffered saline, PBS plus Tween 20) of 100 μL/min was applied to the sensor system. TNT antibodies were pre-incubated with the samples containing traces of explosives. Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies were tested.
The limit of detection (LOD) was determined to 0.5 μg/L for all three antibodies (3s from 12 replicates).
A novel method that optimizes the screening for antibody-secreting hapten-specific hybridoma cells by using flow cytometry is described. Cell clones specific for five different haptens were analyzed. We selectively double stained and analyzed fixed hybridoma cells with fluorophore-labeled haptens to demonstrate the target-selectivity, and with a fluorophore-labeled anti-mouse IgG antibody to characterize the level of surface expression of membrane-bound IgGs. ELISA measurements with the supernatants of the individual hybridoma clones revealed that antibodies from those cells, which showed the highest fluorescence intensities in the flow cytometric analysis, also displayed the highest affinities for the target antigens. The fluorescence intensity of antibody-producing cells corresponded well with the produced antibodies' affinities toward their respective antigens. Immunohistochemical staining verified the successful double labeling of the cells. Our method makes it possible to perform a high-throughput screening for hybridoma cells, which have both an adequate IgG production rate and a high target affinity.
Aflatoxins, a group of structurally related mycotoxins, are well known for their
toxic and carcinogenic effects in humans and animals. Aflatoxin derivatives and protein
conjugates are needed for diverse analytical applications. This work describes a reliable
and fast synthesis of novel aflatoxin derivatives, purification by preparative HPLC and
characterisation by ESI-MS and one- and two-dimensional NMR. Novel aflatoxin bovine
serum albumin conjugates were prepared and characterised by UV absorption and
MALDI-MS. These aflatoxin protein conjugates are potentially interesting as immunogens
for the generation of aflatoxin selective antibodies with novel specificities.
Predictable Peptide Conjugation Ratios by Activation of Proteins with Succinimidyl Iodoacetate (SIA)
(2017)
The small heterobifunctional linker succinimidyl iodoacetate (SIA) was examined for the preparation of peptide–protein bioconjugates with predicable conjugation ratios. For many conjugation protocols, the protein is either treated with a reductant to cleave disulfide bonds or is reacted with thiolation chemicals, such as Traut’s reagent. Both approaches are difficult to control, need individual optimization and often lead to unsatisfactory results. In another popular approach, a heterobifunctional linker with a N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) and a maleimide functionality is applied to the protein. After the activation of some lysine ε-amino groups with the NHS ester functionality, a cysteine-containing peptide is attached to the activated carrier protein via maleimide. Particularly, the maleimide reaction leads to some unwanted byproducts or even cleavage of the linker. Many protocols end up with conjugates with unpredictable and irreproducible conjugation ratios. In addition, the maleimide-thiol addition product should be assumed immunogenic in vivo. To avoid these and other disadvantages of the maleimide approach, we examined the known linker succinimidyl iodoacetate (SIA) in more detail and developed two protocols, which lead to peptide–protein conjugates with predefined average conjugation ratios. This holds potential to eliminate tedious and expensive optimization steps for the synthesis of a bioconjugate of optimal composition.