Uricase immobilized onto nylon tube for use in automated analysis of serum urate

Uricase is immobilized onto glutaraldehyde-activated nylon tube. Immobilized uricase tube is incorporated into a continuous flow automated analyzer for assaying blood urate. The immobilized enzyme shows good storage and operational stability and the assay system compares favorably with an established method.     

DNA immobilized onto an acyl-azide derivative of collagen membranes for use as immunoadsorbent

Single- and double-stranded DNA were immobilized on films of highly polymerized collagen by a covalent process. The coupling was efficient at an acidic pH with an optimum at pH 5, while preventing the collagen film from any damage. In addition, no leakage occurred, so it was possible to use this DNA-coated collagen film as an immunoadsorbent. Therefore the findings reported here suggest that the acyl-azide procedure is also suitable for DNA binding on a proteinic support. Promising results in specific clearance of DNA antibodies were obtained in vitro.     

Oligonucleotide derivatives in the nucleic acid hybridization analysis. I. Covalent immobilization of oligonucleotide probes onto the nylon

The features of UV-induced immobilization of oligonucleotides on a nylon membranes and the effectiveness of enzymatic labeling of immobilized probes at heterophase detection of nucleic acids are studied. Short terminal oligothymidilate (up to 10 nt) sequences are suggested to attach to the probe via a flexible ethylene glycol based linker. The presence of such fragment enhances the intensity of immobilization and reduces UV-dependent degradation of the targeted (sequence-specific) part of the probe by reducing the dose needed for the immobilization of DNA. The optimum dose of UV-irradiation is determined to be ~0.4 J/cm(2) at the wavelength 254 nm. This dose provides high level of hybridization signal for immobilized probes with various nucleotide composition of the sequence specific moiety. The amide groups of the polyamide are shown to play the key role in the photoinduced immobilization of nucleic acids, whereas the primary amino groups in the structure of PA is not the center responsible for the covalent binding of DNA by UV-irradiation, as previously believed. Various additives in the soaking solution during the membrane of UV-dependent immobilization of probes are shown to influence its effectiveness. The use of alternative to UV-irradiation system of radical generation are shown to provide the immobilization of oligonucleotides onto the nylon membrane.     

Rapid quantitation of individual RNA species in a complex population.

Many investigations require quantitation of one or more individual RNA species in complex populations. Existing methods are tedious when multiple samples are to be assayed. A method is presented which allows rapid and accurate quantitation of many species of RNA simultaneously. Recombinant plasmids containing cDNA inserts are electrophoresed in agarose and blotted to nitrocellulose. After hybridization with labeled RNA and autoradiography, bands are quantitated by scanning. The results were calibrated by solution hybridization. The approach has been validated through the use of plasmids containing inserts of Drosophila cDNA and RNA of cultured cells.     

Deglycosylation by gaseous hydrogen fluoride of mucus glycoproteins immobilized on nylon membranes and in microtiter wells

Strongly reacting antibodies specific for defined mucin gene products are often directed against the mucin protein backbone of the heavily glycosylated serine/threonine rich regions. A prerequisite for the use of such antibodies is often the complete removal of the oligosaccharides from the protein. This paper describes an efficient one-step deglycosylation method using gaseous hydrogen fluoride on nylon blotting membranes and microtiter wells.     

Biodegradation of phenol by enzymes from Pseudomonas sp. immobilized onto ultrafiltration membranes

A method of immobilizing enzymes from Pseudomonas sp. that decompose phenol on polymeric ultrafiltration membranes is described. Transport-separation properties of neutral and enzymic membranes have been compared and the optimal ultrafiltration process parameters of a model phenol solution have been determined. The immobilized enzyme system was applied to the biodegradation of phenol in coke wastewaters.     

Production of cycloisomaltooligosaccharides from dextran using enzyme immobilized in multilayers onto porous membranes

Anion-exchange porous hollow-fiber membranes with a thickness of about 1.2 mm and a pore size of about 0.30 microm were used as a supporting matrix to immobilize cycloisomaltooligosaccharide glucanotransferase (CITase). CITase was immobilized to the membrane via anion-exchange adsorption and by subsequent enzymatic cross-linking with transglutaminase, the amount of which ranged from 3 to 110 mg per gram of the membrane. The degree of enzyme multilayer binding was equivalent to 0.3-9.8. Dextran, as the substrate, was converted into seven- to nine-glucose-membered cycloisomaltooligosaccharides (CI-7, -8, and -9) at a maximum yield of 28% in weight at a space velocity of 10 per hour during the permeation of 2.0% (w/w) dextran solution across the CITase-immobilized porous hollow-fiber membrane. The yield of CIs increased with increasing degree of CITase multilayering.     

Characterization of the activity of penicillin G acylase immobilized onto nylon membranes grafted with different acrylic monomers by means of γ-radiation

Penicillin G acylase (PGA) has been immobilized onto nylon membranes grafted with methylmethacrylate (MMA) or diethyleneglycoldimethacrylate (DGDA) monomers by means of γ-radiation. Hexamethylenediamine (HMDA) has been used as spacer between the grafted membranes and the enzyme. Glutaraldehyde (GA) was used as crosslinking to couple the enzyme to the HMDA. The catalytic membranes so prepared were studied as a function of pH and temperature of the solution containing the substrate. The membranes showing the best characteristics were the ones grafted with DGDA. The dependence of the behavior of these membranes on several experimental conditions was studied, i.e., the temperature and duration of the aminoalkylation process, spacer concentration, the glutaraldehyde concentration and the enzyme concentration. The experimental conditions giving the best performance of the catalytic membranes have been deduced. The time requested to obtain 50% of substrate conversion, i.e., hydrolysis of cephalexin, has been studied as a function of its initial concentration.     

Rational design and synthesis of affinity matrices based on proteases immobilized onto cellulose membranes

Discovery of new protease inhibitors may result in potential therapeutic agents or useful biotechnological tools. Obtainment of these molecules from natural sources requires simple, economic, and highly efficient purification protocols. The aim of this work was the obtainment of affinity matrices by the covalent immobilization of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) and papain onto cellulose membranes, previously activated with formyl (FCM) or glyoxyl groups (GCM). GCM showed the highest activation grade (10.2?µmol aldehyde/cm²). We implemented our strategy for the rational design of immobilized derivatives (RDID) to optimize the immobilization. pH 9.0 was the optimum for the immobilization through the terminal α-NH₂, configuration predicted as catalytically competent. However, our data suggest that protein immobilization may occur via clusters of few reactive groups. DPP-IV?GCM showed the highest maximal immobilized protein load (2.1?µg/cm²), immobilization percentage (91%), and probability of multipoint covalent attachment. The four enzyme-support systems were able to bind at least 80% of the reversible competitive inhibitors bacitracin/cystatin, compared with the available active sites in the immobilized derivatives. Our results show the potentialities of the synthesized matrices for affinity purification of protease inhibitors and confirm the robustness of the RDID strategy to optimize protein immobilization processes with further practical applications.     

Preparation of oligodeoxynucleotide-alkaline phosphatase conjugates and their use as hybridization probes.

Short synthetic oligonucleotides have been covalently cross-linked to alkaline phosphatase using the homobifunctional reagent disuccinimidyl suberate. The oligomers, twenty-one to twenty-six bases in length, are complementary to unique sequences found in herpes simplex virus, hepatitis B virus, Campylobacter jejuni and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Each oligomer contains a single modified base with a 12-atom "linker arm" terminating in a reactive primary amine. Cross-linking through this amine results in oligomer-enzyme conjugates composed of one oligomer per enzyme molecule that have full alkaline phosphatase activity and can hybridize to target DNA fixed to nitrocellulose within 15 minutes. The hybrids are detected directly with a dye precipitation assay at a sensitivity of 10(6) molecules (2 X 10(-18) mol) of target DNA in 4 hours development time. The enzyme has no apparent effect on selectivity or kinetics of oligonucleotide hybridization and the conjugates can be hybridized and melted off in a conventional manner.     

Novel impedimetric immunosensor for the detection and quantitation of Adenovirus using reduced antibody fragments immobilized onto a conducting copolymer surface

The number of Adenovirus (Ad) infections detected in immunocompromised people has increased due to the number of patients receiving transplants, as well as the HIV pandemic. Ads cause life-threatening diseases specific to the infected organs of immunocompromised hosts, with discontinuation of immunosuppressive agents necessary to prevent morbidity. The methodology in this paper has been employed to develop a novel impedimetric based assay platform to detect and quantify human Ads, which is comparable in performance to current methods, such as ELISA and PCR, but is also less expensive and faster. Novel immunosensors have been fabricated using polyclonal antibodies raised against a human Ad (Ad5) capsid protein, which were selectively cleaved into antibody fragments by 2-mercaptoethylamine. The fragments were immobilized onto a functionalized conducting copolymer matrix comprising polyaniline and 2-aminobenzylamine. Fully fabricated sensors were incubated with two immunologically distinct serotypes of Ad, Ad5 and Ad3, with between 10 and 10(12)virus particles/mL prior to sensor interrogation. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to measure the charge transfer resistance of the sensors over a range of frequencies from 25 kHz to 0.1 Hz. Our data demonstrate that the immunosensors specifically detect, and differentiate between, closely related human Ad serotypes with a limit of detection of 10(3)virus particles/mL. In addition, atomic force microscopy was applied to study the sensor surface nanostructure. Future work looks to test virus containing clinical samples but this could be a viable and valuable alternative for point-of-care virus detection and quantification.     

Gamma probes and their use in tumor detection in colorectal cancer

The purpose of this article is to summarize the role of gamma probes in intraoperative tumor detection in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), as well as provide basic information about the physical and practical characteristics of the gamma probes, and the radiopharmaceuticals used in gamma probe tumor detection. In a significant portion of these studies, radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies (Mabs), particularly 125I labeled B72.3 Mab that binds to the TAG-72 antigen, have been used to target tumor. Studies have reported that intraoperative gamma probe radioimmunodetection helps surgeons to localize primary tumor, clearly delineate its resection margins and provide immediate intraoperative staging. Studies also have emphasized the value of intraoperative gamma probe radioimmunodetection in defining the extent of tumor recurrence and finding sub-clinical occult tumors which would assure the surgeons that they have completely removed the tumor burden. However, intraoperative gamma probe radioimmunodetection has not been widely adapted among surgeons because of some constraints associated with this technique. The main difficulty with this technique is the long period of waiting time between Mab injection and surgery. The technique is also laborious and costly. In recent years, Fluorine-18-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) use in gamma probe tumor detection surgery has renewed interest among surgeons. Preliminary studies during surgery have demonstrated that use of FDG in gamma probe tumor detection during surgery is feasible and useful.     

Synthesis of immobilized flavin derivatives and their use in purification of chicken egg-white ovoflavoprotein.

Affinity adsorbents for flavoproteins were prepared by the covalent attachment of polyacrylamide and agarose to flavin derivatives linked through position N(3) of the flavin nucleus. 3-Carboxymethyl-FMN covalently linked to aminoalkyl substituted agarose was successfully used for the separation and purification of the apo form of the ovoflavoprotein from chicken egg white. High yields and high purities were achieved by two different isolation procedures employing the affinity adsorbent.