Immunodetection with streptavidin-acid phosphatase complex on Western blots

A technique for the detection of nanogram amounts of protein blotted onto nitrocellulose membranes has been developed using nonradioactive probes. Protein transferred to nitrocellulose membranes is detected by a specific antibody followed by incubation with biotinylated anti-antibody. After addition of streptavidin-acid phosphatase complex, incubation with fast violet B salt produces sharp magenta bands. This method allows detection of bands containing less than 20 ng of protein. The procedure does not use radioactive or carcinogenic materials.     

Detection of antigens on nitrocellulose paper immunoblots with monoclonal antibodies

A very sensitive method for the detection of antigen-antibody complexes on nitrocellulose paper immunoblots is described. The protein antigens are separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by their electrophoretic transfer onto a nitrocellulose sheet (“Western blot”). The protein antigens bound to the nitrocellulose paper are exposed to the monoclonal antibody and the antibody-antigen complexes are detected on the paper by an immunoenzymatic reaction. The improved sensitivity of this method is the result of (i) the use of the detergent Tween 20 in blocking the nonspecific binding of the antibodies to the nitrocellulose paper, (ii) the use of a peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) reaction, and (iii) the intensification of the diaminobenzidine reaction product with nickel and cobalt ions in phosphate buffer.     

Affinity purification of polyclonal antibodies from antigen immobilized in situ in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels

A procedure for the preparation of affinity-purified antibody is described. Protein mixtures are separated by electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)--polyacrylamide gels. Individual bands of protein are cut from the gel and fixed in situ with glutaraldehyde. The gel pieces are then homogenized and washed extensively with buffered solutions and chaotropic agents. The washed gels can then be used as immunoadsorbents to purify antibodies from crude antisera. This method should be especially useful for the preparation of small amounts of antibody to proteins that are difficult to purify by conventional means, that are available only in limited quantity, or that cannot be blotted to immunoadsorbents such as nitrocellulose or diazotized paper.     

Native blot and immunotransfer of human prostatic acid phosphatase isozymes

Agarose gel isoelectrofocusing is used to separate the isozymes of human prostatic acid phosphatase with retention of enzyme activity. The native blotting of the isozymes onto a nitrocellulose membrane increases the sensitivity of the enzyme stain and is suitable for analysis of isozymes in prostate tissue, which contains little nonprostatic acid phosphatase. The specificity of the transfer is increased by treating the membrane with antibody to human prostatic acid phosphatase prior to the transfer. The specificity of the antibody is conferred to the membrane resulting in a transfer specific for prostatic acid phosphatase. The immunotransfer procedure is applicable to serum which contains appreciable amounts of nonprostatic acid phosphatase.     

Sequential detection of different antigens induced by Epstein-Barr virus and herpes simplex virus in the same Western blot by using dual antibody probes

A dual antibody probing technique that permitted a color-coded identification of polypeptides representing different classes of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antigens as well as differentiation of the polypeptides induced by different herpesviruses in the same Western blot was developed. When the nitrocellulose sheet was probed first with monoclonal antibody against EBV early antigen diffuse component (EA-D) and then stained with 4-chloro-1-naphthol, four polypeptides specific for EA-D were identified by purple bands. Subsequently, the same nitrocellulose sheet was reprobed with human serum containing antibodies against EBV early antigen, viral capsid antigen, and nuclear antigen and stained with 3,3'-diaminobenzidine. Several brown bands corresponding to early, viral capsid, and nuclear antigen polypeptides were detected. The dual antibody probing technique was used in an analysis to differentiate polypeptides resulting from either EBV or herpes simplex virus infection, either in cells infected by individual virus or in a cell line dually infected by both viruses. On the basis of different colored bands in different lanes of the same gel, 20 polypeptides with molecular weights ranging from 31,000 to 165,000 were identified as herpes simplex virus-specific proteins. These results suggested that the dual antibody probing technique may be applicable in clinical diagnosis for detecting antigens and antibodies derived from different pathogens.     

Production of monospecific antibodies to a low-abundance hepatic membrane protein using nitrocellulose immobilized protein as antigen

Membrane proteins from primary cultures of rat hepatocytes were separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The proteins were transferred to nitrocellulose paper which was then dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide and this mixture was used as a primary immunogen in rabbits. Subsequent immunizations were performed using nonsolubilized protein immobilized on nitrocellulose paper. A monospecific polyclonal antibody was generated against a specific mitochondrial membrane protein (MP-73) for which de novo synthesis appeared to be induced by amino acid starvation of the hepatocytes. A minimum of 15-20 micrograms of protein antigen was required to elicit significant antibody production. Serum antibody titer was sufficient to allow detection of MP-73 at a serum dilution of 1:2000.     

Phenotyping of pig alpha 1B-glycoprotein (PO2) and haemopexin by 1D polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting

Described is an alternative procedure for the phenotyping of pig alpha 1B-glycoprotein (PO2) and haemopexin. The procedure is based on the separation of serum samples by horizontal polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, passive blotting onto a nitrocellulose (NC) sheet, and immunochemical detection using a mixture of a primary antibody (rabbit anti-pig alpha 1B or anti-pig haemopexin) and a peroxidase-labelled secondary antibody. Several NC copies can be obtained from a single gel and these can be developed with different monospecific antisera.     

Phenotyping of pig α1B-glycoprotein (PO2) and haemopexin by 1D polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting

Summary. Described is an alternative procedure for the phenotyping of pig α₁B-glycoprotein (PO2) and haemopexin. The procedure is based on the separation of serum samples by horizontal polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, passive blotting onto a nitrocellulose (NC) sheet, and immunochemical detection using a mixture of a primary antibody (rabbit anti-pig α₁B or anti-pig haemopexin) and a peroxidase-labelled secondary antibody. Several NC copies can be obtained from a single gel and these can be developed with different monospecific antisera.     

In-gel protein phosphatase assay using fluorogenic substrates

We developed a method for the detection of phosphatase activity using fluorogenic substrates after polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. When phosphatases such as Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase phosphatase (CaMKP), protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C), protein phosphatase 5 (PP5), and alkaline phosphatase were resolved by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the absence of SDS and the gel was incubated with a fluorogenic substrate such as 4-methylumbelliferyl phosphate (MUP), all of these phosphatase activities could be detected in situ. Although 6,8-difluoro-4-methylumbelliferyl phosphate (DiFMUP) as well as MUP could be used as a fluorogenic substrate for an in-gel assay, MUP exhibited lower background fluorescence. Using this procedure, several fluorescent bands that correspond to endogenous phosphatases were observed after electrophoresis of various crude samples. The in-gel phosphatase assay could also be used to detect protein phosphatases resolved by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In this case, however, the denaturation/renaturation process of resolved proteins was necessary for the detection of phosphatase activity. This procedure could be used for detection of renaturable protein phosphatases such as CaMKP and some other phosphatases expressed in cell extracts. The present fluorescent in-gel phosphatase assay is very useful, since no radioactive compounds or no special apparatus are required.     

Antibody-linked polymerase assay on protein blots: a novel method for identifying polymerases following SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

We describe a method for correlating polymerase activity with a particular polypeptide band in an SDS-polyacrylamide gel which does not require renaturation of the SDS-denatured enzyme. The method involves the following steps: (i) transfer of proteins from an SDS-polyacrylamide gel onto nitrocellulose; (ii) incubation with excess antiserum raised against a partially purified polymerase preparation to link one Fab site of an antibody molecule to the denatured enzyme on the nitrocellulose; (iii) binding of native polymerase to the other Fab site of the antibody molecule in the immune complex to generate a specific polymerase 'sandwich'; (iv) assaying of the nitrocellulose filter for antibody-linked native polymerase activity using an appropriate template and a radioactive substrate followed by treatment with trichloroacetic acid to precipitate in situ the radioactive product. The essential feature of this method is that the use of both non-specific anti-polymerase serum and a partially purified enzyme preparation is sufficient to allow identification of a specific protein following SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This antibody-linked polymerase assay has been developed to identify a 130,000-dalton RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from cowpea leaves. Possible applications of this type of assay as a tool for identifying a wide variety of proteins are discussed.     

Binding of ras p21 to bands 4.2 and 6 of human erythrocyte membranes

The direct binding protein(s) of ras p21 was (were) investigated in inside-out vesicles of human erythrocyte ghosts using the pure v-Kirsten (Ki)-ras p21 synthesized in E. coli. The bound ras p21 was detected immunochemically using an anti-v-Ki-ras p21 monoclonal antibody, ras p21 bound to vesicles. Prior digestion of the vesicles with trypsin reduced this binding significantly. When ras p21 was laid over vesicle proteins immobilized on a nitrocellulose sheet by transfer from the gel of SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, ras p21 bound to bands 4.2 and 6. ras p21 binding to these proteins was reduced by prior incubation of ras p21 with the purified band 4.2 or 6 protein. These results indicate that v-Ki-ras p21 can bind directly to bands 4.2 and 6 of human erythrocyte membranes as far as tested in an in vitro cell-free system.     

A high-affinity reversible protein stain for Western blots

We describe a reversible staining technique, using MemCode, a reversible protein stain by which proteins can be visualized on nitrocellulose and polyvinylidine fluoride (PVDF) membranes without being permanently fixed to the membrane itself. This allows subsequent immunoblot analysis of the proteins to be performed. The procedure is applicable only to protein blots on nitrocellulose and PVDF membranes. MemCode is a reversible protein stain composed of copper as a part of an organic complex that interacts noncovalently with proteins. MemCode shows rapid protein staining, taking 30s to 1 min for completion. The method is simple and utilizes convenient application conditions that are compatible with the matrix materials and the protein. The stain is more sensitive than any previously described dye-based universal protein staining system. The turquoise-blue-stained protein bands do not fade with time and are easy to photograph compared to those stained with Ponceau S. Absorbance in the blue region of the spectrum offers good properties for photo documentation and avoids interference from common biological chromophores. The stain on the protein is easily reversible in 2 min for nitrocellulose membrane and in 10 min for PVDF membrane with MemCode stain eraser. The stain is compatible with general Western blot detection systems, and membrane treatment with MemCode stain does not interfere with conventional chemiluminescent or chromogenic detection using horseradish peroxide and alkaline phosphatase substrates. The stain is also compatible with N-terminal sequence analysis of proteins.     

Immunological evidence for gap junction polypeptide in plant cells

A whole cell homogenate prepared from soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Mandarin) root cells (SB-1 cell line) was electrophoresed on a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel and transferred to nitrocellulose paper. The nitrocellulose was probed with a monospecific antibody capable of recognizing the Mr 27,000 polypeptide of rat liver gap junctions; this antibody was prepared from immune serum raised against gap junctions purified from V79 cells (Chinese lung fibroblasts). The immunoblots afforded two polypeptides migrating at Mr 29,000 and 48,000. This pattern of blotting was also observed when homogenates of soybean or poinsettia leaves excised from whole plants were probed with anti-V79 gap junction antiserum. Gap junction purification schemes, developed for rat liver (Hertzberg, E. L. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 9936-9943), were employed on soybean protoplast homogenates yielding a significant enrichment for the Mr 29,000 and 48,000 polypeptides as judged by Coomassie Blue staining and immunoblotting with anti-V79 gap junction antiserum. These immunological results provide the first reported evidence for a homologous gap junction polypeptide in plant cells.     

Biotinylated proteins as molecular weight standards on Western blots

Protein molecular weight standards were biotinylated by reaction with biotinyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester. The biotinylated proteins were resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and electrophoretically transferred to nitrocellulose paper. The resolved protein bands were detected by formation of a streptavidin-biotin/horseradish peroxidase complex and reaction with 4-chloro-1-naphthol and hydrogen peroxide. The biotinylated proteins are easy to prepare and are useful as molecular weight standards with most procedures employing immunodetection of proteins following transfer to nitrocellulose paper.     

Multiple immunoreplica Technique: screening for specific proteins with a series of different antibodies using one polyacrylamide gel

A simple method for immunological identification of proteins resolved electrophoretically is presented. Proteins from one polyacrylamide gel can be subjected to a series of electrophoretic transfers to nitrocellulose paper (partial “western-blots”), providing several replicas of the gel. Each replica can be reacted with a series of different antisera (at least three), where the preceding antibody is removed by treatment with pH 2.2. The antigen-antibody complexes are visualized using ¹²⁵I-Protein A. Reactivity and antigenic specificity of proteins immobilized on nitrocellulose paper is not affected by repeated incubations and low pH treatments. Identical size of the replicas and superimposable profiles of proteins detected by antibodies allow a precise localization of particular polypeptides in the original gel.     

Potential application of dot-immunobinding assay as a rapid diagnostic test in tuberculous meningitis

A simple dot-immunobinding assay (Dot-Iba) in nitrocellulose paper was developed for the detection of specific IgG antibody to Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen 5 and mycobacterial antigen in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with tuberculous meningitis (TBM). The assay gave 77.1% sensitivity for the detection of IgG antibody to M. tuberculosis antigen 5 and 48.6% sensitivity for the detection of mycobacterial antigen in patients with TBM.     

Demonstration of species-specific and cross reactive components of Paragonimus westermani crude worm antigen by EITB

Enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) using crude worm antigen of adult Paragonimus westermani was performed for human patients sera to identify the species-specific components. Crude antigen was obtained by homogenizing and centrifuging 24-week old adult worms at 10,000 rpm for 60 minutes in phosphate buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.2) containing phenyl methyl sulfonyl fluoride (PMSF). Gradient sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was performed and blotted electrophoretically onto a sheet of nitrocellulose paper. The sheet was cut into strips and exposed to sera diluted 1: 200 with PBS. SDS-PAGE showed 26 protein bands ranging 229 to 10 kDa. Of them 229, 91, 60, 50, 35-31, 27, 25, 21, 17, 11 and 10 kDa components showed positive reaction with serum antibody of patients with P. westermani. Sera of patients infected with Clonorchis sinensis reacted with 35-31, 19, and 11 kDa bands. Human sera from cysticercosis and diphyllobothriasis cases showed non-specific cross reactions with 229, 35-31, 27, 25 and 17 kDa bands. Protein bands of 91, 60, 21 and 10 kDa showed strong positive reaction without cross reactions with sera from other helminthic infections.     

Rapid detection and identification of Legionella pneumophila by a membrane immunoassay.

Legionella pneumophila was detected and identified by an immunoblot assay using a monoclonal antibody specific to serogroups 1 to 8. Samples containing L. pneumophila were plated on buffered charcoal yeast extract agar supplemented with glycine, vancomycin, and polymyxin B. After incubation at 35 degrees C for 3 days, colonies were transferred to nitrocellulose membranes by blotting. Simultaneous detection and identification of L. pneumophila were done by treating the membrane with the monoclonal antibody and a peroxidase conjugate to mouse immunoglobulins. A diffuse cross-reaction was observed with Pseudomonas fluorescens colonies, but this was a low-level reaction that could easily be differentiated from the strong specific reactions to L. pneumophila.     

Rapid detection and identification of Legionella pneumophila by a membrane immunoassay

Legionella pneumophila was detected and identified by an immunoblot assay using a monoclonal antibody specific to serogroups 1 to 8. Samples containing L. pneumophila were plated on buffered charcoal yeast extract agar supplemented with glycine, vancomycin, and polymyxin B. After incubation at 35 degrees C for 3 days, colonies were transferred to nitrocellulose membranes by blotting. Simultaneous detection and identification of L. pneumophila were done by treating the membrane with the monoclonal antibody and a peroxidase conjugate to mouse immunoglobulins. A diffuse cross-reaction was observed with Pseudomonas fluorescens colonies, but this was a low-level reaction that could easily be differentiated from the strong specific reactions to L. pneumophila.     

Immunogold for detection of antigen on nitrocellulose paper

The application of immunogold for the detection of antigen-antibody complexes on nitrocellulose paper is described. Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) protein, either purified or in leaf extract, was bound to the nitrocellulose paper and then exposed to rabbit anti-TMV serum. The antigen-antibody complexes were detected by gold-labeled goat anti-rabbit immunoglobulin G. The gold-labeled antibody is directly visible because of its pink color. This method can detect 1-5 pg of TMV protein, either in purified form or in the unpurified plant extract, with high specificity.