Immunoassay for honey bee cytochrome in single animals with cytochrome bacteriophages: A sensitive tool for the study of caste formation in the honey bee, Apis Mellifera |
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Authors: | Jörg Eder Minoru Osanai Suresh Mane Heinz Rembold |
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Affiliation: | Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie, D-8033 Martinsried, G.F.R. |
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Abstract: | The development of a sensitive viroimmunoassay for honey bee cytochrome and its usage for early detection of caste differentiation is described. Pure honey bee cytochrome was isolated from workers and used to produce antibodies in rabbits. Bacteriophage T4 was chemically modified by covalent attachment of honey bee cytochrome using tolylene-2,4-diisocyanate as a cross-linking agent. The immunospecific inactivation of this bacteriophage-cytochrome c conjugate by anti-cytochrome antibodies can be inhibited by free cytochrome . In quantitative determinations, 50% inhibition is reproducibly achieved at a concentration of 6 ng/ml (5 pmol/ml) and as little as 0.3 ng/ml (0.25 pmol/ml) could be detected by this system. Cytochrome concentrations were measured in individual animals and substantial differences between corresponding larval stages of worker and queen bees are reported. |
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Keywords: | TDIC tolylene-2,4-diisocyanate p.f.u. plaque forming unit |
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