title: Immunoassay for honey bee cytochrome c in single animals with cytochrome c-coated bacteriophages: a sensitive tool for the study of caste formation in the honey bee, Apis mellifera.
abstract: The development of a sensitive viroimmunoassay for honey bee cytochrome c and its usage for early detection of caste differentiation is described. Pure honey bee cytochrome c was isolated from workers and used to produce antibodies in rabbits. Bacteriophage T4 was chemically modified by covalent attachment of honey bee cytochrome c using tolylene-2,4-diisocyanate as a cross-linking agent. The immunospecific inactivation of this bacteriophage-cytochrome c conjugate by anti-cytochrome c antibodies can be inhibited by free cytochrome c. 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 c concentrations were measured in individual animals and substantial differences corresponding larval stages of worker and queen bees are reported.
mesh_terms: D000906:Antibodies; D001516:Bees / Q000254:growth & development*; D003090:Coliphages; D003574:Cytochrome c Group / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D007118:Immunoassay; D007814:Larva / Q000276:immunology; D008675:Metamorphosis, Biological
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D003574:Cytochrome c Group