title: Performance and limits of the mixed-phase assay for chloramphenicol acetyltransferase at low [3H]acetyl-CoA concentration.
abstract: We have explored the possibility of increasing the sensitivity of the mixed-phase assay for chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) by using a low concentration (3.75 microM) of isotopically undiluted [3H]acetyl-CoA (200 mCi/mmol). Using extracts of PC12 cells transiently transfected with a plasmid CMV-CAT, we found that the assay was linear with time for about 8 h, unless 25% of the substrate was exhausted. Under the conditions of the assay, the tritiated substrate was relatively stable, as 75% was still available for the reaction after a 20-h incubation at 37 degrees C under the toluene phase in the absence of cell extract. CAT activity could be reliably measured with 4-8 ng protein of cell extract, corresponding to 50-100 transfected cells. We determined the range of linearity of the initial rate with the volume of cell extract and showed that, above a certain value, the rate becomes limited by the diffusion of 3H-acetylated chloramphenicol in the organic phase. The sensitivity of the new assay compared favorably with that of the previously described CAT assays and approached that of the luciferase assay.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Eucaryote, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chireux
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Raynal
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Weber
mesh_terms: D000105:Acetyl Coenzyme A; D000818:Animals; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D007700:Kinetics; D016716:PC12 Cells; D011865:Radioisotope Dilution Technique; D051381:Rats; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014162:Transfection; D014316:Tritium
chemical_list: D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014316:Tritium; D000105:Acetyl Coenzyme A; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase