Measurement of rabbit apolipoprotein B by use of electroimmunodiffusion and immunonephelometric assays.
OBJECTIVE
Because of their similarity to humans, rabbits are a good animal model for the study of atherosclerosis associated with high serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) values. Two assays were developed to measure apolipoprotein B (apoB), the major structural and functional apolipoprotein of LDL in rabbits and to distinguish endogenous LDL in transgenic rabbits from that of human apoB.


METHODS
Two procedures, an electroimmunoassay (EIA) and an immunonephelometric assay (INA), along with a goat-origin rabbit antiserum were developed to measure serum apoB concentration in rabbits.


RESULTS
Use of either assay resulted in ability to measure rabbit species-specific apoB concentration.


CONCLUSIONS
These assays should have broad applications: to screen compounds or diets that might lower serum apoB concentrations; to specifically measure human apoB concentration in transgenic rabbits; to measure serum apoB concentration in rabbits overexpressing other human proteins.
Tailleux
A
A
Département d'Athérosclérose et INSERM U. 325, Institut Pasteur de Lille, France.
Labbe
J
J
Mallet
C
C
Percevault
F
F
Fruchart
J C
JC
Fievet
C
C
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D053299:Apolipoprotein B-100; D053283:Apolipoprotein B-48; D001055:Apolipoproteins B / Q000097:blood*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D007118:Immunoassay / Q000379:methods*; D005779:Immunodiffusion / Q000379:methods*; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood; D008079:Lipoproteins, VLDL / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009391:Nephelometry and Turbidimetry / Q000379:methods*; D011817:Rabbits / Q000097:blood*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D053299:Apolipoprotein B-100; D053283:Apolipoprotein B-48; D001055:Apolipoproteins B; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D008079:Lipoproteins, VLDL