title: A real-time immuno-PCR assay for routine ultrasensitive quantification of proteins.
abstract: A fast and robust assay, based on the combination of the highly sensitive immuno-PCR (IPCR), employing standardized self-assembled DNA-protein conjugates as reagents, and the well-established, reliable, and fast real-time PCR detection by means of the TaqMan principle is introduced in this work. The use of anti-species immunoglobulin reagents allows one for easy adaptation of this assay to basically any existing ELISA application. The use of an internal competitor in the real-time IPCR (rtIPCR) further increases the sensitivity and significance of this assay; 0.1-0.01 amol (500-50 fg/mL) IgG from several species (mouse, rabbit, goat, and human) were detectable using direct, indirect, and sandwich model rtIPCR assays, thereby increasing the detection limit of the analogous ELISA tests about 100- to 1000-fold. The robustness of this method was demonstrated in two typical applications by detecting 40 pg/mL of the novel anti-cancer drug rViscumin in human plasma samples as well as 100 pg/mL of a research antibody in cell culture media. In both cases, a comparable ELISA was 1000-fold less sensitive.
authors.affiliation: Chimera Biotec GmbH, Emil-Figge-Str. 76 A, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany. adler@chimera-biotec.com
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wacker
authors.forename: Christof M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Niemeyer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000032:analysis; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D051379:Mice; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000032:analysis; D010940:Plant Proteins; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D011817:Rabbits; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D054790:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 2; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D028321:Plant Preparations; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D054790:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 2; D014118:Toxins, Biological; C009674:ribosome inactivating protein, Viscum