title: Apolipoprotein B-48: comparison of fasting concentrations measured in normolipidaemic individuals using SDS-PAGE, immunoblotting and ELISA.
abstract: Raised levels of chylomicrons and chylomicron remnants, which circulate following a meal, have been implicated in the development of atherosclerosis. Apolipoprotein (apo) B-48 is exclusively associated with chylomicron particles and provides a specific direct measurement of the number of intestinally derived lipoproteins in the circulation. The quantification of apo B-48 in biological samples is difficult due to the very low concentration in plasma, structural similarity to the N-terminal 48% of apo B-100 and lack of an appropriate standard for apo B-48. Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), followed by coomassie blue staining, has been used for many years to measure apo B-48 levels in triacylglycerol (TAG)-rich lipoprotein samples. The raising of antiserum to apo B-48 has led to development of more sensitive and specific methods including immunoblotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays (ELISAs). This has enabled direct measurement of apo B-48 in plasma without the need for separation into TAG-rich lipoproteins. A high degree of variability was observed in the apo B-48 concentrations reported in the literature both within and between the SDS-PAGE, immunoblotting and ELISA methods.
authors.affiliation: Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, School of Food Biosciences, The University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, UK. k.g.jackson@reading.ac.uk
authors.forename: Kim G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D053283:Apolipoprotein B-48; D001055:Apolipoproteins B / Q000097:blood*; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005215:Fasting; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D053283:Apolipoprotein B-48; D001055:Apolipoproteins B; D008055:Lipids