Immuno-quantitative polymerase chain reaction for detection and quantitation of prion protein.
Immuno-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is an extremely sensitive detection method, combining the specificity of antibody detection and the sensitivity of PCR. We have developed an immuno-quantitative PCR (iqPCR), exploiting real-time PCR technology, in order to improve this immuno-detection method and make it quantitative. To illustrate the advantages of iqPCR, we have compared it with a conventional enzyme linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) technique in experiments aimed at detecting the cellular and the resistant form of prion protein in bovine brain extract. The iqPCR technique proved to be more sensitive than ELISA, so it could be a technique of choice for the diagnosis of infected animals both at an ante mortem and post-mortem stage.
Service d'Histologie Humaine-Centre de Recherche sur les Protéines Prions, Université de Liège-CHU, Tour de Pharmacie, Liège, Belgium.
Stéphanie
S
Gofflot
Moualij Benaïssa
MB
El
Danièle
D
Zorzi
Laurence
L
Melen
Stefan
S
Roels
Dominique
D
Quatpers
Jacques
J
Grassi
Emmanuel
E
Vanopdenbosch
Ernst
E
Heinen
Willy
W
Zorzi
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002417:Cattle; D006224:Cricetinae; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D011328:Prions / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D011328:Prions