Multiplex dipstick immunoassay for semi-quantitative determination of Fusarium mycotoxins in cereals.

A multiplex dipstick immunoassay based method for the simultaneous determination of major Fusarium toxins, namely zearalenone, T-2 and HT-2 toxins, deoxynivalenol and fumonisins in wheat, oats and maize has been developed. The dipstick format was based on an indirect competitive approach. Four test lines (mycotoxin-BSA conjugates) and one control line were located on the strip membrane. Labelled antibodies were freeze-dried within the microwell. Two matrix-related sample preparation protocols have been developed for wheat/oats (not containing fumonisins) and maize (containing fumonisins) respectively. The use of a methanol/water mixture for sample preparation allowed recoveries in the range 73-109% for all mycotoxins in all tested cereals, with relative standard deviation less than 10%. The optimized immunoassay was able to detect target mycotoxins at cut off levels equal to 80% of EU maximum permitted levels, i.e. 280, 400, 1400 and 3200 µg kg(-1), respectively, for zearalenone, T-2/HT-2 toxins, deoxynivalenol and fumonisins in maize, and 80, 400 and 1400 µg kg(-1), respectively, for zearalenone, T-2/HT-2 toxins and deoxynivalenol in wheat and oats. Analysis of naturally contaminated samples resulted in a good agreement between multiplex dipstick and validated confirmatory LC-MS/MS. The percentage of false positive results was less than or equal to 13%, whereas no false negative results were obtained. Data on the presence/absence of 6 mycotoxins at levels close to EU regulatory levels were obtained within 30 min. The proposed immunoassay protocol is rapid, inexpensive, easy-to-use and fit for purpose of rapid screening of mycotoxins in cereals.

A multianalyte ELISA for immunochemical screening of sulfonamide, fluoroquinolone and ss-lactam antibiotics in milk samples using class-selective bioreceptors.

A multianalyte ELISA has been developed for the simultaneous determination of the most frequently used antibiotic families in the veterinary field following the typical planar microarray configuration, where the identity of the target analyte is encoded by its location in the detection platform (Master et al. in Drug Discovery Today 11:1007-1011, 2006). To accomplish this aim, two individual enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for sulfonamide and fluoroquinolone antibiotics and an enzyme-linked receptor assay for ss-lactam antibiotics have been combined. The strategy uses microplates coated with the corresponding haptenized proteins in specific sections of the microplate. The samples are mixed with a cocktail containing the bioreagents, and distributed in the wells of the microplate. Identification of the antibiotic present in a particular sample is consequently accomplished by detecting a positive response on the corresponding microplate section. Since the bioreceptors used show a wide recognition of the congeners of each antibiotic family, the multianalyte method is able to detect more than 25 different antibiotics from the three most important antibiotic families. The detectability reached in full-fat milk samples is below the European maximum residue limits. The accuracy and reliability of this multiplexed bioanalytical method have been demonstrated by analyzing blind spiked samples.

Solubilisation and binding characteristics of a recombinant beta2-adrenergic receptor expressed in the membrane of Escherichia coli for the multianalyte detection of beta-agonists and antagonists residues in food-producing animals.

The number of substances with beta-agonistic activity, illegally introduced in meat production or in sports doping as anabolic or beta-blocking agents is increasing. Analytical methods suited for their multianalyte detection are thus necessary. In this perspective, receptor assays were developed. The research activities undertaken in this study describe the solubilisation of a recombinant human beta(2)-adrenergic receptor produced in the inner membrane of genetically modified Escherichia coli, using the detergent n-dodecyl-beta-d-maltoside. Its potential to detect the presence of beta-agonists or beta-blockers in biological samples was evaluated. The solubilised beta(2)-adrenergic receptor retained its binding affinity in a radio-receptor assay based on the competition for the binding to receptors between a ligand (beta-agonist or antagonist) and the radioligand [(125)I]iodocyanopindolol. The IC(50) values ranged from 5+/-1 x 10(-8) M (clenbuterol) to 8+/-2 x 10(-6) M (isoxsuprine) for the beta-agonists tested and from 1.5+/-0.2 x 10(-10) M (carazolol) to 1.2+/-0.2 x 10(-5) M (metoprolol) for the beta-blockers tested. It was shown to have a lower limit of detection than a radio-receptor assay using the solubilised beta(2)-adrenoceptor expressed in a mammalian cell line. The solubilised recombinant human beta(2)-adrenoreceptor expressed in E. coli would be a useful tool to develop non radioactive multianalyte screening methods.

The kinetic properties of the carboxy terminal domain of the Bacillus licheniformis 749/I BlaR penicillin-receptor shed a new light on the derepression of beta-lactamase synthesis.

To study the properties of the BlaR penicillin-receptor involved in the induction of the Bacillus licheniformisbeta-lactamase, the water-soluble carboxy terminal domain of the protein (BlaR-CTD) was overproduced in the periplasm of Escherichia coli JM105 and purified to protein homogeneity. Its interactions with various beta-lactam antibiotics were studied. The second-order acylation rate constants k2/K' ranged from 0.0017 to more than 1 micro M-1s-1 and the deacylation rate constants were lower than 4 x 10-5 s-1. These values imply a rapid to very rapid formation of a stable acylated adduct. BlaR-CTD is thus one of the most sensitive penicillin-binding proteins presently described. In the light of these results, the kinetics of beta-lactamase induction in Bacillus licheniformis were re-examined. When starting with a rather high cell density, a good beta-lactamase substrate such as benzylpenicillin is too sensitive to beta-lactamase-mediated hydrolysis to allow full induction. By contrast, a poor beta-lactamase substrate (7-aminocephalosporanic acid) can fully derepress beta-lactamase expression under conditions where interference of the antibiotic with cell growth is observed. These results suggest that acylation of the penicillin receptor is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for full induction.