A dissociative fluorescence enhancement technique for one-step time-resolved immunoassays.

The limitation of current dissociative fluorescence enhancement techniques is that the lanthanide chelate structures used as molecular probes are not stable enough in one-step assays with high concentrations of complexones or metal ions in the reaction mixture since these substances interfere with lanthanide chelate conjugated to the detector molecule. Lanthanide chelates of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) are extremely stable, and we used EuDTPA derivatives conjugated to antibodies as tracers in one-step immunoassays containing high concentrations of complexones or metal ions. Enhancement solutions based on different ß-diketones were developed and tested for their fluorescence-enhancing capability in immunoassays with EuDTPA-labelled antibodies. Characteristics tested were fluorescence intensity, analytical sensitivity, kinetics of complex formation and signal stability. Formation of fluorescent complexes is fast (5 min) in the presented enhancement solution with EuDTPA probes withstanding strong complexones (ethylenediaminetetra acetate (EDTA) up to 100 mM) or metal ions (up to 200 µM) in the reaction mixture, the signal is intensive, stable for 4 h and the analytical sensitivity with Eu is 40 fmol/L, Tb 130 fmol/L, Sm 2.1 pmol/L and Dy 8.5 pmol/L. With the improved fluorescence enhancement technique, EDTA and citrate plasma samples as well as samples containing relatively high concentrations of metal ions can be analysed using a one-step immunoassay format also at elevated temperatures. It facilitates four-plexing, is based on one chelate structure for detector molecule labelling and is suitable for immunoassays due to the wide dynamic range and the analytical sensitivity.

Synthesis and properties of a neutral derivative of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA).

A neutral bifunctional derivative of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid europium(III) (11) was synthesized and its suitability to dissociation-enhanced lanthanide fluorescence immunoassay was investigated.

Synthesis of building blocks for solid-phase introduction of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) to oligonucleotides and oligopeptides.

Synthesis of building blocks that allow site-specific incorporation of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) to oligonucleotides and oligopeptides using phosphoramidite and Fmoc chemistries, respectively, is described.

Labeling of proteins and oligopeptides with luminescent lanthanide(III) chelates.

Synthesis of a building block that allows introduction of photoluminescent europium(III) and samarium(III) chelates to synthetic oligopeptides on solid phase using standard Fmoc chemistry is described. Upon completion of the oligopeptide synthesis, these conjugates were converted to the corresponding lanthanide(III) chelates by treatment with appropriate lanthanide(III) salt. Also synthesis of a new terpyridine-based europium(III) chelate designed for solution phase protein labeling is demonstrated.

Solid-phase synthesis of oligonucleotides labeled with luminescent lanthanide(III) chelates.

The synthesis of phosphoramidite building blocks that allow introduction of luminescent europium(III), terbium(III), dysprosium(III), and samarium(III) chelates to oligonucleotides on the solid phase is described. Several labeled oligonucleotides using these building blocks were prepared, and the photophysical properties of these bioconjugates were investigated.

Labeling of steroids on solid phase.

Up to four tetra-tert-butyl-1-[4-aminoacetamido)benzyl]diethylenetriaminetetrakis(acetato) derivatives of Fmoc glutamic acid (1) were attached to two steroids (17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone-3-O-carboxymethyloxime 2 and 1,3,5(10)-estratriene-3,16alpha,17beta-triol-6-one-6-O-carboxymethyloxime, 3)) on solid phase using an oligopeptide synthesizer. Upon deprotection and conversion to the corresponding europium(III) chelates, these steroid conjugates were used in DELFIA-based competitive fluoroimmunoassays. The more chelates conjugated to 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, the more diluted antiserum could be used in an immunoassay for 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, without any alteration of the measurement range. Hence, 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone tracers with several chelates are useful when a high serum dilution factor is desired i.e., when only a limited quantity of antiserum is available. The result demonstrates the suitability and usefulness of lanthanide(III) chelates as multilabels in bioaffinity assays.

Caspase multiplexing: simultaneous homogeneous time-resolved quenching assay (TruPoint) for caspases 1, 3, and 6.

Caspases are a group of cysteine proteases involved in apoptosis and inflammation. A multiparametric homogeneous assay capable of measuring activity of three different caspases in a single well of a microtiter plate is described. Different fluorescent europium, samarium, terbium, and dysprosium chelates were coupled to a caspase substrate peptide, their luminescence properties, were analyzed, and their function in a time-resolved fluorescence quenching-based caspase 3 assay was studied. Substrates for caspases 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8 and granzyme B were also synthesized and their specificities for different caspases were determined. By selecting suitable lanthanide chelates and substrates we developed a multiparametric homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence quenching-based assay for caspases 1, 3, and 6. The assay was capable of measuring the activity of both single caspases and a mixture of three caspases mixed in the same well.

Nonradioactive GTP binding assay to monitor activation of g protein-coupled receptors.

GPCRs represent important targets for drug discovery because GPCRs participate in a wide range of cellular signaling pathways that play a role in a variety of pathological conditions. A large number of screening assays have been developed in HTS laboratories for the identification of hits or lead compounds acting on GPCRs. One type of assay that has found relatively widespread application, due to its at least in part generic nature, relies on the use of a radioactive GTP analogue, [(35)S]GTPgammaS. The G-protein alpha subunit is an essential part of the interaction between receptor and G proteins in transmembrane signaling, where the activated receptor catalyzes the release of GDP from Galpha, thereby enabling the subsequent binding of GTP or a GTP analogue. [(35)S]GTPgammaS allows the extent of this interaction to be followed quantitatively by determining the amount of radioactivity associated with cell membranes. However, with the increased desire to move assays to nonradioactive formats, there is a considerable need to develop a nonradioactive GTP binding assay to monitor ligand-induced changes in GPCR activity. The Eu-GTP binding assay described here is based on TRF that exploits the unique fluorescence properties of lanthanide chelates, and provides a powerful alternative to assays using radioisotopes. In this article, we have used the human alpha(2A)-AR as a model GPCR system to evaluate the usefulness of this Eu-GTP binding assay.

Synthesis of nonluminescent lanthanide(III) chelates tethered to an aminooxy group and their applicability to biomolecule derivatization.

Synthesis of nonluminescent lanthanide(III) chelates tethered to an aminooxy group (i.e., 1-[4-(6-aminooxyhexamido)benzyl]diethylenetriaminetetraacetic acid lanthanides(III), 6a-d, where Ln(3+) is Eu, Dy, Sm, and Tb) is described. Their applicability to biomolecule derivatization is demonstrated by allowing them to react with a synthetic oligopeptide, a protein, two synthetic drugs, and a steroid. The oligopeptide and protein were linked to 6 after preoxidation of their N-terminal serine residues, while the drugs and the steroid reacted via their ketone functionality. Also some application data is included.

Introduction of lanthanide(III) chelates to oligopeptides on solid phase.

The synthesis of oligopeptide building blocks for the introduction of nonluminescent and luminescent lanthanide(III) chelates to the oligopeptide structure on the solid phase is described. The oligopeptide conjugates synthesized were used in DELFIA-based receptor binding assay (motilin) as well as in LANCE time-resolved fluorescence quenching assay (caspase-3).