Proposed reference method for iron in serum used to evaluate two automated iron methods.

The manual Reference Method of the Centers for Disease Control for serum iron (CDC/RM/Fe) and a semiautomated adaptation of it were used to evaluate two working methods: one, a detergent solubilization procedure for the Roche Cobas-Bio analyzer, the other, the Kodak Ektachem 700 procedure, based on dry-film technology. The CDC/RM/Fe and its semiautomated version gave essentially the same results for 40 sera from hospital patients. This semiautomated version was in turn compared with the two working procedures in a study involving 200 patients. Each of the working methods correlated well with the semiautomated CDC/RM/Fe method. Separate recovery and interference studies indicated satisfactory analytical recovery of iron in all cases, but the detergent solubilization method was found to be susceptible to interference by hemoglobin, lipemia, and bilirubin.

Evaluation of a kinetic method for prostatic acid phosphatase with use of self-indicating substrate, 2,6-dichloro-4-nitrophenyl phosphate.

The purity, spectral characteristics, and rate of nonenzymatic hydrolysis of 2,6-dichloro-4-nitrophenyl phosphate (DCNPP) were determined. Rates of DCNPP hydrolysis by prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) and erythrocytic acid phosphatase (EAP) (both EC 3.1.3.2) were measured in the absence and in the presence of various alcohols. 1.5-Pentanediol was the most effective transphosphorylation agent for specifically enhancing the activity of PAP. 1,4-Butanediol also enhanced PAP activity but markedly inhibited EAP activity. Bovine and human serum albumin preparations also accelerated the hydrolysis of DCNPP. DCNPP can be used for the continuous or multipoint-rate assay of PAP.

Evaluation of the IFCC reference method for alanine aminotransferase: spurious blank ALT activity due to contamination of D-alanine with L-alanine, and recommendations for a correction.

During an evaluation of the IFCC reference method for alanine aminotransferase (ALT, EC 2.6.1.2), we noted that the specimen blank activity reaction was markedly increased. Experience with five different lots of D-alanine from four commercial sources indicated that substantial and varying negative bias (up to -10%) could be introduced into the blank-corrected ALT activity, depending on the lot of D-alanine used. Although the IFCC procedure for ALT mentions the possibility of this L-alanine contamination, we believe that the degree of contamination in commercial reagents is underestimated. Analyzing the five lots of D-alanine for L-alanine, we found the magnitude of negative bias to be correlated directly with L-alanine contamination. Here, we describe a quick, sensitive assay based on coupled reactions of L-amino acid oxidase/peroxidase for quantifying L-alanine in the concentration range of 0-15 mmol/L without a sample-dilution step. Results by this alternative L-alanine assay agreed well with those recommended in the IFCC ALT procedure. Further examination suggested an even simpler solution to the L-alanine contamination problem, because we found no difference in the blank-corrected ALT activity determined in Tris HCl buffer, with or without D-alanine (free of L-alanine). We therefore propose that D-alanine be omitted from the IFCC reference ALT procedure.

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of human transferrin N-terminal half-molecule: titration and hydrogen-deuterium exchange.

The binding of Ga(III) to the proteolytically derived N-terminal half-molecule of human transferrin (HTF/2N) was studied by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The pH-dependent titration curves of the histidinyl C(2) proton chemical shifts were altered upon formation of the GaIIIHTF/2N(C2O4) ternary complex. Two high-pK'a histidines failed to titrate when the metal and synergistic anion formed a complex with the protein. These results implicated two histidinyl residues as direct ligands to the metal. The rates of hydrogen-deuterium exchange for the C(2) protons of certain histidinyl residues were substantially decreased by metal ion binding. The two ligand histidines were protected from exchange, and a third, low-pK'a, histidinyl residue was protected. We propose that this third histidinyl residue is involved in anion binding and may serve as the base in the putative proton-relay scheme proposed for complex formation.