Circulating cardiac troponin-I autoantibodies in human plasma and serum.

We identified IgG reactive with human cardiac troponin-I (cTnI) in plasma and serum samples (N = 1930) from normal blood donors, and in sample cohorts characterized on the basis of clinical biomarkers associated with cardiac, infectious, and autoimmune diseases. cTnI and brain natriuretic peptide were the biomarkers chosen to reflect myocyte damage or left ventricular dysfunction, respectively. The infectious disease cohorts were serologically positive for antibodies to hepatitis B (natural infection), hepatitis C virus, and Chagas (i.e., T.cruzi). The autoimmune cohorts were represented by samples from diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus (biomarker: dsDNA) and rheumatoid arthritis (biomarker: rheumatoid factor) subjects. The prevalence of IgG autoantibodies reactive with cTnI was high in the normal donor cohort (95/750, 12.7%). The prevalence in the other sample cohorts was not significantly different from that in the normal blood donors, with the exception of a slight increase in the rheumatoid factor cohort (28/137, 20.4%). The presence of anti-cTnI IgG in highly reactive samples was confirmed by inhibition with the antigen and further by screening with a library of peptides derived from the human cTnI amino acid sequence. Our data suggest that these autoantibodies are polyspecific, encompassing epitopes across the entire cTnI sequence, including the cardiac-specific amino terminal region.

Rapid high-throughput detection of peroxide with an acridinium-9-carboxamide: a homogeneous chemiluminescent assay for plasma choline.

Hydrogen peroxide generated from the enzymatic oxidation of choline was detected using a chemiluminescent acridinium-9-carboxamide. The dose-response for choline (0-50 microM) was established in buffer and was applicable to the quantification of choline in human plasma. This homogeneous assay was performed in a 96-well microplate format and required minimal sample volume (1 microL) and analysis time (<5 s per well).

Chemiluminescent acridinium-9-carboxamide boronic acid probes: application to a homogeneous glycated hemoglobin assay.

Chemiluminescent acridinium-9-carboxamide probes containing 1, 3, 9, and 27 phenylboronic acids were prepared and their chemiluminescent properties evaluated. The relative chemiluminescent signal from the probes varied from 4 to 0.83 x 10(19)counts/mol across the series, while the apparent affinity of the probes for the diabetes marker glycated hemoglobin increased from 211 to 0.43 microM. The dose-dependent modulation of the chemiluminescent intensity of the probes upon binding was used to demonstrate a homogeneous assay for glycated hemoglobin.

Homogeneous chemiluminescent assays for free choline in human plasma and whole blood.

Choline was oxidized in the presence of choline oxidase and the hydrogen peroxide generated was detected using a chemiluminescent acridinium-9-carboxamide. The dose response for choline (0-150 microM) was established in buffer and was validated for the quantification of choline in human plasma and whole blood. This homogeneous assay was performed in a 96-well microplate format and required minimal sample volume (4 microL) and short analysis time (<5s per well). The new assay(s) correlated well (R>0.98, plasma; R>0.97, whole blood) with LC-MS/MS.

Intrinsic factor-mediated modulation of cyanocobalamin-N-sulfonyl-acridinium-9-carboxamide chemiluminescence.

Two cyanocobalamin-N-sulfonyl-acridinium-9-carboxamides with linkage through the N(10) or 9-position were prepared from B(12)-e-carboxylic acid. The noncovalent association of intrinsic factor with these ligands resulted in specific modulation of the associated chemiluminescence signal either by quenching or changing the emission profile. Either effect was sufficient to formulate a homogeneous assay to detect vitamin B(12) in buffer.

Chemiluminescence quenching of pteroic acid-N-sulfonyl-acridinium-9-carboxamide conjugates by folate binding protein.

N(10)-Trifluoroacetylpteroic acid was conjugated to chemiluminescent N-sulfonylacridinium-9-carboxamide labels at the N(10) or 9-position carboxamide. Upon binding to folate binding protein the light output of the N(10) derivative (9) was quenched up to 62% upon triggering with basic peroxide, while the 9-position carboxamide conjugate (7) was quenched only 12%. The utility of this effect was demonstrated in a model homogeneous chemiluminescent assay for folic acid.

Regiodependent luminescence quenching of biotinylated N-sulfonyl-acridinium-9-carboxamides by avidin.

[reaction: see text] Biotin was conjugated to chemiluminescent N-sulfonylacridinium-9-carboxamides at the N-10 or 9-position carboxamide. Upon binding to avidin, the light output of the N-10 derivative (8) was quenched up to 92% upon triggering with basic peroxide, while the 9-position carboxamide conjugate (9) was quenched only 33%. The utility of this effect was demonstrated in a model homogeneous chemiluminescence assay.

Synthesis of probes with broad pH range fluorescence.

Reaction of a rhodamine 2'-ester with an excess of alkyldiamines provides amino-functionalized rhodamine spirolactams, which when subsequently conjugated with carboxyfluorescein, provides probes which are fluorescent at acidic, neutral, and basic pH ranges.

Synthesis of a novel fluorescent probe for estrogen receptor.

A novel estradiol-mimetic fluorescent probe 5 was synthesized from diethylstilbestrol (DES, 1), which is useful for probing estrogen receptor (ERalpha), a prognostic indicator of estrogen-dependent cancers, and for developing a homogeneous fluorescence polarization (FP) assay to identify the ligands of estrogen receptor.

Complete sequencing of anti-vancomycin fab fragment by liquid chromatography-electrospray ion trap mass spectrometry with a combination of database searching and manual interpretation of the MS/MS spectra.

Sequencing of anti-vancomycin monoclonal antibody (mAb) Fab region (48,000 Da) was carried out using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS). Comprehensive strategies were employed to ensure complete sequence coverage. The sequence information was obtained from the spectra of collision-induced dissociation (CID) (MS/MS) of the protonated proteolytic peptides resulting from multiple enzymatic digestions of reduced/S-carboxymethylated (RCM) light chain and Fd fragment. Database searching of the spectra against the published immunoglobulin G (IgG) sequences allowed the identification of all the peptides in constant domains as well as partial sequences in variable domains. The rest of the sequences were deduced by manual interpretation of the peptide tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) spectra. The analysis showed that the N-terminus of the heavy chain was modified by the conversion of a glutamine residue to pyroglutamic acid.

Dual analyte detection using tandem flash luminescence.

A heterogeneous, dual analyte-binding assay which makes use of the flash luminescence from both aequorin and an acridinium-9-carboxamide label is presented. The signal generating species were triggered both differentially and sequentially using Ca(2+) followed by basic peroxide. Both signals were resolved readily using a single photomultiplier tube without the need for multiwavelength detection. To demonstrate the tandem luminescence concept in a model assay system, dose-response curves for two analytes, biotinylated BSA and myoglobin, were generated using a competitive binding format. Because of the relatively short assay time and the well-resolved signals, this format will be useful in the development of dual analyte high-throughput assays.