Biotin assay

A variety of biotin-requiring microorganisms have been used to assay biotin Saccharomyces cerevisiae (H6), Lactobacillus casei (S2), Lactobacillus arabinosus (now L. plantarum ATCC No. 8014) (W14), Micrococcus sodonensis (Al), Neurospora crassa (H10), and Rhizobium tri-folii (W7). None have been applied successfully for assaying biotin in biologic fluids. Because the flagellate Ochromoms danica had a specific and sensitive biotin requirement (A2), it was utilized as a reagent for biotin in blood, serum, urine, brain, and liver tissue (B3b). 

Schrijver J, van Breederode N, van ben Berg H, Bitsch R. Biotin in whole blood by microbiological assay biotin in plasma or urine by RIA. In Fidanza F, ed. Nutritional status assessment A manual for population studies. London Chapman 8c Hall, 1991 296-303. 

The reactivity of biotin with several reagents can be exploited in some chemical assays like its reaction with diazo derivatives, or the reaction of the ureido ring with p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde in an acidic medium, but the sensitivity of these assays is relatively poor. Several methods described for biotin assay involve a competitive complex formation between biotin and avidin bound with a chromophore/ fluorophore probe. In these assays, biotin, which has a higher affinity for avidin, quantitatively displaces the probe from the complex. 

Isotope Dilution Assay. An isotope dilution assay for biotin, based on the high affinity of avidin for the ureido group of biotin, compares the binding of radioactive biotin and nonradio active biotin with avidin. This method is sensitive to a level of 1—10 ng biotin (82—84), and the radiotracers typically used are p C]biotin (83), [3H]biotin (84,85) or an I-labeled biotin derivative (86). A variation of this approach uses I-labeled avidin (87) for the assay. 

The LANCE cAMP assay is a competitive assay in which cAMP produced by the cells competes with fluorescent-labeled acceptor cAMP for a cryptate tagged donor antibody. The principal of the assay is shown in Fig. 6. On the left strepta-vidin conjugated Europium binds to biotinylated cAMP. An antibody labeled with the fluorescent dye Alexa binds to the cAMP, bringing the donor and acceptor into close proximity, and energy transfer occurs. When the cell releases cAMP, it competes with the biotin-labeled cAMP for the antibody, and a signal decrease is observed. In the TR-FRET assay the antibody is directly labeled with either Eu or Tb. In this format an increase in cAMP also causes a decrease in signal. 

The power of the pooled GST fusion protein approach will increase as new biochemical reagents and assays become available. The development of chemical probes for biological processes, termed chemical biology, is a rapidly advancing field. For example, the chemical synthesis of an active site directed probe for identification of members of the serine hydrolase enzyme family has recently been described (Liu et al., 1999). The activity of the probe is based on the potent and irreversible inhibition of serine hydrolases by fluorophosphate (FP) derivatives such as diisopropyl fluorophosphate. The probe consists of a biotinylated long-chain fluorophosphonate, called FP-biotin (Liu et al., 1999). The FP-biotin was tested on crude tissue extracts from various organs of the rat. These experiments showed that the reagent can react with numerous serine hydrolases in crude extracts and can detect enzymes at subnanomolar... 

Agiamamioti K, Triantis T, Papadopoulos K, Scorilas A (2006) 10-(2-Biotinyloxyethyl)-9-acridone a novel fluorescent label for (strept)avidin-biotin based assays. J Photoch Photobio A 181 126-131... 

Recently, SETA BioMedicals has developed a new near-infrared squaraine-based label Seta-633, which can be used to study the interaction between low-molecular-weight analytes and proteins using fluorescence lifetime as the readout parameter [19]. This label exhibits lower quantum yields and shorter fluorescence lifetimes when free in solution, but these values substantially increase upon interaction with proteins, which is contrary to tracers like Cy5 or Alexa 647. It was demonstrated in a model assay that a biotinylated Seta-633 binds to anti-biotin with high specificity. Importantly, the lifetime of Seta-633-biotin increases about 2.76 fold upon binding to a specific antibody (anti-biotin, MW =160 kDa), while the titration with BSA or nonspecific antibody does not result in a noticeable change in lifetime (Fig. 13). The label is compatible with readily available light sources (635 nm or 640 nm lasers) and filter sets (as for Cy5 or Alexa 647) and its... 

A variation on the theme of conventional assay uses both lanthanide-labeled and biotin-labeled single strands to form split probes for sequence of target strands (Figure 12).120 When both of these bind to DNA, the complex binds (via the biotin residue) to a surface functionalized with streptavidin, immobilizing the europium and allowing assay to be carried out. This approach is already very sensitive to DNA sequence, since both sequences must match to permit immobilization of the lanthanide, but can be made even more sensitive by using PCR (the polymerase chain reaction) to enhance the concentration of DNA strands. In this way, initial concentrations corresponding to as few as four million molecules can be detected. This compares very favorably with radioimmunoassay detection limits. 

Although a number of cell lines were shown to be sensitive to inhibition by PatA (Low et al., 2005), we selected RKO cells (IC50 of 0.4 nM in cell proliferation assay) to prepare lysates for the isolation and identification of target protein(s). We often select RKO cells for target identification of small molecules using biotin-conjugates, because they appear to be particularly suitable for target protein isolation. 

Based on IgG-bearing beads, a chemiluminescent immuno-biochip has been also realized for the model detection of human IgG. Biotin-labeled antihuman IgG were used in a competitive assay, in conjunction with peroxidase labelled streptavidin59. In that case, the planar glassy carbon electrode served only as a support for the sensing layer since the light signal came from the biocatalytic activity of horseradish peroxidase. Free antigen could then be detected with a detection limit of 25 pg (108 molecules) and up to 15 ng. 

A similar type of biotin-dendritic multimer also was used to boost sensitivity in DNA microarray detection by 100-fold over that obtainable using traditional avidin-biotin reagent systems (Stears, 2000 Striebel et al., 2004). With this system, a polyvalent biotin dendrimer is able to bind many labeled avidin or streptavidin molecules, which may carry enzymes or fluorescent probes for assay detection. In addition, if the biotinylated dendrimer and the streptavidin detection agent is added at the same time, then at the site of a captured analyte, the biotin-dendrimer conjugates can form huge multi-dendrimer complexes wherein avidin or streptavidin detection reagents bridge between more than one dendrimer. Thus, the use of multivalent biotin-dendrimers can become universal enhancers of DNA hybridization assays or immunoassay procedures. 

Figure 7.20 The multivalent surface of dendrimers can be used to couple biotin groups and labels for detection in immunoassays. One such conjugate was made by coupling NHS-biotin and a maleimido-iron chelate to an amine-dendrimer for use in an unique carbonyl metallo assay method.

Figure 7.21 Dendrimers that are fluorescently labeled as well as biotinylated create enhanced detection reagents for use in (strept)avidin-biotin-based assays. Large complexes containing multiple fluorescent dendrimers can bind to antigens and form a highly sensitive detection system that exceeds the detection capability of fluorescently labeled antibodies.

Assay for the level of biotin incorporation using the HABA dye procedure (Chapter 23, Section 7). 

Biotin-hydrazide has been used to biotinylate antibodies at their oxidized carbohydrate residues (O Shanessy et al., 1984, 1987 O Shanessy and Quarles, 1985 Hoffman and O Shannessy, 1988), to modify the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor (Wade et al., 1985), to biotinylate nerve growth factor (NGF) (Rosenberg et al., 1986), and to modify cytosine groups in oligonucleotides to produce probes suitable for hybridization assays (Reisfeld et al., 1987) (Chapter 27, Section 2.3). 

The increased length of this spacer (24.7 A) provides more efficient interaction potential with avidin or streptavidin probes, possibly increasing the sensitivity of assay systems. The reactions of biotin-LC-hydrazide are identical to those of biotin-hydrazide. 

---