Enzyme sandwich method

Massayeff, R. and Maillini, R. (1975) A sandwich method of enzyme immunoassay. Application to rat and human a-fetoprotein. J. Immunol. Methods 8,223-234. 

The above represent the past and present of the most common enzyme-mediated methods of antigen detection. There are alternate procedures available, involving such methods as antibiotin antibody steps that combine the avidin-biotin systems with a further antibiotin/antienzyme sandwich for still greater sensitivity. Also, there are methods that follow a PAP procedure with a biotinylated antibody to the PAP immunoglobulin followed by ABC detection (15). The obvious problem created with this approach is the tremendous... 

Among the many immunological assay methods, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods (ELISA) are the most popular methods. ELISA can detect both antigen molecules and antibody molecules with only a slight modification of the procedure. The direct-binding and sandwich methods that are used for the... 

Burns J. Background staining and sensitivity of the unlabeled antibody-enzyme (PAP) method Comparison with the peroxidase-labeled antibody sandwich method using formalin-fixed paraffin embedded material. Histochemistry. 1975 43 291. 

An alternative to the indirect method is the so-called Sandwich method. In this method the relevant antigen is adsorbed to the solid phase. The test sample is then incubated with this solid phase and subsequently the enzyme linked antigen conjugate is reacted. Finally, the substrate is added to develop colour. 

A variation to this method to increase its sensitivity has been made through the use of biotin-avidin system. The above sandwich method is followed as it is up to the incubation of test sample reagent with the solid phase (step (11)1. Subsequent a biotin-labeled antibocfy is reacted. Finally an avidin-linked enzyme solution is incubated. 

A sandwich immunoassay is another widely used detection scheme and involves the use of two antibodies. The first antibody is immobilized on the fiber and is used to capture the antigen, and the second antibody, which is conjugated to a fluorescent dye or enzyme, is used to generate the signal (Fig. 16c). When an enzyme is used for antibody labeling, the enzymatic conversion of a nonflu-orescent substrate to a fluorescent product is measured. The enzyme-labeling method is more sensitive since the signal is amplified by the enzymatic reaction. 

As an alternative, extremely sensitive detection can be achieved with reporter antibody probes tagged with intensely SERS-active compounds or with enzymes that react with substrates to yield SERS-active products. These methods often involve sandwich immunoassay techniques, which increase the number of required steps but offer the advantages of excellent sensitivity and the potential for label multiplexing. For example, Nie and coworkers recently reported the simultaneous detection of two types of antigens in a... 

The design and implementation of a portable fiber-optic cholinesterase biosensor for the detection and determination of pesticides carbaryl and dichlorvos was presented by Andreou81. The sensing bioactive material was a three-layer sandwich. The enzyme cholinesterase was immobilized on the outer layer, consisting of hydrophilic modified polyvinylidenefluoride membrane. The membrane was in contact with an intermediate sol-gel layer that incorporated bromocresol purple, deposited on an inner disk. The sensor operated in a static mode at room temperature and the rate of the inhibited reaction served as an analytical signal. This method was successfully applied to the direct analysis of natural water samples (detection and determination of these pesticides), without sample pretreatment, and since the biosensor setup is fully portable (in a small case), it is suitable for in-field use. 

Nowadays, antibodies are utilized in numerous immunoanalytical methods. Those widely used in practice, such as radioimmunoassays, fluoroimmunoassays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), require labelled reagents. Millions of ELISA tests for diagnostics of various diseases are daily performed in clinical laboratories. The detection of analytes by two-antibody "sandwich" ELISA, is schematically outlined in Figure 3. 

Noncompetitive ELISA methods are based on sandwich assays in which an excess supply of immobilized primary antibody, the capture antibody, quantitatively binds the antigen of interest and an enzyme-labeled secondary antibody is then allowed to react with the bound antigen forming a sandwich. A color reaction product produced by the enzyme is then used to measure the enzyme activity that is bound to the surface of the microtiter plate. Sandwich ELISA (noncompetitive) methods yield calibration curves in which enzyme activity increases with increasing free antigen concentration. 

The PAP method was pioneered by Sternberger in 1979 (1). The method uses an immunological sandwich amplification and the enzyme peroxidase to effect a signal. The unique feature of this procedure is the enzyme/antibody solution, the PAP immune complex. The horseradish peroxidase enzyme, itself an immunogenic protein, is used to inoculate a given species, and a polyclonal immune response is generated against the enzyme. This antiserum is harvested and placed in solution with the enzyme so that immune complexes form that... 

T4. Tanaka, K., Kohno, T, Hashida, S., and Ishikawa, E., Novel and sensitive noncompetitive (two-site) enzyme immunoassay for h tens with amino groups. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 4,208—212(1990). T5. Towbin, H., Motz, J., Oroszlan, R, and Zingel, O., Sandwich immunoassay for the hapten angiotensin II. A novel assay principle based on antibodies against immune complexes. J. Immunol. Methods 181, 167-176 (1995). 

The principle approach to immunoassay is illustrated in Figure 1, which shows a basic sandwich immunoassay. In this type of assay, an antibody to the analyte to be measured is immobilized onto a solid surface, such as a bead or a plastic (microtiter) plate. The test sample suspected of containing the analyte is mixed with the antibody beads or placed in the plastic plate, resulting in the formation of the antibody—analyte complex. A second antibody which carries an indicator reagent is then added to the mixture. This indicator may be a radioisotope, for RIA an enzyme, for EIA or a fluorophore, for fluorescence immunoassay (FIA). The antibody-indicator binds to the first antibody—analyte complex, free second antibody-indicator is washed away, and the two-antibody—analyte complex is quantified using a method compatible with the indicator reagent, such as quantifying radioactivity or enzyme-mediated color formation (see Automated instrumentation, clinical chemistry). 

Fujiwara, K., Matsumoto, N., Yagisawa, S., Tanimori, H., Kitagawa, T., Hirota, M., Hiratani, K., Fukushima, K., Tomonaga, A., Hara, K., and Yamamoto, K. (1988) Sandwich enzyme immunoassay of tumor-associated antigen sialosylated Lewis31 using p-D-galactosidase coupled to a monoclonal antibody of IgM isotype. J. Immunol. Methods 112, 77—83. 

Despite these improvements, there are other important biosensor limitations related to stability and reproducibility that have to be addressed. In this context, enzyme immobilisation is a critical factor for optimal biosensor design. Typical immobilisation methods are direct adsorption of the catalytic protein on the electrode surface, or covalent binding. The first method leads to unstable sensors, and the second one presents the drawback of reducing enzyme activity to a great extent. A commonly used procedure, due to its simplicity and easy implementation, is the immobilisation of the enzyme on a membrane. The simplest way is to sandwich the enzyme between the membrane and the electrode. Higher activity and greater stability can be achieved if the enzyme is previously cross-linked with a bi-functional reagent. 

Fig. 3. Comparison of different enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) methods adapted for immuno-polymerase chain reaction (IPCR). Dependent on the purification grade of the sample to be analyzed and the availability of specific and functionalized antibodies, several typical ELISA protocols were adapted to IPCR. In the direct approach (A), the pure antigen is immobilized to the microplate surface and subsequently detected by a labeled specific antibody. If no labeled antibody is available (e.g., because of unpurified ascites fluid containing the antibody or loss in activity following labeling), a standardized labeled secondary species-specific antibody is used for detection of the primary antigen-specific antibody (B). For the detection of the antigen from matrices such as serum, plasma, tissue homogenate, and so on, a capture antibody immobilized to the microplate surface was used either in a direct (C) or indirect (D) sandwich approach, with the latter one additionally including a secondary species-specific detection antibody. For different methods of coupling antibody and DNA, abbreviated by in this figure, compare Fig. 2. Note that protein A chimeras (Fig. 2A) are not compatible with capture antibodies (Fig. 3C, D).

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