Macromolecules assay

The primary use of EIA when it was first developed was for histological labeling and localization of specific cell macromolecules. Eor example, enzymes labeled with peroxidase were used to locate specific cellular compartments and stmctures for microscopic examination. The flexibiUty of EIA was recognized quickly and it was adapted for use as a laboratory assay. 

It is often important to determine the extent of biotin modification after a biotinylation reaction is complete. Measuring biotin incorporation into macromolecules can aid in optimizing a particular (strept)avidin-biotin assay system. It also can be used to assure reproducibility in... 

Due to their response mechanism the polyion-selective electrodes are not sensitive to the small fragments of polyionic macromolecules. Thus, if an enzyme cleaves the polyionic molecule these sensors can be used for detection of enzyme activity. Polycation protamine is rich in arginine residues that make it a suitable substrate for protease-sensitive electrochemical assays. Real-time detection of trypsine activity was demonstrated with the protamine-selective electrode as a detector [38],... 

Many other types of solid phase adsorbents, including those based on conventional and specialty materials like restricted access media (RAM), can increase analysis speed and improve assay performance. These types of materials, also known as internal reversed-phase packings, are especially useful for assaying target compounds in biological samples such as serum and plasma. They are chemically modified porous silicas that have hydrophilic external surfaces and restricted-access hydrophobic internal surfaces. The ratio of interior to external surface areas is large. Macromolecules such as proteins cannot enter the pores of the RAM (they are excluded from the hydrophobic internal surface) and they elute quickly through the column. However, the smaller analyte molecules that can enter the pores are retained via interactions with the hydrophobic bonded phase within... 

The results summarized above were obtained by using fluorescence based assays employing phospholipid vesicles and fluorescent labeled lipopeptides. Recently, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was developed as new a technique for the study of membrane association of lipidated peptides. Thus, artificial membranes on the surface of biosensors offered new tools for the study of lipopeptides. In SPR (surface plasmon resonance) systemsI713bl changes of the refractive index (RI) in the proximity of the sensor layer are monitored. In a commercial BIAcore system1341 the resonance signal is proportional to the mass of macromolecules bound to the membrane and allows analysis with a time resolution of seconds. Vesicles of defined size distribution were prepared from mixtures of lipids and biotinylated lipopeptides by extruder technique and fused with a alkane thiol surface of a hydrophobic SPR sensor. 

The complexity of the mixtures made it impossible to define the chemical composition so the commercial preparations were divided into four groups (Table 8.2) on the basis of a series of sophisticated chemical assay procedures. Caramel colorants must be compatible with the food products in which they are used, which usually means the absence of flocculation and precipitation in the food. These undesirable effects result from charged macromolecular components of caramel which react with the food. Hence the net ionic charge of the caramel macromolecules at the pH of the intended food product is the prime determinant of compatibility. Caramel colorants are used in a variety of foods (Table 8.2) but over 80% of the caramel produced in the US is used to color soft drinks particularly colas and root beers. 

The process of combining cyanine and squaraine dyes by encapsulation, or covalent or noncovalent attachment with macrocyclic hosts, macromolecules, and micro- or nano-particles is a promising way to design novel probes and labels with substantially improved properties and for the development of advanced fluorescence-based assays. Nevertheless, the physicochemical properties of these dye-compositions are strongly dependent on the dye structure as well as the nature of the host macrocycle, macromolecule, or particle. Finally, development of new methods to synthesize these tracers can also be considered a challenging task. 

Carrier protein Macromolecule to which a hapten is conjugated, thereby enabling the hapten to stimulate the immune response. catELISA Similar to an ELISA, except that the assay detects catalysis as opposed to simple binding between hapten and antibody. The substrate for a reaction is bound to the surface of the microtitre plate, and putative catalytic antibodies are applied. Any product molecules formed are then detected by the addition of anti-product antibodies, usually in the form of a polyclonal mixture raised in rabbits. The ELISA is then completed in the usual way, with an anti-rabbit second antibody conjugated to an enzyme, and the formation of coloured product upon addition of the substrate for this enzyme. The intensity of this colour is then indicative of the amount of product formed, and thus catalytic antibodies are selected directly. 

P. Urios and N. Cittanova, Adaptation of fluorescence polarization immunoassay to the assay of macromolecules, Anal. Biochem. 185, 308-312(1990). 

Telomerization was effective to regulate quantitative incorporation of functional groups to one end of PIPAAm chains [7,8]. Molecular weight of the semitelechilic PIPAAm determined from GPC data was in good agreement with that determined by the end-group assay. This indicates that each macromolecule carries one amino or carboxyl end group. 

Significant advances have been made in the preparation of discrete macromolecules that include both coenzyme function and a defined polypeptide or protein architecture. Preliminary, but promising, functional studies have been carried out and assay methods developed. While in many cases rather modest effects have been observed, what is significant is that the methodology exists to prepare, characterize, and study defined macromolecular constructs. With new information becoming available on co enzyme-dependent protein catalysts from structural biology and mechanistic enzymology, it should be possible to more fully exploit the remarkable breadth of coenzyme reactivity in tailored synthetic systems. 

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