Structurally modified antibodies

Muller, R., and Rajewsky, M. F. (1981). Antibodies specific for DNA components structurally modified by chemical carcinogens. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 102, 99-113. 

The simplicity of this assay makes it highly attractive for further development. Some of the limitations include the need for the preparation of relatively large amounts of appropriately modified DNA for the initial immunization. This may be reduced with the development of in vitro immunization techniques in which as little as 5ng of antigen can be effective. The antibodies must also be characterized once prepared. For example, a variety of monoclonal antibodies against B[a]PDE-modified DNA have been prepared (42) which show varying specificity. At one extreme, some require the full structure of the adduct bound to DNA, at the other, BtalP tetraol will effectively compete. What is not clear at the moment is how specific such antisera are for a particular PAH. Will these antisera recognize only B[a]P tetraol structures or those of any diol epoxide modified DNA ... 

Thus, as more specific monoclonal antibodies are prepared, it should become possible to determine not only the total extent of DNA modification but also to gain insight into the structural and conformational properties of such modified DNA. 

Maehashi et al. (2007) used pyrene adsorption to make carbon nanotubes labeled with DNA aptamers and incorporated them into a field effect transistor constructed to produce a label-free biosensor. The biosensor could measure the concentration of IgE in samples down to 250 pM, as the antibody molecules bound to the aptamers on the nanotubes. Felekis and Tagmatarchis (2005) used a positively charged pyrene compound to prepare water-soluble SWNTs and then electrostatically adsorb porphyrin rings to study electron transfer interactions. Pyrene derivatives also have been used successfully to add a chromophore to carbon nanotubes using covalent coupling to an oxidized SWNT (Alvaro et al., 2004). In this case, the pyrene ring structure was not used to adsorb directly to the nanotube surface, but a side-chain functional group was used to link it covalently to modified SWNTs. 

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