G. Strachan et al., Development of robust, environmental, immunoassay formats for the quantification of pesticides in soil, ENV SCI TEC, 34(8), 2000, pp. 1603-1608
Citations number
42
Categorie Soggetti
Environment/Ecology,"Environmental Engineering & Energy
The use of antibodies, or more specifically recombinant antibody fragments
(scAbs), for the immunodetection of pesticides, could provide a rapid, reli
able, and robust method of environmental analysis. The inherent instability
of some antibody structures in nonphysiological conditions, however, limit
s the utility of this approach. We have developed a generic strategy for th
e stabilization of scAbs in polar and nonpolar solvents, and in a range of
other denaturing environments, by the introduction of an interdomain disulf
ide bond, generating stabilized antibody fragments or stAbs. StAbs specific
for the phenoxyacid herbicide mecoprop and the phenylurea herbicide diuron
were fully functional when compared to their equivalent unmodified scAbs b
ut significantly more stable in nonphysiological conditions associated with
the extraction of organics from environmental samples. Antiatrazine, mecop
rop, diuron, and paraquat stAbs were successfully used to accurately identi
fy and quantify pesticides present in solvent and aqueous extracted soil sa
mples. Immunoassay data were validated by HPLC. Recombinant stAbs can be pr
oduced readily, cost-effectively, and in quantity from Escherichia coli exp
ression systems and provide robust reagents for immunoassay detection of po
llutants present in complex environmental matrices.