PEPTIDE DETECTION IN SINGLE CELLS USING A DOT IMMUNOBLOT ASSAY

A highly sensitive dot immunoblot assay (DIA) for the detection and qu antitative measurement of small peptides in single cells is presented. This DIA protocol is simple, rapid, and produces no radioactive waste . Its femtomole sensitivity is 100 fold greater than previously descri bed DIAs. This DIA method is sufficiently sensitive to allow reliable peptide measurements to be obtained from a single cell in a manner tha n is faster and easier than other peptide detection procedures. This m ethod can also be used for several other purposes, including assessing antibody specificity and peptide quantification. (C) 1997 Elsevier Sc ience Inc.