O-antigen biotin conjugates. Preparation and use in direct competitive enzyme immunoassays.

Bacterial O-antigens coupled to biotin were shown to function well as labelled antigens in direct enzyme immunoassay. O-polysaccharides released from lipopolysaccharides by mild acid hydrolysis were oxidized by sodium periodate at sites located within the lipopolysaccharide inner core region and the generated aldehyde groups were subjected to reductive amination with 1,3-diaminopropane to yield per-aminated O-polysaccharide derivatives. Biotin was coupled to the introduced amino groups by way of a N-hydroxy-succinimide ester derivative. Biotinylated polysaccharides were used in direct enzyme immunoassays, that employed monoclonal antibody coated microtitre plates and detection of bound biotinylated antigen by streptavidin/horseradish peroxidase reagent. The assay format was designed for rapid estimation of the affinity constants of monoclonal antibodies for small oligosaccharide inhibitors, but the assay is also well suited to fast and sensitive detection of bacterial O-polysaccharides at concentrations within the range 1-10 ng/ml.