Improvement on the competitive binding assay for the measurement of cyclic AMP by using ammonium sulphate precipitation.

The protein-binding assay developed by Brown, Albano, Ekins, Sgherzi & Tampion [(1971) Biochem. J. 121, 561-562] and Brown, Ekins & Albano [(1972) Adv. Cyclic Nucleotide Res. 2, 25-40] was modified by using precipitation with (NH4)2SO4 of the protein-cyclic AMP complex instead of adsorption of the free nucleotide on charcoal. The half-life of the protein-cyclic AMP complex obtained in the presence of charcoal was lower than that of the (NH4)2SO4-precipitated complex. In consequence, owing to the great stability of the precipitated protein-cyclic AMP complex, this method allows more accurate and reproducible determinations.