An enzyme-linked immunoassay for the levansucrase of Zymomonas mobilis using specific antibodies produced against the cloned enzyme

Abstract

Levansucrase gene (levU) of Z. mobilis had been cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli (Song, K.-B. and Rhee, S.-K. (1994) Biotechnol. Lett. 16, 1305-1310). The levansucrase was purified and specific antibodies against it were raised in rabbits. Specificity of the antibodies was demonstrated by Western analysis. By using the antibodies, an efficient, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) amenable to immunochemical analysis of the levansucrase has been developed. The working range of levansucrase concentration in the developed ELISA was between 75 and 300 ng/ml. The assay was very sensitive to detect the levansucrase as little as 37 ng/ml.