Direct detection of isotopically labeled metabolites bound to a protein microarray using a charge-coupled device

A charge-coupled device (CCD) was used to quantitatively detect isotope-labeled ligands bound to a protein microarray. Protein microarrays with protein dots, 10-50 microm in diameter, were fabricated on an aluminized Mylar film using an electrospray deposition technique. Proteins in dots were immobilized by cross-linking in glutaraldehyde vapor. After contact with solutions of isotope-labeled metabolites, the protein microarrays were washed, dried and placed face down onto the surface of a standard B/W video CCD chip with the protective window removed. We show here that such a simple inexpensive CCD detector can be used to quantify distribution of 14C and other radioactive isotopes on microarrays.