The immunochemistry of solid-phase sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays

Multivalent antigens (Ags) such as membrane proteins can be quantitated by using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), which typically show sensitivity from 0.1 to 50 ng/ml. The percentage of antigen that binds in the log-log linear region reflects the affinity of the capture antibody (CAb), and the range of linearity for assays conducted with a particular CAb is proportional to the antibody (Ab) concentration. The sandwich ELISA titration plot reflects the actual amount of Ag bound when asymmetrical configurations are used; steric hindrance that occurs with certain symmetrical configurations, especially when enzyme-Ab conjugates of greater than or equal to 10(6) daltons are used, can alter this relationship. Monoclonal CAbs bind less Ag than polyclonal CAbs. Immobilization of monoclonal CAbs by using a modified avidin-biotin system can result in greater antigen capture capacity (AgCC) than when the Abs are directly adsorbed on plastic. Adsorption of proteins on polystyrene is noncovalent and proportional to the amount added for up to 150 ng/200 microliter in a microtiter well. Adsorption can result in substantial loss of antigenic or antibody activity. Desorption is continuous at a low level and can negatively influence the results of an immunoassay. Data from microtiter sandwich ELISAs can be readily acquired and analyzed by using a computer-based analysis system (ELISANALYSIS) written for the IBM PC. This analytical system considers the immunochemical principles of sandwich ELISAs predicted theoretically and demonstrated empirically.