3.5-scFv-β-lactamase, a new protein detector of picric acid, the highly nitrated organic explosive

Abstract

A new protein detector of 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP, picric acid) is concisely reported herein for the first time. In brief, the gene of a specific scFv fragment, namely 3.5, was fused separately with the gene of β-lactamase and, subsequently, expressed in the periplasmic space of Escherichia coli, affording in such a way the recombinant fusion protein 3.5-scFv-β-lactamase. This bifunctional immunoreagent tool was further convincingly demonstrated for being capable to directly detect trinitrophenol-tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (TNP-Tris), a less toxic TNP derivative of choice compared to TNP itself, with competitive sensitivity (50 ± 2 fmol or 175 ± 6 pg/mL).

Keywords:

• scFv-antibody
• enzyme
• fusion protein (scFv-antibody + enzyme of choice)
• TNP
• new immunoreagent tool

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The experimental part was done at the University Hamburg, Germany under financial support of German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). In terms of the manuscript preparation, this study was kindly supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Research grants Nos. TR 31,093 and OI 172,053).