Production of a high-affinity monoclonal antibody specific for 7-(benzo[a]pyren-6-yl)guanine and its application in a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Molecular dosimetry of depurinating DNA adducts of benzo[a]pyrene (BP) is a promising new approach to measurement of cancer risk associated with exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Depurinating adducts of BP are spontaneously released from DNA and can be detected in urine. As a first step toward developing a monoclonal antibody (MAb)-based molecular dosimetry for depurinating DNA adducts of BP, a MAb (MAb CB53) has been produced with high specific affinity for 7-(benzo[a]pyren-6-yl)guanine (BP-6-N7Gua), a major depurinating adduct of BP. Production of this MAb was dependent on the successful synthesis of an effective immunogen consisting of the hydrophobic BP-6-N7Gua coupled to carrier protein via a rigid spacer arm. A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for BP6-N7Gua has been developed with MAb CB53 and has been applied to evaluation of MAb binding and to quantitation of BP-6-N7Gua in a biological sample. The MAb binds with high affinity to BP-6-N7Gua (K-a = 1.4 x 10(8) M(-1)) and to BP-6-N7Ade (K-a = 0.7 x 10(8) M(-1)), another major depurinating DNA adduct of BP, but discriminates well between BP and BP-6-N7Gua. BP-6-N7Gua produces 50% inhibition at 750 fmol in the competitive ELISA, whereas BP produces 50% inhibition at 960 000 fmol. Binding affinities to selected PAH, BP-DNA adducts, and BP metabolites indicate significant contributions of the hydrophobic region C-3, C-4, and C-5 of BP and the polar oxygen of guanine to MAb/adduct binding. In a preliminary test of the utility of the competitive ELISA for quantitation of BP-6-N7Gua in urine samples, the assay (sensitivity: 200 fmol per well) produced an accurate determination of the adduct added to normal human urine.