Antigenic properties of keratan sulfate: influence of antigen structure, monoclonal antibodies, and antibody valency.

The influence of (a) antigen structure, (b) type of monoclonal antibody, and (c) antibody bivalency on the immunochemical detection and quantification of keratan sulfate (KS) from aggrecan has been studied. Apparent KS epitope levels were determined by immunoglobulin G (IgG)-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in preparations of human aggrecan and in a defined series of lower molecular weight proteoglycan preparations generated by proteolytic and alkali treatment of aggrecan. Gel filtration chromatography showed KS epitope to be preferentially detected in the higher molecular weight fragments of the preparations. In single KS chains the epitope was detected in the chains of higher M(r). The ability of the proteoglycan to inhibit in the IgG-ELISA decreased with a reduction in proteoglycan fragment size, ranging between 6- and 260-fold, depending on the antibody used. This was considered to be a cooperative binding effect. With most antibodies, the sensitivity of the IgG-ELISA (represented by the steepness of the inhibition slope) was also reduced with smaller inhibitor sizes. The lowest limit of detectability (the amount of KS required to generate 20% inhibition) varied by up to 60-fold depending on the antibody used. The use of monovalent Fab fragments instead of the whole IgG anti-KS antibody in the ELISA showed that the bivalency of the antibody also affected the quantitation of the assay. In the Fab-ELISA the assay was found to have an increased detectability (by 9.5-fold with aggrecan as the inhibitor), and the proteoglycan fragments and aggrecan all generated parallel inhibition curves. Although the Fab-ELISA was somewhat influenced by the structural presentation of the KS, this was not apparent for small fragments and single chains. Thus the effects of cooperative binding and antibody valency could be overcome and quantitative data could be obtained for all samples, using papain-digested samples and the Fab-ELISA. Application of this assay to analysis of body fluids showed the KS-containing fragments in synovial fluid, serum, and urine were of different sizes and could be quantified.