Click Chemistry-Assisted Bioconjugates for Hapten Immunodiagnostics.

Bioorthogonal reactions have revolutionized the way low-molecular-weight compounds are coupled to biomolecules. Organic chemistry, polymer science, and chemical biology are among the disciplines that have benefited the most from this breakthrough. Despite the reliability of the click chemistry concept for the efficient and chemoselective functionalization of biomacromolecules with haptens at preferred positions, the fact that azide-alkyne cycloaddition reactions originate new chemical moieties as part of the linker may have delayed their application in the immunodiagnostic field. Using the mycotoxin ochratoxin A as a model compound, we herein demonstrate for the first time that bioconjugates arising from the ligation between an azido-bearing hapten and an alkyne-modified carrier protein are able to elicit the generation of high-affinity monoclonal antibodies suitable for the development of rapid methods for the immunodetection of small organic molecules.