Immunoaffinity chromatography of carcinogen DNA adducts with polyclonal antibodies directed against benzo[a]pyrene diol-epoxide-DNA.

Polyclonal antibodies specific for (+/-)-trans-7 beta,8 alpha-dihydroxy-9 alpha,10 alpha-oxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene [(BPDE) CAS: 58917-67-2]-DNA adducts were obtained from the sera of New Zealand White rabbits immunized with BPDE-DNA. These antibodies did not recognize benzo[a]pyrene [(BP) CAS: 50-32-8] or DNA alone or other carcinogen adducts, such as aflatoxin (CAS: 1402-68-2)-DNA or aminopyrene (CAS: 58-15-1)-DNA, up to the concentrations used. In a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, 0.18 microgram BPDE-DNA/ml (single stranded), equivalent to 7 pmol BPDE adduct, caused 50% inhibition with this antibody. (When referring to the DNA content of BPDE-DNA, the authors gave the concentration in microgram/ml; when referring to the BPDE content of BPDE-DNA, the authors gave the concentration as pmol/ml.) Chemical and enzymic modifications of the BPDE-DNA substrate suggested that the epitope for the antibody is greater than that represented by a BPDE-nucleoside adduct. The specific BPDE-DNA antibodies were covalently bound to cyanogen bromide-activated Sepharose 4B, and the extent of ligand binding to the immunoaffinity column was measured with the use of [3H]BPDE-DNA as substrate. Maximum binding to the immunoaffinity column was obtained after DNase 1 digestion of [3H]BPDE-DNA: The bound adducts could be readily eluted from the column with 50 mM NaOH. The binding of DNase 1-digested [3H]BPDE-DNA to the immunoaffinity column was dose related and not affected by the addition of unmodified DNA. The columns have proven to be reusable. Samples of [3H]BP-DNA isolated from the skin of mice treated topically with either 0.75 mumol [3H]BP/mouse or 1.5 mumol [3H]BP/mouse were examined by immunoaffinity chromatography. Binding values of 6.0 and 12.2 pmol BP/mg DNA were obtained; these values from immunoaffinity chromatography were slightly lower than those determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography analysis (9 and 17 pmol BP/mg DNA). With chemically reacted BPDE-DNA, around 70% of that applied was retained by immunoaffinity chromatography, whereas with [3H]BP-DNA isolated from the in vivo treatment of mouse skin, only 40% was retained--a possible reflection of the greater heterogeneity of the in vivo BP-DNA adducts. This immunoaffinity chromatography technique should prove useful in the selective examination of levels of BPDE-DNA adducts present in biological samples.