BACKGROUND

When an antigen molecule is exposed to serum, many different kinds of antibodies bind to it. The complexity of these binding events is only poorly characterized by assays that generate a single variable, generally reflecting the fractional saturation of the antigen, as the readout.

METHODS

We have previously devised an assay that delivers the essential biochemical variables to determine fractional saturation as the output: an equilibrium dissociation constant for affinity, the ratio of antibody concentration to the equilibrium constant and the concentration of bound antibodies under reference conditions. Here we propose a visualization method for the practical and informative display of these variables.

RESULTS

Using total antigen concentration and free and bound antibody concentration as coordinates in a three-dimensional space, a surface plot can depict the behavior of serum antibodies in the measurement range and identify the values of the key variables of binding activity. This surface display (antibody binding in 3-concentration display, Ab3cD) was used for the characterization of antibody binding to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in seronegative and seropositive sera. We demonstrate that this visualization scheme is suitable for presenting both individual and group differences and that epitope density changes, not commonly measured by immunoassays, are also revealed by the method.

CONCLUSIONS

We recommend the use of 3D visualization whenever detailed, informative and characteristic differences in serum antibody reactivity are studied.