A solid-phase radioimmunoassay for vitamin B12 in serum, with use of radioiodinated tyrosine methyl ester of vitamin B12.

Although radioassays for vitamin B12 with use of any of several binding proteins have been available for many years, a radioimmunoassay for B12 has not been reported. We describe here such a radioimmunoassay, incorporating, for the first time, a radioiodinated tyrosine methyl ester of B12 as the radioactive tracer. Polypropylene tubes are coated with antiserum raised in a rabbit against B12/bovine serum albumin to simplify the separation of bound and free radioactivity. Factors affecting the preparation of coated tubes are described. The assay is accurate, sensitive, precise, and specific for vitamin B12. Accuracy of the assay is unaffected by the presence of denatured protein. The advantages of this radioimmunoassay over conventional radioassays are discussed.