Identification of whole pathogenic cells by monoclonal antibodies generated against a specific peptide from an immunogenic cell wall protein

Short Peptides Allowing Preferential Detection of Candida albicans Hyphae

“…We added a C-terminal lysine residue for biotinylation (Table ) to allow detection via fluorescently labeled streptavidin (SAV-FITC) and labeled the peptides FBP1, FBP2, and FBP3, respectively. In the initial experiments, binding of peptides to C. albicans was analyzed by flow cytometry, which is a powerful method in diagnostic microbiology, as it allows quantification of the fluorescent staining of single cells . However, it is not applicable to mature, long hyphae of C. albicans (see Figure C), as these would block the systems.…”

“…In the initial experiments, binding of peptides to C. albicans was analyzed by flow cytometry, which is a powerful method in diagnostic microbiology, 19 as it allows quantification of the fluorescent staining of single cells. 12 However, it is not applicable to mature, long hyphae of C. albicans (see Figure 1C), as these would block the systems. To include nevertheless both morphologies, we incubated a culture with germinating C. albicans cells, i.e., a culture containing yeast form cells and cells in the initial phase of the yeast-to-hyphae morphological switch (Figure 1A), with each of the three peptides.…”

“…We had previously shown that antibodies could be generated, which allow the detection of C. albicans via binding to a specific epitope of a protein localized in the cell wall of C. albicans . However, antibodies are complex proteins and their production requires immunization of animals and cultivation of mammalian cells.…”

A novel application of radiomimetic compounds as antibiotic drugs

“…Yacoby and Benhar, among others, have been advocating for the use of antibody targeted therapies in antimicrobial therapies,[43,44] which if applied to the radiomimetics would produce extremely potent, fast‐acting agents that could mitigate the selectivity issues that originally limited radiomimetic use as antimicrobials. One recent method developed utilizes cell wall proteins of specific bacteria to be utilized in the production of monoclonal antibodies, which were subsequently shown to bind to the host bacterial cell, a technology that could be used to produce specific antibodies to a bacteria of interest such as S. aureus [45]. Additionally Bleo has recently been loaded onto magnetite nanoparticles as a new antitumour drug delivery system [46].…”

“…One recent method developed utilizes cell wall proteins of specific bacteria to be utilized in the production of monoclonal antibodies, which were subsequently shown to bind to the host bacterial cell, a technology that could be used to produce specific antibodies to a bacteria of interest such as S. aureus. [45] Additionally Bleo has recently been loaded onto magnetite nanoparticles as a new antitumour drug delivery system. [46] The use of nanoparticles to deliver traditional antibiotics has demonstrated great promise to improved antibiotic effectiveness, [47] and this technology could also be developed to improve the targeting of Bleo and other radiomimetics to microbes of interest.…”