Skip to main content

A Bioassay for the Determination of Lipopolysaccharides and Lipoproteins

  • Protocol
  • First Online:
Microbial Toxins

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1600))

Abstract

The availability of convenient assays for the detection and quantification of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) is limited. In the case of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) the so-called LAL (limulus amebocyte lysate) test is available, an assay that is performed with the lysate of the blood of the horse shoe crab. Although a sensitive and convenient assay, it lacks specificity, since it is affected by other endotoxins like, for instance, fungal cell walls as well. Here, we describe a bioassay that can be used to detect and quantitate PAMPs in environmental samples. More specific we demonstrate the usage of TLR2 and TLR4/CD14/MD2 transfected Hek293 cells to quantitatively determine bacterial lipoproteins and LPS, respectively. We show the usefulness of these assays to measure LPS in tobacco before and after combustion.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Protocol
USD 49.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Vassallo R, Limper AH (1999) Fungal ß-glucan can yield false-positive results with the limulus amebocyte lysate endotoxin assay. Chest 116:583–584

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Hirano M, Matsumoto T, Kiyohara H, Yamada H (1994) Lipopolysaccharide-independent limulus amebocyte lysate activating, mitogenic and anti-complementary activities of pectic polysaccharides from chinese herbs. Planta Med 60:248–252

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Cooper JF, Weary ME, Jordan FT (1997) The impact of non-endotoxin LAL-reactive materials on Limulus amebocyte lysate analyses. PDA J Pharm Sci Technol 51:2–6

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Ding JL, Ho B (2010) Endotoxin detection—from limulus amebocyte lysate to recombinant factor C. Subcell Biochem 53:187–208

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Lappin DF, Sherrabeh S, Erridge C (2011) Stimulants of Toll-like receptors 2 and 4 are elevated in saliva of periodontitis patients compared with healthy subjects. J Clin Periodontol 38:318–325

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Peters M, Fritz P, Bufe A (2012) A bioassay for determination of lipopolysaccharide in environmental samples. Innate Immun 18:694–699

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Hasday JD, Bascom R, Costa JJ, Fitzgerald T, Dubin W (1999) Bacterial endotoxin is an active component of cigarette smoke. Chest 115:829–835

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Pomorska D, Larsson L, Skórska C, Sitkowska J, Dutkiewicz J (2007) Levels of bacterial endotoxin in air of animal houses determined with the use of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and Limulus test. Ann Agric Environ Med 14:291–298

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Knobloch J, Schild K, Jungck D, Urban K, Müller K, Schweda EK, Rupp J, Koch A (2011) The T-helper cell type 1 immune response to gram-negative bacterial infections is impaired in COPD. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 183:204–214

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Güttsches AK, Löseke S, Zähringer U, Sonnenborn U, Enders C, Gatermann S, Bufe A (2012) Anti-inflammatory modulation of immune response by probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 in human blood mononuclear cells. Innate Immun 18:204–216

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We like to thank Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Wiesmüller (EMCmicrocollections, Tübingen, Germany) for providing us with FSL-1. We like to thank Prof. Dr. Ulrich Zähringer (formerly Forschungszentrum Borstel, Germany) for providing us with E. coli LPS. We like to thank Dimitri Kasakovski for generating the cigarette and smoke extracts. This work was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (PE 1813/2-1).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marcus Peters .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media LLC

About this protocol

Cite this protocol

Peters, M., Bonowitz, P., Bufe, A. (2017). A Bioassay for the Determination of Lipopolysaccharides and Lipoproteins. In: Holst, O. (eds) Microbial Toxins. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1600. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6958-6_14

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6958-6_14

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-6956-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-6958-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

Publish with us

Policies and ethics