Generation of Two-color Antigen Microarrays for the Simultaneous Detection of IgG and IgM Autoantibodies

Summary

We describe here a method to generate customizable antigen microarrays that can be used for the simultaneous detection of serum IgG and IgM autoantibodies from humans and mice. These arrays allow for high-throughput and quantitative detection of antibodies against any antigens or epitopes of interest.

Abstract

Autoantibodies, which are antibodies against self-antigens, are present in many disease states and can serve as markers for disease activity. The levels of autoantibodies to specific antigens are typically detected with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. However, screening for multiple autoantibodies with ELISA can be time-consuming and requires a large quantity of patient sample. The antigen microarray technique is an alternative method that can be used to screen for autoantibodies in a multiplex fashion. In this technique, antigens are arrayed onto specially coated microscope slides with a robotic microarrayer. The slides are probed with patient serum samples and subsequently fluorescent-labeled secondary antibodies are added to detect binding of serum autoantibodies to the antigens. The autoantibody reactivities are revealed and quantified by scanning the slides with a scanner that can detect fluorescent signals. Here we describe methods to generate custom antigen microarrays. Our current arrays are printed with 9 solid pins and can include up to 162 antigens spotted in duplicate. The arrays can be easily customized by changing the antigens in the source plate that is used by the microarrayer. We have developed a two-color secondary antibody detection scheme that can distinguish IgG and IgM reactivities on the same slide surface. The detection system has been optimized to study binding of human and murine autoantibodies.

Introduction

Autoantibodies are present in many disease states and can often have direct pathogenic activity¹. Identification of autoantibodies is important for diagnosis of certain diseases, for prognosis of disease outcome, and for the classification of patients who may benefit from specific therapies². Autoantibodies are typically identified in patient serum using the ELISA technique; however, screening for multiple antigens with this technique is laborious and consumes a large quantity of patient sample. New technologies are therefore needed to profile autoantibodies on a larger scale.

The antigen microarray technique is a prot....

Protocol

1. Diluting Antigens and Generating Antigen Microarrays

1. Dilute antigens in PBS to a final concentration of 0.2 mg/ml. Print up to 162 unique antigens in duplicate with a microarrayer configuration with 9 pins. Include IgG and IgM antigens in the antigen library as positive controls. Include PBS only as a negative control.
2. Add 20 µl of each antigen to the 384 well source plate. Add antigens to the source plate in groups that mirror the setup of the printhead (e.g., arrange antigens in groups of 9 when 9 pins are used for printing).
3. Cover source plate with foil and freeze at -80 °C until ready to print arrays.

Results

Antigens are arranged in a 384 well plate and printed onto slides by a robotic microarrayer as shown in Figure 1. Figure 2 shows slides placed in a frame with incubation chambers and a scanned slide after processing. Figure 3 shows positive and negative control slides. The negative slide is only probed with secondary antibodies, and the positive control slide is probed with serum from a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus. By using .......

Discussion

The protocol described here allows for the quantification of autoantibodies using the antigen microarray technique. Antigen microarrays offer several advantages over conventional ELISA in screening for autoantibodies. First of all, a variety of antigens including nucleic acids, proteins, peptides, and cell lysates can be arrayed onto the nitrocellulose-coated slides, thus allowing for multiplexed screening of autoantibodies. In addition, only micrograms of antigen are necessary to generate the arrays since nanoliters of .......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Ribosomal P0	Diarect	14100	dilute to 0.2 mg/ml in PBS
human IgG	Jackson Immuno	009-000-003	dilute to 0.2 mg/ml in PBS
human IgM	Jackson Immuno	009-000-012	dilute to 0.2 mg/ml in PBS
mouse IgG	Sigma-Aldrich	I5381	dilute to 0.2 mg/ml in PBS
mouse IgM	Biolegend	401601	dilute to 0.2 mg/ml in PBS
double-stranded DNA	Sigma-Aldrich	D1626	dilute to 0.2 mg/ml in PBS
single-stranded DNA	Sigma-Aldrich	D8899	dilute to 0.2 mg/ml in PBS
microarrayer	Virtek	VersArray Chipwriter Pro	many types of arrayers are suitable
solid printing pins	Arrayit Corporation	SSP015
software for robotic microarrayer	Virtek	Chipwriter Pro
FAST slides (2 Pad)	GVS Northa America	10485317
FAST frame	GVS Northa America	10486001
FAST incubation chambers (2 Pad)	GVS Northa America	10486242
384 well plates	Whatman	7701-5101
plate sealers	VWR	60941-062
foil plate covers	VWR	60941-124
Tween-20	Fisher Scientific	BP337-500
Fetal calf serum	Invitrogen	12483020
Cy3 goat anti-human IgG	Jackson Immuno	109-165-096	use working stock in 50% glyercol
Cy5 goat anti-human IgM	Jackson Immuno	109-175-129	use working stock in 50% glyercol
Cy3 goat anti-mouse IgG	Jackson Immuno	115-165-071	use working stock in 50% glyercol
Cy5 goat anti-mouse IgM	Jackson Immuno	115-175-075	use working stock in 50% glyercol
Microarray Scanner	Molecular Devices	Axon 4200A
Microarray software	Molecular Devices	Genepix 6.1
Clustering software	eisenlab.org	Cluster 3.0
Heatmap software	eisenlab.org	Treeview 1.60
Microarray statistical software	Stanford University	SAM 4.0 (Significance Analysis of Microarrays)