Assessing Antibody Responses to Pathogens or Model Antigens in Xenopus by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)

Abstract

Xenopus laevis-specific monoclonal antibodies recognize IgM and IgY antibodies not only from X. laevis but also X. tropicalis as well as a variety of amphibian species including Ranidae, Bufonidae, and even some salamanders. These reagents are very useful to assess antibody responses from the serum or other animal secretions (e.g., peritoneal fluid). We present here an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) optimized for amphibians that permits users to detect and titrate the presence of each type of antibody (IgM and IgY) produced against particular pathogens (e.g., virus, bacteria, or fungus) or antigens (e.g., DNP-KLH).