Contents of Kit
1.Ready-to-use precoated and stabilized microtiter plate and plate sealer (1 each per kit). Store at 4-8°C.
2. 1.3ml (each) of five different standard concentrations of recombinant porcine Mx1: 300, 75, 18.75, 4.69, and 1.17ng/ml. Ready for establishing a standard curve. Store frozen (-20°C).
3.75μl of a peroxidase conjugated detection antibody (concentrated 100x). Spin briefly before opening to retrieve all the solution. Store at 4-8°C.
4.50ml assay buffer (3x concentrated), a purple solution containing a blocking agent and a preservative. Store at 4-8°C.
5.15ml lysis buffer, to be added to anticoagulated whole blood at a ratio of 1 in 20. Store at room temperature.
6. 1.5ml Tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) - H2O2 solution. Protect from light and store at 4-8°C.
7.Substrate Buffer, 30ml potassium citrate, pH 4.1. Store at 4-8°C.
The kit is stable for 12 months after delivery when stored under the conditions indicated above.
General Description
Porcine Mx1, or by its official name Interferon-induced GTP-binding protein Mx1, is also known by its alternative name Myxovirus resistance protein 1, UniProt accession number P27594.
The group of Mx proteins was originally discovered and identified in studies using mouse strains which are either resistant or susceptible to influenza (Horisberger 1983). This resistance is mediated by the type I interferon (IFNα/β) - induced Mx1 which has an intrinsic antiviral activity that is necessary and sufficient for protection against influenza virus. Mx1 is a dynamin-like GTPase with antiviral activity against a wide range of RNA viruses and some DNA viruses. Mx proteins have been found in all animal species tested so far.
Mx proteins are induced by type I IFN, by double-stranded RNA and some viruses in mammalian cells (Horisberger 1991). Expression can be rapid and abundant and remains localized intracellularly. The highest levels of Mx1 induction have been found in the target organs for virus replication (Horisberger 1989). With respect to this ELISA, this implies that the relevant cells – leukocytes - need to undergo lysis and maximum solubilization of their contents. This is achieved by adding a suitable lysis buffer to freshly drawn anticoagulated blood before analysis or frozen storage.
More than 30 different proteins are induced by IFNs. The measurement of interferon-induced proteins can be used to quantify the presence of biologically active interferons. Mx1 is particularly attractive in this regard since it can quickly increase to high levels of expression that may reach 1% of the total cytosolic protein (Horisberger 1992), and it is stable.
A rapid determination of porcine Mx1 should be useful in pig population screenings, as well diagnostically as prophylactically, for the treatment and handling of at-risk populations.
Immunohistochemical analysis of lung tissue after experimental infection of pigs with influenza virus showed distinct reactivity in epithelial cells and macrophages. Corresponding kinetics indicated maximal expression of Mx1 at days 1 and 2 post inoculation (Jung 2006).
Functions
Mx proteins can be located in the cytoplasm or the nucleus, conferring protection against viruses that replicate in the respective compartment. Thus, human MxA is located in the cytoplasm while rodent Mx1 accumulates in the nucleus. The antiviral specificities reflect this local distribution to some degree, in that cytoplasmic Mx1 inhibits both cytoplasmically and nuclear replicating viruses while nuclear Mx1 does not affect viruses with an exclusively cytoplasmic replication cycle. The main target structure of Mx1 is the viral nucleoprotein (Dittmann 2008). However, Mx proteins interact with highly divergent target proteins underlying susceptibility to Mx1.
In humans and rodents, only MxA and Mx1, respectively, have detectable antiviral activity, while MxB and Mx2/Mx3 have none.
Biochemistry
Mx proteins have a molecular weight of 70 to 80kDa. They are Mg2+ - dependent GTPases (Horisberger 1992).
Under appropriate conditions, Mx1 forms highly ordered oligomers with ring-like shapes that may form tubular structures leading to the permeabilization or disintegration of the nucleocapsid.
A comparison of Mx sequences from mammals, birds and fish revealed a striking conservation of domains. They all maintain the tripartite ATP/GTP binding domain and the dynamin family signature in the amino terminal half of the protein. In the carboxyl terminal half of the Mx proteins are the localization signals and the leucine zipper motifs which account for the trimerization of Mx1 in the cell (Leong 1998).
Pathological significance
Just as the quantitation of acute phase proteins such as C-reactive protein or haptoglobin can indicate bacterial infection, inflammation or trauma, the measurement of a virally induced marker can indicate the health status of animals. Information on sub-clinical disease leading to poor growth rates on farms, or the identification of diseased animals at slaughter are relevant factors regarding animal welfare, profitability and consumer protection.
The expression of interferon-alpha (IFNα) and Mx1 mRNA was studied in formalin-fixed tissue sections of pigs experimentally infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). There was good correlation in the expression of the two mRNAs in pathological lung samples and a strong indication that they reflect an early host defense reaction against the infection (Chung 2004).
Mx1 was also detected in Kupffer cells, lymphocytes and hepatocytes in the livers of pigs infected with hepatitis E virus (Lee 2009).
The antiviral activity of human MxA seems to be higher against influenza virus strains of avian than of human origin, indicating a possible property of MxA in limiting propagation of a particular virus in a foreign host (Dittmann 2008).
The interferon-inducible gene (IFI-78K gene) that codes for the human 78kDa homolog of mouse Mx1 is located on chromosome 21 together with the alpha/beta interferon (IFN-α/β) receptor. In human embryonic lung cells, the gene for human MxA is rapidly (minutes to hours) but transiently expressed in the continuous presence of IFNα. Translation initiates within a few hours of IFN exposure and tapers off within a day or so. However, the amount of MxA protein remains constant thereafter, suggesting that it has a high metabolic stability. Besides type I IFN, synthetic double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is a good inducer of the IFI-78K gene, as well as influenza A (H7N1) virus and Newcastle disease virus (NDV), but not vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) (Goetschy 1989).
In pigs, IFNα but not IFNγ induces protection against VSV and influenza A (H7N1), and both IFNs induced an antiviral state against mengovirus (Horisberger 1992b).
In cats, conjunctival cells and white blood cells express Mx1 upon exposure to recombinant feline interferon-omega through ocular or oral administration. The intensity of expression seems to depend on the dose of interferon-omega, site of administration, and cell type (Bracklein 2006).
COA
Publication 
Loading ......
