Exposure to bacterial toxins can be fatal at very low doses. Traditional detection and identification methods for toxins are time-consuming and expensive. We designed a relatively simple affinity capture platform based on MALDI-TOF MS for label-free detection and identification of toxins. The platform is composed of a planar supported lipid bilayer doped with ligands for toxins. The bilayer is stabilized by a polymerized lipid, bis-SorbPC.  Bilayers composed of fluid lipids and poly(bis-SorbPC) are also stable to the analysis conditions. Experiments conducted using cholera toxin b (CTb) and its receptor, GM1, achieved detection of less than 2% of a monolayer of CTb monomer using 0.03 mol% GM1. On-target digestion of captured CTb was also performed. Bilayers containing ligands for multiple toxins (cholera, pertussis, and botulinum) were prepared to simultaneously detect all toxins. This affinity capture platform has considerable potential for application to other receptor-ligand pairs, including ligands bound to transmembrane proteins.

MALDI-MS detection and identification of bacterial toxins captured by cell-surface receptors on a stable yet fluid lipid bilayer

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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