Production and characterization of a monoclonal antibody that cross-reacts with the mycotoxins nivalenol and 4-deoxynivalenol

Nivalenol is a mycotoxin produced by certain fungi that are pathogenic to important cereal crops, in particular maize, wheat, and barley. This toxin, 3 alpha, 4 alpha, 7 alpha, 15-tetrahydroxy-12,13-epoxytrichothec-9-en-8-one, is found worldwide and is closely related to 4-deoxynivalenol ( DON or vomitoxin), a mycotoxin associated with outbreaks of Fusarium head blight in North America. The literature on the toxicity of nivalenol suggests it is similar, if not more toxic, than DON. Despite the development of rapid immunologically based assays for detecting DON, such assays have not existed for detecting nivalenol without chemical modification of the analyte. This paper describes the development of a monoclonal antibody using a nivalenol-glycine protein conjugate. The monoclonal antibody was most specific for an acetylated form of DON (3-Ac-DON), but it exhibited sensitivity and cross-reactivity that were useful for detecting nivalenol and DON at relevant levels without the need to modify either toxin chemically. In an competitive indirect ELISA format, the concentrations of toxins able to inhibit colour development by 50% (IC50) were 1.7, 15.8, 27.5, 68.9, and 1740 ng ml(-1) for the mycotoxins 3-Ac-DON, DON, nivalenol, 15-Ac-DON, and fusarenon-X, respectively. The antibody was also used to develop a competitive direct ELISA for DON and nivalenol, with IC50's of 16.5 ng ml(-1) (DON) and 33.4 ng ml(-1) (nivalenol). These assays are capable of detecting both DON and nivalenol simultaneously, a property that may be useful in regions where these toxins co-occur or in formats, such as immunoaffinity columns, where co-isolation of both toxins is desirable.