Description
Test Principle: This assay employs a two-site sandwich ELISA to quantitate SERPINA1 in samples. An antibody specific for SERPINA1 has been pre-coated onto a microplate. Standards and samples are pipetted into the wells and any SERPINA1 present is bound by the immobilized antibody. After removing any unbound substances, a biotin-conjugated antibody specific for SERPINA1 is added to the wells. After washing, Streptavidin conjugated Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP) is added to the wells. Following a wash to remove any unbound avidin-enzyme reagent, a substrate solution is added to the wells and color develops in proportion to the amount of SERPINA1 bound in the initial step. The color development is stopped and the intensity of the color is measured.
Overview: alpha1-antitrypsin, an acute phase protein, is the prototypic member of the serpin super family and a major inhibitor of serine proteases. As an acute phase protein, alpha 1-antitrypsin is thought to play an important role in limiting host tissue injury at sites of inflammation. A1AT is a 52-kDa serpin (serine protease inhibitor), and, in medicine, it is considered the most prominent serpin; the terms alpha 1-antitrypsin and protease inhibitor (Pi) are often used interchangeably.Like all serine protease inhibitors, A1AT has a characteristic secondary structure of beta sheets and alpha helices. Mutations in these areas can lead to non-functional proteins that can polymerise and accumulate in the liver (infantile hepatic cirrhosis)