Description
This assay employs a two-site sandwich ELISA to quantitate GCG in samples. An antibody specific for GCG has been pre-coated onto a microplate. Standards and samples are pipetted into the wells and any GCG present is bound by the immobilized antibody. After removing any unbound substances, a biotin-conjugated antibody specific for GCG 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 GCG bound in the initial step. The color development is stopped and the intensity of the color is measured.
Overview: Glucagon has a major role in maintaining normal concentrations of glucose in blood, and is often described as having the opposite effect of insulin. That is, glucagon has the effect of increasing blood glucose levels. Glucagon is a linear peptide of 29 amino acids. Its primary sequence is almost perfectly conserved among vertebrates, and it is structurally related to the secretin family of peptide hormones. Glucagon is synthesized as proglucagon and proteolytically processed to yield glucagon within alpha cells of the pancreatic islets. Proglucagon is also expressed within the intestinal tract, where it is processed not into glucagon, but to a family of glucagon-like peptides (enteroglucagon)