Description
Principle of the Assay: The Rat Fibronectin ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) kit is an in vitro enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the quantitative measurement of Rat Fibronectin in Cell Culture Supernatants, Serum, Plasma. This assay employs an antibody specific for Rat Fibronectin coated on a 96-well plate. Standards and samples are pipetted into the wells and Fibronectin present in a sample is bound to the wells by the immobilized antibody. The wells are washed and biotinylated anti-Rat Fibronectin antibody is added. After washing away unbound biotinylated antibody, HRP-conjugated streptavidin is pipetted to the wells. The wells are again washed, a TMB substrate solution is added to the wells and color develops in proportion to the amount of Fibronectin bound. The Stop Solution changes the color from blue to yellow, and the intensity of the color is measured at 450 nm.
Background: Fibronectin (FN) also known as LETS, is identified on the surfFN of fibroblasts by labeling with radioactive compounds or specific antibodies. Fibronectin is a 430,000-dalton dimeric glycoprotein that exists in 2 forms, termed cellular and plasma fibronectin. Cellular and plasma fibronectins are heterodimers consisting of similar but not identical polypeptides. These two forms of FN differ in biologic activity. Fibronectins bind cell surfFNs and various compounds including collagen, fibrin, heparin, DNA, and actin. Because fibronectin stimulates endocytosis in several systems and promotes the clearance of particulate material from the circulation, it could function in the clearance of C1q-coated material such as immune complexes or cellular debris. Fibronectins are involved in cell adhesion, cell motility, opsonization, would healing, and maintenance of cell shape. LETS, encoded on chromosome 8, is responsible for the LETS protein expression in humans. Because LETS has been implicated in tumorigenicity and cellular transformation, it is of interest that rearrangement or modifications in the number of chromosome 8 have been associated with certain forms of cancer