Environmental analysis of uranium with recombinant antibodies

Abstract

The techniques of antibody phage display were used to generate antibody fragments that specifically recognized U(VI) in complex with the chelator, 2,9-dicarboxyl-1,10-phenanthroline (DCP). The single-chain fragment antibodies (scFvs) obtained by these procedures were able to bind to uranium-loaded DCP in the presence of > 1000-fold molar excess of metal-free DCP. The ability of these antibodies to tolerate high levels of chelator will enhance their ability to accurately measure uranium in groundwater that has been amended to enhance U(VI) extraction. Further engineering of these antibodies will utilize yeast display techniques.