Quantitative Analysis of Phosphinothricin-N-acetyltransferase in Genetically Modified Herbicide Tolerant Pepper by an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

An immunoassay method was developed to quantitatively detect phosphinothricin-N-acetyltransferase (PAT) encoded by the Bialaphos resistance (bar) gene in genetically modified (GM) pepper. The histidine-tagged PAT was overexpressed in Escherichia coli M15 (pQE3l-bar) and efficiently purified by $Ni^{2+}$ affinity chromatography. A developed sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (S-ELISA) method (detection limit: $0.01{\mu}g/ml$) was 100-fold more sensitive than a competitive indirect ELISA (CI-ELISA) method or Western blot analysis in detecting the recombinant PAT. In real sample tests, PAT in genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) peppers was successfully quantified [$4.9{\pm}0.4{\mu}g/g$ of sample (n=6)] by the S-ELISA method. The S-ELISA method developed here could be applied to other GMHT crops and vegetables producing PAT.