Sailfish

A monoclonal antibody (MAb) produced against sailfish (Istiophorus albicans) serum albumin (SFA)/(Rossi et al. 1992) was used in conjunction with rabbit polyclonal antibodies (PAbs) to formulate a sandwich-style enzyme immunoassay (sEIA). The sEIA specifically identifies sailfish tissues utilizing samples such as heart, kidney, white muscle, red muscle, and blood serum. The assay is sensitive to 20ng of SFA. Of the tissues tested, kidney yields the strongest signal. The entire assay is carried out in a 3cc syringe and, excluding sample preparation, can be executed in 30 minutes. No specialized equipment or training is required. MAbs were also produced against serum albumin purified from white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) and Atlantic blue marlin (Makaira nigricans). These Mabs were examined for their utility in identification assays for these species.

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were produced against sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) albumin and investigated for their potential use in species identification. Balb/c mice were immunized with albumin purified from sailfish serum. Hybridomas were screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for reactivity with the purified albumins of sailfish, blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) and white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus). MAbs from 18 different hybridomas exhibited activity against sailfish albumin. Sixteen MAbs showed cross-reactivity with the marlin species. Two MAbs displayed distinct specificity for sailfish albumin. One of these MAbs (M2D1) was conjugated to horseradish peroxidase to construct an ELISA for the identification of sailfish from serum. The assay correctly identified 18 sailfish from 36 billfish samples. The MAb-peroxidase conjugate was highly specific toward sailfish with no detectable reaction against the heterologous species.