Mechanisms
The first competitive ELISA for CETP detects 1 nanogram per well with a coefficient of variation under 6% (Clin Chim Acta 1994)
Original title: Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of the human cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP)
This paper describes the first competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for CETP, built using well-characterized TP1 anti-CETP monoclonal antibodies. The assay could detect 1 ng of CETP per microwell, matching the sensitivity of previously described radioimmunoassays, with intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation of 4% and 6%. In normolipidemic subjects, mean plasma CETP concentration was 2.77 plus or minus 0.59 micrograms/ml, ranging from 1.87 to 4.23 micrograms/ml. Supplementing plasma with fatty acid-free albumin improved the positive correlation between CETP mass and CETP activity, suggesting non-esterified fatty acids modulate CETP activity, and applying the assay to CETP-lipoprotein binding studies showed that the lipoprotein-separation protocol used strongly influences the measured plasma distribution of CETP.
Original abstract
The present report describes the first competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP), an enzyme playing an important role in lipoprotein metabolism. This assay was developed with well-characterized TP1 anti-CETP monoclonal antibodies. The sensitivity of the ELISA assay was comparable with the sensitivity of the previously described radioimmunoassays since 1 ng of CETP per microwell of the immunoplate could be detected. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were 4% and 6%, respectively. This enzyme immunoassay provides a specific, sensitive and reproducible method for measuring CETP concentrations in various biological samples. Within normolipidemic subjects, the mean (+/- S.D.) of the plasma CETP concentration was 2.77 (+/- 0.59) micrograms/ml with a range of 1.87 to 4.23 micrograms/ml. When plasmas were supplemented with fatty acid-free albumin, the positive correlation observed between plasma CETP mass and CETP activity was improved, suggesting that plasma non-esterified fatty acids could play a role in modulating the activity of the cholesteryl ester transfer protein. When applied to the study of the binding of CETP to lipoprotein substrates, the enzyme immunoassay revealed that the experimental protocol used to separate lipoprotein fractions can have a great influence on the plasma distribution of CETP.
Summary written by cetpinhibition.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 18 August 2026. Methods.