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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1972 June; 23(6): 1060-1066
Copyright © 1972 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Coupled-Enzyme System for Measuring Viral Neuraminidase Activity

Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia 30333

ABSTRACT

A coupled-enzyme assay for determining viral neuraminidase activity is described. All reactants—viral neuraminidase, the initial substrate (fetuin), N-acetylneuraminic acid aldolase, lactic acid dehydrogenase, and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide—are combined in a single cuvette. Thus, in a single coupled system neuraminidase releases N-acetylneuraminic acid, which is cleaved to N-acetyl-D-mannosamine and pyruvic acid; finally, pyruvate is reduced to lactate as reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide is oxidized. The rate of change of absorbance at 340 nm, as reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide is oxidized, is a measure of the rate of reaction of the coupled system. This procedure, which measures the rate of release of N-acetylneuraminic acid by neuraminidase, is an alternate method for those procedures which require multistep, colorimetric determinations.