Development of nanocolloidal gold based immunochromatographic assay for rapid detection of transgenic vegetative insecticidal protein in genetically modified crops

Vegetative insecticidal protein (Vip) is now being used for transgenic expression in several crops; conferring resistance against lepidopteron pests. A rapid, single step, sensitive and specific immunochromatographic (IC) strip test for the detection of recombinant Vip-S protein in the transgenic samples was developed. Polyclonal rabbit anti-Vip-S IgG conjugated to nanocolloidal gold served as a probe to detect Vip protein in test samples. The detection limit for the developed IC strip was 100 ng/ml (100 ppb) and on addition of gold enhancer the sensitivity increased to 1 ng/ml (1 ppb) of Vip-S protein. The assay was validated with transgenic brinjal samples. The assay time was less than 10 min, suitable for rapid on-site testing. No cross-reactivity was observed with other transgenic plant proteins employed for pest and weed management, i.e. Cry1Ac, Cry1Ab, and CP4-EPSPS. This on-site test offers rapid screening for a genetically modified crops having relatively new transgene (vip) entering the global market.