Automation of a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase assay.

Accurate quantification of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) enzyme activity in a large number of samples has been achieved through robotization of a CAT assay on a laboratory workstation (Biomek 1000). The basic principle of this CAT assay relies on the selective diffusion of [3H]acetylchloramphenicol into a water-immiscible liquid scintillation cocktail. This methodology gives unique characteristics to this robotized protocol by allowing complete control over the kinetics of the CAT enzymatic reaction which is a critical parameter in the CAT assay. Thus it has been possible to optimize the CAT assay for every processed sample, through real time monitoring of the enzymatic reaction, and to achieve maximum accuracy in CAT quantification. Moreover the sensitivity of this automated assay is high (detection threshold; 10(-4) CAT unit), and the sample processing is fast (approximately 125 samples per hour). Compared to other CAT assay protocols currently used, our robotized technique offers major advantages in terms of CAT quantification, and sets new standards for CAT assay productivity.