Patent ID: 7192720
Filing Date: 2007-03-20
Classification: C07K,C40B,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method of analyzing the amino acid sequence of polypeptides by determining whether they share an epitope, the method comprising: (a) providing an array comprising a support and a population of replicable genetic package/antibody reagents immobilized to the support, each replicable genetic package/antibody reagent (package/antibody reagent) comprising (i) a replicable genetic package having a heterologous nucleic acid segment that encodes a first polypeptide displayed on the replicable genetic package and (ii) a captured antibody having a plurality of binding sites, each site having specific affinity for the first polypeptide, with at least one of the sites available for binding, the first polypeptide and the captured antibody complexed with it varying between at least some of the package/antibody reagents; (b) contacting the population of package/antibody reagents with a sample containing a second polypeptide, whereby package/antibody reagents bearing captured antibodies having specific affinity for the second polypeptide bind to the second polypeptide; (c) identifying at least one package/antibody reagent that binds to the second polypeptide; and (d) determining the nucleotide sequence of the nucleic acid segment of the at least one package/antibody reagent, whereby the amino acid sequence corresponding to the nucleotide sequence can be deduced and is an indication of the amino acid sequence of an epitope shared by the first and second polypeptide.