Catalog Number AP 080
Intended Use
The QualiPlate Kit for Melon Necrotic Spot Virus screens for the presence
of Melon Necrotic Spot Carmovirus (MNSV) in seed or leaf extracts. In
studies on seed lots determined to be MNSV positive by other test methods
and by comparison with controls, this kit was able to consistently detect the
presence of the virus (using minimum sample sizes of 2,000 seeds and
minimum sub-sample sizes of 200 seeds). EnviroLogix’ family of cucurbit
ELISA kits (SqMV, CGMMV and MNSV) utilize identical extraction and
testing protocols.
Preparation of Solutions
Wash Buffer: Add the contents of the packet of Wash Buffer Salts
(phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4 – 0.05% Tween 20) to 1 liter of
distilled or deionized water, and stir to dissolve. Store refrigerated when
not in use; warm to room temperature* prior to assay. Additional 1L dry
packets may be purchased from Sigma Chemicals, Cat#P-3563, or
similar recipes may be prepared from salts on site. Note: Wash Buffer
is also used in the Conjugate Dilution Alternative leaf testing protocol.
1X Seed Extraction Buffer: Bring 10X Seed Extraction Buffer to
room temperature*, then stir / shake to dissolve precipitates completely
before proceeding. To make 1X Seed Extraction Buffer, add the entire
50 mL bottle of 10X Seed Extraction Buffer to 450 mL of distilled or
deionized water in a suitable container, and mix thoroughly to dissolve
any remaining precipitates. Store 1X Seed Extraction Buffer
refrigerated when not in use; warm to room temperature* prior to assay.
Additional 10X or 35X buffer may be purchased from EnviroLogix
(Cat#KR160 or Cat#KR186 respectively). See "Notes" section for
preparing various volumes of Buffer.
*Please note: "room temperature" notation in all instructions is 18-
25°C – do not expose kit components or solutions to temperatures
above 25°C.
Sample Preparation
Seeds: The sample must be extracted with prepared 1X Seed Extraction
Buffer at a ratio of 1:10 (gram of seeds to mL of buffer). For example:
- 2.5 g of seed : 25 mL of 1X Seed Extraction Buffer
- 0.25 g of seed : 2.5 mL of 1X Seed Extraction Buffer
All seeds must be thoroughly ground/cracked in order for the internal
tissue to come in contact with the buffer. Use equipment appropriate for
the size of seed being tested (e.g. Polytron, coffee grinder, rubber mallet
with mesh extraction bag, etc.). Soak ground seed tissue in 1X Seed
Extraction Buffer for 1 hour minimum at 4°C. Solids will settle to the
bottom; use the light-colored upper layer in the assay.
QualiPlate Kit for MNSV
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Prepare Wash Buffer (and
Seed Extraction Buffer, if testing seed)
Remove unneeded strips
Add Extraction Buffer, controls,
and sample extracts
Mix plate, incubate
All incubation steps must be
performed on an orbital shaker
with 18+ mm orbital diameter
Leaf: The sample must be extracted with 1X Leaf Extraction Buffer at a
ratio of 1:10 (gram of leaf tissue to mL of buffer). For example:
- 0.1 g of leaf : 1 mL of 1X Leaf Extraction Buffer
All leaf tissue must be thoroughly macerated in order for ideal sample
extraction (e.g. EnviroLogix ACC 002 tube and pestle, mesh extraction
bags, bead-beater apparatus). Note: extracts will be foamy.
Pull off particle-free extract to run in the test. Clarification of extracts
by centrifugation is recommended (10 minutes at 1800-5000 x g), but
not required.
How to Run the Assay
Read all of these instructions before running the kit.
Allow all reagents to reach room temperature before beginning (at least
30 minutes with un-boxed plates and reagents at room temperature (18-
25°C) - do not remove strips from bag with desiccant until they have
warmed up).
Organize all reagents, sample extracts, and pipettes so that step 1
can be performed in 15 minutes or less; the use of a multi-channel
pipette is strongly recommended for all reagent and extract transfers.
If more than four strips are to be run at one time, the 15 minutes is
likely to be exceeded, and the use of a multi-channel pipette is
recommended (see “Note” below).
If four or fewer strips are to be run, use a disposable-tip airdisplacement
pipette and a clean pipette tip to add Extraction Buffer or
sample extract to the wells. Conjugate, Substrate, and Stop Solution
may be added in the same manner; alternatively, use a repeating pipette
with a disposable tip on the end of the Combitip for each of the three
reagents.
If fewer than all twelve strips are used, reseal the unneeded strips and
the desiccant in the foil bag provided, and refrigerate.
Use the well identification markings on the plate edge as a guide when
adding the samples and reagents. It is recommended that at least two
wells each of 1X Seed or Leaf Extraction Buffer and known-negative
seed or leaf extract be run on each plate. Additional quality control
samples may be added at the discretion of the user. Sample extracts
may be run in either single or duplicate wells.
SEED OR LEAF PROTOCOL
1. Add 100 μL of 1X Extraction Buffer, 100 μL of any user-prepared
negative control extract, and 100 μL of each sample extract to their
respective wells. Follow the same order of addition for all reagents.
Treat each plate as an independently timed assay.
NOTE: It is strongly recommended that a multi-channel pipette be
used in steps 1, 5, 8 and 9.
2. Thoroughly mix the contents of the wells by moving the plate in a rapid
circular motion on the bench top for 4-5 seconds. Be careful not to spill
the contents!
3. Cover the wells with tape or Parafilm to prevent evaporation and
incubate for 30 minutes at ambient temperature on an orbital shaker
(with 18+ mm orbital diameter) at 150 to 200 rpm. Note: Shaking
during incubation steps is mandatory where called for. Failure to do so
will result in up to 50% loss in assay sensitivity.
QualiPlate Kit for MNSV
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Rev. 07-22-11
Bottle Wash method
Strip Plate Wash option
Add conjugate, mix, incubate, wash
Add substrate, mix, incubate
Add Stop Solution
Seed testing protocol option: For testing convenience, at this point
samples may be incubated overnight in the refrigerator (up to 16 hours
at 5°C). Allow plates to come to room temperature with the rest of the
kit reagents the next morning, before going on to step 4.
4. After incubation, carefully remove the covering and empty the contents
of the wells into a sink or other suitable container by inverting quickly
and vigorously shaking the plate. Flood the wells completely with
Wash Buffer, then empty as directed above. Repeat this wash step
three more times. After the final wash, keep the plate inverted and tap
firmly on a dry paper towel to remove as much Wash Buffer as possible.
If seed samples were incubated overnight, increase the number of wash
cycles to 8.
5. Add 100 μL of MNSV Enzyme Conjugate to each well.
6. Thoroughly mix the contents of the wells, as in step 2. Cover the wells
with new tape or Parafilm and incubate for 1 hour at ambient
temperature on an orbital plate shaker as described above. Note:
Shaking during incubation steps is mandatory where called for. Failure
to do so will result in up to 50% loss in assay sensitivity.
7. Wash the wells again as described in step 4. Alternatively, perform four
washes (300 μL/well) with a microtiter plate or strip washer.
8. Add 100 μL of Substrate to each well. Thoroughly mix the contents of
the wells by moving the plate in a rapid circular motion on the bench top
for 20-30 seconds. Cover the wells with new tape or Parafilm and
incubate for 30 minutes (for best results) at ambient temperature.
9. Add 100 μL of Stop Solution to each well and mix briefly. This will
change the blue color in the wells to yellow. Read the plate at 450 nm,
with a reference wavelength between 600 and 650 nm. Read the
stopped plate within 30 minutes; color may fade beyond that time.
NOTE: Stop Solution is 1 N HCl. Handle carefully.
How to Interpret the Results
Spectrophotometric Measurement
Set the wavelength of the microtiter plate reader to 450 nanometers (nm).
(If it has dual wavelength capability, use 600, 630 or 650 nm as the
reference wavelength.)
Interpreting Results
Compare the Optical Density (OD) of the sample extracts to those of the
mean Extraction Buffer wells, or preferably, to known-negative seed or leaf
extract wells, to determine presence or absence of MNSV in the sample
extract. Samples with absorbances significantly greater than those of the
Seed or Leaf Extraction Buffer and/or negative extract wells are presumed
to be positive for MNSV.
General Guidelines:
Mean OD of Extraction Buffer wells should not exceed 0.10.
Mean OD of MNSV-free seed or leaf extracts should not exceed
0.15.
If test results consistently fall outside these guidelines, please contact
EnviroLogix’ technical service.
QualiPlate Kit for MNSV
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Rev. 07-22-11
Read plates in a Plate Reader
at 450 nm
within 30 minutes of the
addition of Stop Solution.
Precautions and Notes
Observe any applicable regulations, federal or state guidelines, or inhouse
lab safety protocols when disposing of samples and kit reagents.
Store all QualiPlate components at 4°C to 8°C (39°F to 46°F) when not
in use.
Do not expose QualiPlate components to temperatures greater than
37°C (99°F) or less than 2°C (36°F) for optimum performance.
Allow all reagents to reach ambient temperature (18-25°C) before use.
Do not use kit components after the expiration date.
Do not use reagents or test plates from one QualiPlate with reagents or
test plates from a different QualiPlate type or different lot number.
Do not use samples prepared for analysis in other test kits; do not run
sample extracts prepared for this assay in other brands of test kits.
Do not expose Substrate to sunlight during pipetting or while
incubating in the test wells.
Be sure to read the results of stopped color development at 450 nm,
not 405 nm.
Do not dilute or adulterate test reagents or use samples not called for in
the test procedure.
Quality of results is dependent upon following the assay protocol as
directed.
As with all tests, it is recommended that results be confirmed by an
alternate method when necessary.
Preparing 1X Seed Extraction Buffer: The following table shows
the formulas for preparing alternative volumes of Seed Extraction
Buffer. Always make sure the concentrated buffer is in solution before
using it.
10X Extraction Buffer
(KR160, 50 or 1000 mL)
Finished Volume
10L 5L 2L 0.5L
Start with water (L) 9 4.5 1.8 0.45
Add 10X Extraction
Buffer (mL)
1000
(1 lg bottle) 500 200 50
(1 sm bottle)
Follow steps in order when diluting 35X Seed Extraction Buffer:
35X Extraction Buffer
(KR186, 500 mL)
Finished Volume
35L 20L 17.5L 10L 5L 2L
1. Start with water (L) 34 19.43 17 9.71 4.86 1.94
2. Add PVP (g),
stir to dissolve 700 400 350 200 100 40
3. Add 35X Extraction
Buffer (mL)
1000 571 500
(1 bottle) 286 143 57
QualiPlate Kit for MNSV
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Rev. 07-22-11
For Technical Support
Contact Us At:
EnviroLogix
500 Riverside Industrial
Parkway
Portland, ME 04103-1486 USA
Tel: (207) 797-0300
Toll Free: 866-408-4597
Fax: (207) 797-7533
e-mail:
horticulture@envirologix.com
website:
www.envirologix.com
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