TheCartilageOligomericMatrixProtein(COMP)ELISAisaquantitativeenzyme-linkedimmunosorbentassayforthedeterminationofCOMPinhumanserum.Thepresenceofelevatedlevels,whenconsideredinconjunctionwithotherlaboratoryandclinicalfindings,isanaidinidentifyingaggressivedestructionofjointtissueindiseasessuchasrheumatoidarthritis.

ThehumanCOMPmoleculeisapentamericproteinoffiveidenticaldisulfide-linkedsubunitswithatotalmolecularmassof434kDa.COMPwasfirstdescribedincartilagebuthasrecentlyalsobeenfoundintendonsandsynovialmembranes.IthasnotbeenpossIBLetodetectCOMPinculturemediumfromotherconnectivetissuessuchasskinorlung.

Whenarticularcartilagematrixisdegradedbyadiseaseprocess,proteinfragmentsareproducedthatdif-fuseoutintothejointfluid.Someoftheseproteins,suchasCOMP,subsequentlyappearinthebloodstreamandcanbeusedtomonitortheprogressofthecartilagedegradationininflammatoryjointdiseasessuchasrheumatoidarthritisandosteoarthritis.AquantitativerelationhasbeenshownbetweentheconcentrationsofCOMPinserumandcartilagedegradationusingrADIographicchangesasasurrogateclinicalendpoint.ThishasbeenfurtherprovedinexperimentallyinducedarthritisinanimalmodelswheretheCOMPserumlevelwashighlycorrelatedtotheseverityofarthritisandalsotheclinicaljointscoreandhistopathologicalsignsofcartilageerosion.

Species:Human

SampleType:  serum

SamplePreparation:dilute1:10

SampleSize:25uL

StandardCurveRange: upto~3.5U/L

Sensitivity: <0.1U/L

AssayLength: <2.5hrs