For ELISA assay, 384-well flat-bottomed plates (NUNC) were coated at 4 °C overnight with 5 μg/mL NP14-BSA (Biosearch Technologies), washed 3 times and blocked for 2 h at RT with 2% BSA in PBS (blocking buffer). Sera sample were serially diluted, added to each well, and subsequently incubated for 2 h at RT. After washing thoroughly for 5 times, biotinylated anti-IgM and anti-IgG1 antibodies (1: 1000 dilution in blocking buffer) were supplemented to each well for 1 h then conjugated with streptavidin-HRP. After adding in 3,3′,5,5′ tetramethyl benzidine thiobarbituric acid substrate, data were collected using tecan microplate reader (Tecan).
To carry out ELISPOT assay, NP14-BSA (50 μg/ml, Biosearch Technologies) was used to coat the multiScreen filter plates (Millipore) at 4 °C overnight. Thereafter, 2% BSA in PBS was used to block the plate for 2 h at 37 °C. Single cells were added to each well and incubated for at least 2 h in a humidified incubator containing 5% CO2. Subsequently, streptavidin–alkaline phosphatase (AKP)-conjugated anti-IgG1 antibodies were added to the filter plates for 1 h. BCIP/NBT-plus substrate (Mabtech) was used to develop the plate.