The species distinctive PCR primer of Lactobacillus acidophilus ( L. acidophilus) was designed according to 16S rRNA gene sequences of conunon Lac- tobacillus species in fermented material. Bacterial genome DNA of s...The species distinctive PCR primer of Lactobacillus acidophilus ( L. acidophilus) was designed according to 16S rRNA gene sequences of conunon Lac- tobacillus species in fermented material. Bacterial genome DNA of separated L. acidophilus in fermented sample was taken as template, and L. acidophilus in fer- mented material was conducted the quantitative determination by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-PCR). Analysis on RT-PCR results shown that contents of L. aci- dophilus in the test sample reached 1.5 billion CFU / g. Test results shown that contents of L. acidophilus in fermented material could be detected accurately by the established RT-PCR method in the test. indicating that the established RT-PCR method could be aookued to the detection of L. acidophilus in fermented material.展开更多
Edwardsiella tarda is one of the most important emerging pathogens in tile global aquaculture industries. As such, an accurate diagnosis and quantitative analytical methods are urgently needed for this bacterium. In t...Edwardsiella tarda is one of the most important emerging pathogens in tile global aquaculture industries. As such, an accurate diagnosis and quantitative analytical methods are urgently needed for this bacterium. In this study, primers and a TaqMan probe specific to the conservative sequences of the 16S rRNA gene of E. tarda were designed. The concentration of primers and TaqMan probe were optimized to 200 nmol/L and 120 nmol/L, respectively. The detection sensitivity of the FQ- PCR assay was determined to be as low as five copies of the target sequence per reaction using the pGEM-16S rDNA recombinant plasmid as a template, which was 100 times more sensitive than conventional PCR. A standard curve by plotting the threshold cycle values (y) against the common logarithmic copies (logl0n~ as x; n~ is copy number) of pGEM-16S rDNA was generated. The results of intra- and inter-assay variability tests demonstrate that the established FQ-PCR method was highly reproducible. The assay was specific for E. tarda as it showed that there was no cross-reactivity to eight additional bacterial pathogen strains in aquaculture. Thus, the FQ-PCR assay has the potential for diagnostic purposes and for other applications, especially for the rapid detection and quantification of low-grade E. tarda infections.展开更多
A quantitative real time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay with specific primers recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) has been widely used successfully for detection and...A quantitative real time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay with specific primers recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) has been widely used successfully for detection and monitoring of the pandemic H1N1/2009 influenza A virus. In this study, we report the design and characterization of a novel set of primers to be used in a qRT-PCR assay for detecting the pandemic H1N1/2009 virus. The newly designed primers target three regions that are highly conserved among the hemagglutinin (HA) genes of the pandemic HlN1/2009 viruses and are different from those targeted by the WHO-recommended primers. The qRT-PCR assays with the newly designed primers are highly specific, and as specific as the WHO-recommended primers for detecting pandemic H1N1/2009 viruses and other influenza viruses including influenza B viruses and influenza A viruses of human, swine, and raccoon dog origin. Furthermore, the qRT-PCR assays with the newly designed primers appeared to be at least 10-fold more sensitive than those with the WHO-recommended primers as the detection limits of the assays with our primers and the WHO-recommended primers were 2.5 and 25 copies of target RNA per reaction, respectively. When tested with 83 clinical samples, 32 were detected to be positive using the qRT-PCR assays with our designed primers, while only 25 were positive by the assays with the WHO-recommended primers. These results suggest that the qRT-PCR system with the newly designed primers represent a highly sensitive assay for diagnosis of the pandemic HIN1/2009 virus infection.展开更多
This study was to develop the real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR technique for detecting the ratoon stunting disease (RSD) in virus-free seedcane seedlings. Healthy tissue culture seedlings were obtained from s...This study was to develop the real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR technique for detecting the ratoon stunting disease (RSD) in virus-free seedcane seedlings. Healthy tissue culture seedlings were obtained from six plants of sugarcane ROC22, which had been confirmed RSD-positive by detecting the sugarcane juice, by employing the sugarcane seedlings production protocol. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect RSD pathogens in tissue culture sam- pies. The results showed that target fragment of RSD pathogens was not found in all 10 samples in real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, with the Ct values of 37 - 39. The healthy tissue culture sugarcane seedlings do not carry RSD pathogens, indicating that adopting healthy seedcane seedlings production technique could thoroughly get rid of RSD pathogens.展开更多
Objective: To establish the method of real time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR for detecting the expression of Survivin mRNA in nasopharyngeat carcinoma (NPC) tissues. Methods: The total RNA was extracted from N...Objective: To establish the method of real time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR for detecting the expression of Survivin mRNA in nasopharyngeat carcinoma (NPC) tissues. Methods: The total RNA was extracted from NPC cell line CNE-2 and tissues with Trizol and then been transcribed reversely to cDNA, a method of real time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR for detecting the expression of Survivin mRNA in NPC tissues had been established, in which chronic nasopharyn-gitis patients' nasopharynx tissues treated as control group. Results: The expression of Survivin mRNA all could be detected either in CNE-2 cells, NPC tissues or in chronic nasopharyngitis patients' nasopharynx tissues, and there was higher the expression level of Survivin mRNA in NPC tissues than which in chronic nasopharyngitis patients' nasopharynx tissues, the difference was significant (P 〈 0.01). The expression of Survivin mRNA could be detected both in stage Ⅰ + Ⅱ and stage Ⅲ + Ⅳ NPC, and there was no significant difference in relative quantifications of gene expression between these two groups (P 〉 0.05). There was no relationship between Survivin mRNA expression and age and sex of NPC patients (P 〉 0.05). Conclusion: Real time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR is a rapid, effective and high sensitive method for detecting the expression of Survivin mRNA in NPC tissues. The overexpression of Survivin mRNA may play some roles in pathogenesis of NPC.展开更多
Objective:The aim of this study was to detect the expression level of Metadherin (MTDH) in peripheral blood of the breast cancer patients by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR),and to e...Objective:The aim of this study was to detect the expression level of Metadherin (MTDH) in peripheral blood of the breast cancer patients by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR),and to explore the relationship between expression of Metadherin gene in the patients peripheral blood and the clinic-pathological features in breast cancer. Methods:Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction was employed to determine the expression level of Metadherin gene in 80 peripheral blood samples of breast cancer patients and healthy donors. Results:The expression of Metadherin gene in breast cancer patients peripheral blood were positive,in which 34 breast cancer patients were highly expressed,accounting for 55.7%,while the expression of Metadherin gene in normal females peripheral blood were negative,there was statistical significance (Ratio = 2.02±0.81,P < 0.05); Ratio of the Metadherin expression in breast cancer patients peripheral blood and the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase expression was 1.15 ± 0.36. REST software analysis showed that the expression of Metadherin gene was significantly up-regulated in breast cancer. Conclusion:The SYBR Green I quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction method can successfully detect the expression level of Metadherin gene. Expression level of Metadherin gene in breast cancer patients peripheral blood is closely related to survival,and it maybe involved in the development of breast cancer and used as an indicator of prognosis.展开更多
Objective: Multidrug resistance(MDR) is one of the most important reasons for treatment failure and recurrence of acute leukemia. Its manifestations are different in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL...Objective: Multidrug resistance(MDR) is one of the most important reasons for treatment failure and recurrence of acute leukemia. Its manifestations are different in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL) which may be due to different detection methods. This study was to detect the expression of MDR1 mRNA in bone marrow cells of children with ALL by real-time fluorescence- quantitative reverse transcription polymerase-chain reaction(FQ-RT-PCR), and combine minimal residual desease(MRD) detection by flow cytometry(FCM) and to study their relationship with treatment response and prognosis of ALL. Methods:The MDR1 mRNA levels in bone marrow cells from 67 children with ALL[28 had newly diagnosed disease, 27 had achieved complete remission(CR), 12 recurrent] and 22 children without leukemia were detected by FQ-RT-PCR. MRD was detected by FCM. The patients were observed for 9-101 months, with a median of 64 months. Results:Standard curves of human MDR1 and GAPDH genes were constructed successfully. MDR1 mRNA was detected in all children with a positive rate of 100%. The mRNA level of MDR1 was similar among the newly diagnosed ALL group, CR group, and control group(P 〉 0.05), but significantly higher in the recurrence group than that in newly diagnosed disease group and control group(0.50 ± 0.55 vs. 0.09 ± 0.26 and 0.12 ± 0.23, P〈 0.05). 54 ALL patients were followed up, and it was found that MDR1 mRNA level was significantly higher in ALL patients within 3 years duration than that of ALL patients with 3-6 years and over 6 years duration(0.63 ± 0.56 vs. 0.11 ± 0.12 and 0.04 ± 0.06, P〈 0.01). For the 28 children with newly diagnosed disease, the MDR1 mRNA level was similar between WBC 〉 50 ~ 109 group and WBC〈50 × 10^9 group(P〉 0.05). In the 33 CR patients, the MDR1 mRNA level was significantly higher in MRD〉10a group than that in MRD〈10a group(0.39 ± 0.47 vs. 0.03 ± 0.03, P 〈 0.05). Conclusion:The sensitivity and specificity of FQ-RT-PCR in detecting MDR1 mRNA in bone marrowy cells of children with ALL patients are high. MDR1 mRNA is expressed in children with and without leukemia. MDR1 mRNA is highly expressed in the CR ALL patients with high MRD, recurrence and short duration(within 3 years). Monitoring MRD and the MDR1 mRNA level might be helpful for individual treatment.展开更多
[ Objective] This study aimed to establish a simultaneous detection method of shrimp viruses by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR, to improve the efficiency of inspection and quarantine. [ Method] A novel rea...[ Objective] This study aimed to establish a simultaneous detection method of shrimp viruses by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR, to improve the efficiency of inspection and quarantine. [ Method] A novel real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR assay was established and optimized for simultaneously detecting DNA/RNA of four shrimp viruses (WSSV, IHHNV, TSV and YHV ). [ Result] The optimized real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR system gener- ated typical amplification curves with high amplification efficiencies (E = 1.06, 1.07, 0.92 and 0.92, respectively), good hnear relationship ( r = 1 ), uniform repeatability ( standard deviation = 0.05 - 0.46 ; variation coefficient = 0.26% - 1.62% ) and high sensitivity, exhibiting no significant differences compared with re- al-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (average error of Ct value = 0.04 -0.40; T = 0.53 -2.50; P 〉 0.05 ). The total detection time was about 1 h. [ Conclusion] The optimized real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR system can be used for rapid detection of WSSV, IHHNV, TSV and YHV.展开更多
Objective To establish a TaqMan real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR to detect Vibrio vulnificus based on the hemolysin gene (vvhA) coding cytolysin. Methods Primers and probes in the conserved region of the vvhA ...Objective To establish a TaqMan real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR to detect Vibrio vulnificus based on the hemolysin gene (vvhA) coding cytolysin. Methods Primers and probes in the conserved region of the vvhA gene sequence were designed for the TaqMan real-time PCR to detect 100 bp amplicon from V. vulnificus DNA. Recombinant plasmid pMD19-vvhA100 was constructed and used as a positive control during the detection. Minimal amplification cycles (Ct value) and fluorescence intensity enhancement (ARn value) were used as observing indexes to optimize the reaction conditions of TaqMan real-time PCR. The TaqMan assay for the detection of Vbirio vulnificus was evaluated in pure culture, mice tissue which artificially contaminated Vibrio vulnificus and clinical samples. Results The established TaqMan real-time PCR showed positive results only for Vibrio vulnificus DNA and pMD19-vvhA100. The standard curve was plotted and the minimum level of the vvhA target from the recombinant plasmid DNA was 103 copies with a Ct value of 37.94±0.19, as the equivalent of 0.01 ng purified genomic DNA of Vibrio vulnificus. The results detected by TaqMan PCR were positive for the 16 clinical samples and all the specimens of peripheral blood and subcutaneous tissue of mice which were infected with Vibrio vulnificus. Conclusion TaqMan real-time PCR is a rapid, effective, and quantitative tool to detect Vibro vulnificus, and can be used in clinical laboratory diagnosis of septicemia and wound infection caused by Vibrio vulnificus.展开更多
[ Objective ] This study aimed to establish a rapid and effective quarantine method of Koi herpes virus. [ Method] Primers and corresponding TaqMan probe were designed based on the conserved sequence of Koi herpes vir...[ Objective ] This study aimed to establish a rapid and effective quarantine method of Koi herpes virus. [ Method] Primers and corresponding TaqMan probe were designed based on the conserved sequence of Koi herpes virus (KHV) pol-ymerase gene (Sph) to establish a rapid and effective fluorescence quantitative PCR method for Koi herpes virus detection. The cell cultures were detected by using the established fluorescence quantitative PCR assay, and the results were com- pared with that of conventional PCR. [ Result] The sensitivity of fluorescence quantitative PCR was higher than that of conventional PCR. The minimum copy num- ber that could be detected was 1.6 - 102 copies/p.1. The established method was adopted for sample detection, and a reliable diagnostic result could be obtained within 4 h. [Conclusion] The established method is rapid, sensitive, specific and repeatable, which is conducive to the rapid detection of Koi herpes virus. Key words Koi herpes virus; Fluorescence quantitative PCR; Detection展开更多
Objective: To study the role of macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-2γ in myocarditis pathogenesis in BALB/c mice. Methods: The relationship between the progression of Coxsarckie virus B3(CVB3) viral myocarditis an...Objective: To study the role of macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-2γ in myocarditis pathogenesis in BALB/c mice. Methods: The relationship between the progression of Coxsarckie virus B3(CVB3) viral myocarditis and experimental autoimmune myocarditis and MIP-2γ mRNA expression in mouse was studied by TaqMan real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR. Results: MIP-2γ mRNA expression rose on 3 to 5 d after CVB3 infection, reached peak on 7 d, and returned to normal level until 14 d, which corresponded well with the disease course. The MIP-2γ mRNA expression level rose significantly on the day 18 d after immunization with porcine cardiac myosin, which was consistent with pathological examination. Conclusion: MIP-2γ may be involved in the pathogenesis of myocarditis.展开更多
In order to improve the standardized technical system of quantitative analyses for genetically modified organisms( GMOs) and protect China's bio-safety and reduce ecological risk,we establish a quantitative detect...In order to improve the standardized technical system of quantitative analyses for genetically modified organisms( GMOs) and protect China's bio-safety and reduce ecological risk,we establish a quantitative detection method for the genetically modified( GM) maize MON88017 using real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. Meanwhile,the method is evaluated by several methodological indicators such as specificity,sensitivity,accuracy and uncertainty of measurement. The results show that the method has strong specificity in analysis of genetically modified maize MON88017. The mean value(1. 54%) repeatedly measured for 29 times with the relative deviation of 2. 7% was close to the real value(1. 50%) and the variation coefficient of the measured value was 0. 1. The tested recovery rate is 100% and the uncertainty of measurement is 0. 096. 5 copies of the MON88017 molecular fragment can be detected at 97. 5% confidence level. Consequently,the quantitative detection method established in this paper for the GM maize MON88017 has fairly high specificity,accuracy and sensitivity and this technology established in this paper can provide good technical support for the safety supervision of genetically modified organisms in China.展开更多
In order to improve the standardized technical systems of quantitative analyses for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and products, ensure bio-safety and reduce ecological risk in China, a real-time fluorescent ...In order to improve the standardized technical systems of quantitative analyses for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and products, ensure bio-safety and reduce ecological risk in China, a real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR assay was established for detection of genetically modified maize line MON88017. The established method was evaluated based on the specificity, sensitivity, accuracy and measurement uncertainty. The results showed that the established method had strong specificity in detection of genetically modified maize line MON88017. 1.50% MON88017 sample was detected with 29 replica- tions. The average measured value ( 1. 541% ) was close to the actual value ( 1.50% ) and the relative deviation was 2.70%. The variation coefficient of the measured value was 0.110 g ; the recovery was 100.00% and the measurement uncertainty was 0. 096. The limit of detection for genetically modified maize line MON88017 with the established method was 5 copies at the 97.5% confidence level. Thus, the real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR assay established in this study exhibited high specificity, accuracy and sensitivity, which could provide technical support for the safety supervision of genetically modified organ- isms and products in China.展开更多
Artificial immune detection can be used to detect network intrusions in an adaptive approach and proper matching methods can improve the accuracy of immune detection methods.This paper proposes an artificial immune de...Artificial immune detection can be used to detect network intrusions in an adaptive approach and proper matching methods can improve the accuracy of immune detection methods.This paper proposes an artificial immune detection model for network intrusion data based on a quantitative matching method.The proposed model defines the detection process by using network data and decimal values to express features and artificial immune mechanisms are simulated to define immune elements.Then,to improve the accuracy of similarity calculation,a quantitative matching method is proposed.The model uses mathematical methods to train and evolve immune elements,increasing the diversity of immune recognition and allowing for the successful detection of unknown intrusions.The proposed model’s objective is to accurately identify known intrusions and expand the identification of unknown intrusions through signature detection and immune detection,overcoming the disadvantages of traditional methods.The experiment results show that the proposed model can detect intrusions effectively.It has a detection rate of more than 99.6%on average and a false alarm rate of 0.0264%.It outperforms existing immune intrusion detection methods in terms of comprehensive detection performance.展开更多
The real-time detection and instance segmentation of strawberries constitute fundamental components in the development of strawberry harvesting robots.Real-time identification of strawberries in an unstructured envi-r...The real-time detection and instance segmentation of strawberries constitute fundamental components in the development of strawberry harvesting robots.Real-time identification of strawberries in an unstructured envi-ronment is a challenging task.Current instance segmentation algorithms for strawberries suffer from issues such as poor real-time performance and low accuracy.To this end,the present study proposes an Efficient YOLACT(E-YOLACT)algorithm for strawberry detection and segmentation based on the YOLACT framework.The key enhancements of the E-YOLACT encompass the development of a lightweight attention mechanism,pyramid squeeze shuffle attention(PSSA),for efficient feature extraction.Additionally,an attention-guided context-feature pyramid network(AC-FPN)is employed instead of FPN to optimize the architecture’s performance.Furthermore,a feature-enhanced model(FEM)is introduced to enhance the prediction head’s capabilities,while efficient fast non-maximum suppression(EF-NMS)is devised to improve non-maximum suppression.The experimental results demonstrate that the E-YOLACT achieves a Box-mAP and Mask-mAP of 77.9 and 76.6,respectively,on the custom dataset.Moreover,it exhibits an impressive category accuracy of 93.5%.Notably,the E-YOLACT also demonstrates a remarkable real-time detection capability with a speed of 34.8 FPS.The method proposed in this article presents an efficient approach for the vision system of a strawberry-picking robot.展开更多
The advancement of navigation systems for the visually impaired has significantly enhanced their mobility by mitigating the risk of encountering obstacles and guiding them along safe,navigable routes.Traditional appro...The advancement of navigation systems for the visually impaired has significantly enhanced their mobility by mitigating the risk of encountering obstacles and guiding them along safe,navigable routes.Traditional approaches primarily focus on broad applications such as wayfinding,obstacle detection,and fall prevention.However,there is a notable discrepancy in applying these technologies to more specific scenarios,like identifying distinct food crop types or recognizing faces.This study proposes a real-time application designed for visually impaired individuals,aiming to bridge this research-application gap.It introduces a system capable of detecting 20 different food crop types and recognizing faces with impressive accuracies of 83.27%and 95.64%,respectively.These results represent a significant contribution to the field of assistive technologies,providing visually impaired users with detailed and relevant information about their surroundings,thereby enhancing their mobility and ensuring their safety.Additionally,it addresses the vital aspects of social engagements,acknowledging the challenges faced by visually impaired individuals in recognizing acquaintances without auditory or tactile signals,and highlights recent developments in prototype systems aimed at assisting with face recognition tasks.This comprehensive approach not only promises enhanced navigational aids but also aims to enrich the social well-being and safety of visually impaired communities.展开更多
[Objectives]This study was conducted to establish a rapid quantitative method for detecting antibody against Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus(PPR V)in sheep serum.[Methods]Soluble N protein and NH fusion protein were ...[Objectives]This study was conducted to establish a rapid quantitative method for detecting antibody against Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus(PPR V)in sheep serum.[Methods]Soluble N protein and NH fusion protein were obtained in Escherichia coli prokaryotic expression system by optimizing codons and expression conditions of E.coli.Furthermore,based on the purified soluble N protein and NH fusion protein,a high-sensitivity fluorescence immunoassay kit for detecting the antibody against PPR V was established.[Results]The method could quickly and quantitatively detect PPR V antibody in sheep serum,with high sensitivity and specificity,without any cross reaction to other related sheep pathogens.The intra-batch and inter-batch coefficients of variation were less than 10%and 15%,respectively,and the method had good repeatability.Through detection on 292 clinical serum samples,it was compared with the French IDVET competitive ELISA kit,and the coincidence rate of the two methods reached 93.84%.Compared with the serum neutralization test,the detected titer value of the high-sensitivity rapid fluorescence quantitative detection method was basically consistent with the tilter value obtained by the neutralization test on the standard positive serum(provided by the WOAH Brucellosis Reference Laboratory of France).[Conclusions]This method can realize rapid quantitative detection of PPR V antibody on site,and has high practical value and popularization value.展开更多
Real-time indoor camera localization is a significant problem in indoor robot navigation and surveillance systems.The scene can change during the image sequence and plays a vital role in the localization performance o...Real-time indoor camera localization is a significant problem in indoor robot navigation and surveillance systems.The scene can change during the image sequence and plays a vital role in the localization performance of robotic applications in terms of accuracy and speed.This research proposed a real-time indoor camera localization system based on a recurrent neural network that detects scene change during the image sequence.An annotated image dataset trains the proposed system and predicts the camera pose in real-time.The system mainly improved the localization performance of indoor cameras by more accurately predicting the camera pose.It also recognizes the scene changes during the sequence and evaluates the effects of these changes.This system achieved high accuracy and real-time performance.The scene change detection process was performed using visual rhythm and the proposed recurrent deep architecture,which performed camera pose prediction and scene change impact evaluation.Overall,this study proposed a novel real-time localization system for indoor cameras that detects scene changes and shows how they affect localization performance.展开更多
Aiming at the problem of low accuracy of traditional target detection methods for target detection in endoscopes in substation environments, a CNN-based real-time detection method for masked targets is proposed. The m...Aiming at the problem of low accuracy of traditional target detection methods for target detection in endoscopes in substation environments, a CNN-based real-time detection method for masked targets is proposed. The method adopts the overall design of backbone network, detection network and algorithmic parameter optimisation method, completes the model training on the self-constructed occlusion target dataset, and adopts the multi-scale perception method for target detection. The HNM algorithm is used to screen positive and negative samples during the training process, and the NMS algorithm is used to post-process the prediction results during the detection process to improve the detection efficiency. After experimental validation, the obtained model has the multi-class average predicted value (mAP) of the dataset. It has general advantages over traditional target detection methods. The detection time of a single target on FDDB dataset is 39 ms, which can meet the need of real-time target detection. In addition, the project team has successfully deployed the method into substations and put it into use in many places in Beijing, which is important for achieving the anomaly of occlusion target detection.展开更多
Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) has become a routine and robust technique for measuring the expression of genes of interest, validating microarray experiments and monitoring biomarkers. However, concerns have b...Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) has become a routine and robust technique for measuring the expression of genes of interest, validating microarray experiments and monitoring biomarkers. However, concerns have been raised over the accuracy of qRT-PCR in China as well as in the rest of the world. We have previously used qRT-PCR to study the response of ANR1 and other root-expressed MADS-box genes to fluctuations in the supply of nitrate, phosphate and sulphate under hydroponic growth conditions. In this study, we have used both Northern blotting and qRT-PCR analyses to confirm the nutritional regulation of MADS-box genes in Arabidopsis thaliana and test whether both technologies produce the same results. The information obtained indicated that the qRT-PCR results are consistent with those obtained by Northern blotting hybridization for all the tested root-expressed MADS-box genes, in response to different nitrate, phosphate and sulphate growth conditions. Furthermore, our novel results showed that the expressions of AGL12, AGL18, and AGL19 were all down regulated in response to S and P re-supply in both qRT-PCR and Northern blotting analyses.展开更多
文摘The species distinctive PCR primer of Lactobacillus acidophilus ( L. acidophilus) was designed according to 16S rRNA gene sequences of conunon Lac- tobacillus species in fermented material. Bacterial genome DNA of separated L. acidophilus in fermented sample was taken as template, and L. acidophilus in fer- mented material was conducted the quantitative determination by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-PCR). Analysis on RT-PCR results shown that contents of L. aci- dophilus in the test sample reached 1.5 billion CFU / g. Test results shown that contents of L. acidophilus in fermented material could be detected accurately by the established RT-PCR method in the test. indicating that the established RT-PCR method could be aookued to the detection of L. acidophilus in fermented material.
基金The Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest under contract No.201103034Construction Special Fund of Modern Agriculture and Industrial Technology Research System under contract No.CARS-47
文摘Edwardsiella tarda is one of the most important emerging pathogens in tile global aquaculture industries. As such, an accurate diagnosis and quantitative analytical methods are urgently needed for this bacterium. In this study, primers and a TaqMan probe specific to the conservative sequences of the 16S rRNA gene of E. tarda were designed. The concentration of primers and TaqMan probe were optimized to 200 nmol/L and 120 nmol/L, respectively. The detection sensitivity of the FQ- PCR assay was determined to be as low as five copies of the target sequence per reaction using the pGEM-16S rDNA recombinant plasmid as a template, which was 100 times more sensitive than conventional PCR. A standard curve by plotting the threshold cycle values (y) against the common logarithmic copies (logl0n~ as x; n~ is copy number) of pGEM-16S rDNA was generated. The results of intra- and inter-assay variability tests demonstrate that the established FQ-PCR method was highly reproducible. The assay was specific for E. tarda as it showed that there was no cross-reactivity to eight additional bacterial pathogen strains in aquaculture. Thus, the FQ-PCR assay has the potential for diagnostic purposes and for other applications, especially for the rapid detection and quantification of low-grade E. tarda infections.
基金supported by grants from National Basic Research Program of China (No.2011CB504800)National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31100128 and 81030031)+3 种基金National Mega Project on Major Drug Development (2009ZX09103-678)National Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) Program of Chinathe Technology R & D Program of Jiangsu Province, China (BG20077035 and BG2008662)NIH (RO1-AI041927,RO1-AI050468, RO1-DE014145, and RO1-DE014842)
文摘A quantitative real time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay with specific primers recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) has been widely used successfully for detection and monitoring of the pandemic H1N1/2009 influenza A virus. In this study, we report the design and characterization of a novel set of primers to be used in a qRT-PCR assay for detecting the pandemic H1N1/2009 virus. The newly designed primers target three regions that are highly conserved among the hemagglutinin (HA) genes of the pandemic HlN1/2009 viruses and are different from those targeted by the WHO-recommended primers. The qRT-PCR assays with the newly designed primers are highly specific, and as specific as the WHO-recommended primers for detecting pandemic H1N1/2009 viruses and other influenza viruses including influenza B viruses and influenza A viruses of human, swine, and raccoon dog origin. Furthermore, the qRT-PCR assays with the newly designed primers appeared to be at least 10-fold more sensitive than those with the WHO-recommended primers as the detection limits of the assays with our primers and the WHO-recommended primers were 2.5 and 25 copies of target RNA per reaction, respectively. When tested with 83 clinical samples, 32 were detected to be positive using the qRT-PCR assays with our designed primers, while only 25 were positive by the assays with the WHO-recommended primers. These results suggest that the qRT-PCR system with the newly designed primers represent a highly sensitive assay for diagnosis of the pandemic HIN1/2009 virus infection.
基金Supported by Special Funds for Basic Scientific Research of Guangxi Sugarcane Research Institute(G2009006,G2010006,G2009015)Sci-tech Research and Development Program of Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences(200805)
文摘This study was to develop the real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR technique for detecting the ratoon stunting disease (RSD) in virus-free seedcane seedlings. Healthy tissue culture seedlings were obtained from six plants of sugarcane ROC22, which had been confirmed RSD-positive by detecting the sugarcane juice, by employing the sugarcane seedlings production protocol. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect RSD pathogens in tissue culture sam- pies. The results showed that target fragment of RSD pathogens was not found in all 10 samples in real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, with the Ct values of 37 - 39. The healthy tissue culture sugarcane seedlings do not carry RSD pathogens, indicating that adopting healthy seedcane seedlings production technique could thoroughly get rid of RSD pathogens.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30460145).
文摘Objective: To establish the method of real time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR for detecting the expression of Survivin mRNA in nasopharyngeat carcinoma (NPC) tissues. Methods: The total RNA was extracted from NPC cell line CNE-2 and tissues with Trizol and then been transcribed reversely to cDNA, a method of real time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR for detecting the expression of Survivin mRNA in NPC tissues had been established, in which chronic nasopharyn-gitis patients' nasopharynx tissues treated as control group. Results: The expression of Survivin mRNA all could be detected either in CNE-2 cells, NPC tissues or in chronic nasopharyngitis patients' nasopharynx tissues, and there was higher the expression level of Survivin mRNA in NPC tissues than which in chronic nasopharyngitis patients' nasopharynx tissues, the difference was significant (P 〈 0.01). The expression of Survivin mRNA could be detected both in stage Ⅰ + Ⅱ and stage Ⅲ + Ⅳ NPC, and there was no significant difference in relative quantifications of gene expression between these two groups (P 〉 0.05). There was no relationship between Survivin mRNA expression and age and sex of NPC patients (P 〉 0.05). Conclusion: Real time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR is a rapid, effective and high sensitive method for detecting the expression of Survivin mRNA in NPC tissues. The overexpression of Survivin mRNA may play some roles in pathogenesis of NPC.
文摘Objective:The aim of this study was to detect the expression level of Metadherin (MTDH) in peripheral blood of the breast cancer patients by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR),and to explore the relationship between expression of Metadherin gene in the patients peripheral blood and the clinic-pathological features in breast cancer. Methods:Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction was employed to determine the expression level of Metadherin gene in 80 peripheral blood samples of breast cancer patients and healthy donors. Results:The expression of Metadherin gene in breast cancer patients peripheral blood were positive,in which 34 breast cancer patients were highly expressed,accounting for 55.7%,while the expression of Metadherin gene in normal females peripheral blood were negative,there was statistical significance (Ratio = 2.02±0.81,P < 0.05); Ratio of the Metadherin expression in breast cancer patients peripheral blood and the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase expression was 1.15 ± 0.36. REST software analysis showed that the expression of Metadherin gene was significantly up-regulated in breast cancer. Conclusion:The SYBR Green I quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction method can successfully detect the expression level of Metadherin gene. Expression level of Metadherin gene in breast cancer patients peripheral blood is closely related to survival,and it maybe involved in the development of breast cancer and used as an indicator of prognosis.
基金This work was supported by Science Project from Science and Tech- nology Department of HuBei province(2006AA301B56-3)
文摘Objective: Multidrug resistance(MDR) is one of the most important reasons for treatment failure and recurrence of acute leukemia. Its manifestations are different in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL) which may be due to different detection methods. This study was to detect the expression of MDR1 mRNA in bone marrow cells of children with ALL by real-time fluorescence- quantitative reverse transcription polymerase-chain reaction(FQ-RT-PCR), and combine minimal residual desease(MRD) detection by flow cytometry(FCM) and to study their relationship with treatment response and prognosis of ALL. Methods:The MDR1 mRNA levels in bone marrow cells from 67 children with ALL[28 had newly diagnosed disease, 27 had achieved complete remission(CR), 12 recurrent] and 22 children without leukemia were detected by FQ-RT-PCR. MRD was detected by FCM. The patients were observed for 9-101 months, with a median of 64 months. Results:Standard curves of human MDR1 and GAPDH genes were constructed successfully. MDR1 mRNA was detected in all children with a positive rate of 100%. The mRNA level of MDR1 was similar among the newly diagnosed ALL group, CR group, and control group(P 〉 0.05), but significantly higher in the recurrence group than that in newly diagnosed disease group and control group(0.50 ± 0.55 vs. 0.09 ± 0.26 and 0.12 ± 0.23, P〈 0.05). 54 ALL patients were followed up, and it was found that MDR1 mRNA level was significantly higher in ALL patients within 3 years duration than that of ALL patients with 3-6 years and over 6 years duration(0.63 ± 0.56 vs. 0.11 ± 0.12 and 0.04 ± 0.06, P〈 0.01). For the 28 children with newly diagnosed disease, the MDR1 mRNA level was similar between WBC 〉 50 ~ 109 group and WBC〈50 × 10^9 group(P〉 0.05). In the 33 CR patients, the MDR1 mRNA level was significantly higher in MRD〉10a group than that in MRD〈10a group(0.39 ± 0.47 vs. 0.03 ± 0.03, P 〈 0.05). Conclusion:The sensitivity and specificity of FQ-RT-PCR in detecting MDR1 mRNA in bone marrowy cells of children with ALL patients are high. MDR1 mRNA is expressed in children with and without leukemia. MDR1 mRNA is highly expressed in the CR ALL patients with high MRD, recurrence and short duration(within 3 years). Monitoring MRD and the MDR1 mRNA level might be helpful for individual treatment.
文摘[ Objective] This study aimed to establish a simultaneous detection method of shrimp viruses by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR, to improve the efficiency of inspection and quarantine. [ Method] A novel real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR assay was established and optimized for simultaneously detecting DNA/RNA of four shrimp viruses (WSSV, IHHNV, TSV and YHV ). [ Result] The optimized real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR system gener- ated typical amplification curves with high amplification efficiencies (E = 1.06, 1.07, 0.92 and 0.92, respectively), good hnear relationship ( r = 1 ), uniform repeatability ( standard deviation = 0.05 - 0.46 ; variation coefficient = 0.26% - 1.62% ) and high sensitivity, exhibiting no significant differences compared with re- al-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (average error of Ct value = 0.04 -0.40; T = 0.53 -2.50; P 〉 0.05 ). The total detection time was about 1 h. [ Conclusion] The optimized real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR system can be used for rapid detection of WSSV, IHHNV, TSV and YHV.
文摘Objective To establish a TaqMan real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR to detect Vibrio vulnificus based on the hemolysin gene (vvhA) coding cytolysin. Methods Primers and probes in the conserved region of the vvhA gene sequence were designed for the TaqMan real-time PCR to detect 100 bp amplicon from V. vulnificus DNA. Recombinant plasmid pMD19-vvhA100 was constructed and used as a positive control during the detection. Minimal amplification cycles (Ct value) and fluorescence intensity enhancement (ARn value) were used as observing indexes to optimize the reaction conditions of TaqMan real-time PCR. The TaqMan assay for the detection of Vbirio vulnificus was evaluated in pure culture, mice tissue which artificially contaminated Vibrio vulnificus and clinical samples. Results The established TaqMan real-time PCR showed positive results only for Vibrio vulnificus DNA and pMD19-vvhA100. The standard curve was plotted and the minimum level of the vvhA target from the recombinant plasmid DNA was 103 copies with a Ct value of 37.94±0.19, as the equivalent of 0.01 ng purified genomic DNA of Vibrio vulnificus. The results detected by TaqMan PCR were positive for the 16 clinical samples and all the specimens of peripheral blood and subcutaneous tissue of mice which were infected with Vibrio vulnificus. Conclusion TaqMan real-time PCR is a rapid, effective, and quantitative tool to detect Vibro vulnificus, and can be used in clinical laboratory diagnosis of septicemia and wound infection caused by Vibrio vulnificus.
基金Supported by Project of Jilin Province Science and Technology Commission(20080218)
文摘[ Objective ] This study aimed to establish a rapid and effective quarantine method of Koi herpes virus. [ Method] Primers and corresponding TaqMan probe were designed based on the conserved sequence of Koi herpes virus (KHV) pol-ymerase gene (Sph) to establish a rapid and effective fluorescence quantitative PCR method for Koi herpes virus detection. The cell cultures were detected by using the established fluorescence quantitative PCR assay, and the results were com- pared with that of conventional PCR. [ Result] The sensitivity of fluorescence quantitative PCR was higher than that of conventional PCR. The minimum copy num- ber that could be detected was 1.6 - 102 copies/p.1. The established method was adopted for sample detection, and a reliable diagnostic result could be obtained within 4 h. [Conclusion] The established method is rapid, sensitive, specific and repeatable, which is conducive to the rapid detection of Koi herpes virus. Key words Koi herpes virus; Fluorescence quantitative PCR; Detection
文摘Objective: To study the role of macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-2γ in myocarditis pathogenesis in BALB/c mice. Methods: The relationship between the progression of Coxsarckie virus B3(CVB3) viral myocarditis and experimental autoimmune myocarditis and MIP-2γ mRNA expression in mouse was studied by TaqMan real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR. Results: MIP-2γ mRNA expression rose on 3 to 5 d after CVB3 infection, reached peak on 7 d, and returned to normal level until 14 d, which corresponded well with the disease course. The MIP-2γ mRNA expression level rose significantly on the day 18 d after immunization with porcine cardiac myosin, which was consistent with pathological examination. Conclusion: MIP-2γ may be involved in the pathogenesis of myocarditis.
基金Supported by Standardization System Research Project of Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Quality Supervision(ZYBZ2013-39)
文摘In order to improve the standardized technical system of quantitative analyses for genetically modified organisms( GMOs) and protect China's bio-safety and reduce ecological risk,we establish a quantitative detection method for the genetically modified( GM) maize MON88017 using real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. Meanwhile,the method is evaluated by several methodological indicators such as specificity,sensitivity,accuracy and uncertainty of measurement. The results show that the method has strong specificity in analysis of genetically modified maize MON88017. The mean value(1. 54%) repeatedly measured for 29 times with the relative deviation of 2. 7% was close to the real value(1. 50%) and the variation coefficient of the measured value was 0. 1. The tested recovery rate is 100% and the uncertainty of measurement is 0. 096. 5 copies of the MON88017 molecular fragment can be detected at 97. 5% confidence level. Consequently,the quantitative detection method established in this paper for the GM maize MON88017 has fairly high specificity,accuracy and sensitivity and this technology established in this paper can provide good technical support for the safety supervision of genetically modified organisms in China.
基金Supported by Project of Standardization Technical System from the Administration of Quality and Technology Supervision of Sichuan Province(ZYBZ2013-39)
文摘In order to improve the standardized technical systems of quantitative analyses for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and products, ensure bio-safety and reduce ecological risk in China, a real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR assay was established for detection of genetically modified maize line MON88017. The established method was evaluated based on the specificity, sensitivity, accuracy and measurement uncertainty. The results showed that the established method had strong specificity in detection of genetically modified maize line MON88017. 1.50% MON88017 sample was detected with 29 replica- tions. The average measured value ( 1. 541% ) was close to the actual value ( 1.50% ) and the relative deviation was 2.70%. The variation coefficient of the measured value was 0.110 g ; the recovery was 100.00% and the measurement uncertainty was 0. 096. The limit of detection for genetically modified maize line MON88017 with the established method was 5 copies at the 97.5% confidence level. Thus, the real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR assay established in this study exhibited high specificity, accuracy and sensitivity, which could provide technical support for the safety supervision of genetically modified organ- isms and products in China.
基金This research was funded by the Scientific Research Project of Leshan Normal University(No.2022SSDX002)the Scientific Plan Project of Leshan(No.22NZD012).
文摘Artificial immune detection can be used to detect network intrusions in an adaptive approach and proper matching methods can improve the accuracy of immune detection methods.This paper proposes an artificial immune detection model for network intrusion data based on a quantitative matching method.The proposed model defines the detection process by using network data and decimal values to express features and artificial immune mechanisms are simulated to define immune elements.Then,to improve the accuracy of similarity calculation,a quantitative matching method is proposed.The model uses mathematical methods to train and evolve immune elements,increasing the diversity of immune recognition and allowing for the successful detection of unknown intrusions.The proposed model’s objective is to accurately identify known intrusions and expand the identification of unknown intrusions through signature detection and immune detection,overcoming the disadvantages of traditional methods.The experiment results show that the proposed model can detect intrusions effectively.It has a detection rate of more than 99.6%on average and a false alarm rate of 0.0264%.It outperforms existing immune intrusion detection methods in terms of comprehensive detection performance.
基金funded by Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation(No.2208085ME128)the Anhui University-Level Special Project of Anhui University of Science and Technology(No.XCZX2021-01)+1 种基金the Research and the Development Fund of the Institute of Environmental Friendly Materials and Occupational Health,Anhui University of Science and Technology(No.ALW2022YF06)Anhui Province New Era Education Quality Project(Graduate Education)(No.2022xscx073).
文摘The real-time detection and instance segmentation of strawberries constitute fundamental components in the development of strawberry harvesting robots.Real-time identification of strawberries in an unstructured envi-ronment is a challenging task.Current instance segmentation algorithms for strawberries suffer from issues such as poor real-time performance and low accuracy.To this end,the present study proposes an Efficient YOLACT(E-YOLACT)algorithm for strawberry detection and segmentation based on the YOLACT framework.The key enhancements of the E-YOLACT encompass the development of a lightweight attention mechanism,pyramid squeeze shuffle attention(PSSA),for efficient feature extraction.Additionally,an attention-guided context-feature pyramid network(AC-FPN)is employed instead of FPN to optimize the architecture’s performance.Furthermore,a feature-enhanced model(FEM)is introduced to enhance the prediction head’s capabilities,while efficient fast non-maximum suppression(EF-NMS)is devised to improve non-maximum suppression.The experimental results demonstrate that the E-YOLACT achieves a Box-mAP and Mask-mAP of 77.9 and 76.6,respectively,on the custom dataset.Moreover,it exhibits an impressive category accuracy of 93.5%.Notably,the E-YOLACT also demonstrates a remarkable real-time detection capability with a speed of 34.8 FPS.The method proposed in this article presents an efficient approach for the vision system of a strawberry-picking robot.
基金supported by theKorea Industrial Technology Association(KOITA)Grant Funded by the Korean government(MSIT)(No.KOITA-2023-3-003)supported by the MSIT(Ministry of Science and ICT),Korea,under the ITRC(Information Technology Research Center)Support Program(IITP-2024-2020-0-01808)Supervised by the IITP(Institute of Information&Communications Technology Planning&Evaluation)。
文摘The advancement of navigation systems for the visually impaired has significantly enhanced their mobility by mitigating the risk of encountering obstacles and guiding them along safe,navigable routes.Traditional approaches primarily focus on broad applications such as wayfinding,obstacle detection,and fall prevention.However,there is a notable discrepancy in applying these technologies to more specific scenarios,like identifying distinct food crop types or recognizing faces.This study proposes a real-time application designed for visually impaired individuals,aiming to bridge this research-application gap.It introduces a system capable of detecting 20 different food crop types and recognizing faces with impressive accuracies of 83.27%and 95.64%,respectively.These results represent a significant contribution to the field of assistive technologies,providing visually impaired users with detailed and relevant information about their surroundings,thereby enhancing their mobility and ensuring their safety.Additionally,it addresses the vital aspects of social engagements,acknowledging the challenges faced by visually impaired individuals in recognizing acquaintances without auditory or tactile signals,and highlights recent developments in prototype systems aimed at assisting with face recognition tasks.This comprehensive approach not only promises enhanced navigational aids but also aims to enrich the social well-being and safety of visually impaired communities.
基金Supported by The National Project for the Prevention and Control of Major Exotic Animal Diseases(2022YFD1800500)National Mutton Sheep Industrial Technology System(CARS39).
文摘[Objectives]This study was conducted to establish a rapid quantitative method for detecting antibody against Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus(PPR V)in sheep serum.[Methods]Soluble N protein and NH fusion protein were obtained in Escherichia coli prokaryotic expression system by optimizing codons and expression conditions of E.coli.Furthermore,based on the purified soluble N protein and NH fusion protein,a high-sensitivity fluorescence immunoassay kit for detecting the antibody against PPR V was established.[Results]The method could quickly and quantitatively detect PPR V antibody in sheep serum,with high sensitivity and specificity,without any cross reaction to other related sheep pathogens.The intra-batch and inter-batch coefficients of variation were less than 10%and 15%,respectively,and the method had good repeatability.Through detection on 292 clinical serum samples,it was compared with the French IDVET competitive ELISA kit,and the coincidence rate of the two methods reached 93.84%.Compared with the serum neutralization test,the detected titer value of the high-sensitivity rapid fluorescence quantitative detection method was basically consistent with the tilter value obtained by the neutralization test on the standard positive serum(provided by the WOAH Brucellosis Reference Laboratory of France).[Conclusions]This method can realize rapid quantitative detection of PPR V antibody on site,and has high practical value and popularization value.
文摘Real-time indoor camera localization is a significant problem in indoor robot navigation and surveillance systems.The scene can change during the image sequence and plays a vital role in the localization performance of robotic applications in terms of accuracy and speed.This research proposed a real-time indoor camera localization system based on a recurrent neural network that detects scene change during the image sequence.An annotated image dataset trains the proposed system and predicts the camera pose in real-time.The system mainly improved the localization performance of indoor cameras by more accurately predicting the camera pose.It also recognizes the scene changes during the sequence and evaluates the effects of these changes.This system achieved high accuracy and real-time performance.The scene change detection process was performed using visual rhythm and the proposed recurrent deep architecture,which performed camera pose prediction and scene change impact evaluation.Overall,this study proposed a novel real-time localization system for indoor cameras that detects scene changes and shows how they affect localization performance.
文摘Aiming at the problem of low accuracy of traditional target detection methods for target detection in endoscopes in substation environments, a CNN-based real-time detection method for masked targets is proposed. The method adopts the overall design of backbone network, detection network and algorithmic parameter optimisation method, completes the model training on the self-constructed occlusion target dataset, and adopts the multi-scale perception method for target detection. The HNM algorithm is used to screen positive and negative samples during the training process, and the NMS algorithm is used to post-process the prediction results during the detection process to improve the detection efficiency. After experimental validation, the obtained model has the multi-class average predicted value (mAP) of the dataset. It has general advantages over traditional target detection methods. The detection time of a single target on FDDB dataset is 39 ms, which can meet the need of real-time target detection. In addition, the project team has successfully deployed the method into substations and put it into use in many places in Beijing, which is important for achieving the anomaly of occlusion target detection.
基金supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China(2009QNA6023)the International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Project of Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2010DFA34430)
文摘Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) has become a routine and robust technique for measuring the expression of genes of interest, validating microarray experiments and monitoring biomarkers. However, concerns have been raised over the accuracy of qRT-PCR in China as well as in the rest of the world. We have previously used qRT-PCR to study the response of ANR1 and other root-expressed MADS-box genes to fluctuations in the supply of nitrate, phosphate and sulphate under hydroponic growth conditions. In this study, we have used both Northern blotting and qRT-PCR analyses to confirm the nutritional regulation of MADS-box genes in Arabidopsis thaliana and test whether both technologies produce the same results. The information obtained indicated that the qRT-PCR results are consistent with those obtained by Northern blotting hybridization for all the tested root-expressed MADS-box genes, in response to different nitrate, phosphate and sulphate growth conditions. Furthermore, our novel results showed that the expressions of AGL12, AGL18, and AGL19 were all down regulated in response to S and P re-supply in both qRT-PCR and Northern blotting analyses.