Exogenous reference gene normalization for real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis under dynamic endogenous transcription

Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction （qPCR） is widely used to investigate transcriptional changes following experimental manipulations to the nervous system. Despite the widespread utilization of qPCR, the interpretation of results is marred by the lack of a suitable reference gene due to the dynamic nature of endogenous transcription. To address this inherent deficiency, we investigated the use of an exogenous spike-in mRNA, luciferase, as an internal reference gene for the 2ct normalization method. To induce dynamic transcription, we systemically administered capsaicin, a neurotoxJn selective for C-type sensory neurons expressing the TRPV-1 receptor, to adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. We later isolated nodose ganglia for qPCR analysis with the reference being either exogenous luciferase mRNA or the commonly used endogenous reference 13-111 tubulin. The exogenous luciferase mRNA reference clearly demonstrated the dynamic expression of the endogenous reference. Furthermore, variability of the endogenous reference would lead to misinterpretation of other genes of interest. In conclusion, traditional reference genes are often unstable under physiologically normal situations, and certainly unstable following the damage to the nervous system. The use of exogenous spike-in reference provides a consistent and easily implemented alternative for the analysis of qPCR data.

Detection of circulating hepatocellular carcinoma cells in peripheral venous blood by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction

Objective: To detect circulating hepatocellular carcino-ma by demonstrating hepatocellular carcinoma cells orhepatocyte-associated mRNA in the nuclear cell com-ponent of peripheral blood (PBL).Methods: Peripheral blood (5 ml) samples were ob-tained from 93 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) and from 33 control subjects (9 with liver cir-rhosis after hepatitis B,14 with chronic hepatitis B,10with normal liver function). To identify HCC cells inperipheral blood, liver-specific human alpha-fetopro-tein (AFP) mRNA was amplified from total RNA ex-tracted from whole blood by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.Results: AFPmRNA was detected in 50 blood samplesfrom the HCC patients (50/93, 53.8%). In contrast,there were no clinical control patients whose samplesshowed detectable AFPmRNA in PBL. The presence ofAFPmRNA in blood seemed to be correlated with thestage (by TNM classification) of HCC, the serum AFPvalue, and the presence of intrahepatic metastasis,portal vein thrombosis, tumor diameter and/or distantmetastasis. In addition, AFPmRNA was detected in theblood of 21 patients with metastasis at extrahepaticorgans (100%) in contrast to 29 (40.3%)of 72 pa-tients without metastasis.Conclusion: The presence of AFPmRNA in peripheralblood may be an indicator of malignant hepatocytes,which might predict hematogenous spreading metasta-sis of tumor cells in patients with HCC.

Quantification of Porcine Follicle-stimulating Hormone Receptor Messenger Ribonucleic Acid by Reverse Transcription competitive Polymerase Chain Reaction

An easy and reliable method was developed for construction and quantification of competitive templates, which shared the same sequence as the amplified target DNA except for a 20 bp insertion in the middle by recombinant polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Among the advantages of competitive PCR is that any predictable or unpredictable variable that affects amplification has the same effect on both target and competitor species and that the final ratio of amplified products reflects exactly the initial targets. The utilization of a thermostable reverse transcriptase in the RT step was proposed to overcome the problem of the efficiency of target cDNA synthesis. In addition, to obtain reliable measurements, it was recommended to perform four PCR with amounts of competitive template flanking the concentration of the target mRNA.

Detection of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in the peripheral blood with reverse--transcription polymerase chain reaction

In order to detect circulating cells of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) in the peripheral blood with reverse transcripition polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR ), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP ) mRNA was tested in the blood samples of 113 cases of HCC and 69 controls (including 30 cases of liver cirrhosis, 9 cases of metastatic liver cancer and 30 normal subjects). 20/43 (46. 5% ) cases of HCC and 2/30 (6. 7% ) cases of liver cirrhosis are positive and the cases of nletastatic liver cancer and normal controls were negative for human AFP(hAFP) rnRNA. The presence of hAFP mRNA in the peripheral blood seems to be correlated with intrahepatic and distant nletastasls of HCC and portal vein thrombosis. It is concluded that the presence of hAFP mRNA in the peripheral hloocl is an indicator of circulating HCC cells and can be used to diagnose the rnetastasisof HCC through henlatogenous route and RT-PCR amplification of hAFP mRNA is a sensitive and specificprocedure for detecting circulating cells of HCC.

Primary application of a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction for the detection of human breast cancer related novel gene-Metadherin expression

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.

Identifying the stability of housekeeping genes to be used for the quantitative real-time PCR normalization in retinal tissue of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

AIM:To investigate the stability of the seven housekeeping genes:beta-actin(ActB),glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase(GAPDH),18s ribosomal unit 5(18s),cyclophilin A(CycA),hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase(HPRT),ribosomal protein large P0(36B4)and terminal uridylyl transferase 1(U6)in the diabetic retinal tissue of rat model.METHODS:The expression of these seven genes in rat retinal tissues was determined using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)in two groups;normal control rats and streptozotocininduced diabetic rats.The stability analysis of gene expression was investigated using geNorm,NormFinder,BestKeeper,and comparative delta-Ct(ΔCt)algorithms.RESULTS:The 36B4 gene was stably expressed in the retinal tissues of normal control animals;however,it was less stable in diabetic retinas.The 18s gene was expressed consistently in both normal control and diabetic rats’retinal tissue.That this gene was the best reference for data normalisation in RT-qPCR studies that used the retinal tissue of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.Furthermore,there was no ideal gene stably expressed for use in all experimental settings.CONCLUSION:Identifying relevant genes is a need for achieving RT-qPCR validity and reliability and must be appropriately achieved based on a specific experimental setting.

Quantification of mRNA Levels by Fluorescently Labelled Reverse Transcription Competitive PCR

A reproducible,quantitative,non-radioactive method for the analysis of mRNA expression is described.After RNA preparation and cDNA synthesis,the cDNA was co-amplified with an internal standard in the same PCR system.The PCR products containing both targen and internal standard amplificates were electrophoresed and detected on an ABI 377 DNA Sequencer.For each sample,β-actin was also quantified by an identical procedure to compensate for relative differences between samples in the integrity of the individual RNA samples and for variations in reverse transcription.Due to the linear relationship between cDNA content and PCR product ratio of target cDNA template and competitive standard,a single PCR reaction was sufficient for quantification of a sample.The experimental results showed that the method is a mRNA quantitative RT-PCR method with high sensitivity and good reproducibility.It can be used in large-scale accurate quantitative analyses of mRNA expression of any gene.

Comparison of Abbott and Da-an real-time PCR for quantitating serum HBV DNA

AIM: To compare the performance of the Da-an real-time hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA assay and Abbott RealTime HBV assay.

Micro-droplet Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction and Real-Time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction Technologies Provide Highly Sensitive and Accurate Detection of Zika Virus

The establishment of highly sensitive diagnostic methods is critical in the early diagnosis and control of Zika virus(ZIKV)and in preventing serious neurological complications of ZIKV infection. In this study, we established micro-droplet digital polymerase chain reaction(ddPCR) and real-time quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR) protocols for the detection of ZIKV based on the amplification of the NS5 gene. For the ZIKV standard plasmid, the RT-qPCR results showed that the cycle threshold(Ct) value was linear from 10~1 to 10~8 copy/l L, with a standard curve R^2 of 0.999 and amplification efficiency of 92.203%;however, a concentration as low as 1 copy/l L could not be detected. In comparison with RT-qPCR, the dd PCR method resulted in a linear range of 10~1–10~4 copy/l L and was able to detect concentrations as low as 1 copy/l L. Thus, for detecting ZIKV from clinical samples, RT-qPCR is a better choice for high-concentration samples(above 10~1 copy/l L),while ddPCR has excellent accuracy and sensitivity for low-concentration samples. These results indicate that the ddPCR method should be of considerable use in the early diagnosis, laboratory study, and monitoring of ZIKV.

Real-time PCR与RT-PCR检测儿童人偏肺病毒

目的:比较荧光定量PCR(real-time PCR)与普通反转录酶-聚合酶链锁反应(RT-PCR)对人偏肺病毒(hMPV)的检测价值。方法:Real-time PCR和RT-PCR同时对500例急性下呼吸道感染(ALRTI)患儿鼻咽部分泌物进行h MPV检测,分析两种方法的特异性和灵敏性。结果:Real-time PCR和RT-PCR的检出率分别为16%及9.8%,RT-PCR与Real-time PCR比较,灵敏度为31.3%(25/80),特异度为94.3%(396/420)。结论:Real-time PCR检测hMPV敏感性高于RT-PCR,是临床检测儿童鼻咽部分泌物h MPV感染的有效的方法。

2009年至2013年萍乡市流感病例样本real-time RT-PCR结果分析

目的通过对萍乡市历年流感样病例的病毒核酸检测结果分析,了解当地流感疫情状况,分析当地流感发病趋势,为预防和控制流感流行提供科学论证凭据。方法萍乡市人民医院为国家流感样病例监测哨点医院,对符合流感样病例定义的病例收集相关信息,采集咽拭子标本,采用实时荧光逆转录聚合酶链反应法(real-time RT-PCR)对标本进行流感病毒核酸检测,并进行统计分析。结果萍乡市流感病毒核酸阳性率22.09%,其中2009年阳性率59.75%最高,之后呈下降趋势。新甲型H1N1流感病毒和乙型流感病毒阳性数接近,构成比分为33.74%和30.89%。新甲型H1N1共检出阳性166例,其中2009年9-12月检出阳性143例,2009年11月为最高峰,阳性率达到(75/143)52.45%,2010年以后有少量病例发现。乙型和季H3流感检出阳性数逐年增加。男、女流感核酸阳性检出率分别为23.19%(291/1255)和20.68%(201/972)。年龄分5个组统计分析,阳性率分别是37.25%、30.59%、19.40%、18.69%和13.00%。结论萍乡市流感病例核酸阳性以新甲型H1N1和乙型为主;季H3流感病例核酸阳性有所增加,且新甲型H1N1在2009年12月后得到有效控制,流感病毒易感染人群以学龄儿童和青少年为主,性别无差异。

饮食习惯与肥胖患儿性早熟的相关性分析

目的探讨饮食习惯与肥胖患儿性早熟的相关性分析。方法选取苏州市吴中人民医院2019年3月至2022年3月期间收治的72例性早熟肥胖患儿作为观察组,另选取同期体检的健康肥胖儿童71例作为常规组。采用实时-逆转录荧光定量聚合酶链反应(RT-qPCR)检测两组外周血miR-125b水平,分析患儿饮食习惯。通过比较两组肥胖儿童的外周血miR-125b、饮食习惯,采用Logistic回归分析法分析外周血miR-125b、饮食习惯与肥胖患儿性早熟的关系。结果观察组外周血miR-125b表达水平高于常规组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。观察组饮食没规律、荤多素少、高添加剂食品占比均高于常规组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。观察组女性患儿、不良饮食习惯占比高于常规组,且经多因素分析显示外周血miR-125b表达水平、女性、不良饮食习惯是肥胖患儿性早熟的独立危险因素,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论肥胖患儿性早熟外周血miR-125b表达水平高于健康肥胖儿童,不良饮食习惯高于健康肥胖儿童,外周血miR-125b表达水平偏高、不良饮食习惯偏低均为肥胖患儿性早熟的影响因素。

复合探针实时荧光RT-PCR法检测小儿上呼吸道感染甲型流感病毒的价值

目的 分析小儿上呼吸道感染甲型流感病毒应用复合探针实时荧光反转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)法检测的临床价值。方法选择2023年1月至2023年12月流感监测信息系统两家监测点上呼吸道感染甲型流感病毒感染的患儿80例监测标本进行回顾性分析,均开展复合探针实时荧光RT-PCR法检测,分析其诊断价值。结果 根据监测标本最终诊断结果显示,阳性标本68例、阴性标本12例。经复合探针实时荧光RT-PCR法检出67例,检出率为83.75%,敏感度为95.59%、特异度为83.33%、准确度为93.75%、阳性结果预测值为97.01%、阴性结果预测值为76.92%;批间批内变异系数均小于5%。结论 小儿上呼吸道感染甲型流感病毒应用复合探针实时荧光RT-PCR技术具有较高的敏感度、特异度及准确度,且检查结果快速,可为小儿上呼吸道感染甲型流感病变提供可靠的诊断,有利于制订合理的治疗方案。

帕利亚姆病毒实时荧光定量RT-PCR检测方法的建立与应用

本研究拟建立帕利亚姆病毒(Palyam virus,PALV)血清型特异性实时荧光定量RT-PCR(qRT-PCR)方法用于临床样本或媒介中PALV血清型鉴定。根据我国流行PALV毒株的基因节段2序列,设计扩增引物和TaqMan探针,建立PALV血清型特异型qRT-PCR方法,对方法的特异性、灵敏性与重复性进行评估;以我国分离的28株PALV和90份核酸阳性血液样本评估检测方法的可靠性;利用建立的方法对采集库蠓样本中携带的PALV进行血清型鉴定。结果显示,建立的PALV血清型qRT-PCR检测方法具有良好的特异性与灵敏性,可检出核酸拷贝数下限在22至28 copies·μL^(-1)。对28株PALV的qRT-PCR检测结果与病毒测序鉴定结果一致;对PALV不同感染阶段哨兵动物血液(90份)中的qRT-PCR鉴定结果与分离病毒的血清型鉴定结果一致;建立的方法可准确鉴定库蠓中携带PALV的血清型。本研究建立的PALV血清型qRT-PCR定型方法具有良好的特异强、敏感性与重复性,可用于PALV感染动物与媒介中PALV血清型的鉴定,具有良好的应用价值。

新型冠状病毒亚基因组RNA检测方法的建立及性能评估

目的建立检测新型冠状病毒(新冠病毒)亚基因组RNA(subgenomic RNA,sgRNA)的方法,并对所建立的方法进行性能评估。方法根据新型冠状病毒sgRNA序列设计引物和探针,建立检测sgRNA的实时荧光逆转录PCR(reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction,RT-PCR)方法,对所建立的方法进行优化,包括引物、探针的浓度及比例、延伸温度、反应体积和模板量。并对所建立的方法进行性能评估,包括最低检测限、灵敏度、特异性和重复性。对临床样本进行新冠病毒sgRNA和基因组RNA(genomic RNA,gRNA)检测,并对检测结果进行分析。结果建立了检测新冠病毒sgRNA的RT-PCR方法。所建方法的最低检测限为100 copies/mL,对常见病原体的检测结果均为阴性。对高、中、低浓度样本sgRNA进行检测,CV均<5%。115例疑似新冠病毒感染者的咽拭子样本sgRNA为阳性(115/330,阳性率为34.85%)。gRNA-N Ct值<30时,sgRNA-N的阳性率为100.00%;gRNA-N的Ct值介于30~32时,sgRNA-N的阳性率为68.75%;gRNA-N的Ct值介于32~35时,sgRNA-N的阳性率为44.44%;gRNA-N的Ct值>35时,sgRNA-N均为阴性。结论建立了新冠病毒sgRNA的RT-PCR检测方法,方法灵敏、特异、重复性好。

菊芋HtMYB2基因VIGS体系构建与功能验证

颜色作为一种重要的农艺性状,影响作物的价值。紫皮菊芋与白皮菊芋相比,具有较好的外观颜色、营养价值和商品价值。本研究旨在探究菊芋块茎表皮颜色形成的潜在机制。通过前期转录组测序技术对紫皮和白皮菊芋块茎表皮分析,筛选得到与花青素合成代谢相关转录因子HtMYB2。本研究以紫皮菊芋品种为材料,利用VIGS技术将HtMYB2进行基因沉默,对其功能进行验证。结果表明侵染后的菊芋块茎表皮颜色变浅,花青素含量显著下降为15.34 mg/g;同时RT-PCR结果显示HtMYB2基因表达量为2.06,与对照组相比显著降低,沉默效率为73.96%,推测HtMYB2基因的沉默使菊芋块茎中花青素基因的表达受阻,花青素合成功能减弱,导致花青素含量降低,表明HtMYB2基因在花青素合成途径中起正调控作用。本研究为菊芋块茎表皮花青素的生物合成机理提供理论依据,并进一步揭示了该基因在调控块茎颜色和花青素合成途径中的重要性。

双重荧光逆转录-聚合酶链式反应与荧光逆转录-重组酶介导等温扩增快速检测食源性GⅠ型、GⅡ型诺如病毒

目的建立双重荧光逆转录-聚合酶链式反应(reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction,RT-PCR)与荧光逆转录-重组酶介导等温扩增(reverse transcription recombinase-aided amplification,RT-RAA)快速有效地检测食品中食源性GⅠ型和GⅡ型诺如病毒的方法。方法根据GⅠ型、GⅡ型诺如病毒基因组保守序列设计引探,经过一系列引探浓度筛选,建立了双重荧光RT-PCR和恒温荧光RT-RAA两种检测方法,分别从敏感性、特异性、稳定性、重复性等方面进行了比较研究;同时将这两种方法应用于实际临床样本检测中,并与GB4789.42—2016《食品安全国家标准食品微生物学检验诺如病毒检验》进行比对验证。结果建立的两种方法特异性良好,敏感性均可达10 copies/μL;双重荧光RT-PCR方法质粒梯度变异系数(coefficient of variation,CV)值在0.1%~1.5%区间,恒温荧光RT-RAA方法CV值在1.0%~10.0%区间,稳定性和重复性显示双重荧光RT-PCR优于恒温荧光RT-RAA检测方法;31份诺如病毒阳性食品核酸样本均能检出,且50份食品盲样检测结果与国标一致。结论本研究成功建立了双重荧光RT-PCR与恒温荧光RT-RAA快速检测食源性GⅠ型、GⅡ型诺如病毒方法,两种方法各有优缺点,双重荧光RT-PCR稳定性和重复性好,恒温荧光RT-RAA检测时间短,仅20 min就能完成扩增,可根据不同需求选择一种或两种作为食源性GⅠ型、GⅡ型诺如病毒的检测方法。

猪轮状病毒OSU株对乳鼠的致病性

为建立猪轮状病毒(PoRV)OSU株感染乳鼠致腹泻模型,研究PoRV对乳鼠的致病性,本试验选用40只4日龄昆明乳鼠,将其随机分为3个攻毒组和1个空白对照组,攻毒组乳鼠经口灌胃不同剂量的PoRV培养液,分别为攻毒组1(50μL)、攻毒组2(100μL)和攻毒组3(150μL),病毒滴度为10~(5.2)TCID_(50)/100μL,空白对照组按同样的方法灌服细胞培养液。在感染后不同时间点观察乳鼠的临床症状、腹泻和死亡情况、解剖症状,采用苏木精-伊红(H.E.)染色进行肠道组织病理学检查,反转录聚合酶链式反应(RT-PCR)检测乳鼠肠内容物中PoRV含量。结果显示,乳鼠在接种PoRV后24 h出现明显腹泻症状,攻毒后3~4 d时发病最严重,4 d时乳鼠的腹泻率介于62.5%~100%,7 d时恢复正常,乳鼠的死亡率介于44.4%~90.0%。与空白对照组比,攻毒组小鼠在给予PoRV后,肠道出现明显的病理变化,主要表现为水肿和充血、肠上皮完整性破坏。RT-PCR检测结果显示,攻毒组部分乳鼠的肠内容物中检出PoRV。本试验利用PoRV OSU株成功建立了乳鼠腹泻模型,阐明了其致病特征。

基于直扩RT-PCR技术的寨卡病毒快速检测方法的建立

目的建立基于直扩实时荧光定量逆转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)技术的寨卡病毒快速检测方法。方法采用特殊功能的DNA聚合酶,以及优选PCR增强剂,以此建立直扩RT-PCR技术的寨卡病毒快速检测5种样本(全血、血清、唾液、咽拭子和尿)的方法。结果5种样本检测限分别为血清103 PFU/mL,尿、咽拭子和唾液102 PFU/mL,全血104 PFU/mL,标准曲线的拟合优度的可决系数均在0.98以上,扩增效率均在90%~110%;寨卡病毒核酸成功扩增,非寨卡病毒核酸均未能扩增;尿、全血和唾液样本的重复性实验中106 PFU/mL和102 PFU/mL两个浓度的6个重复Ct值的变异系数均<5%。该研究建立的直扩RT-PCR技术的寨卡病毒检测方法与常规RT-PCR技术的检测结果一致,8个寨卡病毒样本,均只检测出2个血清样本,其余62个非寨卡病毒样本及12个阴性样本均未得到扩增。结论成功建立基于直扩RT-PCR技术的寨卡病毒快速检测方法,该方法简便快捷且灵敏度高、特异度强。

RT-PCR法在沙门菌检测及血清分型鉴定中的应用价值研究

目的:探讨反转录-聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)法在沙门菌检测及血清分型鉴定中的应用价值。方法:选择2022年8月至2024年1月本疾控中心收治的456例腹泻患者的粪便标本,均行细菌培养和RT-PCR检测,记录RT-PCR鉴定沙门菌血清分型结果,以细菌培养结果作为金标准,分析RT-PCR鉴定沙门菌的价值及其与细菌培养的一致性,对比细菌培养、RT-PCR鉴定沙门菌的费用及操作时间。结果:456例腹泻中经细菌培养共检出沙门菌78株,RT-PCR检出85株,RT-PCR检测敏感度为97.44%(76/78),特异度为96.83%(366/378),准确度为96.93%(442/456),阳性预测值为89.41%(76/85),阴性预测值为99.46%(366/368);RT-PCR鉴定沙门菌结果与细菌培养一致性较高(kappa值=0.897,P<0.001);RT-PCR鉴定结果与细菌培养完全一致有73株,符合率为93.59%,其中里森沙门菌、鼠伤寒沙门菌、德尔卑沙门菌、姆班达卡沙门菌4种优势血清型结果完全一致,而与细菌培养鉴定不一致菌株5株;RT-PCR鉴定沙门菌操作时间为(0.30±0.07)天,费用(100.22±6.52)元,细菌培养鉴定沙门菌的操作时间为(2.82±0.25)天,费用为(300.52±12.16)元,RT-PCR鉴定沙门菌的费用及操作时间均低于细菌培养,差异有统计学意义(P<0.001)。结论:RT-PCR法可准确检出沙门菌,判断沙门菌血清分型,与细菌培养结果具有较高的一致性,且操作用时短、所需费用低,可应用于沙门菌检测。