Development and Application of a Quantitative Competitive PCR Assay for Detecting Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae

[Objective] This study aimed to develop a quantitative competitive assay for detecting Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in culture. [Method] One pair of Mhp-specific primers was designed for detecting Mhp in culture. Another pair of primers was designed based on the conserved gene sequences of Mycoplasma. The competitive template, which carried the same primer binding site with the target fragment, was constructed using enzyme digestion method. [Result] The logarithm of concentration of competitive template was treated as the abscissa（X-axis）, and the logarithm of corrected optical density ratio between amplification products by competitive template and target template was treated as the ordinate（Y-axis）. Thus the standard curve was drawn, and the regression equation was also obtained. When Y was assigned as 0, the concentration of the competitive plate was calculated, and then the concentration of Mhp was deduced. The logarithms of Color change unit（CCU） were treated as the abscissa（X-axis）, and the copy numbers of Mhp were treated as the ordinate（Y-axis）, so the standard curve was generated. It was found that the copy number of Mhp was highly correlated to CCU. [Conclusion] A quantitative competitive PCR assay was successfully established for the rapid detection of Mhp in culture.

Quantification of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria in enrichment cultures by quantitative competitive PCR

The anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing （ANAMMOX） bacteria were enriched from a sequencing batch biofilm reactor （SBBR）. A quantitative competitive polymerase chain reaction （QC-PCR） system was successfully developed to detect and quantify ANAMMOX bacteria in environmental samples. For QC-PCR system, PCR primer sets targeting 16S ribosomal RNA genes of ANAMMOX bacteria were designed and used. The quantification range of this system was 4 orders of magnitude, from 10^3 to 10^6 copies per PCR, corresponding to the detection limit of 300 target copies per mL. A 312-bp internal standard was constructed, which showed very similar amplification efficiency with the target amxC fragment （349 bp） over 4 orders of magnitude （10^3-10^6）. The linear regressions were obtained with R^2 of 0.9824 for 10^3 copies, 0.9882 for 10^4 copies, 0.9857 for 10^5 copies and 0.9899 for 10^6 copies, respectively. Using this method, ANAMMOX bacteria were quantified in a shortcut nitrification/denitrification-anammox system which was set for piggery wastewater treatment.

Identification of normalization factors for quantitative realtime RT-PCR analysis of gene expression in Pacific abalone Haliotis discus hannai

Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction （qRT-PCR） is widely used in studies of gene expression. In most of these studies, housekeeping genes are used as internal references without validation. To identify appropriate reference genes for qRT-PCR in Pacific abalone Haliotis discus hannai, we examined the transcription stability of six housekeeping genes in abalone tissues in the presence and absence of bacterial infection. For this purpose, abalone were infected with the bacterial pathogen Fibrio anguillarum for 12 h and 48 h. The mRNA levels of the housekeeping genes in five tissues （digestive glands, foot muscle, gill, hemocyte, and mantle） were determined by qRT-PCR. The PCR data was subsequently analyzed with the geNorm and NormFinder algorithms. The results show that in the absence of bacterial infection, elongation factor-l-alpha and beta-actin were the most stably expressed genes in all tissues, and thus are suitable as cross-tissue type normalization factors. However, we did not identify any universal reference genes post infection because the most stable genes varied between tissue types. Furthermore, for most tissues, the optimal reference genes identified by both algorithms at 12 h and 48 h post-infection differed. These results indicate that bacterial infection induced significant changes in the expression of abalone housekeeping genes in a manner that is dependent on tissue type and duration of infection. As a result, different normalization factors must be used for different tissues at different infection points.

Detection of Survivin mRNA in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR

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.

Synchronous Detection of DNA/RNA of Four Shrimp Viruses by Real-time Fluorescence Quantitative RT-PCR

[ 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.

Detection and clinical significance of multidrug resistance-1 mRNA in bone marrow cells in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR

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.

TaqMan real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR in detection of macrophage inflammatory protein-2γ mRNA in myocarditis murine

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.

THE DETECTION OF MDR1 GENE EXPRESSION USING FLUOROGENIC PROBE QUANTITATIVE RT-PCR METHOD

Objective: To establish a fluoregenic probe quantitative RT-PCR (FQ-RT-PCR) method for detection of the expression of MDR1 gene in tumor cells and to investigate the expression of MDR1 gene in patients with lung cancer. Methods: The fluorogenic quantitative RT-PCR method for detection of the expression of MDR1 gene was established. K562/ADM and K562 cell lines or 45 tumor tissues from patients with lung cancer were examined on PE Applied Biosystems 7700 Sequence Detection machine. Results: the average levels of MDR1 gene expression in K562/ADM cells and K562 cells were (6.86±0.65)× 107 copies/μg RNA and (8.49±0.67)×105 copies/μg RNA, respectively. The former was 80.8 times greater than the latter. Each sample was measured 10 times and the coefficient variation (CV) was 9.5% and 7.9%, respectively. Various levels of MDR1 gene expression were detected in 12 of 45 patients with lung cancer. Conclusion: Quantitative detection of MDR1 gene expression in tumor cells was achieved by using FQ-RT-PCR. FQ-RT-PCR is an accurate, and sensitive method and easy to perform. Using this method, low levels of MDR1 gene expression could be detected in 24% of the patients with lung cancer.

Quantitative comparison of the expression of myogenic regulatory factors in flounder(Paralichthys olivaceus) embryos and adult tissues

MyoD, Myf5, and myogenin are myogenic regulatory factors that play important roles during myogenesis. It is thought that MyoD and Myf5 are required for myogenic determination, while myogenin is important for terminal differentiation and lineage maintenance. To better understand the function of myogenic regulatory factors in muscle development of flounder, an important economic fish in Asia, real-time quantitative RT-PCR was used to characterize the expression patterns of MyoD, Myf5, and myogenin at early stages of embryo development, and in different tissues of the adult flounder. The results show that, MyJ5 is the first gene to be expressed during the early stages of flounder development, followed by MyoD and myogenin. The expressions ofMyf5, MyoD, and myogenin at the early stages have a common characteristic： expression gradually increased to a peak level, and then gradually decreased to an extremely low level. In the adult flounder, the expression of the three genes in muscle is much higher than that in other tissues, indicating that they are important for muscle growth and maintenance of grown fish. During embryonic stages, the expression level of MyoD might serve an important role in the balance between muscle cell differentiation and proliferation. When the MyoD expression is over 30% of its highest level, the muscle cells enter the differentiation stage.

The quantitative expressions of lymphangiogenic factors and metastasis in human colorectal cancers

Objective： The purpose of this paper was to study the expression levels of newly described lymphatic endothelial markers – LYVE-1, Prox-1, podoplanin and 5’-nucleotidase, and their correlation with metastasis of human colorectal cancers. Methods： Tumor and corresponding tumor-side normal tissue samples were obtained from resected specimens immediately after operation. Expression level of each factor was determined by quantitative real-time PCR （RT-PCR） and Western blot technique. Results： Expression levels of lymphatic endothelial markers LYVE-1, Prox-1, podoplanin and 5’-nucleotidase were significantly different in tumor and tumor-side normal groups. Expression levels of Prox-1 and podoplanin were higher in patients with positive lymph node metastasis than those without metastasis. LYVE-1, but not 5’-nucleotidase expression level was higher in both cancer and normal groups. Conclusion： These results indicate that combined quantitative analysis of lymphangiogenic markers LYVE-1, Prox-1 and podoplanin in colorectal cancer specimens may be useful in predicting metastasis of colorectal cancer to regional lymph nodes. However, the role of 5’-nucleotidase in predicting metastasis of colorectal cancer still remains to be further analyzed.

Quantitative analysis of a panel of gene expression in prostate cancer——with emphasis on NPY expression analysis

Objective： To investigate molecular alterations associating with prostate carcinoma progression and potentially provide information toward more accurate prognosis/diagnosis. Methods： A set of laser captured microdissected （LCM） specimens from 300 prostate cancer （PCa） patients undergoing radical prostatectomy （RP） were defined. Ten patients representing ＂aggressive＂ PCa, and 10 representing ＂non-aggressive＂ PCa were selected based on prostate-specific antigen （PSA） recurrence, Gleason score, pathological stage and tumor cell differentiation, with matched patient age and race between the two groups. Normal and neoplastic prostate epithelial cells were collected with LCM from frozen tissue slides obtained from the RP specimens. The expressions of a panel of genes, including NPY, PTEN, AR, AMACR, DD3, and GSTP1, were measured by quantitative real-time RT-PCR （TaqMan）, and correlation was analyzed with clinicopathological features. Results： The expressions of AMACR and DD3 were consistently up-regulated in cancer cells compared to benign prostate epithelial cells in all PCa patients, whereas GSTP1 expression was down regulated in each patient. NPY, PTEN and AR exhibited a striking difference in their expression patterns between aggressive and non-aggressive PCas （P=0.0203, 0.0284, and 0.0378, respectively, Wilcoxon rank sum test）. The lower expression of NPY showed association with ＂aggressive＂ PCas based on a larger PCa patient cohort analysis （P=0.0037, univariate generalized linear model （GLM） analysis）. Conclusion： Despite widely noted heterogeneous nature of PCa, gene expression alterations ofAM,4CR, DD3, and GSTP1 in LCM-derived PCa epithelial cells suggest for common underlying mechanisms in the initiation of PCa. Lower NPY expression level is significantly associated with more aggressive clinical behavior of PCa; PTEN and AR may have potential in defining PCa with aggressive clinical behavior. Studies along these lines have potential to define PCa-associated gene expression alterations and likely co-regulation of genes/pathways critical in the biology of PCa onset/progression.

Constructing Competitive Reverse Transcription Polymerize Chain Reaction Inter-Reference of PC mRNA by Intron Approach

Inter-reference of competitive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)was constructed by intron method to detect the change of PC mRNA level in the pathway ofcarbohydrate metabolism. The experiment based on the principle that 81bp intron sequencewas deleted in PC mRNA compared with PC DNA sequence. The 466bp competitive DNA templaterecombinant plasmid of PC mRNA was successfully built by a pair of primer and was clonedonce, PC DNA and PC mRNA could be inter-referred each other. The intron approach used inthe experiment has broken through the traditional method of constructing competitivetemplate.

Sequence Analysis and Quantitative Detection of Norwalk-like Viruses in Cultured Oysters of China

We isolated 4 Norwalk-like viruses （NLVs） contaminated oysters from 33 Chinese oysters collected from local commercial sources of Shandong Province. After amplification of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase （RdRp） region of NLVs genomes with RT-PCR, the open reading frame 1 （ORF 1） of the RdRp was sequenced and subjected to multiple-sequence alignment. The results showed that NLVs in the four isolates belong to genogroup Ⅱ. The sequence comparison showed that the similarity between four Chinese oyster isolates were higher than 99.0%, which indicated that NLVs prevalent in close areas have high homogeneity in genome sequences. In addition, the most conserved sequences between diverse NLVs were used to design primers and TaqMan probes, then the real-time quantitative PCR assay was performed. According to the standard curve of GII NLVs, the original amounts （copies） of NLVs in positive patient＇s fecal isolate, positive Japanese oyster isolate, and the Chinese oyster isolate were 8.9× 10^8, 1.25× 10^8 and 4.7× 10^1 respectively. The detecting limit of NLVs was 1 × 10^1 copies. This study will be helpful for routine diagnosis of NLVs pathogens in foods and thus for avoiding food poisoning in the future.

Establishment of a Real-time Fluorescent Quantitative RTPCR Method for Detecting NP Gene of Class Ⅰ Newcastle Disease Virus(NDV)

Newcastle disease( ND) is one of the most serious infectious diseases that infect the poultry industry.There is only one serotype of Newcastle disease virus( NDV),but NDVs can be divided into two distinct classes( class Ⅰ,and class Ⅱ) according to their genetic relationship.To develop a method for rapid quantitative detection of class Ⅰ NDV,a pair of primers and a TaqM an probe were designed and synthesized according to the conservative sequence of NP gene of class Ⅰ NDV.The positive recombinant plasmid harboring NP gene of JS-18-05 isolate was used as a positive template to establish the standard curve.A real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR method was established for rapid detection of class Ⅰ NDV with strong specificity,high sensitivity and good repeatability.The established method exhibited a good linear relationship within the concentration of 102 to 108 copies of NDV,by which 1 μl of 10 copy of NDV nucleic acid could be detected in the initial template.Compared with conventional virus isolation methods,the established method had similar sensitivity and led to the same results in detecting33 class Ⅰ,class Ⅱ NDV isolates.The study provided the basis for rapid quantitative detection of class Ⅰ NDVs and further clarification of their pathogenicity and pathogenic mechanism in poultry.

Establishment of Fluorescence Quantitative RT-PCR Assay for Detection of Equine Arteritis Virus

[Objective]The paper was to establish a fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR method for detection of equine arteritis virus(EAV).[Method]Primers and probes were developed for the EAV ORF7 gene sequence,and the reaction system was optimized.Standard curves were established,leading to the initial development of the EAV fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR assay.The accuracy,specificity,and sensitivity of this method were subsequently evaluated.[Result]The EAV fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR assay demonstrated optimal performance at an annealing temperature of 61 C,with a final concentration of primer and probe set at 0.6μmol/L.The plasmid standard demonstrated a strong linear correlation with Ct values within the range of 1.6×10^(7)-1.6×10^(2)copies/μL.The equation of the standard curve was determined to be y=-2.68x+32.88,with an R^(2) value of 0.9927.Consequently,the EAV fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR assay was successfully established.The methodology employed was effective in detecting EAV,Theileria equi,equine herpesvirus-1(EHV-1),equine herpesvirus-4(EHV-4),and equine influenza virus(EIV).The findings indicated that the method was specifically capable of detecting EAV,while the other pathogens tested yielded negative results.The method demonstrated a high degree of specificity.It was employed to detect the standard plasmid cRNA synthesized through in vitro transcription following a 10-fold dilution.The results indicated that the minimum detection limit of the method was 1.6×10^(2) copies/μL,and it exhibited high sensitivity.The coefficient of variation,both within and between groups,was maintained at 1.8%,indicating good reproducibility.In this study,the fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR assay developed was utilized alongside the EAV fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR assay established by previous researchers to analyze a total of 234 clinical samples.Both methods yielded a positive detection rate of 14.1%,and the coincidence rate between the two techniques was found to be 100%.[Conclusion]The fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR assay developed in this study offers a novel approach and concept for the prevention and control of equine viral arteritis(EVA).

定量RT-PCR及其在植物学研究中的应用

定量RT-PCR(Quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR)是在反转录和定量PCR的基础上发展起来的一种特异性检测基因表达的技术。主要包括相对定量RT-PCR(Relative quantitative RT-PCR)、竞争性定量RT-PCR(Competitive quan-titative RT-PCR)、比较定量RT-PCR(Comparative quantitative RT-PCR)和实时定量RT-PCR(Real time quantitative RT-PCR)四种。目前定量RT-PCR在植物学研究中的应用越来越广泛,如植物营养学研究、植物发育学研究、植物抗逆机理研究、转基因植物的检测、病原菌的检测、植物与微生物互作机理研究、植物抗病性检测等方面。本文综述了定量RT-PCR的原理及在植物学中的应用。

应用内含子法构建PC基因mRNA竞争RT-PCR内参照

运用PC基因mRNA与PC基因DNA相比缺少1个81bp内含子序列的基本原理,应用PCR技术和生物工程原理,通过1对引物,进行1次克隆,成功构建了PC基因mRNA的466bp竞争DNA模板重组质粒,PC基因mRNA与PC基因DNA可以互为内参照。为应用逆转录-聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)检测糖代谢过程中PC基因mRNA水平奠定方法学基础。

猪IFN-γ mRNA竞争性RT-PCR定量检测方法的建立

无菌分离的猪外周血单个核细胞(PBMC),经ConA体外刺激培养15 h后提取细胞总RNA。以此总RNA为模板,采用RT-PCR技术扩增到了435 bp的IFN-γ基因。把扩增到的IFN-γ基因与pMD18-T载体连接,构建了pMD-IFN435重组质粒。用另一对引物对重组质粒pMD-IFN435内部进行PCR扩增,得到了257 bp(含PstⅠ酶切位点)的基因片段,将此基因片段连接到pMD18-T载体上构建了pMD-IFN257重组质粒。将pMD-IFN257双酶切(PstⅠ+SalⅠ)后回收的目的片段与pMD-IFN435双酶切(PstⅠ+SalⅠ)后回收的目的片段连接,得到了含有367bp目的片段的重组质粒pMD-IFN367,即内标准DNA模板。以定量后的pMD-IFN367与2倍梯度稀释的pMD-IFN435进行竞争PCR扩增,建立了能够准确、方便定量检测猪IFN-γmRNA的标准竞争曲线的线性回归方程(y=0.414x-1.864)。

竞争性RT-PCR法及对大肠杆菌acrA基因mRNA表达水平的定量研究

建立了用于检测大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)ATCC25922的acrA基因mRNA表达水平的定量竞争性RT-PCR(QC-RT-PCR)体系。PCR合成目标片段的突变型片段(321bp)作为内标准模板(Internal standard,IS),与目标片段一致的片段(389bp)作为目标模板(Target standard,TS),优化两种模板共扩增体系;梯度稀释IS与等量大肠杆菌cDNA样本共扩增,扫描电泳条带,软件分析数据。结果表明,引物设计合适,以IS和TS为模板实现共扩增,产物(321bp和389bp)通过1.5%琼脂糖凝胶电泳有效分离;梯度稀释IS与cDNA共扩增产物出现亮度梯度电泳条带;获得一元回归曲线y=-0.345+0.097x(相关系数r=0.959,标准差s=0.05997)。该研究成功构建内标准模板,优化的共扩增PCR体系实现了对大肠杆菌ATCC25922中acrA基因mRNA表达水平的检测,具有简便、高效、敏感度高等优点。