Site-directed Mutagenesis Based on Overlap Extension PCR

[Objective] To establish an efficient, convenient and economical method for site-directed mutagenesis. [Method] The target mutation was introduced into primers designed by DNAMAN5.0 software. Through overlap extension PCR for twice obtained the mutation gene which of the full length of the recombinant Human Tissue type plasminogen activator （Reteplase）. The mutation gene cloned it into pEASY- blunt simple cloning vector for sequencing. [Result] The sequencing results showed that three site mutations were fully consistent with the expected results （10~ site had been added a base-pair of A, C had been changed into G at 137~ site, G had been changed into A at 686~ site）.Three site mutations were introduced by using overlap extension PCR on one-step. The overall rate of obtaining the mutant sites was 100%. Site-directed mutagenesis will clone the recombinant Human Tissue type plas- minogen activator and laid the basis for the functional study. [Conclusion] Site-directed mutagenesis was successfully implemented based on the overlap extension PCR which is an efficient, convenient and economical DNA-directed mutagenesis method.

Real-Time PCR Technique and Its Application in Quantification of Plant Nucleic Acid Molecules

Real-time PCR is a closed DNA amplification system that skillfully integrates biochemical, photoelectric and computer techniques. Fluorescence data acquired once per cycle provides rapid absolute quantification of initial template copy numbers as PCR products are generated. This technique significantly simplifies and accelerates the process of producing reproducible quantification of nucleic acid molecules. It not only is a sensitive, accurate and rapid quantitative method, but it also provides an easier way to calculate the absolute starting copy number of nucleic acid molecules to be tested. Together with molecular bio-techniques, like microarray, real-time PCR will play a very important role in many aspects of molecular life science such as functional gene analysis and disease molecular diagnostics. This review introduces the detailed principles and application of the real-time PCR technique, describes a recently developed system for exact quantification of AUX/IAA genes In Arabidopsis, and discusses the problems with the real-time PCR process.

Application of Real-time Fluorescent Quantitative PCR in Plant

Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR （RQ-PCR） is a detection method by adding fluorescent dye or fluorescent probe into the PCR reaction system, using fluorescent signal accumulation to monitor amplification reactions of PCR reaction process, and finally the unknown template can be quantitatively analyzed through the standard curve. So the detection level of PCR has improved from the qualitative to the quantitative. In order to provide a theoretical reference for further application, the principle, classification, advantages and disadvantages of RQ-PCR were intro- duced, and its application and progress in plants in recent years were reviewed.

Application of restriction display PCR technique in the preparation of cDNA microarray probes

AIM: To develop a simplified and efficient method for the preparation of hepatitis C virus (HCV) cDNA microarray probes.METHODS: With the technique of restriction display PCR (RD-PCR), restriction enzyme Sau3A I was chosen to digest the full-length HCV cDNAs. The products were classified and re-amplified by RD-PCR. We separated the differential genes by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining. Single bands cut out from the polyacrylamide gel were isolated. The third-round PCR was performed using the single bands as PCR template.The RD-PCR fragments were purified and cloned into the pMD18-T vector. The recombinant plasmids were extracted from positive clones, and the target gene fragments were sequenced. The cDNA microarray was prepared by spotting RD-PCR products to the surface of amino-modified glass slides using a robot. We validated the detection of microarray by hybridization and sequence analysis.RESULTS: A total of 24 different cDNA fragments ranging from 200 to 800 bp were isolated and sequenced,which were the specific gene fragments of HCV. These fragments could be further used as probes in microarray preparation. The diagnostic capability of the microarray was evaluated after the washing and scanning steps. The results of hybridization and sequence analysis showed that the specificity, sensitivity, accuracy, reproducibility,and linearity in detecting HCV RNA were satisfactory.CONCLUSION: The RD-PCR technique is of great value in obtaining a large number of size-comparable gene probes, which provides a speedy protocol in generating probes for the preparation of microarrays. Microarray prepared as such could be further optimized and applied in the clinical diagnosis of HCV.

Comparative analysis of intestinal microbial community diversity between healthy and orally infected ducklings with Salmonella enteritidis by ERIC-PCR

AIM: To analyze the difference of intestinal microbial community diversity between healthy and (S. enteritidis) orally infected ducklings.METHODS: Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus (ERIC)-PCR was applied to analyze the intestinal microbial community diversity and dynamic change including duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum and rectum from healthy ducklings and 7-day-old ducklings after oral infection with S. enteritidis at different time points.RESULTS: The intestinal microbial community of the control healthy ducklings was steady and the ERIC-PCR band numbers of the control healthy ducklings were the least with rectum and were the most with caecum. ERIC-PCR bands of orally inoculated ducklings did not obviously change until 24 h after inoculation (p.i.). The numbers of the ERIC-PCR bands gradually decreased from 24 h to 72 h p.i., and then, with the development of disease, the band numbers gradually increased until 6 d p.i. The prominent bacteria changed because of S. enteritidis infection and the DNAstar of staple of ERIC-PCR showed that aerobe and facultative aerobe (Escherichia coli, Shigella, Salmonella) became preponderant bacilli in the intestine of orally infected ducklings with SE.CONCLUSION: This study has provided significant data to clarify the intestinal microbial community diversity and dynamic change of healthy and S. enteritidis orally infected ducklings, and valuable insight into the pathogenesis of S. enteritidis infection in both human and animals.

A Rapid and Sensitive One Step-SYBR Green Based Semi Quantitative Real Time RT-PCR for the Detection of peste des petits ruminants Virus in the Clinical Samples

A sensitive and rapid single step real time （rt） RT-PCR was standardized using one-step Brilliant SYBR Green kit for detection and semi-quantitation ofpeste des petitis ruminants virus （PPRV） using the virus RNA and matrix （M） protein gene-specific primers and compared with established conventional RT-PCR and TaqMan RT-PCR. The assay amplifies a 124 bp fragment of the PPRV M gene with Tm of 78.28 to 78.50. The assay was linear within a range of 50 ng to 0.5 fg total virus RNA with a detection limit （sensitivity） of 0.5 fg. Based on the serial dilution of the live-attenuated PPR vaccine virus, the detection limit was -0.0001 cell culture infectious dose 50% units （TCID50）. Additionally, swab materials spiked with known titre of vaccine virus were equally well detected in the assay. The standardized rt RT-PCR was easily employed for the detection of PPRV nucleic acid directly in the field and experimental clinical samples. The assay detected the PPRV nucleic acid as early as 3 day post infection （dpi） and up to 20 dpi in swab materials from the experimental samples. The assay was rapid and more sensitive than TaqMan and conventional RT-PCR in the detection of PPRV nucleic acid from the PPR suspected clinical samples of sheep and goats. Therefore, the established, simplified SYBR green rt RT-PCR is an alternative test to the already existing various diagnostic assays and could be useful for rapid clinical diagnosis with advantage in reducing risk of contamination.

Cytomegalovirus frequency in neonatal intrahepatic cholestasis determined by serology, histology, immunohistochemistry and PCR

AIM: To determine cytomegalovirus (CMV) frequency in neonatal intrahepatic cholestasis by serology, histological revision (searching for cytomegalic cells), immunohistochemistry, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and to verify the relationships among these methods.METHODS: The study comprised 101 non-consecutive infants submitted for hepatic biopsy between March 1982 and December 2005. Serological results were obtained from the patient's f iles and the other methods were performed on paraffin-embedded liver samples from hepatic biopsies. The following statistical measures were calculated: frequency, sensibility, specif ic positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy.RESULTS: The frequencies of positive results were as follows: serology, 7/64 (11%); histological revision, 0/84; immunohistochemistry, 1/44 (2%), and PCR, 6/77 (8%). Only one patient had positive immunohistochemical fi ndings and a positive PCR. The following statistical measures were calculated between PCR and serology: sensitivity, 33.3%; specificity, 88.89%; positive predictive value, 28.57%; negative predictive value, 90.91%; and accuracy, 82.35%. CONCLUSION: The frequency of positive CMV varied among the tests. Serology presented the highest positive frequency. When compared to PCR, the sensitivity and positive predictive value of serology were low.

Screening of eye-position related genes with DD-RT-PCR and RDA in the hybrids between Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus and stone flounder Kareius bicoloratus

Flatfish or flounder moves one eye to change body proportion into vertebral asymmetry during metamorphosis, during which some become sinistral while others dextral. However, the mechanism behinds the eye-position has not been well understood. In this research, hybrids between Japanese flounder(♀) and stone flounder (♂) show mixed eye-location in both dextral type and sinistral type, and thus become good samples for studying the eye-migration. mRNAs from pro-metamorphosis sinistral and dextral hybrids larvae were screened with classical differential display RT-PCR (DD-RT-PCR) and representational difference analysis of cDNA (cDNA-RDA); 30 and 47 putative fragments were isolated, respectively. The cDNA fragments of creatine kinase and trypsinogen 2 precursor genes isolated by cDNA-RDA exhibited eye-position expression patterns during metamorphosis. However, none of the fragments was proved to be related to flatfishes’ eye-position specifically. Therefore, further studies and more sensitive gene isolated methods are needed to solve the problems.

Development of two microsatellite multiplex PCR systems for high throughput genotyping in Populus euphratica

Eighteen microsatellite primer pairs previously developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for Populus tremuloides Michx. and Populus trichocarpa Tort. ＆ Gray were screened for amplification in Euphrates poplar, Populus euphratica Oliv. Thirteen loci were found to express polymorphisms ranging from two to 17 alleles. The eight most variable loci were selected to set up and optimize two multiplex polymerase chain reaction （PCR） assays. Three populations containing altogether 436 trees were used to characterize the selected loci and ascertain their applicability for parentage analysis and genotyping studies. Through cross-checking of clonal identity against sex of the genotyped trees we estimated the maximum error rate for merging genotypes to be less than 0.045.

Respiratory Virus Multiplex RT-PCR Assay Sensitivities and Influence Factors in Hospitalized Children with Lower Respiratory Tract Infections

Multiplex RT-PCR assays have been widely used tools for detection and differentiation of a panel of respiratory viral pathogens. In this study, we evaluated the Qiagen ResPlex lI V2.0 kit and explored factors influencing its sensitivity. Nasopharyngeal swab （NPS） specimens were prospectively collected from pediatric inpatients with lower respiratory tract infections at the time of admission in the Shenzhen Children＇s Hospital from May 2009 to April 2010. Total nucleic acids were extracted using the EZ1 system （Qiagen, Germany） and 17 respiratory viruses and genotypes including influenza A virus （FluA）, FluB, parainfluenza virus 1 （PIV1）, PIV2, PIV3, PIV4, respiratory syncytial virus （RSV）, human metapneumovirus （hMPV）, rhinoviruses （RhV）, enteroviruses （EnV）, human bocaviruses （hBoV）, adenoviruses （AdV）, four coronaviruses （229E, OC43, NL63 and HKU1）, and FluA 2009 pandemic H1NI（H1NI-p） were detected and identified by the ResPlex II kit. In parallel, 16 real-time TaqMan quantitative RT-PCR assays were used to quantitatively detect each virus except for RhV. Influenza and parainfluenza viral cultures were also performed. Among the total 438 NPS specimens collected during the study period, one or more viral pathogens were detected in 274 （62.6%） and 201（45.9%） specimens by monoplex TaqMan RT-PCR and multiplex ResPlex, respectively. When results from monoplex PCR or cell culture were used as the reference standard, the multiplex PCR possessed specificities of 92.9-100.0%. The sensitivity of multiplex PCR for PIV3, hMPV, PIV1 and BoV were 73.1%, 70%, 66.7% and 55.6%, respectively, while low sensitivities （11.1%-40.0%） were observed for FluA, EnV, OC43, RSV and H1N1. Among the seven viruses/genotypes detected with higher frequencies, multiplex PCR sensitivities were correlated significantly with viral loads determined by the TaqMan RT-PCR in FluA, H 1N 1-p and RSV （p=0.011-0.000） The Qiagen ResPlex II multiplex RT-PCR kit possesses excellent specificity for simultaneous detection of 17 viral pathogens in NPS specimens in pediatric inpatients at the time of admission. The sensitivity of multiplex RT-PCR was influenced by viral loads, specimen process methods, primer and probe design and amplification condition.

Subtyping Animal Influenza Virus with General Multiplex RT-PCR and Liquichip High Throughput (GMPLex)

This study developed a multiplex RT-PCR integrated with luminex technology to rapidly subtype simultaneously multiple influenza viruses. Primers and probes were designed to amplify NS and M genes of influenza A viruses HA gene of ill, H3, H5, HT, H9 subtypes, and NA gene of the N1 and N2 subtypes. Universal super primers were introduced to establish a multiplex RT-PCR （GM RT-PCR）. It included three stages of RT-PCR amplification, and then the RT-PCR products were further tested by LiquiChip probe, combined to give an influenza virus （IV） rapid high throughput subtyping test, designated as GMPLex. The IV GMPLex rapid high throughput subtyping test presents the following features： high throughput, able to determine the subtypes of 9 target genes in H1, H3, H5, H7, H9, N1, and N2 subtypes of the influenza A virus at one time; rapid, completing the influenza subtyping within 6 hours; high specificity, ensured the specificity of the different subtypes by using two nested degenerate primers and one probe, no cross reaction occurring between the subtypes, no non-specific reactions with other pathogens and high sensitivity. When used separately to detect the product of single GM RT-PCR for single H5 or N1 gene, the GMPLex test showed a sensitivity of 10-5（= 280ELDs0） forboth tests and the Luminex qualitative ratio results were 3.08 and 3.12, respectively. When used to detect the product of GM RT-PCR for H5N1 strain at the same time, both showed a sensitivity of 10-4（=2800 ELD50）. The GMPLex rapid high throughput subtyping test can satisfy the needs of influenza rapid testing.

Quantification of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus by SYBR Green RT-PCR Technique

Plasma viral RNA load is widely accepted as the most relevant parameter to assess the status and progression of Simian immunodeficiency virus （SIV） infections. To accurately measure RNA levels of the virus, a one-step fluorescent quantitative assay was established based on the SYBR green Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR）. The lower detection limit of the assay was 10 copies per reaction for the virus. This method was successfully applied to quantify SIVmac251 and SIVmac239 viruses produced in CEMx174 cells. Additionally, the performance of the SYBR green RT-PCR was assessed in a SIVmac251 infected rhesus macaque. The result demonstrated that the method could detect as little as 215 copies per milliliter of plasma and the dynamic pattern of viral load was highly consistent with previous results. With regard to convenience, sensitivity and accuracy our assay represents a realistic alternative to both branched-chain DNA （b-DNA） assays or real-time PCR assays based on TaqMan probes.

Panhandle PCR strategy to amplify the upstream unknown sequence of the Pr1 gene of pythium guiyangense

Objective： Based on a partialsubtilisin-like protease, Prl genomic sequence ofPythium guiyangense which has been cloned before, Panhandle PCR strategy was used to amplify the upstream flanking sequence adjacent to the known sequence of the Prl gene. Methods： The genomic DNA was firstly digested with BamH I and then treated with calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase（CIAP）. Next, a 5＇ phosphorylated oligonucleotide was ligated to the 5＇ ends of BamH I -digested DNA. After denaturation, intmstrand annealing and polymemse extension, a pan with a handle was formed,and lastly the nested PCR was performed. Results： A 864 bp product was amplified,which was adjacent to the known sequence of Prl gene.The gene has been accessed by GenBank （Accession：JQ975036）. Conclusion： Panhandle PCR is a quick and convenient approach for amplifying and identifying unknown partner genes,which facilitates cloning full-length Prl gene

Simultaneous Detection of Three Arboviruses Using a Triplex RT-PCR Enzyme Hybridization Assay

Arboviruses represent a serious problem to public health and agriculture worldwide. Fast, accurate identification of the viral agents of arbovirus-associated disease is essential for epidemiological surveillance and laboratory investigation. We developed a cost-effective, rapid, and highly sensitive one-step "triplex RT-PCR enzyme hybridization" assay for simultaneous detections of Japanese Encephallitis virus (JEV, Flaviviridae), Getah virus (GETV, Togaviridae), and Tahyna virus (TAHV, Bunyaviridae) using three pairs of primers to amplify three target sequences in one RT-PCR reaction. The analytical sensitivity of this assay was 1 PFU/mL for JEV, 10 PFU/mL for GETV, and 10 PFU/mL for TAHV. This assay is significantly more rapid and less expensive than the traditional serological detection and single RT-PCR reaction methods. When "triplex RT-PCR enzyme hybridization" was applied to 29 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples that were JEV-positive by normal RT-PCR assay, all samples were strongly positive for JEV, but negative for GETV and TAHV, demonstrating a good sensitivity, specificity, and performance at CSF specimen detection.

Cloning of Hoxc8 Promoter in Mongolian Sheep by Thermal Asymmetric Interlaced PCR

[Objective] The research aimed toexplore the method to obtain Hoxc8 pro- moter of Mongolian Sheep. [Method] Thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR was used to amplify the promoter sequence of Hoxc8 inMongolian Sheep. [Result] The ob- tained sequence by usingthermal asymmetric interlaced PCRwas not ideal and the sequencing results were not matching to the known sequence. Though promoter se- quence of Hoxc8 in Mongolian Sheep was not obtained by thermal asymmetric in- terlaced PCR, but the results could provide references for the relevant studies in the future. [Conclusion] The research laid the foundation for further study on the methy- lation status Hoxc8 promoter in Mongolian Sheep.

RAPD-PCR Based Marker Approach for the Genetic Differentiation of Two Species of Cockroach （Order-Dictyoptera）

Random amplified polymorphic DNA （RAPD） analysis was conducted for the differentiation of two most commonly occurring insect species Periplaneta americana and Blatella germanicana. This technique is proved to be a quick and effective to establish genetic markers to differentiate morphologically similar populations. During the study cockroach species Periplanata americana and Blatella germanicana were considered. Ten random primers were used for polymerase chain reaction （PCR）. Many of such bands obtained, which differentiate between the two species. On the basis of interpretability, simplicity and reproducibility, six primers P1 （GATGACCGCC）, P3 （GGCACGTAAC）, P6 （GGTGCGCCTT）, P7 （GTCAGAGTCG）, P8 （GTCGCCGTCT） and PI0 （GTGCCCGATG） were considered positive for genetic differentiation and analysis. A series of bands ranging from -300 bp to -1,000 bp obtained indicates that these two species are related, however they exhibit some variations. It has also been observed that the same primers also amplified some DNA fragments of the same size in both the species, which indicates the presence of conserved regions, sharing ancestral relationship. Some of the fragments were unique in both the species which may be used for diagnostic purposes. The study concludes that the RAPD-PCR technique is useful for the study of molecular taxonomy in insects.

Genetic Diversity among Some Sheep Breeds in Sulaimani Governorate Using RAPD-PCR Technique

RAPD （Random amplified polymorphic DNA） markers were used to study genetic diversity among three Kurdish sheep breeds （the Karadi, Hamdani and Jaff） with the Awassi sheep breed. A total of 40 samples were typed using twenty RAPD primers. Ten out of the twenty primers had clear bands, which used to investigate the genetic variations among breeds. One of the ten primers is monomorphism. A total of 109 bands were scored, of which 46 bands （46.56%） were polymorphic and 18 of polymorphic band were unique bands. For all breeds, Nei＇s gene diversity, Shannon index, percentage of polymorphic loci and unique bands are respectively in the range of 0.32 to 0.50, 0.44 to 0.69, 31.81 to 100, and 2 to 8. Using UPGMA （unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic average） dendrogram, the three clusters, the 1st cluster branch consisted of the Karadi sheep breed, the 2nd cluster was include both of the Jaff and Hamdani sheep breeds and the 3rd one included Awassi sheep breed. These results indicated that the Karadi sheep is most genetically distant from the Awassi sheep （0.916）. The Jaff and Hamdani sheep in the 2nd cluster indicate a close relationship between them and the results indicated that the Jaff and Hamdani sheep breeds were closer to Awassi sheep breed than to the Karadi sheep breed. The dendrograms show that there are high genetic distances among sheep breeds, and were ranged from 0.223 between Hamdani and Jaff sheep breeds to 0.916 between Karadi and Awassi sheep breeds. Based on the high degree of genetic distance among the four sheep breeds it is concluded that the four sheep breeds arc independent and isolated breeds.

PCR-DGGE analysis of intestinal bacteria and effect of Bacillus spp.on intestinal microbial diversity in kuruma shrimp(Marsupenaeus japonicus)

In this study,the intestinal microbiota of kuruma shrimp(Marsupenaeus japonicus) was examined by molecular analysis of the 16S rDNA to identify the dominant intestinal bacteria and to investigate the effects of Bacillus spp.on intestinal microbial diversity.Samples of the intestines of kuruma shrimp fed normal feed and Bacillus spp.amended feed.PCR and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis(DGGE) analyses were then performed on DNA extracted directly from the guts.Population fingerprints of the predominant organisms were generated by DGGE analysis of the universal V3 16S rDNA amplicons,and distinct bands in the gels were sequenced.The results suggested that the gut of kuruma shrimp was dominated by Vibrio sp.and uncultured gamma proteobacterium.Overall,the results of this study suggest that PCR-DGGE is a possible method of studying the intestinal microbial diversity of shrimp.

Detection of Herbicide-tolerant Canola by Multiplex PCR

[Objective]This study aimed to establish a multiplex PCR detection method of herbicide-tolerant canola.[Method] An endogenous reference gene(CruA) and three exogenous genes(T-CaMV 35 S, P-CaMV 35 S and pat) were selected for multiplex PCR. Specific primers were designed based on national standards or related literature. The annealing temperature, ratio of primer concentration and sensitivity of the established multiplex PCR system were optimized. The optimal multiplex PCR system was verified with known samples. [Result] The experimental results showed that the optimal annealing temperature of multiplex PCR was 58 ℃; the optimal ratio of primer concentration(μmol/L) was T-CaMV 35S: CruA: P-CaMV 35S: pat=0.1: 0.2: 0.2: 0.2;the detection sensitivity of the established multiplex PCR method was 0.3 ng. The amplified bands of known samples were completely consistent with the molecular characteristics. [Conclusion] This study provided a rapid, accurate and effective multiplex PCR technique for detection of herbicide-tolerant canola.

Cloning and Expression of a Profilin Gene from Rapeseed

Profilin has recently been identified as an actin-binding protein in higher plants. A cDNA clone (designated Repro) encoding profilin gene was isolated from rapeseed ( Brassica napus L. cv. canadian Tween) using RT-PCR technique. Sequence analysis showed 82% similarity to Zea mays L. ZmPro3, 85% to Arabidopsis AthPRF1, 82% to Nicotiana tabacum L. NTPRO, 81% to Oryza sativa L. profilin A. A new full-length cDNA was obtained by 5'-RACE and 3'-RACE techniques. Sequence analysis showed that the size of full-length cDNA is 672 bp which contains a major open reading frame of 134 amino, acids, 5' and 3' untranslated regions and a long Poly (A) tail. Northern blot analysis showed that the profilin gene is a pollen and anther specific gene.