Sequencing of hepatitis C virus cDNA with polymerase chain reaction directed sequencing *

AIM To explore a rapid and easy sequencing method for hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome, and establish a new sequencing method in China. METHODS Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was combined with DNA sequencing technique. PCR products were purified by agarose gel electrophoresis, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), Polyethylene glycol (PEG) respectively. Then in the presence of a 5′ labeling PCR primer, purified PCR products were directly sequenced. By this method, HCV NS5b cDNA from two HCV infected individuals (HC 42 and HC 49) were sequenced.

Complementary DNA sequencing (cDNA): an eff ective approach for assessing the diversity and distribution of marine benthic ciliates along hydrographic gradients

The Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass(YSCWM)is a distinct hydrographic phenomenon of the Yellow Sea,and the distribution pattern of meio-and macrobenthos diff ers inside and outside of the YSCWM.However,such a pattern has never been observed in the microbenthic ciliate communities.Therefore,we hypothesized that benthic ciliates followed a similar distribution pattern as meio-and macrobenthos,but this pattern has not been uncovered by morphological methods.We evaluated the diversity and distribution of benthic ciliates at fi ve stations along hydrographic gradients across the YSCWM and adjacent shallow water by using morphology and DNA and complementary DNA(cDNA)high-throughput sequencing of the V4 region of 18S rRNA gene.Results showed that the diversity of benthic ciliates detected by DNA(303 OTUs),and the cDNA(611 OTUs)sequencing was much higher than that detected by the morphological method(79 species).Morphological method detected roughly diff erent ciliate communities inside and outside of the YSCWM,but without statistical signifi cance.No clear pattern was obtained by DNA sequencing.In contrast,cDNA sequencing revealed a distinct distribution pattern of benthic ciliate communities like meioand macrobenthos,which coincided well with the results of the environmental parameter analysis.More than half of the total sequences detected by DNA sequencing belonged to planktonic ciliates,most(if not all)of which were recovered from historic DNA originating through the sedimentation of pelagic forms because none of them were observed morphologically.The irrelevant historic DNA greatly infl uenced the recovery of rare species and thus limited the understanding of the benthic ciliate diversity and distribution.Our research indicates that the methods used have signifi cant eff ects on the investigation of benthic ciliate communities and highlights that cDNA sequencing has great advantages in estimating the diversity and distribution of benthic ciliates,as well as the potential for benthic environmental assessments.

Mechanism of Guangdong Shenqu in regulating intestinal flora in mice with food stagnation and internal heat based on 16S rDNA sequencing

Objective:To investigate the effect of Guangdong Shenqu(GSQ)on intestinal flora structure in mice with food stagnation through 16S rDNA sequencing.Methods: Mice were randomly assigned to control,model,GSQ low-dose(GSQL),GSQ medium-dose(GSQM),GSQ high-dose(GSQH),and lacidophilin tablets(LAB)groups,with each group containing 10 mice.A food stagnation and internal heat mouse model was established through intragastric administration of a mixture of beeswax and olive oil(1:15).The control group was administered normal saline,and the model group was administered beeswax and olive oil to maintain a state.The GSQL(2 g/kg),GSQM(4 g/kg),GSQH(8 g/kg),and LAB groups(0.625 g/kg)were administered corresponding drugs for 5 d.After administration,16S rDNA sequencing was performed to assess gut microbiota in mouse fecal samples.Results: The model group exhibited significant intestinal flora changes.Following GSQ administration,the abundance and diversity index of the intestinal flora increased significantly,the number of bacterial species was regulated,andαandβdiversity were improved.GSQ administration increased the abundance of probiotics,including Clostridia,Lachnospirales,and Lactobacillus,whereas the abundance of conditional pathogenic bacteria,such as Allobaculum,Erysipelotrichaceae,and Bacteroides decreased.Functional prediction analysis indicated that the pathogenesis of food stagnation and GSQ intervention were primarily associated with carbohydrate,lipid,and amino acid metabolism,among other metabolic pathways.Conclusion: The digestive mechanism of GSQ may be attributed to its role in restoring diversity and abundance within the intestinal flora,thereby improving the composition and structure of the intestinal flora in mice and subsequently influencing the regulation of metabolic pathways.

PCR-SSCP-DNA sequencing method in detecting PTEN gene mutation and its signifi cance in human gastric cancer

AIM: To discuss the possible effect of PTEN gene mutations on occurrence and development of gastric cancer. METHODS: Fifty-three gastric cancer specimens were selected to probe PTEN gene mutations in genome of gastric cancer and paracancerous tissues using PCR-SSCP-DNA sequencing method based on microdissection and to observe the protein expression by immunohistochemistry technique. RESULTS: PCR-SSCP-DNA sequencing indicated that 4 kinds of mutation sites were found in 5 of 53 gastric cancer specimens. One kind of mutation was found in exons. AA-TCC mutation was located at 40bp upstream of 3’ lateral exon 7 (115946 AA-TCC). Such mutations led to terminator formation in the 297th codon of the PTEN gene. The other 3 kinds of mutation were found in introns,including a G-C point mutation at 91 bp upstream of 5’ lateral exon 5(90896 G-C),a T-G point mutation at 24 bp upstream of 5’ lateral exon 5 (90963 T-G),and a single base A mutation at 7 bp upstream of 5’ lateral exon 5 (90980 A del). The PTEN protein expression in gastric cancer and paracancerous tissues detected using immunohistochemistry technique indicated that the total positive rate of PTEN protein expression was 66% in gastric cancer tissue,which was significantly lower than that (100%) in paracancerous tissues (P < 0.005). CONCLUSION: PTEN gene mutation and expression may play an important role in the occurrence and development of gastric cancer.

A stage-scanning laser confocal microscope and protocol for DNA methylation sequencing

Recent understanding of the role of epigenetic regulation in health and disease has necessitated the development of newer and efficient methods to map the methylation pattern of target gene. In this article we report construction of a stage-scanning laser confocal microscope (SLCM) and associated protocol that determines the methylation status of target gene. We have adapted restricted Sanger’s sequencing where fluorescine labeled primers and dideoxy guanine fraction alone are used for target amplification and termination at cytosine positions. Amplified ssDNA bands are separated in 6% denaturing PAGE and scanned using SLCM to sequence the positions of methylated cytosines. We demonstrate that our me- thodology can detect < 100 femtomoles of DNA, and resolve the position of cytosine within ± 2 nucleotide. In a calibration run using a designer DNA of 99 bases, our methodology had resolved all the 11 cytosine positions of the DNA. We have further demonstrated the utility of apparatus by mapping methylation status in the Exon-1 region of a gene, E-Cadherin, in the plasma DNA sample of a healthy subject. We believe our approach constitute a low cost alternative to conventional DNA sequencers and can help develop methylation based DNA biomarkers for the diagnosis of disease and in therapeutics.

Distinctive Drug-resistant Mutation Profiles and Interpretations of HIV-1 Proviral DNA Revealed by Deep Sequencing in Reverse Transcriptase

Objective To investigate distinctive features in drug-resistant mutations （DRMs） and interpretations for reverse transcriptase inhibitors （RTIs） between proviral DNA and paired viral RNA in HIV-l-infected patients. Methods Forty-three HIV-l-infected individuals receiving first-line antiretroviral therapy were recruited to participate in a multicenter AIDS Cohort Study in Anhui and Henan Provinces in China in 2004. Drug resistance genotyping was performed by bulk sequencing and deep sequencing on the plasma and whole blood of 77 samples, respectively. Drug-resistance interpretation was compared between viral RNA and paired proviral DNA. Results Compared with bulk sequencing, deep sequencing could detect more DRMs and samples with DRMs in both viral RNA and proviral DNA. The mutations M1841 and M2301 were more prevalent in proviral DNA than in viral RNA （Fisher＇s exact test, P〈0.05）. Considering ＇majority resistant variants＇, 15 samples （19.48%） showed differences in drug resistance interpretation between viral RNA and proviral DNA, and 5 of these samples with different DRMs between proviral DNA and paired viral RNA showed a higher level of drug resistance to the first-line drugs. Considering ＇minority resistant variants＇, 22 samples （28.57%） were associated with a higher level of drug resistance to the tested RTIs for proviral DNA when compared with paired viral RNA. Conclusion Compared with viral RNA, the distinctive information of DRMs and drug resistance interpretations for proviral DNA could be obtained by deep sequencing, which could provide more detailed and precise information for drug resistance monitoring and the rational design of optimal antiretroviral therapy regimens.

Species Identification by Means of Mitochondrial Cytochrome <i>b</i>DNA Sequencing in Processed Anchovy, Sardine and Tuna Products

Identifying the contents of processed food products is essential to correct labelling. In processed foodstuffs, species identification through morphological analysis is difficult. Several factors hinder the identification of fish species in processed foods: proteins or other materials subjected to analysis may be denatured during heat treatments;the presence of other ingredients (e.g., olive and other vegetable oils) may interfere with the analysis. Consequently, possible frauds perpetrated by replacing valuable species with less precious ones may go undetected. In most processed samples (e.g. canned products), DNA is degraded into small fragments, which considerably reduces the sensitivity of molecular analysis. The main goal of our research was to develop an analytical method able to identify fish species in highly processed products, such as canned fish. The assay was developed by combining an effective method of DNA recovery from samples with the detection of small-sized sequences of the mitochondrial Cytb gene. This method appears particularly suitable when morphological characterization is difficult, to carry out such as in canned products where DNA is degraded or present in small quantities. We have analyzed 60 samples of seafood commercial products identifying 3 different genera and five different species. All analyzed samples revealed a correct species declaration, for one sample we highlighted important commercial fraud. We also used bio-informatic identification systems for the Sequence Alignment and the construction of phylogenetic tree to better confirm the revealed fraud.

A comparison of different methods for preserving plant molecular materials and the effect of degraded DNA on ddRAD sequencing

Obtaining high-quality plant materials for experiments is challenging for many research projects.Therefore, it is of special importance to determine the best method for preserving biological macromolecules like DNA, which degrade over time. Although some research has demonstrated that DNA degradation has little effect on traditional molecular markers, the effects of DNA degradation on dd RADseq, a popular reduced-representation sequencing technology, have not been adequately investigated. In this study, we first chose six woody bamboo species(Bambusoideae, Poaceae) to explore appropriate methods for preserving molecular materials with two DNA extraction approaches. Then we sequenced twenty-one bamboos and examined the effects of DNA quality on data generation using the dd RAD-seq technique(Midd RAD-seq). Finally, we reconstructed phylogenies of twenty woody bamboo species. We found that the integrity of dry-powdered DNA was preserved longer than that of TE-dissolved DNA,regardless of whether the DNA was extracted by a modified CTAB protocol or DNAsecure plant kit. The dd RAD-seq data were robust, except when DNA was severely degraded. In addition, we resolved the phylogenetic positions of the sampled Phyllostachys spp. Our results suggest that dry-powdered DNA is the most appropriate preservation method for plant molecular materials. Furthermore, a moderate level of DNA degradation has little effect on reduced representation sequencing techniques represented by dd RAD-seq.

Preliminary Studies on Identification of Lycium Linn.Germplasm Resources by nrDNA ITS Sequencing

[Objective] The study aimed to identify woltberry （Lycium Linn.） germplasm resources at molecular level by analyzing the nrDNA ITS sequence. [Method] Genomic DNA from woltberry leaves extracted by modified CTAB method were regarded as templates for PCR amplification by specific primer, clone and sequencing. [Result] The nrDNA ITS sequences were obtained and then differentiated among three tested materials. [Conclusion] PCR amplification and sequencing on nrDNA ITS is a feasible approach to identify different woltberry germplasm resources.

DNA Sequencing Modified Method through Effective Regulation of Its Translocation Speed in Aqueous Solution

Solid-state nanopore DNA sequencing modified method is developed. Method is based on the tunnel current investigation through the nanogap made on lateral gold electrodes in the form of nanowires or nanoribbons. The movement of DNA in aqueous solution is regulated by the potential applied to reference electrode. The potential applied to the lateral metal electrodes helps to the creation of the molecular junctions. They consist of the nucleosides passing through the pores. Taking into account that DNA moves under gravity, electrophoretic and drag forces, the analytic expression for the DNA translocation speed is calculated and analyzed. The conditions for decreasing the DNA translocation speed or increasing the nucleosides reading time are received. It is shown that one can control value of the DNA molecules bases reading time and the frequency of the bases passes by the choice of magnitude of the potential applied to reference electrode. Our results, therefore potentially suggest a realistic, inherently design-specific, high-throughput nanopore DNA sequencing device/cell as a de-novo alternative to the existing methods.

Automatic DNA sequencing for electrophoresis gels using image processing algorithms

DNA electrophoresis gel is an important biologically experimental technique and DNA sequencing can be defined by it. Traditionally, it is time consuming for biologists to exam the gel images by their eyes and often has human errors during the process. Therefore, automatic analysis of the gel image could provide more information that is usually ignored by human expert. However, basic tasks such as the identification of lanes in a gel image, easily done by human experts, emerge as problems that may be difficult to be executed automatically. In this paper, we design an automatic procedure to analyze DNA gel images using various image processing algorithms. Firstly, we employ an enhanced fuzzy c-means algorithm to extract the useful information from DNA gel images and exclude the undesired background. Then, Gaussian function is utilized to estimate the location of each lane of A, T, C, and G on the gels images automatically. Finally, the location of each band on the gel image can be detected accurately by tracing lanes, renewing lost bands, and eliminating repetitive bands.

DNA Sequencing: Current State and Prospects of Development

In this review, we collected and classified the stages of development of DNA sequencing methods and described its peculiarities. We pay attention mostly on solid-stead nanopore sequencing methods. Detailed discussion of the peculiarity and feasibility of the electrical methods of DNA sequencing is discussed. The detail analyses of the literature data, some critical considerations and the potential ways of optimization of DNA nanopore sequencing were presented.

A New Method of Identification on Edible Lycium Linn. Germplasm Resources——nrDNA ITS Sequencing

[ Objective ] The study aimed to identify Lycium Linn. at molecular level. [ Method ] The nrDNA ITS sequence of 5 edible Lycium Linn. germplasm resources were investigated. [ Result ] The nrDNA ITS regions of five edible Lycium Liun. germplasm resources were sequenced. The whole sequences varied from 628 bp to 632 bp, with the average length of 630 bp. Total 79 variation sites were observed in the sequences, which accounts for 12. 5%. [ Conclusion] Sequence analysis based on nrDNA sequencing provides a new approach to identify edible Lycium Linn. germplasm resources.

Asymmetric PCR method in generation of HBV ssDNA for pyrosequencing

Objective To explore the optimal primer ratio and concentration of asymmetric polymerase chain reaction (A-PCR) in producing hepatitis B virus (HBV) single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) for pyrosequencing. Methods A-PCR was carried out to generate HBV ssDNA with forward to reverse primers of different ratios (50∶1, 100∶1) and concentrations (13.0 pmol/25μL and 0.14 pmol/25μL, 19.5 pmol/25μL and 0.21 pmol/25μL), and the product yield and quality were compared respectively. Results The forward to reverse primer ratio of 50∶1 provided better yield and concentration of 19.5 pmol/25μL and 0.21 pmol//25μL generated a clearer band. Conclusion A simple and feasible method to produce HBV ssDNA for pyrosequencing in batch is established.

DNA sequencing by synthesis with degenerate primers

The degenerate primer-based sequencing was developed by a synthesis method （DP-SBS） for high-throughput DNA sequencing, in which a set of degenerate primers are hybridized on the arrayed DNA templates and extended by DNA polymerase on microarrays. In this method, a different set of degenerate primers containing a given number （n） of degenerate nucleotides at the 3＇-ends were annealed to the sequenced templates that were immobilized on the solid surface. The nucleotides （n＋1） on the template sequences were determined by detecting the incorporation of fluorescent labeled nucleotides. The fluorescent labeled nucleotide was incorporated into the primer in a base-specific manner after the enzymatic primer extension reactions and nine-base length were read out accurately. The main advantage of the DP-SBS is that the method only uses very conventional biochemical reagents and avoids the complicated special chemical reagents for removing the labeled nucleotides and reactivating the primer for further extension. From the present study, it is found that the DP-SBS method is reliable, simple, and cost-effective for laboratory-sequencing a large amount of short DNA fragments.

Cloning and sequencing of core gene cDNA of Chinese hepatitis C virus

A hepatitis C virus(HCV)cDNA fragment,534bp in length and designated asQ534,was obtained by PCR amplification with self-designed primers.Q534 was cloned in-to Hinc Ⅱ site of pUC18 and the recombinant plasmid pQ534 was then selected from thebacterial transformants.The sequence analysis indicated that Q534 was a cDNA fragmentof HCV core gene,and located in HCV genome from positions 320 to 853 incorrespondence with Chiron’s prototype sequence.The homologies between Q534 and theprototype at the levels of nucleotides and amino acids were 90.0% and 97.6%,respectively.The homologies of Q534 with Japanese HCV-J and HCV-BK strains were 96.6% and97.0% at the nucleotide level,and 98.2% and 98.8% at the amino acid level.In terms ofthe sequence,this Chinese HCV isolate should belong to HCV group Ⅱ.

DNA Sequencing by Capillary Electrophoresis Using Quasi-inter-penetrating Network Formed by Polyacrylamide and Poly(N-hydroxymethylacrylamide)

Quasi-interpenetrating network formed by polyacrylamide and poly （N-hydroxymethylacrylamide） was designed, synthesized, and tested for DNA sequencing by capillary electrophoresis. The performance of quasi-IPN on DNA sequencing was determined by the acrylamide to N-hydroxymethylacrylamide molar ratio and sequencing temperature.

APPLICATION OF DIRECTLY SEQUENCING F0R DOUBLE STRAND DNA IN RESEARCH OF ENVIRONMENTAL MUTAGENS——Ⅱ.SEQUENCING OF TC GENE FRAGMENT IN PLASMID PBR322 MUTANT Ap TC INDUCED BY GLYCIDYL METHACRYLATE

Glycidyl Methacrylate(GMA) is a new mutagenreported by us in 1988 firstly.To explore the molecu-lar mechanism of mutagenesis,the Tc gene of plasmidpBR322 mutant Ap"Tc" was used for sequencing by

Single molecular DNA/RNA sequencing with microscopy

Ultra high-throughput DNA sequencing has been a very hot topic beyond the field of genomic researches.There have been various approaches to this issue ranging from direct observation of individual DNA synthesis[1],amperometric/optical detection of bases using a nanopore[2,3]and direct sequencing with a high-resolution probe microscope[4].Recently,we have developed a technique to chemically modify all nucleobases in DNA[5],so that the bases A,T,G,C can be differentiated in the sequence by using high-resolution electron microscopy(EM).

MOLECULAR CLONING AND SEQUENCING OF A cDNA ENCODING PARTIAL PUTATIVE MOLT-INHIBITING HORMONE FROM PENAEUS CHINENSIS

Total RNA was extracted from eyestalks of shrimp Penaeus chinensis . Eyestalk cDNA was obtained from total RNA by reverse transcription. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) was initiated using eyestalk cDNA and degenerate primers designed from the amino acid sequence of molt inhibiting hormone from shrimp Penaeus japonicu s. A specific cDNA was obtained and cloned into a T vector for sequencing. The cDNA consisted of 201 base pairs and encoding for a peptide of 67 amino acid residues. The peptide of P. chinensis had the highest identity with molt inhibiting hormones of P. japonicus . The cDNA could be a partial gene of molt inhibiting hormones from P. chinensis . This paper reports for the first time cDNA encoding for neuropeptide of P. chinensis .