PCR引物特异性核查系统(PSC)的构建与应用

聚合酶链式反应(PCR)虽已广泛用于分子生物学研究中,然而PCR实验中的非特异性产物问题将直接影响PCR的效率,在多重PCR实验中更是如此。为了最大限度地降低非特异性产物的出现率,同时避免用户频繁使用Blast比对检查非特异性,我们开发了基于NCBI-Blast的引物评估和模板DNA特异性结合能力评估的核查系统PSC(Primer Specificity Checking,http://biocompute.bmi.ac.cn/PSC),并基于虚拟PCR实验确定了用于引物质量核查计算的多种参数,能够在线提供多个物种的引物特异性核查结果。该系统可以有效地对引物序列可能产生的所有非特异性扩增进行预测,有助于实验前引物优化或者对非特异扩增结果进行解释,最终达到提高PCR效率的目的。     

一种简便快速的单引物PCR定点突变方法

为了解决在一些特殊位点上利用Quick Change方法进行定点突变时会在突变位点处额外插入引物序列导致突变失败的问题,对Quick Change法进行了改良。改良方法为:合成在突变位点处点突变的一对反向互补引物,分别进行单引物PCR扩增,将两种扩增产物混合,变性复性后加入Dpn I进行酶切,酶切产物转化大肠杆菌DH5α,抗性筛选阳性克隆进行测序验证。利用此法成功突变紫穗槐二烯合酶(amorpha-4,11-diene synthase,ADS)基因中多个利用常规方法突变均因引入额外引物而无法成功的特殊位点,证明此方法实践上可行,而且也可以避免插入额外引物序列,这也从侧面证明额外引物插入的原因是双引物同时反应。     

Investigation of sensitivity,specificity and accuracy of Tetra primer ARMS PCR method in comparison with conventional ARMS PCR,based on sequencing technique outcomes in IVS-II-I genotyping of beta thalassemia patients

Purpose

Beta thalassemia is one of the most important hematic diseases all around the world and solving the problems caused by this abnormality is strongly dependent on precise detection and reliable screening of high-risk couples. The aim of our study was the investigation of sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of Tetra primer ARMS PCR method comparing with conventional ARMS PCR, based on sequencing technique outcomes for genotyping of IVS-II-I mutation in beta thalassemia patients.

Methods

Fifty seven samples including two homozygote, 49 heterozygote and 6 normal specimens were analyzed by Tetra primer ARMS PCR and conventional ARMS PCR methods. DNA was extracted by the standard method of salting out for leukocyte genomic DNA extraction of blood specimens and a high pure PCR template preparation kit was used for DNA purification of CVS samples. The results obtained by Tetra primer ARMS PCR and conventional ARMS PCR methods were compared with gold standard technique, i.e. sequencing.

Results

All three parameters including specificity, sensitivity and accuracy were 100% for Tetra primer ARMS PCR method, while they were 100%, 92.45% and 92.7% for conventional ARMS PCR technique respectively. Comparing with Tetra primer ARMS PCR which represented 100% agreement with sequencing method, conventional ARMS PCR technique only showed 47.1% agreement, because of 4 discordant results.

Conclusion

Tetra primer ARMS PCR method is an almost reliable, sensitive and accurate technique and it is suggested that it can be used as a complementary method for diagnostic cases instead of conventional ARMS PCR method. This suggestion originated with perfect rate of agreement between outcomes of sequencing method, as a gold standard method of detecting the mutations, and Tetra primer ARMS PCR technique comparing with conventional ARMS PCR method.     

A quick and precise technique for identifying ectomycorrhizas by PCR

A rapid procedure was developed to amplify ITS fragments directly from Tuber ectomycorrhizas either synthesized in a greenhouse or collected from the field. The addition of Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) to the reaction mixtures overcame the presence of reaction inhibitors present in fungal and root cells, and enabled the amplification of the ITS regions directly from ectomycorrhizal tissues. This method is cheaper and less time-consuming than conventional procedures, and reduces the time required from 1-4 h to a few minutes. It is also much more sensitive, allowing the identification of just a small fragment of a mycorrhizal root tip. Because of this it is possible to select only the target fungal tissue and hence minimise the risk of contamination by saprobic or other mycorrhizal species. The method also avoids the use of toxic or hazardous substances. This method could have a wider application in other areas of applied mycology.     

A PCR based assay for detection and differentiation of African trypanosome species in blood

Direct PCR analysis of trypanosome infected blood samples in the quantities required for large scale epidemiological study has always been problematic. Current methods for identifying and differentiating trypanosomes typically require several species-specific reactions, many of which rely on mouse passaged samples to obtain quality concentrated genomic DNA. As a consequence important epidemiological information may be lost during the sample preparation stage. Here, we report a PCR methodology that reduces processing and improves on the sensitivity of present screening methods. The PCR technique targets the gene encoding the small ribosomal subunit in order to identify and differentiate all clinically important African trypanosome species and some subspecies. The method is more economical, simple, and sensitive than current screening methods, and yields more detailed information, thereby making it a viable tool for large-scale epidemiological studies.     

A simple and rapid technique for the authentication of the ginseng cultivar, Yunpoong, using an SNP marker in a large sample of ginseng leaves

Yunpoong is an important Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) cultivar, but no molecular marker has been available to identify Yunpoong from other cultivars. In this study, we developed a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker for Yunpoong based on analysis of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) in an exon region of the glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene. This SNP marker had high specificity to authenticate Yunpoong in twelve different main ginseng cultivars. For application of the molecular marker, a rapid identification method was established based on the NaOH-Tris method and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in order to ensure more efficiency in the cultivar selection. The biggest feature of the NaOH-Tris method was that it made the extraction of DNA very simple and rapid in young leaf tissues. We only spent 1 min to extract DNA and directly used it to do PCR. In this report, the conventional DNA extraction method was used to develop molecular marker process, and the NaOH-Tris method was applied in screening large numbers of cultivars. Moreover, the greatest advantage of the real-time PCR compared with traditional PCR, is time saving and high efficiency. Thus, this strategy provides a rapid and reliable method for the specific identification of Yunpoong in a large number of samples.     

Characterization and evaluation of an arbitrary primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) product for the specific detection of Brucella species

Laboratory detection of Brucella is based largely on bacterial isolation and phenotypic characterization. These methods are lengthy and labor-intensive and have been associated with a heightened risk of laboratory-acquired infection. Antibody based indirect detection methods also suffer from limitations in proper diagnosis of the organism. To overcome these problems, nucleic acid amplification has been explored for rapid detection and confirmation of the presence of Brucella spp. PCR-based diagnostics is useful for screening large populations of livestock to identify infected individuals and confirms the presence of the pathogen. Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was performed and identified a 1.3 kb PCR fragment specifically amplifiable from DNA isolated from Brucella. A BLAST search revealed no significant homology with the reported sequences from species other than the members of Brucella. The isolated fragment seems to be a part of d-alanine–d-alanine ligase gene in Brucella sp. Translational BLAST revealed certain degree of homology of this sequence with orthologs of this gene reported from other microbial species at the deduced amino acid level. The sequence information was used to develop PCR based assays to detect Brucella sp. from various samples. The minimum detection limit of Brucella from blood and milk samples spiked with Brucella DNA was found to be 1 ng/ml and 10 ng/ml, respectively. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the PCR based detection protocol was successfully used for the detection of Brucella from various organs and spiked samples of diseased sheep. Diagnosis of Brucellosis by PCR based method reported in this study is relatively rapid, specific and simple.     

A metagenomic approach for the identification and cloning of an endoglucanase from rice straw compost

Over the years, culturable cellulase-producing microorganisms have been isolated from a variety of sources and genes of cellulolytic enzymes have been cloned. Then again, the “great plate count anomaly” phenomenon necessitates a culture-independent metagenomic approach for the isolation of cellulolytic genes from microorganisms in their natural environment. We have constructed a metagenomic library derived from rice straw composts. Of 2739 clones screened, a lambda clone carrying a 12 kb genomic fragment was able to yield a clear zone on an agar plate containing carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). A 4.7 kb subclone, generated by restriction enzyme digestion, was found to harbor a GH12 cellulase gene, RSC-EG1, encoding 464 amino acids along with two other ORFs. The identified cellulolytic gene showed more than 70% similarity on the amino acid level with cellulase from Micromonospora aurantiaca and Thermobispora sp. Interestingly, RSC-EG1 contains a stretch of approximately 86 amino acids not present in either of these close relatives. Our results demonstrated that RSC-EG1, stable over a wide temperature and pH range, is a novel endoglucanase, and provided the first example of metagenomics approach to isolate cellulolytic gene from rice straw composts.