PCR amplification and cycle DNA sequencing analysis of the Chlamydia trachomatis elongation factor Tu gene

Based on the elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) gene of Chlamydia trachomatis, a pair of oligonucleotide primers CTUFU and CTUFD, were designed to amplify a specific target fragment of 931bp. The PCR assay could detect C. trachomatis in cervical smear specimens obtained from sex workers undergoing routine examination in an STD clinic. Distinct target bands were also amplified from at least 10ng of positive control DNA samples from cultured cells infected with C. trachomatis. PCR with these primers could differentiate C. trachomatis from eight non-chlamydial bacterial species. Further verification could be obtained from the non-digestion of C. trachomatis PCR products by MspA1I restriction endonuclease, in contrast to the digestion of the non-specific PCR products of Klebsiella and Bacillus. Direct cycle DNA sequencing of ～450bp of the PCR products of four C. trachomatis isolates revealed complete identity of one isolate with the known sequence of serovar F, while the other three isolates harboured three phenotypically silent point mutations at codons 96, 305 and 312 of the EF-Tu gene. The sequence analyses confirm the authenticity of the target bands, reiterate the conservation and role of the EF-Tu gene in protein biosynthesis, and indicate the utility of the primers for the rapid detection of C. trachomatis.     

Identification of Candida albicans by polymerase chain reaction amplification of CaYST1 gene intron fragment

A single pair of primers, deduced from the intron nucleotide sequence of the Candida albicans CaYST1 gene, was used in PCR analysis performed with both genomic DNA and whole cells of clinical isolates of Candida species and other microorganisms. All the clinical C. albicans isolates generated the expected 310 bp amplicon; other Candida species as well as laboratory strains belonging to other fungal genera failed to amplify any DNA fragment, except for Candida pseudotropicalis (amplicon of 1200 bp), Kluyveromices marxianus (amplicon of 1250 bp) and Cryptococcus neoformans (several amplicons longer than 1200 bp). Unusual C. albicans isolates from Africa also yielded the expected 310 bp amplicon. These results indicate that genes containing intron sequences may be useful to design species-specific primers for identification of fungal strains by PCR. The sensitivity of the method was evaluated for C. albicans genomic DNA by using both various DNA concentrations (224 ng to 2.7 pg) and different cell amounts (10(7); to 5 cells). The results obtained may be useful in earlier detection of candidiasis.     

一种鉴别临床常见致病性葡萄球菌方法的建立与初步评价

目的建立一种鉴别临床常见致病性葡萄球菌的聚合酶链反应-限制性片段长度多态性（PCRRFLP）方法。方法采用经全自动微生物鉴定系统和分子生物学方法准确鉴定的金黄色葡萄球菌、表皮葡萄球菌、溶血葡萄球菌各3株,提取细菌DNA,PCR扩增tuf基因,扩增产物Alu I、Hinf I双酶切后进行琼脂糖凝胶电泳,分析不同葡萄球菌酶切后带型的差异。收集临床分离葡萄球菌142株,采用建立的PCRRFLP对其进行分类鉴别,随机选择分类鉴别的葡萄球菌各20株,PCR扩增16S r DNA,扩增产物测序,将结果与Gen Bank数据库进行比对,初步评价该方法的准确性。结果金黄色葡萄球菌,表皮葡萄球菌,溶血葡萄球菌均能扩增出长668 bp DNA片段。扩增产物经Alu I、Hinf I双酶切后电泳条带不同,金黄色葡萄球菌出现三条带（108 bp/192 bp/217 bp）,表皮葡萄球菌出现两条带（192 bp/304 bp）,溶血葡萄球菌出现两条带（192 bp/217 bp）。PCR-RFLP结果显示,142株葡萄球菌中金黄色葡葡球菌、表皮葡葡球菌和溶血葡葡球菌分别为67、29和46株。随机挑选的20株不同种葡萄球菌16S r DNA测序结果与Gen Bank数据库对应序列的相似性均〉99%,说明建立的PCR-RFLP方法能准确区分三种常见葡萄球菌。结论 PCRRFLP能准确鉴别临床常见的致病性葡萄球菌,为葡萄球菌病的分子诊断奠定了基础。     

小麦矮腥黑穗菌差异片段筛选与分子检测体系的建立

采取随机扩增DNA多态性(Random amplified polymorphic DNA,RAPD)引物介导的半特异PCR技术(RAPD primer mediated hemi-specific PCR,RM-PCR),在从不同地域征集的18个小麦矮腥黑穗菌(Tilletia controversa Kühn,TCK)菌株和29个小麦网腥黑穗病菌(Tilletia caries(DC)Tul,TCT)菌株的总基因组DNA中筛选鉴定出TCK独有的大小为1322bp差异基因组片段。根据该片段序列设计筛选出2对特异性引物CQUTCK2/CQUTCK3和CQUTCK4/CQUTCK5,均可以从18个TCK菌株的菌丝体和冬孢子DNA中稳定地扩增出747bp和200bp的单一靶带DNA,而在29个TCT菌株的菌丝体或冬孢子DNA均无任何扩增产物。以腥黑穗菌属通用引物对CQUK6/CQUK7为内置对照,可以确定被检样品是否含PCR抑制物质进而判断检测体系是否正确,同时有效地排除样品检测结果的假阳性和假阴性。采用建立的TCK特异PCR检测技术体系,实现简单而快速地鉴定小麦矮腥黑穗菌冬孢子或罹病小麦组织中侵染菌丝体的目的。     

Molecular characterization of Yarrowia lipolytica and Candida zeylanoides isolated from poultry

Yeast isolates from raw and processed poultry products were characterized using PCR amplification of the internally transcribed spacer (ITS) 5.8S ribosomal DNA region (ITS-PCR), restriction analysis of amplified products, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). ITS-PCR resulted in single fragments of 350 and 650 bp, respectively, from eight strains of Yarrowia lipolytica and seven strains of Candida zeylanoides. Digestion of amplicons with HinfI and HaeIII produced two fragments of 200 and 150 bp from Y. lipolytica and three fragments of 350, 150, and 100 bp from C. zeylanoides, respectively. Although these fragments showed species-specific patterns and confirmed species identification, characterization did not enable intraspecies typing. Contour-clamped heterogeneous electric field PFGE separated chromosomal DNA of Y. lipolytica into three to five bands, most larger than 2 Mbp, whereas six to eight bands in the range of 750 to 2,200 bp were obtained from C. zeylanoides. Karyotypes of both yeasts showed different polymorphic patterns among strains. RAPD analysis, using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic sequences as primers, discriminated between strains within the same species. Cluster analysis of patterns formed groups that correlated with the source of isolation. For ITS-PCR, extraction of DNA by boiling yeast cells was successfully used.     

A multiplex PCR test for determination of mating type applied to the plant pathogens Tapesia yallundae and Tapesia acuformis

A multiplex PCR test for determining mating type of the pathogens Tapesia yallundae and Tapesia acuformis is described. The test involves three primers: a "common" primer annealing to DNA sequence conserved in the flanking region of both mating-type idiomorphs and two specific primers annealing to sequence in either the MAT-1 or the MAT-2 idiomorphs. Locating the specific primers in different positions relative to the common primer yielded PCR products of 812 or 418 bp from MAT-1 and MAT-2 isolates, respectively. The test was used successfully to determine the mating type of 118 isolates of T. yallundae and T. acuformis from Europe, North America, and New Zealand. Isolates of both mating types were found on all continents for both species despite the rarely observed occurrence of sexual reproduction of T. acuformis. The multiplex test design should be applicable to other ascomycete species, of use in studies of MAT distribution and facilitating sexual crossing by identifying compatible isolates.     

Characterization by PCR of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates collected during the 1997-1998 Chilean outbreak

Between November 1997 and April 1998, several human gastroenteritis cases were reported in Antofagasta, a city in the north of Chile. This outbreak was associated with the consumption of shellfish, and the etiologic agent responsible was identified as Vibrio parahaemolyticus. This was the first report of this bacterium causing an epidemic in Chile. V. parahaemolyticus was the only pathogenic bacterium isolated from patient stools and from shellfish samples. These isolates were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the pR72H gene, a species-specific sequence. Based on the pR72H gene amplification pattern, at least three different isolates of V. parahaemolyticus were found. Two isolates (named amplicons A and C) generated PCR products of approximately 400 bp and 340 bp respectively, while another type of isolate designated B, did not generate a PCR product, regardless of which method of DNA purification was used. Sequence analysis of the amplicons A and C shows that they have an 80 bp and 183 bp conserved region at the 5' end of the gene. However, both isolates have different sequences at their 3' terminus and are also different from the pR72H sequence originally reported. Using this PCR assay we demonstrated that these three isolates were found in clinical samples as well as in shellfish. The warm seawater caused by the climatological phenomena "El Ni?o" perhaps favored the geographic dispersion of the bacterium (bacterial bloom) occurring in Antofagasta that occurred during that time of year.     

Comparison of DNA extraction from cervical cells collected in PreservCyt solution for the amplification of Chlamydia trachomatis

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare and evaluate three methods of DNA extraction for the amplification of Chlamydia trachomatis in uterine cervical samples collected in PreservCyt solution. ThinPrep is the trade name for the slide preparation. METHODS: Thirty-eight samples collected in LCx buffer medium, which were identified as C. trachomatis infected by ligase chain reaction (LCR), were selected for this study. DNA from the PreservCyt samples was extracted by three methods: (i) QIAamp kit, (ii) boiling in Tris-EDTA buffer with Chelex purification, and (iii) Proteinase K digestion with Chelex purification. Sample DNA was tested for the presence of C. trachomatis by PCR using cryptic plasmid research (CTP) primers and major outer membrane protein research momp gene (MOMP) primers. Real-time (LightCycler) PCR for relative C. trachomatis quantification following DNA extraction was performed using primers (Hsp 60) for the 60 kDa heat-shock protein hsp60 gene. RESULTS: Amplification using CTP primers was the most successful with each of the extraction protocols. Boiling in buffer was the least successful extraction method. QIAamp was the best extraction method, yielding the most positives with both the CTP and MOMP primers. Proteinase K-Chelex extraction gave similar sensitivity to QIAamp extraction with CTP primers but lower for MOMP primers. CONCLUSIONS: The DNA extraction method must be carefully selected to ensure that larger PCR amplicons can be successfully produced by PCR and to ensure high sensitivity of detection of C. trachomatis. In this study it was found that the QIAamp extraction method followed by PCR with the CTP primers was the most successful for amplification of C. trachomatis DNA.     

Detection of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) mRNA by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in the human normal and tumoral anterior pituitary.

To investigate the presence of TRH mRNA in the human anterior pituitary tissue, total RNA from human normal and tumoral anterior pituitary, hypothalamus (positive control) and muscle tissues (negative control) was reverse transcribed (RT) to the first strand of cDNA. RT products were then amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a set of three exon-specific primers (two external 5' and 3' primers and one internal 3' primer) for a target sequence of the TRH gene including an intronic sequence of about 650 base pairs (bp). Southern analysis of the RT-PCR products specifically hybridizing with a 45-mer TRH probe showed two bands of the predicted sizes (399 and 351 bp) far more intense in hypothalamus than in normal and tumoral anterior pituitary tissue. The 399 and 351 bp RT-PCR products contained the BglII enzyme restriction site included in the TRH cDNA sequences spanned by the primers and the two respective digested fragments which were, as predicted, 337 and 289 bp long, hybridized with the TRH probe. Based on these results, we can conclude that the RT-PCR products generated from RNA tissue were the target TRH sequences in the human normal and tumoral anterior pituitary tissue as well as in the hypothalamus. Our data imply TRH gene expression in the human anterior pituitary.     

多重PCR检测奶牛乳腺炎金黄色葡萄球菌粘附素基因clfa A、clfa B、fnbp A和fnbp B

利用多重PCR检测金黄色葡萄球菌粘附素基因clfa A、clfa B、fnbp A和fnbp B的方法,对奶牛乳腺炎金黄色葡萄球菌临床分离株进行聚集因子主效基因的分析。通过设计合成的特异性引物对金黄色葡萄球菌模板进行PCR扩增,将目的基因回收并连接到T载体,鉴定后进行测序验证,然后对本实验室所分离鉴定的金葡菌临床分离株进行多重PCR检测。PCR产物经过电泳成像显示,clfa A和clfa B分别在292bp和205bp处出现特异性条带;fn-bp A和fnbp B分别在524bp和642bp处出现特异性条带。通过对29株金葡菌临床分离株多重PCR检测发现:能扩增出clfa A、clfa B、fnbp A和fnbp B的分别有26株、12株、28株和3株。建立的多重PCR检测金黄色葡萄球菌粘附素基因的方法具有良好的特异性和可靠性,并且发现clfa A和fnbp A基因存在于绝大部分的金黄色葡萄球菌中。     

Identification of newly established <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spodoptera littoralis</Emphasis> cell lines by two DNA barcoding markers

Cell line authentication is crucial in determining the identity of cell lines and detecting any cross-contamination. The identity of three newly established Spodoptera littoralis cell lines (Spli-C, Spli-B, and Spli-S) was confirmed by DNA fingerprinting. In this study, we used two universal primers sets to amplify two DNA fragments in different positions in the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase 1 gene (COI). The PCR reaction succeeded in amplifying two target DNA amplicons. The first amplicon had ~650 bp, while the second had ~410 bp. By comparing the obtained informative sequences with those in the GenBank sequence database, the results showed 100% similarity between the S. littoralis cell lines and their host. The same similarity ratio was observed between the Sf21, Tni, and Cp cell lines, which are used widely, and their hosts. The informative sequences were then used for phylogenetic analyses. In addition to the high efficiency of this technique, it showed high reproducibility in two different laboratories. DNA barcoding using the two sets of the universal primers used in this study can be a fast and a reliable method for insect cell line identification.     

泌尿生殖道沙眼衣原体omp1基因多态性研究

从中国不同城市收集疑为沙眼衣原体(Ct)感染的泌尿生殖道标本323份,巢式PCR扩增Ctomp1基因片段(包括4个变异区),测定其中96份阳性标本omp1基因序列,根据同源性分型并分析其多态位点;根据氨基酸序列,用Mega 3软件构建进化树,分析临床株与相应参考株之间的亲缘关系。从96份沙眼衣原体阳性标本中,检出28种基因变体,其中E型最常见;同时发现Ct E、F型omp1基因高度保守,而其它基因型都显示一定的变异性。进化树分析发现,各临床株与相应参考株之间遗传距离较近。实验结果表明沙眼衣原体omp1基因呈现较大的多态性,可为其疫苗的研制及感染的防治提供重要的实验依据。     

Polymorphisms in the α-amy1 gene of wild and cultivated barley revealed by the polymerase chain reaction

-Amylases are the key enzymes involved in the hydrolysis of starch in plants. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect polymorphisms in the length of amplified sequences between the annealing sites of two primers derived from published -amy1 gene sequences in barley. These two primers (Bsw1 and Bsw7), flanking the promoter region and the first exon, amplified two PCR fragments in barley. One of the amplified products, with the expected length of 820 bp, appeared together with another shorter PCR band of around 750 bp. This 750-bp fragment seems to be derived from an -amylase gene not reported previously. Both of the PCR products could be amplified from the two-rowed barley varieties tested, including cv Himalaya from which the sequence information was obtained. Five of the six-rowed barley varieties also have the two PCR fragments whereas another two have only the long fragment. These two fragments seem to be unique to barley, neither of them could be amplified from other cereals; for example, wheat, rye or sorghum. These two -amylase fragments were mapped to the long arm of 6H, the location of the -amy1 genes, using wheat-barley addition lines. Amplification of genomic DNA from wild barley accessions with primers Bsw1 and Bsw7 indicated that both of the fragments could be present, or the long and short fragments could be present alone. The results also demonstrated that the genes specifying these two fragments could be independent from each other in barley. The conserved banding pattern of these two fragments in the two-rowed barley varieties implies that artificial selection from these genes may have played an important role in the evolution of cultivated barley from wild barley.     

新生隐球菌的AFLP分析

目的评估AFLP-DNA指纹技术在新生隐球菌分类中应用情况。方法新生隐球菌基因组DNA用双酶酶切,双链接头连于其酶切末端,用与接头和酶切位点互补的引物扩增DNA片段,其产物在高分辨的变性聚丙酰胺凝胶上电泳分离,然后进行银染。结果分析来自5种血清型和临床分离株的18株新生隐球菌,可见有30多条大小在30～500bp的DNA-AFLP指纹,相同的血清型有不同的指纹图谱,来自同一患者不同病期的两株分离株和来自同一患者患者的不同部位的两株分离株都显示出相同的带型。结论显示了AFLP的高分辨率,是适用于新生隐球菌流行病学调查的有力工具。     

A microsatellite marker for studying the ecology and diversity of fungal endophytes (Epichloë spp.) in grasses.

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA fingerprinting, which is based on PCR with arbitrary 10-nucleotide primers, were used to analyze genetic diversity among isolates of the endophytic ascomycete Epichloë typhina, which were collected at a single field site from a population of one of its hosts, the grass Bromus erectus. One of the polymorphic randomly amplified polymorphic DNA PCR products occurred in all isolates as single bands with different but closely related sizes. Two of the size variants of this product were cloned and sequenced, and they were found to represent the same DNA sequence, except for a stretch of tandem repeats of the trinucleotide AAG.TTC, which differed in size, consisting of 8 and 18 repeats, respectively. Tandem repeats of this type are called microsatellites. Oligonucleotides were synthesized corresponding to portions of the sequence flanking the microsatellite and were used for PCR amplification of the loci from the genomic DNAs of different Epichloë isolates. A single PCR product was found for most isolates, indicating that the sequence represented a single genetic locus. Five alleles that could clearly be distinguished in size were found in a population of 91 field isolates. PCR with (AAC)8 and (AAG)8 as primers yielded a number of amplified bands from genomic DNA of Epichloë isolates, indicating that these types of microsatellites occur frequently in the genome of this fungus. A survey of all fungal DNA sequences currently deposited in the DNA sequence databases of EMBL and GenBank revealed that microsatellites of different repeating units are widespread in fungi.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Molecular Characterization of Yarrowia lipolytica and Candida zeylanoides Isolated from Poultry

Yeast isolates from raw and processed poultry products were characterized using PCR amplification of the internally transcribed spacer (ITS) 5.8S ribosomal DNA region (ITS-PCR), restriction analysis of amplified products, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). ITS-PCR resulted in single fragments of 350 and 650 bp, respectively, from eight strains of Yarrowia lipolytica and seven strains of Candida zeylanoides. Digestion of amplicons with HinfI and HaeIII produced two fragments of 200 and 150 bp from Y. lipolytica and three fragments of 350, 150, and 100 bp from C. zeylanoides, respectively. Although these fragments showed species-specific patterns and confirmed species identification, characterization did not enable intraspecies typing. Contour-clamped heterogeneous electric field PFGE separated chromosomal DNA of Y. lipolytica into three to five bands, most larger than 2 Mbp, whereas six to eight bands in the range of 750 to 2,200 bp were obtained from C. zeylanoides. Karyotypes of both yeasts showed different polymorphic patterns among strains. RAPD analysis, using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic sequences as primers, discriminated between strains within the same species. Cluster analysis of patterns formed groups that correlated with the source of isolation. For ITS-PCR, extraction of DNA by boiling yeast cells was successfully used.     

A PCR method for the detection and differentiation of Lentinus edodes and Trametes versicolor in defined-mixed cultures used for wastewater treatment

A PCR-based method for the quantitative detection of Lentinus edodes and Trametes versicolor, two ligninolytic fungi applied for wastewater treatment and bioremediation, was developed. Genomic DNA was used to optimize a PCR method targeting the conserved copper-binding sequence of laccase genes. The method allowed the quantitative detection and differentiation of these fungi in single and defined-mixed cultures after fractionation of the PCR products by electrophoresis in agarose gels. Amplified products of about 150 bp for L. edodes, and about 200 bp for T. versicolor were purified and cloned. The PCR method showed a linear detection response in the 1.0 g–1 ng range. The same method was tested with genomic DNA from a third fungus (Phanerochaete chrysosporium), yielding a fragment of about 400 bp. Southern-blot and DNA sequence analysis indicated that a specific PCR product was amplified from each genome, and that these corresponded to sequences of laccase genes. This PCR protocol permits the detection and differentiation of three ligninolytic fungi by amplifying DNA fragments of different sizes using a single pair of primers, without further enzymatic restriction of the PCR products. This method has potential use in the monitoring, evaluation, and improvement of fungal cultures used in wastewater treatment processes.     

The gene for the S7 ribosomal protein of Chlamydia trachomatis: characterization within the chlamydial sfr operon

The prokaryotic ribosomal operon, str, contains open reading frames for the two elongation factors, elongation factor G (EF-G) and elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu), and ribosomal proteins S7 and S12. The DNA sequence and predicted amino acid sequence for S7 from Chlamydia trachomatis are presented and compared with homologues from other prokaryotes. Also, the relationship of the S7 gene to the open reading frames for ribosomal protein S12 and EF-G is described. Significant amino acid homology is also noted when the amino-terminal sequence of chlamydial EF-G is compared with the cytoplasmic tetracycline resistance factors, tetM and tetO, from streptococci and Campylobacter jejuni. Related findings and possible resistance mechanisms for the newly recognized tetracycline-resistant clinical isolates of C. trachomatis are discussed.     

Quick and accurate detection of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium oxysporum</Emphasis> f. sp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">carthami</Emphasis> in host tissue and soil using conventional and real-time PCR assay

Safflower wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. carthami (Foc) is a major limiting factor for safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) production worldwide. In India alone, about 40–80% disease incidence has been reported. A rapid, efficient, specific, and sensitive diagnostic technique for Foc is therefore crucial to manage Fusarium wilt of safflower. Twenty-five isolates of F. oxysporum formae speciales infecting other crops, 17 isolates of Fusarium spp. and seven isolates of other fungal pathogens of safflower along with 75 Foc isolates were used for identification of band specific to Foc using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) analysis. Out of 70 ISSR primers, the one that specifically amplified a 490 bp fragment from all the Foc isolates was selected. Sequence of the amplified fragment was utilized to design sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) primers (FocScF/FocScR). The primer pair unambiguously and exclusively amplified a DNA fragment of approximately 213 bp in all the 75 Foc isolates. The primer set was able to detect as low as 10 pg of Foc genomic DNA using conventional PCR, while the SCAR primers when coupled with real-time qPCR demonstrated detection limits of 1 pg for Foc genomic DNA and 1000 conidia/g for soil. The assay enabled reliable diagnosis of Foc DNA in contaminated safflower fields and expedited Foc detection at 72 h post inoculation in asymptomatic seedlings. This method facilitates quick and precise detection of Foc in plant and soil samples and can be exploited for timely surveillance and sustainable management of the disease.