Mitochondrial DNA mutations in Japanese detected by polymerase chain reaction—restriction fragment—single strand conformation polymorphism analysis

PCR—restriction fragment—SSCP (PCR—RF—SSCP) analysis of mitochondrial DNA by HhaI/HincII in Japanese revealed 46 polymorphic patterns. The determinations of nucleotide sequence of these 46 patterns revealed 56 mutations compared with the Cambridge Sequence.     

Genetic monitoring of laboratory rat strains by restriction fragment length polymorphisms of mitochondrial DNA

Restriction fragment length polymorphisms of rat mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were examined using various kinds of laboratory rat strains in Japan. The results show that mtDNA of laboratory rats, Rattus norvegicus, are highly polymorphic; at least 7 types, Aa, Ba, Bb, Cb, Dc, Eb, and Fa, were found with the use of 6 restriction enzymes, EcoR I, Hind II, Hha I, Hpa II, Taq I, and Hinf I. Types Aa, Ba, and Eb were distributed widely in several strains, whereas types Ba, Cb, Dc and Fa were limited to some specific strains. These results indicate that restriction fragment length polymorphisms of mtDNA can be applied to genetic monitoring of laboratory rat strains.     

Polymorphism in the Plasmodium vivax msp 3: gene in field samples from Tierralta, Colombia

We evaluated the Plasmodium vivax polymorphism by studying the Pvmsp-3 gene's polymorphic region by PCR-RFLP in 55 samples from patients living in Tierralta, Colombia. Three different sizes of the Pvmsp-3 gene were found, type A (1,900 bp), type B (1,500 bp) and type C (1,100 bp); most of the samples were type A (96.4 %). The Pvmsp-3 gene exhibited high polymorphism. Seven restriction patterns were found when using Alu I, and nine were found with Hha I; 12 different alleles were obtained when these patterns were combined. The findings suggest that this gene could be used in Colombia as a molecular epidemiologic marker for genotyping P. vivax.     

Identification of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans strains based on restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of 16S rDNA.

The 16S rDNA sequences from ten strains of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans were amplified by PCR. The products were compared by performing restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis with restriction endonucleases Alu I, Hap II, Hha I, and Hae III. The RFLP patterns revealed that T. ferrooxidans could be distinguished from other iron- or sulphur-oxidizing bacteria such as T. thiooxidans NB1-3, T. caldus GO-1, Leptospirillum ferrooxidans and the marine iron-oxidizing bacterium strain KU2-11. The RFLP patterns obtained with Alu I, Hap II, and Hae III were the same for nine strains of T. ferrooxidans except for strain ATCC 13661. The RFLP patterns for strains NASF-1 and ATCC 13661 with Hha I were distinct from those for other T. ferrooxidans strains. The 16S rDNA sequence of T. ferrooxidans NASF-1 possessed an additional restriction site for Hha I. These results show that iron-oxidizing bacteria isolated from natural environments were rapidly identified as T. ferrooxidans by the method combining RFLP analysis with physiological analysis.     

Mutation detection in rice waxy mutants by PCR-RF-SSCP

PCR-RF-SSCP (PRS), which combines cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP), is expected to be a useful technique for DNA polymorphism analysis. We evaluated the ability of PRS to detect single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) using the Waxy gene, Wx, of rice, and subsequently were able to identify point mutations in wx mutant lines. The approximately 6-kb Wx gene was divided into five regions for PCR amplification. Two regions, in which most of the point mutations of the wx mutants have been identified, were amplified by PCR and cloned into a vector, and those clones containing SNPs produced as a result of the inherent inaccuracy of PCR were used for the evaluation of PRS. The efficiency of PRS in the detection of SNPs of these clones was over 70%. PRS analysis of the wx genes in 18 waxy mutants was carried out in the five regions using two different restriction endonucleases and two gel conditions, with and without glycerol. Of the 18 lines tested, 17 showed band patterns different from that of the wild type. Most of the mutations identified in this study were nucleotide changes in exons, which result in amino acid changes. One mutation generated an in-frame stop codon, and another was a frame shift mutation by one-base deletion. Two mutations found at a splice site were considered to inhibit normal splicing of mRNA. These results show that PRS is a useful technique for detecting point mutations in large plant genes.     

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in randomly selected genes among japonica rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties identified by PCR-RF-SSCP.

DNA polymorphism of randomly selected genes in rice cultivars was analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-RF-SSCP) technique. Single DNA fragments were amplified from genomic DNA of the Nipponbare cultivar by 671 primer pairs among the 1000 primer pairs tested. PCR-RF-SSCP analysis using the 671 primer pairs detected polymorphism in 108 DNA fragments between 17 japonica paddy-rice cultivars. An average of 36.9 DNA fragments showed polymorphism between any pair of japonica paddy-rice cultivars. The nucleotide sequences of the polymorphic DNA fragments were determined for 50 alleles of 45 genes together with Nipponbare alleles. In these genes, 142 SNPs and 32 insertions/deletions were identified. Among these 174 sequence variations, 71 were in exons, 78 in introns, and 25 in unassigned regions. There were 28 alleles which had sequence variations in the exons. One allele had a 1-bp deletion in the exon causing a frame-shift mutation, 15 alleles had missense mutations, and the other 12 alleles had synonymous changes and/or sequence variations in 3' untranslated regions. The number of genes having sequence variations between the rice cultivars and the functional implications of the identified SNPs are herein discussed.     

Complete sequence analysis of mitochondrial DNA of aplastic anemia patients

This study was primarily undertaken to test the hypothesis that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations may be associated with aplastic anemia (AA). We analyzed mtDNA sequences from 15 patients with AA. The samples were obtained from bone marrow, and patients' oral epithelial cells were collected for normal tissue comparison. Total DNA was amplified by PCR after extraction, and these segments were then sent for sequencing. The results were compared with those of oral epithelial tissues as well as mtDNA sequences in the revised Cambridge Reference Sequence (rCRS) database. We detected 61 heteroplasmic mutations in 11 genes, including those encoding NADH dehydrogenase (ND)1-2 and 4-6, tRNA glutamic acid (TRNE), ribosomal RNA (RNR) 1 and 2, cytochrome c oxidase (COX1), cytochrome b (CYTB), and tRNA glycine (TRNG); mutation rates were particularly high in ND2 (34.4%) and ND4 (21.3%) in the patients' mtDNA genomes. The products of these genes are involved in oxidation in the respiratory chain, and a large number of homoplasmic mutations were found. Interestingly, these 162 polymorphisms were mostly in the D-loop DNA structure (54.3%), in which numerous mutations associated with leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes are found. We conclude that functional impairment of the mitochondrial respiratory chain induced by mutation may be an important reason for hematopoietic failure in AA patients.     

Identification of enterohepatic Helicobacter species by restriction fragment-length polymorphism analysis of the 16S rRNA gene

Background. Restriction fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of a 1,200-bp polymerase chain reaction–amplified DNA fragment of gene coding for 16S rRNA was used to generate restriction profiles of 11 enterohepatic Helicobacter spp. isolated from various animals and humans.
Methods. The amplicon from each Helicobacter sp. was digested with four restriction endonucleases: Alu I, Hinf I, Hha I, and Dde I. Alu I digestion produced five patterns that were useful for initial differentiation.
Results. Most Helicobacter spp. isolated from rodents had the same RFLP profiles by Alu I digestion (except H. rodentium and H. cholecystus ), but they had different RFLP profiles by Hha I digestion. Only H. bilis and " H. rappini" mouse isolates could not be readily distinguished by the polymerase chain reaction-RFLP method. However, these two species can be distinguished using H. bilis specific primers. Some of the Helicobacter spp. have an intervening sequence in their 16S rRNA gene, which changes the RFLP patterns; in these cases, sequencing is the preferred method to make an appropriate diagnosis.
Conclusions. The RFLP method used in this study was straightforward and rapid and should prove useful as an adjunct for identification and classification of multiple enterohepatic Helicobacter spp.     

A Standard Reference Material to determine the sensitivity of techniques for detecting low-frequency mutations, SNPs, and heteroplasmies in mitochondrial DNA

Human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are important for forensic identifications and mitochondrial disease diagnostics. Low-frequency mutations, heteroplasmies, or SNPs scattered throughout the DNA in the presence of a majority of mtDNA with the Cambridge Reference Sequence (CRS) are almost impossible to detect. Therefore, the National Institute of Science and Technology has developed heteroplasmic human mtDNA Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2394 to allow scientists to determine their sensitivity in detecting such differences. SRM 2394 is composed of mixtures ranging from 1/99 to 50/50 of two 285-bp PCR products from two cell lines that differ at one nucleotide position. Twelve laboratories using various mutation detection methods participated in a blind interlaboratory evaluation of a prototype of SRM 2394. Most of these procedures were unable to detect the mutation when present below 20%, an indication that, in many real-life cases, low-frequency mutations remain undetected and that more sensitive mutation detection techniques are urgently needed.     

胆型螺旋杆菌(Helicobacter bilis)的分离、鉴定与序列分析

鉴定分离到的微需氧菌为螺旋杆菌,并对该菌进行分型。小鼠皮下或肌肉注射地塞米松使其免疫抑制,取小鼠肠内容物培养,对分离到的细菌,经油镜,电镜观察,然后提取细菌DNA,用根据螺旋杆菌（Helicobacter sp.)rRNA保守区设计的引物P7/P8进行扩增,并对扩增产物分别用MboI,HhaI,XspI内切酶酶切,酶切产物用10%PAGE分析。再用根据螺旋杆菌胆型（H.bilis)rRNA设计特异引物P7/Pb扩增,将扩增产物测序分析。最后。将该细菌在Scid小鼠上作动物感染。细菌在油镜下呈鸟翼状,电镜下观察到双极鞭毛。无周质纤毛。引物P7/P8扩增出374bp的特异带,此片段能分别被MboI,HhaI,Zsp内切酶酶切,引物P7/Pb扩增出364bp的条带,测得的DNA序列中存在MboI,HhaI,Xsp内切酶酶切。引物P7/Pb扩增出364bp的条带,测得的DNA序列中存在MboI,HhaI,XspI的内切位点,与文献中H.bilis序列比较,同源性为97.5%。动物感染试验符合Koch准则。分离到的细菌确为胆型螺旋杆菌。     

Comparison of ITS RFLP patterns of Gracilaria (Rhodophyceae, Gracilariales) populations from Chile and New Zealand and an examination of interfertility of Chilean morphotypes

Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the nuclear ribosomal cistron and crossability trials were used to characterize four morphotypes of Gracilaria from Lenga, Isla Santa María and Maullín, Chile, and two morphotypes from sites in New Zealand. PCR products from all Chilean morphotypes resulted in a major single band of ca. 1198 bp. ITS-RFLP profiles generated with the restriction enzymes Cla I, Hae III, Pst I, Hha I, Rsa I and Taq I, were identical in all cases. All crosses within, as well as between, morphotypes resulted in cystocarp differentiation, with the production of viable carpospores. Based upon these data, it is concluded that the four morphotypes from Chile correspond to a single species, G. chilensis, and that the ITS-RFLP pattern is a useful marker to predict genetic relatedness at the specific level in Gracilaria. A comparison of the ITS-RFLP patterns of the Chilean morphotypes with the patterns of two samples of G. chilensis from New Zealand revealed that the sample from Scorching Bay, Wellington, fits the Chilean ITS-RFLP patterns. The population from Blockhouse Bay, Auckland, appears to correspond to another species. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Highly polymorphic STR marker amplified with human DYS389 primers in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata)

Amplification products from male and female Japanese macaques were obtained by PCR with human Y-chromosomal DYS389 primers. These products were examined by electrophoresis and sequence analysis. The PCR products from the 12 Japanese macaques tested had different band patterns on an electrophoretogram. Sequence analysis of the products revealed that the high polymorphism originated from variable numbers of repeats of two separate CTAT sequences. The sequences of the Japanese macaque products were similar to those of the reference human DYS389 sequence. However, variable CTGT repeats and a difference in the second forward primer binding site yielded two products in human males, DYS389I and DYS389II, which do not exist in Japanese macaques. Our results suggest that the human DYS389 primers may be a potential tool not only for distinguishing between human and Japanese macaque DNA samples, but also for identifying individual macaques, because of the highly polymorphic alleles.     

Molecular polymorphism and phenotypic variation in Aspergillus carbonarius

Thirteen collection strains and field isolates of Aspergillus carbonarius were examined by using various genotypic and phenotypic approaches. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the ribosomal RNA gene cluster and the mitochondrial DNA of the strains revealed only slight variations, except for one field isolate (IN7), which exhibited completely different ribosomal RNA gene cluster and mitochondrial DNA patterns. The mitochondrial DNAs of these strains were found to be much larger (45 to 57 kb) than those found earlier in the A. niger aggregate. Strain-specific characters could be detected by the random amplified polymorphic DNA technique. Isoenzyme analysis and examination of carbon source utilisation patterns of the strains also revealed some intraspecific variability, though much smaller than that observed by using DNA-based techniques. The dendrograms constructed based on genotypic and phenotypic data suggest that strain IN7 might represent a new subspecies of A. carbonarius.Abbreviations kb kilobase pair - mtDNA mitochondrial DNA - RAPD random amplified polymorphic DNA - rDNA ribosomal RNA gene cluster - RFLP restriction fragment length polymorphisms     

SSCP analysis of pig mitochondrial DNA D-loop region polymorphism

The sequence polymorphism that occurs in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) displacement (D)-loop region is useful as a cytoplasmic DNA marker. We cloned the mtDNA D-loop regions of five breeds of pig by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and determined their sequences. The sequence diversities in D-loop regions among five breeds of pig were located in the starting area of heavy-strand replication. From these sequences, we designed primers for PCR-mediated single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis that amplified the most polymorphic 227 bp fragment of the D-loop region. The results of PCR-SSCP analysis clearly showed that four types of polymorphism (A to D) are found in Landrace (A), Large White (A, B), Duroc (A), Göttingen miniature pig (B) and Meishan (C, D). The same polymorphisms were also detected from each porcine embryo by this method. Our results show that PCR-SSCP analysis is useful in detecting polymorphisms in the D-loop region of pigs and pig embryos.     

Mitochondrial DNAs and plasmids as taxonomic characteristics in Trichoderma viride.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was purified from 12 isolates of the Trichoderma viride aggregate and found to be, on the average, 32.7 kb in size. Plasmids were present in the mtDNA preparations from 8 of 12 strains of T. viride examined. Plasmids in four of the strains produced ladderlike banding patterns on gels, and these plasmids were studied in detail. The ladderlike patterns were produced by single molecules that were supercoiled to various degrees. Plasmids from two of the strains do not have homology with the mtDNA but do have a limited amount of homology with each other. No phenotype could be associated with the presence of a plasmid. Restriction endonuclease digestion of the mtDNAs produced patterns in which the presence or absence of certain fragments correlated with the classification of the strains into T. viride group I or II. Phenetic cluster analysis and parsimony analysis of the fragment patterns produced groups that corresponded to T. viride groups I and II. The fragment patterns were very diverse, with nearly all strains having a unique pattern. However, two strains of T. viride group I from widely different geographical locations did have identical restriction patterns for all the enzymes used in this study. This result indicates that it may not be possible to use mtDNA restriction patterns alone to identify Trichoderma strains.     

三种小型猪线粒体DNA控制区的比较研究

目的分析五指山小型猪、巴马小型猪和贵州香猪线粒体DNA控制区碱基序列,比较研究不同猪种的遗传标志。方法应用PCR技术分别对这三种小型猪的血液总DNA样品中线粒体DNA D-loop区进行扩增,测序比对。结果猪的线粒体DNA D-loop区分三个区域。I区（靠近5’端区域）704bp,五指山小型猪在此区共有6个变异位点,通过6个变异位点中归纳出3个单倍体,而巴马小型猪在此区有9个变异位点,通过9个变异位点归纳出4个单倍体,贵州香猪在此区共有6个变异位点,通过6个变异位点归纳出3个单倍体。Ⅱ区（串联重复序列区）,五指山小型猪、巴马小型猪和贵州香猪序列相同。Ⅲ区（靠近3’端区域）三种小型猪的序列几乎相同。结论五指山小型猪、巴马小型猪和贵州香猪三种小型猪之间线粒体DNA碱基序列变异位点较少,五指山小型猪和巴马小型猪亲缘关系较近。     

Segments of mitochondrial DNA of yeast carrying antibiotic resistances

Summary Mitochondrial DNA was isolated from an oligomycin-resistant petite mutant of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It had repeated sequences of 3600 base pairs. This segment was about one twentieth of the whole mtDNA of wild type yeast, which had a size of 74 kilo base pairs.This segment of mtDNA had one cleavage site for a restriction endonuclease, Hind II, which was more resistant to cleavage than the other Hind II sites in wild type mtDNA. It had two cleavage sites for Hha I and gave two Hha fragments, which were arranged alternatively. Digestion with Hae III gave four fragments and these fragments were mapped.Mitochondrial DNA of this mutant showed a loss of heterogeneity in a melting profile. It melted within a narrow range of temperature, which was similar to that of poly dA·poly dT. Its differential melting curve was significantly different from that of wild type mtDNA.Mapping of mtDNA of a wild type yeast was carried out with restriction endonucleases. Fragments of mtDNA, which were isolated from petites carrying oligomycin-erythromycin-chloramphenicol-resistance and erythromycin-chloramphenicol resistance were also mapped. Loci of oligomycin-resistance, erythromycin-resistance and chloramphenicol-resistance were investigated based on the maps of Eco R I fragments and Hind II fragments.     

Hypomethylation of the interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) promotor and first exon is linked to expression of the gene.

The interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) is limited in expression to retinal photoreceptor cells and a subset of pinealocytes. We have obtained a genomic clone containing the entire coding region and 7 kb of 5' flanking sequence. As a first step in studying IRBP gene regulation we have examined the CpG methylation patterns of the entire IRBP gene in expressing and non-expressing human cells. This has been done by isolation of high molecular weight DNA from Y-79 cells grown in suspension or attached to poly-D-lysine, which synthesize IRBP at different levels, and from human lymphocytes, which were shown by northern analysis to lack IRBP message. The DNA was digested by either Hpa II, Msp I, or Hha I. Southern blots were prepared with these digests and hybridized with probes made from fragments covering the complete genomic clone. Probes from the first exon, the introns and the 3' end gave banding patterns which showed no differences between the expressing cells and the lymphocytes. A probe from the very 5' end did not give a clear banding pattern, probably due to the presence of repetitive elements in the probe. However, a Hind III probe covering the 5' flanking 3 kb and the beginning of the first exon hybridized with a 1.8 kb band in Hpa II digests of Y-79 cells which was not present in Hpa II digests of lymphocyte DNA. In addition, a 2.1-2.3 kb Hha I band was found only in the Y-79 DNA digests. Sequence analysis of the promoter region indicated that these bands were due to hypomethylation of sites within a CpG rich island from -1578 to -1108 in the promoter and hypomethylation of sites in the beginning of the first exon. A Hha I site between the CpG island and the first exon was not hypomethylated in the expressing Y-79 cells. We propose that hypomethylation of the CpG rich island of the IRBP promoter and the first exon is linked to the expression of this gene.     

BT型细胞质雄性不育水稻及其三系的线粒体DNA研究

用RAPD技术对BT型水稻胞质雄性不育系秀A及其保持系秀B、恢复系湘晴以及杂种F1代的线粒体DNA进行了比较分析。结果表明不育系与其保持系间存在显著差异;不育系与其F1之间mtDNA也存在差异。在引物OPJ－08的扩增产物中,秀A扩增出一条分子量为800bp的多态性片段,在引物OPK－10的扩增产物中,杂种F1扩增出一条分子量为900bp的片段。把这两片段回收、克隆并制备探针,OPJ－08800的Southern杂交结果显示不育系与其F1杂交图谱存在多态性;OPK－10900的Suthern杂交结果显示不育系与其保持系同存在差异。推测这两片段与育性可能有一定的联系。     

Rapid polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method for discrimination of the two Atlantic cryptic deep-sea species of scabbardfish

The present investigation provides an efficient diagnostic method based on polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) analysis to discriminate between two cryptic species of scabbardfish, Aphanopus carbo and A. intermedius, with commercial relevance in several European fish markets. Two DNA fragments from the mtDNA, including control region and partial cytochrome oxidase subunit I genes of about 1100 bp and 700 bp, respectively, were isolated by PCR amplification. Digestion of the amplicon including the control region with HaeII and the amplicon including the COI gene with Sau3AI restriction enzymes allowed an unequivocal discrimination between the two scabbardfish species. This PCR–RFLP method allowed a clear and rapid discrimination of the trichiurid species studied.