Adapter-tagged competitive PCR (ATAC-PCR)--a high-throughput quantitative PCR method for microarray validation

Adapter-tagged competitive PCR (ATAC-PCR) is an advanced version of competitive quantitative PCR that is characterized by the addition of unique adapters to cDNA derived from each sample RNA. Using multiple adapters, we can accurately measure the relative expression ratios of many samples, with a calibration curve obtained from internal standards included in the same reaction. ATAC-PCR can identify differences in gene expression as small as twofold, even from very small amounts of sample RNA. This technique is suitable for confirming results obtained with cDNA microarrays or differential display, and it can process more than a thousand of genes per day when used in conjunction with a capillary DNA sequencer.     

Quantification of mRNA Levels by Fluorescently Labelled Reversde Transcription Competitive PCR

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Adaptor-tagged competitive PCR: study of the mammalian nervous system

Adaptor-tagged competitive PCR (ATAC-PCR) is an advanced form of quantitative competitive PCR, and enables high-throughput analysis of gene expression. We applied this technique to the postnatal cerebellar development. Data analysis with terms representing reported functions revealed a correlation between gene expression and functions. We also analyzed the cell death induced by extended polyglutamine, a model of a neurodegenerative disorder. We identified genes with expression patterns specific to the cell death, and evaluated their functions by in vitro transfection experiments.     

A novel strategy to design highly specific PCR primers based on the stability and uniqueness of 3'-end subsequences

MOTIVATION: In contrast with conventional PCR using a pair of specific primers, some applications utilize a single unique primer in combination with a common primer, thereby relying solely on the former for specificity. These applications include rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), adaptor-tagged competitive PCR (ATAC-PCR), PCR-mediated genome walking and so forth. Since the primers designed by conventional methods often fail to work in these applications, an improved strategy is required, particularly, for a large-scale analysis. RESULTS: Based on the structure of 'off-target' products in the ATAC-PCR, we reasoned that the practical determinant of the specificity of primers may not be the uniqueness of entire sequence but that of the shortest 3'-end subsequence that exceeds a threshold of duplex stability. We termed such a subsequence as a 'specificity-determining subsequence' (SDSS) and developed a simple algorithm to predict the performance of the primer: the algorithm identifies the SDSS of each primer and examines its uniqueness in the target genome. The primers designed using this algorithm worked much better than those designed using a conventional method in both ATAC-PCR and 5'-RACE experiments. Thus, the algorithm will be generally useful for improving various PCR-based applications.     

Quantitative Competitive RNA PCR for Quantitation of Virion-Associated HIV-1 RNA

Quantitative competitive PCR is a highly sensitive technique that allows accurate quantitation of small amounts of RNA. We have modified the original method to include the use of an internal standard at all stages of sample analysis. In this way, the method can accommodate for variations in the recovery of viral particles and in the isolation of genomic RNA as well as provide a suitable competitive substrate during quantitative RNA PCR. We have used this method to characterize changes in virus load in plasma of HIV-1-seropositive individuals following their vaccination against opportunistic infections.     

Quantitative PCR for Detection of Femtogram Quantities of Interleukin-8 mRNA Expression

A quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for mRNA expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8), a neutrophil chemotactant and activator, was developed to examine the expression of this cytokine by colonic mucosa. A synthetic IL-8 RNA deleted in size of native IL-8 mRNA was used as an external control. The synthetic IL-8 RNA was mixed with total RNA from cells and converted to cDNA and amplified by PCR simultaneously. The lower limit of sensitivity for the assay was found to be more than 1 femtogram of IL-8 mRNA. The assay determined IL-8 mRNA expression when the RNA was isolated from either human histiocytic lymphoma cell line U937 cells or human colonic mucosa obtained from colitis patients and healthy controls. The development of the rapid and sensitive assay should provide a means to more fully evaluate the role of this cytokine in diverse disease states with small scale.     

几种差别表达基因显示技术及其在植物方面的应用

９０年代以来,先后出现了ＤＤ,ＲＤＡ,ｃＤＮＡ－ＲＤＡ,ＳＡＧＥ,ＧＥＦ,ＲＦＤ,ＳＳＨ以及ＡＴＡＣ－ＰＣＲ等数种未知产物的差别表达基因显示技术,本文对这些技术的异同。各自的优缺点以及它们在植物方面的应用现状和前景作了简单综述。     

微量RNA的cDNA PCR文库的构建

使用PCR（polymerase chain reaction)技术,调制了mRNA的cDNA PCR文库,实验证明,cDNA PCR文库能使原cDNA的量放大数百倍,同时,使用人体K562培养细胞的总RNA,对cDNA PCR文库法和反转录中的β-Actin的cDNA量进行了比较,cDNA PCR文库法中的β-Actin的cDNA量大于高于反转录中的β-Actin的cDNA量,使用75pg的人体K562培养细胞的总RNA,调制成50ul的CDNA PCR文库,使用1ul的CDNA PCR文库进行了PCR反应时,可对文库中β-Actin的CDNA进行PCR检测,因此,CDNA PCR文库显示了良好的信息放大性能。     

Amplification of cDNA ends based on template-switching effect and step-out PCR

A new method for amplifying cDNA ends is described which requires only first-strand cDNA synthesis and a single PCR to generate a correct product with very low or no background. The method can be successfully applied to total RNA as well as poly A+ RNA. The same first-strand cDNA can be used to amplify flanking sequences of any cDNA species present in the sample.     

Absolute quantitation of specific mRNAs in cell and tissue samples by comparative PCR.

A comparative PCR assay, for the absolute quantitation of specific mRNAs in cell and tissue samples, has been designed to overcome problems with previous techniques. cDNAs made from the RNAs are co-amplified with "competitor" plasmid templates under conditions in which reagents are not limiting at the equivalence point, thereby preventing competition between target and competitor templates and distinguishing the assay from competitive PCR assays. The cDNAs are serially diluted, and competitor templates concentrations are kept constant, rather than vice versa, as occurs in competitive PCR assays. Products from target and competitor templates are resolved by electrophoresis and measured by phosphorescent or fluorescent imagery. Both products are measured to minimize errors in the competitor:target ratio. A synthetic external standard RNA is included in the tissue lysis solution and co-purified with endogenous mRNAs, thereby being subjected to identical losses of yield during subsequent procedures. The determination of the number of copies of external standard cDNA allows inefficiencies of RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis to be taken into account. Standard concentrations of plasmids containing the endogenous target sequences are also measured, so that corrections can be made for discrepancies due to unequal amplification of target and competitor sequences. These corrections, together with the use of an external standard and the PCR conditions chosen, allow for the accurate, specific and sensitive determination of the absolute number of mRNA copies in a sample.     

Adenylylation of small RNA sequencing adapters using the TS2126 RNA ligase I

Many high-throughput small RNA next-generation sequencing protocols use 5′ preadenylylated DNA oligonucleotide adapters during cDNA library preparation. Preadenylylation of the DNA adapter''s 5′ end frees from ATP-dependence the ligation of the adapter to RNA collections, thereby avoiding ATP-dependent side reactions. However, preadenylylation of the DNA adapters can be costly and difficult. The currently available method for chemical adenylylation of DNA adapters is inefficient and uses techniques not typically practiced in laboratories profiling cellular RNA expression. An alternative enzymatic method using a commercial RNA ligase was recently introduced, but this enzyme works best as a stoichiometric adenylylating reagent rather than a catalyst and can therefore prove costly when several variant adapters are needed or during scale-up or high-throughput adenylylation procedures. Here, we describe a simple, scalable, and highly efficient method for the 5′ adenylylation of DNA oligonucleotides using the thermostable RNA ligase 1 from bacteriophage TS2126. Adapters with 3′ blocking groups are adenylylated at >95% yield at catalytic enzyme-to-adapter ratios and need not be gel purified before ligation to RNA acceptors. Experimental conditions are also reported that enable DNA adapters with free 3′ ends to be 5′ adenylylated at >90% efficiency.     

胰岛素样生长因子1(IGF-1)mRNA同源模板竞争性PCR定量方法的建立

胰岛素样生长因子 1(IGF 1)是一种多功能的细胞增殖调控因子 ,其表达水平受多种因素的影响 ,为了研究IGF 1基因在转录水平上的调控机制 ,建立了定量测定IGF 1mRNA的竞争性PCR方法 .同时 ,也建立了一种简便的制备同源性竞争模板的方法 .以构建好的重组pUC IGF 1质粒为基础 ,利用IGF 1mRNA序列上唯一存在 ,但是在pUC18质粒上多拷贝的MspⅠ酶切位点 ,以该限制性内切酶处理重组pUC IGF 1质粒 .在T4DNA连接酶作用下对酶切产物进行随机连接 ,以连接产物作为模板 ,用可扩增IGF 1cDNA的引物进行PCR ,由此得到因含有随机插入序列而与原IGF 1cDNA产生明显长度差别的重组IGF 1.以不同浓度的该DNA片段作为同源竞争模板与大鼠肝组织cDNA在同一反应体系中进行PCR ,对PCR产物进行分析 ,计算出样本中IGF 1cDNA的初始浓度 .成功地建立了IGF 1mRNA的竞争性PCR定量检测方法 ,为研究IGF 1基因的表达调控奠定了基础 ,同时也为对已克隆的基因进行mRNA定量测定提供了一种简便和灵敏的手段     

Chum-RNA allows preparation of a high-quality cDNA library from a single-cell quantity of mRNA without PCR amplification

Linear RNA amplification using T7 RNA polymerase is useful in genome-wide analysis of gene expression using DNA microarrays, but exponential amplification using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is still required for cDNA library preparation from single-cell quantities of RNA. We have designed a small RNA molecule called chum-RNA that has enabled us to prepare a single-cell cDNA library after four rounds of T7-based linear amplification, without using PCR amplification. Chum-RNA drove cDNA synthesis from only 0.49 femtograms of mRNA (730 mRNA molecules) as a substrate, a quantity that corresponds to a minor population of mRNA molecules in a single mammalian cell. Analysis of the independent cDNA clone of this library (6.6 × 10⁵ cfu) suggests that 30-fold RNA amplification occurred in each round of the amplification process. The size distribution and representation of mRNAs in the resulting one-cell cDNA library retained its similarity to that of the million-cell cDNA library. The use of chum-RNA might also facilitate reactions involving other DNA/RNA modifying enzymes whose Michaelis constant (K_m) values are around 1 mM, allowing them to be activated in the presence of only small quantities of substrate.