The application of a biotin-anti-biotin gold technique providing a significant signal intensification in electron microscopic immunocytochemistry: a comparison with the ultrasmall immunogold silver staining procedure

 A three-step biotin-anti-biotin gold-detection system (method A) has been applied for ultraimmunocytochemistry using ultrasmall colloidal gold (0.8 nm) linked to anti-biotin antibodies which were visualized and enhanced by silver reduction. The reactivity for glucagon in human pancreatic islets and for cytochrome-c oxidase in heart mitochondria has been compared to a two-step ultrasmall immunogold technique (method B). For both antigens, method A provided significantly higher labelling indices (P<0.001): the labelling density for cytochrome-c oxidase was 223/μm² using method A and 78/μm² using method B. For glucagon, the labelling density was 1455/μm² with method A and 322/μm² with method B. The results demonstrate that the silver-intensified biotin-anti-biotin gold-detection system is a valuable immunocytochemical method for signal enhancement. The method utilizes biotinylated antibodies from different species, allowing its broad application at the electron microscopic level. Accepted: 24 June 1997     

棉蚜饲养技术——笼罩法

在长期的试虫饲养过程中 ,摸索出一种新的棉蚜饲养方法———笼罩法。利用A4幅面的透明胶片和纱网制成笼罩。并于室内催芽 ,培育棉花种苗 ,可利用自制笼罩于光照培养箱内隔离饲养棉蚜 ,经与琼脂叶片法和自制Blackmanbox方法比较 ,笼罩法具有省时省力、不受季节限制、棉蚜生长条件好以及取食活体植株等许多突出的优点。     

Application of a colorimetric DNA-DNA hybridization method for identification ofAeromonas genomic species,isolated from diarrheal stools

The colorimetric DNA-DNA hybridization method for the identification of 18 strains ofAeromonas spp. isolated from human stools was used. Bacterial isolates were also examined by phenotypic characteristics. On the basis of biochemical tests 13 strains were included in phenogroupA. caviœ and 5 strains inA. sobria. Identification to the species level was obtained by colorimetric hybridization method. DNA-DNA similarity values showed that isolates ofA. caviœ group belong to hybridization group (HG) 4 whereas isolates ofA. sobria belong to HG 8/10. DNA relatedness results obtained by the colorimetric method showed good agreement with values detected by the spectrophotometric method. The background in the colorimetric method is lower than in the spectrophotometric one. Results of this study indicate the usefulness of the colorimetric DNA-DNA hybridization in microplates method for the identification ofAeromonas genomic species, isolated from human diarrheal stools.     

A Simple Method for the Mating of Sclerotinia trifoliorum

Rehnstrom, A. L., and Free, S. J. 1993. A simple method for the mating of Sclerotinia trifoliorum. Experimental Mycology 17, 236-239. A simple method which allows for the controlled mating of L and S mating type strains of Sclerotinia trifoliorum is described. Using the method, we have been able to mate L and S strains and have demonstrated the segregation of the genetic markers involved in mycelial incompatibility into the progeny.     

Size determination of poly(A) after in vitro methylation with radioactive dimethyl sulfate

A simple method for the size determination of poly(A) using in vitro labeling by methylation with [³H]dimethyl sulfate is described. After methylation, modified poly (A) has the same mobility, using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, as has the unmodified polymer, thus showing that the methylation does not cause degradation. Therefore the method is a sensitive assay to size the poly(A) segments from in vivo unlabeled tissue. The method was applied to determine the size of poly(A) sequences on mRNA from mouse L5178Y cells and from rat liver.     

Development and Application of a Monoclonal-Antibody Technique for Counting Aureococcus anophagefferens, an Alga Causing Recurrent Brown Tides in the Mid-Atlantic United States

A method was developed for the rapid detection and enumeration of Aureococcus anophagefferens, the cause of harmful algal blooms called “brown tides” in estuaries of the Mid-Atlantic United States. The method employs a monoclonal antibody (MAb) and a colorimetric, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay format. The MAb obtained exhibits high reactivity with A. anophagefferens and very low cross-reactivities with a phylogenetically diverse array of other protists and bacteria. Standard curves are constructed for each 96-well microtiter plate by using known amounts of a preserved culture of A. anophagefferens. This approach allows estimation of the abundance of the alga in natural samples. The MAb method was compared to an existing method that employs polyclonal antibodies and epifluorescence microscopy and to direct microscopic counts of A. anophagefferens in samples with high abundances of the alga. The MAb method provided increased quantitative accuracy and greatly reduced sample processing time. A spatial survey of several Long Island estuaries in May 2000 using this new approach documented a range of abundances of A. anophagefferens in these bays spanning nearly 3 orders of magnitude.     

Effect of genetic polymorphism for metabolic enzymes on the relationship between smoking dose and DNA adducts in lymphocytes

The genetic polymorphism of metabolic enzymes on the relationship between smoking dose and DNA adduct levels in lymphocytes were evaluated in 51 smokers. The genetic polymorphisms of cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) and glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) were analysed by a PCR method. Lymphocyte DNA adducts were measured by two analytical versions of a 32P-postlabelling method; nuclease P1 digested method and butanol extracted method. Mean adduct levels obtained with the nuclease P1 method (1.21 +/- 0.74 per 108 nucleotides) were higher than those obtained with the butanol extracted method (0.82 +/- 0.47, p &lt; 0.01). There was a significant correlation between adduct levels by the nuclease P1 method and those by the butanol extracted method (r = 0.49, p &lt; 0.01). A significant correlation was not found between smoking dose and DNA adduct levels obtained using both methods in lymphocytes of all subjects. When subjects were divided into two groups by CYP1A1 genotypes, significant correlations between smoking indices, such as number of cigarettes per day years or tar intake per day years, and DNA adduct levels measured by the butanol extracted method was found in heterozygous or miner homozygous for CYP1A1 exon 7 polymorphism. We could not get a significant effect of GSTM1 on the relationship between smoking dose and DNA adducts.     

Sites of lipase activation and prostaglandin synthesis in isolated, perfused rabbit hearts and hydronephrotic kidneys

The tissue lipids of isolated, perfused rabbit hearts and hydronephrotic kidneys were labelled with [¹⁴C]-arachidonic acid by two different techniques: direct infusion of [¹⁴C]-arachidonic acid in a protein free media into the perfused organ (method A), and recirculation of [¹⁴C]-arachidonic acid in a solution containing albumin (method B). Autoradiography of the labelled organs demonstrated that method A resulted in selective labelling of arteries and arterioles in both perfused organs as well as glomeruli in the kidney. Labelling with method B resulted in a non-specific radioisotope incorporation in both the vasculature and myocardial cells in the heart; and of the vasculature and renal tubules in the perfused kidneys. Analysis of the tissue lipids shows similar patterns of incorporation of radioactivity between methods A and B.Peptide hormone stimulation (bradykinin) and non-specific noxious stimulation (with transient ischemia) were employed to elicit lipase activation (i.e., release of [¹⁴C]-arachidonate) and prostaglandin (PG) synthesis. It was found that in both hearts and hydronephrotic kidneys, the radioactive PG release in response to bradykinin and ischemia was much higher with method A (vascular labelling) than with method B (diffuse labelling) despite the appearance of comparable amounts of bioassayable PG release, thus indicating the sites of PG synthesis in these organs is predominantly localized in the vascular tissue. Furthermore, the radioactive arachidonic acid release in response to bradykinin stimulation in the hydronephrotic kidneys was 3 times higher with method A than with method B, suggesting the predominant sites of hormone specific lipase activation in the renal cortex is also in the vasculature. However, the radioactive arachidonic acid release in response to ischemia was much higher with method B than with method A in both hearts and hydronephrotic kidneys, indicating the sites of non-specific lipase activation in these organs are more diffusely distributed, and present also in the myocardial cells and renal tubules.     

THE POWER OF THE " A" -" NOT A" METHOD

The " A" - " Not A" method is a rating method with two categories. It is often treated as a discrimination method. Unlike forced choice procedures, the Thurstonian model for this method involves a choice criterion. In statistical tests, it is treated as a comparison of two proportions. In this paper, the power for hypothesis tests involving the monadic and replicated monadic " A" - " Not A" method is discussed. The power functions and the sample sizes needed for 80% power are given based on Thurstone's δ. Designs with equal and unequal allocations for A and A (Not A) samples are considered. The power of the method is also compared with that of four forced choice methods under the assumption that the perceptual variance is identical among methods. The comparison shows that, in general, the power for the five methods ranks from high to low: the 3-AFC, 2-AFC, " A" - " Not A", triangular and duo-trio. The comparison also shows that, based on the same number of panelists and/or the same sample size for the A and A⁻ samples for the methods, if the panelists are not too discrepant and the choice criterion in the " A" - " Not A" method is not too strict or too lax, the power of the " A" - " Not A" method is very close to that of the 2-AFC method.     

A rapid extraction method for detecting aflatoxin producing isolates

A rapid extraction method for screening aflatoxin producing potential ofAspergillus flavus group isolates is described. The method is performed using a moist wheat medium with ca. five infected grains extracted with 2 mL of chloroform, and using thin layer chromatography. This method was proved with 95A. flavus isolates from animal feeds.     

Rapid and simple method for the determination of α1-acid glycoprotein in serum by column liquid chromatography

A rapid and simple method for the determination of α₁-acid glycoprotein (AAG) in serum was developed by using an anion-exchange column for clean-up of serum and a hydroxyapatite column for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A good correlation was observed between this HPLC method and the conventional radial immunodiffusion method. The method may also be used to determine the AAG concentration in the serum of experimental animals.     

Comparative evaluation of agar dilution and broth microdilution methods for antibiotic susceptibility testing of Helicobacter cinaedi

The aim of this study was to establish a broth microdilution method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Helicobacter cinaedi and to assess the prevalence and mechanisms of fluoroquinolone resistance in Japanese clinical isolates. A broth microdilution method using modified Levinthal broth was developed and compared with the agar dilution method for testing susceptibility to ampicillin, gentamicin, tetracycline and ciprofloxacin. The minimum inhibitory concentrations obtained by these two methods were almost the same for all the antibiotics tested, demonstrating the broth microdilution method to be a suitable and reliable technique for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. A broth microdilution method for antimicrobial susceptibility test for H. cinaedi was established. This method is expected to help improve treatment.     

A chemotactic method for the isolation of Actinoplanaceae

A simple chemotactic method for the isolation of Actinoplanaceae from soil is described. The method is based on a combination of the aerotactic behavior of the spores and the attraction to chloride ions. A simple isolation chamber is described. The method is simpler and less time-consuming than the current baiting techniques.     

Molecular identification of oriental medicinal plant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anemarrhena asphodeloides</Emphasis> Bunge (‘Jimo’) by multiplex PCR

Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge (Jimo) is one of the most popular and valuable plant species in many countries, including China, Korea, and Japan. The current commercial products such as Sagan, Chog-chag-yag, and Shig-ban-pung which are most similar to Jimo roots, were used for more reliable authentication method. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of the trnL-F region has been proved to be an appropriate method for the identification of species in the A. asphodeloides genus. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been identified in Jimo, Sagan, Chog-chag-yag, and Shig-ban-pung. The specific PCR primers were designed from the SNP to differentiate the A. asphodeloides (Jimo) from Sagan, Chog-chag-yag, and Shig-ban-pung via multiplex PCR. The established multiplex-PCR method for the rapid detection of the Jimo in a single reaction was determined to be effective for the differentiation of Jimo (A. asphodeloides). We therefore present an effective method for the genetic identification of the A. asphodeloides.     

Detection and quantitation of cellularly derived amyloid β peptides by immunoprecipitation-HPLC-MS

A quantitative method for detection of amyloid β peptides using immunoprecipitation-HPLC-mass spectrometry (IP-LC-MS) is described. Comparison of IP-LC-MS with sandwich ELISA revealed comparable results in the analysis of Aβ 1–40 and Aβ 1–42 derived from fetal guinea pig cell media and cell lysates. The use of IP-LC-MS not only allows a quantitative method for Aβ 1–40 and Aβ 1–42 peptides present in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but allows detection of other Aβ peptide species that may also play a role in the onset of AD in humans.     

猪笼草中产蛋白酶内生菌的分离及鉴定

采用研磨法分离纯化猪笼草各组织器官中的内生菌,并采用水解圈法和摇瓶发酵法分别进行初筛与复筛,对筛选出的菌株进行16SrDNA分析鉴定。结果表明:在猪笼草叶片、捕虫囊、根和茎等4种器官中共分离出25株内生菌;进一步从中筛选出2株可产胞外蛋白酶的细菌A3、L5,其中菌株A3的产酶能力较高,水解圈/菌落直径比(D/d)值为6.5,发酵液的蛋白酶活力为17.58U/mL;菌株L5的D/d值为3.0,发酵液的蛋白酶活力为15.77U/mL;16SrDNA鉴定结果表明,菌株A3、L5与芽孢杆菌属成员具有99%的同源性,其中A3是枯草芽孢杆菌(Ba-cillus subtilis),L5可能是其的新变种或新亚种。     

The Polarographic Determination of Phosphate

A method is described for estimating polarographically the amountof phosphate in small volumes of liquid, where the phosphoruscontent lies between 0.5 and 10.5 µg. P/ml. with an errorof ± 0.2 µg. P/ml. even when chloride, nitrate,and sulphate are present in excess. The method is based on precipitationof uranyl phosphate from uranyl acetate and estimation of theuranyl ion left in solution. A comparison is made with the colorimetric method of Berenblumand Chain.     

Improved protocol for isolation of Campylobacter spp. from retail broiler meat and use of pulsed field gel electrophoresis for the typing of isolates

To improve the detection of Campylobacter spp. in retail broiler meat, a reference method (R subsamples) based on the enrichment of 25 g of meat in Bolton broth at 42 °C under microaerobiosis was compared with an alternative method (A subsamples) consisting in the rinsing of meat samples for 30 s in buffered peptone water with antimicrobials with incubation at 42 °C under aerobiosis. One piece of meat (breasts, tenderloins and thighs) was rinse in experiment 1 (A1) and two pieces in experiment 2 (A2). Campylobacter spp. were isolated on agar plates and identified by PCR. Retail samples in Alabama had less prevalence (P ≤ 0.05) than samples in the state of Washington. The percentage of positive was higher (P ≤ 0.05) in A than in R subsamples and rinsing two pieces of meat yielded the highest percentage of positive subsamples. R subsamples showed variations in the prevalence by product. However, A subsamples had similar prevalence of positives among products compare to the result from reference method. More Campylobacter coli isolates were collected in A2 subsamples. Pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used as subtyping method to study the genome similarity among the isolates from all methods. A larger diversity of isolates were detected by PFGE in A2 subsamples. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis suggested that the initial bacterial populations of the meat samples impact the final bacterial profile after enrichment. Rinsing broiler meats was less time consuming, required less sample preparation and was more sensitive than the reference method for the isolation of naturally occurring Campylobacter spp. This new method could help with epidemiological and intervention studies to control Campylobacter spp.     

A novel mutation screening system for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, vascular type by high-resolution melting curve analysis in combination with small amplicon genotyping using genomic DNA

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, vascular type (vEDS) (MIM #130050) is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by type III procollagen gene (COL3A1) mutations. Most COL3A1 mutations are detected by using total RNA from patient-derived fibroblasts, which requires an invasive skin biopsy. High-resolution melting curve analysis (hrMCA) has recently been developed as a post-PCR mutation scanning method which enables simple, rapid, cost-effective, and highly sensitive mutation screening of large genes. We established a hrMCA method to screen for COL3A1 mutations using genomic DNA. PCR primers pairs for COL3A1 (52 amplicons) were designed to cover all coding regions of the 52 exons, including the splicing sites. We used 15 DNA samples (8 validation samples and 7 samples of clinically suspected vEDS patients) in this study. The eight known COL3A1 mutations in validation samples were all successfully detected by the hrMCA. In addition, we identified five novel COL3A1 mutations, including one deletion (c.2187delA) and one nonsense mutation (c.2992C>T) that could not be determined by the conventional total RNA method. Furthermore, we established a small amplicon genotyping (SAG) method for detecting three high frequency coding-region SNPs (rs1800255:G>A, rs1801184:T>C, and rs2271683:A>G) in COL3A1 to differentiate mutations before sequencing. The use of hrMCA in combination with SAG from genomic DNA enables rapid detection of COL3A1 mutations with high efficiency and specificity. A better understanding of the genotype–phenotype correlation in COL3A1 using this method will lead to improve in diagnosis and treatment.