Phylum- and class-specific PCR primers for general microbial community analysis

Amplification of a particular DNA fragment from a mixture of organisms by PCR is a common first step in methods of examining microbial community structure. The use of group-specific primers in community DNA profiling applications can provide enhanced sensitivity and phylogenetic detail compared to domain-specific primers. Other uses for group-specific primers include quantitative PCR and library screening. The purpose of the present study was to develop several primer sets targeting commonly occurring and important groups. Primers specific for the 16S ribosomal sequences of Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Bacilli, Actinobacteria, and Planctomycetes and for parts of both the 18S ribosomal sequence and the internal transcribed spacer region of Basidiomycota were examined. Primers were tested by comparison to sequences in the ARB 2003 database, and chosen primers were further tested by cloning and sequencing from soil community DNA. Eighty-five to 100% of the sequences obtained from clone libraries were found to be placed with the groups intended as targets, demonstrating the specificity of the primers under field conditions. It will be important to reevaluate primers over time because of the continual growth of sequence databases and revision of microbial taxonomy.     

Phylum- and Class-Specific PCR Primers for General Microbial Community Analysis

Amplification of a particular DNA fragment from a mixture of organisms by PCR is a common first step in methods of examining microbial community structure. The use of group-specific primers in community DNA profiling applications can provide enhanced sensitivity and phylogenetic detail compared to domain-specific primers. Other uses for group-specific primers include quantitative PCR and library screening. The purpose of the present study was to develop several primer sets targeting commonly occurring and important groups. Primers specific for the 16S ribosomal sequences of Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Bacilli, Actinobacteria, and Planctomycetes and for parts of both the 18S ribosomal sequence and the internal transcribed spacer region of Basidiomycota were examined. Primers were tested by comparison to sequences in the ARB 2003 database, and chosen primers were further tested by cloning and sequencing from soil community DNA. Eighty-five to 100% of the sequences obtained from clone libraries were found to be placed with the groups intended as targets, demonstrating the specificity of the primers under field conditions. It will be important to reevaluate primers over time because of the continual growth of sequence databases and revision of microbial taxonomy.     

PCR primers and amplification methods for 12S ribosomal DNA, the control region, cytochrome oxidase I, and cytochrome b in bufonids and other frogs, and an overview of PCR primers which have amplified DNA in amphibians successfully

New primers (N = 24) for the amplification and sequencing of the complete or near complete 12S ribosomal DNA, about 1000 bp of the control region, 390 bp of cytochrome oxidase I, and the near complete cytochrome b are described. The 12S ribosomal DNA primers successfully amplify DNA in tetrapods; other primers successfully amplify DNA in bufonoids and other anurans. An overview of published literature and sequence data banks identified 170 mitochondrial and 96 nuclear DNA primers that have been used or are highly likely to be useful in amphibians. Primer sequences, their locations within genes, and sequence location and identity in Xenopus and human and/or mouse are presented for each primer. The utility of each primer was estimated by identifying the smallest, yet most inclusive, taxonomic category within which each primer has been successful. Primers from all published sources are mapped together. We hope that these new primers, as well as the list of primers that have been useful in amphibians, will encourage further systematic and population genetic studies of amphibians.     

EasyExonPrimer

EasyExonPrimer is a web-based software that automates the design of PCR primers to amplify exon sequences from genomic DNA. EasyExonPrimer is written in Perl and uses Primer3 to design PCR primers based on the genome builds and annotation databases available at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) Genome Browser database (http://genome.ucsc.edu/). It masks repeats and known single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites in the genome and designs standardised primers using optimised conditions. Users can input genes by RefSeq mRNA ID, gene name or keyword. The primer design is optimised for large-scale resequencing of exons. For exons larger than 1 kb, the user has the option of breaking the exon sequence down into overlapping smaller fragments. All primer pairs are then verified using the In-Silico PCR software to test for uniqueness in the genome. We have designed >1000 pairs of primers for 90 genes; 95% of the primer pairs successfully amplified exon sequences under standard PCR conditions without requiring further optimisation. AVAILABILITY: EasyExonPrimer is available from http://129.43.22.27/~primer/. The source code is also available upon request. CONTACT: Xiaolin Wu (forestwu@mail.nih.gov).     

Assessment of fungal diversity in deep-sea sediments by multiple primer approach

Increasing evidence of the fungal diversity in deep-sea sediments has come from amplification of environmental DNA with fungal specific or eukaryote primer sets. In order to assess the fungal diversity in deep-sea sediments of the Central Indian Basin (CIB) at ~5,000 m depth, we amplified sediment DNA with four different primer sets. These were fungal-specific primer pair ITS1F/ITS4 (internal transcribed spacers), universal 18S rDNA primers NS1/NS2, Euk18S-42F/Euk18S-1492R and Euk18S-555F/Euk18S-1269R. One environmental library was constructed with each of the primer pairs, and 48 clones were sequenced per library. These sequences resulted in 8 fungal Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) with ITS and 19 OTUs with 18S rDNA primer sets respectively by taking into account the 2% sequence divergence cut-off for species delineation. These OTUs belonged to 20 distinct fungal genera of the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Seven sequences were found to be divergent by 79–97% from the known sequences of the existing database and may be novel. A majority of the sequences clustered with known sequences of the existing taxa. The phylogenetic affiliation of a few fungal sequences with known environmental sequences from marine and hypersaline habitat suggests their autochthonous nature or adaptation to marine habitat. The amplification of sequences belonging to Exobasidiomycetes and Cystobasidiomycetes from deep-sea is being reported for the first time in this study. Amplification of fungal sequences with eukaryotic as well as fungal specific primers indicates that among eukaryotes, fungi appear to be a dominant group in the sampling site of the CIB.     

一种随机引物联合多特异性DNA片段检测结核分支杆菌的新方法

目的:针对目前结核性疾病实验室诊断的局限性,探索一种更为敏感和特异的结核分枝杆菌DNA检测新方法。方法:选取10株江苏地区流行的结核分支杆菌(MTB)菌株,选取临床其他常见菌株及分枝杆菌菌株作为对照组,分别提取DNA作为随机引物的模板。参考国内、外文献设计12条随机引物,并分别对MTB及对照菌株进行单个引物随机扩增,2%的琼脂糖凝胶电泳对扩增产物进行分离并切胶纯化,通过TA克隆将纯化片段连接到质粒pEASYTM-T5 Zero并进行测序,通过BLAST-nr比对验证是否为MTB DNA片段。按照所确定的MTB片段序列,在其内部设计、合成一对特异性引物。用此特异性引物扩增对应的随机引物扩增产物,获得MTB特异性条带图谱。并将该方法检测的敏感性和特异性与临床上常用的real-time PCR进行比较。结果:经BLAST-nr比对,随机引物IS986F,S535及IS986R扩增的条带与MTB DNA有高度同源性(均为99%)。随机引物IS986F、S535和IS986R分别联合其特异性引物可以检测稀释105倍、105倍和103倍的MTB DNA,其特异性分别为100%、90%和80%。常规real-time PCR可检测出稀释104倍的MTB DNA。结论:随机引物IS986F联合其特异性引物检测结核分枝杆菌的灵敏度和特异性优于S535、IS986R两组,特异性为100%,且灵敏度优于常规real-time PCR法。     

基于Web的基因组序列数据库管理系统的设计与实现

设计一种基于网络的可用来存储和注释海量DNA数据的数据库模型。整个过程分为三部分：首先是构建数据库框架,然后对原始基因组序列数据进行批量注释并输出有效格式导入数据库,最后通过一个友好的用户交互界面,实现对基因组数据的在线读取,查询,注释等操作。设计的数据库用于解决大量产生并有待分析的基因组序列的有效存储和管理问题。     

Designing primers from multiple sequences using matchup program to improve detection of hepatitis B virus by polymerase chain reaction

Traditionally primers for PCR detection of viruses have been selected from genomic sequence of single or representative viral strain. However, high mutation rate of viral genomes often results in failure in detecting viruses in clinical and environmental samples. Thus, it seems necessary to consider primers designed from multiple viral sequences in order to improve detection of viral variants. Matchup is a program intended to select universal primers from multiple sequences. We designed using Matchup program primer pairs for HBV detection from 691 full genomic HBV DNA sequences available from NCBI GenBank database. Thousands of primer candidates were initially extracted and these were sequentially filtered down to 5 primer pairs. These primer pairs were tested by PCR using 5 HBV Korean HBsAg(+) patient sera, and eventually one universal primer pair was selected and named MUW (multiple-universal-worldwide). This primer pair, 3 HBV reference primer pairs reported by others and 1 commercial primer pair were compared using 86 HBV HBsAg(+) sera from Korean and Vietnamese patients. The detection rate for MUW primer pair was 72.1%, much greater than those obtained by reference and commercial primers (32.5 to 40.7%). The superiority of MUW primer pair appeared to be correlated with the conserved sequences of the forward primer binding sites and primer quality score. These results suggest that the universal primers designed by the Matchup program from multiple sequences could be useful in detecting viruses from clinical samples.     

SP‐Designer: a user‐friendly program for designing species‐specific primer pairs from DNA sequence alignments

SP‐Designer is an open‐source program providing a user‐friendly tool for the design of specific PCR primer pairs from a DNA sequence alignment containing sequences from various taxa. SP‐Designer selects PCR primer pairs for the amplification of DNA from a target species on the basis of several criteria: (i) primer specificity, as assessed by interspecific sequence polymorphism in the annealing regions, (ii) the biochemical characteristics of the primers and (iii) the intended PCR conditions. SP‐Designer generates tables, detailing the primer pair and PCR characteristics, and a FASTA file locating the primer sequences in the original sequence alignment. SP‐Designer is Windows‐compatible and freely available from http://www2.sophia.inra.fr/urih/sophia_mart/sp_designer/info_sp_designer.php .     

Evaluation of Marine Bacteroidetes-Specific Primers for Microbial Diversity and Dynamics Studies

Assumptions on the matching specificity of group-specific bacterial primers may bias the interpretation of environmental microbial studies. As available sequence data continue growing, the performance of primers and probes needs to be reevaluated. Here, we present an evaluation of several commonly used and one newly designed Bacteroidetes-specific primer (CF418). First, we revised the in silico primer coverage and specificity with the current SILVA and RDP databases. We found minor differences with previous studies, which could be explained by the chosen databases, taxonomies, and matching criteria. We selected eight commonly used Bacteroidetes primers and tested them with a collection of assorted marine bacterial isolates. We also used the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) approach in environmental samples to evaluate their ability to yield clear and diverse band patterns corresponding to Bacteroidetes phylotypes. Among the primers tested, CF968R did not provide satisfactory results in DGGE, although it exhibited the highest in silico coverage for Flavobacteria. Primers CFB560 and CFB555 presented undesirable features, such as requiring nested protocols or presence of degeneracies. Finally, the new primer CF418 and primer CF319a were used to explore the Bacteroidetes dynamics throughout a 1-year cycle in Mediterranean coastal waters (Blanes Bay Microbial Observatory). Both primers provided clear and diverse banding patterns, but the low specificity of CF319a was evidenced by 83.3?% of the bands sequenced corresponding to nontarget taxa. The satisfactory DGGE banding patterns and the wide diversity of sequences retrieved from DGGE bands with primer CF418 prove it to be a valuable alternative for the study of Bacteroidetes communities, recovering a wide range of phylotypes within the group.     

MethPrimer: designing primers for methylation PCRs

MOTIVATION: DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism of gene regulation. Bisulfite- conversion-based PCR methods, such as bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP) and methylation specific PCR (MSP), remain the most commonly used techniques for methylation mapping. Existing primer design programs developed for standard PCR cannot handle primer design for bisulfite-conversion-based PCRs due to changes in DNA sequence context caused by bisulfite treatment and many special constraints both on the primers and the region to be amplified for such experiments. Therefore, the present study was designed to develop a program for such applications. RESULTS: MethPrimer, based on Primer 3, is a program for designing PCR primers for methylation mapping. It first takes a DNA sequence as its input and searches the sequence for potential CpG islands. Primers are then picked around the predicted CpG islands or around regions specified by users. MethPrimer can design primers for BSP and MSP. Results of primer selection are delivered through a web browser in text and in graphic view.     

PlasmaDNA: a free, cross-platform plasmid manipulation program for molecular biology laboratories

Background

Most molecular biology experiments, and the techniques associated with this field of study, involve a great deal of engineering in the form of molecular cloning. Like all forms of engineering, perfect information about the starting material is crucial for successful completion of design and strategies.

Results

We have generated a program that allows complete in silico simulation of the cloning experiment. Starting with a primary DNA sequence, PlasmaDNA looks for restriction sites, open reading frames, primer annealing sequences, and various common domains. The databases are easily expandable by the user to fit his most common cloning needs. PlasmaDNA can manage and graphically represent multiple sequences at the same time, and keeps in memory the overhangs at the end of the sequences if any. This means that it is possible to virtually digest fragments, to add the digestion products to the project, and to ligate together fragments with compatible ends to generate the new sequences. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) fragments can also be virtually generated using the primer database, automatically adding to the fragments any 5' extra sequences present in the primers.

Conclusion

PlasmaDNA is a program available both on Windows and Apple operating systems, designed to facilitate molecular cloning experiments by building a visual map of the DNA. It then allows the complete planning and simulation of the cloning experiment. It also automatically updates the new sequences generated in the process, which is an important help in practice. The capacity to maintain multiple sequences in the same file can also be used to archive the various steps and strategies involved in the cloning of each construct. The program is freely available for download without charge or restriction.     

Molecular characterization and genetic mapping of random amplified microsatellite polymorphism in barley

 This study has analyzed the molecular basis and genetic behaviour of the polymorphism generated by the amplification of barley genomic DNA with primers complementary to microsatellites. Primers anchored at the 5′ end, used alone or in combination with arbitrary sequence primers, generated random amplified microsatellite polymorphisms (RAMPs). Unanchored primers were also used as single primers in a microsatellite primed-PCR (MP-PCR). Twenty six randomly selected RAMP DNA fragments which showed polymorphism between the cultivars Steptoe and Morex were cloned and sequenced. All sequences showed the expected repeated motif at the end of the insert, with the number of repeats ranging from five to ten. Genomic sequences containing low numbers of microsatellite motifs were preferentially amplified; therefore, only a fraction of the polymorphism could be attributed to variation in the number of microsatellite motifs at the priming site. Some sequences contained either cryptic simple sequences or members of families of repeated DNA. Polymorphism at the internal cryptic simple sequences was detected by RAMP bands inherited as co-dominant markers. Four MP-PCR bands were cloned and sequenced. A number of repeats identical to the primer itself were found at each end of the insert. Two allelic bands were polymorphic for an internal microsatellite. The potential use of cloned bands as fingerprinting tools was investigated by employing them as hybridization probes in Southern blots containing digested barley DNA from a sample of cultivars. RAMP probes produced complex hybridization band patterns. MP-PCR probes produced either a highly variable single locus or low-copy number loci. Segregations for 31 RAMPs and three MP-PCR bands were studied in a population of 70 doubled-haploids from the Steptoe/Morex cross. One third of all markers were co-dominantly inherited. Markers were positioned on an RFLP map and found to be distributed in all barley chromosomes. The new markers enlarged the overall length of the map to 1408 cM. Received: 6 May 1998 / Accepted: 20 July 1998     

MiCA: A Web-Based Tool for the Analysis of Microbial Communities Based on Terminal-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms of 16S and 18S rRNA Genes

A web-based resource, Microbial Community Analysis (MiCA), has been developed to facilitate studies on microbial community ecology that use analyses of terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLP) of 16S and 18S rRNA genes. MiCA provides an intuitive web interface to access two specialized programs and a specially formatted database of 16S ribosomal RNA sequences. The first program performs virtual polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of rRNA genes and restriction of the amplicons using primer sequences and restriction enzymes chosen by the user. This program, in silico PCR and Restriction (ISPaR), uses a binary encoding of DNA sequences to rapidly scan large numbers of sequences in databases searching for primer annealing and restriction sites while permitting the user to specify the number of mismatches in primer sequences. ISPaR supports multiple digests with up to three enzymes. The number of base pairs between the 5′ and 3′ primers and the proximal restriction sites can be reported, printed, or exported in various formats. The second program, APLAUS, infers a plausible community structure(s) based on T-RFLP data supplied by a user. APLAUS estimates the relative abundances of populations and reports a listing of phylotypes that are consistent with the empirical data. MiCA is accessible at .     

Highly informative nature of inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) sequences amplified using tri- and tetra-nucleotide primers from DNA of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.).

Inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) sequences as molecular markers can lead to the detection of polymorphism and also be a new approach to the study of SSR distribution and frequency. In this study, ISSR amplification with nonanchored primer was performed in closely related cauliflower lines. Fourty-four different amplified fragments were sequenced. Sequences of PCR products are delimited by the expected motifs and number of repeats, which validates the ISSR nonanchored primer amplification technique. DNA and amino acids homology search between internal sequences and databases (i) show that the majority of the internal regions of ISSR had homologies with known sequences, mainly with genes coding for proteins implicated in DNA interaction or gene expression, which reflected the significance of amplified ISSR sequences and (ii) display long and numerous homologies with the Arabidopsis thaliana genome. ISSR amplifications revealed a high conservation of these sequences between Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica oleracea var. botrytis. Thirty-four of the 44 ISSRs had one or several perfect or imperfect internal microsatellites. Such distribution indicates the presence in genomes of highly concentrated regions of SSR, or "SSR hot spots." Among the four nonanchored primers used in this study, trinucleotide repeats, and especially (CAA)5, were the most powerful primers for ISSR amplifications regarding the number of amplified bands, level of polymorphism, and their nature.     

Omiga™: A PC-based sequence analysis tool

Computer-based sequence analysis, notation, and manipulation are a necessity for all molecular biologists working with any but the most simple DNA sequences. As sequence data become increasingly available, tools that can be used to manipulate and annotate individual sequences and sequence elements will become an even more vital implement in the molecular biologist's arsenal. The Omiga DNA and Protein Sequence Analysis Software tool, version 2.0 provides an effective and comprehensive tool for the analysis of both nucleic acid and protein sequences that runs on a standard PC available in every molecular biology laboratory. Omiga allows the import of sequences in several common formats. Upon importing sequences and assigning them to various projects, Omiga allows the user to produce, analyze, and edit sequence alignments. Sequences may also be queried for the presence of restriction sites, sequence motifs, and other sequence features, all of which can be added into the notations accompanying each sequence. This newest version of Omiga also allows for sequencing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer prediction, a functionality missing in earlier versions. Finally, Omiga allows rapid searches for putative coding regions, and Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) queries against public databases at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).     

Novel primers for complete mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequencing in mammals

Sequence-based species identification relies on the extent and integrity of sequence data available in online databases such as GenBank. When identifying species from a sample of unknown origin, partial DNA sequences obtained from the sample are aligned against existing sequences in databases. When the sequence from the matching species is not present in the database, high-scoring alignments with closely related sequences might produce unreliable results on species identity. For species identification in mammals, the cytochrome b (cyt b) gene has been identified to be highly informative; thus, large amounts of reference sequence data from the cyt b gene are much needed. To enhance availability of cyt b gene sequence data on a large number of mammalian species in GenBank and other such publicly accessible online databases, we identified a primer pair for complete cyt b gene sequencing in mammals. Using this primer pair, we successfully PCR amplified and sequenced the complete cyt b gene from 40 of 44 mammalian species representing 10 orders of mammals. We submitted 40 complete, correctly annotated, cyt b protein coding sequences to GenBank. To our knowledge, this is the first single primer pair to amplify the complete cyt b gene in a broad range of mammalian species. This primer pair can be used for the addition of new cyt b gene sequences and to enhance data available on species represented in GenBank. The availability of novel and complete gene sequences as high-quality reference data can improve the reliability of sequence-based species identification.     

Barcoding marine nematodes: an improved set of nematode 18S rRNA primers to overcome eukaryotic co-interference

Nematodes form an important component of many benthic marine ecosystems and DNA barcoding approaches could provide an insight into nematode community composition from different environments globally. We have amplified nematode 18S rRNA sequences using standard nematode18S rRNA primers from environmental DNA extracted from intertidal sediment collected from New Jersey coast, USA to test whether the published marine nematode 18S rRNA sequences from GenBank and EMBL databases can effectively assign unknown nematode sequences into genus or species level. Most of the sequenced clones showed some degree of identities with published marine nematode 18S rRNA sequences. However, relatively very few of the sequences could be assigned even to genus level based on sequence assignment rule. In addition, other eukaryotic 18S rRNA sequences were found to be co-amplified with commonly used nematode 18S rRNA primers. We found that the majority of the current nematode 18S rRNA primers will co-amplify other eukaryotes if environmental DNA is the target template. We therefore designed a new set of nematode 18S rRNA primers and evaluated them using environmental DNA in intertidal sediment from the New Jersey coast. In total, 40 clones were screened and subsequently sequenced and all the sequences showed varying degree of identities with published nematode 18S rRNA sequences from GenBank and EMBL databases, and no obvious eukaryotic co-amplicons were detected with new primers. Only 13 out of 40 clones amplified with the new primer set showed 100% identity to published Daptonema and Metachromadora 18S rRNA sequences. The current molecular databases for nematodes are dominated by sequences from NW Europe and need to be more extensively populated with new full length 18S rRNA nematode sequences collected from different biogeographic locations. The new primers developed in this study, in combination with an updated nematode 18S rRNA sequence database, would help us to better investigate and understand the diversity and community composition of free-living marine nematodes based on DNA barcoding approaches during biodiversity or biomonitoring surveys on a global-scale.     

Studies of the DNA helicase-RNA primase unit from bacteriophage T4. A trinucleotide sequence on the DNA template starts RNA primer synthesis

The purified DNA replication proteins encoded by genes 41 and 61 of bacteriophage T4 catalyze efficient RNA primer synthesis on a single-stranded DNA template. In the presence of additional T4 replication proteins, we demonstrate that the template sequences 5'-GTT-3' and 5'-GCT-3' serve as necessary and sufficient signals for RNA primer-dependent initiation of new DNA chains. These chains start with primers that have the sequences pppApCpNpNpN and pppGpCpNpNpN, where N can be any one of the four ribonucleotides. Each primer is initiated from the T (A-start primers) or C (G-start primers) in the center of the recognized template sequence. A subset of the DNA chain starts is observed when one of the four ribonucleoside triphosphates used as the substrates for primer synthesis is omitted; the starts observed reveal that both pentaribonucleotide and tetraribonucleotide primers can be used for efficient initiation of new DNA chains, whereas primers that are only 3 nucleotides long are inactive. It was known previously that, when 61 protein is present in catalytic amounts, the 41 and 61 proteins are both required for observing RNA primer synthesis. However, by raising the concentration of the 61 protein to a much higher level, a substantial amount of RNA-primed DNA synthesis is obtained in the absence of 41 protein. The DNA chains made are initiated by primers that seem to be identical to those made when both 41 and 61 proteins are present; however, only those template sites containing the 5'-GCT-3' sequence are utilized. The 61 protein is, therefore, the RNA primase, whereas the 41 protein should be viewed as a DNA helicase that is required (presumably via a 41/61 complex) for efficient primase recognition of both the 5'-GCT-3' and 5'-GTT-3' DNA template sequences.