Automatic scanning of interphase FISH for prenatal diagnosis in uncultured amniocytes

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of uncultured amniocytes using chromosome-specific DNA probes offers the opportunity for rapid aneuploidy screening. Between 80 and 95% of all chromosomal disorders expected in the second trimester of pregnancy can be discovered within 24 hr if DNA probes specific for chromosomes 21, 18, 13, X, and Y are used. Rapid results are crucial for clinical decision-making and are helpful in decreasing the anxiety level in most patients. One of the major factors that have been preventing the rapid FISH test from being broadly incorporated into the clinical setting is the limited staff in the cytogenetics laboratories. The present study demonstrates the use of an automated scanning system (Duet, BioView Ltd. Rehovot, Israel) for analyzing FISH in uncultured amniocytes. Fifty-six amniotic fluid samples were evaluated in parallel by karyotyping, manual FISH analysis, and automatic FISH scanning. Automatic scanning provided accurate results compared to both manual FISH scoring and karyotype analysis. The correlation between automatic and manual FISH scanning was found to be very high (r = 0.9, p < 0.0001). The availability of automation for aneuploidy screening in amniotic fluid samples will enable offering this test to a broader patient population while providing fast and reliable results.     

Isolation and purification of recombinant outer surface protein C (rOspC) of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato

The aim of this work was isolation and purification of the major immunodominant protein, Outer surface protein C (OspC) of three members of the species group Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. Our aim was to obtain this protein in a quantity and purity sufficient for immunization of experimental animals. For optimalization of protein purification's yield we used immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) under different conditions. The greatest efficiency was achieved by using of HiTrap Chelating Column under native conditions.     

Testing of the Biocan B inj. ad us. vet. vaccine and development of the new recombinant vaccine against canine borreliosis

Verification of the efficacy of Biocan B inj. ad us. vet. (Bioveta, a.s.) was done by challenge testing. Ticks collected in the nature were used as natural vectors of the infection. Six beagles and two control ones were used in the test. Formation of outer surface protein A specific antibodies (OspA antibodies) and borrelia specific immonoglobulins (IgG) was measured by Western blot and EIA in the sera samples. The tissue samples were used for detection of borreliae by cultivation method and dark field microscopy (DFM). Formation of IgG antibodies and OspA antibodies after vaccination was observed. The maximum titer level of antibodies was reached between 21. and 49. day after vaccination and then slowly decreased. Presence of borreliae was detected only in skin biopsies of non-vaccinated dogs. The post mortem tissue samples showed presence of borreliae in all of the samples of the non-vaccinated dogs. The tissues of the vaccinated dogs were not infected with borreliae, except for two samples of dog with low titer levels of OspA antibodies. The development of the new vaccine is based on preparation of recombinant outer surface proteins (e.g. rOspA and rOspC) of B. afzelii, B. burgdorferi and B. garinii origin. Chosen recombinant proteins were successfully expressed in E. coli. The obtained purified proteins are currently being tested on laboratory BALB/c mice. Formation of specific antibodies against some recombinant proteins has been confirmed. These proteins are suitable candidates for preparation of a vaccine prototype and they will be subsequently used in challenge tests.     

Bioequivalence of two brands of citalopram 40 mg tablets after single oral administration to healthy volunteers

A randomized, two-way, crossover, bioequivalence study was conducted in 26 fasting, healthy, male volunteers to compare two brands of citalopram 40 mg tablets, Citol (Abdi Ibrahim Ila? San. ve Tic A.S., Istanbul, Turkey) as a test and Cipramil (H. Lundbeck A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark) as a reference product. One tablet of either formulation was administered with low-carbonate water after 10 h of overnight fasting. After dosing, serial blood samples were collected during a period of 24 hours. Plasma samples were analysed for citalopram by a validated HPLC method. The pharmacokinetic parameters AUC0-24, AUC(0-alpha), Cmax, Tmax, K(el), T(1/2), and CL were determined from plasma concentration-time profiles for both formulations and were compared statistically to evaluate bioequivalence between the two brands of citalopram, using the statistical modules recommended by FDA. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) did not show any significant difference between the two formulations and 90% confidence intervals (CI) fell within the acceptable range for bioequivalence. Based on these statistical inferences it was concluded that the two brands exhibited comparable pharmacokinetics profiles and that Abdi Ibrahim's Citol is equivalent to Cipramil of H. Lundbeck, Copenhagen, Denmark.     

Size, constant sequences, and optimal selection

Because the abundance of functional molecules in RNA sequence space has many unexplored aspects, we compared the outcome of 11 independent selections, performed using the same affinity selection protocol and contiguous randomized regions of 16, 22, 26, 50, 70, and 90 nucleotides. All affinity selections targeted the simplest isoleucine aptamer, an asymmetric internal loop. This loop should be abundant in all selections, so that it can be compared across all experiments. In some cases, two primer sets intended to favor selection of different structures have also been compared. The simplest isoleucine aptamer dominates all selections except with the shortest tract, 16 contiguous randomized nucleotides. Here the isoleucine aptamer cannot be accommodated and no other motif can be selected. Our results suggest an optimum length for selection; surprisingly, both the shortest and the longest randomized tracts make it more difficult to recover the motif. Estimated apparent initial abundances suggest that the simplest isoleucine motif was 20- to 40-fold more frequent in selection with 50- or 70-nucleotide randomized regions than with any other length. Considering primer sets, a pre-formed stable stem within fixed flanking sequences had a five-to 10-fold negative effect on apparent motif abundance at all lengths. Differing random tract lengths also determined the probable motif permutation and the most abundant helix lengths. These data support a significant but lesser role for primer sequences in the outcome of selections.     

Recruitment of mitochondrial uncoupling protein UCP2 after lipopolysaccharide induction

Rat liver mitochondria contain a negligible amount of mitochondrial uncoupling protein UCP2 as indicated by 3H-GTP binding. UCP2 recruitment in hepatocytes during infection may serve to decrease mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and this, in turn, would counterbalance the increased oxidative stress. To characterize in detail UCP2 recruitment in hepatocytes, we studied rats pretreated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or hepatocytes isolated from them, as an in vitro model for the systemic response to bacterial infection. LPS injection resulted in 3.3- or 3-fold increase of UCP2 mRNA in rat liver and hepatocytes, respectively, as detected by real-time RT-PCR on a LightCycler. A concomitant increase in UCP2 protein content was indicated either by Western blots or was quantified by up to three-fold increase in the number of 3H-GTP binding sites in mitochondria of LPS-stimulated rats. Moreover, H2O2 production was increased by GDP only in mitochondria of LPS-stimulated rats with or without fatty acids and carboxyatractyloside. When monitored by JC1 fluorescent probe in situ mitochondria of hepatocytes from LPS-stimulated rats exhibited lower membrane potential than mitochondria of unstimulated rats. We have demonstrated that the lower membrane potential does not result from apoptosis initiation. However, due to a small extent of potential decrease upon UCP2 recruitment, justified also by theoretical calculations, we conclude that the recruited UCP2 causes only a weak uncoupling which is able to decrease mitochondrial ROS production but not produce enough heat for thermogenesis participating in a febrile response.     

Mouse protein arrays from a TH1 cell cDNA library for antibody screening and serum profiling

The mouse is the premier genetic model organism for the study of disease and development. We describe the establishment of a mouse T helper cell type 1 (T(H)1) protein expression library that provides direct access to thousands of recombinant mouse proteins, in particular those associated with immune responses. The advantage of a system based on the combination of large cDNA expression libraries with microarray technology is the direct connection of the DNA sequence information from a particular clone to its recombinant, expressed protein. We have generated a mouse T(H)1 expression cDNA library and used protein arrays of this library to characterize the specificity and cross-reactivity of antibodies. Additionally, we have profiled the autoantibody repertoire in serum of a mouse model for systemic lupus erythematosus on these protein arrays and validated the putative autoantigens on highly sensitive protein microarrays.     

DNA damage and repair in Helicobacter pylori-infected gastric mucosa cells

Helicobacter pylori is a common human pathogen and its infection is believed to contribute to gastric cancer. Impaired DNA repair may fuel up cancer transformation by the accumulation of mutation and increased susceptibility to exogenous carcinogens. To evaluate the role of infection of H. pylori in DNA damage and repair we determined: (1) the level of endogenous basal, oxidative and alkylative DNA damage, and (2) the efficacy of removal of DNA damage induced by hydrogen peroxide and the antibiotic amoxicillin in the H. pylori-infected and non-infected GMCs. DNA damage and the efficacy of DNA repair were evaluated by the alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay). Specific damage to the DNA bases were assayed with the DNA repair enzymes formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (Fpg) recognizing oxidized DNA bases and 3-methyladenine-DNA glycosylase II (AlkA) recognizing alkylated bases. The level of basal and oxidative DNA in the infected GMCs was higher than non-infected cells. H. pylori-infected GMCs displayed enhanced susceptibility to hydrogen peroxide than control cells. There was no difference between the efficacy of DNA repair in the infected and non-infected cells after treatment with hydrogen peroxide and amoxicillin. Our results indicate that H. pylori infection may be correlated with oxidative DNA damage in GMCs. Therefore, these features can be considered as a risk marker for gastric cancer associated with H. pylori infection and the comet assay may be applied to evaluate this marker.     

Genotoxic activity of a technical toxaphene mixture and its photodegradation products in SOS genotoxicity tests

Toxaphene (CAS No. 800-35-2) is a complex mixture of several hundred components that was used worldwide primarily as an agricultural pesticide with insecticide effects in the second half of the 20th century. In vitro investigations of the genotoxicity and mutagenicity of toxaphene were generally described in the literature, but they provided somewhat equivocal results. We re-evaluated the genotoxicity of technical toxaphene in two prokaryotic systems. The SOS Chromotest showed high sensitivity to toxaphene: three concentrations (40, 20 and 10 mg/l) were clearly positive and the dose-response effect was evident. In the umuC assay, a dose-dependent increase in genotoxic activity was observed at toxaphene concentrations from 2.5 to 40.0 mg/l, but these results were found to be not significant. The genotoxicity of toxaphene and its photodegradation products after UV-irradiation (3-6-9 h) at concentrations ranging from 7.5 to 60.0 mg/l was also examined in this study. An irradiated solution of technical toxaphene after 3 h showed no significant evidence of bacterial growth inhibition. However, exposure of Salmonella to 6 h UV-irradiated toxaphene showed a toxic effect compared with the negative control. After 9 h irradiation, a decrease of bacterial growth was observed. Activity of beta-galactosidase in the presence of a toxaphene solution was significantly increased after 6 and 9 h irradiation, reaching values that were 2.4- and 3.1-fold higher, respectively, than the control, which exceeded the criteria of significant genotoxicity. These results show that while technical toxaphene is a weak, direct-acting mutagen in some bacterial tests, a dose-dependent toxicity and genotoxicity of its photoproducts could be conclusively demonstrated by the umuC test.