In-House Validation and Comparison of Two Wheat (Triticum aestivum) Taxon-Specific Real-Time PCR Methods for GMO Quantification Supported by Droplet Digital PCR

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Overview and recommendations for the application of digital PCR

The digital Polymerase Chain Reaction (dPCR), for the detection and absolute quantification of DNA, is a relatively new technique but its application in analytical laboratories is steadily increasing. In contrast to quantitative real-time PCR, DNA (fragments) can be quantified without the need for standard curves. Using dPCR, the PCR mix containing the (target) DNA is partitioned – depending on the device used – currently into a maximum of 10,000,000 small compartments with a volume as low as a few picoliters. These can be either physically distinct compartments on a chip (referred to as chamber-based digital PCR [cdPCR]), or these compartments correspond to water-in-oil droplets (referred to as droplet digital [ddPCR]). Common to both approaches, once PCR has been carried out simultaneously in all compartments/droplets, the number of positive and negative signals for each partition is counted by fluorescence measurement. With this technique, an absolute quantification of DNA copy numbers can be performed with high precision and trueness, even for very low DNA copy numbers. Furthermore, dPCR is considered less susceptible than qPCR to PCR inhibitory substances that can be co-extracted during DNA extraction from different sources. Digital PCR has already been applied in various fields, for example for the detection and quantification of GMOs, species (animals, plants), human diseases, food viruses and bacteria including pathogens. When establishing dPCR in a laboratory, different aspects have to be considered. These include, but are not limited to, the adjustment of the type of the PCR master mix used, optimised primer and probe concentrations and signal separation of positive and negative compartments. This document addresses these and other aspects and provides recommendations for the transfer of existing real-time PCR methods into a dPCR format.JRC.F.5-Food and Feed Complianc

Identification and Sequencing of β-Myrcene Catabolism Genes from Pseudomonas sp. Strain M1

The M1 strain, able to grow on β-myrcene as the sole carbon and energy source, was isolated by an enrichment culture and identified as a Pseudomonas sp. One β-myrcene-negative mutant, called N22, obtained by transposon mutagenesis, accumulated (E)-2-methyl-6-methylen-2,7-octadien-1-ol (or myrcen-8-ol) as a unique β-myrcene biotransformation product. This compound was identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We cloned and sequenced the DNA regions flanking the transposon and used these fragments to identify the M1 genomic library clones containing the wild-type copy of the interrupted gene. One of the selected cosmids, containing a 22-kb genomic insert, was able to complement the N22 mutant for growth on β-myrcene. A 5,370-bp-long sequence spanning the region interrupted by the transposon in the mutant was determined. We identified four open reading frames, named myrA, myrB, myrC, and myrD, which can potentially code for an aldehyde dehydrogenase, an alcohol dehydrogenase, an acyl-coenzyme A (CoA) synthetase, and an enoyl-CoA hydratase, respectively. myrA, myrB, and myrC are likely organized in an operon, since they are separated by only 19 and 36 nucleotides (nt), respectively, and no promoter-like sequences have been found in these regions. The myrD gene starts 224 nt upstream of myrA and is divergently transcribed. The myrB sequence was found to be completely identical to the one flanking the transposon in the mutant. Therefore, we could ascertain that the transposon had been inserted inside the myrB gene, in complete agreement with the accumulation of (E)-2-methyl-6-methylen-2,7-octadien-1-ol by the mutant. Based on sequence and biotransformation data, we propose a pathway for β-myrcene catabolism in Pseudomonas sp. strain M1

The prognostic role of tumor size in early breast cancer in the era of molecular biology.

The prognosis of early breast cancer (EBC) depends on patient and tumor characteristics. The association between tumor size, the largest diameter in TNM staging, and prognosis is well recognized. According to TNM, tumors classified as T2, could have very different volumes; e.g. a tumor of 2.1 cm has a volume of 4500 mm3, while a tumor of 4.9 cm has a volume of 60.000 mm3 even belonging to the same class. The aim of the study is to establish if the prognostic role of tumor size, expressed as diameter and volume, has been overshadowed by other factors.The primary objective is to evaluate the association between tumor dimensions and overall survival (OS) / disease free survival (DFS), in our institution from January 1st 2005 to September 30th 2013 in a surgical T1-T2 population. Volume was evaluated with the measurement of three half-diameters of the tumor (a, b and c), and calculated using the following formula: 4/3π x a x b x c.341 patients with T1-T2 EBC were included. 86.5% were treated with conservative surgery. 85.1% had a Luminal subtype, 9.1% were Triple negative and 7.4% were HER2 positive. Median volume was 942 mm3 (range 0.52-31.651.2). 44 patients (12.9%) relapsed and 23 patients died. With a median follow-up of 6.5 years, the univariate analysis for DFS showed an association between age, tumor size, volume, histological grading and molecular subtype. The multivariate analysis confirmed the statistically significant association only for molecular subtype (p 0.005), with a worse prognosis for Triple negative and HER2 positive subtypes compared with Luminal (HR: 2.65; 95%CI: 1.34-5.22). Likewise for OS, an association was shown by the multivariate analysis solely for molecular subtype (HER2 and Triple negative vs. Luminal. HR: 2.83; 95% CI:1.46-5.49; p 0.002).In our study, the only parameter that strongly influences survival is molecular subtype. These findings encourage clinicians to choose adjuvant treatment not based on dimensional criteria but on biological features

Reactive oxygen species regulate the levels of dual oxidase (Duox1-2) in human neuroblastoma cells.

Dual Oxidases (DUOX) 1 and 2 are efficiently expressed in thyroid, gut, lung and immune system. The function and the regulation of these enzymes in mammals are still largely unknown. We report here that DUOX 1 and 2 are expressed in human neuroblastoma SK-N-BE cells as well as in a human oligodendrocyte cell line (MO3-13) and in rat brain and they are induced by platelet derived growth factor (PDGF). The levels of DUOX 1 and 2 proteins and mRNAs are induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by the membrane NADPH oxidase. As to the mechanism, we find that PDGF stimulates membrane NADPH oxidase to produce ROS, which stabilize DUOX1 and 2 mRNAs and increases the levels of the proteins. Silencing of gp91(phox) (NOX2), or of the other membrane subunit of NADPH oxidase, p22(phox), blocks PDGF induction of DUOX1 and 2. These data unravel a novel mechanism of regulation of DUOX enzymes by ROS and identify a circuitry linking NADPH oxidase activity to DUOX1 and 2 levels in neuroblastoma cells.Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Association with OS (Cox proportional hazard model).

<p>Association with OS (Cox proportional hazard model).</p

DFS for different molecular subtype.

<p>DFS for different molecular subtype.</p

Association with DFS in the Luminal A patients (Cox proportional hazard model).

<p>Association with DFS in the Luminal A patients (Cox proportional hazard model).</p

Association with DFS (Cox proportional hazard model).

<p>Association with DFS (Cox proportional hazard model).</p