• BMB Reports
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• 제29권5호
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• pp.481-483
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• 1996

In competitive PCR, which is used to quantify target DNA an internal standard is needed. Here we present a simple method to construct homologous competitive standards. The method, which is based upon deletion of a portion of the target DNA, does not require any additional primers. This is the simplest method developed thus far to construct a competitive standard. The whole procedure. from construction of a competitive standard to quantitation by PCR, can be completed within a single day.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• 제9권3호
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• pp.276-282
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• 2004

Marginal Zn deficiency is prevalent through the world and yet human zinc status has not been properly assessed due to the lack of a reliable diagnostic indicator. One potential possibility for zinc status assessment using Zn-binding protein, metallothionein (MT)-mRNA, has been proposed. The purpose of the present study was aimed to show whether measurement of mononuclear cell (MNC) MT mRNA, using a competitive-reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (competitive-RT-PCR) assay, could indicate zinc status in human subjects. In this study, MNC MT-mRNA expression was measured using a competitive-RT-PCR to compare before and after 14 days of zinc supplementation (50 mg Zn/das zinc gluconate). RT-PCR oligonucleotide primers which were designed to amplify both a 278 bp segment of the human MT-2A cDNA and a 198 bp mutant competitor cDNA template from MNCs, were prepared. MT-2A mRNA was normalized by reference to the housekeeping gene, $\beta$-actin, mRNA for which was also measured by competitive-RT-PCR. There was considerable inter-individual variation in MT-mRNA concentration and yet, the mean MT-2A mRNA level increased 4.7-fold after Zn supplementation, as compared to before Zn supplementation. This MT-2A mRNA level was shown as the same pattern and, even more sensitive assay, compared to the conventional plasma and red blood cells (RBCs) Zn assessment in which plasma and RBCs zinc levels increased 2.3- and 1.2-fold, respectively (p<0.05). We suggest that MT competitive-RT-PCR can be a useful assessment tool for evaluating human zinc status.

• 한국식품위생안전성학회지
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.248-256
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• 2007

돼지고기에 오염된 살모넬라의 수를 직접 측정하는 방법으로 경쟁적 PCR(competitive PCR)을 사용하였다. 세가지 DNA추출방법을 비교한 후 guanidine thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform 방법을 일부 수정하여 인위적으로 살모넬라를 오염시킨 돼지고기로부터 DNA를 직접 추출하는 방법으로 선택하였다. Rahn 등(Mol. Cell. Probes 1992년)이 이미 보고한 284-bp iuvA gene의 특이성을 평가하기 위해 살모넬라 57균주와 살모넬라가 아닌 균주 24개를 사용하였다. 시험해 본 모든 살모넬라 균주는 invA 양성으로 살모넬라가 아닌 모든 균주는 invA 음성으로 판명되었으며 살모넬라가 아닌 균주 중 양성으로 잘 못 판명된 경우는 없었다. 돼지고기 0.1 g을 사용할 경우 검출한계는 1,460 cfu였다. 경쟁적 PCR을 위해 invA gene중 82-bp를 결실시킨 DNA조각을 pGEM-4Z백터에 클로닝을 하였다. 인위적으로 오염된 돼지고기로부터 추출한 살모넬라 염색체 DNA와 이와 같은 primer결합자리를 가진 경쟁 DNA를 동시에 경쟁적 PCR로 증폭하였다. 경쟁적 PCR을 사용하여 결정한 균수와 MPN방법으로 결정한 균수는 거의 유사하였으며 전체 과정을 수행하는 데 약 5시간이 소요되었다.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• 제40권4호
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• pp.274-281
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• 2002

The competitive quantitative PCR method targeting pcbC gene was developed for monitoring 4-chlorobiphenyl(4CB)-degrading bacteria, Pseudomonas sp. strain DJ-12, in soil microcosms. The method involves extraction of DNA from soil contaminated with 4CB, PCR amplification of a pcbC gene fragment from the introduced strain with a set of strain-specific primers, and quantification of the elec-trophoresed PCR product by densitometry. To test the adequacy of the method, Pseudomonas sp. strain DJ-12 was introduced into both contaminated and non-contaminated soil microcosms amended with 4CB. Pseudomonas sp. strain DJ-12 was monitored and quantified by a competitive quantitative PCR in comparison with 4CB degradation and the result was compared to those obtained by using the conventional cultivation method. We successfully detected and monitored 4CB-degrading bacteria in each microcosm and found a significant linear relationship between the number of 4CB-degrading bacteria and the capacity for 4CB biodegradation. The results of DNA spiking and cell-spreading experiments suggest that this competitive quantitative PCR method targeting the pcbC gene for monitoring 4CB- degrading bacteria appears to be rapid, sensitive and more suitable than the microbiological approach in estimating the capacity of 4CB biodegradation in environmental samples.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• 제14권3호
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• pp.387-391
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• 2005

Competitive polymerase chain reaction (cPCR) was used to develop a direct enumeration method of Listeria monocytogenes in pork meat. Pork meat was artificially inoculated with L. monocytogenes and DNA was extracted using guanidine thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform and subjected to PCR amplification. Sixteen primer sets for L. monocytogenes hlyA gene were tested for sensitive detection and the DG69/DG74 primer set was selected. The detection limit achieved with this primer set was as low as 860 colony-forming units (cfu) per 0.1 g of pork meat. When the samples were cultured at $30^{\circ}C$ for 16 hr in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) medium, even a single bacterium could be detected with this primer set by PCR. For cPCR, the hlyA gene, which features a 148 bp-deletion, was cloned in the pGEM-4Z vector. A known amount of competitor DNA which has the same primer binding sites was co-amplified with L. monocytogenes total DNA from the artificially inoculated pork meat. The cell-number determined by cPCR was approximately equal to cfu from the Most Probable Number (MPN) method. The whole procedure took only 5 hr.

• 한국산림과학회지
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• 제100권4호
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• pp.623-629
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• 2011

파이토플라스마에 감염된 뽕나무의 각 부위를 nested-PCR법과 경쟁 PCR법을 이용하여 파이토플라스마의 검출 범위 및 밀도 변화를 조사하였다. 파이토플라스마에 부분 감염된 뽕나무를 총 5부위(A. 빗자루병이나 오갈병 증상을 보인 잎의 엽병, B. 병징을 보인 잎이 있는 가지의 아래쪽 건전해 보이는 잎의 엽병, C. 병징을 보인 잎의 가지 부위, D. 병징을 보이지 않은 가지 쪽의 영병이나 가지, E. 잔뿌리)로 구분하였다. AS-1/AS-2 프라이머를 이용한 nested-PCR 결과, 파이토플라스마는 모든 시료에서 검출되었으며, 파이토플라스마의 검출범위는 P1/P7 프라이머를 이용한 direct-PCR 산물에서는 희석액이 $10^4$배까지 검출되었고, AS-1/AS-2 프라이머를 이용하여 nested-PCR를 수행한 결과, PCR 산물을 $10^{13}$배 희석한 시료까지 파이토플라스마가 검출되었다. 경쟁 PCR 결과, 뽕나무 파이토플라스마의 밀도는 $7.94{\times}10^{18}-10^{12}copies/{\mu}L$의 범위내에 존재하였으며, 년 중 파이토플라스마가 모든 시료에서 존재하였다. 초기생장시기에는 "B"부위와 "C"부위에서 파이토플라스마 밀도가 높게 나타났으나 "A"부위와 "D"부위에서는 이보다 낮게 나타났다. 휴면기에는 "C"부위와 "E"부위가 "D"부위보다 밀도가 높았다. 모든 시료 중 "C"부위와 "A"부위에서 년 중 파이토플라스마 밀도가 안전적으로 존재하였다. 본 연구 결과, nested-PCR 법과 경쟁 PCR법은 식물체내의 파이토플라스마의 정확한 검출과 밀도변화를 알아볼 수 있는 유용한 방법이다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제12권5호
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• pp.801-806
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• 2002

A multiplex competitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was developed for the rapid identification and quantification of Leuconostoc mesnteroides and Lactobacillus plantarum populations which are the key microorganisms in kimchi fermentation. The strain-specific primers were designed to selectively amplify the target genes encoding 165 rRNA of L. plantarum and dextransucrase of L. mesenteroides. There was a linear relationship between the band intensity of PCR products and the number of colony forming units of each model organism. The PCR quantification method was compared with a traditional plate-counting method f3r the enumeration of the two lactic acid bacteria in a mixed suspension culture and also applied to a real food system, namely, watery kimchi. The population dynamics of the two model organisms in the mixed culture were reliably predictable by the competitive PCR analysis.

• 대한미생물학회지
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• 제35권5_6호
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• pp.351-351
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• 2000

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제37권4호
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• pp.285-287
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• 1999

Changes in the expression level of splenocyte $IFN-{\gamma}$mRNA of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats infected with Paragonimus westermani were analyzed by competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) followed by southern blot. The template RNA was extracted from the splenocytes of rats infected with 20 metacercariae of P. westermani. The products of competitive RT-PCR were subjected to southern blot and enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL), and analyzed with a densitometer. In comparison with that of uninfected control rat splenocytes (value of 1), the levels of mRNA expression of $IFN-{\gamma}$had changed to 0.747 at 1 week post infection (PI), 0.00175 at 2 week PI, 0.0217 at 3 week PI, 0.194 at 4 week PI and then to 0.537 at 5 week PI. The level at 7 week PI had returned to 1.25, comparable with that of uninfected rats. These results show that, when infected with p. westermani, the levels of $IFN-{\gamma}$ mRNA of SD rat splenocytes were remarkably reduced by more than 500 times at 2 week PI and restored to normal level at 7 week PI.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.103-109
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• 1999

Objective: Heat shock protein 70-2 (Hsp70-2) gene knockout mice are found to have premeiotic arrest at the primary spermatocyte stage with a complete absence of spermatids and spermatozoa. This observation led to the hypothesis that hspA2 may be disrupted in human testes with abnormal spermatogenesis. To test this hypothesis, we studied the mRNA expression of hspA2 in infertile men with azoospermia. Design: The mRNA expression were analyzed by competitive RT-PCR among testes with normal spermatogenesis, pachytene spermatocyte arrest, and sertoli-cell only syndrome. Materials and methods: Testicular biopsy was performed in men with azoospermia (n=15). Specimens were subdivided into three groups: (group 1) normal spermatogenesis (n=5), (group 2) spermatocyte arrest (n=5), (group 3) Sertoli-cell only syndrome (n=5). Total RNA was extracted by Trizol reagent. Total extracted RNA was reverse transcribed into cDNA and amplified by PCR using specific primers for hspA2 target cDNAs. A competitive cDNA fragment was constructed by deleting a defined fragment from the target cDNA sequence, and then coamplified with the target cDNA for competitive PCR. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene was used as an internal control. Results: On Competitive RT-PCR analyses for hspA2 mRNA, significant amount of hspA2 expression was observed in group 1, whereas a constitutively low level of hspA2 was expressed in groups 2 and 3. Conclusion(s): The study demonstrates that the hspA2 gene expression is down-regulated in human testes with abnormal spermatogenesis, which in turn suggests that hspA2 gene may play a specific role during meiosis in human testes.