Self-sustained sequence replication (3SR): an isothermal transcription-based amplification system alternative to PCR.
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NASBA is an isothermal nucleic acid amplification reaction that amplifies mRNA in a dsDNA background. Although similar to the sensitive reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in mRNA detection, NASBA is not prone to give false positive results caused by genomic dsDNA. Therefore, NASBA is unique for sensitive detection of transcription of intronless genes, which preclude strategies such as intron spanning primer pairs to control false positive results in RT-PCR. Using NASBA, mRNA of the intronless human interferon-beta gene was demonstrated with a sensitivity of 10 copies, whereas 100 ng genomic DNA gave a negative result.
To ensure a complete response to fluoroquinolone therapy against Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections, rapid susceptibility determinations are required. We assessed a new approach, an isothermal chimeric primer-initiated amplification of nucleic acids (ICAN)/hybrid-chromatography method to detect rapidly fluoroquinolone resistance in N. gonorrhoeae. Comparison of the amplification results with fluoroquinolone minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), which were determined by an agar dilution method, showed that the new method accurately determined fluoroquinolone resistance in all ciprofloxacin- and/or gatifloxacin-resistant isolates, but agreed with results based on MICs in only 6 of 8 (75.0%) ciprofloxacin-susceptible and 7 of 12 (58.3%) gatifloxacin-susceptible isolates. Our results suggest that this method can rapidly and reliably detect point mutations in the gyrA gene as well as fluoroquinolone resistance in resistant isolates of N. gonorrhoeae.
The GenomiPhi DNA Amplification Kit (Amersham Biosciences Co., Piscataway, NJ, USA) uses a novel, isothermal DNA amplification technique for production of microgram quantities of DNA from picograms of starting material. In this study, we tested whether repeated reactions using the kit would enhance high-fidelity amplification of a small amount (10 ng) of plasmid DNA containing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) cDNA. Approximately 4.7 x 10(9)-fold amplification of plasmid DNA was achieved after 3 repeated reactions, and the RCA products were sufficient for EGFP expression in cells. Based on the preliminary results, repeated reactions using the kit appears feasible for amplification of the entire genome of organisms or cells (such a sperms and oocytes) carrying very small amounts of DNA.
Strand displacement amplification (SDA) is an isothermal nucleic acid amplification method based on the primer-directed nicking activity of a restriction enzyme and the strand displacement activity of an exonuclease-deficient polymerase. Here we describe fluorogenic reporter probes that permit real-time, sequence-specific detection of targets amplified during SDA. The new probes possess the single-strand half of a BsoBI recognition sequence flanked on opposite sides by a fluorophore and a quencher. The probes also contain target-binding sequences located 3' to the BsoBI site. Fluorophore and quencher are maintained in sufficiently close proximity that fluorescence is quenched in the intact single-stranded probe. If target is present during SDA, the probe is converted into a fully double-stranded form and is cleaved by the restriction enzyme BsoBI, which also serves as the nicking agent for SDA. Fluorophore and quencher diffuse apart upon probe cleavage, causing increased fluorescence. Target replication may thus be followed in real time during the SDA reaction. Probe performance may be enhanced by embedding the fluorogenic BsoBI site within the loop of a folded hairpin structure. The new probe designs permit detection of as few as 10 target copies within 30 min in a closed-tube, real-time format, eliminating the possibility of carry-over contamination. The probes may be used to detect RNA targets in SDA mixtures containing reverse transcriptase. Furthermore, a two-color competitive SDA format permits accurate quantification of target levels from the real-time fluorescence data.
Strand displacement amplification, a new isothermal in vitro DNA amplification technique, was used to amplify target DNA contained within the IS6110 insertion element of the species within the Mycobacterium complex (Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. bovis-BCG, M. africanum and M. microti). The target nucleic acid sequence is present in approximately ten, two, one, five and five copies in M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. bovis-BCG, M. africanum and M. microti, respectively. Amplified products were detected using a non-isotopic microtitre plate assay employing a biotinylated oligodeoxynucleotide probe and an alkaline phosphatase conjugated oligodeoxynucleotide probe. Lumiphos 530 was the chemiluminescent substrate for alkaline phosphatase. The combination of the strand displacement amplification method with this sensitive and rapid (less than 2 h) detection system resulted in the specific detection of as few as 1-25 initial IS6110 targets in the five Mycobacterium complex species based on signal/noise criteria. Negative results were obtained with eight other Mycobacterium species as well as with 32 non-Mycobacterium species.
For the optimal performance of high throughput genomic technologies sufficient yields of high-quality DNA are crucial. Following microdissection, most samples fail to produce sufficient quantities of DNA for genome-wide experiments. Various PCR-based amplification methods have been used, but these usually produce nonuniform representations of the genome. Bacteriophage Phi29 DNA polymerase random-primed DNA amplification is based on isothermal multiple displacement amplification. We sought to define the genome representation of this method in a bacterial artificial chromosome microarray comparative genomic hybridisation (aCGH) platform. Test genomic female DNA was amplified using Phi29 amplification at four different starting concentrations (0.5, 5, 10 and 50 ng). These products were combined with unamplified and amplified genomic female DNA as reference. In addition, 50 ng of DNA from five microdissected breast cancer frozen samples, were amplified using the same method. Three combinations were performed: unamplified test with unamplified reference, amplified test with unamplified reference and both amplified tumour and reference DNA. aCGH was performed with an in-house 16 K BAC platform (a resolution of approximately 100 Kb). Pearson's correlation tests and hierarchical clustering were performed to compare the profiles obtained. aCGH profiles obtained with amplified test and unamplified reference female genomic DNA showed copy number biases throughout the genome. These biases were more conspicuous with smaller amounts of starting material and mapped to regions of known copy number polymorphisms. When similar concentrations of test and reference DNA were amplified, the biases were significantly reduced, rendering accurate profiles. For the tumours, representative profiles were obtained when both test and reference DNA were amplified. Phi29 amplification induces copy number biases and unamplified material remains the gold standard for copy number analysis. For accurate results using Phi29 amplification, samples subjected to aCGH analysis should be combined with reference DNA amplified with the same method, using similar amounts of starting template.
Transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) is an isothermal, autocatalytic target amplification method which has the potential to detect less than 50 hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA copies/ml (10 IU/ml). The TMA assay was used to assess the presence of residual HCV RNA in plasma from patients treated with polyethylene glycol-modified interferon alpha-2a (peginterferon alpha-2a) who showed a virologic relapse after the end of therapy. Stored end-of-treatment and end-of-follow-up plasma samples from 177 of 267 patients treated with peginterferon alpha-2a (S. Zeuzem et al., N. Engl. J. Med. 343:1666--1672, 2000) were available for retesting by TMA. Plasma samples from patients in the same study who exhibited virologic relapse after treatment with standard interferon alpha-2a served as controls. Virologic response during the trial was defined as HCV RNA that was undetectable using a PCR-based test system with a sensitivity of 50 IU/mL (Cobas Amplicor HCV version 2.0) and was compared with TMA-based retesting results (VERSANT HCV RNA Qualitative Assay). Residual HCV RNA was detected in 4 of 60 cases (7%) by the TMA technology in end-of-treatment plasma samples from patients who relapsed after receiving peginterferon alpha-2a and in 6 of 18 patients (33%) following therapy with standard interferon alpha-2a. For peginterferon alpha-2a-treated patients with sustained virologic response, HCV RNA was detectable by TMA in end-of-treatment samples in 3 of 78 cases but in none of the end-of-follow-up samples. For all end-of-treatment and end-of-follow-up plasma samples of virologic nonresponders, a complete concordance between the PCR-based assay and TMA was observed. In conclusion, in patients with virologic relapse after the end of therapy, according to PCR, who were treated with peginterferon alpha-2a or standard interferon alpha-2a, residual HCV RNA was detectable in end-of-treatment samples by the TMA-based assay in 7 or 33% of cases, respectively. The lower rate of residual HCV RNA detection by TMA for patients treated with peginterferon alpha-2a than that for patients treated with standard interferon alpha-2a may be due to the maintained antiviral pressure of the long-acting peginterferon alpha-2a at the end-of-treatment visit.
Nucleic acid sequence based amplification (NASBA) is an isothermal nucleic acid amplification procedure based on target-specific primers and probes, and the co-ordinated activity of 3 enzymes: AMV reverse transcriptase, RNase H, and T7 RNA polymerase. We have developed a real-time NASBA procedure for detection of piscine nodaviruses, which have emerged as major pathogens of marine fish. Viral RNA was isolated by guanidine thiocyanate lysis followed by purification on silica particles. Primers were designed to target sequences in the nodavirus capsid protein gene, yielding an amplification product of 120 nucleotides. Amplification products were detected in real-time with a molecular beacon (FAM labelled/methyl-red quenched) that recognised an internal region of the target amplicon. Amplification and detection were performed at 41 degrees C for 90 min in a Corbett Research Rotorgene. Based on the detection of cell culture-derived nodavirus, and a synthetic RNA target, the real-time NASBA procedure was approximately 100-fold more sensitive than single-tube RT-PCR. When used to test a panel of 37 clinical samples (negative, n = 18; positive, n = 19), the real-time NASBA assay correctly identified all 18 negative and 19 positive samples. In comparison, the RT-PCR procedure identified all 18 negative samples, but only 16 of the positive samples. These results suggest that real-time NASBA may represent a sensitive and specific diagnostic procedure for piscine nodaviruses.
This study describes a novel helicase-mediated isothermal DNA amplification method that exponentially amplifies circular DNAs. The circular helicase-dependent amplification (cHDA) system is based on the T7 replication machinery, which includes the processive T7 helicase, an exonuclease-deficient T7 DNA polymerase (T7 Sequenase) and the T7 Gp2.5 single-stranded DNA-binding (SSB) protein. After the duplex DNA template is unwound by the T7 helicase, specific primers anneal to the separated DNA strands and T7 Sequenase extends the 3' end of each primer by a rolling circle mechanism to amplify not only a region defined by the primers but also continuous concatemers of the template. The cHDA reaction can be carried out at one temperature (25 degrees C) for the entire process and can achieve up to 10 000-fold amplification. Amplification can be performed using purified plasmid DNA or a crude cell lysate and can amplify inserts as large as 10 kb. Following a cHDA reaction, the amplified products can be used directly for sequencing and restriction enzyme digestion without further purification. By utilizing the helicase enzyme, circular DNA samples can be simultaneously screened and amplified at one constant temperature in one easy step.
Rapid and sensitive detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB) directly on clinical respiratory specimens is essential for a correct management of patients suspected of tuberculosis. For this purpose PCR-based kits are available to detect MTB in respiratory specimen but most of them need at least 4 hours to be completed. New methods, based on TRC method (TRC: Transcription Reverse transcription Concerted--TRCRapid M. Tuberculosis--Tosoh Bioscience, Tokyo, Japon) and dedicated monitor have been developed. A new kit (TRC Rapid M. tuberculosis and Real-time monitor TRCRapid-160, Tosoh Corporation, Japan) enabling one step amplification and real-time detection of MTB 16S rRNA by a combination of intercalative dye oxazole yellow-linked DNA probe and isothermal RNA amplification directly on respiratory specimens has been tested in our laboratory. 319 respiratory specimens were tested in this preliminary study and results were compared to smear and culture. Fourteen had a positive culture for MTB. Among theses samples, smear was positive in 11 cases (78.6%) and TRC process was positive in 8 cases (57.1%). Overall sensitivity of TRC compared to smear positive samples is 73%. Theses first results demonstrated that a rapid identification of MTB was possible (less than 2 processing hours for 14 specimens and about 1 hour for 1 specimen) in most cases of smear positive samples using ready to use reagents for real time detection of MTB rRNA in clinical samples. New pretreatment and extraction reagents kits to increase the stability of the sputum RNA and the extraction efficiency are now tested in our laboratory.
Analysis of transcript representation on gene microarrays requires microgram amounts of total RNA or DNA. Without amplification, such amounts are obtainable only from millions of cells. However, it may be desirable to determine transcript representation in few or even single cells in aspiration biopsies, rare population subsets isolated by cell sorting or laser capture, or micromanipulated single cells. Nucleic-acid amplification methods could be used in these cases, but it is difficult to amplify different transcripts in a sample without distorting quantitative relationships between them. Linear isothermal RNA amplification has been used to amplify as little as 10 ng of total cellular RNA, corresponding to the amount obtainable from thousands of cells, while still preserving the original abundance relationships. However, the available procedures require multiple steps, are labor intensive and time consuming, and have not been shown to preserve abundance information from smaller starting amounts. Exponential amplification, on the other hand, is a relatively simple technology, but is generally considered to bias abundance relationships unacceptably. These constraints have placed beyond current reach the secure and routine application of microarray analysis to single or small numbers of cells. Here we describe results obtained with a rapid and highly optimized global reverse transcription#150;PCR (RT-PCR) procedure. Contrary to prevalent expectations, the exponential approach preserves abundance relationships through amplification as high as 3 x 10(11)-fold. Further, it reduces by a million-fold the input amount of RNA needed for microarray analysis, and yields reproducible results from the picogram range of total RNA obtainable from single cells.
Molecular genotyping has important biomedical and forensic applications. However, limiting amounts of human biological material often yield genomic DNA (gDNA) in insufficient quantity and of poor quality for a reliable analysis. This motivated the development of an efficient whole genome amplification method with quantitatively unbiased representation usable on fresh and degraded gDNA. Amplification of fresh frozen, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) and DNase-degraded DNA using degenerate oligonucleotide-primed PCR or primer extension amplification using a short primer sequence bioinformatically optimized for coverage of the human genome was compared with amplification using current primers by chromosome-based and BAC-array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), genotyping at short tandem repeats (STRs) and single base mutation detection. Compared with current primers, genome amplification using the bioinformatically optimized primer was significantly less biased on CGH in self-self hybridizations, and replicated tumour genome copy number aberrations, even from FFPE tissue. STR genotyping could be performed on degraded gDNA amplified using our technique but failed with multiple displacement amplification. Of the 18 different single base mutations 16 (89.5%) were correctly identified by sequencing gDNA amplified from clinical samples using our technique. This simple and efficient isothermal method should be helpful for genetic research and clinical and forensic applications.
Globally ≤ 4 billion of the population are at potential risk of contracting dengue virus (DENV) infection. Seasonal outbreaks of dengue are frequently reported causing a high healthcare burden. Undiagnosed DENV can lead to severe morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis of DENV relies on molecular methods, which are impractical in resource-constrained settings (RCSs). Dengue can be caused by any of the four distinct DENV serotypes. Therefore, a simple method for rapid diagnosis of Pan-DENV serotypes is of utmost importance at RCSs. A fluorescence detection platform for Pan-DENV using RT-RPA and CRISPR/Cas12a was developed targeting nonstructural 1 (NS1) gene for DENV-1, 2, and 3, and envelope (E) gene for DENV-2. Further, crRNA specific to DENV serotypes were designed to facilitate CRISPR/Cas12a detection. Analytical sensitivity was determined using synthetic RNA and DENV serotypes genome. Clinical validation of the assay was performed using RNA extracted from AES/AFI clinical samples. The developed CRISPR/Cas12a-based detection platform can detect all four serotypes of DENV viz 1-4 in a single pot using fluorescence detection. This assay showed the limit of detection ≥ 781 zg reaction- 1, ≥ 1.81 ag reaction-1, ≥ 62.5 fg reaction-1, and ≥ 2.5 pg reaction-1 for synthetic DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4 template, respectively. Our assay demonstrated the analytic sensitivity of ≥ 10 ng reaction-1 for DENV-1 and DENV-4, and ≥ 0.5 ng reaction-1 for DENV-3 and DENV-4 genomes. This assay showed no cross-reactivity with other related etiologies tested causing AFI/AES. With 76 clinical samples (DENV PCR positive = 16, DENV PCR negative = 60), the assay demonstrated 93.7% sensitivity and 100% specificity with an overall accuracy of 98.7% for detection of the Pan-DENV serotypes. Our assay displayed comparable results to that of RT-PCR. The ease of interpretation and rapid detection of the Pan-DENV, represents the potential of the developed assay as an ideal point-of-care test. This assay upon field-deployment could help in reducing healthcare burden, provide differential diagnosis and support initiating early and prompt treatment to patients at RCS.
Real-time isothermal nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (RT-NASBA) was applied to the detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. In vitro-generated M. pneumoniae RNA was used to assess the sensitivity of the assay. The 95% hit rate was 148 molecules of M. pneumoniae RNA in the amplification and 10(4) molecules of in vitro-generated RNA after nucleic acid extraction. The sensitivity of the RT-NASBA and the conventional NASBA assays corresponded to 5 color-changing units (CCU) of M. pneumoniae. In spiked throat swabs, nasopharyngeal aspirates, bronchoalveolar lavages, and sputum, the sensitivity of both NASBA assays corresponded to 5 to 50 CCU of M. pneumoniae. A total of 17 clinical specimens positive for M. pneumoniae by PCR were also positive by conventional NASBA, but one specimen was negative by RT-NASBA. These results indicate that the sensitivity of detection of M. pneumoniae by RT-NASBA in respiratory samples might be slightly reduced compared to that by conventional NASBA. However, the real-time assay is superior in speed and ease of handling.
Seven hundred fifty-eight processed sputum sediments received for the diagnosis of tuberculosis or other mycobacterial infections were tested by utilizing a rRNA target amplification assay and traditional culture techniques. The results from the rRNA target amplification assay (Gen-Probe Amplified Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Direct Test), available in 5 h, were compared with the results from standard culture techniques held for 6 weeks. A total of 119 specimens (16%) were culture positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 82, 99, 97, and 96%, respectively, for the Gen-Probe assay; 88, 100, 100, and 97%, respectively, for culture; and 53, 99.8, 99.6, and 91%, respectively, for fluorochrome stain. The Gen-Probe assay employs the isothermal enzymatic amplification of M. tuberculosis complex rRNA followed by detection of the amplicon with an acridinium ester-labeled DNA probe. This assay has the potential of reducing the time for diagnosis of tuberculosis to 1 day.
By using appropriate amounts of four bacteriophage phi 29 DNA replication proteins--terminal protein, DNA polymerase, protein p6 (double-stranded DNA-binding protein), and protein p5 (single-stranded DNA-binding protein)--it has been possible to amplify limited amounts of the 19,285-bp-long phi 29 DNA molecule by three orders of magnitude after 1 hr of incubation at 30 degrees C. Moreover, the quality of the amplified material was demonstrated by transfection experiments, in which infectivity of the synthetic (amplified) phi 29 DNA, measured as the ability to produce phage particles, was identical to that of the natural phi 29 DNA obtained from virions. The results presented in this paper establish some of the requisites for the development of isothermal DNA amplification strategies based on the bacteriophage phi 29 DNA replication machinery that are suitable for the amplification of very large (> 70 kb) segments of DNA.
A total of 294 clinical respiratory specimens, including 75 with culture-positive results, were tested for the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by strand displacement amplification (SDA) of DNA. A region of the IS6110 insertion element and an internal control sequence were amplified and then detected by a chemiluminescence assay. Receiver operator-characteristic curves were used to evaluate three methods for declaring specimens positive for M. tuberculosis. By the preferred method, SDA chemiluminescence results were converted to theoretical numbers of M. tuberculosis organisms. A positive threshold (PT) value, above which 95% of the SDA results were judged to be M. tuberculosis positive (sensitivity = 95%), was found to be 2.4 M. tuberculosis organisms per SDA reaction. The analogous PT value for 95% sensitivity on smear-positive specimens was 3.6 M. tuberculosis organisms per reaction. The PT of 2.4 M. tuberculosis organisms per reaction detected 100% of culture-positive, smear-positive specimens (sensitivity = 100%), while 95% sensitivity was achieved with a PT of 15.5 M. tuberculosis organisms per reaction. Specificities, which were calculated with respect to culture- and smear-negative specimens, ranged from 96% at a PT of 15.5 M. tuberculosis organisms to 84% at a PT of 2.4 M. tuberculosis organisms per reaction. The M. tuberculosis-negative specimens were also segregated according to whether the patients received antituberculosis chemotherapy. SDA specificity ranged from 90% (PT = 2.4 M. tuberculosis organisms) to 98% (PT = 15.5 M. tuberculosis organisms) for the M. tuberculosis-negative specimens from patients who had not received chemotherapy. SDA specificity in the M. tuberculosis-negative specimens from patients who received chemotherapy was lower (85 to 94%). This study represents the first large-scale demonstration of M. tuberculosis detection in clinical sputum specimens by isothermal DNA amplification with SDA.