Maternal contamination of amniotic fluid demonstrated by DNA analysis

DNA from 16 sets of samples comprising DNA from uncultured amniotic fluid cells, cultured amniotic fluid cells, fetal tissue, and maternal blood was analysed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with AC-repeat primers. The analysis was performed to investigate the presence of contaminating maternal cells in amniotic fluid which would affect the reliability of DNA studies for prenatal diagnosis. In three sets, maternal contamination of uncultured amniotic fluid cells was detected. In one of the three sets, maternal contamination was present in both uncultured and cultured amniotic fluid cells. The use of amniotic fluid cells as a source of DNA for prenatal diagnosis should be limited to cases where the purity of the DNA can be demonstrated prior to the diagnostic test being performed. This limitation in the use of amniotic fluid DNA also extends to other forms of diagnosis relying on the purity of amniotic fluid samples, particularly the new in situ hybridization methods currently being developed.     

First-trimester prenatal diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy using microsatellite markers

Twenty-five pregnancies at risk for spinal muscular atrophy I (SMA I) have been monitored by first-trimester prenatal diagnosis. Microsatellite markers were used in all cases to amplify polymorphic regions at the D5S125, D5S435, D5S39, D5S127, and D5S112 loci. All families, including 12 SMA I pedigrees with a deceased index child, were fully informative for DNA analysis. Three fetuses were predicted to be affected and 22 fetuses were predicted to be unaffected. Twenty-two newborns were unaffected by clinical examination at birth. These results support the accuracy of SMA I prenatal diagnosis based on linkage analysis.     

实时荧光定量聚合酶链反应快速检测产毒铜绿微囊藻

以铜绿微囊藻(Microcystis aeruginosa)产毒株微囊藻毒素合成酶基因(mcyA)为靶序列设计了一对特异性引物,运用实时荧光定量聚合酶链反应(qPCR)方法,对铜绿微囊藻进行了定性定量检测。结果表明,仅含铜绿微囊藻脱氧核糖核酸(DNA)模板的样品有扩增,对照组小球藻(Chlorella)没有检测到扩增信号;扩增产物熔解曲线平稳,峰尖且窄,熔解温度为(83±1)℃,证明该聚合酶链反应扩增产物极为特异。以重组质粒pMD-18T-mcyA为标准品,所得标准曲线具有高度线性相关性,重复性好,符合制备实时定量聚合酶链反应标准曲线的要求。利用该方法建立的标准曲线对实验室培养获得的铜绿微囊藻DNA样品进行定量检测,与显微镜计数结果基本一致。     

聚合酶链式反应(PCR)用于检测环境水体指示菌的研究

对聚合酶链式反应（ｐｏｌｙｍｅｒａｓｅ ｃｈａｉｎ ｒｅａｃｔｉｏｎ，ＰＣＲ）快速检测水体指示菌－大肠菌群（ｔｏｔａｌ ｃｏｌｉｆｏｒｍ）和大肠杆菌（Ｅｓｃｈｅｒｉｃｈｉａ ｃｏｌｉ）进行了研究。采用的两对引物分别扩增了ＬａｃＺ基因的约２６０ｂｐ和ＵｄｉＡ基因的约１５０ｂｐＤＮＡ片段。引物Ⅰ和引物Ⅱ最低能分别扩增１０＾－６μｇ或１０＾－８μｇ基因组ＤＮＡ。整个检测工作在采集水样后５－６ｈ内完成。与     

Improving Anammox start-up with bamboo charcoal

Three Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactors were compared for Anammox enrichment using synthetic wastewater with Spherical Plastic (SP) and Bamboo Charcoal (BC) addition, and without carrier (CK). After four months of operation, the Anammox activity occurred in all reactors allowing continuous removal of ammonium and nitrite. Ammonium and nitrite removal efficiencies were all higher than 98% in steady phase with the effluent concentrations below 1 mg L⁻¹. The start-up time could be shortened from 117 to 97 d in CK and SP reactor to 85 d in BC amendment reactor. Quantitative PCR (q-PCR) analyses indicated a significant increase in the number of Anammox bacteria in BC amended reactor as compared with CK and SP during the entire start-up periods. The copy numbers of Anammox of 16S rRNA gene in the reactor with BC amendment could reach up to 6 × 10⁹ copies g⁻¹ Volatile Suspended Solids, around 22.5 times and 12.3 times greater than that in CK and SP reactor, respectively. BC addition could accelerate the start-up of Anammox and significantly increase the Anammox bacteria number.     

生物除磷系统中聚磷菌检测常用技术

作为生物除磷系统中的主要功能菌,对聚磷菌菌群进行定性、定量分析是深入理解生物除磷系统、提高除磷效率的必然趋势。目前常用于检测聚磷菌的方法主要有生物化学法和分子生物学法,文章主要阐述了荧光原位杂交技术、聚合酶链反应技术、变性梯度凝胶电泳技术以及多技术结合使用的特点及应用情况,并在此基础上提出了改进措施以及聚磷菌检测技术的发展方向。     

温榆河中硝化和反硝化基因的Real-time PCR定量

以温榆河为研究对象,采用real-time PCR研究了温榆河不同断面水样和沉积物样品中TB(总细菌)、硝化和反硝化(nosZ和narG)基因数量的变化. 水样中TB基因数量在丰水期为1.05×109~7.38×1011 copies/L,枯水期为1.06×109~2.69×1012 copies/L;氨氧化细菌(AOB)基因数量在丰水期和枯水期分别为nd(未检出)~4.11×108和nd~1.15×109 copies/L. nosZ和narG基因数量在丰水期分别为nd~2.37×108和3.61×108~1.13×1010 copies/L,枯水期分别为2.0×106~3.04×109和nd~1.39×1010copies/L. 枯水期沉积物样品中TB基因数量为1.35×109~7.32×1010 copies/g,nosZ基因数量为nd~1.06×107 copies/g,narG基因数量为1.99×107~1.02×108 copies/g. 枯水期TB基因数量略高于丰水期,枯水期水样中ρ(NH₄+-N)较高导致其AOB基因数量要远高于丰水期,nosZ和narG基因数量并没有明显的水期变化. 相关分析表明,沉积物样品中微生物基因数量与水样中微生物基因数量不相关,而是水质变化长期作用的结果. 冗余度分析表明,丰水期和枯水期水样中影响微生物基因数量的主要环境因子不同,丰水期微生物基因数量是温度、ρ(COD_Cr)、ρ(NH₄+-N)、ρ(NO₂--N)、ρ(NO₃--N)等共同作用的结果,而温度和ρ(COD_Cr)对枯水期微生物基因数量影响显著.      

应用qPCR方法检测中国近海塔玛亚历山大藻复合种的研究

亚历山大藻属的部分藻种(Alexandrium spp.)能够产生麻痹性贝毒毒素(PST),是重要的有害藻华(HAB)原因种.由于亚历山大藻属中的有毒和无毒藻种形态相似,且海水中亚历山大藻的细胞密度通常很低,因此,高灵敏度、高特异性的分子生物学方法在亚历山大藻检测方面具有重要的应用前景.塔玛亚历山大藻和链状亚历山大藻是中国近海主要的有毒亚历山大藻藻种,大多属于塔玛亚历山大藻复合种第四类核糖体型(GroupⅣ,以往称为“亚洲温带核糖体型”).因此,本研究尝试将实时荧光定量PCR(qPCR)方法用于我国近海塔玛亚历山大藻复合种(GroupⅣ)的快速检测,并对方法的特异性和灵敏度进行了检验.研究表明,所建立的qPCR方法能够特异性地检测我国近海不同海域分离的塔玛亚历山大藻复合种(GroupⅣ),方法具有良好的线性响应关系和较高的灵敏度,最低可检出5个藻细胞,具有良好的应用前景.然而,实验也发现,自我国近海分离的塔玛亚历山大藻复合种的不同藻株之间,以及处于不同生长阶段的藻细胞之间,qPCR检测结果存在显著差异,反映了目标藻核糖体RNA基因拷贝数的差异和变化对qPCR检测结果的影响.因此,建议在将qPCR方法用于不同海域亚历山大藻样品检测时,应采用该海域分离的藻株专门构建标准工作曲线,以减小定量分析误差.     

Quantification of hookworm ova from wastewater matrices using quantitative PCR

A quantitative PCR(q PCR) assay was used to quantify Ancylostoma caninum ova in wastewater and sludge samples.We estimated the average gene copy numbers for a single ovum using a mixed population of ova.The average gene copy numbers derived from the mixed population were used to estimate numbers of hookworm ova in A.caninum seeded and unseeded wastewater and sludge samples.The newly developed qP CR assay estimated an average of3.7 × 10~3 gene copies per ovum,which was then validated by seeding known numbers of hookworm ova into treated wastewater.The qP CR estimated an average of(1.1 ± 0.1),(8.6 ± 2.9)and(67.3 ± 10.4) ova for treated wastewater that was seeded with(1 ± 0),(10 ± 2) and(100 ± 21)ova,respectively.The further application of the q PCR assay for the quantification of A.caninum ova was determined by seeding a known numbers of ova into the wastewater matrices.The qP CR results indicated that 50%,90% and 67% of treated wastewater(1 L),raw wastewater(1 L)and sludge(~4 g) samples had variable numbers of A.caninum gene copies.After conversion of the q PCR estimated gene copy numbers to ova for treated wastewater,raw wastewater,and sludge samples,had an average of 0.02,1.24 and 67 ova,respectively.The result of this study indicated that qP CR can be used for the quantification of hookworm ova from wastewater and sludge samples;however,caution is advised in interpreting qP CR generated data for health risk assessment.