An improved method for purifying genomic DNA from forest leaf litters and soil suitable for PCR

Background, aim and scope  An improving knowledge of bacterial community within natural environments including forest soils and leaf litters requires extraction of nucleic acids directly from environmental samples since molecular approaches provide less biased access to a larger portion of uncultivable microorganisms. However, when DNA was extracted successfully from these samples, it might still have been difficult to apply it as a template for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifications due to the effect of PCR inhibitors. Various compounds from plant tissues including polysaccharides, phenolic compounds and especially humic acids can inhibit PCR amplification. Some of these inhibitors could inhibit PCR amplification by chelating the Mg²⁺ (cofactor for Taq polymerase), or by binding to target DNA, and PCR amplification would consequently be interfered with. Therefore, eliminating the effects of these PCR inhibitors is one of the most important steps for PCR-based molecular techniques. Four different methods were assessed in this study to purify the genomic DNA extracted from F, L layer leaf litters and forest soil in an exotic pine plantation of southeast Queensland, Australia. Materials and methods  Three samples including two leaf litters and one forest soil were collected with a core (25 × 40 cm) from a 22-year-old slash pine plantation in southeast Queensland, Australia. The DNA fragments were extracted directly using the Ultra Clean™ Mega Prep Soil DNA kit (Mo Bio Labs, Solana Beach, CA). Then, four different purification methods were applied and compared to purify the DNA for PCR amplification, which include PVPP, Sephadex ^TM spin column, low-melting agarose gel and a new modified gel purification method. The purified DNA from these four purification methods was detected by agarose gel electrophoresis, and the purity and usefulness of DNA samples were ultimately determined by successful PCR amplifications. Results and discussion  The DNA was extracted from each sample using the Ultra Clean™ Mega Prep Soil DNA kit, and the DNA eluents were dark in colour and sometimes formed compact aggregates. Subsequently, PCR amplification from such samples failed, although a series of dilutions had been made from neat to 1:10³. The DNA purification step could not, therefore, be avoided. It was observed that both the colour of eluent and the DNA concentration decreased gradually after elution. Considering the difficulties of removing PCR inhibitors and the possibility of high DNA losses, 50–200 μl of sample DNA was used for purification. Four DNA purification methods (the PVPP spin column, Sephadex™ spin column, low-melting agarose gel and the modified gel purification method) were applied and compared on leaf litter and soil samples. The DNA purified by the modified gel purification method provided the best PCR products for 16S rRNA gene amplification, but the other methods, PVPP, Sephadex™ spin column and low-melting agarose gel, produced very weak or no products. Thus, in this study, DNA fragments which were purified by the modified gel purification method were amplified efficiently. This may be attributed to running the low-melting agrose gel for a longer time, which could remove substantial humic substances and also some other compounds from the samples and, thus, prevent them from being involved in PCR amplification. Conclusions  A new modified gel purification method which can improve DNA purification and PCR amplification of environmental DNA is first introduced in this study. Comparing PVPP, Sephadex ™ spin column, low-melting agarose gel and modified gel purification method for the effect of DNA purification, the modified gel purification method is more successful in removing the PCR amplification inhibitors and obtaining the highly purified PCR amplifiable high-molecular-weight DNA. The method described here is cheap, fast and easy to operate. It suggests in this study that the method containing less and easier following steps should be widely used to relieve the heavy working load of molecular-biological researchers. Recommendations and perspectives  This study introduces a new modified DNA purification method, and it is found that this modified gel purification method is effective in removing the PCR inhibitors and obtains highly purified DNA from leaf litters for PCR amplification. The modified gel purification method may have wider applications, although it was only assessed on leaf litter and soil samples. The effect of the modified gel purification method on the DNA purification would need to be further investigated on a variety of samples which suffered from PCR inhibitors, such as clinical samples, plant tissues and environmental samples.     

Pre-lysis washing improves DNA extraction from a forest soil

A pre-lysis buffer washing procedure was introduced to DNA extraction from a forest soil with high organic matter and iron oxide contents. Sodium phosphate of 0.1 M (pH 7.5) was used as a buffer to wash soil samples when subsequent lysis buffer was phosphate, and 20 mM EDTA (pH 7.5) was used when subsequent lysis buffer included EDTA. Initial experiments were not successful because the DNA extracts could not be amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The consideration of introducing a pre-lysis washing procedure was based on the idea that the washing should promote soil dispersion and homogeneity, decrease DNA adsorption by soil components (e.g. iron oxides), and remove covalent cations and those easily-dissolving organic compounds from the soil samples. Results revealed that humic substance content decreased by 31%, but DNA yield increased by 24% in the DNA extracts of the pre-lysis washing procedures, compared to the non-washing procedures. DNA extracted by the pre-washing procedure needed less purification for subsequent 18S and 16S rDNA PCR amplifications. It was recommended that the pre-lysis buffer washing should be used for DNA extraction from those difficult environmental samples, such as the forest soil with high contents of organic matter and iron oxides.     

牛支原体的环介导等温扩增快速检测技术研究

牛支原体(Mycoplasma bovis是感染牛的一种重要的致病性病原体.本研究利用环介导等温扩增(loop-mediated isothermal amplification,LAMP)技术建立了牛支原体的快速检测方法.该方法以牛支原体保守性基因uvrC为靶序列设计了5条特异引物,在58℃等温条件下,60 min即可完成反应.LAMP方法能检测出20 pg牛支原体DNA,较PCR方法高100倍,用牛鼻支原体(M.bovirhinis)、无乳支原体(M.agalactiae)、精氨酸支原体(M.ariginini)、牛副流感病毒(BPIV)、牛腺病毒(BADV)、牛传染性鼻气管炎病毒(IBRV)作特异性检测,两种方法均有很高的特异性.本研究还将荧光显色剂钙黄绿素(calcein)和Mn2+用于LAMP反应结果的可视化检测.临床鼻拭子样品煮沸后,可直接进行等温扩增,省去了DNA提取步骤.在对167个临床鼻拭子样本的检测中,LAMP方法检测结果阳性率(26.95％)高于PCR方法检测出阳性率(19.16％),这证明本研究所建立的方法,与PCR法比较更适于临床样品的检测.研究结果表明,LAMP方法具有操作简便、快速、高效、敏感、特异、经济等特点,适于基层实验室监测的广泛使用.     

土壤微生物多样性研究的新方法

传统的分离培养和鉴定土壤微生物方法所具有的困难性和局限性 ,是造成难以深入了解土壤微生物生态学特性和多样性组成方面的主要障碍。本文运用分子生物学技术 ,以澳大利亚两种主要森林类型的土壤微生物多样性研究为实例 ,介绍了从土壤中直接提取土壤微生物DNA的方法以及末端限制性酶切片段长度多态性 (T RFLP)分析的基本原理和方法。作者认为 ,用该方法提取的土壤真菌DNA的纯度高 ,完全适合PCR扩增和T RFLP分析的要求。T RFLP已成为国外深入研究土壤微生物多样性的理想方法之一     

猪粪和土壤样品中微生物DNA提取方法的比较

猪粪施于土壤可能会对土壤微生物多样性造成影响,为选用同一种DNA提取方法用于土壤和猪粪微生物DNA的提取,该文采用了化学裂解法和试剂盒法同时从土壤和猪粪样品中提取微生物DNA,并对这两种方法的提取DNA的效果进行了比较。结果表明,试剂盒法不能用于提取土壤中的微生物DNA;可以从猪粪中提取到DNA,PCR扩增能得到目的产物,但重复性不高。化学裂解法提取的土壤微生物DNA浓度高但纯度低,纯化后纯度增加,但DNA有所损失,用于PCR扩增时结果不理想;处理猪粪样品,提取的DNA浓度较低但纯度较高,PCR扩增结果比较理想。由此可见,化学裂解法用来提取猪粪样品中的微生物DNA是可行的,但需寻求更好的土壤样品微生物DNA的提取方法。     

Comparative analysis of soil DNA extraction methods to study various ammonium-oxidizing bacteria and archaea by PCR-DGGE

A comparative analysis of five methods of extraction and purification of soil DNA, including a modification of the authors, was performed for the further molecular investigation of various ammonium-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in soils. Experiments using soil samples from natural ecosystems and agroecosystems of the European area of Russia established that the amount of DNA extracted by different methods depended significantly on the type of soil. The subsequent molecular analysis (PCR-DGGE) of ribosomal (16S rRNA) and functional (amoA) genes demonstrated significant differences in the community structure of ammonium oxidizers depending on the method of DNA extraction. The best results were obtained for acidic soil (soddy-podzolic and gray forest soils) when using the method of Griffiths et al. [4] with our own modification. On the other hand, application of commercial DNA extraction kits was most efficient for soils with a high content of humus (black and chestnut soils). According to the results obtained, molecular analysis of soil microbe communities required selection of optimum conditions for DNA extraction, especially for soils with high contents of organic compounds and clay minerals at different pH levels.     

Novel preparation method of template DNAs from wine for PCR to differentiate grape (Vitis vinifera L.) cultivar

Template DNAs were extracted from wine and purified for use as samples for PCR to differentiate grape cultivars. It has been pointed out that the authentication of grape material by PCR using wine as a material is very difficult. The problems are (1) decomposition of DNAs during fermentation; (2) contamination of DNAs from microorganisms such as yeast; (3) interference of DNA extraction by polysaccharides and polypeptides in the beverages; and (4) coexistence of PCR inhibitors, such as polyphenols. For this study was developed a novel preparation method of template DNA from wine to differentiate grape cultivars using PCR by (1) lyophilizing and pulverizing the fermented beverage to concentrate the DNAs; (2) decomposition of polysaccharides and proteins so as not to inhibit DNA extraction using heat-resistant amylase and proteinase K without DNA damage by endogenous DNase; and (3) separation of the template DNAs for PCR from PCR inhibitors, such as polyphenols, by purification using 70% EtOH extraction and isopropyl alcohol precipitation. To prevent the amplification of microorganisms' DNAs during PCR, suitable PCR primers closely related to the specific plant DNAs, such as chloroplast DNA and mitochondrial DNA, were selected. The sequences of the amplified DNAs by PCR were ascertained to be the same as those of grape materials.     

Use of quantitative real-time PCR to estimate maize endogenous DNA degradation after cooking and extrusion or in food products

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is being used increasingly to detect DNA sequences for food quality testing for GM content, microbial contamination, and ingredient content. However, food processing often results in DNA degradation and therefore may affect the suitability of PCR or even DNA sequence detection for food quality assurance. This paper describes a novel approach using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) to estimate the extent of DNA degradation. With use of two maize endogenous nuclear sequences, sets of four qPCR assays were developed to amplify target sequences ranging from<100 bp to approximately 1000 bp. The maize nuclear sequences used encode chloroplastic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and cell wall invertase. The utility of the qPCR approach for quantifying the effective concentration of maize DNA that is needed to amplify variable length DNA sequences was demonstrated using samples of maize cornmeal cooked in water for variable times, extrusion products developed using different barrel temperature and torque settings, and a range of food products from supermarket shelves. Results showed that maize DNA was substantially degraded by a number of processing procedures, including cooking for 5 min or more, extrusion at high temperatures and/or high torque settings, and in most processed foods from supermarket shelves. Processing also reduced the effective concentration of DNA sequences capable of directing amplification of the <100 bp assays as well, particularly after popping of popping corn or extrusion at a combination of high temperature and torque settings. The approach for quantifying DNA degradation described in this paper may also be of use in disciplines where understanding the extent of DNA degradation is important, such as in environmental, forensic, or historical samples.     

Pea detection in food and feed samples by a real-time PCR method based on a specific legumin gene that allows diversity analysis

Real-time polymerase chain reaction is currently being used for the identification and quantification of plant and animal species as well as microorganisms in food or feed samples based on the amplification of specific sequences of low copy genes. We report here the development of a new real-time PCR method for the detection and quantification of the pea (Pisum sativum) based on the amplification of a specific region of the legS gene. The specificity was evaluated in a wide range of plant species (51 varieties of Pisum sp., and 32 other plant species and varieties taxonomically related or nonrelated). The method allows the detection and quantification of as low as 21.6 pg of DNA, which corresponds to 5 haploid genome copies. The system has been shown to be sensitive, reproducible and 100% specific for the rapid detection and quantification of pea DNA in processed food and feed samples, being therefore suitable for high-throughput analysis.     

一种可用于PCR扩增的直接提取土壤细菌DNA的方法

本文以澳大利亚桉树林和松树林的土壤为例 ,采用Napp提取液和SDS直接溶解土壤细菌 ,并配合温浴 -玻璃珠震荡、苯酚 -氯仿萃取和异丙醇提取以及纯化DNA等步骤 ,直接从土壤样品中提取了土壤细菌DNA。所得DNA完全适用于酶解和PCR扩增的要求。该方法高效简单 ,费用低 ,在土壤微生物研究中具有重要的应用价值     

Establishment and application of event-specific polymerase chain reaction methods for two genetically modified soybean events, A2704-12 and A5547-127

For implementation of the issued regulations and labeling policies for genetically modified organism (GMO) supervision, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method has been widely used due to its high specificity and sensitivity. In particular, use of the event-specific PCR method based on the flanking sequence of transgenes has become the primary trend. In this study, both qualitative and quantitative PCR methods were established on the basis of the 5' flanking sequence of transgenic soybean A2704-12 and the 3' flanking sequence of transgenic soybean A5547-127, respectively. In qualitative PCR assays, the limits of detection (LODs) were 10 copies of haploid soybean genomic DNA for both A2704-12 and A5547-127. In quantitative real-time PCR assays, the LODs were 5 copies of haploid soybean genomic DNA for both A2704-12 and A5547-127, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were 10 copies for both. Low bias and acceptable SD and RSD values were also achieved in quantification of four blind samples using the developed real-time PCR assays. In addition, the developed PCR assays for the two transgenic soybean events were used for routine analysis of soybean samples imported to Shanghai in a 6 month period from October 2010 to March 2011. A total of 27 lots of soybean from the United States and Argentina were analyzed: 8 lots from the Unites States were found to have the GM soybean A2704-12 event, and the GM contents were <1.5% in all eight analyzed lots. On the contrary, no GM soybean A5547-127 content was found in any of the eight lots. These results demonstrated that the established event-specific qualitative and quantitative PCR methods could be used effectively in routine identification and quantification of GM soybeans A2704-12 and A5547-127 and their derived products.     

Validation of a tRNA-Glu-cytochrome b key for the molecular identification of 12 hake species (Merluccius spp.) and Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) using PCR-RFLPs, FINS, and BLAST

The goal of this study was to develop a diagnostic key for hake meat to solve the limitations of previous identification methodologies, mainly related to the high degradation of the DNA recovered from processed foods. We describe the development of two molecular tools based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphisms of the cytochrome b gene, respectively, to identify DNA from 12 hake species in commercial products. The first assay is an exclusion test consisting of the PCR amplification of a 122 bp fragment using nested primers interspecifically conserved in Merluccius spp. and in Gadus morhua. This 122 bp amplicon, being the shortest one so far designed for hake DNA, is a useful traceability tool for highly degraded samples because its sequence contains enough interspecific diagnostic variation to identify 10 hake species and cod and has been successfully amplified from most commercial products so far tested. The second identification key follows a positive outcome of the exclusion test and consists of the PCR amplification of a 464-465 bp fragment and its digestion with three restriction enzymes whose targets map at interspecifically nonconserved sites of the cytochrome b. The key presented here has passed through a rigorous methodological calibration including its testing for genus specificity, its validation on a large number of authenticated sample types from each species range, and its implementation with a maximum likelihood method for the assignment of unknown samples. Together, these two procedures constitute the most complete molecular key so far developed for Merluccius spp., which is optimal for routine identification of hakes in large commercial samples at a reasonable cost-time ratio.     

猪附红细胞体荧光定量PCR检测方法的建立及应用

摘要: 根据GenBank已登录的猪附红细胞体（M.suis）推测的功能性蛋白基因ORF2序列设计引物和TaqMan荧光探针,以定量的10倍系列稀释含M.suis部分ORF2基因的T载体重组质粒（pGEX-T/M.suis）为标准品,进行荧光定量PCR扩增并制作了标准曲线,经对荧光定量PCR的反应条件进行优化,建立了M.suis的TaqMan荧光定量PCR检测方法（Taqman FQ-PCR）;对所建立的FQ-PCR检测方法进行了敏感性、特异性和重复性实验,并对疑似M.suis感染临床抗凝全血样品进行了检测应用。结果显示：标准曲线的曲线循环阈值与模板浓度有良好的线性关系,相关系数为0.998;所建立的FQ-PCR方法检测灵敏度可达10个拷贝/μL,比对照常规PCR灵敏度高100倍;FQ-PCR方法特异性高,对pGEX-T/M.suis重组质粒扩增呈现阳性反应曲线,而对8个对照细菌、病毒和寄生虫DNA扩增曲线均呈现阴性反应;对不同浓度的pGEX-T/M.suis重组质粒分别重复扩增2次,重复结果良好;用该方法对24份临床疑似M.suis感染样品进行了应用检测,结果有20份样品为阳性,阳性检出率高于常规PCR方法。     

Comparative study of methods for DNA preparation from olive oil samples to identify cultivar SSR alleles in commercial oil samples: possible forensic applications

Virgin olive oil is made from diverse cultivars either mixed or single. Those ensure different tastes and typicity, and these may be also enhanced by the region of production of cultivars. The different olive oil labels correspond to their chemical composition and acidity. Labels also may correspond to a protected origin indication, and thus, such oils contain a given composition in cultivars. To verify the main cultivars used at the source of an olive oil sample, our method is based on DNA technology. DNA is present in all olive oil samples and even in refined oil, but the quantity may depend on the oil processing technology and oil conservation conditions. Thus, several supports were used to retain DNA checking different techniques (silica extraction, hydroxyapatite, magnetic beads, and spun column) to prepare DNA from variable amounts of oil. At this stage, it was usable for amplification through PCR technology and especially with the magnetic beads, and further purification processes were checked. Finally, the final method used magnetic beads. DNA is released from beads in a buffer. Once purified, we showed that it did not contain compounds inhibiting PCR amplification using SSR primers. Aliquot dilution fractions of this solution were successfully routinely used through PCR with different SSR primer sets. This enables confident detection of eventual alien alleles in oil samples. First applied to virgin oil samples of known composition, either single cultivars or mixtures of them, the method was verified working on commercial virgin oil samples using bottles bought in supermarkets. Last, we defined a protocol starting from 2 x 40 mL virgin olive oil, and DNA was prepared routinely in about 5 h. It was convenient to genotype together several loci per sample to check whether alleles were in accordance with those of expected cultivars. Thus, forensic applications of our method are expected. However, the method needs further improvement to work on all oil samples.     

Polymerase Chain Reaction assay for the detection of Kudoa paniformis and Kudoa thyrsites in Pacific Hake (Merluccius productus)

Myoliquefaction of Pacific hake has been attributed to proteolytic action associated with parasitic infection. Among the two infecting species of Kudoa, Kudoa paniformis and Kudoa thyrsites, the former is reported to be more virulent for the "soft flesh" phenomenon in Pacific hake. The objective of this research was to develop a sensitive and specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to detect infection of hake by K. paniformis. Primers based on specific regions ( approximately 1562 bp) of the small subunit ribosomal DNA of K. paniformis successfully amplified the target DNA segments from both spore and muscle extracted DNA templates. DNA sequencing confirmed the veracity of this method to distinguish parasitic infection by K. paniformis versus K. thyrsites. The established PCR method was applied to investigate Kudoa infection in 44 Pacific hake samples using DNA extracted from muscle and/or spores, and the results were compared to infection evaluated by microscopic examination of extracted spores.     

Application of a real time polymerase chain reaction method to detect castor toxin contamination in fluid milk and eggs

The castor seed contains ricin, which is one of the most potent biological toxins and is widely considered to be a threat agent for bioterrorism. In this study, a rapid and sensitive PCR method was applied to the detection of castor contamination in milk and liquid egg samples. The targeting gene sequence of the primer set, Ricin-F4/R4, was not found in either the bovine or chicken genome. Primers against a highly conserved sequence from the 18S ribosomal RNA gene were used as a positive control for DNA extraction and PCR reaction efficiency. The quantity and quality of DNA prepared from castor spiked or nonspiked milk and egg samples obtained from three different DNA extraction methods were compared. The cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) method yielded the highest quality of DNA and is most suitable for the sensitive detection of castor DNA by real-time PCR in both milk and liquid egg matrixes. However, taking time and cost into consideration, a commercial kit designed for extraction of DNA from stool samples could be used as an alternative method for the routine extraction of DNA from milk for real-time PCR assays. The egg matrix was found to inhibit PCR amplification and interfere with two of the three methods tested for DNA extraction. Egg yolk had a greater negative effect on PCR amplification than the egg white matrix. Our results affirm the necessity of performing individual validations for each food matrix. Both real-time PCR systems used in this study, TaqMan and SYBR Green I dye, were capable of detecting 100 ng of castor acetone powder, corresponding to 5 ng of ricin, in 1 mL of milk or liquid egg, well below the toxic dose for humans. On the basis of these results, the real-time PCR method for detection of intentional castor contamination is applicable to milk and egg matrixes.     

Real-time polymerase chain reaction quantification of the transgenes for roundup ready corn and roundup ready soybean in soil samples

A method for quantification of recombinant DNA for Roundup Ready (RR) corn and RR soybean in soil samples is described. Soil DNA from experimental field samples was extracted using a soil DNA extraction kit with a modified protocol. For the detection and quantification of recombinant DNA of RR corn and RR soybean, a molecular beacon and two pairs of specific primers were designed to differentially target recombinant DNA in these two genetically modified crops. Soil DNA extracts were spiked with RR corn or RR soybean DNA, and recombinant DNA was quantified using real-time PCR with a molecular beacon. As few as one copy of RR corn genome or one copy of RR soybean genome was detected in the soil DNA extract.     

Detection of genetically modified coho salmon using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification

A PCR-based protocol for the identification of genetically modified salmon carrying a growth hormone transgene was developed. Several primer pairs were examined, and the primers that gave consistent results were selected to conduct routine testing. Comparison among several DNA extraction procedures, as well as different buffer compositions, led to the adoption of TriZol as the method of choice. Low potassium and high magnesium chloride concentrations were very important in the overall success of the PCR reaction, whereas buffer pH, ranging from 8.3 to 9.2, had little impact on the amplification reaction. The optimal primer annealing temperature was 52 degrees C. Although fish muscle tissues were the primary source for DNA samples, detection of the transgene was also possible in bones, skin, fins, and other organs. No benefits were achieved by the addition of additives such as dimethyl sulfoxide and betaine to the PCR reaction. This optimized PCR method was used to identify all samples tested (61 samples and 17 controls) with 100% accuracy.     

A method for obtaining the relationship between the amount of DNA and the fine root weight from mixtures of fine roots and soil particles

Fine root biomass can be estimated from the quantity of DNA of a target plant extracted from fine root samples using regression analysis. However, the application of this method to fine root samples mixed with soil particles (mixed samples) is difficult due to the high DNA adsorption capacity of some clay minerals. Our aim in this study was to clarify the enhancement level of the DNA extraction efficiency of an improved method, and to obtain a regression line between the amount of DNA and the root biomass from a mixed sample with similar reliability as for fine roots alone (pure root sample). We examined the amount of DNA extracted from a mixture of Zea mays L. fine roots and highly adsorbent Kanuma soil using various concentrations of a skim milk solution, which acts as an adsorption competitor for the soil particles during the DNA extraction process. The amount of DNA of Zea mays extracted from the mixed sample using 0% skim milk was lower than from the pure root sample. However, the amount of DNA extracted from the mixed sample increased with increasing concentrations of skim milk, reaching the same level as for the pure root samples and resulting in a regression line that was similar to the pure root samples. Optimal DNA extraction levels were obtained with the addition of 20?µL of a 20% skim milk solution to 30?mg of a mixed sample. We also discuss the applicability of this method to other plant species and soil types.