Academic literature on the topic 'Molecular diagnostic tool'

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is develop and test an inexpensive molecular tool kit to be used for diagnostic PCR for diseases such as Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) and Cystic fibrosis(CF). By developing and optimizing recombinant Taq polymerase and making a DNA size ladder from plasmids pPSU1 and pPSU2 the financial cost for the tool kit would be reduced significantly compared to the commercial components. With an inhouse method both the recombinant Taq polymerase and the pPSU1 and pPSU2 plasmids were purified from the E.coil strain DH5-α. Thereafter to analyse the components of the tool kit both conventional PCR and Real-time PCR to make sure that the tool kit would work for both types of PCRs.     The homemade Taq polymerase proved to be able to sustain in room temperature for at least 24 h and the polymerase also showed that it works with different primers such as LHON, CF and Beta-globin in both endpoint and probe base real-time PCR. The homemade size marker produced a reliable in agarose gel electrophoresis but requires optimization for continued usage for smaller PCR products.     In conclusion the homemade Taq polymerase will be used in future PCR analysis in the laboratory and the recombinant production process as well. Meanwhile the homemade size marker did not work sufficiency enough to be continuously used with gel electrophoresis in the laboratory without being further modified.

<p>To further the understanding and knowledge about fusion plasmas and their behaviour during different conditions, it is important to be able to collect information about the plasma and the processes occurring within it. Visible spectroscopy, or the study of the visible wavelength light emitted by the plasma, is a useful tool in this search for knowledge.</p><p>This thesis is based on experiments where visible wavelength light has been measured and analysed in order to determine quantities about the emitting source. Doppler shift measurements of spectral lines have been utilised to determine the toroidal rotation velocities of plasma impurity ions and to study the correlation with mode rotation and the effect of active feedback control of the resistive wall modes. Information on the impurities present in the plasma has been determined and the calibrated intensities of spectral lines has yielded impurity concentrations, particle fluxes and electron temperature and densities. Ion temperatures have been determined from Doppler broadening measurements.</p><p>The measured vibrational and rotational band structure of deuterium molecular spectra has been analysed in order to calculate rotational and vibrational temperatures, relative populations and molecular particle fluxes. The effect of the molecular flux on simple calculations of atomic flux has also been studied. Specific molecular states and transitions of deuterium have also been probed with synchrotron radiation to study the level and transition energies.</p><p>The measurement and analysis of visible wavelength light has been demonstrated to be a sensitive diagnostic tool in the quest for increased knowledge about fusion plasmas and molecular structure.</p>

In this thesis, the interactions between different proteins and small ligands were characterized by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPR) and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) based assays.    For the C-reactive protein (CRP), a new type of artificial binder was identified which allows designing diagnostic assays superior to commonly used standard assays. Furthermore, an interaction study with the endogenous ligand phosphocholine revealed the importance of the avidity of pentameric CRP for the distinction of different types of lipid membranes. The interaction study with calcium showed how SPR based assays can be used to study ion-protein interactions despite the low atomic weight of ions.    The transmembrane protease BACE1, an important drug target for Alzheimer’s disease, was immobilized to an SPR biosensor surface and embedded into a lipid membrane. An interaction study with a set of known BACE1 inhibitors showed that the transmembrane region has only minor effects on the interactions. Furthermore the pH-dependencies of the interactions were investigated and revealed new important conclusions for inhibitor design. Computer aided modelling showed that the protonation state of the aspartic dyad is dependent on the interacting inhibitor which offers new perspectives for in silico screenings. The SPR assay developed for BACE1 was adapted to a more complex membrane protein, the pentameric β3 GABAA receptor. The assay allowed the pharmacological characterisation for histaminergic and GABAergic ligands and gave further evidence for cross-talk between the two signal transduction pathways. This study shows that the immobilisation method used for BACE1 and the ß3 GABAA receptor has the potential to become a standard method for handling membrane proteins.   The identification of new drug leads from natural sources is a common strategy for drug discovery. A combination of SPR and FRET based activity assays were explored to increase the efficiency of this process. For HIV-1 protease, secreted aspartic protease (SAP) 1, 2 and 3 extracts from a marine vertebrate were identified containing potent inhibitors which interacted with the active site of the enzymes. The studies in this thesis show that the investigation of protein interactions is crucial for understanding protein functions and can help to develop novel drugs for the treatment of different diseases.

Le manioc (Manihot esculenta L. Crantz) est cultivé dans toute la zone intertropicale. Compte tenu de ses utilisations potentielles, le développement de la culture du manioc a considérablement augmenté au niveau mondial, mais il est encore considéré comme une culture de subsistance en particulier dans les régions pauvres où il est cultivé par les petits producteurs. La production du manioc est fortement contrainte par des facteurs biotiques et abiotiques, dont la bactériose vasculaire du manioc (CBB) et la nécrose bactérienne du manioc (CBN) qui sont deux maladies causées par les bactéries Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. les manihotis (Xam) et X. cassavae (Xc), respectivement. CBB est considérée comme la principale maladie bactérienne, notamment au Venezuela où la CBB a été signalée pour la première fois dans les années 70. Dans les années 90, des études ont été menées pour élucider la variabilité génétique de Xam dans différentes régions du pays, au moyen d’outils moléculaires, mettant en évidence un degré élevé de polymorphisme parmi les souches analysés.Le sujet de cette thèse porte sur la situation de CBB au Venezuela 20 ans après. Quelle est la diversité génétique actuelle de Xam au Venezuela? Quelle est la structure génétique des populations de Xam dans ce pays, et comment diffèrent-elles des souches de Xam recueillies dans les années 90? En outre, étant donné que Xam et Xc provoquent des symptômes semblables sur feuilles de manioc et présentent des caractéristiques physiologiques et morphologiques similaires, nous avons également visé à développer un nouvel outil de diagnostic moléculaire permettant une détection rapide et fiable de Xam et de Xc tout étant capable de les discriminer l’une vis à vis de l’autre.Pour atteindre nos objectifs, nous avons d'abord établi une PCR-duplex comme outil de détection moléculaire des xanthomonades infectant le manioc. Sur la base de l'analyse in silico des séquences du génome de 66 souches de Xam et une de Xc, nous avons pu sélectionner 6 paires d'amorces candidates spécifiques de Xam et six autres pour Xc. Nous avons pu développer un test de PCR-duplex qui a été validé en testant 53 souches de Xam et 25 souches de Xc issues de différents pays, 18 souches non cibles contrôles et cinq souches épiphytes associées au manioc. Cette technique représente un outil utile pour détecter et différencier Xam et Xc provenant de cultures in vitro mais aussi fonctionnelle à partir de tissues de plantes infectés.Deuxièmement, nous avons donc évalué la diversité des populations de Xam à l’aide de l’étude de microsatellites (ou MLVA pour « Multiple loci VNTR analysis »). Une enquête de terrain menée dans six États du Venezuela a permis d'évaluer la présence de la maladie, son statut et nous a permis d'établir une collection de souches de Xam dont l’analyse détaillée de la diversité a pu être réalisée. Au total nous avons isolé 202 souches de Xam issues de six localités situées dans quatre états. À l'aide d'un schéma 14-MVLA, nous avons analysé 12 populations et mis en évidence un indice élevé de la diversité génétique au sein de ces populations et entre elles, et principalement dans l'est du pays.Le développement de ce type de recherche est essentiel pour une gestion raisonnée des cultures dans le monde. Conjugué aux politiques agricoles existantes, il nous permettra de mieux comprendre les agents pathogènes d'importance agricole et les mécanismes impliqués dans leur établissement dans le temps et à travers l’espace. L'objectif à long terme est d'appliquer des mesures de contrôle efficaces et durables, ce qui conduira à des mesures de quarantaine plus efficaces pour prévenir la propagation de la maladie<br>Cassava (Manihot esculenta L. Crantz) belongs to the group of roots and tubers and is cultivated in the tropics worldwide. This species is a nutritional alternative in many populations where no optimal crop production, general conditions nor technological support exist. Considering its potential uses, the global development of cassava crop has increased significantly but it is still considered a subsistence crop in poor regions lead by smallholder producers. Cassava is affected by biotic and abiotic factors during its life cycle, which heavily limiting its optimal performance. A variety of pests and diseases are known to affect cassava production. Among them are those caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis (Xam) and Xanthomonas cassavae (Xc), causal agents of Cassava Bacterial Blight (CBB) and Cassava Bacterial Necrosis (CBN) diseases, respectively. CBB is considered the major bacterial disease that affects cassava crop worldwide which is also the case in Venezuela where it was first reported in the 70s. Since the 90s, studies were conducted to elucidate Xam genetic variability in different regions in the country, by means of different molecular tools available at that time. A high degree of polymorphism among the isolates was reported, whether collected from the same or different fields. The Xam population was distributed into eight clusters and no correlation was observed between genetic diversity and geographic origin.Our questions deal with the situation of CBB in Venezuela 20 years later : what is the current genetic diversity of Xam populations in Venezuela? what is the genetic structure of Xam populations and how do they differ with respect to Xam strains collected in 90s. Moreover, because Xam and Xc cause similar symptoms on cassava leaves and display similar physiological and morphological characteristics, we also aimed at developing a new molecular diagnostic tool allowing for fast and reliable detection of Xam and able to discriminate with Xc.To achieve our goals, we first established a duplex-PCR as a molecular detection tool of cassava-infecting xanthomonads. Based on in silico analysis of the genome sequences of 66 Xam and 1 Xc strains, we were able to select 6 Xam and 6 Xc primers pairs candidates, of which one set of primers for each was selected for further studies. We were able to develop a duplex-PCR assay that was validated upon testing 53 Xam strains and 25 Xc strains from different countries, 18 non-target strains, and 5 epiphytic strains associated to cassava, proving this technique a useful tool to detect and differentiate Xam and Xc from in vitro cultures and in planta.Secondly we assessed the diversity of Xam populations through a variable number of tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). A field survey conducted in six states in Venezuela enabled to evaluate the occurence of the disease, its status and allowed us to establish a strain collection for detailed diversity analysis. We isolated 202 Xam strains from six localities, localized in four states. Using a MVLA14-scheme, we analyzed 12 populations highlighting a high index of genetic diversity among and within populations, mainly in the east of the country.The development of this type of research is essential in the management of crops in the world and coupled with the existing agricultural policies, it will allow us to have a deeper understanding of pathogens of agricultural importance and the mechanisms involved in their establishment over time and across regions. The long-term objective of this is to apply control measures that are effective in time, thus establishing more stringent quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the disease

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world’s leading causes of mortality due to a single infectious agent, with approximately 1.5 million deaths and 9.2 million new cases per year as estimated in 2006. It is assumed that about 5-10% of individuals infected with M. tuberculosis develop TB and the remaining 90-95% contain M. tuberculosis through their immune systems, but have a latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). To effectively control TB, it is essential to detect individuals with LTBI and to reliably diagnose active TB. Conventional TB diagnosis continues to rely on smear microscopy and culture that have several known limitations in terms of both speed and sensitivity that delay the diagnosis and, consequently, hold-up TB treatment and increase the spread of infection in the community. M. tuberculosis infection remains widespread, but the disease is generally limited to the primary infection stage. Patients with an immune defect or impaired immunity are more prone to develop the disease. In LTBI, the host immune response is capable of controlling the infection by the release of chemokines and cytokines produced by T helper (Th) cells, critical for the outcome of the infection. Several cells of the immune system are involved in the control of TB, from the macrophages and dendritic cells, called antigen presenting cells (APC) to the T cells, CD4, CD8, gamma delta T cells. Activation of these cells with excessive pro inflammatory responses can lead to tissue damage, with the need of mechanisms to counteract this, such as Th2 and T regulatory cells (Treg)-mediated responses. The optimal scenario would therefore seem to have balanced Th1, Th2 and Treg response, suited to the immune challenge. The balance between these types of response is reflected in the resultant host resistance against infection. Therefore the aims of the thesis were to find new approaches for diagnosis of active TB (First Part) and LTBI (Second Part). In this work we wanted to explore the immune mechanisms of TB pathogenesis with particular focus on the impact of Treg on suppressing M. tuberculosis-specific response (Third Part). For the diagnosis of active TB, we describe an alternative PCR methodology based on the amplification of small DNA fragments, originated from cells dying throughout the body (transrenal DNA; Tr-DNA) and detected in urine. It was found that small M. tuberculosis DNA fragments were specifically detected in the cell-free fraction of urine specimens from pulmonary TB patients. To detect LTBI, we compared the performances of two short-incubation interferon (IFN)-g release assays (IGRAs), the commercial QuantiFERON TB-Gold and the in-house whole blood stimulation with region of difference (RD)-1 proteins, with those of a 7-day whole blood stimulation and tuberculin skin test (TST). In an effort to find new markers for LTBI diagnosis, we also evaluated the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines [interleukin (IL)-1, IL-2, IL-6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-alfa], anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-10, IL-13) and chemokines [inducible protein (IP)-10, Macrophage Inflammatory Protein (MIP)-alfa, MIP-1beta, IL-8] after specific stimulation. The results raise the hypothesis that short-incubation IGRAs mainly detect recent or ongoing infection with M. tuberculosis, while prolonged-incubation IGRAs seem to be more sensitive for the diagnosis of past latent infection. Moreover we found that IL-2 and IP-10 may be additional markers for TB infection after RD1 specific stimulation. Finally we wanted to evaluate the impact of Treg on suppressing M. tuberculosis-specific response. Using classical markers for Treg recognition, discordant results were found in terms of Treg expansion during active TB disease. Recently CD39 has been shown to be an accurate marker for Treg detection. Objectives of this part of the thesis were: 1) to identify Treg expressing CD39 in patients with TB and to compare the results with those obtained by the standard phenotypic markers; 2) to evaluate if Treg are expanded in vitro by exogenous IL-2 or by antigen-specific stimulation; 3) to characterize Treg function on the modulation of antigen-specific responses. In this study we demonstrated that CD39 is a useful marker to detect Treg because within CD4+CD25high cells, it identifies a cell subset characterized by high production of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 and the absence of IFN-gamma expression. Moreover, we showed that CD39+ Treg are expanded by M. tuberculosis-specific stimulation in patients with active TB disease.

Improved diagnosis, prognosis and disease follow-up is a fundamental procedure and a constant challenge in medicine.  Among the different molecular biomarkers, proteins are the essential regulatory component in blood; hence, by developing enhanced specific and sensitive molecular tools will gives great insight into the different processes in disease treatment.  In this thesis, we build on the proximity ligation assay to develop and apply new adaptable methods to facilitate protein detection. In paper I, I present a variant of the proximity ligation assay (we call PLARCA) using micro titer plate for detection and quantification of protein using optical density as readout in the fluorometer. PLARCA detected femtomolar levels of these proteins in patient samples, which was considerably below the detection threshold for ELISA. In paper II, we developed and adapted a new method into the in situ PLA methods for detection and identification of extracellular vesicles (EVs) using flow cytometry as readout (a method we call ExoPLA).  We identified five target proteins on the surface of the Evs and using three colors, we identified the EV using flow cytometer. In paper III, we aim to improve the efficiency of in situ PLA by creating and developing new designs and versions of the assay we called Unfold probes Through comparison of detection of protein using in situ PLA versus Unfold probes, we observed considerable decrease in non-specific signals, and also a lower detection threshold. In paper IV, we describe the development of a solid phase proximity extension (sp-PEA) assay for protein detection and quantification. We compared detection of IL-8, TNF-alpha, IL-10 and IL-6 using spPEA and PEA; spPEA demonstrations over 2 orders of magnitudes in the lower detection concentrations by decreased in background noise.

La brucellose est une zoonose causée par le genre bactérien Brucella (B.) dont l’incidence mondiale est estimée à 500 000 cas humains par an. Le réservoir est animal, touchant principalement les espèces de rente. Les espèces les plus importantes pour l’Homme sont B. melitensis, B. abortus et B. suis qui partagent plus de 90% d’identité de séquence. Bien qu’elles soient très apparentées sur le plan génétique, elles présentent une diversité de caractéristiques phénotypiques, de préférence d’hôte et de pathogénicité. L’homogénéité génétique de ces espèces peut apparaître comme un atout pour le développement d’outils de diagnostic universels robustes. En revanche, il s’agit d’un challenge pour les distinguer, rendant difficile la caractérisation précise des isolats issus d’un même foyer. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, un outil de diagnostic moléculaire de PCR en temps réel ciblant le genre Brucella a été développé et optimisé. L’outil a été évalué sur des prélèvements de lait de ruminants, ces prélèvements peuvent être une source importante de Brucella et peuvent être utiles au dépistage de la maladie à l’échelle du troupeau. Basée sur la détection de l’élément d’insertion IS711, une séquence présente en plusieurs exemplaires dans le génome, cette méthode affiche des valeurs de sensibilité et de spécificité qui la rendent intéressante pour un schéma global de lutte contre la brucellose. D’autre part, en vue d’améliorer la compréhension de la stabilité génétique de B. melitensis, un panel original de souches isolées dans le cadre d’un foyer et impliquant 4 espèces d’hôtes différentes a été comparé. Ainsi à l’aide de différentes approches complémentaires, leurs séquences génomiques, les caractères phénotypiques ainsi que leurs comportements dans un modèle in vitro ont été comparés. Nos résultats n’ont pas mis en évidence marqueurs qui laisserait à penser que des mutations dans le génome soient indispensables pour s’adapter à un nouvel hôte<br>Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterial genus Brucella (B.), whose global incidence is estimated at 500,000 human cases per year. The reservoir is animal, affecting mainly livestock. The most important species for humans are B. melitensis, B. abortus and B. suis, which share more than 90% sequence identity. Although highly genetically related, Brucella spp. exhibit a variety of phenotypic characteristics, host preference and pathogenicity. The genetic homogeneity of these species may appear as an asset for the development of robust universal diagnostic tools. On the other hand, it is a challenge to distinguish them, making it difficult to precisely characterize isolates from the same outbreak. As part of this thesis, a real-time PCR molecular diagnostic tool targeting the genus Brucella was developed and optimized. The method has been evaluated on ruminant milk samples; these samples may be an important source of Brucella and may be useful for herd-scale disease screening. Based on the detection of the IS711 insertion element, a sequence present in several copies within the genome, this method displays sensitivity and specificity values that make it interesting for a global scheme to fight against brucellosis. On the other hand, in order to improve the understanding of the genetic stability of B. melitensis, an original panel of strains isolated in an outbreak and involving four different host species was compared. Thus, using different complementary approaches, their genomic sequences, phenotypic characteristics and their behavior in an in vitro model were compared. Our results did not highlight markers that would suggest that mutations in the genome are essential to adapt to a new host

Mestrado em Biomedicina Molecular<br>Nowadays it is still difficult to perform an early and accurate diagnosis of dementia, therefore many research focus on the finding of new dementia biomarkers that can aid in that purpose. So scientists try to find a noninvasive, rapid, and relatively inexpensive procedures for early diagnosis purpose. Several studies demonstrated that the utilization of spectroscopic techniques, such as Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy could be an useful and accurate procedure to diagnose dementia. As several biochemical mechanisms related to neurodegeneration and dementia can lead to changes in plasma components and others peripheral body fluids, blood-based samples and spectroscopic analyses can be used as a more simple and less invasive technique. This work is intended to confirm some of the hypotheses of previous studies in which FTIR was used in the study of plasma samples of possible patient with AD and respective controls and verify the reproducibility of this spectroscopic technique in the analysis of such samples. Through the spectroscopic analysis combined with multivariate analysis it is possible to discriminate controls and demented samples and identify key spectroscopic differences between these two groups of samples which allows the identification of metabolites altered in this disease. It can be concluded that there are three spectral regions, 3500-2700 cm -1, 1800-1400 cm-1 and 1200-900 cm-1 where it can be extracted relevant spectroscopic information. In the first region, the main conclusion that is possible to take is that there is an unbalance between the content of saturated and unsaturated lipids. In the 1800-1400 cm-1 region it is possible to see the presence of protein aggregates and the change in protein conformation for highly stable parallel β-sheet. The last region showed the presence of products of lipid peroxidation related to impairment of membranes, and nucleic acids oxidative damage. FTIR technique and the information gathered in this work can be used in the construction of classification models that may be used for the diagnosis of cognitive dysfunction.<br>Atualmente, não é possível fazer um diagnóstico precoce e diferencial da doença de Alzheimer, deste modo, é necessário encontrar biomarcadores que o permitam. Para isso, os cientistas tentam encontrar um procedimento nãoinvasivo, rápido, e relativamente barato. Os resultados de vários estudos demonstraram que a utilização de técnicas espectroscópicas, tais como a Espectroscopia de Infravermelho Transformada de Fourier (FTIR) e / ou espectroscopia de Raman, podem ser ferramentas úteis para diagnosticar a DA. Uma vez que, na DA, alguns mecanismos bioquímicos podem levar a mudanças em componentes do plasma, podem então ser utilizadas amostras de sangue nas análises espectroscópicas o que torna a técnica simples e menos invasiva. Com este trabalho pretende-se confirmar algumas das hipóteses de estudos anteriores em que o FTIR foi usado no estudo de amostras de plasma de possíveis doentes com DA e respetivos controlos e verificar a reprodutibilidade desta técnica espectroscópica na análise deste tipo de amostras. Através da análise espectroscopia combinada com análise multivariada é possível discriminar as amostras controlos e dementes e identificar as principais diferenças espectroscópicas entre estes dois grupos de amostras que permitem identificar os metabolitos alterados nesta patologia. Pode-se concluir que existem três regiões espectrais, 3500-2700 cm-1, 18001400 cm-1 e 1200-900 cm-1 onde se pode extrair informação espectroscópica relevante. Na primeira região, a principal conclusão que é possível tirar é que há um desequilíbrio entre o teor de lípidos saturados e insaturados. Na região entre 1800-1400 cm-1, é possível observar a presença de agregados de proteínas e a alteração na conformação das proteínas para folha β paralela altamente estável. A última região revelou a presença de produtos de peroxidação lipídica relacionados com a insuficiência de membranas, e danos oxidativos nos ácidos nucleicos. A técnica de FTIR e a informação reunida neste trabalho pode ser utilizada na construção de modelos de classificação que possam vir a ser utilizados para o diagnóstico de disfunções cognitivas.