Yuancong Xu

Point-of-care and visual detection of P. aeruginosa and its toxin genes by multiple LAMP and lateral flow nucleic acid biosensor

This study describes a simple and sensitive approach for visual and point-of-care detection of P. aeruginosa and its toxin genes based on multiple loop-mediated isothermal amplification (mLAMP) and lateral flow nucleic acid biosensor (LFNAB). Differentiation of the internal standard gene ecfX and toxin genes (ExoS and ExoU) in P. aeruginosa was determined using FITC-, hex-and digoxin-modified primers in the mLAMP process. In the presence of biotin-and FITC- (hex-, digoxin-) modified primers and Bst DNA polymerase large fragments, the mLAMP produced numerous biotin- and FITC- (hex-, digoxin-) attached duplex DNA products. The products were detected by LFNAB through dual immunoreactions (anti-biotin antibodies on the gold nanoparticle (Au-NP) and biotin on the duplex, anti-FITC (hex, digoxin) antibodies on the LFNAB test line and FITC (hex, digoxin) on the duplex). The accumulation of Au-NPs produced a characteristic red band, enabling visual detection of P. aeruginosa and its toxin genes without instrumentation. After systematic optimization of LFNAB preparation and detecting conditions, the current approach was capable of detecting concentrations as low as 20 CFU/mL P. aeruginosa or its toxin genes within 50min without complicated instrument, which is more sensitive than PCR. Therefore, this approach provides a simple, pollution free, sensitive, and low-cost point-of-care test for the detection of P. aeruginosa and its toxin genes.

Ochratoxin A biocontrol and biodegradation by Bacillus subtilis CW 14.

BACKGROUND Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by some Aspergillus and Penicillium species. In this study a strain of Bacillus subtilis was tested for its effects on OTA-producing Aspergillus and OTA degradation. The mechanisms of the effects were also investigated. RESULTS A strain of Bacillus spp. isolated from fresh elk droppings was screened out using the methods described by Guan et al. (Int J Mol Sci 9:1489-1503 (2008)). The 16S rRNA gene sequence suggested that it was B. subtilis CW 14. It could inhibit the growth of the OTA-producing species Aspergillus ochraceus 3.4412 and Aspergillus carbonarius, with inhibition rates of 33.0 and 33.3% respectively. At 6 µg mL(-1) OTA, both viable and autoclaved (121 °C, 20 min) cells of CW 14 bound more than 60% of OTA. In addition, OTA was degraded by the cell-free supernatant of CW 14. By high-performance liquid chromatography, the cell-free supernatant degraded 97.6% of OTA after 24 h of incubation at 30 °C, and no degradation products were produced. The fastest degradation occurred during the first 2 h. In 3 g samples of contaminated maize, 47.1% of OTA was degraded by 50 mL inocula of overnight cultures of CW 14. CONCLUSION These findings indicated that B. subtilis CW 14 could both prevent OTA contamination and degrade OTA in crops.

Development and application of a quantitative loop-mediated isothermal amplification method for detecting genetically modified maize MON863.

BACKGROUND A SYBR Green I-based quantitative loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed for the rapid detection of genetically modified maize MON863. A set of primers was designed based on the integration region of the Cry3Bb1 and tahsp17 genes. RESULTS The qualitative and quantitative reaction conditions (dNTPs, betaine, primers, Mg(2+), Bst polymerase, temperature, reaction time) were optimized. The concentrations of Mg(2+) and betaine were found to be important to the LAMP assay. The detection limits of both qualitative and quantitative LAMP for MON863 were as low as 4 haploid genomic DNA, and the LAMP reactions can be completed within 1 h at an isothermal temperature of 65 °C. CONCLUSION The results of this study demonstrate that this new SYBR Green I-based quantitative LAMP assay system is reliable, sensitive and accurate.

Accurate and easy-to-use assessment of contiguous DNA methylation sites based on proportion competitive quantitative-PCR and lateral flow nucleic acid biosensor.

Many types of diagnostic technologies have been reported for DNA methylation, but they require a standard curve for quantification or only show moderate accuracy. Moreover, most technologies have difficulty providing information on the level of methylation at specific contiguous multi-sites, not to mention easy-to-use detection to eliminate labor-intensive procedures. We have addressed these limitations and report here a cascade strategy that combines proportion competitive quantitative PCR (PCQ-PCR) and lateral flow nucleic acid biosensor (LFNAB), resulting in accurate and easy-to-use assessment. The P16 gene with specific multi-methylated sites, a well-studied tumor suppressor gene, was used as the target DNA sequence model. First, PCQ-PCR provided amplification products with an accurate proportion of multi-methylated sites following the principle of proportionality, and double-labeled duplex DNA was synthesized. Then, a LFNAB strategy was further employed for amplified signal detection via immune affinity recognition, and the exact level of site-specific methylation could be determined by the relative intensity of the test line and internal reference line. This combination resulted in all recoveries being greater than 94%, which are pretty satisfactory recoveries in DNA methylation assessment. Moreover, the developed cascades show significantly high usability as a simple, sensitive, and low-cost tool. Therefore, as a universal platform for sensing systems for the detection of contiguous multi-sites of DNA methylation without external standards and expensive instrumentation, this PCQ-PCR-LFNAB cascade method shows great promise for the point-of-care diagnosis of cancer risk and therapeutics.

One-step competitive lateral flow biosensor running on an independent quantification system for smart phones based in-situ detection of trace Hg(II) in tap water

In this study, a one-step lateral flow biosensor (LFB) has been developed, optimized and validated for quantitative detection of Hg(II) in water. In the measurement principle, just one T-rich ssDNA probe (TSP) for the specific binding process was successfully employed in the competitive LFB based methods. The concept of an independent quantification system was realized using a cresol red dot as an external standard, which effectively eliminates false negative results. Under optimized conditions, the limit of detection for Hg(II) was 4nM; high selectivity towards Hg(II) and extraordinary device-to-device repeatability of the LFB were achieved. Furthermore, Hg(II) from tap water samples was analyzed, and the results were confirmed by ICP-MS. The interference from other components in the real samples could be neglected during the analysis. The approach provides a simple, sensitive, and practical tool for the detection of trace Hg(II) in tap water, showing great promise for in-situ applications.

On-site detection of stacked genetically modified soybean based on event-specific TM-LAMP and a DNAzyme-lateral flow biosensor

Stacked genetically modified organisms (GMO) are becoming popular for their enhanced production efficiency and improved functional properties, and on-site detection of stacked GMO is an urgent challenge to be solved. In this study, we developed a cascade system combining event-specific tag-labeled multiplex LAMP with a DNAzyme-lateral flow biosensor for reliable detection of stacked events (DP305423× GTS 40-3-2). Three primer sets, both event-specific and soybean species-specific, were newly designed for the tag-labeled multiplex LAMP system. A trident-like lateral flow biosensor displayed amplified products simultaneously without cross contamination, and DNAzyme enhancement improved the sensitivity effectively. After optimization, the limit of detection was approximately 0.1% (w/w) for stacked GM soybean, which is sensitive enough to detect genetically modified content up to a threshold value established by several countries for regulatory compliance. The entire detection process could be shortened to 120min without any large-scale instrumentation. This method may be useful for the in-field detection of DP305423× GTS 40-3-2 soybean on a single kernel basis and on-site screening tests of stacked GM soybean lines and individual parent GM soybean lines in highly processed foods.

A smart sealed nucleic acid biosensor based on endogenous reference gene detection to screen and identify mammals on site

The identification of meat adulteration is a hotspot for food research worldwide. In this paper, a smart and sealed biosensor that combines loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) with a lateral flow device (LFD) was developed, resulting in the universal mammalian assessment on site. First, the highly specific chromosomal Glucagon gene (Gcg) was chosen as the endogenous reference gene, and the LAMP approach provided double-labeled duplex DNA products using FITC- and BIO- modified primers. Then, an LFD strategy was used for specific signal recognition through an immunoassay. Meanwhile, LFD-LAMP was compared to LAMP and real-time LAMP, the results showed consistent high specificity and sensitivity but in a more convenient and easy-to-use system. In addition, the detection limit was as low as 10 pg, which was equivalent to 3~5 copies in mammals. All of the reactions were performed in a sealed system regardless of the amplification process or products recognized. Therefore, the smart design demonstrated significantly high specificity and the ability to detect trace amounts of DNA in complex and processed foods with mammalian meat. As a universal and specific platform for the detection of mammalian DNA, this smart biosensor is an excellent prospect for species identification and meat adulteration.

Identification of a chicken (Gallus gallus) endogenous reference gene (Actb) and its application in meat adulteration

The genes commonly used to determine meat species are mainly mitochondrial, but the copy numbers of such genes are high, meaning they cannot be accurately quantified. In this paper, for the first time, the chromosomal gene Actb was selected as an endogenous reference gene for chicken species. It was assayed in four different chicken varieties and 16 other species using both qualitative and quantitative PCR. No amplification of the Actb gene was found in species other than chicken and no allelic variations were detected in chicken. Southern blot and digital-PCR confirmed the Actb gene was present as a single copy in the chicken genome. The quantitative detection limit was 10pg of DNA, which is equivalent to eight copies. All experiments indicated that the Actb gene is a useful endogenous reference gene for chicken, and provides a convenient and accurate approach for detection of chicken in feed and food.

Ultrasensitive Detection of Viable Enterobacter sakazakii by a Continual Cascade Nanozyme Biosensor

Recent outbreaks of life-threatening neonatal infections linked to Enterobacter sakazakii (ES) heightened the need to develop rapid and ultrasensitive detection strategies, especially those capable of determining the viable cells. This study introduced a continual cascade nanozyme biosensor for the detection of viable ES based on propidium monoazide (PMA), loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), and Nanozyme strip. The ompA gene of ES was determined using FITC-modified and BIO-modified primers in the LAMP process. LAMP combined with PMA treatment was applied for distinguishing the viable from the dead state of ES. Then, using Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles as a nanozyme probe, a magnetic nanoparticle (MNP)-based immunochromatographic strip (Nanozyme strip) was further employed for amplifying signal to allow visual detection and quantification by a strip reader. The LAMP products were sandwiched between the anti-FITC and the anti-BIO, and the accumulation of the Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles enabled the visual detection of ES. The detection limit of the nanozyme biosensor was improved by 10 CFU/mL compared with previously reported techniques, and the whole manipulation process was much faster (within 1 h) and simpler (without specialist facilities). Hence, the developed continual cascade nanozyme biosensor has provided a rapid, ultrasensitive, and simple tool for on-site detection of viable ES.

Ultrasensitive Single Fluorescence-Labeled Probe-Mediated Single Universal Primer–Multiplex–Droplet Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction for High-Throughput Genetically Modified Organism Screening

As genetically modified (GM) technology develops and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) become more available, GMOs face increasing regulations and pressure to adhere to strict labeling guidelines. A singleplex detection method cannot perform the high-throughput analysis necessary for optimal GMO detection. Combining the advantages of multiplex detection and droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR), a single universal primer-multiplex-ddPCR (SUP-M-ddPCR) strategy was proposed for accurate broad-spectrum screening and quantification. The SUP increases efficiency of the primers in PCR and plays an important role in establishing a high-throughput, multiplex detection method. Emerging ddPCR technology has been used for accurate quantification of nucleic acid molecules without a standard curve. Using maize as a reference point, four heterologous sequences ( 35S, NOS, NPTII, and PAT) were selected to evaluate the feasibility and applicability of this strategy. Surprisingly, these four genes cover more than 93% of the transgenic maize lines and serve as preliminary screening sequences. All screening probes were labeled with FAM fluorescence, which allows the signals from the samples with GMO content and those without to be easily differentiated. This fiveplex screening method is a new development in GMO screening. Utilizing an optimal amplification assay, the specificity, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were validated. The LOD and LOQ of this GMO screening method were 0.1% and 0.01%, respectively, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) < 25%. This method could serve as an important tool for the detection of GM maize from different processed, commercially available products. Further, this screening method could be applied to other fields that require reliable and sensitive detection of DNA targets.