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Sample records for quantitative expression analysis

  1. A Strategy for Identifying Quantitative Trait Genes Using Gene Expression Analysis and Causal Analysis

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    Akira Ishikawa

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Large numbers of quantitative trait loci (QTL affecting complex diseases and other quantitative traits have been reported in humans and model animals. However, the genetic architecture of these traits remains elusive due to the difficulty in identifying causal quantitative trait genes (QTGs for common QTL with relatively small phenotypic effects. A traditional strategy based on techniques such as positional cloning does not always enable identification of a single candidate gene for a QTL of interest because it is difficult to narrow down a target genomic interval of the QTL to a very small interval harboring only one gene. A combination of gene expression analysis and statistical causal analysis can greatly reduce the number of candidate genes. This integrated approach provides causal evidence that one of the candidate genes is a putative QTG for the QTL. Using this approach, I have recently succeeded in identifying a single putative QTG for resistance to obesity in mice. Here, I outline the integration approach and discuss its usefulness using my studies as an example.

  2. A Strategy for Identifying Quantitative Trait Genes Using Gene Expression Analysis and Causal Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishikawa, Akira

    2017-11-27

    Large numbers of quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting complex diseases and other quantitative traits have been reported in humans and model animals. However, the genetic architecture of these traits remains elusive due to the difficulty in identifying causal quantitative trait genes (QTGs) for common QTL with relatively small phenotypic effects. A traditional strategy based on techniques such as positional cloning does not always enable identification of a single candidate gene for a QTL of interest because it is difficult to narrow down a target genomic interval of the QTL to a very small interval harboring only one gene. A combination of gene expression analysis and statistical causal analysis can greatly reduce the number of candidate genes. This integrated approach provides causal evidence that one of the candidate genes is a putative QTG for the QTL. Using this approach, I have recently succeeded in identifying a single putative QTG for resistance to obesity in mice. Here, I outline the integration approach and discuss its usefulness using my studies as an example.

  3. Quantitative analysis of lentiviral transgene expression in mice over seven generations.

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    Wang, Yong; Song, Yong-tao; Liu, Qin; Liu, Cang'e; Wang, Lu-lu; Liu, Yu; Zhou, Xiao-yang; Wu, Jun; Wei, Hong

    2010-10-01

    Lentiviral transgenesis is now recognized as an extremely efficient and cost-effective method to produce transgenic animals. Transgenes delivered by lentiviral vectors exhibited inheritable expression in many species including those which are refractory to genetic modification such as non-human primates. However, epigenetic modification was frequently observed in lentiviral integrants, and transgene expression found to be inversely correlated with methylation density. Recent data showed that about one-third lentiviral integrants exhibited hypermethylation and low expression, but did not demonstrate whether those integrants with high expression could remain constant expression and hypomethylated during long term germline transmission. In this study, using lentiviral eGFP transgenic mice as the experimental animals, lentiviral eGFP expression levels and its integrant numbers in genome were quantitatively analyzed by fluorescent quantitative polymerase-chain reaction (FQ-PCR), using the house-keeping gene ribosomal protein S18 (Rps18) and the single copy gene fatty acid binding protein of the intestine (Fabpi) as the internal controls respectively. The methylation densities of the integrants were quantitatively analyzed by bisulfite sequencing. We found that the lentiviral integrants with high expression exhibited a relative constant expression level per integrant over at least seven generations. Besides, the individuals containing these integrants exhibited eGFP expression levels which were positively and almost linearly correlated with the integrant numbers in their genomes, suggesting that no remarkable position effect on transgene expression of the integrants analyzed was observed. In addition, over seven generations the methylation density of these integrants did not increase, but rather decreased remarkably, indicating that these high expressing integrants were not subjected to de novo methylation during at least seven generations of germline transmission. Taken

  4. Identification of internal control genes for quantitative expression analysis by real-time PCR in bovine peripheral lymphocytes.

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    Spalenza, Veronica; Girolami, Flavia; Bevilacqua, Claudia; Riondato, Fulvio; Rasero, Roberto; Nebbia, Carlo; Sacchi, Paola; Martin, Patrice

    2011-09-01

    Gene expression studies in blood cells, particularly lymphocytes, are useful for monitoring potential exposure to toxicants or environmental pollutants in humans and livestock species. Quantitative PCR is the method of choice for obtaining accurate quantification of mRNA transcripts although variations in the amount of starting material, enzymatic efficiency, and the presence of inhibitors can lead to evaluation errors. As a result, normalization of data is of crucial importance. The most common approach is the use of endogenous reference genes as an internal control, whose expression should ideally not vary among individuals and under different experimental conditions. The accurate selection of reference genes is therefore an important step in interpreting quantitative PCR studies. Since no systematic investigation in bovine lymphocytes has been performed, the aim of the present study was to assess the expression stability of seven candidate reference genes in circulating lymphocytes collected from 15 dairy cows. Following the characterization by flow cytometric analysis of the cell populations obtained from blood through a density gradient procedure, three popular softwares were used to evaluate the gene expression data. The results showed that two genes are sufficient for normalization of quantitative PCR studies in cattle lymphocytes and that YWAHZ, S24 and PPIA are the most stable genes. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis of estrogen receptor gene expression in laser microdissected prostate cancer tissue.

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    Walton, Thomas J; Li, Geng; McCulloch, Thomas A; Seth, Rashmi; Powe, Desmond G; Bishop, Michael C; Rees, Robert C

    2009-06-01

    Real-time quantitative RT-PCR analysis of laser microdissected tissue is considered the most accurate technique for determining tissue gene expression. The discovery of estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) has focussed renewed interest on the role of estrogen receptors in prostate cancer, yet few studies have utilized the technique to analyze estrogen receptor gene expression in prostate cancer. Fresh tissue was obtained from 11 radical prostatectomy specimens and from 6 patients with benign prostate hyperplasia. Pure populations of benign and malignant prostate epithelium were laser microdissected, followed by RNA isolation and electrophoresis. Quantitative RT-PCR was performed using primers for androgen receptor (AR), estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta), estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha), progesterone receptor (PGR) and prostate specific antigen (PSA), with normalization to two housekeeping genes. Differences in gene expression were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U-test. Correlation coefficients were analyzed using Spearman's test. Significant positive correlations were seen when AR and AR-dependent PSA, and ERalpha and ERalpha-dependent PGR were compared, indicating a representative population of RNA transcripts. ERbeta gene expression was significantly over-expressed in the cancer group compared with benign controls (P cancer group (P prostate cancer specimens. In concert with recent studies the findings suggest differential production of ERbeta splice variants, which may play important roles in the genesis of prostate cancer. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  6. Quantitative miRNA expression analysis: comparing microarrays with next-generation sequencing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Willenbrock, Hanni; Salomon, Jesper; Søkilde, Rolf

    2009-01-01

    Recently, next-generation sequencing has been introduced as a promising, new platform for assessing the copy number of transcripts, while the existing microarray technology is considered less reliable for absolute, quantitative expression measurements. Nonetheless, so far, results from the two...... technologies have only been compared based on biological data, leading to the conclusion that, although they are somewhat correlated, expression values differ significantly. Here, we use synthetic RNA samples, resembling human microRNA samples, to find that microarray expression measures actually correlate...... better with sample RNA content than expression measures obtained from sequencing data. In addition, microarrays appear highly sensitive and perform equivalently to next-generation sequencing in terms of reproducibility and relative ratio quantification....

  7. An atlas of histone deacetylase expression in breast cancer: fluorescence methodology for comparative semi-quantitative analysis.

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    Ververis, Katherine; Karagiannis, Tom C

    2012-01-01

    The histone deacetylase inhibitors, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (Vorinostat, Zolinza™) and depsipeptide (Romidepsin, Istodax™) have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Numerous histone deacetylase inhibitors are currently undergoing clinical trials, predominantly in combination with other cancer modalities, for the treatment of various haematological and solid malignancies. Most of the traditional compounds are known as broad-spectrum or pan-histone deacetylase inhibitors, possessing activity against a number of the 11 metal-dependent enzymes. One of the main questions in the field is whether class- or isoform-specific compounds would offer a therapeutic benefit compared to broad-spectrum inhibitors. Therefore, analysis of the relative expression of the different histone deacetylase enzymes in cancer cells and tissues is important to determine whether there are specific targets. We used a panel of antibodies directed against the 11 known mammalian histone deacetylases to determine expression levels in MCF7 breast cancer cells and in tissue representative of invasive ductal cell carcinoma and ductal carcinoma in situ. Firstly, we utilized a semi-quantitative method based on immunofluorescence staining to examine expression of the different histone deacetylases in MCF7 cells. Our findings indicate high expression levels of HDAC1, 3 and 6 in accordance with findings from others using RT-PCR and immunoblotting. Following validation of our approach we examined the expression of the different isoforms in representative control and breast cancer tissue. In general, our findings indicate higher expression of class I histone deacetylases compared to class II enzymes in breast cancer tissue. Analysis of individual cancer cells in the same tissue indicated marked heterogeneity in the expression of most class I enzymes indicating potential complications with the use of class- or isoform

  8. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for quantitative gene expression analysis of acid responses in Staphylococcus aureus.

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    Rode, Tone Mari; Berget, Ingunn; Langsrud, Solveig; Møretrø, Trond; Holck, Askild

    2009-07-01

    Microorganisms are constantly exposed to new and altered growth conditions, and respond by changing gene expression patterns. Several methods for studying gene expression exist. During the last decade, the analysis of microarrays has been one of the most common approaches applied for large scale gene expression studies. A relatively new method for gene expression analysis is MassARRAY, which combines real competitive-PCR and MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight) mass spectrometry. In contrast to microarray methods, MassARRAY technology is suitable for analysing a larger number of samples, though for a smaller set of genes. In this study we compare the results from MassARRAY with microarrays on gene expression responses of Staphylococcus aureus exposed to acid stress at pH 4.5. RNA isolated from the same stress experiments was analysed using both the MassARRAY and the microarray methods. The MassARRAY and microarray methods showed good correlation. Both MassARRAY and microarray estimated somewhat lower fold changes compared with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The results confirmed the up-regulation of the urease genes in acidic environments, and also indicated the importance of metal ion regulation. This study shows that the MassARRAY technology is suitable for gene expression analysis in prokaryotes, and has advantages when a set of genes is being analysed for an organism exposed to many different environmental conditions.

  9. Functional characterization and quantitative expression analysis of two GnRH-related peptide receptors in the mosquito, Aedes aegypti.

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    Oryan, Alireza; Wahedi, Azizia; Paluzzi, Jean-Paul V

    2018-03-04

    To cope with stressful events such as flight, organisms have evolved various regulatory mechanisms, often involving control by endocrine-derived factors. In insects, two stress-related factors include the gonadotropin-releasing hormone-related peptides adipokinetic hormone (AKH) and corazonin (CRZ). AKH is a pleiotropic hormone best known as a substrate liberator of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. Although a universal function has not yet been elucidated, CRZ has been shown to have roles in pigmentation, ecdysis or act as a cardiostimulatory factor. While both these neuropeptides and their respective receptors (AKHR and CRZR) have been characterized in several organisms, details on their specific roles within the disease vector, Aedes aegypti, remain largely unexplored. Here, we obtained three A. aegypti AKHR transcript variants and further identified the A. aegypti CRZR receptor. Receptor expression using a heterologous functional assay revealed that these receptors exhibit a highly specific response for their native ligands. Developmental quantitative expression analysis of CRZR revealed enrichment during the pupal and adult stages. In adults, quantitative spatial expression analysis revealed CRZR transcript in a variety of organs including head, thoracic ganglia, primary reproductive organs (ovary and testis), as well as male carcass. This suggest CRZ may play a role in ecdysis, and neuronal expression of CRZR indicates a possible role for CRZ within the nervous system. Quantitative developmental expression analysis of AKHR identified significant transcript enrichment in early adult stages. AKHR transcript was observed in the head, thoracic ganglia, accessory reproductive tissues and the carcass of adult females, while it was detected in the abdominal ganglia and enriched significantly in the carcass of adult males, which supports the known function of AKH in energy metabolism. Collectively, given the enrichment of CRZR and AKHR in the primary and

  10. Selection and validation of a set of reliable reference genes for quantitative sod gene expression analysis in C. elegans

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    Vandesompele Jo

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans the conserved Ins/IGF-1 signaling pathway regulates many biological processes including life span, stress response, dauer diapause and metabolism. Detection of differentially expressed genes may contribute to a better understanding of the mechanism by which the Ins/IGF-1 signaling pathway regulates these processes. Appropriate normalization is an essential prerequisite for obtaining accurate and reproducible quantification of gene expression levels. The aim of this study was to establish a reliable set of reference genes for gene expression analysis in C. elegans. Results Real-time quantitative PCR was used to evaluate the expression stability of 12 candidate reference genes (act-1, ama-1, cdc-42, csq-1, eif-3.C, mdh-1, gpd-2, pmp-3, tba-1, Y45F10D.4, rgs-6 and unc-16 in wild-type, three Ins/IGF-1 pathway mutants, dauers and L3 stage larvae. After geNorm analysis, cdc-42, pmp-3 and Y45F10D.4 showed the most stable expression pattern and were used to normalize 5 sod expression levels. Significant differences in mRNA levels were observed for sod-1 and sod-3 in daf-2 relative to wild-type animals, whereas in dauers sod-1, sod-3, sod-4 and sod-5 are differentially expressed relative to third stage larvae. Conclusion Our findings emphasize the importance of accurate normalization using stably expressed reference genes. The methodology used in this study is generally applicable to reliably quantify gene expression levels in the nematode C. elegans using quantitative PCR.

  11. Optimizing a massive parallel sequencing workflow for quantitative miRNA expression analysis.

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    Francesca Cordero

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Massive Parallel Sequencing methods (MPS can extend and improve the knowledge obtained by conventional microarray technology, both for mRNAs and short non-coding RNAs, e.g. miRNAs. The processing methods used to extract and interpret the information are an important aspect of dealing with the vast amounts of data generated from short read sequencing. Although the number of computational tools for MPS data analysis is constantly growing, their strengths and weaknesses as part of a complex analytical pipe-line have not yet been well investigated. PRIMARY FINDINGS: A benchmark MPS miRNA dataset, resembling a situation in which miRNAs are spiked in biological replication experiments was assembled by merging a publicly available MPS spike-in miRNAs data set with MPS data derived from healthy donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Using this data set we observed that short reads counts estimation is strongly under estimated in case of duplicates miRNAs, if whole genome is used as reference. Furthermore, the sensitivity of miRNAs detection is strongly dependent by the primary tool used in the analysis. Within the six aligners tested, specifically devoted to miRNA detection, SHRiMP and MicroRazerS show the highest sensitivity. Differential expression estimation is quite efficient. Within the five tools investigated, two of them (DESseq, baySeq show a very good specificity and sensitivity in the detection of differential expression. CONCLUSIONS: The results provided by our analysis allow the definition of a clear and simple analytical optimized workflow for miRNAs digital quantitative analysis.

  12. Optimizing a massive parallel sequencing workflow for quantitative miRNA expression analysis.

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    Cordero, Francesca; Beccuti, Marco; Arigoni, Maddalena; Donatelli, Susanna; Calogero, Raffaele A

    2012-01-01

    Massive Parallel Sequencing methods (MPS) can extend and improve the knowledge obtained by conventional microarray technology, both for mRNAs and short non-coding RNAs, e.g. miRNAs. The processing methods used to extract and interpret the information are an important aspect of dealing with the vast amounts of data generated from short read sequencing. Although the number of computational tools for MPS data analysis is constantly growing, their strengths and weaknesses as part of a complex analytical pipe-line have not yet been well investigated. A benchmark MPS miRNA dataset, resembling a situation in which miRNAs are spiked in biological replication experiments was assembled by merging a publicly available MPS spike-in miRNAs data set with MPS data derived from healthy donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Using this data set we observed that short reads counts estimation is strongly under estimated in case of duplicates miRNAs, if whole genome is used as reference. Furthermore, the sensitivity of miRNAs detection is strongly dependent by the primary tool used in the analysis. Within the six aligners tested, specifically devoted to miRNA detection, SHRiMP and MicroRazerS show the highest sensitivity. Differential expression estimation is quite efficient. Within the five tools investigated, two of them (DESseq, baySeq) show a very good specificity and sensitivity in the detection of differential expression. The results provided by our analysis allow the definition of a clear and simple analytical optimized workflow for miRNAs digital quantitative analysis.

  13. Genome-wide haplotype analysis of cis expression quantitative trait loci in monocytes.

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    Sophie Garnier

    Full Text Available In order to assess whether gene expression variability could be influenced by several SNPs acting in cis, either through additive or more complex haplotype effects, a systematic genome-wide search for cis haplotype expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL was conducted in a sample of 758 individuals, part of the Cardiogenics Transcriptomic Study, for which genome-wide monocyte expression and GWAS data were available. 19,805 RNA probes were assessed for cis haplotypic regulation through investigation of ~2,1 × 10(9 haplotypic combinations. 2,650 probes demonstrated haplotypic p-values >10(4-fold smaller than the best single SNP p-value. Replication of significant haplotype effects were tested for 412 probes for which SNPs (or proxies that defined the detected haplotypes were available in the Gutenberg Health Study composed of 1,374 individuals. At the Bonferroni correction level of 1.2 × 10(-4 (~0.05/412, 193 haplotypic signals replicated. 1000 G imputation was then conducted, and 105 haplotypic signals still remained more informative than imputed SNPs. In-depth analysis of these 105 cis eQTL revealed that at 76 loci genetic associations were compatible with additive effects of several SNPs, while for the 29 remaining regions data could be compatible with a more complex haplotypic pattern. As 24 of the 105 cis eQTL have previously been reported to be disease-associated loci, this work highlights the need for conducting haplotype-based and 1000 G imputed cis eQTL analysis before commencing functional studies at disease-associated loci.

  14. Reliable reference miRNAs for quantitative gene expression analysis of stress responses in Caenorhabditis elegans

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kagias, Konstantinos; Podolska, Agnieszka; Pocock, Roger David John

    2014-01-01

    Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) has become the "gold standard" for measuring expression levels of individual miRNAs. However, little is known about the validity of reference miRNAs, the improper use of which can result in misleading interpretation of data.......Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) has become the "gold standard" for measuring expression levels of individual miRNAs. However, little is known about the validity of reference miRNAs, the improper use of which can result in misleading interpretation of data....

  15. Serial Expression Analysis: a web tool for the analysis of serial gene expression data

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    Nueda, Maria José; Carbonell, José; Medina, Ignacio; Dopazo, Joaquín; Conesa, Ana

    2010-01-01

    Serial transcriptomics experiments investigate the dynamics of gene expression changes associated with a quantitative variable such as time or dosage. The statistical analysis of these data implies the study of global and gene-specific expression trends, the identification of significant serial changes, the comparison of expression profiles and the assessment of transcriptional changes in terms of cellular processes. We have created the SEA (Serial Expression Analysis) suite to provide a complete web-based resource for the analysis of serial transcriptomics data. SEA offers five different algorithms based on univariate, multivariate and functional profiling strategies framed within a user-friendly interface and a project-oriented architecture to facilitate the analysis of serial gene expression data sets from different perspectives. SEA is available at sea.bioinfo.cipf.es. PMID:20525784

  16. Advanced forensic validation for human spermatozoa identification using SPERM HY-LITER™ Express with quantitative image analysis.

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    Takamura, Ayari; Watanabe, Ken; Akutsu, Tomoko

    2017-07-01

    Identification of human semen is indispensable for the investigation of sexual assaults. Fluorescence staining methods using commercial kits, such as the series of SPERM HY-LITER™ kits, have been useful to detect human sperm via strong fluorescence. These kits have been examined from various forensic aspects. However, because of a lack of evaluation methods, these studies did not provide objective, or quantitative, descriptions of the results nor clear criteria for the decisions reached. In addition, the variety of validations was considerably limited. In this study, we conducted more advanced validations of SPERM HY-LITER™ Express using our established image analysis method. Use of this method enabled objective and specific identification of fluorescent sperm's spots and quantitative comparisons of the sperm detection performance under complex experimental conditions. For body fluid mixtures, we examined interference with the fluorescence staining from other body fluid components. Effects of sample decomposition were simulated in high humidity and high temperature conditions. Semen with quite low sperm concentrations, such as azoospermia and oligospermia samples, represented the most challenging cases in application of the kit. Finally, the tolerance of the kit against various acidic and basic environments was analyzed. The validations herein provide useful information for the practical applications of the SPERM HY-LITER™ Express kit, which were previously unobtainable. Moreover, the versatility of our image analysis method toward various complex cases was demonstrated.

  17. Analysis of hepcidin expression: in situ hybridization and quantitative polymerase chain reaction from paraffin sections.

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    Sakuraoka, Yuhki; Sawada, Tokihiko; Shiraki, Takayuki; Park, Kyunghwa; Sakurai, Yuhichiro; Tomosugi, Naohisa; Kubota, Keiichi

    2012-07-28

    To establish methods for quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for hepcidin using RNAs isolated from paraffin-embedded sections and in situ hybridization of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Total RNA from paraffin-embedded sections was isolated from 68 paraffin-embedded samples of HCC. Samples came from 54 male and 14 female patients with a mean age of 66.8 ± 7.8 years. Quantitative PCR was performed. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization for hepcidin were also performed. Quantitative PCR for hepcidin using RNAs isolated from paraffin-embedded sections of HCC was performed successfully. The expression level of hepcidin mRNA in cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in non-cancer tissues. A method of in situ hybridization for hepcidin was established successfully, and this demonstrated that hepcidin mRNA was expressed in non-cancerous tissue but absent in cancerous tissue. We have established novel methods for quantitative PCR for hepcidin using RNAs isolated from paraffin-embedded sections and in situ hybridization of HCC.

  18. Comparison of reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction methods and platforms for single cell gene expression analysis.

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    Fox, Bridget C; Devonshire, Alison S; Baradez, Marc-Olivier; Marshall, Damian; Foy, Carole A

    2012-08-15

    Single cell gene expression analysis can provide insights into development and disease progression by profiling individual cellular responses as opposed to reporting the global average of a population. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is the "gold standard" for the quantification of gene expression levels; however, the technical performance of kits and platforms aimed at single cell analysis has not been fully defined in terms of sensitivity and assay comparability. We compared three kits using purification columns (PicoPure) or direct lysis (CellsDirect and Cells-to-CT) combined with a one- or two-step RT-qPCR approach using dilutions of cells and RNA standards to the single cell level. Single cell-level messenger RNA (mRNA) analysis was possible using all three methods, although the precision, linearity, and effect of lysis buffer and cell background differed depending on the approach used. The impact of using a microfluidic qPCR platform versus a standard instrument was investigated for potential variability introduced by preamplification of template or scaling down of the qPCR to nanoliter volumes using laser-dissected single cell samples. The two approaches were found to be comparable. These studies show that accurate gene expression analysis is achievable at the single cell level and highlight the importance of well-validated experimental procedures for low-level mRNA analysis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Quantitative analysis of differentially expressed saliva proteins in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infected individuals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Nawei; Zhang, Zhenyu; Feng, Shan; Wang, Qingtao; Malamud, Daniel; Deng, Haiteng

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► A high-throughput method for profiling and quantification of the differentially expressed proteins in saliva samples was developed. ► Identified that DMBT1, S100A7, S100A8, S100A9 and alpha defensin were up-regulated in saliva from HIV-1 seropositive patients. ► Established analytical strategies are translatable to the clinical setting. -- Abstract: In the present study, we have established a new methodology to analyze saliva proteins from HIV-1-seropositive patients before highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and seronegative controls. A total of 593 and 601 proteins were identified in the pooled saliva samples from 5 HIV-1 subjects and 5 controls, respectively. Forty-one proteins were found to be differentially expressed. Bioinformatic analysis of differentially expressed salivary proteins showed an increase of antimicrobial proteins and decrease of protease inhibitors upon HIV-1 infection. To validate some of these differentially expressed proteins, a high-throughput quantitation method was established to determine concentrations of 10 salivary proteins in 40 individual saliva samples from 20 seropositive patients before HAART and 20 seronegative subjects. This method was based on limited protein separation within the zone of the stacking gel of the 1D SDS PAGE and using isotope-coded synthetic peptides as internal standards. The results demonstrated that a combination of protein profiling and targeted quantitation is an efficient method to identify and validate differentially expressed salivary proteins. Expression levels of members of the calcium-binding S100 protein family and deleted in malignant brain tumors 1 protein (DMBT1) were up-regulated while that of Mucin 5B was down-regulated in HIV-1 seropositive saliva samples, which may provide new perspectives for monitoring HIV-infection and understanding the mechanism of HIV-1 infectivity

  20. Quantitative analysis of differentially expressed saliva proteins in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infected individuals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Nawei; Zhang, Zhenyu [Beijing Chaoyang Hospital Affiliated Capital Medical University, Beijing (China); Feng, Shan [MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing (China); Wang, Qingtao [Beijing Chaoyang Hospital Affiliated Capital Medical University, Beijing (China); Malamud, Daniel [NYU College of Dentistry, 345 East 24th Street, New York, NY 10010 (United States); Deng, Haiteng, E-mail: dht@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn [MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing (China)

    2013-04-24

    Highlights: ► A high-throughput method for profiling and quantification of the differentially expressed proteins in saliva samples was developed. ► Identified that DMBT1, S100A7, S100A8, S100A9 and alpha defensin were up-regulated in saliva from HIV-1 seropositive patients. ► Established analytical strategies are translatable to the clinical setting. -- Abstract: In the present study, we have established a new methodology to analyze saliva proteins from HIV-1-seropositive patients before highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and seronegative controls. A total of 593 and 601 proteins were identified in the pooled saliva samples from 5 HIV-1 subjects and 5 controls, respectively. Forty-one proteins were found to be differentially expressed. Bioinformatic analysis of differentially expressed salivary proteins showed an increase of antimicrobial proteins and decrease of protease inhibitors upon HIV-1 infection. To validate some of these differentially expressed proteins, a high-throughput quantitation method was established to determine concentrations of 10 salivary proteins in 40 individual saliva samples from 20 seropositive patients before HAART and 20 seronegative subjects. This method was based on limited protein separation within the zone of the stacking gel of the 1D SDS PAGE and using isotope-coded synthetic peptides as internal standards. The results demonstrated that a combination of protein profiling and targeted quantitation is an efficient method to identify and validate differentially expressed salivary proteins. Expression levels of members of the calcium-binding S100 protein family and deleted in malignant brain tumors 1 protein (DMBT1) were up-regulated while that of Mucin 5B was down-regulated in HIV-1 seropositive saliva samples, which may provide new perspectives for monitoring HIV-infection and understanding the mechanism of HIV-1 infectivity.

  1. Evaluation of reference genes for gene expression analysis using quantitative RT-PCR in Azospirillum brasilense.

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    McMillan, Mary; Pereg, Lily

    2014-01-01

    Azospirillum brasilense is a nitrogen fixing bacterium that has been shown to have various beneficial effects on plant growth and yield. Under normal conditions A. brasilense exists in a motile flagellated form, which, under starvation or stress conditions, can undergo differentiation into an encapsulated, cyst-like form. Quantitative RT-PCR can be used to analyse changes in gene expression during this differentiation process. The accuracy of quantification of mRNA levels by qRT-PCR relies on the normalisation of data against stably expressed reference genes. No suitable set of reference genes has yet been described for A. brasilense. Here we evaluated the expression of ten candidate reference genes (16S rRNA, gapB, glyA, gyrA, proC, pykA, recA, recF, rpoD, and tpiA) in wild-type and mutant A. brasilense strains under different culture conditions, including conditions that induce differentiation. Analysis with the software programs BestKeeper, NormFinder and GeNorm indicated that gyrA, glyA and recA are the most stably expressed reference genes in A. brasilense. The results also suggested that the use of two reference genes (gyrA and glyA) is sufficient for effective normalisation of qRT-PCR data.

  2. Evaluation of reference genes for gene expression analysis using quantitative RT-PCR in Azospirillum brasilense.

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    Mary McMillan

    Full Text Available Azospirillum brasilense is a nitrogen fixing bacterium that has been shown to have various beneficial effects on plant growth and yield. Under normal conditions A. brasilense exists in a motile flagellated form, which, under starvation or stress conditions, can undergo differentiation into an encapsulated, cyst-like form. Quantitative RT-PCR can be used to analyse changes in gene expression during this differentiation process. The accuracy of quantification of mRNA levels by qRT-PCR relies on the normalisation of data against stably expressed reference genes. No suitable set of reference genes has yet been described for A. brasilense. Here we evaluated the expression of ten candidate reference genes (16S rRNA, gapB, glyA, gyrA, proC, pykA, recA, recF, rpoD, and tpiA in wild-type and mutant A. brasilense strains under different culture conditions, including conditions that induce differentiation. Analysis with the software programs BestKeeper, NormFinder and GeNorm indicated that gyrA, glyA and recA are the most stably expressed reference genes in A. brasilense. The results also suggested that the use of two reference genes (gyrA and glyA is sufficient for effective normalisation of qRT-PCR data.

  3. Identification of reference genes for expression analysis by real-time quantitative PCR in drought-stressed soybean

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    Renata Stolf-Moreira

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this work was to validate, by quantitative PCR in real time (RT-qPCR, genes to be used as reference in studies of gene expression in soybean in drought-stressed trials. Four genes commonly used in soybean were evaluated: Gmβ-actin, GmGAPDH, GmLectin and GmRNAr18S. Total RNA was extracted from six samples: three from roots in a hydroponic system with different drought intensities (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 minutes of water stress, and three from leaves of plants grown in sand with different soil moistures (15, 5 and 2.5% gravimetric humidity. The raw cycle threshold (Ct data were analyzed, and the efficiency of each primer was calculated for an overall analysis of the Ct range among the different samples. The GeNorm application was used to evaluate the best reference gene, according to its stability. The GmGAPDH was the least stable gene, with the highest mean values of expression stability (M, and the most stable genes, with the lowest M values, were the Gmβ-actin and GmRNAr18S, when both root and leaves samples were tested. These genes can be used in RT-qPCR as reference gene for expression analysis.

  4. Quantitative analysis chemistry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ko, Wansuk; Lee, Choongyoung; Jun, Kwangsik; Hwang, Taeksung

    1995-02-01

    This book is about quantitative analysis chemistry. It is divided into ten chapters, which deal with the basic conception of material with the meaning of analysis chemistry and SI units, chemical equilibrium, basic preparation for quantitative analysis, introduction of volumetric analysis, acid-base titration of outline and experiment examples, chelate titration, oxidation-reduction titration with introduction, titration curve, and diazotization titration, precipitation titration, electrometric titration and quantitative analysis.

  5. Quantitative gene expression profiling of CD45+ and CD45- skeletal muscle-derived side population cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ditte Caroline Andersen, Ditte Caroline; Kristiansen, Gitte Qvist; Jensen, Line

    2012-01-01

    The skeletal muscle-derived side population (mSP) which highly excludes Hoechst 33342 is composed of CD45(+) and CD45(-) subpopulations; yet, rareness of mSP cells in general has complicated extensive quantitative analysis of gene expression profiles in primarily isolated mSP cells. Here, we desc...... a satellite cell subpopulation) remain in the mSPCD45(-) fraction, and we show that these cells express high levels of many of the known myogenic precursor/stem cell related markers, including Pax7 and Myf5.......The skeletal muscle-derived side population (mSP) which highly excludes Hoechst 33342 is composed of CD45(+) and CD45(-) subpopulations; yet, rareness of mSP cells in general has complicated extensive quantitative analysis of gene expression profiles in primarily isolated mSP cells. Here, we...... describe the isolation of adult mouse normal skeletal muscle residing SPCD45(+) and SPCD45(-) cells from a parent mononuclear muscle-derived cell (MDC) population. Relative quantitative real time PCR (RT-PCR) of 64 genes revealed that mSPCD45(-) compared with mSPCD45(+) was enriched for cells expressing...

  6. Quantitative-genetic analysis of wing form and bilateral asymmetry ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    lines; Procrustes analysis; wing shape; wing size. ... Models of stochastic gene expression pre- dict that intrinsic noise ... Quantitative parameters of wing size and shape asymmetries ..... the residuals of a regression on centroid size produced.

  7. Analysis of Market Opportunities for Chinese Private Express Delivery Industry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Changbing; Bai, Lijun; Tong, Xiaoqing

    China's express delivery market has become the arena in which each express enterprise struggles to chase due to the huge potential demand and high profitable prospects. So certain qualitative and quantitative forecast for the future changes of China's express delivery market will help enterprises understand various types of market conditions and social changes in demand and adjust business activities to enhance their competitiveness timely. The development of China's express delivery industry is first introduced in this chapter. Then the theoretical basis of the regression model is overviewed. We also predict the demand trends of China's express delivery market by using Pearson correlation analysis and regression analysis from qualitative and quantitative aspects, respectively. Finally, we draw some conclusions and recommendations for China's express delivery industry.

  8. On-Orbit Quantitative Real-Time Gene Expression Analysis Using the Wetlab-2 System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parra, Macarena; Jung, Jimmy; Almeida, Eduardo; Boone, Travis; Tran, Luan; Schonfeld, Julie

    2015-01-01

    NASA Ames Research Center's WetLab-2 Project enables on-orbit quantitative Reverse Transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis without the need for sample return. The WetLab-2 system is capable of processing sample types ranging from microbial cultures to animal tissues dissected on-orbit. The project developed a RNA preparation module that can lyse cells and extract RNA of sufficient quality and quantity for use as templates in qRT-PCR reactions. Our protocol has the advantage of using non-toxic chemicals and does not require alcohols or other organics. The resulting RNA is dispensed into reaction tubes that contain all lyophilized reagents needed to perform qRT-PCR reactions. System operations require simple and limited crew actions including syringe pushes, valve turns and pipette dispenses. The project selected the Cepheid SmartCycler (TradeMark), a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) qRT-PCR unit, because of its advantages including rugged modular design, low power consumption, rapid thermal ramp times and four-color multiplex detection. Single tube multiplex assays can be used to normalize for RNA concentration and integrity, and to study multiple genes of interest in each module. The WetLab-2 system can downlink data from the ISS to the ground after a completed run and uplink new thermal cycling programs. The ability to conduct qRT-PCR and generate results on-orbit is an important step towards utilizing the ISS as a National Laboratory facility. Specifically, the ability to get on-orbit data will provide investigators with the opportunity to adjust experimental parameters in real time without the need for sample return and re-flight. On orbit gene expression analysis can also eliminate the confounding effects on gene expression of reentry stresses and shock acting on live cells and organisms or the concern of RNA degradation of fixed samples and provide on-orbit gene expression benchmarking prior to sample return. Finally, the system can also be used for analysis of

  9. Evaluation of reference gene suitability for quantitative expression analysis by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in the mandibular condyle of sheep.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Xin; Xue, Yang; Zhou, Hongzhi; Li, Shouhong; Zhang, Zongmin; Hou, Rui; Ding, Yuxiang; Hu, Kaijin

    2015-10-01

    Reference genes are commonly used as a reliable approach to normalize the results of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and to reduce errors in the relative quantification of gene expression. Suitable reference genes belonging to numerous functional classes have been identified for various types of species and tissue. However, little is currently known regarding the most suitable reference genes for bone, specifically for the sheep mandibular condyle. Sheep are important for the study of human bone diseases, particularly for temporomandibular diseases. The present study aimed to identify a set of reference genes suitable for the normalization of qPCR data from the mandibular condyle of sheep. A total of 12 reference genes belonging to various functional classes were selected, and the expression stability of the reference genes was determined in both the normal and fractured area of the sheep mandibular condyle. RefFinder, which integrates the following currently available computational algorithms: geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and the comparative ΔCt method, was used to compare and rank the candidate reference genes. The results obtained from the four methods demonstrated a similar trend: RPL19, ACTB, and PGK1 were the most stably expressed reference genes in the sheep mandibular condyle. As determined by RefFinder comprehensive analysis, the results of the present study suggested that RPL19 is the most suitable reference gene for studies associated with the sheep mandibular condyle. In addition, ACTB and PGK1 may be considered suitable alternatives.

  10. Expression analysis of fusarium wilt resistance gene in melon by real-time quantitative pcr

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, X.; Xu, B.; Zhao, L.; Gao, P.; Luan, F.

    2014-01-01

    Melon Actin gene was used as a reference gene, to explore the gene expression profiles of the Fom-2 gene in roots, stems, and leaves of melon MR-1 under induction by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis. Monitoring using real-time quantitative PCR showed similar accumulation patterns of Fom-2 in roots, stems, and leaves over the observation period of 1 to 11 days; the expression level in stems was the highest. The expression of the Fom-2 gene was strengthened by the prolongation of induction time. In stems, the expression of Fom-2 was 5.737 times higher than in the control at three days; in roots, expression of Fom-2 was 5.617 times higher than in the control at five days. Similarly, the expression of Fom-2 in leaves obviously increased. It was 4.441 times higher than in the control at 5 days. The expression of Fom-2 was non-tissue specific, up-regulated under induction by Fusarium, and related to early resistance to Fusarium wilt. (author)

  11. Risk prediction, safety analysis and quantitative probability methods - a caveat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Critchley, O.H.

    1976-01-01

    Views are expressed on the use of quantitative techniques for the determination of value judgements in nuclear safety assessments, hazard evaluation, and risk prediction. Caution is urged when attempts are made to quantify value judgements in the field of nuclear safety. Criteria are given the meaningful application of reliability methods but doubts are expressed about their application to safety analysis, risk prediction and design guidances for experimental or prototype plant. Doubts are also expressed about some concomitant methods of population dose evaluation. The complexities of new designs of nuclear power plants make the problem of safety assessment more difficult but some possible approaches are suggested as alternatives to the quantitative techniques criticized. (U.K.)

  12. Analysis of disease-associated protein expression using quantitative proteomics—fibulin-5 is expressed in association with hepatic fibrosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bracht, Thilo; Schweinsberg, Vincent; Trippler, Martin; Kohl, Michael; Ahrens, Maike; Padden, Juliet; Naboulsi, Wael; Barkovits, Katalin; Megger, Dominik A; Eisenacher, Martin; Borchers, Christoph H; Schlaak, Jörg F; Hoffmann, Andreas-Claudius; Weber, Frank; Baba, Hideo A; Meyer, Helmut E; Sitek, Barbara

    2015-05-01

    Hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis are major health problems worldwide. Until now, highly invasive biopsy remains the diagnostic gold standard despite many disadvantages. To develop noninvasive diagnostic assays for the assessment of liver fibrosis, it is urgently necessary to identify molecules that are robustly expressed in association with the disease. We analyzed biopsied tissue samples from 95 patients with HBV/HCV-associated hepatic fibrosis using three different quantification methods. We performed a label-free proteomics discovery study to identify novel disease-associated proteins using a subset of the cohort (n = 27). Subsequently, gene expression data from all available clinical samples were analyzed (n = 77). Finally, we performed a targeted proteomics approach, multiple reaction monitoring (MRM), to verify the disease-associated expression in samples independent from the discovery approach (n = 68). We identified fibulin-5 (FBLN5) as a novel protein expressed in relation to hepatic fibrosis. Furthermore, we confirmed the altered expression of microfibril-associated glycoprotein 4 (MFAP4), lumican (LUM), and collagen alpha-1(XIV) chain (COL14A1) in association to hepatic fibrosis. To our knowledge, no tissue-based quantitative proteomics study for hepatic fibrosis has been performed using a cohort of comparable size. By this means, we add substantial evidence for the disease-related expression of the proteins examined in this study.

  13. A method for quantitative analysis of standard and high-throughput qPCR expression data based on input sample quantity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mateusz G Adamski

    Full Text Available Over the past decade rapid advances have occurred in the understanding of RNA expression and its regulation. Quantitative polymerase chain reactions (qPCR have become the gold standard for quantifying gene expression. Microfluidic next generation, high throughput qPCR now permits the detection of transcript copy number in thousands of reactions simultaneously, dramatically increasing the sensitivity over standard qPCR. Here we present a gene expression analysis method applicable to both standard polymerase chain reactions (qPCR and high throughput qPCR. This technique is adjusted to the input sample quantity (e.g., the number of cells and is independent of control gene expression. It is efficiency-corrected and with the use of a universal reference sample (commercial complementary DNA (cDNA permits the normalization of results between different batches and between different instruments--regardless of potential differences in transcript amplification efficiency. Modifications of the input quantity method include (1 the achievement of absolute quantification and (2 a non-efficiency corrected analysis. When compared to other commonly used algorithms the input quantity method proved to be valid. This method is of particular value for clinical studies of whole blood and circulating leukocytes where cell counts are readily available.

  14. Is quantitative oestrogen receptor expression useful in the evaluation of the clinical prognosis? Analysis of a homogeneous series of 797 patients with prospective determination of the ER status using simultaneous EIA and IHC.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazouni, Chafika; Bonnier, Pascal; Goubar, Aïcha; Romain, Sylvie; Martin, Pierre-Marie

    2010-10-01

    Oestrogen receptor (ER) determination in breast cancer (BC) is a major yardstick for the prognosis and for response to hormonal therapy (HT). As several techniques have been proposed for ER quantification, the purpose of our study was to assess whether the qualitative or quantitative analysis of ER expression might influence the prognosis and response to treatment. We analysed overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in 797 primary BC cases with ER determination by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). The clinical impact according to qualitative or quantitative analysis of ER expression was assessed. Response to HT was evaluated according to quantitative EIA-determined ER expression levels. According to the qualitative analysis of ER expression, patients with EIA-determined and IHC-determined ER-positive tumours had significantly longer OS and DFS (p<0.001). The analysis stratified on quartiles of ER levels showed significantly different outcomes according to EIA- and IHC-determined subgroups. In the group of patients who received adjuvant treatment, 5-year OS was significantly different between the groups, with a clear benefit for the highest EIA-determined ER quartiles (p<0.001). Comparatively, in terms of 5-year DFS, a clear separation was noted between groups for adjuvant treatment (p<0.001). The group with moderate ER+ values was clearly distinct from the ER-negative population. Quantitative ER expression helped to better distinguish the beneficial or detrimental effect of HT within quartiles of ER-expressing tumours. Based on the STEPP analysis which showed a trend towards an ER effect on DFS as a function of HT assignment, we confirm the benefit of HT in patients with a very high EIA-determined ER level and a detrimental impact on negative and weakly positive groups. Quantitative ER expression in BC helps to better discriminate heterogeneity in clinical outcome and response to HT. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

  15. Quantitative proteomic analysis of post-translational modifications of human histones

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beck, Hans Christian; Nielsen, Eva C; Matthiesen, Rune

    2006-01-01

    , and H4 in a site-specific and dose-dependent manner. This unbiased analysis revealed that a relative increase in acetylated peptide from the histone variants H2A, H2B, and H4 was accompanied by a relative decrease of dimethylated Lys(57) from histone H2B. The dose-response results obtained...... by quantitative proteomics of histones from HDACi-treated cells were consistent with Western blot analysis of histone acetylation, cytotoxicity, and dose-dependent expression profiles of p21 and cyclin A2. This demonstrates that mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomic analysis of post-translational...

  16. Plasma Cell Ontogeny Defined by Quantitative Changes in Blimp-1 Expression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kallies, Axel; Hasbold, Jhagvaral; Tarlinton, David M.; Dietrich, Wendy; Corcoran, Lynn M.; Hodgkin, Philip D.; Nutt, Stephen L.

    2004-01-01

    Plasma cells comprise a population of terminally differentiated B cells that are dependent on the transcriptional regulator B lymphocyte–induced maturation protein 1 (Blimp-1) for their development. We have introduced a gfp reporter into the Blimp-1 locus and shown that heterozygous mice express the green fluorescent protein in all antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) in vivo and in vitro. In vitro, these cells display considerable heterogeneity in surface phenotype, immunoglobulin secretion rate, and Blimp-1 expression levels. Importantly, analysis of in vivo ASCs induced by immunization reveals a developmental pathway in which increasing levels of Blimp-1 expression define developmental stages of plasma cell differentiation that have many phenotypic and molecular correlates. Thus, maturation from transient plasmablast to long-lived ASCs in bone marrow is predicated on quantitative increases in Blimp-1 expression. PMID:15492122

  17. Expression quantitative trait loci and genetic regulatory network analysis reveals that Gabra2 is involved in stress responses in the mouse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, Jiajuan; Wang, Xusheng; Chen, Ying; Wang, Xiaodong; Zhu, Jun; Lu, Lu

    2009-11-01

    Previous studies have revealed that the subunit alpha 2 (Gabra2) of the gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor plays a critical role in the stress response. However, little is known about the gentetic regulatory network for Gabra2 and the stress response. We combined gene expression microarray analysis and quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping to characterize the genetic regulatory network for Gabra2 expression in the hippocampus of BXD recombinant inbred (RI) mice. Our analysis found that the expression level of Gabra2 exhibited much variation in the hippocampus across the BXD RI strains and between the parental strains, C57BL/6J, and DBA/2J. Expression QTL (eQTL) mapping showed three microarray probe sets of Gabra2 to have highly significant linkage likelihood ratio statistic (LRS) scores. Gene co-regulatory network analysis showed that 10 genes, including Gria3, Chka, Drd3, Homer1, Grik2, Odz4, Prkag2, Grm5, Gabrb1, and Nlgn1 are directly or indirectly associated with stress responses. Eleven genes were implicated as Gabra2 downstream genes through mapping joint modulation. The genetical genomics approach demonstrates the importance and the potential power of the eQTL studies in identifying genetic regulatory networks that contribute to complex traits, such as stress responses.

  18. Quantitative expression patterns of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-β/δ (PPARβ/δ) protein in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Girroir, Elizabeth E.; Hollingshead, Holly E.; He Pengfei; Zhu Bokai; Perdew, Gary H.; Peters, Jeffrey M.

    2008-01-01

    The expression patterns of PPARβ/δ have been described, but the majority of these data are based on mRNA data. To date, there are no reports that have quantitatively examined the expression of PPARβ/δ protein in mouse tissues. In the present study, a highly specific PPARβ/δ antibody was developed, characterized, and used to examine tissue expression patterns of PPARβ/δ. As compared to commercially available anti-PPARβ/δ antibodies, one of six polyclonal anti-PPARβ/δ antibodies developed was significantly more effective for immunoprecipitation of in vitro-translated PPARβ/δ. This antibody was used for quantitative Western blot analysis using radioactive detection methods. Expression of PPARβ/δ was highest in colon, small intestine, liver, and keratinocytes as compared to other tissues including heart, spleen, skeletal muscle, lung, brain, and thymus. Interestingly, PPARβ/δ expression was localized in the nucleus and RXRα can be co-immunoprecipitated with nuclear PPARβ/δ. Results from these studies demonstrate that PPARβ/δ expression is highest in intestinal epithelium, liver, and keratinocytes, consistent with significant biological roles in these tissues

  19. Quantitative Analysis of Differential Proteome Expression in Bladder Cancer vs. Normal Bladder Cells Using SILAC Method.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ganglong Yang

    Full Text Available The best way to increase patient survival rate is to identify patients who are likely to progress to muscle-invasive or metastatic disease upfront and treat them more aggressively. The human cell lines HCV29 (normal bladder epithelia, KK47 (low grade nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer, NMIBC, and YTS1 (metastatic bladder cancer have been widely used in studies of molecular mechanisms and cell signaling during bladder cancer (BC progression. However, little attention has been paid to global quantitative proteome analysis of these three cell lines. We labeled HCV29, KK47, and YTS1 cells by the SILAC method using three stable isotopes each of arginine and lysine. Labeled proteins were analyzed by 2D ultrahigh-resolution liquid chromatography LTQ Orbitrap mass spectrometry. Among 3721 unique identified and annotated proteins in KK47 and YTS1 cells, 36 were significantly upregulated and 74 were significantly downregulated with >95% confidence. Differential expression of these proteins was confirmed by western blotting, quantitative RT-PCR, and cell staining with specific antibodies. Gene ontology (GO term and pathway analysis indicated that the differentially regulated proteins were involved in DNA replication and molecular transport, cell growth and proliferation, cellular movement, immune cell trafficking, and cell death and survival. These proteins and the advanced proteome techniques described here will be useful for further elucidation of molecular mechanisms in BC and other types of cancer.

  20. iQuantitator: A tool for protein expression inference using iTRAQ

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Comte-Walters Susana

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Isobaric Tags for Relative and Absolute Quantitation (iTRAQ™ [Applied Biosystems] have seen increased application in differential protein expression analysis. To facilitate the growing need to analyze iTRAQ data, especially for cases involving multiple iTRAQ experiments, we have developed a modeling approach, statistical methods, and tools for estimating the relative changes in protein expression under various treatments and experimental conditions. Results This modeling approach provides a unified analysis of data from multiple iTRAQ experiments and links the observed quantity (reporter ion peak area to the experiment design and the calculated quantity of interest (treatment-dependent protein and peptide fold change through an additive model under log transformation. Others have demonstrated, through a case study, this modeling approach and noted the computational challenges of parameter inference in the unbalanced data set typical of multiple iTRAQ experiments. Here we present the development of an inference approach, based on hierarchical regression with batching of regression coefficients and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC methods that overcomes some of these challenges. In addition to our discussion of the underlying method, we also present our implementation of the software, simulation results, experimental results, and sample output from the resulting analysis report. Conclusion iQuantitator's process-based modeling approach overcomes limitations in current methods and allows for application in a variety of experimental designs. Additionally, hypertext-linked documents produced by the tool aid in the interpretation and exploration of results.

  1. Validation of reference genes for quantitative expression analysis by real-time rt-PCR in four lepidopteran insects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teng, Xiaolu; Zhang, Zan; He, Guiling; Yang, Liwen; Li, Fei

    2012-01-01

    Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is an efficient and widely used technique to monitor gene expression. Housekeeping genes (HKGs) are often empirically selected as the reference genes for data normalization. However, the suitability of HKGs used as the reference genes has been seldom validated. Here, six HKGs were chosen (actin A3, actin A1, GAPDH, G3PDH, E2F, rp49) in four lepidopteran insects Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae), Plutella xylostella L. (Plutellidae), Chilo suppressalis Walker (Crambidae), and Spodoptera exigua Hübner (Noctuidae) to study their expression stability. The algorithms of geNorm, NormFinder, stability index, and ΔCt analysis were used to evaluate these HKGs. Across different developmental stages, actin A1 was the most stable in P. xylostella and C. suppressalis, but it was the least stable in B. mori and S. exigua. Rp49 and GAPDH were the most stable in B. mori and S. exigua, respectively. In different tissues, GAPDH, E2F, and Rp49 were the most stable in B. mori, S. exigua, and C. suppressalis, respectively. The relative abundances of Siwi genes estimated by 2(-ΔΔCt) method were tested with different HKGs as the reference gene, proving the importance of internal controls in qPCR data analysis. The results not only presented a list of suitable reference genes in four lepidopteran insects, but also proved that the expression stabilities of HKGs were different among evolutionarily close species. There was no single universal reference gene that could be used in all situations. It is indispensable to validate the expression of HKGs before using them as the internal control in qPCR.

  2. QuASAR: quantitative allele-specific analysis of reads.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harvey, Chris T; Moyerbrailean, Gregory A; Davis, Gordon O; Wen, Xiaoquan; Luca, Francesca; Pique-Regi, Roger

    2015-04-15

    Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) studies have discovered thousands of genetic variants that regulate gene expression, enabling a better understanding of the functional role of non-coding sequences. However, eQTL studies are costly, requiring large sample sizes and genome-wide genotyping of each sample. In contrast, analysis of allele-specific expression (ASE) is becoming a popular approach to detect the effect of genetic variation on gene expression, even within a single individual. This is typically achieved by counting the number of RNA-seq reads matching each allele at heterozygous sites and testing the null hypothesis of a 1:1 allelic ratio. In principle, when genotype information is not readily available, it could be inferred from the RNA-seq reads directly. However, there are currently no existing methods that jointly infer genotypes and conduct ASE inference, while considering uncertainty in the genotype calls. We present QuASAR, quantitative allele-specific analysis of reads, a novel statistical learning method for jointly detecting heterozygous genotypes and inferring ASE. The proposed ASE inference step takes into consideration the uncertainty in the genotype calls, while including parameters that model base-call errors in sequencing and allelic over-dispersion. We validated our method with experimental data for which high-quality genotypes are available. Results for an additional dataset with multiple replicates at different sequencing depths demonstrate that QuASAR is a powerful tool for ASE analysis when genotypes are not available. http://github.com/piquelab/QuASAR. fluca@wayne.edu or rpique@wayne.edu Supplementary Material is available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  3. Quantitative Proteomics Analysis of Altered Protein Expression in the Placental Villous Tissue of Early Pregnancy Loss Using Isobaric Tandem Mass Tags

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaobei Ni

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Many pregnant women suffer miscarriages during early gestation, but the description of these early pregnancy losses (EPL can be somewhat confusing because of the complexities of early development. Thus, the identification of proteins with different expression profiles related to early pregnancy loss is essential for understanding the comprehensive pathophysiological mechanism. In this study, we report a gel-free tandem mass tags- (TMT- labeling based proteomic analysis of five placental villous tissues from patients with early pregnancy loss and five from normal pregnant women. The application of this method resulted in the identification of 3423 proteins and 19647 peptides among the patient group and the matched normal control group. Qualitative and quantitative proteomic analysis revealed 51 proteins to be differentially abundant between the two groups (≥1.2-fold, Student's t-test, P<0.05. To obtain an overview of the biological functions of the proteins whose expression levels altered significantly in EPL group, gene ontology analysis was performed. We also investigated the twelve proteins with a difference over 1.5-fold using pathways analysis. Our results demonstrate that the gel-free TMT-based proteomic approach allows the quantification of differences in protein expression levels, which is useful for obtaining molecular insights into early pregnancy loss.

  4. Heterogeneity mapping of protein expression in tumors using quantitative immunofluorescence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faratian, Dana; Christiansen, Jason; Gustavson, Mark; Jones, Christine; Scott, Christopher; Um, InHwa; Harrison, David J

    2011-10-25

    and subject to intra- and inter-observer bias, more sensitive and quantitative methodologies are required in order to accurately map and quantify tissue heterogeneity in situ. We have developed and applied an experimental and statistical methodology in order to systematically quantify the heterogeneity of protein expression in whole tissue sections of tumors, based on the Automated QUantitative Analysis (AQUA) system(6). Tissue sections are labeled with specific antibodies directed against cytokeratins and targets of interest, coupled to fluorophore-labeled secondary antibodies. Slides are imaged using a whole-slide fluorescence scanner. Images are subdivided into hundreds to thousands of tiles, and each tile is then assigned an AQUA score which is a measure of protein concentration within the epithelial (tumor) component of the tissue. Heatmaps are generated to represent tissue expression of the proteins and a heterogeneity score assigned, using a statistical measure of heterogeneity originally used in ecology, based on the Simpson's biodiversity index(7). To date there have been no attempts to systematically map and quantify this variability in tandem with protein expression, in histological preparations. Here, we illustrate the first use of the method applied to ER and HER2 biomarker expression in ovarian cancer. Using this method paves the way for analyzing heterogeneity as an independent variable in studies of biomarker expression in translational studies, in order to establish the significance of heterogeneity in prognosis and prediction of responses to therapy.

  5. Identification of reference genes for quantitative expression analysis using large-scale RNA-seq data of Arabidopsis thaliana and model crop plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kudo, Toru; Sasaki, Yohei; Terashima, Shin; Matsuda-Imai, Noriko; Takano, Tomoyuki; Saito, Misa; Kanno, Maasa; Ozaki, Soichi; Suwabe, Keita; Suzuki, Go; Watanabe, Masao; Matsuoka, Makoto; Takayama, Seiji; Yano, Kentaro

    2016-10-13

    In quantitative gene expression analysis, normalization using a reference gene as an internal control is frequently performed for appropriate interpretation of the results. Efforts have been devoted to exploring superior novel reference genes using microarray transcriptomic data and to evaluating commonly used reference genes by targeting analysis. However, because the number of specifically detectable genes is totally dependent on probe design in the microarray analysis, exploration using microarray data may miss some of the best choices for the reference genes. Recently emerging RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) provides an ideal resource for comprehensive exploration of reference genes since this method is capable of detecting all expressed genes, in principle including even unknown genes. We report the results of a comprehensive exploration of reference genes using public RNA-seq data from plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis), Glycine max (soybean), Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) and Oryza sativa (rice). To select reference genes suitable for the broadest experimental conditions possible, candidates were surveyed by the following four steps: (1) evaluation of the basal expression level of each gene in each experiment; (2) evaluation of the expression stability of each gene in each experiment; (3) evaluation of the expression stability of each gene across the experiments; and (4) selection of top-ranked genes, after ranking according to the number of experiments in which the gene was expressed stably. Employing this procedure, 13, 10, 12 and 21 top candidates for reference genes were proposed in Arabidopsis, soybean, tomato and rice, respectively. Microarray expression data confirmed that the expression of the proposed reference genes under broad experimental conditions was more stable than that of commonly used reference genes. These novel reference genes will be useful for analyzing gene expression profiles across experiments carried out under various

  6. Quantitative investment analysis

    CERN Document Server

    DeFusco, Richard

    2007-01-01

    In the "Second Edition" of "Quantitative Investment Analysis," financial experts Richard DeFusco, Dennis McLeavey, Jerald Pinto, and David Runkle outline the tools and techniques needed to understand and apply quantitative methods to today's investment process.

  7. Identification of reference genes for quantitative expression analysis of microRNAs and mRNAs in barley under various stress conditions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jannatul Ferdous

    Full Text Available For accurate and reliable gene expression analysis using quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qPCR, the selection of appropriate reference genes as an internal control for normalization is crucial. We hypothesized that non-coding, small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAswould be stably expressed in different barley varieties and under different experimental treatments,in different tissues and at different developmental stages of plant growth and therefore might prove to be suitable reference genes for expression analysis of both microRNAs (miRNAsand mRNAs. In this study, we examined the expression stability of ten candidate reference genes in six barley genotypes under five experimental stresses, drought, fungal infection,boron toxicity, nutrient deficiency and salinity. We compared four commonly used housekeeping genes; Actin (ACT, alpha-Tubulin (α-TUB, Glycolytic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase(GAPDH, ADP-ribosylation factor 1-like protein (ADP, four snoRNAs; (U18,U61, snoR14 and snoR23 and two microRNAs (miR168, miR159 as candidate reference genes. We found that ADP, snoR14 and snoR23 were ranked as the best of these candidates across diverse samples. Additionally, we found that miR168 was a suitable reference gene for expression analysis in barley. Finally, we validated the performance of our stable and unstable candidate reference genes for both mRNA and miRNA qPCR data normalization under different stress conditions and demonstrated the superiority of the stable candidates. Our data demonstrate the suitability of barley snoRNAs and miRNAs as potential reference genes form iRNA and mRNA qPCR data normalization under different stress treatments [corrected].

  8. Cloning and semi-quantitative expression of endochitinase ( ech42 ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Cloning and semi-quantitative expression of endochitinase (ech42) gene from Trichoderma spp. Pratibha Sharma, K Saravanan, R Ramesh, P Vignesh Kumar, Dinesh Singh, Manika Sharma, Monica S. Henry, Swati Deep ...

  9. WetLab-2: Tools for Conducting On-Orbit Quantitative Real-Time Gene Expression Analysis on ISS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parra, Macarena; Almeida, Eduardo; Boone, Travis; Jung, Jimmy; Schonfeld, Julie

    2014-01-01

    The objective of NASA Ames Research Centers WetLab-2 Project is to place on the ISS a research platform capable of conducting gene expression analysis via quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) of biological specimens sampled or cultured on orbit. The project has selected a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) qRT-PCR system, the Cepheid SmartCycler and will fly it in its COTS configuration. The SmartCycler has a number of advantages including modular design (16 independent PCR modules), low power consumption, rapid ramp times and the ability to detect up to four separate fluorescent channels at one time enabling multiplex assays that can be used for normalization and to study multiple genes of interest in each module. The team is currently working with Cepheid to enable the downlink of data from the ISS to the ground and provide uplink capabilities for programming, commanding, monitoring, and instrument maintenance. The project has adapted commercial technology to design a module that can lyse cells and extract RNA of sufficient quality and quantity for use in qRT-PCR reactions while using a housekeeping gene to normalize RNA concentration and integrity. The WetLab-2 system is capable of processing multiple sample types ranging from microbial cultures to animal tissues dissected on-orbit. The ability to conduct qRT-PCR on-orbit eliminates the confounding effects on gene expression of reentry stresses and shock acting on live cells and organisms or the concern of RNA degradation of fixed samples. The system can be used to validate terrestrial analyses of samples returned from ISS by providing on-orbit gene expression benchmarking prior to sample return. The ability to get on orbit data will provide investigators with the opportunity to adjust experiment parameters for subsequent trials based on the real-time data analysis without need for sample return and re-flight. Researchers will also be able to sample multigenerational changes in organisms. Finally, the system can be

  10. Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistical test for analysis of ZAP-70 expression in B-CLL, compared with quantitative PCR and IgV(H) mutation status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Bockstaele, Femke; Janssens, Ann; Piette, Anne; Callewaert, Filip; Pede, Valerie; Offner, Fritz; Verhasselt, Bruno; Philippé, Jan

    2006-07-15

    ZAP-70 has been proposed as a surrogate marker for immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable region (IgV(H)) mutation status, which is known as a prognostic marker in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The flow cytometric analysis of ZAP-70 suffers from difficulties in standardization and interpretation. We applied the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) statistical test to make analysis more straightforward. We examined ZAP-70 expression by flow cytometry in 53 patients with CLL. Analysis was performed as initially described by Crespo et al. (New England J Med 2003; 348:1764-1775) and alternatively by application of the KS statistical test comparing T cells with B cells. Receiver-operating-characteristics (ROC)-curve analyses were performed to determine the optimal cut-off values for ZAP-70 measured by the two approaches. ZAP-70 protein expression was compared with ZAP-70 mRNA expression measured by a quantitative PCR (qPCR) and with the IgV(H) mutation status. Both flow cytometric analyses correlated well with the molecular technique and proved to be of equal value in predicting the IgV(H) mutation status. Applying the KS test is reproducible, simple, straightforward, and overcomes a number of difficulties encountered in the Crespo-method. The KS statistical test is an essential part of the software delivered with modern routine analytical flow cytometers and is well suited for analysis of ZAP-70 expression in CLL. (c) 2006 International Society for Analytical Cytology.

  11. Her-2/neu expression in node-negative breast cancer: direct tissue quantitation by computerized image analysis and association of overexpression with increased risk of recurrent disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Press, M F; Pike, M C; Chazin, V R; Hung, G; Udove, J A; Markowicz, M; Danyluk, J; Godolphin, W; Sliwkowski, M; Akita, R

    1993-10-15

    levels. By using cells with defined expression levels as calibration material, computerized image analysis of immunohistochemical staining could be used to determine the amount of oncoprotein product in these cell lines as well as in human breast cancer specimens. Quantitation of the amount of HER-2/neu protein product determined by computerized image analysis of immunohistochemical assays correlated very closely with quantitative analysis of a series of molecularly characterized breast cancer cell lines and breast cancer tissue specimens.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

  12. Validation of reference genes for gene expression analysis in olive (Olea europaea) mesocarp tissue by quantitative real-time RT-PCR

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Background Gene expression analysis using quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) is a robust method wherein the expression levels of target genes are normalised using internal control genes, known as reference genes, to derive changes in gene expression levels. Although reference genes have recently been suggested for olive tissues, combined/independent analysis on different cultivars has not yet been tested. Therefore, an assessment of reference genes was required to validate the recent findings and select stably expressed genes across different olive cultivars. Results A total of eight candidate reference genes [glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), serine/threonine-protein phosphatase catalytic subunit (PP2A), elongation factor 1 alpha (EF1-alpha), polyubiquitin (OUB2), aquaporin tonoplast intrinsic protein (TIP2), tubulin alpha (TUBA), 60S ribosomal protein L18-3 (60S RBP L18-3) and polypyrimidine tract-binding protein homolog 3 (PTB)] were chosen based on their stability in olive tissues as well as in other plants. Expression stability was examined by qRT-PCR across 12 biological samples, representing mesocarp tissues at various developmental stages in three different olive cultivars, Barnea, Frantoio and Picual, independently and together during the 2009 season with two software programs, GeNorm and BestKeeper. Both software packages identified GAPDH, EF1-alpha and PP2A as the three most stable reference genes across the three cultivars and in the cultivar, Barnea. GAPDH, EF1-alpha and 60S RBP L18-3 were found to be most stable reference genes in the cultivar Frantoio while 60S RBP L18-3, OUB2 and PP2A were found to be most stable reference genes in the cultivar Picual. Conclusions The analyses of expression stability of reference genes using qRT-PCR revealed that GAPDH, EF1-alpha, PP2A, 60S RBP L18-3 and OUB2 are suitable reference genes for expression analysis in developing Olea europaea mesocarp tissues, displaying the highest level

  13. DAG expression: high-throughput gene expression analysis of real-time PCR data using standard curves for relative quantification.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María Ballester

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR is still the gold-standard technique for gene-expression quantification. Recent technological advances of this method allow for the high-throughput gene-expression analysis, without the limitations of sample space and reagent used. However, non-commercial and user-friendly software for the management and analysis of these data is not available. RESULTS: The recently developed commercial microarrays allow for the drawing of standard curves of multiple assays using the same n-fold diluted samples. Data Analysis Gene (DAG Expression software has been developed to perform high-throughput gene-expression data analysis using standard curves for relative quantification and one or multiple reference genes for sample normalization. We discuss the application of DAG Expression in the analysis of data from an experiment performed with Fluidigm technology, in which 48 genes and 115 samples were measured. Furthermore, the quality of our analysis was tested and compared with other available methods. CONCLUSIONS: DAG Expression is a freely available software that permits the automated analysis and visualization of high-throughput qPCR. A detailed manual and a demo-experiment are provided within the DAG Expression software at http://www.dagexpression.com/dage.zip.

  14. Investment appraisal using quantitative risk analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johansson, Henrik

    2002-07-01

    Investment appraisal concerned with investments in fire safety systems is discussed. Particular attention is directed at evaluating, in terms of the Bayesian decision theory, the risk reduction that investment in a fire safety system involves. It is shown how the monetary value of the change from a building design without any specific fire protection system to one including such a system can be estimated by use of quantitative risk analysis, the results of which are expressed in terms of a Risk-adjusted net present value. This represents the intrinsic monetary value of investing in the fire safety system. The method suggested is exemplified by a case study performed in an Avesta Sheffield factory.

  15. Optimization and analysis of a quantitative real-time PCR-based technique to determine microRNA expression in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reis Patricia P

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background MicroRNAs (miRs are non-coding RNA molecules involved in post-transcriptional regulation, with diverse functions in tissue development, differentiation, cell proliferation and apoptosis. miRs may be less prone to degradation during formalin fixation, facilitating miR expression studies in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE tissue. Results Our study demonstrates that the TaqMan Human MicroRNA Array v1.0 (Early Access platform is suitable for miR expression analysis in FFPE tissue with a high reproducibility (correlation coefficients of 0.95 between duplicates, p 35, we show that reproducibility between technical replicates, equivalent dilutions, and FFPE vs. frozen samples is best in the high abundance stratum. We also demonstrate that the miR expression profiles of FFPE samples are comparable to those of fresh-frozen samples, with a correlation of up to 0.87 (p Conclusion Our study thus demonstrates the utility, reproducibility, and optimization steps needed in miR expression studies using FFPE samples on a high-throughput quantitative PCR-based miR platform, opening up a realm of research possibilities for retrospective studies.

  16. Quantitative anatomical analysis of facial expression using a 3D motion capture system: Application to cosmetic surgery and facial recognition technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jae-Gi; Jung, Su-Jin; Lee, Hyung-Jin; Seo, Jung-Hyuk; Choi, You-Jin; Bae, Hyun-Sook; Park, Jong-Tae; Kim, Hee-Jin

    2015-09-01

    The topography of the facial muscles differs between males and females and among individuals of the same gender. To explain the unique expressions that people can make, it is important to define the shapes of the muscle, their associations with the skin, and their relative functions. Three-dimensional (3D) motion-capture analysis, often used to study facial expression, was used in this study to identify characteristic skin movements in males and females when they made six representative basic expressions. The movements of 44 reflective markers (RMs) positioned on anatomical landmarks were measured. Their mean displacement was large in males [ranging from 14.31 mm (fear) to 41.15 mm (anger)], and 3.35-4.76 mm smaller in females [ranging from 9.55 mm (fear) to 37.80 mm (anger)]. The percentages of RMs involved in the ten highest mean maximum displacement values in making at least one expression were 47.6% in males and 61.9% in females. The movements of the RMs were larger in males than females but were more limited. Expanding our understanding of facial expression requires morphological studies of facial muscles and studies of related complex functionality. Conducting these together with quantitative analyses, as in the present study, will yield data valuable for medicine, dentistry, and engineering, for example, for surgical operations on facial regions, software for predicting changes in facial features and expressions after corrective surgery, and the development of face-mimicking robots. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. Quantitative gene expression profiling of CD45(+) and CD45(-) skeletal muscle-derived side population cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Ditte Caroline; Kristiansen, Gitte Qvistgaard; Jensen, Line

    2011-01-01

    transcripts associated with endothelial cells, Notch signaling and myogenic precursors. By comparing the mRNA signatures of mSPs with those of adipose tissue-derived SP populations, a common endothelial component seemed to reside in both muscle and fat-derived SPCD45(-) entities. However, each SP subset......The skeletal muscle-derived side population (mSP) which highly excludes Hoechst 33342 is composed of CD45(+) and CD45(-) subpopulations; yet, rareness of mSP cells in general has complicated extensive quantitative analysis of gene expression profiles in primarily isolated mSP cells. Here, we...... describe the isolation of adult mouse normal skeletal muscle residing SPCD45(+) and SPCD45(-) cells from a parent mononuclear muscle-derived cell (MDC) population. Relative quantitative real time PCR (RT-PCR) of 64 genes revealed that mSPCD45(-) compared with mSPCD45(+) was enriched for cells expressing...

  18. Network analysis of quantitative proteomics on asthmatic bronchi: effects of inhaled glucocorticoid treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sihlbom Carina

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Proteomic studies of respiratory disorders have the potential to identify protein biomarkers for diagnosis and disease monitoring. Utilisation of sensitive quantitative proteomic methods creates opportunities to determine individual patient proteomes. The aim of the current study was to determine if quantitative proteomics of bronchial biopsies from asthmatics can distinguish relevant biological functions and whether inhaled glucocorticoid treatment affects these functions. Methods Endobronchial biopsies were taken from untreated asthmatic patients (n = 12 and healthy controls (n = 3. Asthmatic patients were randomised to double blind treatment with either placebo or budesonide (800 μg daily for 3 months and new biopsies were obtained. Proteins extracted from the biopsies were digested and analysed using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation combined with a nanoLC-LTQ Orbitrap mass spectrometer. Spectra obtained were used to identify and quantify proteins. Pathways analysis was performed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis to identify significant biological pathways in asthma and determine how the expression of these pathways was changed by treatment. Results More than 1800 proteins were identified and quantified in the bronchial biopsies of subjects. The pathway analysis revealed acute phase response signalling, cell-to-cell signalling and tissue development associations with proteins expressed in asthmatics compared to controls. The functions and pathways associated with placebo and budesonide treatment showed distinct differences, including the decreased association with acute phase proteins as a result of budesonide treatment compared to placebo. Conclusions Proteomic analysis of bronchial biopsy material can be used to identify and quantify proteins using highly sensitive technologies, without the need for pooling of samples from several patients. Distinct pathophysiological features of asthma can be

  19. Validation of suitable reference genes for quantitative gene expression analysis in Panax ginseng

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meizhen eWang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Reverse transcription-qPCR (RT-qPCR has become a popular method for gene expression studies. Its results require data normalization by housekeeping genes. No single gene is proved to be stably expressed under all experimental conditions. Therefore, systematic evaluation of reference genes is necessary. With the aim to identify optimum reference genes for RT-qPCR analysis of gene expression in different tissues of Panax ginseng and the seedlings grown under heat stress, we investigated the expression stability of eight candidate reference genes, including elongation factor 1-beta (EF1-β, elongation factor 1-gamma (EF1-γ, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3G (IF3G, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3B (IF3B, actin (ACT, actin11 (ACT11, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH and cyclophilin ABH-like protein (CYC, using four widely used computational programs: geNorm, Normfinder, BestKeeper, and the comparative ΔCt method. The results were then integrated using the web-based tool RefFinder. As a result, EF1-γ, IF3G and EF1-β were the three most stable genes in different tissues of P. ginseng, while IF3G, ACT11 and GAPDH were the top three-ranked genes in seedlings treated with heat. Using three better reference genes alone or in combination as internal control, we examined the expression profiles of MAR, a multiple function-associated mRNA-like non-coding RNA (mlncRNA in P. ginseng. Taken together, we recommended EF1-γ/IF3G and IF3G/ACT11 as the suitable pair of reference genes for RT-qPCR analysis of gene expression in different tissues of P. ginseng and the seedlings grown under heat stress, respectively. The results serve as a foundation for future studies on P. ginseng functional genomics.

  20. Quantitative analysis of MDR1 (multidrug resistance) gene expression in human tumors by polymerase chain reaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noonan, K.E.; Beck, C.; Holzmayer, T.A.; Chin, J.E.; Roninson, I.B.; Wunder, J.S.; Andrulis, I.L.; Gazdar, A.F.; Willman, C.L.; Griffith, B.; Von Hoff, D.D.

    1990-01-01

    The resistance of tumor cells ot chemotheraprutic drugs is a major obstacle to successful cancer chemotherapy. In human cells, expression of the MDR1 gene, encoding a transmembrane efflux pump (P-glycoprotein), leads to decreased intracellular accumulation and resistance to a variety of lipophilic drugs (multidrug resistance; MDR). The levels of MDR in cell lines selected in bitro have been shown to correlate with the steady-state levels of MDR1 mRNA and P-glycoprotein. In cells with a severalfold increase in cellular drug resistance, MDR1 expression levels are close to the limits of detection by conventional assays. MDR1 expression has been frequently observed in human tumors after chemotherapy and in some but not all types of clinically refactory tumors untreated with chemotherapeutic drugs. The authors have devised a highly sensitive, specific, and quantitative protocol for measuring the levels of MDR1 mRNA in clincal samples, based on the polymerase chain reaction. They have used this assay to measure MDR1 gene expression in MDR cell lines and >300 normal tissues, tumor-derived cell lines, and clinical specimens of untreated tumors of the types in which MDR1 expression was rarely observed by standard assays. Low levels of MDR1 expression were found by polymerase chain reaction in most solid tumors and leukemias tested. The frequency of samples without detectable MDR1 expression varied among different types of tumors; MDR1-negative samples were ost common among tumor types known to be relatively responsive to chemotherapy

  1. Quantitative analysis of receptor imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu Zhanli; Wang Rongfu

    2004-01-01

    Model-based methods for quantitative analysis of receptor imaging, including kinetic, graphical and equilibrium methods, are introduced in detail. Some technical problem facing quantitative analysis of receptor imaging, such as the correction for in vivo metabolism of the tracer and the radioactivity contribution from blood volume within ROI, and the estimation of the nondisplaceable ligand concentration, is also reviewed briefly

  2. Diagnostic performance of semi-quantitative and quantitative stress CMR perfusion analysis: a meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Dijk, R; van Assen, M; Vliegenthart, R; de Bock, G H; van der Harst, P; Oudkerk, M

    2017-11-27

    Stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) perfusion imaging is a promising modality for the evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD) due to high spatial resolution and absence of radiation. Semi-quantitative and quantitative analysis of CMR perfusion are based on signal-intensity curves produced during the first-pass of gadolinium contrast. Multiple semi-quantitative and quantitative parameters have been introduced. Diagnostic performance of these parameters varies extensively among studies and standardized protocols are lacking. This study aims to determine the diagnostic accuracy of semi- quantitative and quantitative CMR perfusion parameters, compared to multiple reference standards. Pubmed, WebOfScience, and Embase were systematically searched using predefined criteria (3272 articles). A check for duplicates was performed (1967 articles). Eligibility and relevance of the articles was determined by two reviewers using pre-defined criteria. The primary data extraction was performed independently by two researchers with the use of a predefined template. Differences in extracted data were resolved by discussion between the two researchers. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the 'Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies Tool' (QUADAS-2). True positives, false positives, true negatives, and false negatives were subtracted/calculated from the articles. The principal summary measures used to assess diagnostic accuracy were sensitivity, specificity, andarea under the receiver operating curve (AUC). Data was pooled according to analysis territory, reference standard and perfusion parameter. Twenty-two articles were eligible based on the predefined study eligibility criteria. The pooled diagnostic accuracy for segment-, territory- and patient-based analyses showed good diagnostic performance with sensitivity of 0.88, 0.82, and 0.83, specificity of 0.72, 0.83, and 0.76 and AUC of 0.90, 0.84, and 0.87, respectively. In per territory

  3. Total protein analysis as a reliable loading control for quantitative fluorescent Western blotting.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samantha L Eaton

    Full Text Available Western blotting has been a key technique for determining the relative expression of proteins within complex biological samples since the first publications in 1979. Recent developments in sensitive fluorescent labels, with truly quantifiable linear ranges and greater limits of detection, have allowed biologists to probe tissue specific pathways and processes with higher resolution than ever before. However, the application of quantitative Western blotting (QWB to a range of healthy tissues and those from degenerative models has highlighted a problem with significant consequences for quantitative protein analysis: how can researchers conduct comparative expression analyses when many of the commonly used reference proteins (e.g. loading controls are differentially expressed? Here we demonstrate that common controls, including actin and tubulin, are differentially expressed in tissues from a wide range of animal models of neurodegeneration. We highlight the prevalence of such alterations through examination of published "-omics" data, and demonstrate similar responses in sensitive QWB experiments. For example, QWB analysis of spinal cord from a murine model of Spinal Muscular Atrophy using an Odyssey scanner revealed that beta-actin expression was decreased by 19.3±2% compared to healthy littermate controls. Thus, normalising QWB data to β-actin in these circumstances could result in 'skewing' of all data by ∼20%. We further demonstrate that differential expression of commonly used loading controls was not restricted to the nervous system, but was also detectable across multiple tissues, including bone, fat and internal organs. Moreover, expression of these "control" proteins was not consistent between different portions of the same tissue, highlighting the importance of careful and consistent tissue sampling for QWB experiments. Finally, having illustrated the problem of selecting appropriate single protein loading controls, we demonstrate

  4. Quantitative expression profile of distinct functional regions in the adult mouse brain.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takeya Kasukawa

    Full Text Available The adult mammalian brain is composed of distinct regions with specialized roles including regulation of circadian clocks, feeding, sleep/awake, and seasonal rhythms. To find quantitative differences of expression among such various brain regions, we conducted the BrainStars (B* project, in which we profiled the genome-wide expression of ∼50 small brain regions, including sensory centers, and centers for motion, time, memory, fear, and feeding. To avoid confounds from temporal differences in gene expression, we sampled each region every 4 hours for 24 hours, and pooled the samples for DNA-microarray assays. Therefore, we focused on spatial differences in gene expression. We used informatics to identify candidate genes with expression changes showing high or low expression in specific regions. We also identified candidate genes with stable expression across brain regions that can be used as new internal control genes, and ligand-receptor interactions of neurohormones and neurotransmitters. Through these analyses, we found 8,159 multi-state genes, 2,212 regional marker gene candidates for 44 small brain regions, 915 internal control gene candidates, and 23,864 inferred ligand-receptor interactions. We also found that these sets include well-known genes as well as novel candidate genes that might be related to specific functions in brain regions. We used our findings to develop an integrated database (http://brainstars.org/ for exploring genome-wide expression in the adult mouse brain, and have made this database openly accessible. These new resources will help accelerate the functional analysis of the mammalian brain and the elucidation of its regulatory network systems.

  5. Cloning and expression analysis of chalcone synthase gene from ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Expression analysis of CfCHS in different tissues and elicitor treatments showed that methyl jasmonate ... Journal of Genetics, DOI 10.1007/s12041-016-0680-8, Vol. 95, No. ... leaf of C. forskohlii. Quantitative real time RT-PCR was used ..... SGG acknowledges the financial support for this work from CSIR. 12th FYP project ...

  6. Quantitation of multiple myeloma oncogene 1/interferon-regulatory factor 4 gene expression in malignant B-cell proliferations and normal leukocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamada, M; Asanuma, K; Kobayashi, D; Moriai, R; Yajima, T; Yagihashi, A; Yamamori, S; Watanabe, N

    2001-01-01

    We studied multiple myeloma oncogene 1/interferon-regulatory factor 4 (MUM1/IRF4) mRNA expression in various malignant human hematopoietic cell lines and normal leukocyte fractions. A quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to assess expression and chromosomes were examined for anomalies by fluorescent in situ hybridization. Among 12 cell lines examined, mRNA transcripts were expressed only in B-lymphoblastic and myeloma cell lines. Myeloma cells and malignant cell lines derived from mature B cells expressed more transcript than cell lines derived from immature B cells. Transcript levels, however, showed no association with chromosomal translocations. Expression in B-cell fractions from healthy donors was much less than in the malignant cells. In addition, MUM1/IRF4 mRNA expressed in samples from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia derived from B cells but not T cells. Our results suggested that MUM1/IRF4 gene expression is related to stage of differentiation of malignant B cells and they indicated the possibility that the quantitative analysis of MUM1/IRF4 gene is a useful tool for detection of malignant B-cell proliferations in clinical laboratory tests.

  7. Wetlab-2 - Quantitative PCR Tools for Spaceflight Studies of Gene Expression Aboard the International Space Station

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schonfeld, Julie E.

    2015-01-01

    Wetlab-2 is a research platform for conducting real-time quantitative gene expression analysis aboard the International Space Station. The system enables spaceflight genomic studies involving a wide variety of biospecimen types in the unique microgravity environment of space. Currently, gene expression analyses of space flown biospecimens must be conducted post flight after living cultures or frozen or chemically fixed samples are returned to Earth from the space station. Post-flight analysis is limited for several reasons. First, changes in gene expression can be transient, changing over a timescale of minutes. The delay between sampling on Earth can range from days to months, and RNA may degrade during this period of time, even in fixed or frozen samples. Second, living organisms that return to Earth may quickly re-adapt to terrestrial conditions. Third, forces exerted on samples during reentry and return to Earth may affect results. Lastly, follow up experiments designed in response to post-flight results must wait for a new flight opportunity to be tested.

  8. Analysis of high accuracy, quantitative proteomics data in the MaxQB database.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaab, Christoph; Geiger, Tamar; Stoehr, Gabriele; Cox, Juergen; Mann, Matthias

    2012-03-01

    MS-based proteomics generates rapidly increasing amounts of precise and quantitative information. Analysis of individual proteomic experiments has made great strides, but the crucial ability to compare and store information across different proteome measurements still presents many challenges. For example, it has been difficult to avoid contamination of databases with low quality peptide identifications, to control for the inflation in false positive identifications when combining data sets, and to integrate quantitative data. Although, for example, the contamination with low quality identifications has been addressed by joint analysis of deposited raw data in some public repositories, we reasoned that there should be a role for a database specifically designed for high resolution and quantitative data. Here we describe a novel database termed MaxQB that stores and displays collections of large proteomics projects and allows joint analysis and comparison. We demonstrate the analysis tools of MaxQB using proteome data of 11 different human cell lines and 28 mouse tissues. The database-wide false discovery rate is controlled by adjusting the project specific cutoff scores for the combined data sets. The 11 cell line proteomes together identify proteins expressed from more than half of all human genes. For each protein of interest, expression levels estimated by label-free quantification can be visualized across the cell lines. Similarly, the expression rank order and estimated amount of each protein within each proteome are plotted. We used MaxQB to calculate the signal reproducibility of the detected peptides for the same proteins across different proteomes. Spearman rank correlation between peptide intensity and detection probability of identified proteins was greater than 0.8 for 64% of the proteome, whereas a minority of proteins have negative correlation. This information can be used to pinpoint false protein identifications, independently of peptide database

  9. Label free quantitative proteomics analysis on the cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, F; Zhu, Y; Fang, S; Li, S; Liu, S

    2017-05-20

    Quantitative proteomics has been made great progress in recent years. Label free quantitative proteomics analysis based on the mass spectrometry is widely used. Using this technique, we determined the differentially expressed proteins in the cisplatin-sensitive ovarian cancer cells COC1 and cisplatin-resistant cells COC1/DDP before and after the application of cisplatin. Using the GO analysis, we classified those proteins into different subgroups bases on their cellular component, biological process, and molecular function. We also used KEGG pathway analysis to determine the key signal pathways that those proteins were involved in. There are 710 differential proteins between COC1 and COC1/DDP cells, 783 between COC1 and COC1/DDP cells treated with cisplatin, 917 between the COC1/DDP cells and COC1/DDP cells treated with LaCl3, 775 between COC1/DDP cells treated with cisplatin and COC1/DDP cells treated with cisplatin and LaCl3. Among the same 411 differentially expressed proteins in cisplatin-sensitive COC1 cells and cisplain-resistant COC1/DDP cells before and after cisplatin treatment, 14% of them were localized on the cell membrane. According to the KEGG results, differentially expressed proteins were classified into 21 groups. The most abundant proteins were involved in spliceosome. This study lays a foundation for deciphering the mechanism for drug resistance in ovarian tumor.

  10. Serial Analysis of Gene Expression: Applications in Human Studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tuteja Renu

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE is a powerful tool, which provides quantitative and comprehensive expression profile of genes in a given cell population. It works by isolating short fragments of genetic information from the expressed genes that are present in the cell being studied. These short sequences, called SAGE tags, are linked together for efficient sequencing. The frequency of each SAGE tag in the cloned multimers directly reflects the transcript abundance. Therefore, SAGE results in an accurate picture of gene expression at both the qualitative and the quantitative levels. It does not require a hybridization probe for each transcript and allows new genes to be discovered. This technique has been applied widely in human studies and various SAGE tags/SAGE libraries have been generated from different cells/tissues such as dendritic cells, lung fibroblast cells, oocytes, thyroid tissue, B-cell lymphoma, cultured keratinocytes, muscles, brain tissues, sciatic nerve, cultured Schwann cells, cord blood-derived mast cells, retina, macula, retinal pigment epithelial cells, skin cells, and so forth. In this review we present the updated information on the applications of SAGE technology mainly to human studies.

  11. Quantitative proteomic analysis of human lung tumor xenografts treated with the ectopic ATP synthase inhibitor citreoviridin.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi-Hsuan Wu

    Full Text Available ATP synthase is present on the plasma membrane of several types of cancer cells. Citreoviridin, an ATP synthase inhibitor, selectively suppresses the proliferation and growth of lung cancer without affecting normal cells. However, the global effects of targeting ectopic ATP synthase in vivo have not been well defined. In this study, we performed quantitative proteomic analysis using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ and provided a comprehensive insight into the complicated regulation by citreoviridin in a lung cancer xenograft model. With high reproducibility of the quantitation, we obtained quantitative proteomic profiling with 2,659 proteins identified. Bioinformatics analysis of the 141 differentially expressed proteins selected by their relative abundance revealed that citreoviridin induces alterations in the expression of glucose metabolism-related enzymes in lung cancer. The up-regulation of enzymes involved in gluconeogenesis and storage of glucose indicated that citreoviridin may reduce the glycolytic intermediates for macromolecule synthesis and inhibit cell proliferation. Using comprehensive proteomics, the results identify metabolic aspects that help explain the antitumorigenic effect of citreoviridin in lung cancer, which may lead to a better understanding of the links between metabolism and tumorigenesis in cancer therapy.

  12. Validation of Reference Genes for Quantitative Expression Analysis by Real-Time RT-PCR in Four Lepidopteran Insects

    OpenAIRE

    Teng, Xiaolu; Zhang, Zan; He, Guiling; Yang, Liwen; Li, Fei

    2012-01-01

    Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is an efficient and widely used technique to monitor gene expression. Housekeeping genes (HKGs) are often empirically selected as the reference genes for data normalization. However, the suitability of HKGs used as the reference genes has been seldom validated. Here, six HKGs were chosen (actin A3, actin A1, GAPDH, G3PDH, E2F, rp49) in four lepidopteran insects Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae), Plutella xylostella L. (Plutellidae...

  13. Selection and validation of reference genes for gene expression analysis in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum using quantitative real-time RT-PCR.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacinta Gimeno

    Full Text Available Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum has received a lot of attention as a forage and bioenergy crop during the past few years. Gene expression studies are in progress to improve new traits and develop new cultivars. Quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR has emerged as an important technique to study gene expression analysis. For accurate and reliable results, normalization of data with reference genes is essential. In this work, we evaluate the stability of expression of genes to use as reference for qRT-PCR in the grass P. virgatum. Eleven candidate reference genes, including eEF-1α, UBQ6, ACT12, TUB6, eIF-4a, GAPDH, SAMDC, TUA6, CYP5, U2AF, and FTSH4, were validated for qRT-PCR normalization in different plant tissues and under different stress conditions. The expression stability of these genes was verified by the use of two distinct algorithms, geNorm and NormFinder. Differences were observed after comparison of the ranking of the candidate reference genes identified by both programs but eEF-1α, eIF-4a, CYP5 and U2AF are ranked as the most stable genes in the samples sets under study. Both programs discard the use of SAMDC and TUA6 for normalization. Validation of the reference genes proposed by geNorm and NormFinder were performed by normalization of transcript abundance of a group of target genes in different samples. Results show similar expression patterns when the best reference genes selected by both programs were used but differences were detected in the transcript abundance of the target genes. Based on the above research, we recommend the use of different statistical algorithms to identify the best reference genes for expression data normalization. The best genes selected in this study will help to improve the quality of gene expression data in a wide variety of samples in switchgrass.

  14. The identification of functional motifs in temporal gene expression analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael G. Surette

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available The identification of transcription factor binding sites is essential to the understanding of the regulation of gene expression and the reconstruction of genetic regulatory networks. The in silico identification of cis-regulatory motifs is challenging due to sequence variability and lack of sufficient data to generate consensus motifs that are of quantitative or even qualitative predictive value. To determine functional motifs in gene expression, we propose a strategy to adopt false discovery rate (FDR and estimate motif effects to evaluate combinatorial analysis of motif candidates and temporal gene expression data. The method decreases the number of predicted motifs, which can then be confirmed by genetic analysis. To assess the method we used simulated motif/expression data to evaluate parameters. We applied this approach to experimental data for a group of iron responsive genes in Salmonella typhimurium 14028S. The method identified known and potentially new ferric-uptake regulator (Fur binding sites. In addition, we identified uncharacterized functional motif candidates that correlated with specific patterns of expression. A SAS code for the simulation and analysis gene expression data is available from the first author upon request.

  15. On the quantitative X-ray phase analysis of R-Co alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lyubushkin, V.A.; Lyubushkina, L.M.; Vetoshkin, I.D.

    1982-01-01

    Using the method of quantitative X-ray phase analysis two-phase (RCo 5 -R 2 Co 17 ) alloys Sm-Co and Pr-Co have been studied. The investigations are made using the DRON-2.0 dif,ractometer in filtrated FeKα-radiation. Calibration diagrams for model binary mixtures are built, their use is recommended for express-evaluation of the amount of the phase determined. Test of the technique suggested is carried out

  16. Expressing Certainty in Discussion Sections of Qualitative and Quantitative Research Articles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dobakhti, Leila

    2013-01-01

    This paper investigates how boosters are used by qualitative and quantitative research article writers to express certainty. Boosters are words such as "definitely," "sure," "demonstrate" which signal writers' assurance in what they say. Drawing on a corpus of 200 research articles in Applied Linguistics, this study…

  17. Temporal expression-based analysis of metabolism.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara B Collins

    Full Text Available Metabolic flux is frequently rerouted through cellular metabolism in response to dynamic changes in the intra- and extra-cellular environment. Capturing the mechanisms underlying these metabolic transitions in quantitative and predictive models is a prominent challenge in systems biology. Progress in this regard has been made by integrating high-throughput gene expression data into genome-scale stoichiometric models of metabolism. Here, we extend previous approaches to perform a Temporal Expression-based Analysis of Metabolism (TEAM. We apply TEAM to understanding the complex metabolic dynamics of the respiratorily versatile bacterium Shewanella oneidensis grown under aerobic, lactate-limited conditions. TEAM predicts temporal metabolic flux distributions using time-series gene expression data. Increased predictive power is achieved by supplementing these data with a large reference compendium of gene expression, which allows us to take into account the unique character of the distribution of expression of each individual gene. We further propose a straightforward method for studying the sensitivity of TEAM to changes in its fundamental free threshold parameter θ, and reveal that discrete zones of distinct metabolic behavior arise as this parameter is changed. By comparing the qualitative characteristics of these zones to additional experimental data, we are able to constrain the range of θ to a small, well-defined interval. In parallel, the sensitivity analysis reveals the inherently difficult nature of dynamic metabolic flux modeling: small errors early in the simulation propagate to relatively large changes later in the simulation. We expect that handling such "history-dependent" sensitivities will be a major challenge in the future development of dynamic metabolic-modeling techniques.

  18. Quantitative Real Time PCR approach to study gene expression profile during prenatal growth of skeletal muscle in pig of Duroc and Pietrain breeds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Cagnazzo

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The quantitative real time-PCR (QRT-PCR is a very sensitive method used to quantify mRNA level in gene expression analysis. Combining amplification, detection and quantification in a single step, allows a more accurate measurement compared to the traditional PCR end point analysis (Pfaffl, 2001; Bustin, 2002.

  19. Quantitative mRNA expression analysis of selected genes in patients with early-stage hypothyroidism induced by treatment with iodine-131.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Kun; Gao, Rui; Yu, Yan; Zhang, Weixiao; Yang, Yuxuan; Yang, Aimin

    2015-11-01

    The present study aimed to investigate the molecular markers indicative of early-stage hypothyroidism induced by treatment with iodine-131, in order to assist in further investigations of radio iodine‑induced hypothyroidism. A total of 59 patients diagnosed with hyperthyroidism (male/female, 16/43; median age, 46.4 years) and 27 healthy subjects (male/female, 7/21; median age, 44.6 years) were included in the present study. All patients were treated with appropriate doses of iodine‑131 and, three months following treatment, the patients were subdivided into two groups: A group with early‑stage hypothyroidism symptoms, and a group with non‑early‑stage hypothyroidism, including euthyroid patients and patients remaining with hyperthyroidism. Tissue samples from the patients and healthy subjects were collected by fine needle biopsies, and the mRNA expression levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl‑2), nuclear factor (NF)‑κB, Ku70, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), early growth response 1 (Egr‑1), TP53 and ataxia telangiectasia mutated were analyzed using reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction prior to iodine‑131 treatment. The association of the variation of target genes with susceptibility to early‑stage hypothyroidism was analyzed. Compared with normal subjects, the mRNA expression levels of Ku70 (0.768, vs. 3.304, respectively; Ptreatment with iodine‑131, 30 of the 59 (50.8%) patients with hyperthyroidism were diagnosed with early‑stage hypothyroidism, and in the early‑stage hypothyroidism group, the mRNA expression levels of Bcl‑2 were significantly decreased (Phypothyroidism group. The association between the changes in the expression levles of Bcl‑2 and Egr‑1 and susceptibility to early‑stage hypothyroidism was supported by multivariate regression analysis. No significant changes in the expression levels of the other target genes were detected. The opposing changes in the mRNA expression levels of Bcl‑2

  20. Quantitative analysis of bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15 and growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9 gene expression in calf and adult bovine ovaries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hayashi Ken-go

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background It has been reported that calf oocytes are less developmentally competent than oocytes obtained from adult cows. Bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15 and growth and differentiation factor 9 (GDF9 play critical roles in folliculogenesis, follicular development and ovulation in mammalian ovaries. In the present study, we attempted to compare the expression patterns of BMP15 and GDF9 in the cells of calf and cow ovaries to determine a relationship between the level of these genes and the low developmental competence of calf oocytes. Methods Bovine tissues were collected from 9-11 months-old calves and from 4-6 years-old cows. We characterized the gene expression of BMP15 and GDF9 in calf and adult bovine oocytes and cumulus cells using quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (QPCR and in situ hybridization. Immunohistochemical analysis was also performed. Results The expression of BMP15 and GDF9 in cumulus cells of adult ovaries was significantly higher than that in calf ovaries, as revealed by QPCR. GDF9 expression in the oocytes of calf ovaries was significantly higher than in those of the adult ovaries. In contrast, BMP15 expression in the oocytes of calf and adult ovaries was not significantly different. The localization of gene expression and protein were ascertained by histochemistry. Conclusions Our result showed for the first time BMP15 and GDF9 expression in bovine cumulus cells. BMP15 and GDF9 mRNA expression in oocytes and cumulus cells was different in calves and cows.

  1. Quantitative analysis of microtubule orientation in interdigitated leaf pavement cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akita, Kae; Higaki, Takumi; Kutsuna, Natsumaro; Hasezawa, Seiichiro

    2015-01-01

    Leaf pavement cells are shaped like a jigsaw puzzle in most dicotyledon species. Molecular genetic studies have identified several genes required for pavement cells morphogenesis and proposed that microtubules play crucial roles in the interdigitation of pavement cells. In this study, we performed quantitative analysis of cortical microtubule orientation in leaf pavement cells in Arabidopsis thaliana. We captured confocal images of cortical microtubules in cotyledon leaf epidermis expressing GFP-tubulinβ and quantitatively evaluated the microtubule orientations relative to the pavement cell growth axis using original image processing techniques. Our results showed that microtubules kept parallel orientations to the growth axis during pavement cell growth. In addition, we showed that immersion treatment of seed cotyledons in solutions containing tubulin polymerization and depolymerization inhibitors decreased pavement cell complexity. Treatment with oryzalin and colchicine inhibited the symmetric division of guard mother cells.

  2. Combination and Integration of Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Philipp Mayring

    2001-02-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, I am going to outline ways of combining qualitative and quantitative steps of analysis on five levels. On the technical level, programs for the computer-aided analysis of qualitative data offer various combinations. Where the data are concerned, the employment of categories (for instance by using qualitative content analysis allows for combining qualitative and quantitative forms of data analysis. On the individual level, the creation of types and the inductive generalisation of cases allow for proceeding from individual case material to quantitative generalisations. As for research design, different models can be distinguished (preliminary study, generalisation, elaboration, triangulation which combine qualitative and quantitative steps of analysis. Where the logic of research is concerned, it can be shown that an extended process model which combined qualitative and quantitative research can be appropriate and thus lead to an integration of the two approaches. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs010162

  3. Quantitative Surface Analysis by Xps (X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy: Application to Hydrotreating Catalysts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beccat P.

    1999-07-01

    Full Text Available XPS is an ideal technique to provide the chemical composition of the extreme surface of solid materials, vastly applied to the study of catalysts. In this article, we will show that a quantitative approach, based upon fundamental expression of the XPS signal, has enabled us to obtain a consistent set of response factors for the elements of the periodic table. In-depth spadework has been necessary to know precisely the transmission function of the spectrometer used at IFP. The set of response factors obtained enables to perform, on a routine basis, a quantitative analysis with approximately 20% relative accuracy, which is quite acceptable for an analysis of such a nature. While using this quantitative approach, we have developed an analytical method specific to hydrotreating catalysts that allows obtaining the sulphiding degree of molybdenum quite reliably and reproducibly. The usage of this method is illustrated by two examples for which XPS spectroscopy has provided with information sufficiently accurate and quantitative to help understand the reactivity differences between certain MoS2/Al2O3 or NiMoS/Al2O3-type hydrotreating catalysts.

  4. Brain Responses to Dynamic Facial Expressions: A Normative Meta-Analysis

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    Oksana Zinchenko

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Identifying facial expressions is crucial for social interactions. Functional neuroimaging studies show that a set of brain areas, such as the fusiform gyrus and amygdala, become active when viewing emotional facial expressions. The majority of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI studies investigating face perception typically employ static images of faces. However, studies that use dynamic facial expressions (e.g., videos are accumulating and suggest that a dynamic presentation may be more sensitive and ecologically valid for investigating faces. By using quantitative fMRI meta-analysis the present study examined concordance of brain regions associated with viewing dynamic facial expressions. We analyzed data from 216 participants that participated in 14 studies, which reported coordinates for 28 experiments. Our analysis revealed bilateral fusiform and middle temporal gyri, left amygdala, left declive of the cerebellum and the right inferior frontal gyrus. These regions are discussed in terms of their relation to models of face processing.

  5. Brain Responses to Dynamic Facial Expressions: A Normative Meta-Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zinchenko, Oksana; Yaple, Zachary A; Arsalidou, Marie

    2018-01-01

    Identifying facial expressions is crucial for social interactions. Functional neuroimaging studies show that a set of brain areas, such as the fusiform gyrus and amygdala, become active when viewing emotional facial expressions. The majority of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies investigating face perception typically employ static images of faces. However, studies that use dynamic facial expressions (e.g., videos) are accumulating and suggest that a dynamic presentation may be more sensitive and ecologically valid for investigating faces. By using quantitative fMRI meta-analysis the present study examined concordance of brain regions associated with viewing dynamic facial expressions. We analyzed data from 216 participants that participated in 14 studies, which reported coordinates for 28 experiments. Our analysis revealed bilateral fusiform and middle temporal gyri, left amygdala, left declive of the cerebellum and the right inferior frontal gyrus. These regions are discussed in terms of their relation to models of face processing.

  6. Energy Dispersive Spectrometry and Quantitative Analysis Short Course. Introduction to X-ray Energy Dispersive Spectrometry and Quantitative Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carpenter, Paul; Curreri, Peter A. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    This course will cover practical applications of the energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS) to x-ray microanalysis. Topics covered will include detector technology, advances in pulse processing, resolution and performance monitoring, detector modeling, peak deconvolution and fitting, qualitative and quantitative analysis, compositional mapping, and standards. An emphasis will be placed on use of the EDS for quantitative analysis, with discussion of typical problems encountered in the analysis of a wide range of materials and sample geometries.

  7. Inspection, visualisation and analysis of quantitative proteomics data

    OpenAIRE

    Gatto, Laurent

    2016-01-01

    Material Quantitative Proteomics and Data Analysis Course. 4 - 5 April 2016, Queen Hotel, Chester, UK Table D - Inspection, visualisation and analysis of quantitative proteomics data, Laurent Gatto (University of Cambridge)

  8. Quantitative analysis of protein and gene expression in salivary glands of Sjogren's-like disease NOD mice treated by bone marrow soup.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kaori Misuno

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Bone marrow cell extract (termed as BM Soup has been demonstrated to repair irradiated salivary glands (SGs and restore saliva secretion in our previous study. In the present study, we aim to investigate if the function of damaged SGs in non-obese diabetic (NOD mice can be restored by BM Soup treatment and the molecular alterations associated with the treatment. METHODS: Whole BM cells were lysed and soluble intracellular contents ("BM Soup" were injected I.V. into NOD mice. Tandem mass tagging with 2-D liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to quantify proteins in the submandibular glands (SMGs between untreated and BM Soup-treated mice. Quantitative PCR was used to identify genes with altered expression in the treated mice. RESULTS BM SOUP: restored salivary flow rates to normal levels and significantly reduced the focus scores of SMGs in NOD mice. More than 1800 proteins in SMG cells were quantified by the proteomic approach. Many SMG proteins involved in inflammation and apoptosis were found to be down-regulated whereas those involved in salivary gland biology and development/regeneration were up-regulated in the BM Soup-treated mice. qPCR analysis also revealed expression changes of growth factors and cytokines in the SMGs of the treated NOD mice. CONCLUSION: BM Soup treatment is effective to restore the function of damaged SGs in NOD mice. Through gene/protein expression analysis, we have found that BM Soup treatment might effectuate via inhibiting apoptosis, focal adhesion and inflammation whereas promoting development, regeneration and differentiation of the SG cells in NOD mice. These findings provide important insights on the potential mechanisms underlying the BM Soup treatment for functional restoration of damaged SGs in NOD mice. Additional studies are needed to further confirm the identified target genes and their related signaling pathways that are responsible for the BM Soup treatment.

  9. Quantitative analysis of protein and gene expression in salivary glands of Sjogren's-like disease NOD mice treated by bone marrow soup.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Misuno, Kaori; Tran, Simon D; Khalili, Saeed; Huang, Junwei; Liu, Younan; Hu, Shen

    2014-01-01

    Bone marrow cell extract (termed as BM Soup) has been demonstrated to repair irradiated salivary glands (SGs) and restore saliva secretion in our previous study. In the present study, we aim to investigate if the function of damaged SGs in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice can be restored by BM Soup treatment and the molecular alterations associated with the treatment. Whole BM cells were lysed and soluble intracellular contents ("BM Soup") were injected I.V. into NOD mice. Tandem mass tagging with 2-D liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to quantify proteins in the submandibular glands (SMGs) between untreated and BM Soup-treated mice. Quantitative PCR was used to identify genes with altered expression in the treated mice. restored salivary flow rates to normal levels and significantly reduced the focus scores of SMGs in NOD mice. More than 1800 proteins in SMG cells were quantified by the proteomic approach. Many SMG proteins involved in inflammation and apoptosis were found to be down-regulated whereas those involved in salivary gland biology and development/regeneration were up-regulated in the BM Soup-treated mice. qPCR analysis also revealed expression changes of growth factors and cytokines in the SMGs of the treated NOD mice. BM Soup treatment is effective to restore the function of damaged SGs in NOD mice. Through gene/protein expression analysis, we have found that BM Soup treatment might effectuate via inhibiting apoptosis, focal adhesion and inflammation whereas promoting development, regeneration and differentiation of the SG cells in NOD mice. These findings provide important insights on the potential mechanisms underlying the BM Soup treatment for functional restoration of damaged SGs in NOD mice. Additional studies are needed to further confirm the identified target genes and their related signaling pathways that are responsible for the BM Soup treatment.

  10. Quantitative Moessbauer analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Collins, R.L.

    1978-01-01

    The quantitative analysis of Moessbauer data, as in the measurement of Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ concentration, has not been possible because of the different mean square velocities (x 2 ) of Moessbauer nuclei at chemically different sites. A method is now described which, based on Moessbauer data at several temperatures, permits the comparison of absorption areas at (x 2 )=0. (Auth.)

  11. Network-based group variable selection for detecting expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhang Xuegong

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Analysis of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL aims to identify the genetic loci associated with the expression level of genes. Penalized regression with a proper penalty is suitable for the high-dimensional biological data. Its performance should be enhanced when we incorporate biological knowledge of gene expression network and linkage disequilibrium (LD structure between loci in high-noise background. Results We propose a network-based group variable selection (NGVS method for QTL detection. Our method simultaneously maps highly correlated expression traits sharing the same biological function to marker sets formed by LD. By grouping markers, complex joint activity of multiple SNPs can be considered and the dimensionality of eQTL problem is reduced dramatically. In order to demonstrate the power and flexibility of our method, we used it to analyze two simulations and a mouse obesity and diabetes dataset. We considered the gene co-expression network, grouped markers into marker sets and treated the additive and dominant effect of each locus as a group: as a consequence, we were able to replicate results previously obtained on the mouse linkage dataset. Furthermore, we observed several possible sex-dependent loci and interactions of multiple SNPs. Conclusions The proposed NGVS method is appropriate for problems with high-dimensional data and high-noise background. On eQTL problem it outperforms the classical Lasso method, which does not consider biological knowledge. Introduction of proper gene expression and loci correlation information makes detecting causal markers more accurate. With reasonable model settings, NGVS can lead to novel biological findings.

  12. Quantitative ferromagnetic resonance analysis of CD 133 stem cells labeled with iron oxide nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gamarra, L F; Pavon, L F; Marti, L C; Moreira-Filho, C A; Amaro, E Jr; Pontuschka, W M; Mamani, J B; Costa-Filho, A J; Vieira, E D

    2008-01-01

    The aim of this work is to provide a quantitative method for analysis of the concentration of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION), determined by means of ferromagnetic resonance (FMR), with the nanoparticles coupled to a specific antibody (AC 133), and thus to express the antigenic labeling evidence for the stem cells CD 133 + . The FMR efficiency and sensitivity were proven adequate for detecting and quantifying the low amounts of iron content in the CD 133 + cells (∼6.16 x 10 5 pg in the volume of 2 μl containing 4.5 x 10 11 SPION). The quantitative method led to the result of 1.70 x 10 -13 mol of Fe (9.5 pg), or 7.0 x 10 6 nanoparticles per cell. For the quantification analysis via the FMR technique it was necessary to carry out a preliminary quantitative visualization of iron oxide-labeled cells in order to ensure that the nanoparticles coupled to the antibodies are indeed tied to the antigen at the stem cell surface and that the cellular morphology was conserved, as proof of the validity of this method. The quantitative analysis by means of FMR is necessary for determining the signal intensity for the study of molecular imaging by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

  13. Quantitative Data Analysis--In the Graduate Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albers, Michael J.

    2017-01-01

    A quantitative research study collects numerical data that must be analyzed to help draw the study's conclusions. Teaching quantitative data analysis is not teaching number crunching, but teaching a way of critical thinking for how to analyze the data. The goal of data analysis is to reveal the underlying patterns, trends, and relationships of a…

  14. Housekeeping genes for quantitative expression studies in the three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Becker Sven

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background During the last years the quantification of immune response under immunological challenges, e.g. parasitation, has been a major focus of research. In this context, the expression of immune response genes in teleost fish has been surveyed for scientific and commercial purposes. Despite the fact that it was shown in teleostei and other taxa that the gene for beta-actin is not the most stably expressed housekeeping gene (HKG, depending on the tissue and experimental treatment, the gene has been used as a reference gene in such studies. In the three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, other HKG than the one for beta-actin have not been established so far. Results To establish a reliable method for the measurement of immune gene expression in Gasterosteus aculeatus, sequences from the now available genome database and an EST library of the same species were used to select oligonucleotide primers for HKG, in order to perform quantitative reverse-transcription (RT PCR. The expression stability of ten candidate reference genes was evaluated in three different tissues, and in five parasite treatment groups, using the three algorithms BestKeeper, geNorm and NormFinder. Our results showed that in most of the tissues and treatments HKG that could not be used so far due to unknown sequences, proved to be more stably expressed than the one for beta-actin. Conclusion As they were the most stably expressed genes in all tissues examined, we suggest using the genes for the L13a ribosomal binding protein and ubiquitin as alternative or additional reference genes in expression analysis in Gasterosteus aculeatus.

  15. Original methods of quantitative analysis developed for diverse samples in various research fields. Quantitative analysis at NMCC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sera, Koichiro

    2003-01-01

    Nishina Memorial Cyclotron Center (NMCC) has been opened for nationwide-common utilization of positron nuclear medicine (PET) and PIXE since April 1993. At the present time, nearly 40 subjects of PIXE in various research fields are pursued here, and more than 50,000 samples have been analyzed up to the present. In order to perform quantitative analyses of diverse samples, technical developments in sample preparation, measurement and data analysis have been continuously carried out. Especially, a standard-free method for quantitative analysis'' made it possible to perform analysis of infinitesimal samples, powdered samples and untreated bio samples, which could not be well analyzed quantitatively in the past. The standard-free method'' and a ''powdered internal standard method'' made the process for target preparation quite easier. It has been confirmed that results obtained by these methods show satisfactory accuracy and reproducibility preventing any ambiguity coming from complicated target preparation processes. (author)

  16. High-level expression of podoplanin in benign and malignant soft tissue tumors: immunohistochemical and quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Yongjun; Ogose, Akira; Kawashima, Hiroyuki; Hotta, Tetsuo; Ariizumi, Takashi; Li, Guidong; Umezu, Hajime; Endo, Naoto

    2011-03-01

    Podoplanin is a 38 kDa mucin-type transmembrane glycoprotein that was first identified in rat glomerular epithelial cells (podocytes). It is expressed in normal lymphatic endothelium, but is absent from vascular endothelial cells. D2-40 is a commercially available mouse monoclonal antibody which binds to an epitope on human podoplanin. D2-40 immunoreactivity is therefore highly sensitive and specific for lymphatic endothelium. Recent investigations have shown widespread applications of immunohistochemical staining with D2-40 in evaluating podoplanin expression as an immunohistochemical marker for diagnosis and prognosis in various tumors. To determine whether the podoplanin (D2-40) antibody may be useful for the diagnosis of soft tissue tumors, 125 cases, including 4 kinds of benign tumors, 15 kinds of malignant tumors and 3 kinds of tumor-like lesions were immunostained using the D2-40 antibody. Total RNA was extracted from frozen tumor tissue obtained from 41 corresponding soft tissue tumor patients and 12 kinds of soft tissue tumor cell lines. Quantitative real-time PCR reactions were performed. Immunohistochemical and quantitative real-time RT-PCR analyses demonstrated the expression of the podoplanin protein and mRNA in the majority of benign and malignant soft tissue tumors and tumor-like lesions examined, with the exception of alveolar soft part sarcoma, embryonal and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma/peripheral primitive neuro-ectodermal tumor and lipoma, which were completely negative for podoplanin. Since it is widely and highly expressed in nearly all kinds of soft tissue tumors, especially in spindle cell sarcoma, myxoid type soft tissue tumors and soft tissue tumors of the nervous system, podoplanin is considered to have little value in the differential diagnosis of soft tissue tumors.

  17. EBprot: Statistical analysis of labeling-based quantitative proteomics data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koh, Hiromi W L; Swa, Hannah L F; Fermin, Damian; Ler, Siok Ghee; Gunaratne, Jayantha; Choi, Hyungwon

    2015-08-01

    Labeling-based proteomics is a powerful method for detection of differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). The current data analysis platform typically relies on protein-level ratios, which is obtained by summarizing peptide-level ratios for each protein. In shotgun proteomics, however, some proteins are quantified with more peptides than others, and this reproducibility information is not incorporated into the differential expression (DE) analysis. Here, we propose a novel probabilistic framework EBprot that directly models the peptide-protein hierarchy and rewards the proteins with reproducible evidence of DE over multiple peptides. To evaluate its performance with known DE states, we conducted a simulation study to show that the peptide-level analysis of EBprot provides better receiver-operating characteristic and more accurate estimation of the false discovery rates than the methods based on protein-level ratios. We also demonstrate superior classification performance of peptide-level EBprot analysis in a spike-in dataset. To illustrate the wide applicability of EBprot in different experimental designs, we applied EBprot to a dataset for lung cancer subtype analysis with biological replicates and another dataset for time course phosphoproteome analysis of EGF-stimulated HeLa cells with multiplexed labeling. Through these examples, we show that the peptide-level analysis of EBprot is a robust alternative to the existing statistical methods for the DE analysis of labeling-based quantitative datasets. The software suite is freely available on the Sourceforge website http://ebprot.sourceforge.net/. All MS data have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD001426 (http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD001426/). © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Exploring Valid Reference Genes for Quantitative Real-Time PCR Analysis in Sesamia inferens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

    OpenAIRE

    Sun, Meng; Lu, Ming-Xing; Tang, Xiao-Tian; Du, Yu-Zhou

    2015-01-01

    The pink stem borer, Sesamia inferens, which is endemic in China and other parts of Asia, is a major pest of rice and causes significant yield loss in this host plant. Very few studies have addressed gene expression in S. inferens. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) is currently the most accurate and sensitive method for gene expression analysis. In qRT-PCR, data are normalized using reference genes, which help control for internal differences and reduce error between samples. In this study...

  19. Quantitative analysis of chromatin interaction changes upon a 4.3 Mb deletion at mouse 4E2

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zepeda-Mendoza, Cinthya J; Mukhopadhyay, Swagatam; Wong, Emily S; Harder, Nathalie; Splinter, Erik; de Wit, Elzo; Eckersley-Maslin, Melanie A; Ried, Thomas; Eils, Roland; Rohr, Karl; Mills, Alea; de Laat, Wouter; Flicek, Paul; Sengupta, Anirvan M; Spector, David L

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Circular chromosome conformation capture (4C) has provided important insights into three dimensional (3D) genome organization and its critical impact on the regulation of gene expression. We developed a new quantitative framework based on polymer physics for the analysis of paired-end

  20. Quantitative high-throughput gene expression profiling of human striatal development to screen stem cell–derived medium spiny neurons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marco Straccia

    Full Text Available A systematic characterization of the spatio-temporal gene expression during human neurodevelopment is essential to understand brain function in both physiological and pathological conditions. In recent years, stem cell technology has provided an in vitro tool to recapitulate human development, permitting also the generation of human models for many diseases. The correct differentiation of human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC into specific cell types should be evaluated by comparison with specific cells/tissue profiles from the equivalent adult in vivo organ. Here, we define by a quantitative high-throughput gene expression analysis the subset of specific genes of the whole ganglionic eminence (WGE and adult human striatum. Our results demonstrate that not only the number of specific genes is crucial but also their relative expression levels between brain areas. We next used these gene profiles to characterize the differentiation of hPSCs. Our findings demonstrate a temporal progression of gene expression during striatal differentiation of hPSCs from a WGE toward an adult striatum identity. Present results establish a gene expression profile to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the telencephalic hPSC-derived progenitors eventually used for transplantation and mature striatal neurons for disease modeling and drug-screening.

  1. iTRAQ-Based Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of the Initiation of Head Regeneration in Planarians.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaofang Geng

    Full Text Available The planarian Dugesia japonica has amazing ability to regenerate a head from the anterior ends of the amputated stump with maintenance of the original anterior-posterior polarity. Although planarians present an attractive system for molecular investigation of regeneration and research has focused on clarifying the molecular mechanism of regeneration initiation in planarians at transcriptional level, but the initiation mechanism of planarian head regeneration (PHR remains unclear at the protein level. Here, a global analysis of proteome dynamics during the early stage of PHR was performed using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomics strategy, and our data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002100. The results showed that 162 proteins were differentially expressed at 2 h and 6 h following amputation. Furthermore, the analysis of expression patterns and functional enrichment of the differentially expressed proteins showed that proteins involved in muscle contraction, oxidation reduction and protein synthesis were up-regulated in the initiation of PHR. Moreover, ingenuity pathway analysis showed that predominant signaling pathways such as ILK, calcium, EIF2 and mTOR signaling which were associated with cell migration, cell proliferation and protein synthesis were likely to be involved in the initiation of PHR. The results for the first time demonstrated that muscle contraction and ILK signaling might played important roles in the initiation of PHR at the global protein level. The findings of this research provide a molecular basis for further unraveling the mechanism of head regeneration initiation in planarians.

  2. Quantitative Analysis of Protein and Gene Expression in Salivary Glands of Sjogren’s-Like Disease NOD Mice Treated by Bone Marrow Soup

    Science.gov (United States)

    Misuno, Kaori; Khalili, Saeed; Huang, Junwei; Liu, Younan

    2014-01-01

    Background Bone marrow cell extract (termed as BM Soup) has been demonstrated to repair irradiated salivary glands (SGs) and restore saliva secretion in our previous study. In the present study, we aim to investigate if the function of damaged SGs in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice can be restored by BM Soup treatment and the molecular alterations associated with the treatment. Methods Whole BM cells were lysed and soluble intracellular contents (“BM Soup”) were injected I.V. into NOD mice. Tandem mass tagging with 2-D liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to quantify proteins in the submandibular glands (SMGs) between untreated and BM Soup-treated mice. Quantitative PCR was used to identify genes with altered expression in the treated mice. Results BM Soup restored salivary flow rates to normal levels and significantly reduced the focus scores of SMGs in NOD mice. More than 1800 proteins in SMG cells were quantified by the proteomic approach. Many SMG proteins involved in inflammation and apoptosis were found to be down-regulated whereas those involved in salivary gland biology and development/regeneration were up-regulated in the BM Soup-treated mice. qPCR analysis also revealed expression changes of growth factors and cytokines in the SMGs of the treated NOD mice. Conclusion BM Soup treatment is effective to restore the function of damaged SGs in NOD mice. Through gene/protein expression analysis, we have found that BM Soup treatment might effectuate via inhibiting apoptosis, focal adhesion and inflammation whereas promoting development, regeneration and differentiation of the SG cells in NOD mice. These findings provide important insights on the potential mechanisms underlying the BM Soup treatment for functional restoration of damaged SGs in NOD mice. Additional studies are needed to further confirm the identified target genes and their related signaling pathways that are responsible for the BM Soup treatment. PMID:24489858

  3. Quantitative ferromagnetic resonance analysis of CD 133 stem cells labeled with iron oxide nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gamarra, L F; Pavon, L F; Marti, L C; Moreira-Filho, C A; Amaro, E Jr [Instituto Israelita de Ensino e Pesquisa Albert Einstein, IIEPAE, Sao Paulo 05651-901 (Brazil); Pontuschka, W M; Mamani, J B [Instituto de Fisica, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05315-970 (Brazil); Costa-Filho, A J; Vieira, E D [Instituto de Fisica de Sao Carlos, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Carlos 13560-970 (Brazil)], E-mail: lgamarra@einstein.br

    2008-05-21

    The aim of this work is to provide a quantitative method for analysis of the concentration of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION), determined by means of ferromagnetic resonance (FMR), with the nanoparticles coupled to a specific antibody (AC 133), and thus to express the antigenic labeling evidence for the stem cells CD 133{sup +}. The FMR efficiency and sensitivity were proven adequate for detecting and quantifying the low amounts of iron content in the CD 133{sup +} cells ({approx}6.16 x 10{sup 5} pg in the volume of 2 {mu}l containing 4.5 x 10{sup 11} SPION). The quantitative method led to the result of 1.70 x 10{sup -13} mol of Fe (9.5 pg), or 7.0 x 10{sup 6} nanoparticles per cell. For the quantification analysis via the FMR technique it was necessary to carry out a preliminary quantitative visualization of iron oxide-labeled cells in order to ensure that the nanoparticles coupled to the antibodies are indeed tied to the antigen at the stem cell surface and that the cellular morphology was conserved, as proof of the validity of this method. The quantitative analysis by means of FMR is necessary for determining the signal intensity for the study of molecular imaging by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

  4. Quantitative analysis of untreated bio-samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sera, K.; Futatsugawa, S.; Matsuda, K.

    1999-01-01

    A standard-free method of quantitative analysis for untreated samples has been developed. For hair samples, measurements were performed by irradiating with a proton beam a few hairs as they are, and quantitative analysis was carried out by means of a standard-free method developed by ourselves. First, quantitative values of concentration of zinc were derived, then concentration of other elements was obtained by regarding zinc as an internal standard. As the result, values of concentration of sulphur for 40 samples agree well with the average value for a typical Japanese and also with each other within 20%, and validity of the present method could be confirmed. Accuracy was confirmed by comparing the results with those obtained by the usual internal standard method, too. For the purpose of a surface analysis of a bone sample, a very small incidence angle of the proton beam was used, so that both energy loss of the projectile and self-absorption of X-rays become negligible. As the result, consistent values of concentration for many elements were obtained by the standard-free method

  5. Quantitative analysis of boron by neutron radiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bayuelken, A.; Boeck, H.; Schachner, H.; Buchberger, T.

    1990-01-01

    The quantitative determination of boron in ores is a long process with chemical analysis techniques. As nuclear techniques like X-ray fluorescence and activation analysis are not applicable for boron, only the neutron radiography technique, using the high neutron absorption cross section of this element, can be applied for quantitative determinations. This paper describes preliminary tests and calibration experiments carried out at a 250 kW TRIGA reactor. (orig.) [de

  6. Development Status of the WetLab-2 Project: New Tools for On-orbit Real-time Quantitative Gene Expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Jimmy; Parra, Macarena P.; Almeida, Eduardo; Boone, Travis; Chinn, Tori; Ricco, Antonio; Souza, Kenneth; Hyde, Liz; Rukhsana, Yousuf; Richey, C. Scott

    2013-01-01

    The primary objective of NASA Ames Research Centers WetLab-2 Project is to place on the ISS a research platform to facilitate gene expression analysis via quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) of biological specimens grown or cultured on orbit. The WetLab-2 equipment will be capable of processing multiple sample types ranging from microbial cultures to animal tissues dissected on-orbit. In addition to the logistical benefits of in-situ sample processing and analysis, conducting qRT-PCR on-orbit eliminates the confounding effects on gene expression of reentry stresses and shock acting on live cells and organisms. The system can also validate terrestrial analyses of samples returned from ISS by providing quantitative on-orbit gene expression benchmarking prior to sample return. The ability to get on orbit data will provide investigators with the opportunity to adjust experimental parameters for subsequent trials based on the real-time data analysis without need for sample return and re-flight. Finally, WetLab-2 can be used for analysis of air, surface, water, and clinical samples to monitor environmental contaminants and crew health. The verification flight of the instrument is scheduled to launch on SpaceX-5 in Aug. 2014.Progress to date: The WetLab-2 project completed a thorough study of commercially available qRT-PCR systems and performed a downselect based on both scientific and engineering requirements. The selected instrument, the Cepheid SmartCycler, has advantages including modular design (16 independent PCR modules), low power consumption, and rapid ramp times. The SmartCycler has multiplex capabilities, assaying up to four genes of interest in each of the 16 modules. The WetLab-2 team is currently working with Cepheid to modify the unit for housing within an EXPRESS rack locker on the ISS. This will enable the downlink of data to the ground and provide uplink capabilities for programming, commanding, monitoring, and instrument maintenance. The project is

  7. Relationship of the Interaction Between Two Quantitative Trait Loci with γ-Globin Expression in β-Thalassemia Intermedia Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    NickAria, Shiva; Haghpanah, Sezaneh; Ramzi, Mani; Karimi, Mehran

    2018-05-10

    Globin switching is a significant factor on blood hemoglobin (Hb) level but its molecular mechanisms have not yet been identified, however, several quantitative trait loci (QTL) and polymorphisms involved regions on chromosomes 2p, 6q, 8q and X account for variation in the γ-globin expression level. We studied the effect of interaction between a region on intron six of the TOX gene, chromosome 8q (chr8q) and XmnI locus on the γ-globin promoter, chr11p on γ-globin expression in 150 β-thalassemia intermedia (β-TI) patients, evaluated by statistical interaction analysis. Our results showed a significant interaction between one QTL on intron six of the TOX gene (rs9693712) and XmnI locus that effect γ-globin expression. Interchromosomal interaction mediates through transcriptional machanisms to preserve true genome architectural features, chromosomes localization and DNA bending. This interaction can be a part of the unknown molecular mechanism of globin switching and regulation of gene expression.

  8. A scanning electron microscope method for automated, quantitative analysis of mineral matter in coal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Creelman, R.A.; Ward, C.R. [R.A. Creelman and Associates, Epping, NSW (Australia)

    1996-07-01

    Quantitative mineralogical analysis has been carried out in a series of nine coal samples from Australia, South Africa and China using a newly-developed automated image analysis system coupled to a scanning electron microscopy. The image analysis system (QEM{asterisk}SEM) gathers X-ray spectra and backscattered electron data from a number of points on a conventional grain-mount polished section under the SEM, and interprets the data from each point in mineralogical terms. The cumulative data in each case was integrated to provide a volumetric modal analysis of the species present in the coal samples, expressed as percentages of the respective coals` mineral matter. Comparison was made of the QEM{asterisk}SEM results to data obtained from the same samples using other methods of quantitative mineralogical analysis, namely X-ray diffraction of the low-temperature oxygen-plasma ash and normative calculation from the (high-temperature) ash analysis and carbonate CO{sub 2} data. Good agreement was obtained from all three methods for quartz in the coals, and also for most of the iron-bearing minerals. The correlation between results from the different methods was less strong, however, for individual clay minerals, or for minerals such as calcite, dolomite and phosphate species that made up only relatively small proportions of the mineral matter. The image analysis approach, using the electron microscope for mineralogical studies, has significant potential as a supplement to optical microscopy in quantitative coal characterisation. 36 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs.

  9. Quantitative image analysis of cellular heterogeneity in breast tumors complements genomic profiling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Yinyin; Failmezger, Henrik; Rueda, Oscar M; Ali, H Raza; Gräf, Stefan; Chin, Suet-Feung; Schwarz, Roland F; Curtis, Christina; Dunning, Mark J; Bardwell, Helen; Johnson, Nicola; Doyle, Sarah; Turashvili, Gulisa; Provenzano, Elena; Aparicio, Sam; Caldas, Carlos; Markowetz, Florian

    2012-10-24

    Solid tumors are heterogeneous tissues composed of a mixture of cancer and normal cells, which complicates the interpretation of their molecular profiles. Furthermore, tissue architecture is generally not reflected in molecular assays, rendering this rich information underused. To address these challenges, we developed a computational approach based on standard hematoxylin and eosin-stained tissue sections and demonstrated its power in a discovery and validation cohort of 323 and 241 breast tumors, respectively. To deconvolute cellular heterogeneity and detect subtle genomic aberrations, we introduced an algorithm based on tumor cellularity to increase the comparability of copy number profiles between samples. We next devised a predictor for survival in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer that integrated both image-based and gene expression analyses and significantly outperformed classifiers that use single data types, such as microarray expression signatures. Image processing also allowed us to describe and validate an independent prognostic factor based on quantitative analysis of spatial patterns between stromal cells, which are not detectable by molecular assays. Our quantitative, image-based method could benefit any large-scale cancer study by refining and complementing molecular assays of tumor samples.

  10. Quantitative multiplex quantum dot in-situ hybridisation based gene expression profiling in tissue microarrays identifies prognostic genes in acute myeloid leukaemia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tholouli, Eleni [Department of Haematology, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WL (United Kingdom); MacDermott, Sarah [The Medical School, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PT Manchester (United Kingdom); Hoyland, Judith [School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PT Manchester (United Kingdom); Yin, John Liu [Department of Haematology, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WL (United Kingdom); Byers, Richard, E-mail: richard.byers@cmft.nhs.uk [School of Cancer and Enabling Sciences, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, The University of Manchester, Stopford Building, Oxford Road, M13 9PT Manchester (United Kingdom)

    2012-08-24

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Development of a quantitative high throughput in situ expression profiling method. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Application to a tissue microarray of 242 AML bone marrow samples. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Identification of HOXA4, HOXA9, Meis1 and DNMT3A as prognostic markers in AML. -- Abstract: Measurement and validation of microarray gene signatures in routine clinical samples is problematic and a rate limiting step in translational research. In order to facilitate measurement of microarray identified gene signatures in routine clinical tissue a novel method combining quantum dot based oligonucleotide in situ hybridisation (QD-ISH) and post-hybridisation spectral image analysis was used for multiplex in-situ transcript detection in archival bone marrow trephine samples from patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Tissue-microarrays were prepared into which white cell pellets were spiked as a standard. Tissue microarrays were made using routinely processed bone marrow trephines from 242 patients with AML. QD-ISH was performed for six candidate prognostic genes using triplex QD-ISH for DNMT1, DNMT3A, DNMT3B, and for HOXA4, HOXA9, Meis1. Scrambled oligonucleotides were used to correct for background staining followed by normalisation of expression against the expression values for the white cell pellet standard. Survival analysis demonstrated that low expression of HOXA4 was associated with poorer overall survival (p = 0.009), whilst high expression of HOXA9 (p < 0.0001), Meis1 (p = 0.005) and DNMT3A (p = 0.04) were associated with early treatment failure. These results demonstrate application of a standardised, quantitative multiplex QD-ISH method for identification of prognostic markers in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded clinical samples, facilitating measurement of gene expression signatures in routine clinical samples.

  11. Quantitative image analysis of synovial tissue

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Hall, Pascal O.; Kraan, Maarten C.; Tak, Paul Peter

    2007-01-01

    Quantitative image analysis is a form of imaging that includes microscopic histological quantification, video microscopy, image analysis, and image processing. Hallmarks are the generation of reliable, reproducible, and efficient measurements via strict calibration and step-by-step control of the

  12. Quantitative Auger analysis of Nb-Ge superconducting alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buitrago, R.H.

    1980-01-01

    The feasibility of using Auger electron analysis for quantitative analysis was investigated by studying Nb 3 Ge thin-film Auger data with different approaches. A method base on elemental standards gave consistent quantitative values with reported Nb-Ge data. Alloy sputter yields were also calculated and results were consistent with those for pure elements

  13. Microgravity validation of a novel system for RNA isolation and multiplex quantitative real time PCR analysis of gene expression on the International Space Station.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Macarena Parra

    Full Text Available The International Space Station (ISS National Laboratory is dedicated to studying the effects of space on life and physical systems, and to developing new science and technologies for space exploration. A key aspect of achieving these goals is to operate the ISS National Lab more like an Earth-based laboratory, conducting complex end-to-end experimentation, not limited to simple microgravity exposure. Towards that end NASA developed a novel suite of molecular biology laboratory tools, reagents, and methods, named WetLab-2, uniquely designed to operate in microgravity, and to process biological samples for real-time gene expression analysis on-orbit. This includes a novel fluidic RNA Sample Preparation Module and fluid transfer devices, all-in-one lyophilized PCR assays, centrifuge, and a real-time PCR thermal cycler. Here we describe the results from the WetLab-2 validation experiments conducted in microgravity during ISS increment 47/SPX-8. Specifically, quantitative PCR was performed on a concentration series of DNA calibration standards, and Reverse Transcriptase-quantitative PCR was conducted on RNA extracted and purified on-orbit from frozen Escherichia coli and mouse liver tissue. Cycle threshold (Ct values and PCR efficiencies obtained on-orbit from DNA standards were similar to Earth (1 g controls. Also, on-orbit multiplex analysis of gene expression from bacterial cells and mammalian tissue RNA samples was successfully conducted in about 3 h, with data transmitted within 2 h of experiment completion. Thermal cycling in microgravity resulted in the trapping of gas bubbles inside septa cap assay tubes, causing small but measurable increases in Ct curve noise and variability. Bubble formation was successfully suppressed in a rapid follow-up on-orbit experiment using standard caps to pressurize PCR tubes and reduce gas release during heating cycles. The WetLab-2 facility now provides a novel operational on-orbit research capability for

  14. Validation of reference genes for quantitative RT-PCR studies of gene expression in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thrush Anthony

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L. is an important pasture and turf crop. Biotechniques such as gene expression studies are being employed to improve traits in this temperate grass. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR is among the best methods available for determining changes in gene expression. Before analysis of target gene expression, it is essential to select an appropriate normalisation strategy to control for non-specific variation between samples. Reference genes that have stable expression at different biological and physiological states can be effectively used for normalisation; however, their expression stability must be validated before use. Results Existing Serial Analysis of Gene Expression data were queried to identify six moderately expressed genes that had relatively stable gene expression throughout the year. These six candidate reference genes (eukaryotic elongation factor 1 alpha, eEF1A; TAT-binding protein homolog 1, TBP-1; eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4 alpha, eIF4A; YT521-B-like protein family protein, YT521-B; histone 3, H3; ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, E2 were validated for qRT-PCR normalisation in 442 diverse perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L. samples sourced from field- and laboratory-grown plants under a wide range of experimental conditions. Eukaryotic EF1A is encoded by members of a multigene family exhibiting differential expression and necessitated the expression analysis of different eEF1A encoding genes; a highly expressed eEF1A (h, a moderately, but stably expressed eEF1A (s, and combined expression of multigene eEF1A (m. NormFinder identified eEF1A (s and YT521-B as the best combination of two genes for normalisation of gene expression data in perennial ryegrass following different defoliation management in the field. Conclusions This study is unique in the magnitude of samples tested with the inclusion of numerous field-grown samples

  15. Quantitative proteomic analysis for high-throughput screening of differential glycoproteins in hepatocellular carcinoma serum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao, Hua-Jun; Chen, Ya-Jing; Zuo, Duo; Xiao, Ming-Ming; Li, Ying; Guo, Hua; Zhang, Ning; Chen, Rui-Bing

    2015-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Novel serum biomarkers are required to increase the sensitivity and specificity of serum screening for early HCC diagnosis. This study employed a quantitative proteomic strategy to analyze the differential expression of serum glycoproteins between HCC and normal control serum samples. Lectin affinity chromatography (LAC) was used to enrich glycoproteins from the serum samples. Quantitative mass spectrometric analysis combined with stable isotope dimethyl labeling and 2D liquid chromatography (LC) separations were performed to examine the differential levels of the detected proteins between HCC and control serum samples. Western blot was used to analyze the differential expression levels of the three serum proteins. A total of 2,280 protein groups were identified in the serum samples from HCC patients by using the 2D LC-MS/MS method. Up to 36 proteins were up-regulated in the HCC serum, whereas 19 proteins were down-regulated. Three differential glycoproteins, namely, fibrinogen gamma chain (FGG), FOS-like antigen 2 (FOSL2), and α-1,6-mannosylglycoprotein 6-β-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase B (MGAT5B) were validated by Western blot. All these three proteins were up-regulated in the HCC serum samples. A quantitative glycoproteomic method was established and proven useful to determine potential novel biomarkers for HCC

  16. Molecular Characterization and Expression Analysis of Equine ( Gene in Horse (

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ki-Duk Song

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to determine the molecular characteristics of the horse vascular endothelial growth factor alpha gene (VEGFα by constructing a phylogenetic tree, and to investigate gene expression profiles in tissues and blood leukocytes after exercise for development of suitable biomarkers. Using published amino acid sequences of other vertebrate species (human, chimpanzee, mouse, rat, cow, pig, chicken and dog, we constructed a phylogenetic tree which showed that equine VEGFα belonged to the same clade of the pig VEGFα. Analysis for synonymous (Ks and non-synonymous substitution ratios (Ka revealed that the horse VEGFα underwent positive selection. RNA was extracted from blood samples before and after exercise and different tissue samples of three horses. Expression analyses using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR and quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (qPCR showed ubiquitous expression of VEGFα mRNA in skeletal muscle, kidney, thyroid, lung, appendix, colon, spinal cord, and heart tissues. Analysis of differential expression of VEGFα gene in blood leukocytes after exercise indicated a unimodal pattern. These results will be useful in developing biomarkers that can predict the recovery capacity of racing horses.

  17. Quantitative spectral and orientational analysis in surface sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG-VS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Hong-Fei; Gan, Wei; Lu, Rong; Rao, Yi; Wu, Bao-Hua

    Sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG-VS) has been proven to be a uniquely effective spectroscopic technique in the investigation of molecular structure and conformations, as well as the dynamics of molecular interfaces. However, the ability to apply SFG-VS to complex molecular interfaces has been limited by the ability to abstract quantitative information from SFG-VS experiments. In this review, we try to make assessments of the limitations, issues and techniques as well as methodologies in quantitative orientational and spectral analysis with SFG-VS. Based on these assessments, we also try to summarize recent developments in methodologies on quantitative orientational and spectral analysis in SFG-VS, and their applications to detailed analysis of SFG-VS data of various vapour/neat liquid interfaces. A rigorous formulation of the polarization null angle (PNA) method is given for accurate determination of the orientational parameter D = /, and comparison between the PNA method with the commonly used polarization intensity ratio (PIR) method is discussed. The polarization and incident angle dependencies of the SFG-VS intensity are also reviewed, in the light of how experimental arrangements can be optimized to effectively abstract crucial information from the SFG-VS experiments. The values and models of the local field factors in the molecular layers are discussed. In order to examine the validity and limitations of the bond polarizability derivative model, the general expressions for molecular hyperpolarizability tensors and their expression with the bond polarizability derivative model for C3v, C2v and C∞v molecular groups are given in the two appendixes. We show that the bond polarizability derivative model can quantitatively describe many aspects of the intensities observed in the SFG-VS spectrum of the vapour/neat liquid interfaces in different polarizations. Using the polarization analysis in SFG-VS, polarization selection rules or

  18. Systematic and quantitative mRNA expression analysis of TRP channel genes at the single trigeminal and dorsal root ganglion level in mouse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vandewauw Ine

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Somatosensory nerve fibres arising from cell bodies within the trigeminal ganglia (TG in the head and from a string of dorsal root ganglia (DRG located lateral to the spinal cord convey endogenous and environmental stimuli to the central nervous system. Although several members of the transient receptor potential (TRP superfamily of cation channels have been implicated in somatosensation, the expression levels of TRP channel genes in the individual sensory ganglia have never been systematically studied. Results Here, we used quantitative real-time PCR to analyse and compare mRNA expression of all TRP channels in TG and individual DRGs from 27 anatomically defined segments of the spinal cord of the mouse. At the mRNA level, 17 of the 28 TRP channel genes, TRPA1, TRPC1, TRPC3, TRPC4, TRPC5, TRPM2, TRPM3, TRPM4, TRPM5, TRPM6, TRPM7, TRPM8, TRPV1, TRPV2, TRPV4, TRPML1 and TRPP2, were detectable in every tested ganglion. Notably, four TRP channels, TRPC4, TRPM4, TRPM8 and TRPV1, showed statistically significant variation in mRNA levels between DRGs from different segments, suggesting ganglion-specific regulation of TRP channel gene expression. These ganglion-to-ganglion differences in TRP channel transcript levels may contribute to the variability in sensory responses in functional studies. Conclusions We developed, compared and refined techniques to quantitatively analyse the relative mRNA expression of all TRP channel genes at the single ganglion level. This study also provides for the first time a comparative mRNA distribution profile in TG and DRG along the entire vertebral column for the mammalian TRP channel family.

  19. Complementary techniques: validation of gene expression data by quantitative real time PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Provenzano, Maurizio; Mocellin, Simone

    2007-01-01

    Microarray technology can be considered the most powerful tool for screening gene expression profiles of biological samples. After data mining, results need to be validated with highly reliable biotechniques allowing for precise quantitation of transcriptional abundance of identified genes. Quantitative real time PCR (qrt-PCR) technology has recently reached a level of sensitivity, accuracy and practical ease that support its use as a routine bioinstrumentation for gene level measurement. Currently, qrt-PCR is considered by most experts the most appropriate method to confirm or confute microarray-generated data. The knowledge of the biochemical principles underlying qrt-PCR as well as some related technical issues must be beard in mind when using this biotechnology.

  20. [Quantitative data analysis for live imaging of bone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seno, Shigeto

    Bone tissue is a hard tissue, it was difficult to observe the interior of the bone tissue alive. With the progress of microscopic technology and fluorescent probe technology in recent years, it becomes possible to observe various activities of various cells forming bone society. On the other hand, the quantitative increase in data and the diversification and complexity of the images makes it difficult to perform quantitative analysis by visual inspection. It has been expected to develop a methodology for processing microscopic images and data analysis. In this article, we introduce the research field of bioimage informatics which is the boundary area of biology and information science, and then outline the basic image processing technology for quantitative analysis of live imaging data of bone.

  1. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR analysis of expression stability of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae housekeeping genes during in vitro growth under iron-depleted conditions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, K. K.; Boye, Mette

    2005-01-01

    up-regulation under iron-restricted conditions compared to bacteria grown in medium with sufficient iron. The observed expression patterns of the genes of interest were consistent with previous observations. This study therefore lends further support to the use of real-time quantitative RT...... controls, as such controls have not been defined yet for this bacterium. Bacterial gene expression was studied during in vitro exponential and early stationary growth in medium with and without sufficient iron, respectively. First, the stability of expression of five genes, the glyA, tpiA, pykA, rec......F, and rhoAP genes involved in basic housekeeping, was evaluated on the basis of the mean pairwise variation. All the housekeeping genes included were stably expressed under the conditions investigated and consequently were included in the normalization procedure. Next, the geometric mean of the internal...

  2. Quantitative phase analysis by neutron diffraction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Chang Hee; Song, Su Ho; Lee, Jin Ho; Shim, Hae Seop [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea)

    1999-06-01

    This study is to apply quantitative phase analysis (QPA) by neutron diffraction to the round robin samples provided by the International Union of Crystallography(IUCr). We measured neutron diffraction patterns for mixed samples which have several different weight percentages and their unique characteristic features. Neutron diffraction method has been known to be superior to its complementary methods such as X-ray or Synchrotron, but it is still accepted as highly reliable under limited conditions or samples. Neutron diffraction has strong capability especially on oxides due to its scattering cross-section of the oxygen and it can become a more strong tool for analysis on the industrial materials with this quantitative phase analysis techniques. By doing this study, we hope not only to do one of instrument performance tests on our HRPD but also to improve our ability on the analysis of neutron diffraction data by comparing our QPA results with others from any advanced reactor facilities. 14 refs., 4 figs., 6 tabs. (Author)

  3. MicroRNA-124-3p expression and its prospective functional pathways in hepatocellular carcinoma: A quantitative polymerase chain reaction, gene expression omnibus and bioinformatics study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Rong-Quan; Yang, Xia; Liang, Liang; Chen, Gang; Ma, Jie

    2018-04-01

    The present study aimed to explore the potential clinical significance of microRNA (miR)-124-3p expression in the hepatocarcinogenesis and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as well as the potential target genes of functional HCC pathways. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to evaluate the expression of miR-124-3p in 101 HCC and adjacent non-cancerous tissue samples. Additionally, the association between miR-124-3p expression and clinical parameters was also analyzed. Differentially expressed genes identified following miR-124-3p transfection, the prospective target genes predicted in silico and the key genes of HCC obtained from Natural Language Processing (NLP) were integrated to obtain potential target genes of miR-124-3p in HCC. Relevant signaling pathways were assessed with protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Protein Annotation Through Evolutionary Relationships (PANTHER) pathway enrichment analysis. miR-124-3p expression was significantly reduced in HCC tissues compared with expression in adjacent non-cancerous liver tissues. In HCC, miR-124-3p was demonstrated to be associated with clinical stage. The mean survival time of the low miR-124-3p expression group was reduced compared with that of the high expression group. A total of 132 genes overlapped from differentially expressed genes, miR-124-3p predicted target genes and NLP identified genes. PPI network construction revealed a total of 109 nodes and 386 edges, and 20 key genes were identified. The major enriched terms of three GO categories included regulation of cell proliferation, positive regulation of cellular biosynthetic processes, cell leading edge, cytosol and cell projection, protein kinase activity, transcription activator activity and enzyme binding. KEGG analysis revealed pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer and non-small cell lung cancer as the

  4. New tools for comparing microscopy images: quantitative analysis of cell types in Bacillus subtilis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Gestel, Jordi; Vlamakis, Hera; Kolter, Roberto

    2015-02-15

    Fluorescence microscopy is a method commonly used to examine individual differences between bacterial cells, yet many studies still lack a quantitative analysis of fluorescence microscopy data. Here we introduce some simple tools that microbiologists can use to analyze and compare their microscopy images. We show how image data can be converted to distribution data. These data can be subjected to a cluster analysis that makes it possible to objectively compare microscopy images. The distribution data can further be analyzed using distribution fitting. We illustrate our methods by scrutinizing two independently acquired data sets, each containing microscopy images of a doubly labeled Bacillus subtilis strain. For the first data set, we examined the expression of srfA and tapA, two genes which are expressed in surfactin-producing and matrix-producing cells, respectively. For the second data set, we examined the expression of eps and tapA; these genes are expressed in matrix-producing cells. We show that srfA is expressed by all cells in the population, a finding which contrasts with a previously reported bimodal distribution of srfA expression. In addition, we show that eps and tapA do not always have the same expression profiles, despite being expressed in the same cell type: both operons are expressed in cell chains, while single cells mainly express eps. These findings exemplify that the quantification and comparison of microscopy data can yield insights that otherwise would go unnoticed. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  5. The utility of optical detection system (qPCR) and bioinformatics methods in reference gene expression analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skarzyńska, Agnieszka; Pawełkowicz, Magdalena; PlÄ der, Wojciech; Przybecki, Zbigniew

    2016-09-01

    Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction is consider as the most reliable method for gene expression studies. However, the expression of target gene could be misinterpreted due to improper normalization. Therefore, the crucial step for analysing of qPCR data is selection of suitable reference genes, which should be validated experimentally. In order to choice the gene with stable expression in the designed experiment, we performed reference gene expression analysis. In this study genes described in the literature and novel genes predicted as control genes, based on the in silico analysis of transcriptome data were used. Analysis with geNorm and NormFinder algorithms allow to create the ranking of candidate genes and indicate the best reference for flower morphogenesis study. According to the results, genes CACS and CYCL were characterised the most stable expression, but the least suitable genes were TUA and EF.

  6. Differential expression of granulopoiesis related genes in neutrophil subsets distinguished by membrane expression of CD177

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hu, Nan; Mora-Jensen, Helena; Theilgaard-Mønch, Kim

    2014-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: Differential gene expression in CD177+ and CD177- neutrophils was investigated, in order to detect possible differences in neutrophil function which could be related to the pathogenesis of ANCA-associated Vasculitides (AAV). METHODS: Neutrophils were isolated from healthy controls (HC......) with high, negative or bimodal CD177 expression, and sorted into CD177+ and CD177- subpopulations. Total RNA was screened for expression of 24,000 probes with Illumina Ref-8 Beadchips. Genes showing differential expression between CD177+ and CD177- subsets in microarray analysis were re-assessed using...... quantitative-PCR. CD177 expression on neutrophil precursors in bone marrow was analyzed using quantitative PCR and flowcytometry. RESULTS: The proportion of CD177+ cells increased during neutrophil maturation in bone marrow. Fold change analysis of gene expression profile of sorted CD177+ and CD177...

  7. Human cytosolic glutathione-S-transferases: quantitative analysis of expression, comparative analysis of structures and inhibition strategies of isozymes involved in drug resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohana, Krishnamoorthy; Achary, Anant

    2017-08-01

    Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) inhibition is a strategy to overcome drug resistance. Several isoforms of human GSTs are present and they are expressed in almost all the organs. Specific expression levels of GSTs in various organs are collected from the human transcriptome data and analysis of the organ-specific expression of GST isoforms is carried out. The variations in the level of expressions of GST isoforms are statistically significant. The GST expression differs in diseased conditions as reported by many investigators and some of the isoforms of GSTs are disease markers or drug targets. Structure analysis of various isoforms is carried out and literature mining has been performed to identify the differences in the active sites of the GSTs. The xenobiotic binding H site is classified into H1, H2, and H3 and the differences in the amino acid composition, the hydrophobicity and other structural features of H site of GSTs are discussed. The existing inhibition strategies are compared. The advent of rational drug design, mechanism-based inhibition strategies, availability of high-throughput screening, target specific, and selective inhibition of GST isoforms involved in drug resistance could be achieved for the reversal of drug resistance and aid in the treatment of diseases.

  8. Assessment of ERCC1 and XPF Protein Expression Using Quantitative Immunohistochemistry in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients Undergoing Curative Intent Treatment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jagdis, Amanda [Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); Phan, Tien [Department of Radiation Oncology, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Klimowicz, Alexander C. [Department of Oncology, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Laskin, Janessa J. [Department of Medical Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Agency–Vancouver, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); Lau, Harold Y. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Petrillo, Stephanie K. [Functional Tissue Imaging Unit, Translational Research Laboratory, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Siever, Jodi E. [Department of Biostatistics, Public Health Innovation and Decision Support Population and Public Health, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Thomson, Thomas A. [Department of Pathology, British Columbia Cancer Agency–Vancouver, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); Magliocco, Anthony M. [Department of Pathology, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Hao, Desirée, E-mail: Desiree.Hao@albertahealthservices.ab.ca [Department of Medical Oncology, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta (Canada)

    2013-04-01

    Purpose: We sought to evaluate the prognostic/predictive value of ERCC1 and XPF in patients with nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with curative intent. Methods and Materials: ERCC1 and XPF protein expression was evaluated by immunofluorescence combined with automated quantitative analysis (AQUA) using the FL297 and 3F2 antibodies, respectively. ERCC1 and XPF protein expression levels were correlated with clinical outcomes. Results: Patient characteristics were as follows: mean age 52 years (range, 18-85 years), 67% male, 72% Karnofsky performance status (KPS) ≥90%, World Health Organization (WHO) type 1/2/3 = 12%/28%/60%, stage III/IV 65%. With a median follow-up time of 50 months (range, 2.9 to 120 months), the 5-year overall survival (OS) was 70.8%. Median standardized nuclear AQUA scores were used as cutpoints for ERCC1 (n=138) and XPF (n=130) protein expression. Agreement between dichotomized ERCC1 and XPF scores was high at 79.4% (kappa = 0.587, P<.001). Neither biomarker predicted locoregional recurrence, DFS, or OS after adjustment for age and KPS, irrespective of stratification by stage, WHO type, or treatment. Conclusions: Neither ERCC1 nor XPF, analyzed by quantitative immunohistochemistry using the FL297 and 3F2 antibodies, was prognostic or predictive in this cohort of NPC patients.

  9. Assessment of ERCC1 and XPF Protein Expression Using Quantitative Immunohistochemistry in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients Undergoing Curative Intent Treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jagdis, Amanda; Phan, Tien; Klimowicz, Alexander C.; Laskin, Janessa J.; Lau, Harold Y.; Petrillo, Stephanie K.; Siever, Jodi E.; Thomson, Thomas A.; Magliocco, Anthony M.; Hao, Desirée

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: We sought to evaluate the prognostic/predictive value of ERCC1 and XPF in patients with nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with curative intent. Methods and Materials: ERCC1 and XPF protein expression was evaluated by immunofluorescence combined with automated quantitative analysis (AQUA) using the FL297 and 3F2 antibodies, respectively. ERCC1 and XPF protein expression levels were correlated with clinical outcomes. Results: Patient characteristics were as follows: mean age 52 years (range, 18-85 years), 67% male, 72% Karnofsky performance status (KPS) ≥90%, World Health Organization (WHO) type 1/2/3 = 12%/28%/60%, stage III/IV 65%. With a median follow-up time of 50 months (range, 2.9 to 120 months), the 5-year overall survival (OS) was 70.8%. Median standardized nuclear AQUA scores were used as cutpoints for ERCC1 (n=138) and XPF (n=130) protein expression. Agreement between dichotomized ERCC1 and XPF scores was high at 79.4% (kappa = 0.587, P<.001). Neither biomarker predicted locoregional recurrence, DFS, or OS after adjustment for age and KPS, irrespective of stratification by stage, WHO type, or treatment. Conclusions: Neither ERCC1 nor XPF, analyzed by quantitative immunohistochemistry using the FL297 and 3F2 antibodies, was prognostic or predictive in this cohort of NPC patients

  10. A multiplex branched DNA assay for parallel quantitative gene expression profiling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flagella, Michael; Bui, Son; Zheng, Zhi; Nguyen, Cung Tuong; Zhang, Aiguo; Pastor, Larry; Ma, Yunqing; Yang, Wen; Crawford, Kimberly L; McMaster, Gary K; Witney, Frank; Luo, Yuling

    2006-05-01

    We describe a novel method to quantitatively measure messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of multiple genes directly from crude cell lysates and tissue homogenates without the need for RNA purification or target amplification. The multiplex branched DNA (bDNA) assay adapts the bDNA technology to the Luminex fluorescent bead-based platform through the use of cooperative hybridization, which ensures an exceptionally high degree of assay specificity. Using in vitro transcribed RNA as reference standards, we demonstrated that the assay is highly specific, with cross-reactivity less than 0.2%. We also determined that the assay detection sensitivity is 25,000 RNA transcripts with intra- and interplate coefficients of variance of less than 10% and less than 15%, respectively. Using three 10-gene panels designed to measure proinflammatory and apoptosis responses, we demonstrated sensitive and specific multiplex gene expression profiling directly from cell lysates. The gene expression change data demonstrate a high correlation coefficient (R(2)=0.94) compared with measurements obtained using the single-plex bDNA assay. Thus, the multiplex bDNA assay provides a powerful means to quantify the gene expression profile of a defined set of target genes in large sample populations.

  11. Quantitative radiomic profiling of glioblastoma represents transcriptomic expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, Doo-Sik; Kim, Junhyung; Ryu, Gyuha; You, Hye-Jin; Sung, Joon Kyung; Han, Yong Hee; Shin, Hye-Mi; Lee, In-Hee; Kim, Sung-Tae; Park, Chul-Kee; Choi, Seung Hong; Choi, Jeong Won; Seol, Ho Jun; Lee, Jung-Il; Nam, Do-Hyun

    2018-01-19

    Quantitative imaging biomarkers have increasingly emerged in the field of research utilizing available imaging modalities. We aimed to identify good surrogate radiomic features that can represent genetic changes of tumors, thereby establishing noninvasive means for predicting treatment outcome. From May 2012 to June 2014, we retrospectively identified 65 patients with treatment-naïve glioblastoma with available clinical information from the Samsung Medical Center data registry. Preoperative MR imaging data were obtained for all 65 patients with primary glioblastoma. A total of 82 imaging features including first-order statistics, volume, and size features, were semi-automatically extracted from structural and physiologic images such as apparent diffusion coefficient and perfusion images. Using commercially available software, NordicICE, we performed quantitative imaging analysis and collected the dataset composed of radiophenotypic parameters. Unsupervised clustering methods revealed that the radiophenotypic dataset was composed of three clusters. Each cluster represented a distinct molecular classification of glioblastoma; classical type, proneural and neural types, and mesenchymal type. These clusters also reflected differential clinical outcomes. We found that extracted imaging signatures does not represent copy number variation and somatic mutation. Quantitative radiomic features provide a potential evidence to predict molecular phenotype and treatment outcome. Radiomic profiles represents transcriptomic phenotypes more well.

  12. Quantitative standard-less XRF analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ulitzka, S.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: For most analytical tasks in the mining and associated industries matrix-matched calibrations are used for the monitoring of ore grades and process control. In general, such calibrations are product specific (iron ore, bauxite, alumina, mineral sands, cement etc.) and apply to a relatively narrow concentration range but give the best precision and accuracy for those materials. A wide range of CRMs is available and for less common materials synthetic standards can be made up from 'pure' chemicals. At times, analysis of materials with varying matrices (powders, scales, fly ash, alloys, polymers, liquors, etc.) and diverse physical shapes (non-flat, metal drillings, thin layers on substrates etc.) is required that could also contain elements which are not part of a specific calibration. A qualitative analysis can provide information about the presence of certain elements and the relative intensities of element peaks in a scan can give a rough idea about their concentrations. More often however, quantitative values are required. The paper will look into the basics of quantitative standardless analysis and show results for some well-defined CRMs. Copyright (2002) Australian X-ray Analytical Association Inc

  13. Isobaric Tags for Relative and Absolute Quantitation-Based Proteomic Analysis of Patent and Constricted Ductus Arteriosus Tissues Confirms the Systemic Regulation of Ductus Arteriosus Closure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Haifa; Ye, Lincai; Chen, Huiwen; Xia, Yu; Liu, Yue; Liu, Jinfen; Lu, Yanan; Zhang, Haibo

    2015-08-01

    We aimed to evaluate global changes in protein expression associated with patency by undertaking proteomic analysis of human constricted and patent ductus arteriosus (DA). Ten constricted and 10 patent human DAs were excised from infants with ductal-dependent heart disease during surgery. Using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation-based quantitative proteomics, 132 differentially expressed proteins were identified. Of 132 proteins, voltage-gated sodium channel 1.3 (SCN3A), myosin 1d (Myo1d), Rho GTPase activating protein 26 (ARHGAP26), and retinitis pigmentosa 1 (RP1) were selected for validation by Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses. Significant upregulation of SCN3A, Myo1d, and RP1 messenger RNA, and protein levels was observed in the patent DA group (all P ≤ 0.048). ARHGAP26 messenger RNA and protein levels were decreased in patent DA tissue (both P ≤ 0.018). Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed that Myo1d, ARHGAP26, and RP1 were specifically expressed in the subendothelial region of constricted DAs; however, diffuse expression of these proteins was noted in the patent group. Proteomic analysis revealed global changes in the expression of proteins that regulate oxygen sensing, ion channels, smooth muscle cell migration, nervous system, immune system, and metabolism, suggesting a basis for the systemic regulation of DA patency by diverse signaling pathways, which will be confirmed in further studies.

  14. Quantitative Analysis of Signaling Networks across Differentially Embedded Tumors Highlights Interpatient Heterogeneity in Human Glioblastoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive malignant primary brain tumor, with a dismal mean survival even with the current standard of care. Although in vitro cell systems can provide mechanistic insight into the regulatory networks governing GBM cell proliferation and migration, clinical samples provide a more physiologically relevant view of oncogenic signaling networks. However, clinical samples are not widely available and may be embedded for histopathologic analysis. With the goal of accurately identifying activated signaling networks in GBM tumor samples, we investigated the impact of embedding in optimal cutting temperature (OCT) compound followed by flash freezing in LN2 vs immediate flash freezing (iFF) in LN2 on protein expression and phosphorylation-mediated signaling networks. Quantitative proteomic and phosphoproteomic analysis of 8 pairs of tumor specimens revealed minimal impact of the different sample processing strategies and highlighted the large interpatient heterogeneity present in these tumors. Correlation analyses of the differentially processed tumor sections identified activated signaling networks present in selected tumors and revealed the differential expression of transcription, translation, and degradation associated proteins. This study demonstrates the capability of quantitative mass spectrometry for identification of in vivo oncogenic signaling networks from human tumor specimens that were either OCT-embedded or immediately flash-frozen. PMID:24927040

  15. Reactor applications of quantitative diffraction analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feguson, I.F.

    1976-09-01

    Current work in quantitative diffraction analysis was presented under the main headings of: thermal systems, fast reactor systems, SGHWR applications and irradiation damage. Preliminary results are included on a comparison of various new instrumental methods of boron analysis as well as preliminary new results on Zircaloy corrosion, and materials transfer in liquid sodium. (author)

  16. Determination of internal controls for quantitative gene expression of Isochrysis zhangjiangensis at nitrogen stress condition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Shuang; Zhou, Jiannan; Cao, Xupeng; Xue, Song

    2016-02-01

    Isochrysis zhangjiangensis is a potential marine microalga for biodiesel production, which accumulates lipid under nitrogen limitation conditions, but the mechanism on molecular level is veiled. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) provides the possibility to investigate the gene expression levels, and a valid reference for data normalization is an essential prerequisite for firing up the analysis. In this study, five housekeeping genes, actin (ACT), α-tubulin (TUA), ß-tubulin (TUB), ubiquitin (UBI), 18S rRNA (18S) and one target gene, diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT), were used for determining the reference. By analyzing the stabilities based on calculation of the stability index and on operating the two types of software, geNorm and bestkeeper, it showed that the reference genes widely used in higher plant and microalgae, such as UBI, TUA and 18S, were not the most stable ones in nitrogen-stressed I. zhangjiangensis, and thus are not suitable for exploring the mRNA expression levels under these experimental conditions. Our results show that ACT together with TUB is the most feasible internal control for investigating gene expression under nitrogen-stressed conditions. Our findings will contribute not only to future qPCR studies of I. zhangjiangensis, but also to verification of comparative transcriptomics studies of the microalgae under similar conditions.

  17. Quantitative proteomic analysis for novel biomarkers of buccal squamous cell carcinoma arising in background of oral submucous fibrosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Wen; Zeng, Lijuan; Li, Ning; Wang, Fei; Jiang, Canhua; Guo, Feng; Chen, Xinqun; Su, Tong; Xu, Chunjiao; Zhang, Shanshan; Fang, Changyun

    2016-01-01

    In South and Southeast Asian, the majority of buccal squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC) can arise from oral submucous fibrosis (OSF). BSCCs develop in OSF that are often not completely resected, causing local relapse. The aim of our study was to find candidate protein biomarkers to detect OSF and predict prognosis in BSCCs by quantitative proteomics approaches. We compared normal oral mucosa (NBM) and paired biopsies of BSCC and OSF by quantitative proteomics using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) to discover proteins with differential expression. Gene Ontology and KEGG networks were analyzed. The prognostic value of biomarkers was evaluated in 94 BSCCs accompanied with OSF. Significant associations were assessed by Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox-proportional hazards analysis. In total 30 proteins were identified with significantly different expression (false discovery rate < 0.05) among three tissues. Two consistently upregulated proteins, ANXA4 and FLNA, were validated. The disease-free survival was negatively associated with the expression of ANXA4 (hazard ratio, 3.4; P = 0.000), FLNA (hazard ratio, 2.1; P = 0.000) and their combination (hazard ratio, 8.8; P = 0.002) in BSCCs. The present study indicates that iTRAQ quantitative proteomics analysis for tissues of BSCC and OSF is a reliable strategy. A significantly up-regulated ANXA4 and FLNA could be not only candidate biomarkers for BSCC prognosis but also potential targets for its therapy. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-016-2650-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

  18. Quantitative analysis of myocardial tissue with digital autofluorescence microscopy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Jensen

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: The opportunity offered by whole slide scanners of automated histological analysis implies an ever increasing importance of digital pathology. To go beyond the importance of conventional pathology, however, digital pathology may need a basic histological starting point similar to that of hematoxylin and eosin staining in conventional pathology. This study presents an automated fluorescence-based microscopy approach providing highly detailed morphological data from unstained microsections. This data may provide a basic histological starting point from which further digital analysis including staining may benefit. Methods: This study explores the inherent tissue fluorescence, also known as autofluorescence, as a mean to quantitate cardiac tissue components in histological microsections. Data acquisition using a commercially available whole slide scanner and an image-based quantitation algorithm are presented. Results: It is shown that the autofluorescence intensity of unstained microsections at two different wavelengths is a suitable starting point for automated digital analysis of myocytes, fibrous tissue, lipofuscin, and the extracellular compartment. The output of the method is absolute quantitation along with accurate outlines of above-mentioned components. The digital quantitations are verified by comparison to point grid quantitations performed on the microsections after Van Gieson staining. Conclusion: The presented method is amply described as a prestain multicomponent quantitation and outlining tool for histological sections of cardiac tissue. The main perspective is the opportunity for combination with digital analysis of stained microsections, for which the method may provide an accurate digital framework.

  19. Gene expression analysis of FABP4 in gastric cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdulkarim Yasin Karim

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: Gastric cancer has high incidence and mortality rate in several countries and is still one of the most frequent and lethal disease. In this study, we aimed to determine diagnostic markers in gastric cancer by molecular techniques; include mRNA expression analysis of FABP4 gene. Fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4 gene encodes the fatty acid binding protein found in adipocytes. The protein encoded by FABP4 are a family of small, highly conserved, cytoplasmic proteins that bind long-chain fatty acids and other hydrophobic ligands. It is thought that FABPs roles include fatty acid uptake, transport, and metabolism. Material and Methods: Total RNA were extracted from paired tumor and normal tissues of 47 gastric cancer. The mRNA expression level of FABP4 was measured employing semi- quantitative reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR. Results: The mRNA expression level of FABP4 was significantly decreased (down- regulated. Conclusion: Down-regulation of FABP4 gene seems to occur at the initial steps of gastric cancer development. In order to confirm the relationship between the gastric tumor and FABP4 gene, further analysis like immunohistochemistry and epigenetc techniques are necessary. [Cukurova Med J 2016; 41(2.000: 248-252

  20. Transcriptome and quantitative proteome analysis reveals molecular processes associated with larval metamorphosis in the polychaete pseudopolydora vexillosa

    KAUST Repository

    Chandramouli, Kondethimmanahalli

    2013-03-01

    Larval growth of the polychaete worm Pseudopolydora vexillosa involves the formation of segment-specific structures. When larvae attain competency to settle, they discard swimming chaetae and secrete mucus. The larvae build tubes around themselves and metamorphose into benthic juveniles. Understanding the molecular processes, which regulate this complex and unique transition, remains a major challenge because of the limited molecular information available. To improve this situation, we conducted high-throughput RNA sequencing and quantitative proteome analysis of the larval stages of P. vexillosa. Based on gene ontology (GO) analysis, transcripts related to cellular and metabolic processes, binding, and catalytic activities were highly represented during larval-adult transition. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), calcium-signaling, Wnt/β-catenin, and notch signaling metabolic pathways were enriched in transcriptome data. Quantitative proteomics identified 107 differentially expressed proteins in three distinct larval stages. Fourteen and 53 proteins exhibited specific differential expression during competency and metamorphosis, respectively. Dramatic up-regulation of proteins involved in signaling, metabolism, and cytoskeleton functions were found during the larval-juvenile transition. Several proteins involved in cell signaling, cytoskeleton and metabolism were up-regulated, whereas proteins related to transcription and oxidative phosphorylation were down-regulated during competency. The integration of high-throughput RNA sequencing and quantitative proteomics allowed a global scale analysis of larval transcripts/proteins associated molecular processes in the metamorphosis of polychaete worms. Further, transcriptomic and proteomic insights provide a new direction to understand the fundamental mechanisms that regulate larval metamorphosis in polychaetes. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

  1. Transcriptome and quantitative proteome analysis reveals molecular processes associated with larval metamorphosis in the polychaete pseudopolydora vexillosa

    KAUST Repository

    Chandramouli, Kondethimmanahalli; Sun, Jin; Mok, FloraSy; Liu, Lingli; Qiu, Jianwen; Ravasi, Timothy; Qian, Peiyuan

    2013-01-01

    Larval growth of the polychaete worm Pseudopolydora vexillosa involves the formation of segment-specific structures. When larvae attain competency to settle, they discard swimming chaetae and secrete mucus. The larvae build tubes around themselves and metamorphose into benthic juveniles. Understanding the molecular processes, which regulate this complex and unique transition, remains a major challenge because of the limited molecular information available. To improve this situation, we conducted high-throughput RNA sequencing and quantitative proteome analysis of the larval stages of P. vexillosa. Based on gene ontology (GO) analysis, transcripts related to cellular and metabolic processes, binding, and catalytic activities were highly represented during larval-adult transition. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), calcium-signaling, Wnt/β-catenin, and notch signaling metabolic pathways were enriched in transcriptome data. Quantitative proteomics identified 107 differentially expressed proteins in three distinct larval stages. Fourteen and 53 proteins exhibited specific differential expression during competency and metamorphosis, respectively. Dramatic up-regulation of proteins involved in signaling, metabolism, and cytoskeleton functions were found during the larval-juvenile transition. Several proteins involved in cell signaling, cytoskeleton and metabolism were up-regulated, whereas proteins related to transcription and oxidative phosphorylation were down-regulated during competency. The integration of high-throughput RNA sequencing and quantitative proteomics allowed a global scale analysis of larval transcripts/proteins associated molecular processes in the metamorphosis of polychaete worms. Further, transcriptomic and proteomic insights provide a new direction to understand the fundamental mechanisms that regulate larval metamorphosis in polychaetes. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

  2. Selection of reference genes for quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis of rat tissues under physiological and toxicological conditions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Svingen, Terje; Letting, Heidi; Hadrup, Niels

    2015-01-01

    In biological research the analysis of gene expression levels in cells and tissues can be a powerful tool to gain insights into biological processes. For this, quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) is a popular method that often involve the use of constitutively expressed endogenous reference (or...... ‘housekeeping’) gene for normalization of data. Thus, it is essential to use reference genes that have been verified to be stably expressed within the specific experimental setting. Here, we have analysed the expression stability of 12 commonly used reference genes (Actb, B2m, Gapdh, Hprt, Pgk1, Rn18s, Rpl13a...

  3. Identification of Phosphoglycerate Kinase 1 (PGK1 as a reference gene for quantitative gene expression measurements in human blood RNA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Unger Elizabeth R

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Blood is a convenient sample and increasingly used for quantitative gene expression measurements with a variety of diseases including chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS. Quantitative gene expression measurements require normalization of target genes to reference genes that are stable and independent from variables being tested in the experiment. Because there are no genes that are useful for all situations, reference gene selection is an essential step to any quantitative reverse transcription-PCR protocol. Many publications have described appropriate genes for a wide variety of tissues and experimental conditions, however, reference genes that may be suitable for the analysis of CFS, or human blood RNA derived from whole blood as well as isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs, have not been described. Findings Literature review and analyses of our unpublished microarray data were used to narrow down the pool of candidate reference genes to six. We assayed whole blood RNA from Tempus tubes and cell preparation tube (CPT-collected PBMC RNA from 46 subjects, and used the geNorm and NormFinder algorithms to select the most stable reference genes. Phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1 was one of the optimal normalization genes for both whole blood and PBMC RNA, however, additional genes differed for the two sample types; Ribosomal protein large, P0 (RPLP0 for PBMC RNA and Peptidylprolyl isomerase B (PPIB for whole blood RNA. We also show that the use of a single reference gene is sufficient for normalization when the most stable candidates are used. Conclusions We have identified PGK1 as a stable reference gene for use with whole blood RNA and RNA derived from PBMC. When stable genes are selected it is possible to use a single gene for normalization rather than two or three. Optimal normalization will improve the ability of results from PBMC RNA to be compared with those from whole blood RNA and potentially allows comparison of

  4. A community resource for high-throughput quantitative RT-PCR analysis of transcription factor gene expression in Medicago truncatula

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Redman Julia C

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Medicago truncatula is a model legume species that is currently the focus of an international genome sequencing effort. Although several different oligonucleotide and cDNA arrays have been produced for genome-wide transcript analysis of this species, intrinsic limitations in the sensitivity of hybridization-based technologies mean that transcripts of genes expressed at low-levels cannot be measured accurately with these tools. Amongst such genes are many encoding transcription factors (TFs, which are arguably the most important class of regulatory proteins. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR is the most sensitive method currently available for transcript quantification, and one that can be scaled up to analyze transcripts of thousands of genes in parallel. Thus, qRT-PCR is an ideal method to tackle the problem of TF transcript quantification in Medicago and other plants. Results We established a bioinformatics pipeline to identify putative TF genes in Medicago truncatula and to design gene-specific oligonucleotide primers for qRT-PCR analysis of TF transcripts. We validated the efficacy and gene-specificity of over 1000 TF primer pairs and utilized these to identify sets of organ-enhanced TF genes that may play important roles in organ development or differentiation in this species. This community resource will be developed further as more genome sequence becomes available, with the ultimate goal of producing validated, gene-specific primers for all Medicago TF genes. Conclusion High-throughput qRT-PCR using a 384-well plate format enables rapid, flexible, and sensitive quantification of all predicted Medicago transcription factor mRNAs. This resource has been utilized recently by several groups in Europe, Australia, and the USA, and we expect that it will become the 'gold-standard' for TF transcript profiling in Medicago truncatula.

  5. Evaluation of the CBL family gene expression under drought stress and virus attack in two susceptible and drought tolerant tomato cultivars using semi-quantitative PCR analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peyman Aghaie

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Eleven genes encoding Calcineurin B-Like proteins with a high degree of sequence conservation were identified using bioinformatics approaches in tomato. These proteins classified into five clusters including SlCBL1, SlCBL3, SlCBL4, SlCBL8 and SlCBL10 using orthology-based method of nomenclature. Sequence analysis showed that all five members of SlCBL1 and SlCBL4 contained a myristoylation conserved motif (MGXXXS/T at their N-terminals. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed that among the SlCBL1 members, SlCBL1-3 up-regulated under both drought and virus stresses, as well as the combined treatment. Although, both SlCBL3-1 and SlCBL3-2 up-regulated under both drought and virus stresses in both susceptive and resistant cultivars, the combined stress did not have any additional effect on the expression. Among SlCBL4 members, only SlCBL4-1 up-regulated under drought or virus attack. There was a diverse pattern of expression between the two SlCBL8 members under different stresses in both cultivars. SlCBL10 showed no change in expression pattern under drought or virus stresses in susceptive cultivar and this gene showed to be up-regulated under drought in resistant cultivar. Overall, it was concluded that changes in the expression pattern of CBL genes under biotic and abiotic stresses seemingly induced various CBL/CIPK patways in suseptive or resistant plants.

  6. Reliable gene expression analysis by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR: reporting and minimizing the uncertainty in data accuracy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Remans, Tony; Keunen, Els; Bex, Geert Jan; Smeets, Karen; Vangronsveld, Jaco; Cuypers, Ann

    2014-10-01

    Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) has been widely adopted to measure differences in mRNA levels; however, biological and technical variation strongly affects the accuracy of the reported differences. RT-qPCR specialists have warned that, unless researchers minimize this variability, they may report inaccurate differences and draw incorrect biological conclusions. The Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Experiments (MIQE) guidelines describe procedures for conducting and reporting RT-qPCR experiments. The MIQE guidelines enable others to judge the reliability of reported results; however, a recent literature survey found low adherence to these guidelines. Additionally, even experiments that use appropriate procedures remain subject to individual variation that statistical methods cannot correct. For example, since ideal reference genes do not exist, the widely used method of normalizing RT-qPCR data to reference genes generates background noise that affects the accuracy of measured changes in mRNA levels. However, current RT-qPCR data reporting styles ignore this source of variation. In this commentary, we direct researchers to appropriate procedures, outline a method to present the remaining uncertainty in data accuracy, and propose an intuitive way to select reference genes to minimize uncertainty. Reporting the uncertainty in data accuracy also serves for quality assessment, enabling researchers and peer reviewers to confidently evaluate the reliability of gene expression data. © 2014 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

  7. Exploring Valid Reference Genes for Quantitative Real-time PCR Analysis in Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Wei; Xie, Wen; Zhang, Zhuo; Wang, Shaoli; Wu, Qingjun; Liu, Yong; Zhou, Xiaomao; Zhou, Xuguo; Zhang, Youjun

    2013-01-01

    Abstract: Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), a primary tool in gene expression analysis, requires an appropriate normalization strategy to control for variation among samples. The best option is to compare the mRNA level of a target gene with that of reference gene(s) whose expression level is stable across various experimental conditions. In this study, expression profiles of eight candidate reference genes from the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, were evaluated under diverse experimental conditions. RefFinder, a web-based analysis tool, integrates four major computational programs including geNorm, Normfinder, BestKeeper, and the comparative ΔCt method to comprehensively rank the tested candidate genes. Elongation factor 1 (EF1) was the most suited reference gene for the biotic factors (development stage, tissue, and strain). In contrast, although appropriate reference gene(s) do exist for several abiotic factors (temperature, photoperiod, insecticide, and mechanical injury), we were not able to identify a single universal reference gene. Nevertheless, a suite of candidate reference genes were specifically recommended for selected experimental conditions. Our finding is the first step toward establishing a standardized qRT-PCR analysis of this agriculturally important insect pest. PMID:23983612

  8. A quantitative spatiotemporal analysis of microglia morphology during ischemic stroke and reperfusion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Morrison Helena W

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Microglia cells continuously survey the healthy brain in a ramified morphology and, in response to injury, undergo progressive morphological and functional changes that encompass microglia activation. Although ideally positioned for immediate response to ischemic stroke (IS and reperfusion, their progressive morphological transformation into activated cells has not been quantified. In addition, it is not well understood if diverse microglia morphologies correlate to diverse microglia functions. As such, the dichotomous nature of these cells continues to confound our understanding of microglia-mediated injury after IS and reperfusion. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively characterize the spatiotemporal pattern of microglia morphology during the evolution of cerebral injury after IS and reperfusion. Methods Male C57Bl/6 mice were subjected to focal cerebral ischemia and periods of reperfusion (0, 8 and 24 h. The microglia process length/cell and number of endpoints/cell was quantified from immunofluorescent confocal images of brain regions using a skeleton analysis method developed for this study. Live cell morphology and process activity were measured from movies acquired in acute brain slices from GFP-CX3CR1 transgenic mice after IS and 24-h reperfusion. Regional CD11b and iNOS expressions were measured from confocal images and Western blot, respectively, to assess microglia proinflammatory function. Results Quantitative analysis reveals a significant spatiotemporal relationship between microglia morphology and evolving cerebral injury in the ipsilateral hemisphere after IS and reperfusion. Microglia were both hyper- and de-ramified in striatal and cortical brain regions (respectively after 60 min of focal cerebral ischemia. However, a de-ramified morphology was prominent when ischemia was coupled to reperfusion. Live microglia were de-ramified, and, in addition, process activity was severely blunted proximal to

  9. Microarray Gene Expression Analysis to Evaluate Cell Type Specific Expression of Targets Relevant for Immunotherapy of Hematological Malignancies.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M J Pont

    Full Text Available Cellular immunotherapy has proven to be effective in the treatment of hematological cancers by donor lymphocyte infusion after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and more recently by targeted therapy with chimeric antigen or T-cell receptor-engineered T cells. However, dependent on the tissue distribution of the antigens that are targeted, anti-tumor responses can be accompanied by undesired side effects. Therefore, detailed tissue distribution analysis is essential to estimate potential efficacy and toxicity of candidate targets for immunotherapy of hematological malignancies. We performed microarray gene expression analysis of hematological malignancies of different origins, healthy hematopoietic cells and various non-hematopoietic cell types from organs that are often targeted in detrimental immune responses after allogeneic stem cell transplantation leading to graft-versus-host disease. Non-hematopoietic cells were also cultured in the presence of IFN-γ to analyze gene expression under inflammatory circumstances. Gene expression was investigated by Illumina HT12.0 microarrays and quality control analysis was performed to confirm the cell-type origin and exclude contamination of non-hematopoietic cell samples with peripheral blood cells. Microarray data were validated by quantitative RT-PCR showing strong correlations between both platforms. Detailed gene expression profiles were generated for various minor histocompatibility antigens and B-cell surface antigens to illustrate the value of the microarray dataset to estimate efficacy and toxicity of candidate targets for immunotherapy. In conclusion, our microarray database provides a relevant platform to analyze and select candidate antigens with hematopoietic (lineage-restricted expression as potential targets for immunotherapy of hematological cancers.

  10. Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of the Response to Zinc, Magnesium, and Calcium Deficiency in Specific Cell Types of Arabidopsis Roots

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoichiro Fukao

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The proteome profiles of specific cell types have recently been investigated using techniques such as fluorescence activated cell sorting and laser capture microdissection. However, quantitative proteomic analysis of specific cell types has not yet been performed. In this study, to investigate the response of the proteome to zinc, magnesium, and calcium deficiency in specific cell types of Arabidopsis thaliana roots, we performed isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomics using GFP-expressing protoplasts collected by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Protoplasts were collected from the pGL2-GFPer and pMGP-GFPer marker lines for epidermis or inner cell lines (pericycle, endodermis, and cortex, respectively. To increase the number of proteins identified, iTRAQ-labeled peptides were separated into 24 fractions by OFFGFEL electrophoresis prior to high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry analysis. Overall, 1039 and 737 proteins were identified and quantified in the epidermal and inner cell lines, respectively. Interestingly, the expression of many proteins was decreased in the epidermis by mineral deficiency, although a weaker effect was observed in inner cell lines such as the pericycle, endodermis, and cortex. Here, we report for the first time the quantitative proteomics of specific cell types in Arabidopsis roots.

  11. Characterization of the global profile of genes expressed in cervical epithelium by Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Piña-Sanchez Patricia

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE is a new technique that allows a detailed and profound quantitative and qualitative knowledge of gene expression profile, without previous knowledge of sequence of analyzed genes. We carried out a modification of SAGE methodology (microSAGE, useful for the analysis of limited quantities of tissue samples, on normal human cervical tissue obtained from a donor without histopathological lesions. Cervical epithelium is constituted mainly by cervical keratinocytes which are the targets of human papilloma virus (HPV, where persistent HPV infection of cervical epithelium is associated with an increase risk for developing cervical carcinomas (CC. Results We report here a transcriptome analysis of cervical tissue by SAGE, derived from 30,418 sequenced tags that provide a wealth of information about the gene products involved in normal cervical epithelium physiology, as well as genes not previously found in uterine cervix tissue involved in the process of epidermal differentiation. Conclusion This first comprehensive and profound analysis of uterine cervix transcriptome, should be useful for the identification of genes involved in normal cervix uterine function, and candidate genes associated with cervical carcinoma.

  12. Quantitative risk analysis of a space shuttle subsystem

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frank, M.V.

    1989-01-01

    This paper reports that in an attempt to investigate methods for risk management other than qualitative analysis techniques, NASA has funded pilot study quantitative risk analyses for space shuttle subsystems. The authors performed one such study of two shuttle subsystems with McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company. The subsystems were the auxiliary power units (APU) on the orbiter, and the hydraulic power units on the solid rocket booster. The technology and results of the APU study are presented in this paper. Drawing from a rich in-flight database as well as from a wealth of tests and analyses, the study quantitatively assessed the risk of APU-initiated scenarios on the shuttle during all phases of a flight mission. Damage states of interest were loss of crew/vehicle, aborted mission, and launch scrub. A quantitative risk analysis approach to deciding on important items for risk management was contrasted with the current NASA failure mode and effects analysis/critical item list approach

  13. Uncertainty of quantitative microbiological methods of pharmaceutical analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunar, O V; Sakhno, N G

    2015-12-30

    The total uncertainty of quantitative microbiological methods, used in pharmaceutical analysis, consists of several components. The analysis of the most important sources of the quantitative microbiological methods variability demonstrated no effect of culture media and plate-count techniques in the estimation of microbial count while the highly significant effect of other factors (type of microorganism, pharmaceutical product and individual reading and interpreting errors) was established. The most appropriate method of statistical analysis of such data was ANOVA which enabled not only the effect of individual factors to be estimated but also their interactions. Considering all the elements of uncertainty and combining them mathematically the combined relative uncertainty of the test results was estimated both for method of quantitative examination of non-sterile pharmaceuticals and microbial count technique without any product. These data did not exceed 35%, appropriated for a traditional plate count methods. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Linking Advanced Visualization and MATLAB for the Analysis of 3D Gene Expression Data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ruebel, Oliver; Keranen, Soile V.E.; Biggin, Mark; Knowles, David W.; Weber, Gunther H.; Hagen, Hans; Hamann, Bernd; Bethel, E. Wes

    2011-03-30

    Three-dimensional gene expression PointCloud data generated by the Berkeley Drosophila Transcription Network Project (BDTNP) provides quantitative information about the spatial and temporal expression of genes in early Drosophila embryos at cellular resolution. The BDTNP team visualizes and analyzes Point-Cloud data using the software application PointCloudXplore (PCX). To maximize the impact of novel, complex data sets, such as PointClouds, the data needs to be accessible to biologists and comprehensible to developers of analysis functions. We address this challenge by linking PCX and Matlab via a dedicated interface, thereby providing biologists seamless access to advanced data analysis functions and giving bioinformatics researchers the opportunity to integrate their analysis directly into the visualization application. To demonstrate the usefulness of this approach, we computationally model parts of the expression pattern of the gene even skipped using a genetic algorithm implemented in Matlab and integrated into PCX via our Matlab interface.

  15. Quantitative Analysis of cardiac SPECT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nekolla, S.G.; Bengel, F.M.

    2004-01-01

    The quantitative analysis of myocardial SPECT images is a powerful tool to extract the highly specific radio tracer uptake in these studies. If compared to normal data bases, the uptake values can be calibrated on an individual basis. Doing so increases the reproducibility of the analysis substantially. Based on the development over the last three decades starting from planar scinitigraphy, this paper discusses the methods used today incorporating the changes due to tomographic image acquisitions. Finally, the limitations of these approaches as well as consequences from most recent hardware developments, commercial analysis packages and a wider view of the description of the left ventricle are discussed. (orig.)

  16. Abnormal Skeletal Growth in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Is Associated with Abnormal Quantitative Expression of Melatonin Receptor, MT2

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alain Moreau

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The defect of the melatonin signaling pathway has been proposed to be one of the key etiopathogenic factors in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS. A previous report showed that melatonin receptor, MT2, was undetectable in some AIS girls. The present study aimed to investigate whether the abnormal MT2 expression in AIS is quantitative or qualitative. Cultured osteoblasts were obtained from 41 AIS girls and nine normal controls. Semi-quantification of protein expression by Western blot and mRNA expression by TaqMan real-time PCR for both MT1 and MT2 were performed. Anthropometric parameters were also compared and correlated with the protein expression and mRNA expression of the receptors. The results showed significantly lower protein and mRNA expression of MT2 in AIS girls compared with that in normal controls (p = 0.02 and p = 0.019, respectively. No differences were found in the expression of MT1. When dichotomizing the AIS girls according to their MT2 expression, the group with low expression was found to have a significantly longer arm span (p = 0.036. The results of this study showed for the first time a quantitative change of MT2 in AIS that was also correlated with abnormal arm span as part of abnormal systemic skeletal growth.

  17. Adrenal cortex expression quantitative trait loci in a German Holstein × Charolais cross.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brand, Bodo; Scheinhardt, Markus O; Friedrich, Juliane; Zimmer, Daisy; Reinsch, Norbert; Ponsuksili, Siriluck; Schwerin, Manfred; Ziegler, Andreas

    2016-10-06

    The importance of the adrenal gland in regard to lactation and reproduction in cattle has been recognized early. Caused by interest in animal welfare and the impact of stress on economically important traits in farm animals the adrenal gland and its function within the stress response is of increasing interest. However, the molecular mechanisms and pathways involved in stress-related effects on economically important traits in farm animals are not fully understood. Gene expression is an important mechanism underlying complex traits, and genetic variants affecting the transcript abundance are thought to influence the manifestation of an expressed phenotype. We therefore investigated the genetic background of adrenocortical gene expression by applying an adaptive linear rank test to identify genome-wide expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) for adrenal cortex transcripts in cattle. A total of 10,986 adrenal cortex transcripts and 37,204 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were analysed in 145 F2 cows of a Charolais × German Holstein cross. We identified 505 SNPs that were associated with the abundance of 129 transcripts, comprising 482 cis effects and 17 trans effects. These SNPs were located on all chromosomes but X, 16, 24 and 28. Associated genes are mainly involved in molecular and cellular functions comprising free radical scavenging, cellular compromise, cell morphology and lipid metabolism, including genes such as CYP27A1 and LHCGR that have been shown to affect economically important traits in cattle. In this study we showed that adrenocortical eQTL affect the expression of genes known to contribute to the phenotypic manifestation in cattle. Furthermore, some of the identified genes and related molecular pathways were previously shown to contribute to the phenotypic variation of behaviour, temperament and growth at the onset of puberty in the same population investigated here. We conclude that eQTL analysis appears to be a useful approach providing

  18. Improved noninvasive assessment of coronary artery disease by quantitative analysis of regional stress myocardial distribution and washout of thallium-201

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maddahi, J.; Garcia, E.V.; Berman, D.S.; Waxman, A.; Swan, H.J.C.; Forrester, J.

    1981-01-01

    Visual interpretation of stress-redistribution thallium-201 ( 201 Tl) scintigrams is subject to observer variability and is suboptimal for evaluation of extent of coronary artery disease (CAD). An objective, computerized technique has been developed that quantitatively expresses the relative space-time myocardial distribution of 201 Tl. Multiple-view, maximum-count circumferential profiles for stress myocardial distribution of 201 Tl and segmental percent washout were analyzed in a pilot group of 31 normal subjects and 20 patients with CAD to develop quantitative criteria for abnormality. Subsequently, quantitative analysis was applied prospectively to a group of 22 normal subjects and 45 CAD patients and compared with visual interpretation of scintigrams for detection and evaluation of CAD. The sensitivity and specificity of the quantitative technique (93% and 91%, respectively) were not significantly different from those of the visual method (91% and 86%). The quantitative analysis significantly (p 201 Tl imaging over the visual method in the left anterior descending artery (from 56% to 80%), left circumflex artery (from 34% to 63%) and right coronary artery (from 65% to 94%) without significant loss of specificity. Using quantitative analysis, sensitivity for detection of deseased vessels did not diminish as the number of vessels involved increased, as it did with visual interpretations. In patients with one-vessel disease, 86% of the lesions were detected by both techniques; however, in patients with three-vessel disease, quantitative analysis detected 83% of the lesions, while the sensitivity was only 53% for the visual method. Seventy percent of the coronary arteries with moderate

  19. Good practices for quantitative bias analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lash, Timothy L; Fox, Matthew P; MacLehose, Richard F; Maldonado, George; McCandless, Lawrence C; Greenland, Sander

    2014-12-01

    Quantitative bias analysis serves several objectives in epidemiological research. First, it provides a quantitative estimate of the direction, magnitude and uncertainty arising from systematic errors. Second, the acts of identifying sources of systematic error, writing down models to quantify them, assigning values to the bias parameters and interpreting the results combat the human tendency towards overconfidence in research results, syntheses and critiques and the inferences that rest upon them. Finally, by suggesting aspects that dominate uncertainty in a particular research result or topic area, bias analysis can guide efficient allocation of sparse research resources. The fundamental methods of bias analyses have been known for decades, and there have been calls for more widespread use for nearly as long. There was a time when some believed that bias analyses were rarely undertaken because the methods were not widely known and because automated computing tools were not readily available to implement the methods. These shortcomings have been largely resolved. We must, therefore, contemplate other barriers to implementation. One possibility is that practitioners avoid the analyses because they lack confidence in the practice of bias analysis. The purpose of this paper is therefore to describe what we view as good practices for applying quantitative bias analysis to epidemiological data, directed towards those familiar with the methods. We focus on answering questions often posed to those of us who advocate incorporation of bias analysis methods into teaching and research. These include the following. When is bias analysis practical and productive? How does one select the biases that ought to be addressed? How does one select a method to model biases? How does one assign values to the parameters of a bias model? How does one present and interpret a bias analysis?. We hope that our guide to good practices for conducting and presenting bias analyses will encourage

  20. Quantitative phase analysis in industrial research

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmad Monshi

    1996-01-01

    X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) is the only technique able to identify phase and all the other analytical techniques give information about the elements. Quantitative phase analysis of minerals and industrial products is logically the next step after a qualitative examination and is of great importance in industrial research. Since the application of XRD in industry, early in this century, workers were trying to develop quantitative XRD methods. In this paper some of the important methods are briefly discussed and partly compared. These methods are Internal Standard, Known Additions, Double Dilution, External Standard, Direct Comparison, Diffraction Absorption and Ratio of Slopes

  1. Application of survival analysis methodology to the quantitative analysis of LC-MS proteomics data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tekwe, Carmen D; Carroll, Raymond J; Dabney, Alan R

    2012-08-01

    Protein abundance in quantitative proteomics is often based on observed spectral features derived from liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) or LC-MS/MS experiments. Peak intensities are largely non-normal in distribution. Furthermore, LC-MS-based proteomics data frequently have large proportions of missing peak intensities due to censoring mechanisms on low-abundance spectral features. Recognizing that the observed peak intensities detected with the LC-MS method are all positive, skewed and often left-censored, we propose using survival methodology to carry out differential expression analysis of proteins. Various standard statistical techniques including non-parametric tests such as the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney rank sum tests, and the parametric survival model and accelerated failure time-model with log-normal, log-logistic and Weibull distributions were used to detect any differentially expressed proteins. The statistical operating characteristics of each method are explored using both real and simulated datasets. Survival methods generally have greater statistical power than standard differential expression methods when the proportion of missing protein level data is 5% or more. In particular, the AFT models we consider consistently achieve greater statistical power than standard testing procedures, with the discrepancy widening with increasing missingness in the proportions. The testing procedures discussed in this article can all be performed using readily available software such as R. The R codes are provided as supplemental materials. ctekwe@stat.tamu.edu.

  2. The use of genetic programming in the analysis of quantitative gene expression profiles for identification of nodal status in bladder cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitra, Anirban P; Almal, Arpit A; George, Ben; Fry, David W; Lenehan, Peter F; Pagliarulo, Vincenzo; Cote, Richard J; Datar, Ram H; Worzel, William P

    2006-01-01

    Previous studies on bladder cancer have shown nodal involvement to be an independent indicator of prognosis and survival. This study aimed at developing an objective method for detection of nodal metastasis from molecular profiles of primary urothelial carcinoma tissues. The study included primary bladder tumor tissues from 60 patients across different stages and 5 control tissues of normal urothelium. The entire cohort was divided into training and validation sets comprised of node positive and node negative subjects. Quantitative expression profiling was performed for a panel of 70 genes using standardized competitive RT-PCR and the expression values of the training set samples were run through an iterative machine learning process called genetic programming that employed an N-fold cross validation technique to generate classifier rules of limited complexity. These were then used in a voting algorithm to classify the validation set samples into those associated with or without nodal metastasis. The generated classifier rules using 70 genes demonstrated 81% accuracy on the validation set when compared to the pathological nodal status. The rules showed a strong predilection for ICAM1, MAP2K6 and KDR resulting in gene expression motifs that cumulatively suggested a pattern ICAM1>MAP2K6>KDR for node positive cases. Additionally, the motifs showed CDK8 to be lower relative to ICAM1, and ANXA5 to be relatively high by itself in node positive tumors. Rules generated using only ICAM1, MAP2K6 and KDR were comparably robust, with a single representative rule producing an accuracy of 90% when used by itself on the validation set, suggesting a crucial role for these genes in nodal metastasis. Our study demonstrates the use of standardized quantitative gene expression values from primary bladder tumor tissues as inputs in a genetic programming system to generate classifier rules for determining the nodal status. Our method also suggests the involvement of ICAM1, MAP2K6, KDR

  3. Selection of reference genes for expression analysis in the entomophthoralean fungus Pandora neoaphidis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chun; Xie, Tingna; Ye, Sudan; Jensen, Annette Bruun; Eilenberg, Jørgen

    2016-01-01

    The selection of suitable reference genes is crucial for accurate quantification of gene expression and can add to our understanding of host-pathogen interactions. To identify suitable reference genes in Pandora neoaphidis, an obligate aphid pathogenic fungus, the expression of three traditional candidate genes including 18S rRNA(18S), 28S rRNA(28S) and elongation factor 1 alpha-like protein (EF1), were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction at different developmental stages (conidia, conidia with germ tubes, short hyphae and elongated hyphae), and under different nutritional conditions. We calculated the expression stability of candidate reference genes using four algorithms including geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper and Delta Ct. The analysis results revealed that the comprehensive ranking of candidate reference genes from the most stable to the least stable was 18S (1.189), 28S (1.414) and EF1 (3). The 18S was, therefore, the most suitable reference gene for real-time RT-PCR analysis of gene expression under all conditions. These results will support further studies on gene expression in P. neoaphidis. Copyright © 2015 Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  4. Selection of reference genes for expression analysis in the entomophthoralean fungus Pandora neoaphidis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chun Chen

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The selection of suitable reference genes is crucial for accurate quantification of gene expression and can add to our understanding of host–pathogen interactions. To identify suitable reference genes in Pandora neoaphidis, an obligate aphid pathogenic fungus, the expression of three traditional candidate genes including 18S rRNA(18S, 28S rRNA(28S and elongation factor 1 alpha-like protein (EF1, were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction at different developmental stages (conidia, conidia with germ tubes, short hyphae and elongated hyphae, and under different nutritional conditions. We calculated the expression stability of candidate reference genes using four algorithms including geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper and Delta Ct. The analysis results revealed that the comprehensive ranking of candidate reference genes from the most stable to the least stable was 18S (1.189, 28S (1.414 and EF1 (3. The 18S was, therefore, the most suitable reference gene for real-time RT-PCR analysis of gene expression under all conditions. These results will support further studies on gene expression in P. neoaphidis.

  5. Precise Analysis of String Expressions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Aske Simon; Møller, Anders; Schwartzbach, Michael Ignatieff

    2003-01-01

    We perform static analysis of Java programs to answer a simple question: which values may occur as results of string expressions? The answers are summarized for each expression by a regular language that is guaranteed to contain all possible values. We present several applications of this analysis...... are automatically produced. We present extensive benchmarks demonstrating that the analysis is efficient and produces results of useful precision......., including statically checking the syntax of dynamically generated expressions, such as SQL queries. Our analysis constructs flow graphs from class files and generates a context-free grammar with a nonterminal for each string expression. The language of this grammar is then widened into a regular language...

  6. An innovative expression model of human health risk based on the quantitative analysis of soil metals sources contribution in different spatial scales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yimei; Li, Shuai; Wang, Fei; Chen, Zhuang; Chen, Jie; Wang, Liqun

    2018-09-01

    Toxicity of heavy metals from industrialization poses critical concern, and analysis of sources associated with potential human health risks is of unique significance. Assessing human health risk of pollution sources (factored health risk) concurrently in the whole and the sub region can provide more instructive information to protect specific potential victims. In this research, we establish a new expression model of human health risk based on quantitative analysis of sources contribution in different spatial scales. The larger scale grids and their spatial codes are used to initially identify the level of pollution risk, the type of pollution source and the sensitive population at high risk. The smaller scale grids and their spatial codes are used to identify the contribution of various sources of pollution to each sub region (larger grid) and to assess the health risks posed by each source for each sub region. The results of case study show that, for children (sensitive populations, taking school and residential area as major region of activity), the major pollution source is from the abandoned lead-acid battery plant (ALP), traffic emission and agricultural activity. The new models and results of this research present effective spatial information and useful model for quantifying the hazards of source categories and human health a t complex industrial system in the future. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Micro-computer system for quantitative image analysis of damage microstructure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kohyama, A.; Kohno, Y.; Satoh, K.; Igata, N.

    1984-01-01

    Quantitative image analysis of radiation induced damage microstructure is very important in evaluating material behaviors in radiation environment. But, quite a few improvement have been seen in quantitative analysis of damage microstructure in these decades. The objective of this work is to develop new system for quantitative image analysis of damage microstructure which could improve accuracy and efficiency of data sampling and processing and could enable to get new information about mutual relations among dislocations, precipitates, cavities, grain boundaries, etc. In this system, data sampling is done with X-Y digitizer. The cavity microstructure in dual-ion irradiated 316 SS is analyzed and the effectiveness of this system is discussed. (orig.)

  8. In silico analysis and verification of S100 gene expression in gastric cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Ji; Li, Xue; Dong, Guang-Long; Zhang, Hong-Wei; Chen, Dong-Li; Du, Jian-Jun; Zheng, Jian-Yong; Li, Ji-Peng; Wang, Wei-Zhong

    2008-01-01

    The S100 protein family comprises 22 members whose protein sequences encompass at least one EF-hand Ca 2+ binding motif. They were involved in the regulation of a number of cellular processes such as cell cycle progression and differentiation. However, the expression status of S100 family members in gastric cancer was not known yet. Combined with analysis of series analysis of gene expression, virtual Northern blot and microarray data, the expression levels of S100 family members in normal and malignant stomach tissues were systematically investigated. The expression of S100A3 was further evaluated by quantitative RT-PCR. At least 5 S100 genes were found to be upregulated in gastric cance by in silico analysis. Among them, four genes, including S100A2, S100A4, S100A7 and S100A10, were reported to overexpressed in gastric cancer previously. The expression of S100A3 in eighty patients of gastric cancer was further examined. The results showed that the mean expression levels of S100A3 in gastric cancer tissues were 2.5 times as high as in adjacent non-tumorous tissues. S100A3 expression was correlated with tumor differentiation and TNM (Tumor-Node-Metastasis) stage of gastric cancer, which was relatively highly expressed in poorly differentiated and advanced gastric cancer tissues (P < 0.05). To our knowledge this is the first report of systematic evaluation of S100 gene expressions in gastric cancers by multiple in silico analysis. The results indicated that overexpression of S100 gene family members were characteristics of gastric cancers and S100A3 might play important roles in differentiation and progression of gastric cancer

  9. Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship Analysis of the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship Analysis of the Anticonvulsant ... Two types of molecular descriptors, including the 2D autocorrelation ..... It is based on the simulation of natural .... clustering anticonvulsant, antidepressant, and.

  10. Gene Expression Analysis of Immunostained Endothelial Cells Isolated from Formaldehyde-fixated Paraffin Embedded Tumors Using Laser Capture Microdissection – a Technical Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaneko, Tomoatsu; Okiji, Takashi; Kaneko, Reika; Suda, Hideaki; Nör, Jacques E.

    2009-01-01

    Laser capture microdissection (LCM) allows microscopic procurement of specific cell types from tissue sections that can then be used for gene expression analysis. In conventional LCM, frozen tissues stained with hematoxylin are normally used to the molecular analysis. Recent studies suggested that it is possible to carry out gene expression analysis of formaldehyde-fixated paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissues that were stained with hematoxylin. However, it is still unclear if quantitative gene expression analyses can be performed from LCM cells from FFPE tissues that were subjected to immunostaining to enhance identification of target cells. In this proof-of-principle study, we analyzed by RT-PCR and real time PCR the expression of genes in factor VIII immunostained human endothelial cells that were dissected from FFPE tissues by LCM. We observed that immunostaining should be performed at 4°C to preserve the mRNA from the cells. The expression of Bcl-2 in the endothelial cells was evaluated by RT-PCR and by real time PCR. GAPDH and 18S were used as house keeping genes for RT-PCR and real time PCR, respectively. This report unveils a method for quantitative gene expression analysis in cells that were identified by immunostaining and retrieved by LCM from FFPE tissues. This method is ideally suited for the analysis of relatively rare cell types within a tissue, and should improve on our ability to perform differential diagnosis of pathologies as compared to conventional LCM. PMID:19425073

  11. Expression Analysis of the MdCIbHLH1 Gene in Apple Flower Buds and Seeds in the Process of Dormancy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yiran Ren

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available A bHLH transcription factor that is induced by low temperature was found in apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.. To understand the sequence characteristics of the gene, bioinformatics analysis was performed. Furthermore, gene expression patterns of the laminated apple seeds and lateral flower buds were analyzed during the period of dormancy release with semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Based on secondary structure predictions, the results showed that the MdCIbHLH1 protein structure mainly included α-helix and random coil, while β-sheet and extended strand content was less. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that the expression patterns of MdCIbHLH1 were similar in laminated apple seeds and lateral flower buds during the period of dormancy release. Before dormancy release, expression levels of MdCIbHLH1 were high and gradually decreased during the period of dormancy release. These results indicated that MdCIbHLH1 might play an important role during dormancy release in apple seeds and apple buds.

  12. Genome-Wide Identification and Evaluation of Reference Genes for Quantitative RT-PCR Analysis during Tomato Fruit Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Yuan; Bian, Wuying; Pang, Xin; Yu, Jiahong; Ahammed, Golam J; Zhou, Guozhi; Wang, Rongqing; Ruan, Meiying; Li, Zhimiao; Ye, Qingjing; Yao, Zhuping; Yang, Yuejian; Wan, Hongjian

    2017-01-01

    Gene expression analysis in tomato fruit has drawn increasing attention nowadays. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is a routine technique for gene expression analysis. In qPCR operation, reliability of results largely depends on the choice of appropriate reference genes (RGs). Although tomato is a model for fruit biology study, few RGs for qPCR analysis in tomato fruit had yet been developed. In this study, we initially identified 38 most stably expressed genes based on tomato transcriptome data set, and their expression stabilities were further determined in a set of tomato fruit samples of four different fruit developmental stages (Immature, mature green, breaker, mature red) using qPCR analysis. Two statistical algorithms, geNorm and Normfinder, concordantly determined the superiority of these identified putative RGs. Notably, SlFRG05 (Solyc01g104170), SlFRG12 (Solyc04g009770), SlFRG16 (Solyc10g081190), SlFRG27 (Solyc06g007510), and SlFRG37 (Solyc11g005330) were proved to be suitable RGs for tomato fruit development study. Further analysis using geNorm indicate that the combined use of SlFRG03 (Solyc02g063070) and SlFRG27 would provide more reliable normalization results in qPCR experiments. The identified RGs in this study will be beneficial for future qPCR analysis of tomato fruit developmental study, as well as for the potential identification of optimal normalization controls in other plant species.

  13. Genome-Wide Identification and Evaluation of Reference Genes for Quantitative RT-PCR Analysis during Tomato Fruit Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuan Cheng

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Gene expression analysis in tomato fruit has drawn increasing attention nowadays. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR is a routine technique for gene expression analysis. In qPCR operation, reliability of results largely depends on the choice of appropriate reference genes (RGs. Although tomato is a model for fruit biology study, few RGs for qPCR analysis in tomato fruit had yet been developed. In this study, we initially identified 38 most stably expressed genes based on tomato transcriptome data set, and their expression stabilities were further determined in a set of tomato fruit samples of four different fruit developmental stages (Immature, mature green, breaker, mature red using qPCR analysis. Two statistical algorithms, geNorm and Normfinder, concordantly determined the superiority of these identified putative RGs. Notably, SlFRG05 (Solyc01g104170, SlFRG12 (Solyc04g009770, SlFRG16 (Solyc10g081190, SlFRG27 (Solyc06g007510, and SlFRG37 (Solyc11g005330 were proved to be suitable RGs for tomato fruit development study. Further analysis using geNorm indicate that the combined use of SlFRG03 (Solyc02g063070 and SlFRG27 would provide more reliable normalization results in qPCR experiments. The identified RGs in this study will be beneficial for future qPCR analysis of tomato fruit developmental study, as well as for the potential identification of optimal normalization controls in other plant species.

  14. Data from quantitative label free proteomics analysis of rat spleen

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khadar Dudekula

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The dataset presented in this work has been obtained using a label-free quantitative proteomic analysis of rat spleen. A robust method for extraction of proteins from rat spleen tissue and LC-MS-MS analysis was developed using a urea and SDS-based buffer. Different fractionation methods were compared. A total of 3484 different proteins were identified from the pool of all experiments run in this study (a total of 2460 proteins with at least two peptides. A total of 1822 proteins were identified from nine non-fractionated pulse gels, 2288 proteins and 2864 proteins were identified by SDS-PAGE fractionation into three and five fractions respectively. The proteomics data are deposited in ProteomeXchange Consortium via PRIDE PXD003520, Progenesis and Maxquant output are presented in the supported information. The generated list of proteins under different regimes of fractionation allow assessing the nature of the identified proteins; variability in the quantitative analysis associated with the different sampling strategy and allow defining a proper number of replicates for future quantitative analysis. Keywords: Spleen, Rat, Protein extraction, Label-free quantitative proteomics

  15. Quantitative data analysis in education a critical introduction using SPSS

    CERN Document Server

    Connolly, Paul

    2007-01-01

    This book provides a refreshing and user-friendly guide to quantitative data analysis in education for students and researchers. It assumes absolutely no prior knowledge of quantitative methods or statistics. Beginning with the very basics, it provides the reader with the knowledge and skills necessary to be able to undertake routine quantitative data analysis to a level expected of published research. Rather than focusing on teaching statistics through mathematical formulae, the book places an emphasis on using SPSS to gain a real feel for the data and an intuitive grasp of t

  16. Quantitative analysis method for ship construction quality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    FU Senzong

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The excellent performance of a ship is assured by the accurate evaluation of its construction quality. For a long time, research into the construction quality of ships has mainly focused on qualitative analysis due to a shortage of process data, which results from limited samples, varied process types and non-standardized processes. Aiming at predicting and controlling the influence of the construction process on the construction quality of ships, this article proposes a reliability quantitative analysis flow path for the ship construction process and fuzzy calculation method. Based on the process-quality factor model proposed by the Function-Oriented Quality Control (FOQC method, we combine fuzzy mathematics with the expert grading method to deduce formulations calculating the fuzzy process reliability of the ordinal connection model, series connection model and mixed connection model. The quantitative analysis method is applied in analyzing the process reliability of a ship's shaft gear box installation, which proves the applicability and effectiveness of the method. The analysis results can be a useful reference for setting key quality inspection points and optimizing key processes.

  17. Quantitative X-ray analysis of pigments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Araujo, M. Marrocos de

    1987-01-01

    The 'matrix-flushing' and the 'adiabatic principle' methods have been applied for the quantitative analysis through X-ray diffraction patterns of pigments and extenders mixtures, frequently used in paint industry. The results obtained have shown the usefulness of these methods, but still ask for improving their accuracy. (Author) [pt

  18. A method for the quantitative metallographic analysis of nuclear fuels (Programme QMA)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moreno, A.; Sari, C.

    1978-01-01

    A method is described for the quantitative analysis of features such as voids, cracks, phases, inclusions and grains distributed on random plane sections of fuel materials. An electronic image analyzer, Quantimet, attached to a MM6 Leitz microscope was used to measure size, area, perimeter and shape of features dispersed in a matrix. The apparatus is driven by a computer which calculates the size, area and perimeter distribution, form factors and orientation of the features as well as the inclusion content of the matrix expressed in weight per cent. A computer programme, QMA, executes the spatial correction of the measured two-dimensional sections and delivers the true distribution of feature sizes in a three-dimensional system

  19. Quantitative analysis of crystalline pharmaceuticals in tablets by pattern-fitting procedure using X-ray diffraction pattern.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takehira, Rieko; Momose, Yasunori; Yamamura, Shigeo

    2010-10-15

    A pattern-fitting procedure using an X-ray diffraction pattern was applied to the quantitative analysis of binary system of crystalline pharmaceuticals in tablets. Orthorhombic crystals of isoniazid (INH) and mannitol (MAN) were used for the analysis. Tablets were prepared under various compression pressures using a direct compression method with various compositions of INH and MAN. Assuming that X-ray diffraction pattern of INH-MAN system consists of diffraction intensities from respective crystals, observed diffraction intensities were fitted to analytic expression based on X-ray diffraction theory and separated into two intensities from INH and MAN crystals by a nonlinear least-squares procedure. After separation, the contents of INH were determined by using the optimized normalization constants for INH and MAN. The correction parameter including all the factors that are beyond experimental control was required for quantitative analysis without calibration curve. The pattern-fitting procedure made it possible to determine crystalline phases in the range of 10-90% (w/w) of the INH contents. Further, certain characteristics of the crystals in the tablets, such as the preferred orientation, size of crystallite, and lattice disorder were determined simultaneously. This method can be adopted to analyze compounds whose crystal structures are known. It is a potentially powerful tool for the quantitative phase analysis and characterization of crystals in tablets and powders using X-ray diffraction patterns. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Quantitative Analyses of Core Promoters Enable Precise Engineering of Regulated Gene Expression in Mammalian Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ede, Christopher; Chen, Ximin; Lin, Meng-Yin; Chen, Yvonne Y.

    2016-01-01

    Inducible transcription systems play a crucial role in a wide array of synthetic biology circuits. However, the majority of inducible promoters are constructed from a limited set of tried-and-true promoter parts, which are susceptible to common shortcomings such as high basal expression levels (i.e., leakiness). To expand the toolbox for regulated mammalian gene expression and facilitate the construction of mammalian genetic circuits with precise functionality, we quantitatively characterized a panel of eight core promoters, including sequences with mammalian, viral, and synthetic origins. We demonstrate that this selection of core promoters can provide a wide range of basal gene expression levels and achieve a gradient of fold-inductions spanning two orders of magnitude. Furthermore, commonly used parts such as minimal CMV and minimal SV40 promoters were shown to achieve robust gene expression upon induction, but also suffer from high levels of leakiness. In contrast, a synthetic promoter, YB_TATA, was shown to combine low basal expression with high transcription rate in the induced state to achieve significantly higher fold-induction ratios compared to all other promoters tested. These behaviors remain consistent when the promoters are coupled to different genetic outputs and different response elements, as well as across different host-cell types and DNA copy numbers. We apply this quantitative understanding of core promoter properties to the successful engineering of human T cells that respond to antigen stimulation via chimeric antigen receptor signaling specifically under hypoxic environments. Results presented in this study can facilitate the design and calibration of future mammalian synthetic biology systems capable of precisely programmed functionality. PMID:26883397

  1. Novel approach in quantitative analysis of shearography method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wan Saffiey Wan Abdullah

    2002-01-01

    The application of laser interferometry in industrial non-destructive testing and material characterization is becoming more prevalent since this method provides non-contact full-field inspection of the test object. However their application only limited to the qualitative analysis, current trend has changed to the development of this method by the introduction of quantitative analysis, which attempts to detail the defect examined. This being the design feature for a ranges of object size to be examined. The growing commercial demand for quantitative analysis for NDT and material characterization is determining the quality of optical and analysis instrument. However very little attention is currently being paid to understanding, quantifying and compensating for the numerous error sources which are a function of interferometers. This paper presents a comparison of measurement analysis using the established theoretical approach and the new approach, taken into account the factor of divergence illumination and other geometrical factors. The difference in the measurement system could be associated in the error factor. (Author)

  2. Quantitative transcript analysis of the inducible expression system pSIP: comparison of the overexpression of Lactobacillus spp. β-galactosidases in Lactobacillus plantarum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eijsink Vincent GH

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Two sets of overlapping genes, lacLMReu and lacLMAci, encoding heterodimeric β-galactosidases from Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus acidophilus, respectively, have previously been cloned and expressed using the pSIP vector system and Lactobacillus plantarum WCSF1 as host. Despite the high similarity between these lacLM genes and the use of identical cloning and expression strategies, strains harboring lacLMReu produced about twenty-fold more β-galactosidase than strains containing lacLMAci. Results In this study, the plasmid copy numbers (PCN of expression vectors pEH9R (lacLMReu and pEH9A (lacLMAci as well as the transcription levels of both lacLM genes were compared using quantitative PCR methods. Analyses of parallel fermentations of L. plantarum harboring either pEH9R or pEH9A showed that the expression plasmids were present in similar copy numbers. However, transcript levels of lacLM from L. reuteri (pEH9R were up to 18 times higher than those of lacLM from L. acidophilus (pEH9A. As a control, it was shown that the expression levels of regulatory genes involved in pheromone-induced promoter activation were similar in both strains. Conclusion The use of identical expression strategies for highly similar genes led to very different mRNA levels. The data indicate that this difference is primarily caused by translational effects that are likely to affect both mRNA synthesis rates and mRNA stability. These translational effects thus seem to be a dominant determinant for the success of gene expression efforts in lactobacilli.

  3. Application of survival analysis methodology to the quantitative analysis of LC-MS proteomics data

    KAUST Repository

    Tekwe, C. D.

    2012-05-24

    MOTIVATION: Protein abundance in quantitative proteomics is often based on observed spectral features derived from liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) or LC-MS/MS experiments. Peak intensities are largely non-normal in distribution. Furthermore, LC-MS-based proteomics data frequently have large proportions of missing peak intensities due to censoring mechanisms on low-abundance spectral features. Recognizing that the observed peak intensities detected with the LC-MS method are all positive, skewed and often left-censored, we propose using survival methodology to carry out differential expression analysis of proteins. Various standard statistical techniques including non-parametric tests such as the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney rank sum tests, and the parametric survival model and accelerated failure time-model with log-normal, log-logistic and Weibull distributions were used to detect any differentially expressed proteins. The statistical operating characteristics of each method are explored using both real and simulated datasets. RESULTS: Survival methods generally have greater statistical power than standard differential expression methods when the proportion of missing protein level data is 5% or more. In particular, the AFT models we consider consistently achieve greater statistical power than standard testing procedures, with the discrepancy widening with increasing missingness in the proportions. AVAILABILITY: The testing procedures discussed in this article can all be performed using readily available software such as R. The R codes are provided as supplemental materials. CONTACT: ctekwe@stat.tamu.edu.

  4. Quantitative Proteomics Analysis of the cAMP/Protein Kinase A Signaling Pathway

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    To define the proteins whose expression is regulated by cAMP and protein kinase A (PKA), we used a quantitative proteomics approach in studies of wild-type (WT) and kin- (PKA-null) S49 murine T lymphoma cells. We also compared the impact of endogenous increases in the level of cAMP [by forskolin (Fsk) and the phosphodiesterase inhibitor isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX)] or by a cAMP analogue (8-CPT-cAMP). We identified 1056 proteins in WT and kin- S49 cells and found that 8-CPT-cAMP and Fsk with IBMX produced differences in protein expression. WT S49 cells had a correlation coefficient of 0.41 between DNA microarray data and the proteomics analysis in cells incubated with 8-CPT-cAMP for 24 h and a correlation coefficient of 0.42 between the DNA microarray data obtained at 6 h and the changes in protein expression after incubation with 8-CPT-cAMP for 24 h. Glutathione reductase (Gsr) had a higher level of basal expression in kin- S49 cells than in WT cells. Consistent with this finding, kin- cells are less sensitive to cell killing and generation of malondialdehyde than are WT cells incubated with H2O2. Cyclic AMP acting via PKA thus has a broad impact on protein expression in mammalian cells, including in the regulation of Gsr and oxidative stress. PMID:23110364

  5. Time-Course Analysis of Gene Expression During the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hypoxic Response

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nasrine Bendjilali

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Many cells experience hypoxia, or low oxygen, and respond by dramatically altering gene expression. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, genes that respond are required for many oxygen-dependent cellular processes, such as respiration, biosynthesis, and redox regulation. To more fully characterize the global response to hypoxia, we exposed yeast to hypoxic conditions, extracted RNA at different times, and performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq analysis. Time-course statistical analysis revealed hundreds of genes that changed expression by up to 550-fold. The genes responded with varying kinetics suggesting that multiple regulatory pathways are involved. We identified most known oxygen-regulated genes and also uncovered new regulated genes. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR analysis confirmed that the lysine methyltransferase EFM6 and the recombinase DMC1, both conserved in humans, are indeed oxygen-responsive. Looking more broadly, oxygen-regulated genes participate in expected processes like respiration and lipid metabolism, but also in unexpected processes like amino acid and vitamin metabolism. Using principle component analysis, we discovered that the hypoxic response largely occurs during the first 2 hr and then a new steady-state expression state is achieved. Moreover, we show that the oxygen-dependent genes are not part of the previously described environmental stress response (ESR consisting of genes that respond to diverse types of stress. While hypoxia appears to cause a transient stress, the hypoxic response is mostly characterized by a transition to a new state of gene expression. In summary, our results reveal that hypoxia causes widespread and complex changes in gene expression to prepare the cell to function with little or no oxygen.

  6. Time-Course Analysis of Gene Expression During the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hypoxic Response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bendjilali, Nasrine; MacLeon, Samuel; Kalra, Gurmannat; Willis, Stephen D; Hossian, A K M Nawshad; Avery, Erica; Wojtowicz, Olivia; Hickman, Mark J

    2017-01-05

    Many cells experience hypoxia, or low oxygen, and respond by dramatically altering gene expression. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, genes that respond are required for many oxygen-dependent cellular processes, such as respiration, biosynthesis, and redox regulation. To more fully characterize the global response to hypoxia, we exposed yeast to hypoxic conditions, extracted RNA at different times, and performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis. Time-course statistical analysis revealed hundreds of genes that changed expression by up to 550-fold. The genes responded with varying kinetics suggesting that multiple regulatory pathways are involved. We identified most known oxygen-regulated genes and also uncovered new regulated genes. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis confirmed that the lysine methyltransferase EFM6 and the recombinase DMC1, both conserved in humans, are indeed oxygen-responsive. Looking more broadly, oxygen-regulated genes participate in expected processes like respiration and lipid metabolism, but also in unexpected processes like amino acid and vitamin metabolism. Using principle component analysis, we discovered that the hypoxic response largely occurs during the first 2 hr and then a new steady-state expression state is achieved. Moreover, we show that the oxygen-dependent genes are not part of the previously described environmental stress response (ESR) consisting of genes that respond to diverse types of stress. While hypoxia appears to cause a transient stress, the hypoxic response is mostly characterized by a transition to a new state of gene expression. In summary, our results reveal that hypoxia causes widespread and complex changes in gene expression to prepare the cell to function with little or no oxygen. Copyright © 2017 Bendjilali et al.

  7. Development of CD3 cell quantitation algorithms for renal allograft biopsy rejection assessment utilizing open source image analysis software.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moon, Andres; Smith, Geoffrey H; Kong, Jun; Rogers, Thomas E; Ellis, Carla L; Farris, Alton B Brad

    2018-02-01

    Renal allograft rejection diagnosis depends on assessment of parameters such as interstitial inflammation; however, studies have shown interobserver variability regarding interstitial inflammation assessment. Since automated image analysis quantitation can be reproducible, we devised customized analysis methods for CD3+ T-cell staining density as a measure of rejection severity and compared them with established commercial methods along with visual assessment. Renal biopsy CD3 immunohistochemistry slides (n = 45), including renal allografts with various degrees of acute cellular rejection (ACR) were scanned for whole slide images (WSIs). Inflammation was quantitated in the WSIs using pathologist visual assessment, commercial algorithms (Aperio nuclear algorithm for CD3+ cells/mm 2 and Aperio positive pixel count algorithm), and customized open source algorithms developed in ImageJ with thresholding/positive pixel counting (custom CD3+%) and identification of pixels fulfilling "maxima" criteria for CD3 expression (custom CD3+ cells/mm 2 ). Based on visual inspections of "markup" images, CD3 quantitation algorithms produced adequate accuracy. Additionally, CD3 quantitation algorithms correlated between each other and also with visual assessment in a statistically significant manner (r = 0.44 to 0.94, p = 0.003 to algorithms presents salient correlations with established methods of CD3 quantitation. These analysis techniques are promising and highly customizable, providing a form of on-slide "flow cytometry" that can facilitate additional diagnostic accuracy in tissue-based assessments.

  8. PVeStA: A Parallel Statistical Model Checking and Quantitative Analysis Tool

    KAUST Repository

    AlTurki, Musab

    2011-01-01

    Statistical model checking is an attractive formal analysis method for probabilistic systems such as, for example, cyber-physical systems which are often probabilistic in nature. This paper is about drastically increasing the scalability of statistical model checking, and making such scalability of analysis available to tools like Maude, where probabilistic systems can be specified at a high level as probabilistic rewrite theories. It presents PVeStA, an extension and parallelization of the VeStA statistical model checking tool [10]. PVeStA supports statistical model checking of probabilistic real-time systems specified as either: (i) discrete or continuous Markov Chains; or (ii) probabilistic rewrite theories in Maude. Furthermore, the properties that it can model check can be expressed in either: (i) PCTL/CSL, or (ii) the QuaTEx quantitative temporal logic. As our experiments show, the performance gains obtained from parallelization can be very high. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.

  9. Cloning and expression analysis of a novel ammonium transporter gene from eichhornia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Y.; Yan, G.; Zheng, L.

    2014-01-01

    In order to explore the molecular mechanism for Eichhornia crassipes to transport ammonium from outside, we cloned a novel ammonium transporter (EcAMT) gene from E. crassipes and identified its function by using yeast complementation experiment. The full-length cDNA of EcAMT contains a 1506 nucletide-long open reading frame which encodes a protein of 501 amino acids. Bioinformatics analysis predicted that EcAMT had 8 transmembrane regions. The expressions of EcAMT gene under three different nitrogen conditions were evaluated by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) and the results showed that the expression of EcAMT gene was up-regulated under nitrogen starvation. Our study results revealed some molecular mechanism of E. crassipes to absorb the ammonium in eutrophic water. (author)

  10. Quantitative methods for the analysis of electron microscope images

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skands, Peter Ulrik Vallø

    1996-01-01

    The topic of this thesis is an general introduction to quantitative methods for the analysis of digital microscope images. The images presented are primarily been acquired from Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM) and interfermeter microscopes (IFM). The topic is approached though several examples...... foundation of the thesis fall in the areas of: 1) Mathematical Morphology; 2) Distance transforms and applications; and 3) Fractal geometry. Image analysis opens in general the possibility of a quantitative and statistical well founded measurement of digital microscope images. Herein lies also the conditions...

  11. Parameter determination for quantitative PIXE analysis using genetic algorithms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aspiazu, J.; Belmont-Moreno, E.

    1996-01-01

    For biological and environmental samples, PIXE technique is in particular advantage for elemental analysis, but the quantitative analysis implies accomplishing complex calculations that require the knowledge of more than a dozen parameters. Using a genetic algorithm, the authors give here an account of the procedure to obtain the best values for the parameters necessary to fit the efficiency for a X-ray detector. The values for some variables involved in quantitative PIXE analysis, were manipulated in a similar way as the genetic information is treated in a biological process. The authors carried out the algorithm until they reproduce, within the confidence interval, the elemental concentrations corresponding to a reference material

  12. rpb2 is a reliable reference gene for quantitative gene expression analysis in the dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacob, Tiago R; Peres, Nalu T A; Persinoti, Gabriela F; Silva, Larissa G; Mazucato, Mendelson; Rossi, Antonio; Martinez-Rossi, Nilce M

    2012-05-01

    The selection of reference genes used for data normalization to quantify gene expression by real-time PCR amplifications (qRT-PCR) is crucial for the accuracy of this technique. In spite of this, little information regarding such genes for qRT-PCR is available for gene expression analyses in pathogenic fungi. Thus, we investigated the suitability of eight candidate reference genes in isolates of the human dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum subjected to several environmental challenges, such as drug exposure, interaction with human nail and skin, and heat stress. The stability of these genes was determined by geNorm, NormFinder and Best-Keeper programs. The gene with the most stable expression in the majority of the conditions tested was rpb2 (DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II), which was validated in three T. rubrum strains. Moreover, the combination of rpb2 and chs1 (chitin synthase) genes provided for the most reliable qRT-PCR data normalization in T. rubrum under a broad range of biological conditions. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report on the selection of reference genes for qRT-PCR data normalization in dermatophytes and the results of these studies should permit further analysis of gene expression under several experimental conditions, with improved accuracy and reliability.

  13. The impact of quantitative optimization of hybridization conditions on gene expression analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Auburn Richard P

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background With the growing availability of entire genome sequences, an increasing number of scientists can exploit oligonucleotide microarrays for genome-scale expression studies. While probe-design is a major research area, relatively little work has been reported on the optimization of microarray protocols. Results As shown in this study, suboptimal conditions can have considerable impact on biologically relevant observations. For example, deviation from the optimal temperature by one degree Celsius lead to a loss of up to 44% of differentially expressed genes identified. While genes from thousands of Gene Ontology categories were affected, transcription factors and other low-copy-number regulators were disproportionately lost. Calibrated protocols are thus required in order to take full advantage of the large dynamic range of microarrays. For an objective optimization of protocols we introduce an approach that maximizes the amount of information obtained per experiment. A comparison of two typical samples is sufficient for this calibration. We can ensure, however, that optimization results are independent of the samples and the specific measures used for calibration. Both simulations and spike-in experiments confirmed an unbiased determination of generally optimal experimental conditions. Conclusions Well calibrated hybridization conditions are thus easily achieved and necessary for the efficient detection of differential expression. They are essential for the sensitive pro filing of low-copy-number molecules. This is particularly critical for studies of transcription factor expression, or the inference and study of regulatory networks.

  14. Quantitative utilization of prior biological knowledge in the Bayesian network modeling of gene expression data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gao Shouguo

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Bayesian Network (BN is a powerful approach to reconstructing genetic regulatory networks from gene expression data. However, expression data by itself suffers from high noise and lack of power. Incorporating prior biological knowledge can improve the performance. As each type of prior knowledge on its own may be incomplete or limited by quality issues, integrating multiple sources of prior knowledge to utilize their consensus is desirable. Results We introduce a new method to incorporate the quantitative information from multiple sources of prior knowledge. It first uses the Naïve Bayesian classifier to assess the likelihood of functional linkage between gene pairs based on prior knowledge. In this study we included cocitation in PubMed and schematic similarity in Gene Ontology annotation. A candidate network edge reservoir is then created in which the copy number of each edge is proportional to the estimated likelihood of linkage between the two corresponding genes. In network simulation the Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling algorithm is adopted, and samples from this reservoir at each iteration to generate new candidate networks. We evaluated the new algorithm using both simulated and real gene expression data including that from a yeast cell cycle and a mouse pancreas development/growth study. Incorporating prior knowledge led to a ~2 fold increase in the number of known transcription regulations recovered, without significant change in false positive rate. In contrast, without the prior knowledge BN modeling is not always better than a random selection, demonstrating the necessity in network modeling to supplement the gene expression data with additional information. Conclusion our new development provides a statistical means to utilize the quantitative information in prior biological knowledge in the BN modeling of gene expression data, which significantly improves the performance.

  15. Differential expression analysis of genic male sterility by cDNA-AFLP in maize

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Linbi; Rong Tingzhao; Pan Guangtang; Cao Moju

    2009-01-01

    The differential expression of male sterility induced by space flight with male fertility was studied using cDNA-AFLP technology. Total RNA was isolated from anther of male sterility and male fertility. Nine differential expression cDNA fragments were obtained with 16 primer combinations. The differential cDNA fragments were eluted, cloned and sequenced. Then half-quantitative RT-PCR was used to stuy the differential expressions of 4 development stages between sterility and fertility. Sequencing analysis shown 2 fragments from male sterility might be novel genes. Four fragments from male fertility were homology as chalcone and stilbene synthases, putative acyl CoA dehydrogenase, putative protein kinases and putative glycine decarboxylase. All these proteins might participate in the energy metabolisms, substance metabolisms or signal pollen development, Z8 took on increasing expression during the middle period of pollen development. These results just met the demand of more energy and more substance during the pollen development. (authors)

  16. Evaluation of Candidate Reference Genes for Quantitative Gene Expression Analysis in Spodoptera exigu a after Long-time Exposure to Cadmium

    OpenAIRE

    P?achetka-Bo?ek, Anna; Augustyniak, Maria

    2017-01-01

    Studies on the transcriptional control of gene expression play an important role in many areas of biology. Reference genes, which are often referred to as housekeeping genes, such as GAPDH, G3PDH, EF2, RpL7A, RpL10, TUB? and Actin, have traditionally been assumed to be stably expressed in all conditions, and they are frequently used to normalize mRNA levels between different samples in qPCR analysis. However, it is known that the expression of these genes is influenced by numerous factors, su...

  17. Quantitative analysis of γ-oryzanol content in cold pressed rice bran oil by TLC-image analysis method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakunpak, Apirak; Suksaeree, Jirapornchai; Monton, Chaowalit; Pathompak, Pathamaporn; Kraisintu, Krisana

    2014-02-01

    To develop and validate an image analysis method for quantitative analysis of γ-oryzanol in cold pressed rice bran oil. TLC-densitometric and TLC-image analysis methods were developed, validated, and used for quantitative analysis of γ-oryzanol in cold pressed rice bran oil. The results obtained by these two different quantification methods were compared by paired t-test. Both assays provided good linearity, accuracy, reproducibility and selectivity for determination of γ-oryzanol. The TLC-densitometric and TLC-image analysis methods provided a similar reproducibility, accuracy and selectivity for the quantitative determination of γ-oryzanol in cold pressed rice bran oil. A statistical comparison of the quantitative determinations of γ-oryzanol in samples did not show any statistically significant difference between TLC-densitometric and TLC-image analysis methods. As both methods were found to be equal, they therefore can be used for the determination of γ-oryzanol in cold pressed rice bran oil.

  18. Identification of normalization factors for quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis of gene expression in Pacific abalone Haliotis discus hannai

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, Reng; Sun, Boguang; Fang, Shasha; Sun, Li; Liu, Xiao

    2013-03-01

    Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is widely used in studies of gene expression. In most of these studies, housekeeping genes are used as internal references without validation. To identify appropriate reference genes for qRT-PCR in Pacific abalone Haliotis discus hannai, we examined the transcription stability of six housekeeping genes in abalone tissues in the presence and absence of bacterial infection. For this purpose, abalone were infected with the bacterial pathogen Vibrio anguillarum for 12 h and 48 h. The mRNA levels of the housekeeping genes in five tissues (digestive glands, foot muscle, gill, hemocyte, and mantle) were determined by qRT-PCR. The PCR data was subsequently analyzed with the geNorm and NormFinder algorithms. The results show that in the absence of bacterial infection, elongation factor-1-alpha and beta-actin were the most stably expressed genes in all tissues, and thus are suitable as cross-tissue type normalization factors. However, we did not identify any universal reference genes post infection because the most stable genes varied between tissue types. Furthermore, for most tissues, the optimal reference genes identified by both algorithms at 12 h and 48 h post-infection differed. These results indicate that bacterial infection induced significant changes in the expression of abalone housekeeping genes in a manner that is dependent on tissue type and duration of infection. As a result, different normalization factors must be used for different tissues at different infection points.

  19. Expression analysis of the Theileria parva subtelomere-encoded variable secreted protein gene family.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacqueline Schmuckli-Maurer

    Full Text Available The intracellular protozoan parasite Theileria parva transforms bovine lymphocytes inducing uncontrolled proliferation. Proteins released from the parasite are assumed to contribute to phenotypic changes of the host cell and parasite persistence. With 85 members, genes encoding subtelomeric variable secreted proteins (SVSPs form the largest gene family in T. parva. The majority of SVSPs contain predicted signal peptides, suggesting secretion into the host cell cytoplasm.We analysed SVSP expression in T. parva-transformed cell lines established in vitro by infection of T or B lymphocytes with cloned T. parva parasites. Microarray and quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed mRNA expression for a wide range of SVSP genes. The pattern of mRNA expression was largely defined by the parasite genotype and not by host background or cell type, and found to be relatively stable in vitro over a period of two months. Interestingly, immunofluorescence analysis carried out on cell lines established from a cloned parasite showed that expression of a single SVSP encoded by TP03_0882 is limited to only a small percentage of parasites. Epitope-tagged TP03_0882 expressed in mammalian cells was found to translocate into the nucleus, a process that could be attributed to two different nuclear localisation signals.Our analysis reveals a complex pattern of Theileria SVSP mRNA expression, which depends on the parasite genotype. Whereas in cell lines established from a cloned parasite transcripts can be found corresponding to a wide range of SVSP genes, only a minority of parasites appear to express a particular SVSP protein. The fact that a number of SVSPs contain functional nuclear localisation signals suggests that proteins released from the parasite could contribute to phenotypic changes of the host cell. This initial characterisation will facilitate future studies on the regulation of SVSP gene expression and the potential biological role of these enigmatic

  20. Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Hepatic Tissue of T2DM Rhesus Macaque

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tingfu Du

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM is a metabolic disorder that severely affects human health, but the pathogenesis of the disease remains unknown. The high-fat/high-sucrose diets combined with streptozotocin- (STZ- induced nonhuman primate animal model of diabetes are a valuable research source of T2DM. Here, we present a study of a STZ rhesus macaque model of T2DM that utilizes quantitative iTRAQ-based proteomic method. We compared the protein profiles in the liver of STZ-treated macaques as well as age-matched healthy controls. We identified 171 proteins differentially expressed in the STZ-treated groups, about 70 of which were documented as diabetes-related gene in previous studies. Pathway analyses indicated that the biological functions of differentially expressed proteins were related to glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, fatty acid metabolism, complements, and coagulation cascades. Expression change in tryptophan metabolism pathway was also found in this study which may be associations with diabetes. This study is the first to explore genome-wide protein expression in hepatic tissue of diabetes macaque model using HPLC-Q-TOF/MS technology. In addition to providing potential T2DM biomarkers, this quantitative proteomic study may also shed insights regarding the molecular pathogenesis of T2DM.

  1. Quantitative scenario analysis of low and intermediate level radioactive repository

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Keon Jae; Lee, Sang Yoon; Park, Keon Baek; Song, Min Cheon; Lee, Ho Jin

    1998-03-01

    Derivation of hypothetical radioactive waste disposal facility os conducted through sub-component characteristic analysis and conceptual modeling. It is studied that quantitative analysis of constructed scenario in terms of annual effective dose equivalent. This study is sequentially conducted according to performance assessment of radioactive waste disposal facility such as : ground water flow analysis, source term analysis, ground water transport, surface water transport, dose and pathways. The routine program module such as VAM2D-PAGAN-GENII is used for quantitative scenario analysis. Detailed data used in this module are come from experimental data of Korean territory and default data given within this module. Is case of blank data for code execution, it is estimated through reasonable engineering sense

  2. Microchromatography of hemoglobins. VIII. A general qualitative and quantitative method in plastic drinking straws and the quantitative analysis of Hb-F.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schroeder, W A; Pace, L A

    1978-03-01

    The microchromatographic procedure for the quantitative analysis of the hemoglobin components in a hemolysate uses columns of DEAE-cellulose in a plastic drinking straw with a glycine-KCN-NaCl developer. Not only may the method be used for the quantitative analysis of Hb-F but also for the analysis of the varied components in mixtures of hemoglobins.

  3. The use of Latin terminology in medical case reports: quantitative, structural, and thematic analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lysanets, Yuliia V; Bieliaieva, Olena M

    2018-02-23

    This paper focuses on the prevalence of Latin terms and terminological collocations in the issues of Journal of Medical Case Reports (February 2007-August 2017) and discusses the role of Latin terminology in the contemporary process of writing medical case reports. The objective of the research is to study the frequency of using Latin terminology in English-language medical case reports, thus providing relevant guidelines for medical professionals who deal with this genre and drawing their attention to the peculiarities of using Latin in case reports. The selected medical case reports are considered, using methods of quantitative examination and structural, narrative, and contextual analyses. We developed structural and thematic typologies of Latin terms and expressions, and we conducted a quantitative analysis that enabled us to observe the tendencies in using these lexical units in medical case reports. The research revealed that the use of Latin fully complies with the communicative strategies of medical case reports as a genre. Owing to the fact that Latin medical lexis is internationally adopted and understood worldwide, it promotes the conciseness of medical case reports, as well as contributes to their narrative style and educational intentions. The adequate use of Latin terms in medical case reports is an essential prerequisite of effective sharing of one's clinical findings with fellow researchers from all over the world. Therefore, it is highly important to draw students' attention to Latin terms and expressions that are used in medical case reports most frequently. Hence, the analysis of structural, thematic, and contextual features of Latin terms in case reports should be an integral part of curricula at medical universities.

  4. Genomic expression analysis of rat chromosome 4 for skeletal traits at femoral neck.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alam, Imranul; Sun, Qiwei; Liu, Lixiang; Koller, Daniel L; Liu, Yunlong; Edenberg, Howard J; Econs, Michael J; Foroud, Tatiana; Turner, Charles H

    2008-10-08

    Hip fracture is the most devastating osteoporotic fracture type with significant morbidity and mortality. Several studies in humans and animal models identified chromosomal regions linked to hip size and bone mass. Previously, we identified that the region of 4q21-q41 on rat chromosome (Chr) 4 harbors multiple femoral neck quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in inbred Fischer 344 (F344) and Lewis (LEW) rats. The purpose of this study is to identify the candidate genes for femoral neck structure and density by correlating gene expression in the proximal femur with the femoral neck phenotypes linked to the QTLs on Chr 4. RNA was extracted from proximal femora of 4-wk-old rats from F344 and LEW strains, and two other strains, Copenhagen 2331 and Dark Agouti, were used as a negative control. Microarray analysis was performed using Affymetrix Rat Genome 230 2.0 arrays. A total of 99 genes in the 4q21-q41 region were differentially expressed (P level of the gene in that strain. A total of 18 candidate genes were strongly correlated (r(2) > 0.50) with femoral neck width and prioritized for further analysis. Quantitative PCR analysis confirmed 14 of 18 of the candidate genes. Ingenuity pathway analysis revealed several direct or indirect relationships among the candidate genes related to angiogenesis (VEGF), bone growth (FGF2), bone formation (IGF2 and IGF2BP3), and resorption (TNF). This study provides a shortened list of genetic determinants of skeletal traits at the hip and may lead to novel approaches for prevention and treatment of hip fracture.

  5. Quantitative genetic analysis of total glucosinolate, oil and protein ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Quantitative genetic analysis of total glucosinolate, oil and protein contents in Ethiopian mustard ( Brassica carinata A. Braun) ... Seeds were analyzed using HPLC (glucosinolates), NMR (oil) and NIRS (protein). Analyses of variance, Hayman's method of diallel analysis and a mixed linear model of genetic analysis were ...

  6. Validation of putative reference genes for gene expression studies in human hepatocellular carcinoma using real-time quantitative RT-PCR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cicinnati, Vito R; Shen, Qingli; Sotiropoulos, Georgios C; Radtke, Arnold; Gerken, Guido; Beckebaum, Susanne

    2008-01-01

    Reference genes, which are often referred to as housekeeping genes are frequently used to normalize mRNA levels between different samples in quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The selection of reference genes is critical for gene expression studies because the expression of these genes may vary among tissues or cells and may change under certain circumstances. Here, a systematic evaluation of six putative reference genes for gene expression studies in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is presented. Six genes, beta-2-microglobulin (B2M), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), hydroxymethyl-bilane synthase (HMBS), hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl-transferase 1 (HPRT1), succinate dehydrogenase complex, subunit A (SDHA) and ubiquitin C (UBC), with distinct functional characteristics and expression patterns were evaluated by qRT-PCR. Inhibitory substances in RNA samples were quantitatively assessed and controlled using an external RNA control. The stability of selected reference genes was analyzed using both geNorm and NormFinder software. HMBS and GAPDH were identified as the optimal reference genes for normalizing gene expression data between paired tumoral and adjacent non-tumoral tissues derived from patients with HCC. HMBS, GAPDH and UBC were identified to be suitable for the normalization of gene expression data among tumor tissues; whereas the combination of HMBS, B2M, SDHA and GAPDH was suitable for normalizing gene expression data among five liver cancer cell lines, namely Hep3B, HepG2, HuH7, SK-HEP-1 and SNU-182. The determined gene stability was increased after exclusion of RNA samples containing relatively higher inhibitory substances. Of six genes studied, HMBS was found to be the single best reference gene for gene expression studies in HCC. The appropriate choice of combination of more than one reference gene to improve qRT-PCR accuracy depends on the kind of liver tissues or cells under investigation

  7. Validation of putative reference genes for gene expression studies in human hepatocellular carcinoma using real-time quantitative RT-PCR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Radtke Arnold

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Reference genes, which are often referred to as housekeeping genes are frequently used to normalize mRNA levels between different samples in quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR. The selection of reference genes is critical for gene expression studies because the expression of these genes may vary among tissues or cells and may change under certain circumstances. Here, a systematic evaluation of six putative reference genes for gene expression studies in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is presented. Methods Six genes, beta-2-microglobulin (B2M, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH, hydroxymethyl-bilane synthase (HMBS, hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl-transferase 1 (HPRT1, succinate dehydrogenase complex, subunit A (SDHA and ubiquitin C (UBC, with distinct functional characteristics and expression patterns were evaluated by qRT-PCR. Inhibitory substances in RNA samples were quantitatively assessed and controlled using an external RNA control. The stability of selected reference genes was analyzed using both geNorm and NormFinder software. Results HMBS and GAPDH were identified as the optimal reference genes for normalizing gene expression data between paired tumoral and adjacent non-tumoral tissues derived from patients with HCC. HMBS, GAPDH and UBC were identified to be suitable for the normalization of gene expression data among tumor tissues; whereas the combination of HMBS, B2M, SDHA and GAPDH was suitable for normalizing gene expression data among five liver cancer cell lines, namely Hep3B, HepG2, HuH7, SK-HEP-1 and SNU-182. The determined gene stability was increased after exclusion of RNA samples containing relatively higher inhibitory substances. Conclusion Of six genes studied, HMBS was found to be the single best reference gene for gene expression studies in HCC. The appropriate choice of combination of more than one reference gene to improve qRT-PCR accuracy depends on the

  8. Validation of putative reference genes for gene expression studies in human hepatocellular carcinoma using real-time quantitative RT-PCR

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cicinnati, Vito R; Shen, Qingli; Sotiropoulos, Georgios C; Radtke, Arnold; Gerken, Guido; Beckebaum, Susanne

    2008-01-01

    Background Reference genes, which are often referred to as housekeeping genes are frequently used to normalize mRNA levels between different samples in quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The selection of reference genes is critical for gene expression studies because the expression of these genes may vary among tissues or cells and may change under certain circumstances. Here, a systematic evaluation of six putative reference genes for gene expression studies in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is presented. Methods Six genes, beta-2-microglobulin (B2M), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), hydroxymethyl-bilane synthase (HMBS), hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl-transferase 1 (HPRT1), succinate dehydrogenase complex, subunit A (SDHA) and ubiquitin C (UBC), with distinct functional characteristics and expression patterns were evaluated by qRT-PCR. Inhibitory substances in RNA samples were quantitatively assessed and controlled using an external RNA control. The stability of selected reference genes was analyzed using both geNorm and NormFinder software. Results HMBS and GAPDH were identified as the optimal reference genes for normalizing gene expression data between paired tumoral and adjacent non-tumoral tissues derived from patients with HCC. HMBS, GAPDH and UBC were identified to be suitable for the normalization of gene expression data among tumor tissues; whereas the combination of HMBS, B2M, SDHA and GAPDH was suitable for normalizing gene expression data among five liver cancer cell lines, namely Hep3B, HepG2, HuH7, SK-HEP-1 and SNU-182. The determined gene stability was increased after exclusion of RNA samples containing relatively higher inhibitory substances. Conclusion Of six genes studied, HMBS was found to be the single best reference gene for gene expression studies in HCC. The appropriate choice of combination of more than one reference gene to improve qRT-PCR accuracy depends on the kind of liver tissues

  9. Analysis of membrane proteome and secretome in cells over-expressing ADAM17 using quantitative proteomics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawahara, R.; Simabuco, F.M.; Yokoo, S.; Paes Leme, A.F.; Sherman, N.

    2012-01-01

    Full text: A disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM) protease is involved in proteolytic ectodomain shedding of several membrane-associated proteins and modulation of key cell signaling pathways in the tumor microenvironment. In this study, we examined the effect of over-expressing the full length human ADAM17 in membrane and secreted proteins. To this end, we constructed a stable Flp-In T-RExHEK293 cells expressing ADAM17 by tetracycline induction. These cells were grown in Dulbeccos modified Eagles medium containing light lysine, arginine or heavy, L-Arg-13C615N4 and L-Lys -13C615N2 (SILAC: stable isotope labeling with amino acid in cell culture) media and they were treated with an ADAM17 activator, phorbolester (PMA). Controls such as Flp-In T-RExHEK293 cell without PMA treatment and without ADAM17 cloned were cultivated in light medium. The ADAM17 overexpression was induced with tetracycline 500 ng/ml for 24 hours. Cells in a heavy condition were treated with PMA 50 ng/ml for 1 hour and vehicle DMSO was used as control in a light cell condition. The extracellular media were collected, concentrated and used to evaluate the secretome and a cell surface biotinylation-based approach was used to capture cell surface-associated proteins. The biotinylated proteins were eluted with dithiothreitol, alkylated with iodoacetamide and then digested with trypsin. The resulting peptides were subjected to LC-MS/MS analysis on an ETD enabled Orbitrap Velos instrument. The results showed different proteins up or down regulated in membrane and secretome analysis which might represent potential molecules involved in signaling or ADAM17 regulation events. (author)

  10. Selection and evaluation of potential reference genes for gene expression analysis in the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae using reverse-transcription quantitative PCR.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miao Yuan

    Full Text Available The brown planthopper (BPH, Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera, Delphacidae, is one of the most important rice pests. Abundant genetic studies on BPH have been conducted using reverse-transcription quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR. Using qRT-PCR, the expression levels of target genes are calculated on the basis of endogenous controls. These genes need to be appropriately selected by experimentally assessing whether they are stably expressed under different conditions. However, such studies on potential reference genes in N. lugens are lacking. In this paper, we presented a systematic exploration of eight candidate reference genes in N. lugens, namely, actin 1 (ACT, muscle actin (MACT, ribosomal protein S11 (RPS11, ribosomal protein S15e (RPS15, alpha 2-tubulin (TUB, elongation factor 1 delta (EF, 18S ribosomal RNA (18S, and arginine kinase (AK and used four alternative methods (BestKeeper, geNorm, NormFinder, and the delta Ct method to evaluate the suitability of these genes as endogenous controls. We examined their expression levels among different experimental factors (developmental stage, body part, geographic population, temperature variation, pesticide exposure, diet change, and starvation following the MIQE (Minimum Information for publication of Quantitative real time PCR Experiments guidelines. Based on the results of RefFinder, which integrates four currently available major software programs to compare and rank the tested candidate reference genes, RPS15, RPS11, and TUB were found to be the most suitable reference genes in different developmental stages, body parts, and geographic populations, respectively. RPS15 was the most suitable gene under different temperature and diet conditions, while RPS11 was the most suitable gene under different pesticide exposure and starvation conditions. This work sheds light on establishing a standardized qRT-PCR procedure in N. lugens, and serves as a starting point for screening for reference genes for

  11. Quantiprot - a Python package for quantitative analysis of protein sequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konopka, Bogumił M; Marciniak, Marta; Dyrka, Witold

    2017-07-17

    The field of protein sequence analysis is dominated by tools rooted in substitution matrices and alignments. A complementary approach is provided by methods of quantitative characterization. A major advantage of the approach is that quantitative properties defines a multidimensional solution space, where sequences can be related to each other and differences can be meaningfully interpreted. Quantiprot is a software package in Python, which provides a simple and consistent interface to multiple methods for quantitative characterization of protein sequences. The package can be used to calculate dozens of characteristics directly from sequences or using physico-chemical properties of amino acids. Besides basic measures, Quantiprot performs quantitative analysis of recurrence and determinism in the sequence, calculates distribution of n-grams and computes the Zipf's law coefficient. We propose three main fields of application of the Quantiprot package. First, quantitative characteristics can be used in alignment-free similarity searches, and in clustering of large and/or divergent sequence sets. Second, a feature space defined by quantitative properties can be used in comparative studies of protein families and organisms. Third, the feature space can be used for evaluating generative models, where large number of sequences generated by the model can be compared to actually observed sequences.

  12. The usefulness of 3D quantitative analysis with using MRI for measuring osteonecrosis of the femoral head

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, Ji Young; Lee, Sun Wha; Park, Youn Soo

    2006-01-01

    We wanted to evaluate the usefulness of MRI 3D quantitative analysis for measuring osteonecrosis of the femoral head in comparison with MRI 2D quantitative analysis and quantitative analysis of the specimen. For 3 months at our hospital, 14 femoral head specimens with osteonecrosis were obtained after total hip arthroplasty. The patients preoperative MRIs were retrospectively reviewed for quantitative analysis of the size of the necrosis. Each necrotic fraction of the femoral head was measured by 2D quantitative analysis with using mid-coronal and mid-sagittal MRIs, and by 3D quantitative analysis with using serial continuous coronal MRIs and 3D reconstruction software. The necrotic fraction of the specimen was physically measured by the fluid displacement method. The necrotic fraction according to MRI 2D or 3D quantitative analysis was compared with that of the specimen by using Spearman's correlation test. On the correlative analysis, the necrotic fraction by MRI 2D quantitative analysis and quantitative analysis of the specimen showed moderate correlation (r = 0.657); on the other hand, the necrotic fraction by MRI 3D quantitative analysis and quantitative analysis of the specimen demonstrated a strong correlation (r = 0.952) (ρ < 0.05). MRI 3D quantitative analysis was more accurate than 2D quantitative analysis using MRI for measuring osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Therefore, it may be useful for predicting the clinical outcome and deciding the proper treatment option

  13. What Really Happens in Quantitative Group Research? Results of a Content Analysis of Recent Quantitative Research in "JSGW"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyle, Lauren H.; Whittaker, Tiffany A.; Eyal, Maytal; McCarthy, Christopher J.

    2017-01-01

    The authors conducted a content analysis on quantitative studies published in "The Journal for Specialists in Group Work" ("JSGW") between 2012 and 2015. This brief report provides a general overview of the current practices of quantitative group research in counseling. The following study characteristics are reported and…

  14. A Toolbox for Quantitative Gene Expression in Varroa destructor: RNA Degradation in Field Samples and Systematic Analysis of Reference Gene Stability.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ewan M Campbell

    Full Text Available Varroa destructor is the major pest of Apis mellifera and contributes to the global honey bee health crisis threatening food security. Developing new control strategies to combat Varroa will require the application of molecular biology, including gene expression studies by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR. Both high quality RNA samples and suitable stable internal reference genes are required for accurate gene expression studies. In this study, ten candidate genes (succinate dehydrogenase (SDHA, NADH dehydrogenase (NADH, large ribsosmal subunit, TATA-binding protein, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, 18S rRNA (18S, heat-shock protein 90 (HSP90, cyclophilin, α-tubulin, actin, were evaluated for their suitability as normalization genes using the geNorm, Normfinder, BestKeeper, and comparative ΔCq algorithims. Our study proposes the use of no more than two of the four most stable reference genes (NADH, 18S, SDHA and HSP90 in Varroa gene expression studies. These four genes remain stable in phoretic and reproductive stage Varroa and are unaffected by Deformed wing virus load. When used for determining changes in vitellogenin gene expression, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR for the relatively unstable genes actin and α-tubulin was much lower than for the stable gene combinations (NADH + HSP90 +18S; NADH + HSP90; or NADH. Using both electropherograms and RT-qPCR for short and long amplicons as quality controls, we demonstrate that high quality RNA can be recovered from Varroa up to 10 days later stored at ambient temperature if collected into RNAlater and provided the body is pierced. This protocol allows the exchange of Varroa samples between international collaborators and field sample collectors without requiring frozen collection or shipping. Our results make important contributions to gene expression studies in Varroa by proposing a validated sampling protocol to obtain high quality Varroa

  15. Quantitative proteomic analysis of whey proteins in the colostrum and mature milk of yak (Bos grunniens).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yongxin; Zhao, Xiaowei; Yu, Shumin; Cao, Suizhong

    2015-02-01

    Yak (Bos grunniens) is an important natural resource in mountainous regions. To date, few studies have addressed the differences in the protein profiles of yak colostrum and milk. We used quantitative proteomics to compare the protein profiles of whey from yak colostrum and milk. Milk samples were collected from 21 yaks after calving (1 and 28 d). Whey protein profiles were generated through isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ)-labelled proteomics. We identified 183 proteins in milk whey; of these, the expression levels of 86 proteins differed significantly between the whey from colostrum and milk. Haemoglobin expression showed the greatest change; its levels were significantly higher in the whey from colostrum than in mature milk whey. Functional analysis revealed that many of the differentially expressed proteins were associated with biological regulation and response to stimuli. Further, eight differentially expressed proteins involved in the complement and coagulation cascade pathway were enriched in milk whey. These findings add to the general understanding of the protein composition of yak milk, suggest potential functions of the differentially expressed proteins, and provide novel information on the role of colostral components in calf survival. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

  16. Data from quantitative label free proteomics analysis of rat spleen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dudekula, Khadar; Le Bihan, Thierry

    2016-09-01

    The dataset presented in this work has been obtained using a label-free quantitative proteomic analysis of rat spleen. A robust method for extraction of proteins from rat spleen tissue and LC-MS-MS analysis was developed using a urea and SDS-based buffer. Different fractionation methods were compared. A total of 3484 different proteins were identified from the pool of all experiments run in this study (a total of 2460 proteins with at least two peptides). A total of 1822 proteins were identified from nine non-fractionated pulse gels, 2288 proteins and 2864 proteins were identified by SDS-PAGE fractionation into three and five fractions respectively. The proteomics data are deposited in ProteomeXchange Consortium via PRIDE PXD003520, Progenesis and Maxquant output are presented in the supported information. The generated list of proteins under different regimes of fractionation allow assessing the nature of the identified proteins; variability in the quantitative analysis associated with the different sampling strategy and allow defining a proper number of replicates for future quantitative analysis.

  17. Microarray analysis of the gene expression profile in triethylene glycol dimethacrylate-treated human dental pulp cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torun, D; Torun, Z Ö; Demirkaya, K; Sarper, M; Elçi, M P; Avcu, F

    2017-11-01

    Triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) is an important resin monomer commonly used in the structure of dental restorative materials. Recent studies have shown that unpolymerized resin monomers may be released into the oral environment and cause harmful biological effects. We investigated changes in the gene expression profiles of TEGDMA-treated human dental pulp cells (hDPCs) following short- (1-day) and long-term (7-days) exposure. HDPCs were exposed to a noncytotoxic concentration of TEGDMA, and gene expression profiles were evaluated by microarray analysis. The results were confirmed by quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (qRT PCR). In total, 1282 and 1319 genes (up- or down-regulated) were differentially expressed compared with control group after the 1- and 7-day incubation periods, respectively. Biological ontology-based analyses revealed that metabolic, cellular, and developmental processes constituted the largest groups of biological functional processes. qRT-PCR analysis on bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), BMP-4, secreted protein, acidic, cysteine-rich, collagen type I alpha 1, oxidative stress-induced growth inhibitor 1, MMP3, interleukin-6, and heme oxygenase-1 genes confirmed the changes in expression observed in the microarray analysis. Our results suggest that TEGDMA can change the many functions of hDPCs through large changes in gene expression levels and complex interactions with different signaling pathways.

  18. QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF FLUX REGULATION THROUGH HIERARCHICAL REGULATION ANALYSIS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Eunen, Karen; Rossell, Sergio; Bouwman, Jildau; Westerhoff, Hans V.; Bakker, Barbara M.; Jameson, D; Verma, M; Westerhoff, HV

    2011-01-01

    Regulation analysis is a methodology that quantifies to what extent a change in the flux through a metabolic pathway is regulated by either gene expression or metabolism. Two extensions to regulation analysis were developed over the past years: (i) the regulation of V(max) can be dissected into the

  19. Quantitative analysis of flux regulation through hierarchical regulation analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eunen, K. van; Rossell, S.; Bouwman, J.; Westerhoff, H.V.; Bakker, B.M.

    2011-01-01

    Regulation analysis is a methodology that quantifies to what extent a change in the flux through a metabolic pathway is regulated by either gene expression or metabolism. Two extensions to regulation analysis were developed over the past years: (i) the regulation of Vmax can be dissected into the

  20. Analysis of miRNA expression profiles in melatonin-exposed GC-1 spg cell line.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Xiaoling; Chen, Shuxiong; Jiang, Yanwen; Xu, Ying; Zhao, Yun; Chen, Lu; Li, Chunjin; Zhou, Xu

    2018-02-05

    Melatonin is an endocrine neurohormone secreted by pinealocytes in the pineal gland. It exerts diverse physiological effects, such as circadian rhythm regulator and antioxidant. However, the functional importance of melatonin in spermatogenesis regulation remains unclear. The objectives of this study are to: (1) detect melatonin affection on miRNA expression profiles in GC-1 spg cells by miRNA deep sequencing (DeepSeq) and (2) define melatonin affected miRNA-mRNA interactions and associated biological processes using bioinformatics analysis. GC-1 spg cells were cultured with melatonin (10 -7 M) for 24h. DeepSeq data were validated using quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis (qRT-PCR). A total of 176 miRNA expressions were found to be significantly different between two groups (fold change of >2 or melatonin could regulate the expression of miRNA to perform its physiological effects in GC-1 spg cells. These results should be useful to investigate the biological function of miRNAs regulated by melatonin in spermatogenesis and testicular germ cell tumor. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Quantitative analysis of some brands of chloroquine tablets ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Quantitative analysis of some brands of chloroquine tablets marketed in Maiduguri using spectrophotometric ... and compared with that of the standard, wavelength of maximum absorbance at 331nm for chloroquine. ... HOW TO USE AJOL.

  2. Accurate quantitative XRD phase analysis of cement clinkers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kern, A.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Knowledge about the absolute phase abundance in cement clinkers is a requirement for both, research and quality control. Traditionally, quantitative analysis of cement clinkers has been carried out by theoretical normative calculation from chemical analysis using the so-called Bogue method or by optical microscopy. Therefore chemical analysis, mostly performed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), forms the basis of cement plan control by providing information for proportioning raw materials, adjusting kiln and burning conditions, as well as cement mill feed proportioning. In addition, XRF is of highest importance with respect to the environmentally relevant control of waste recovery raw materials and alternative fuels, as well as filters, plants and sewage. However, the performance of clinkers and cements is governed by the mineralogy and not the elemental composition, and the deficiencies and inherent errors of Bogue as well as microscopic point counting are well known. With XRD and Rietveld analysis a full quantitative analysis of cement clinkers can be performed providing detailed mineralogical information about the product. Until recently several disadvantages prevented the frequent application of the Rietveld method in the cement industry. As the measurement of a full pattern is required, extended measurement times made an integration of this method into existing automation environments difficult. In addition, several drawbacks of existing Rietveld software such as complexity, low performance and severe numerical instability were prohibitive for automated use. The latest developments of on-line instrumentation, as well as dedicated Rietveld software for quantitative phase analysis (TOPAS), now make a decisive breakthrough possible. TOPAS not only allows the analysis of extremely complex phase mixtures in the shortest time possible, but also a fully automated online phase analysis for production control and quality management, free of any human interaction

  3. Relationship Between Quantitative GRB7 RNA Expression and Recurrence after Adjuvant Anthracycline Chemotherapy in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sparano, Joseph A.; Goldstein, Lori J.; Childs, Barrett H.; Shak, Steven; Brassard, Diana; Badve, Sunil; Baehner, Frederick L.; Bugarini, Roberto; Rowley, Steve; Perez, Edith; Shulman, Lawrence N.; Martino, Silvana; Davidson, Nancy E.; Kenny, Paraic A.; Sledge, George W.; Gray, Robert

    2012-01-01

    Purpose To perform an exploratory analysis of the relationship between gene expression and recurrence in patients with operable triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) treated with adjuvant doxorubicin-containing chemotherapy. Experimental design RNA was extracted from archived tumor samples derived from 246 patients with stage I-III TNBC treated with adjuvant doxorubicin-containing chemotherapy, and was analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR for a panel of 374 genes. The relationship between gene expression and recurrence was evaluated using weighted Cox proportional hazards model score tests. Results GRB7 was the only gene for which higher expression was significantly associated with increased recurrence in TNBC (Korn’s adjusted p value=0.04). In a Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for clinicopathologic features, higher GRB7 expression was associated with an increased recurrence risk (HR 2.31, p=0.04 using the median as the split). The 5-year recurrence rates were 10.5% (95% confidence intervals [CI] 7.8%, 14.1%) in the low and 20.4% (95% CI 16.5%, 25.0%) in the high GRB7 groups. External validation in other datasets indicated that GRB7 expression was not prognostic in two adjuvant trials including variable systemic therapy, but in two other trials showed that high GBR7 expression was associated with resistance to neoadjuvant doxorubicin and taxane therapy. Conclusions GRB7 was associated with an increased risk of recurrence in TNBC, suggesting that GRB7 or GRB7-dependent pathways may serve as potential biomarkers for therapeutic targets. Therapeutic targeting of one or more factors identified which function as interaction nodes or effectors should also be considered. PMID:21933890

  4. Relationship between quantitative GRB7 RNA expression and recurrence after adjuvant anthracycline chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sparano, Joseph A; Goldstein, Lori J; Childs, Barrett H; Shak, Steven; Brassard, Diana; Badve, Sunil; Baehner, Frederick L; Bugarini, Roberto; Rowley, Steve; Perez, Edith A; Shulman, Lawrence N; Martino, Silvana; Davidson, Nancy E; Kenny, Paraic A; Sledge, George W; Gray, Robert

    2011-11-15

    To conduct an exploratory analysis of the relationship between gene expression and recurrence in patients with operable triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) treated with adjuvant doxorubicin-containing chemotherapy. RNA was extracted from archived tumor samples derived from 246 patients with stage I-III TNBC treated with adjuvant doxorubicin-containing chemotherapy, and was analyzed by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR for a panel of 374 genes. The relationship between gene expression and recurrence was evaluated using weighted Cox proportional hazards model score tests. Growth factor receptor bound protein 7 (GRB7) was the only gene for which higher expression was significantly associated with increased recurrence in TNBC (Korn's adjusted P value = 0.04). In a Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for clinicopathologic features, higher GRB7 expression was associated with an increased recurrence risk (HR = 2.31; P = 0.04 using the median as the split). The 5-year recurrence rates were 10.5% [95% confidence intervals (CI), 7.8-14.1] in the low and 20.4% (95% CI, 16.5-25.0) in the high GRB7 groups. External validation in other datasets indicated that GRB7 expression was not prognostic in two adjuvant trials including variable systemic therapy, but in two other trials showed that high GBR7 expression was associated with resistance to neoadjuvant doxorubicin and taxane therapy. GRB7 was associated with an increased risk of recurrence in TNBC, suggesting that GRB7 or GRB7-dependent pathways may serve as potential biomarkers for therapeutic targets. Therapeutic targeting of one or more factors identified which function as interaction nodes or effectors should also be considered.

  5. In Silico Expression Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolívar, Julio; Hehl, Reinhard; Bülow, Lorenz

    2016-01-01

    Information on the specificity of cis-sequences enables the design of functional synthetic plant promoters that are responsive to specific stresses. Potential cis-sequences may be experimentally tested, however, correlation of genomic sequence with gene expression data enables an in silico expression analysis approach to bioinformatically assess the stress specificity of candidate cis-sequences prior to experimental verification. The present chapter demonstrates an example for the in silico validation of a potential cis-regulatory sequence responsive to cold stress. The described online tool can be applied for the bioinformatic assessment of cis-sequences responsive to most abiotic and biotic stresses of plants. Furthermore, a method is presented based on a reverted in silico expression analysis approach that predicts highly specific potentially functional cis-regulatory elements for a given stress.

  6. Global scaling for semi-quantitative analysis in FP-CIT SPECT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kupitz, D; Apostolova, I; Lange, C; Ulrich, G; Amthauer, H; Brenner, W; Buchert, R

    2014-01-01

    Semi-quantitative characterization of dopamine transporter availability from single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with 123I-ioflupane (FP-CIT) is based on uptake ratios relative to a reference region. The aim of this study was to evaluate the whole brain as reference region for semi-quantitative analysis of FP-CIT SPECT. The rationale was that this might reduce statistical noise associated with the estimation of non-displaceable FP-CIT uptake. 150 FP-CIT SPECTs were categorized as neurodegenerative or non-neurodegenerative by an expert. Semi-quantitative analysis of specific binding ratios (SBR) was performed with a custom-made tool based on the Statistical Parametric Mapping software package using predefined regions of interest (ROIs) in the anatomical space of the Montreal Neurological Institute. The following reference regions were compared: predefined ROIs for frontal and occipital lobe and whole brain (without striata, thalamus and brainstem). Tracer uptake in the reference region was characterized by the mean, median or 75th percentile of its voxel intensities. The area (AUC) under the receiver operating characteristic curve was used as performance measure. The highest AUC of 0.973 was achieved by the SBR of the putamen with the 75th percentile in the whole brain as reference. The lowest AUC for the putamen SBR of 0.937 was obtained with the mean in the frontal lobe as reference. We recommend the 75th percentile in the whole brain as reference for semi-quantitative analysis in FP-CIT SPECT. This combination provided the best agreement of the semi-quantitative analysis with visual evaluation of the SPECT images by an expert and, therefore, is appropriate to support less experienced physicians.

  7. Correlation between quantitative HER-2 protein expression and risk for brain metastases in HER-2+ advanced breast cancer patients receiving trastuzumab-containing therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duchnowska, Renata; Biernat, Wojciech; Szostakiewicz, Barbara; Sperinde, Jeff; Piette, Fanny; Haddad, Mojgan; Paquet, Agnes; Lie, Yolanda; Czartoryska-Arłukowicz, Bogumiła; Wysocki, Piotr; Jankowski, Tomasz; Radecka, Barbara; Foszczynska-Kłoda, Małgorzata; Litwiniuk, Maria; Debska, Sylwia; Weidler, Jodi; Huang, Weidong; Buyse, Marc; Bates, Michael; Jassem, Jacek

    2012-01-01

    Patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2+ breast cancer are at particularly high risk for brain metastases; however, the biological basis is not fully understood. Using a novel HER-2 assay, we investigated the correlation between quantitative HER-2 expression in primary breast cancers and the time to brain metastasis (TTBM) in HER-2+ advanced breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab. The study group included 142 consecutive patients who were administered trastuzumab-based therapy for HER-2+ metastatic breast cancer. HER-2/neu gene copy number was quantified as the HER-2/centromeric probe for chromosome 17 (CEP17) ratio by central laboratory fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). HER-2 protein was quantified as total HER-2 protein expression (H2T) by the HERmark® assay (Monogram Biosciences, Inc., South San Francisco, CA) in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor samples. HER-2 variables were correlated with clinical features and TTBM was measured from the initiation of trastuzumab-containing therapy. A higher H2T level (continuous variable) was correlated with shorter TTBM, whereas HER-2 amplification by FISH and a continuous HER-2/CEP17 ratio were not predictive (p = .013, .28, and .25, respectively). In the subset of patients that was centrally determined by FISH to be HER-2+, an above-the-median H2T level was significantly associated with a shorter TTBM (hazard ratio, [HR], 2.4; p = .005), whereas this was not true for the median HER-2/CEP17 ratio by FISH (p = .4). Correlation between a continuous H2T level and TTBM was confirmed on multivariate analysis (HR, 3.3; p = .024). These data reveal a strong relationship between the quantitative HER-2 protein expression level and the risk for brain relapse in HER-2+ advanced breast cancer patients. Consequently, quantitative assessment of HER-2 protein expression may inform and facilitate refinements in therapeutic treatment strategies for selected subpopulations of patients in this

  8. Normalizing gene expression by quantitative PCR during somatic embryogenesis in two representative conifer species: Pinus pinaster and Picea abies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Vega-Bartol, José J; Santos, Raquen Raissa; Simões, Marta; Miguel, Célia M

    2013-05-01

    Suitable internal control genes to normalize qPCR data from different stages of embryo development and germination were identified in two representative conifer species. Clonal propagation by somatic embryogenesis has a great application potentiality in conifers. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) is widely used for gene expression analysis during somatic embryogenesis and embryo germination. No single reference gene is universal, so a systematic characterization of endogenous genes for concrete conditions is fundamental for accuracy. We identified suitable internal control genes to normalize qPCR data obtained at different steps of somatic embryogenesis (embryonal mass proliferation, embryo maturation and germination) in two representative conifer species, Pinus pinaster and Picea abies. Candidate genes included endogenous genes commonly used in conifers, genes previously tested in model plants, and genes with a lower variation of the expression along embryo development according to genome-wide transcript profiling studies. Three different algorithms were used to evaluate expression stability. The geometric average of the expression values of elongation factor-1α, α-tubulin and histone 3 in P. pinaster, and elongation factor-1α, α-tubulin, adenosine kinase and CAC in P. abies were adequate for expression studies throughout somatic embryogenesis. However, improved accuracy was achieved when using other gene combinations in experiments with samples at a single developmental stage. The importance of studies selecting reference genes to use in different tissues or developmental stages within one or close species, and the instability of commonly used reference genes, is highlighted.

  9. Quantitative possibility analysis. Present status in ESCA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brion, D.

    1981-01-01

    A short review of the recent developments in quantification of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy or ESCA is presented. The basic equations are reminded. Each involved parameter (photoionisation, inelastic mean free paths, 'response function' of the instruments, intensity measurement) is separately discussed in relation with the accuracy and the precision of the method. Other topics are considered such as roughness, surface contamination, matrix effect and inhomogeneous composition. Some aspects of the quantitative ESCA analysis and AES analysis are compared [fr

  10. Uncertainties in elemental quantitative analysis by PIXE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Montenegro, E.C.; Baptista, G.B.; Paschoa, A.S.; Barros Leite, C.V.

    1979-01-01

    The effects of the degree of non-uniformity of the particle beam, matrix composition and matrix thickness in a quantitative elemental analysis by particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) are discussed and a criterion to evaluate the resulting degree of uncertainty in the mass determination by this method is established. (Auth.)

  11. The Sporothrix schenckii Gene Encoding for the Ribosomal Protein L6 Has Constitutive and Stable Expression and Works as an Endogenous Control in Gene Expression Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elías Trujillo-Esquivel

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Sporothrix schenckii is one of the causative agents of sporotrichosis, a worldwide-distributed mycosis that affects humans and other mammals. The interest in basic and clinical features of this organism has significantly increased in the last years, yet little progress in molecular aspects has been reported. Gene expression analysis is a set of powerful tools that helps to assess the cell response to changes in the extracellular environment, the genetic networks controlling metabolic pathways, and the adaptation to different growth conditions. Most of the quantitative methodologies used nowadays require data normalization, and this is achieved measuring the expression of endogenous control genes. Reference genes, whose expression is assumed to suffer minimal changes regardless the cell morphology, the stage of the cell cycle or the presence of harsh extracellular conditions are commonly used as controls in Northern blotting assays, microarrays, and semi-quantitative or quantitative RT-PCR. Since the biology of the organisms is usually species specific, it is difficult to find a reliable group of universal genes that can be used as controls for data normalization in experiments addressing the gene expression, regardless the taxonomic classification of the organism under study. Here, we compared the transcriptional stability of the genes encoding for elongation factor 1A, Tfc1, a protein involved in transcription initiation on Pol III promoters, ribosomal protein L6, histone H2A, β-actin, β-tubulin, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, UAF30, the upstream activating factor 30, and the transcription initiation factor TFIID subunit 10, during the fungal growth in different culture media and cell morphologies. Our results indicated that only the gene encoding for the ribosomal protein L6 showed a stable and constant expression. Furthermore, it displayed not transcriptional changes when S. schenckii infected larvae of Galleria mellonella or

  12. Quantitative analysis of γ-oryzanol content in cold pressed rice bran oil by TLC-image analysis method

    OpenAIRE

    Sakunpak, Apirak; Suksaeree, Jirapornchai; Monton, Chaowalit; Pathompak, Pathamaporn; Kraisintu, Krisana

    2014-01-01

    Objective: To develop and validate an image analysis method for quantitative analysis of γ-oryzanol in cold pressed rice bran oil. Methods: TLC-densitometric and TLC-image analysis methods were developed, validated, and used for quantitative analysis of γ-oryzanol in cold pressed rice bran oil. The results obtained by these two different quantification methods were compared by paired t-test. Results: Both assays provided good linearity, accuracy, reproducibility and selectivity for dete...

  13. The APEX Quantitative Proteomics Tool: Generating protein quantitation estimates from LC-MS/MS proteomics results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeed Alexander I

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Mass spectrometry (MS based label-free protein quantitation has mainly focused on analysis of ion peak heights and peptide spectral counts. Most analyses of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS data begin with an enzymatic digestion of a complex protein mixture to generate smaller peptides that can be separated and identified by an MS/MS instrument. Peptide spectral counting techniques attempt to quantify protein abundance by counting the number of detected tryptic peptides and their corresponding MS spectra. However, spectral counting is confounded by the fact that peptide physicochemical properties severely affect MS detection resulting in each peptide having a different detection probability. Lu et al. (2007 described a modified spectral counting technique, Absolute Protein Expression (APEX, which improves on basic spectral counting methods by including a correction factor for each protein (called Oi value that accounts for variable peptide detection by MS techniques. The technique uses machine learning classification to derive peptide detection probabilities that are used to predict the number of tryptic peptides expected to be detected for one molecule of a particular protein (Oi. This predicted spectral count is compared to the protein's observed MS total spectral count during APEX computation of protein abundances. Results The APEX Quantitative Proteomics Tool, introduced here, is a free open source Java application that supports the APEX protein quantitation technique. The APEX tool uses data from standard tandem mass spectrometry proteomics experiments and provides computational support for APEX protein abundance quantitation through a set of graphical user interfaces that partition thparameter controls for the various processing tasks. The tool also provides a Z-score analysis for identification of significant differential protein expression, a utility to assess APEX classifier performance via cross validation, and a

  14. Evaluation of breast lesions by contrast enhanced ultrasound: Qualitative and quantitative analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wan Caifeng; Du Jing; Fang Hua; Li Fenghua; Wang Lin

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate and compare the diagnostic performance of qualitative, quantitative and combined analysis for characterization of breast lesions in contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), with histological results used as the reference standard. Methods: Ninety-one patients with 91 breast lesions BI-RADS 3–5 at US or mammography underwent CEUS. All lesions underwent qualitative and quantitative enhancement evaluation. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of different analytical method for discrimination between benign and malignant breast lesions. Results: Histopathologic analysis of the 91 lesions revealed 44 benign and 47 malignant. For qualitative analysis, benign and malignant lesions differ significantly in enhancement patterns (p z1 ), 0.768 (A z2 ) and 0.926(A z3 ) respectively. The values of A z1 and A z3 were significantly higher than that for A z2 (p = 0.024 and p = 0.008, respectively). But there was no significant difference between the values of A z1 and A z3 (p = 0.625). Conclusions: The diagnostic performance of qualitative and combined analysis was significantly higher than that for quantitative analysis. Although quantitative analysis has the potential to differentiate benign from malignant lesions, it has not yet improved the final diagnostic accuracy.

  15. New Approach to Quantitative Analysis by Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, D. H.; Kim, T. H.; Yun, J. I.; Jung, E. C.

    2009-01-01

    Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been studied as the technique of choice in some particular situations like screening, in situ measurement, process monitoring, hostile environments, etc. Especially, LIBS can fulfill the qualitative and quantitative analysis for radioactive high level waste (HLW) glass in restricted experimental conditions. Several ways have been suggested to get quantitative information from LIBS. The one approach is to use the absolute intensities of each element. The other approach is to use the elemental emission intensities relative to the intensity of the internal standard element whose concentration is known already in the specimen. But these methods are not applicable to unknown samples. In the present work, we introduce new approach to LIBS quantitative analysis by using H α (656.28 nm) emission line as external standard

  16. Quantitative Proteomics for the Comprehensive Analysis of Stress Responses of Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei F19.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schott, Ann-Sophie; Behr, Jürgen; Geißler, Andreas J; Kuster, Bernhard; Hahne, Hannes; Vogel, Rudi F

    2017-10-06

    Lactic acid bacteria are broadly employed as starter cultures in the manufacture of foods. Upon technological preparation, they are confronted with drying stress that amalgamates numerous stress conditions resulting in losses of fitness and survival. To better understand and differentiate physiological stress responses, discover general and specific markers for the investigated stress conditions, and predict optimal preconditioning for starter cultures, we performed a comprehensive genomic and quantitative proteomic analysis of a commonly used model system, Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei TMW 1.1434 (isogenic with F19) under 11 typical stress conditions, including among others oxidative, osmotic, pH, and pressure stress. We identified and quantified >1900 proteins in triplicate analyses, representing 65% of all genes encoded in the genome. The identified genes were thoroughly annotated in terms of subcellular localization prediction and biological functions, suggesting unbiased and comprehensive proteome coverage. In total, 427 proteins were significantly differentially expressed in at least one condition. Most notably, our analysis suggests that optimal preconditioning toward drying was predicted to be alkaline and high-pressure stress preconditioning. Taken together, we believe the presented strategy may serve as a prototypic example for the analysis and utility of employing quantitative-mass-spectrometry-based proteomics to study bacterial physiology.

  17. A knowledge-based T2-statistic to perform pathway analysis for quantitative proteomic data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, En-Yu; Chen, Yi-Hau; Wu, Kun-Pin

    2017-06-01

    Approaches to identify significant pathways from high-throughput quantitative data have been developed in recent years. Still, the analysis of proteomic data stays difficult because of limited sample size. This limitation also leads to the practice of using a competitive null as common approach; which fundamentally implies genes or proteins as independent units. The independent assumption ignores the associations among biomolecules with similar functions or cellular localization, as well as the interactions among them manifested as changes in expression ratios. Consequently, these methods often underestimate the associations among biomolecules and cause false positives in practice. Some studies incorporate the sample covariance matrix into the calculation to address this issue. However, sample covariance may not be a precise estimation if the sample size is very limited, which is usually the case for the data produced by mass spectrometry. In this study, we introduce a multivariate test under a self-contained null to perform pathway analysis for quantitative proteomic data. The covariance matrix used in the test statistic is constructed by the confidence scores retrieved from the STRING database or the HitPredict database. We also design an integrating procedure to retain pathways of sufficient evidence as a pathway group. The performance of the proposed T2-statistic is demonstrated using five published experimental datasets: the T-cell activation, the cAMP/PKA signaling, the myoblast differentiation, and the effect of dasatinib on the BCR-ABL pathway are proteomic datasets produced by mass spectrometry; and the protective effect of myocilin via the MAPK signaling pathway is a gene expression dataset of limited sample size. Compared with other popular statistics, the proposed T2-statistic yields more accurate descriptions in agreement with the discussion of the original publication. We implemented the T2-statistic into an R package T2GA, which is available at https

  18. Global analysis of glycoproteins identifies markers of endotoxin tolerant monocytes and GPR84 as a modulator of TNFα expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, Mario M; Lehmann, Roland; Klassert, Tilman E; Reifenstein, Stella; Conrad, Theresia; Moore, Christoph; Kuhn, Anna; Behnert, Andrea; Guthke, Reinhard; Driesch, Dominik; Slevogt, Hortense

    2017-04-12

    Exposure of human monocytes to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces a temporary insensitivity to subsequent LPS challenges, a cellular state called endotoxin tolerance. In this study, we investigated the LPS-induced global glycoprotein expression changes of tolerant human monocytes and THP-1 cells to identify markers and glycoprotein targets capable to modulate the immunosuppressive state. Using hydrazide chemistry and LC-MS/MS analysis, we analyzed glycoprotein expression changes during a 48 h LPS time course. The cellular snapshots at different time points identified 1491 glycoproteins expressed by monocytes and THP-1 cells. Label-free quantitative analysis revealed transient or long-lasting LPS-induced expression changes of secreted or membrane-anchored glycoproteins derived from intracellular membrane coated organelles or from the plasma membrane. Monocytes and THP-1 cells demonstrated marked differences in glycoproteins differentially expressed in the tolerant state. Among the shared differentially expressed glycoproteins G protein-coupled receptor 84 (GPR84) was identified as being capable of modulating pro-inflammatory TNFα mRNA expression in the tolerant cell state when activated with its ligand Decanoic acid.

  19. Validation of Tuba1a as Appropriate Internal Control for Normalization of Gene Expression Analysis during Mouse Lung Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aditi Mehta

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The expression ratio between the analysed gene and an internal control gene is the most widely used normalization method for quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR expression analysis. The ideal reference gene for a specific experiment is the one whose expression is not affected by the different experimental conditions tested. In this study, we validate the applicability of five commonly used reference genes during different stages of mouse lung development. The stability of expression of five different reference genes (Tuba1a, Actb Gapdh, Rn18S and Hist4h4 was calculated within five experimental groups using the statistical algorithm of geNorm software. Overall, Tuba1a showed the least variability in expression among the different stages of lung development, while Hist4h4 and Rn18S showed the maximum variability in their expression. Expression analysis of two lung specific markers, surfactant protein C (SftpC and Clara cell-specific 10 kDA protein (Scgb1a1, normalized to each of the five reference genes tested here, confirmed our results and showed that incorrect reference gene choice can lead to artefacts. Moreover, a combination of two internal controls for normalization of expression analysis during lung development will increase the accuracy and reliability of results.

  20. Quantitative and temporal proteome analysis of butyrate-treated colorectal cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Hwee Tong; Tan, Sandra; Lin, Qingsong; Lim, Teck Kwang; Hew, Choy Leong; Chung, Maxey C M

    2008-06-01

    Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in developed countries, and its incidence is negatively associated with high dietary fiber intake. Butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid fermentation by-product of fiber induces cell maturation with the promotion of growth arrest, differentiation, and/or apoptosis of cancer cells. The stimulation of cell maturation by butyrate in colonic cancer cells follows a temporal progression from the early phase of growth arrest to the activation of apoptotic cascades. Previously we performed two-dimensional DIGE to identify differentially expressed proteins induced by 24-h butyrate treatment of HCT-116 colorectal cancer cells. Herein we used quantitative proteomics approaches using iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation), a stable isotope labeling methodology that enables multiplexing of four samples, for a temporal study of HCT-116 cells treated with butyrate. In addition, cleavable ICAT, which selectively tags cysteine-containing proteins, was also used, and the results complemented those obtained from the iTRAQ strategy. Selected protein targets were validated by real time PCR and Western blotting. A model is proposed to illustrate our findings from this temporal analysis of the butyrate-responsive proteome that uncovered several integrated cellular processes and pathways involved in growth arrest, apoptosis, and metastasis. These signature clusters of butyrate-regulated pathways are potential targets for novel chemopreventive and therapeutic drugs for treatment of colorectal cancer.

  1. Multicomponent quantitative spectroscopic analysis without reference substances based on ICA modelling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monakhova, Yulia B; Mushtakova, Svetlana P

    2017-05-01

    A fast and reliable spectroscopic method for multicomponent quantitative analysis of targeted compounds with overlapping signals in complex mixtures has been established. The innovative analytical approach is based on the preliminary chemometric extraction of qualitative and quantitative information from UV-vis and IR spectral profiles of a calibration system using independent component analysis (ICA). Using this quantitative model and ICA resolution results of spectral profiling of "unknown" model mixtures, the absolute analyte concentrations in multicomponent mixtures and authentic samples were then calculated without reference solutions. Good recoveries generally between 95% and 105% were obtained. The method can be applied to any spectroscopic data that obey the Beer-Lambert-Bouguer law. The proposed method was tested on analysis of vitamins and caffeine in energy drinks and aromatic hydrocarbons in motor fuel with 10% error. The results demonstrated that the proposed method is a promising tool for rapid simultaneous multicomponent analysis in the case of spectral overlap and the absence/inaccessibility of reference materials.

  2. Quantitative Analysis of HER2 Receptor Expression In Vivo by Near-Infrared Optical Imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victor Chernomordik

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 overexpression in breast cancers is associated with poor prognosis and resistance to therapy. Current techniques for estimating this important characteristic use ex vivo assays that require tissue biopsies. We suggest a novel noninvasive method to characterize HER2 expression in vivo, using optical imaging, based on HER2-specific probes (albumin-binding domain–fused-(ZHER2:3422-Cys Affibody molecules [Affibody AB, Solna, Sweden], labeled with Alexa Fluor 750 [Molecular Probes, Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA] that could be used concomitantly with HER2-targeted therapy. Subcutaneous tumor xenografts, expressing different levels of HER2, were imaged with a near-infrared fluorescence small-animal imaging system at several times postinjection of the probe. The compartmental ligand-receptor model was used to calculate HER2 expression from imaging data. Correlation between HER2 amplification/overexpression in tumor cells and parameters, directly estimated from the sequence of optical images, was observed (eg, experimental data for BT474 xenografts indicate that initial slope, characterizing the temporal dependence of the fluorescence intensity detected in the tumor, linearly depends on the HER2 expression, as measured ex vivo by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the same tumor. The results obtained from tumors expressing different levels of HER2 substantiate a similar relationship between the initial slope and HER2 amplification/overexpression. This work shows that optical imaging, combined with mathematical modeling, allows noninvasive monitoring of HER2 expression in vivo.

  3. ImatraNMR: Novel software for batch integration and analysis of quantitative NMR spectra

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mäkelä, A. V.; Heikkilä, O.; Kilpeläinen, I.; Heikkinen, S.

    2011-08-01

    Quantitative NMR spectroscopy is a useful and important tool for analysis of various mixtures. Recently, in addition of traditional quantitative 1D 1H and 13C NMR methods, a variety of pulse sequences aimed for quantitative or semiquantitative analysis have been developed. To obtain actual usable results from quantitative spectra, they must be processed and analyzed with suitable software. Currently, there are many processing packages available from spectrometer manufacturers and third party developers, and most of them are capable of analyzing and integration of quantitative spectra. However, they are mainly aimed for processing single or few spectra, and are slow and difficult to use when large numbers of spectra and signals are being analyzed, even when using pre-saved integration areas or custom scripting features. In this article, we present a novel software, ImatraNMR, designed for batch analysis of quantitative spectra. In addition to capability of analyzing large number of spectra, it provides results in text and CSV formats, allowing further data-analysis using spreadsheet programs or general analysis programs, such as Matlab. The software is written with Java, and thus it should run in any platform capable of providing Java Runtime Environment version 1.6 or newer, however, currently it has only been tested with Windows and Linux (Ubuntu 10.04). The software is free for non-commercial use, and is provided with source code upon request.

  4. Expression of JMJD2A in infiltrating duct carcinoma was markedly higher than fibroadenoma, and associated with expression of ARHI, p53 and ER in infiltrating duct carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Bei-Xu; Li, Jia; Luo, Cheng-Liang; Zhang, Ming-Chang; Li, Hui; Li, Li-Liang; Xu, Hong-Fei; Shen, Yi-Wen; Xue, Ai-Min; Zhao, Zi-Qin

    2013-03-01

    Jumonji Domain Containing 2A (JMJD2A) may be a cancer-associated gene involved in human breast cancer. With a view to investigating expression of JMJD2A in human breast cancer and benign lesion tissues as well as relationship between JMJD2A and tumor related proteins, histological and immunohistochemical analysis, Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR in infiltrating duct carcinoma and fibroadenoma for JMJD2A and immunohistochemical analysis and quantitative real-time PCR in infiltrating duct carcinoma for tumor related proteins (ARHI, p53, ER, PR and CerbB-2) were performed. Histological examination validated the clinical diagnosis. The JMJD2A positive rate of infiltrating duct carcinoma was significantly higher than fibroadenoma by immunohistochemical analysis. The mean optical density of JMJD2A in infiltrating duct carcinoma was higher than fibroadenoma by western blot. JMJD2A mRNA level in infiltrating duct carcinoma was higher than fibroadenoma by quantitative real-time PCR. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that the expression of JMJD2A was associated with ARHI, p53 and ER from immunohistochemical results respectively. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the expression of JMJD2A was associated with ARHI, p53 and ER from quantitative real-time PCR results respectively. Expression of JMJD2A in infiltrating duct carcinoma was higher, and associated with ARHI, p53 and ER. The results may take JMJD2A as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target in human breast cancer.

  5. Identification and validation of Asteraceae miRNAs by the expressed sequence tag analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monavar Feshani, Aboozar; Mohammadi, Saeed; Frazier, Taylor P; Abbasi, Abbas; Abedini, Raha; Karimi Farsad, Laleh; Ehya, Farveh; Salekdeh, Ghasem Hosseini; Mardi, Mohsen

    2012-02-10

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that play a vital role in the regulation of gene expression. Despite their identification in hundreds of plant species, few miRNAs have been identified in the Asteraceae, a large family that comprises approximately one tenth of all flowering plants. In this study, we used the expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis to identify potential conserved miRNAs and their putative target genes in the Asteraceae. We applied quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) to confirm the expression of eight potential miRNAs in Carthamus tinctorius and Helianthus annuus. We also performed qRT-PCR analysis to investigate the differential expression pattern of five newly identified miRNAs during five different cotyledon growth stages in safflower. Using these methods, we successfully identified and characterized 151 potentially conserved miRNAs, belonging to 26 miRNA families, in 11 genus of Asteraceae. EST analysis predicted that the newly identified conserved Asteraceae miRNAs target 130 total protein-coding ESTs in sunflower and safflower, as well as 433 additional target genes in other plant species. We experimentally confirmed the existence of seven predicted miRNAs, (miR156, miR159, miR160, miR162, miR166, miR396, and miR398) in safflower and sunflower seedlings. We also observed that five out of eight miRNAs are differentially expressed during cotyledon development. Our results indicate that miRNAs may be involved in the regulation of gene expression during seed germination and the formation of the cotyledons in the Asteraceae. The findings of this study might ultimately help in the understanding of miRNA-mediated gene regulation in important crop species. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Progesterone receptor isoform analysis by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded canine mammary dysplasias and tumors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Guil-Luna, S.; Stenvang, Jan; Brünner, Nils

    2014-01-01

    and its isoforms in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples from canine mammary lesions (4 dysplasias, 10 benign tumors, and 46 carcinomas) using 1-step SYBR Green quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Progesterone receptor was expressed in 75% of dysplasias, all benign...... in the expression of isoform A versus B. Analysis of progesterone receptor mRNA isoforms by RT-qPCR was successful in routinely formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples and enabled the distribution of isoforms A and B to be identified for the first time in dysplasias, benign tumors, and malignant tumors...

  7. Prognostic significance of p53 expression in patients with esophageal cancer: a meta-analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Lianghai; Yu, Xiaodan; Li, Jing; Zhang, Zhiyu; Hou, Jun; Li, Feng

    2016-01-01

    The prognostic value of p53 protein expression in esophageal cancer has been evaluated, but the results remain inconclusive and no consensus has yet been achieved. This meta-analysis was conducted to quantitatively assess the prognostic significance of p53 expression in esophageal cancer. Publications that assessed the clinical or prognostic significance of p53 expression in esophageal cancer and were published before July 1, 2015 were identified by searching the PubMed and EMBASE databases. A meta-analysis was performed to clarify the association between p53 expression and the clinical outcomes. A total of 36 publications met the criteria and included 4577 cases. Analysis of these data showed that p53 expression in esophageal cancer was significantly associated with poorer 5-year survival (RR = 1.30, 95 % CI: 1.11–1.51, P = 0.0008). Subgroup analyses according to histological type, continent of the patients, and cut-off value revealed the similar results. The results also indicated that p53 expression was highly associated with advanced TNM stages (I/II vs. III/IV, OR = 0.74, 95 % CI: 0.55–0.99, P = 0.04), lymph node metastasis (OR = 0.77, 95 % CI: 0.66–0.90, P = 0.001), and distant metastasis (OR = 0.46, 95 % CI: 0.26–0.80, P = 0.006). However, p53 expression in the included studies was not significantly associated with tumor size (≤ 5 cm vs. > 5 cm, OR = 1.13, 95 % CI: 0.92–1.40, P = 0.24), tumor location (upper + middle vs. lower, OR = 0.91, 95 % CI: 0.70–1.17, P = 0.45), grade of differentiation (well + moderate vs. poor, OR = 1.10, 95 % CI: 0.90–1.34, P = 0.35), and the depth of invasion (T1/T2 vs. T3/T4, OR = 0.86, 95 % CI: 0.71–1.03, P = 0.09). This meta-analysis showed that p53 expression may be a useful biomarker for predicting poorer prognosis in patients with esophageal cancer

  8. Characterization of global yeast quantitative proteome data generated from the wild-type and glucose repression Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains: The comparison of two quantitative methods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Usaite, Renata; Wohlschlegel, James; Venable, John D.

    2008-01-01

    The quantitative proteomic analysis of complex protein mixtures is emerging as a technically challenging but viable systems-level approach for studying cellular function. This study presents a large-scale comparative analysis of protein abundances from yeast protein lysates derived from both wild......-type yeast and yeast strains lacking key components of the Snf1 kinase complex. Four different strains were grown under well-controlled chemostat conditions. Multidimensional protein identification technology followed by quantitation using either spectral counting or stable isotope labeling approaches...... labeling strategy. The stable isotope labeling based quantitative approach was found to be highly reproducible among biological replicates when complex protein mixtures containing small expression changes were analyzed. Where poor correlation between stable isotope labeling and spectral counting was found...

  9. Spatial gene expression quantification: a tool for analysis of in situ hybridizations in sea anemone Nematostella vectensis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Botman Daniel

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Spatial gene expression quantification is required for modeling gene regulation in developing organisms. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is the model system most widely applied for spatial gene expression analysis due to its unique embryonic properties: the shape does not change significantly during its early cleavage cycles and most genes are differentially expressed along a straight axis. This system of development is quite exceptional in the animal kingdom. In the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis the embryo changes its shape during early development; there are cell divisions and cell movement, like in most other metazoans. Nematostella is an attractive case study for spatial gene expression since its transparent body wall makes it accessible to various imaging techniques. Findings Our new quantification method produces standardized gene expression profiles from raw or annotated Nematostella in situ hybridizations by measuring the expression intensity along its cell layer. The procedure is based on digital morphologies derived from high-resolution fluorescence pictures. Additionally, complete descriptions of nonsymmetric expression patterns have been constructed by transforming the gene expression images into a three-dimensional representation. Conclusions We created a standard format for gene expression data, which enables quantitative analysis of in situ hybridizations from embryos with various shapes in different developmental stages. The obtained expression profiles are suitable as input for optimization of gene regulatory network models, and for correlation analysis of genes from dissimilar Nematostella morphologies. This approach is potentially applicable to many other metazoan model organisms and may also be suitable for processing data from three-dimensional imaging techniques.

  10. Quantitative proteomic analysis of serum from pregnant women carrying a fetus with conotruncal heart defect using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ labeling.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ying Zhang

    Full Text Available To identify differentially expressed proteins from serum of pregnant women carrying a conotruncal heart defects (CTD fetus, using proteomic analysis.The study was conducted using a nested case-control design. The 5473 maternal serum samples were collected at 14-18 weeks of gestation. The serum from 9 pregnant women carrying a CTD fetus, 10 with another CHD (ACHD fetus, and 11 with a normal fetus were selected from the above samples, and analyzed by using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ coupled with two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(2D LC-MS/MS. The differentially expressed proteins identified by iTRAQ were further validated with Western blot.A total of 105 unique proteins present in the three groups were identified, and relative expression data were obtained for 92 of them with high confidence by employing the iTRAQ-based experiments. The downregulation of gelsolin in maternal serum of fetus with CTD was further verified by Western blot.The identification of differentially expressed protein gelsolin in the serum of the pregnant women carrying a CTD fetus by using proteomic technology may be able to serve as a foundation to further explore the biomarker for detection of CTD fetus from the maternal serum.

  11. Digital gene expression analysis in mice lung with coinfection of influenza and streptococcus pneumoniae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Jun; Zhou, Linlin; Wang, Hongren; Qin, Zhen; Xiang, Li; Zhu, Jie; Huang, Xiaojun; Yang, Yuan; Li, Wanyi; Wang, Baoning; Li, Mingyuan

    2017-12-22

    Influenza A virus (IAV) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) are two major upper respiratory tract pathogens that can also cause infection in polarized bronchial epithelial cells to exacerbate disease in coinfected individuals which may result in significant morbidity. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is poorly understood. Here, we employed BALB/c ByJ mice inflected with SP, IAV, IAV followed by SP (IAV+SP) and PBS (Control) as models to survey the global gene expression using digital gene expression (DGE) profiling. We attempt to gain insights into the underlying genetic basis of this synergy at the expression level. Gene expression profiles were obtain using the Illimina/Hisseq sequencing technique, and further analyzed by enrichment analysis of Gene Ontology (GO) and Pathway function. The hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining revealed different tissue changes in groups during which IAV+SP group showed the most severe cell apoptosis. Compared with Control, a total of 2731, 3221 and 3946 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in SP, IAV and IAV+SP respectively. Besides, sixty-two GO terms were identified by Gene Ontology functional enrichment analysis, such as cell killing, biological regulation, response to stimulus, signaling, biological adhesion, enzyme regulator activity, receptor regulator activity and translation regulator activity. Pathway significant enrichment analysis indicated the dysregulation of multiple pathways, including apoptosis pathway. Among these, five selected genes were further verified by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). This study shows that infection with SP, IAV or IAV+SP induces apoptosis with different degrees which might provide insights into the molecular mechanisms to facilitate further research.

  12. Quantitative subsurface analysis using frequency modulated thermal wave imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subhani, S. K.; Suresh, B.; Ghali, V. S.

    2018-01-01

    Quantitative depth analysis of the anomaly with an enhanced depth resolution is a challenging task towards the estimation of depth of the subsurface anomaly using thermography. Frequency modulated thermal wave imaging introduced earlier provides a complete depth scanning of the object by stimulating it with a suitable band of frequencies and further analyzing the subsequent thermal response using a suitable post processing approach to resolve subsurface details. But conventional Fourier transform based methods used for post processing unscramble the frequencies with a limited frequency resolution and contribute for a finite depth resolution. Spectral zooming provided by chirp z transform facilitates enhanced frequency resolution which can further improves the depth resolution to axially explore finest subsurface features. Quantitative depth analysis with this augmented depth resolution is proposed to provide a closest estimate to the actual depth of subsurface anomaly. This manuscript experimentally validates this enhanced depth resolution using non stationary thermal wave imaging and offers an ever first and unique solution for quantitative depth estimation in frequency modulated thermal wave imaging.

  13. Analysis of gene expression in prostate cancer epithelial and interstitial stromal cells using laser capture microdissection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gregg, Jennifer L; Brown, Kathleen E; Mintz, Eric M; Piontkivska, Helen; Fraizer, Gail C

    2010-01-01

    The prostate gland represents a multifaceted system in which prostate epithelia and stroma have distinct physiological roles. To understand the interaction between stroma and glandular epithelia, it is essential to delineate the gene expression profiles of these two tissue types in prostate cancer. Most studies have compared tumor and normal samples by performing global expression analysis using a mixture of cell populations. This report presents the first study of prostate tumor tissue that examines patterns of differential expression between specific cell types using laser capture microdissection (LCM). LCM was used to isolate distinct cell-type populations and identify their gene expression differences using oligonucleotide microarrays. Ten differentially expressed genes were then analyzed in paired tumor and non-neoplastic prostate tissues by quantitative real-time PCR. Expression patterns of the transcription factors, WT1 and EGR1, were further compared in established prostate cell lines. WT1 protein expression was also examined in prostate tissue microarrays using immunohistochemistry. The two-step method of laser capture and microarray analysis identified nearly 500 genes whose expression levels were significantly different in prostate epithelial versus stromal tissues. Several genes expressed in epithelial cells (WT1, GATA2, and FGFR-3) were more highly expressed in neoplastic than in non-neoplastic tissues; conversely several genes expressed in stromal cells (CCL5, CXCL13, IGF-1, FGF-2, and IGFBP3) were more highly expressed in non-neoplastic than in neoplastic tissues. Notably, EGR1 was also differentially expressed between epithelial and stromal tissues. Expression of WT1 and EGR1 in cell lines was consistent with these patterns of differential expression. Importantly, WT1 protein expression was demonstrated in tumor tissues and was absent in normal and benign tissues. The prostate represents a complex mix of cell types and there is a need to analyze

  14. Validation of reference genes for RT-qPCR analysis of CYP4T expression in crucian carp

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fei Mo

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Reference genes are commonly used for normalization of target gene expression during RT-qPCR analysis. However, no housekeeping genes or reference genes have been identified to be stable across different tissue types or under different experimental conditions. To identify the most suitable reference genes for RT-qPCR analysis of target gene expression in the hepatopancreas of crucian carp (Carassius auratus under various conditions (sex, age, water temperature, and drug treatments, seven reference genes, including beta actin (ACTB, beta-2 microglobulin (B2M, embryonic elongation factor-1 alpha (EEF1A, glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH, alpha tubulin (TUBA, ribosomal protein l8 (RPL8 and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH, were evaluated in this study. The stability and ranking of gene expression were analyzed using three different statistical programs: GeNorm, Normfinder and Bestkeeper. The expression errors associated with selection of the genes were assessed by the relative quantity of CYP4T. The results indicated that all the seven genes exhibited variability under the experimental conditions of this research, and the combination of ACTB/TUBA/EEF1A or of ACTB/EEF1A was the best candidate that raised the accuracy of quantitative analysis of gene expression. The findings highlighted the importance of validation of housekeeping genes for research on gene expression under different conditions of experiment and species.

  15. Quantitation of apolipoprotein epsilon gene expression by competitive polymerase chain reaction in a patient with familial apolipoprotein E deficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dobmeyer, J M; Rexin, M; Dobmeyer, T S; Klein, S A; Rossol, R; Feussner, G

    1998-06-22

    A simple method of obtaining semiquantitative and reliable data on apolipoprotein (apo) sigma gene expression is described. We detected apo sigma specific sequences by reverse transcription (rT)-PCR. For quantitative measurement, an apo sigma DNA standard was produced allowing the development of a competitive PCR-method. The efficiency of RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis was controlled by quantitation of a housekeeping gene (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphatedehydrogenase, G3PDH) in separate reactions. To imitate a defined induction of apo sigma gene expression, serial twofold dilutions of total RNA were reversely transcribed and the respective cDNAs used to perform a competitive apo sigma and G3PDH PCR. The change in apo sigma cDNA and G3PDH cDNA was 1.7-2.3-fold with an expected value of 2.0-fold. Standard deviations in three independently performed experiments were within a range of < 15% of the mean, indicating low intra-assay variation and high reproducibility. To illustrate this method, apo sigma gene expression was measured in a patient with complete lack of functional active apo E in comparison to healthy controls. The method presented here might be valuable in assessment of apo sigma gene expression in human disease.

  16. Adaptive Evolution of Gene Expression in Drosophila.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nourmohammad, Armita; Rambeau, Joachim; Held, Torsten; Kovacova, Viera; Berg, Johannes; Lässig, Michael

    2017-08-08

    Gene expression levels are important quantitative traits that link genotypes to molecular functions and fitness. In Drosophila, population-genetic studies have revealed substantial adaptive evolution at the genomic level, but the evolutionary modes of gene expression remain controversial. Here, we present evidence that adaptation dominates the evolution of gene expression levels in flies. We show that 64% of the observed expression divergence across seven Drosophila species are adaptive changes driven by directional selection. Our results are derived from time-resolved data of gene expression divergence across a family of related species, using a probabilistic inference method for gene-specific selection. Adaptive gene expression is stronger in specific functional classes, including regulation, sensory perception, sexual behavior, and morphology. Moreover, we identify a large group of genes with sex-specific adaptation of expression, which predominantly occurs in males. Our analysis opens an avenue to map system-wide selection on molecular quantitative traits independently of their genetic basis. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Adaptive Evolution of Gene Expression in Drosophila

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Armita Nourmohammad

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Gene expression levels are important quantitative traits that link genotypes to molecular functions and fitness. In Drosophila, population-genetic studies have revealed substantial adaptive evolution at the genomic level, but the evolutionary modes of gene expression remain controversial. Here, we present evidence that adaptation dominates the evolution of gene expression levels in flies. We show that 64% of the observed expression divergence across seven Drosophila species are adaptive changes driven by directional selection. Our results are derived from time-resolved data of gene expression divergence across a family of related species, using a probabilistic inference method for gene-specific selection. Adaptive gene expression is stronger in specific functional classes, including regulation, sensory perception, sexual behavior, and morphology. Moreover, we identify a large group of genes with sex-specific adaptation of expression, which predominantly occurs in males. Our analysis opens an avenue to map system-wide selection on molecular quantitative traits independently of their genetic basis.

  18. Quantitative analysis by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wainai, T; Mashimo, K [Nihon Univ., Tokyo. Coll. of Science and Engineering

    1976-04-01

    Recent papers on the practical quantitative analysis by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) are reviewed. Specifically, the determination of moisture in liquid N/sub 2/O/sub 4/ as an oxidizing agent for rocket propulsion, the analysis of hydroperoxides, the quantitative analysis using a shift reagent, the analysis of aromatic sulfonates, and the determination of acids and bases are reviewed. Attention is paid to the accuracy. The sweeping velocity and RF level in addition to the other factors must be on the optimal condition to eliminate the errors, particularly when computation is made with a machine. Higher sweeping velocity is preferable in view of S/N ratio, but it may be limited to 30 Hz/s. The relative error in the measurement of area is generally 1%, but when those of dilute concentration and integrated, the error will become smaller by one digit. If impurities are treated carefully, the water content on N/sub 2/O/sub 4/ can be determined with accuracy of about 0.002%. The comparison method between peak heights is as accurate as that between areas, when the uniformity of magnetic field and T/sub 2/ are not questionable. In the case of chemical shift movable due to content, the substance can be determined by the position of the chemical shift. Oil and water contents in rape-seed, peanuts, and sunflower-seed are determined by measuring T/sub 1/ with 90 deg pulses.

  19. Systematic analysis of gene expression pattern in has-miR-197 over-expressed human uterine leiomyoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ling, Jing; Wu, Xiaoli; Fu, Ziyi; Tan, Jie; Xu, Qing

    2015-10-01

    Our previous study showed that the expression of miR-197 in leiomyoma was down-regulated compared with myometrium. Further, miR-197 has been identified to affect uterine leiomyoma cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis ability, though the responsible molecular mechanism has not been well elucidated. In this study, we sought to determine the expression patterns of miR-197 targeted genes and to explore their potential functions, participating Pathways and the networks that are involved in the biological behavior of human uterine leiomyoma. After transfection of human uterine leiomyoma cells with miR-197, we confirmed the expression level of miR-197 using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and we detected the gene expression profiles after miR-197 over-expression through DNA microarray analysis. Further, we performed GO and Pathway analysis. The dominantly dys-regulated genes, which were up- or down-regulated by more than 10-fold, compared with parental cells, were confirmed using qRT-PCR technology. Compared with the control group, miR-197 was up-regulated by 30-fold after miR-197 lentiviral transfection. The microarray data showed that 872 genes were dys-regulated by more than 2-fold in human uterine leiomyoma cells after miR-197 overexpression, including 537 up-regulated and 335 down-regulated genes. The GO analysis indicated that the dys-regulated genes were primarily involved in response to stimuli, multicellular organ processes, and the signaling of biological progression. Further, Pathway analysis data showed that these genes participated in regulating several signaling Pathways, including the JAK/STAT signaling Pathway, the Toll-like receptor signaling Pathway, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. The qRT-PCR results confirmed that 17 of the 66 selected genes, which were up- or down-regulated more than 10-fold by miR-197, were consistent with the microarray results, including tumorigenesis-related genes, such as DRT7, SLC549, SFMBT2, FLJ37956

  20. mapDIA: Preprocessing and statistical analysis of quantitative proteomics data from data independent acquisition mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teo, Guoshou; Kim, Sinae; Tsou, Chih-Chiang; Collins, Ben; Gingras, Anne-Claude; Nesvizhskii, Alexey I; Choi, Hyungwon

    2015-11-03

    Data independent acquisition (DIA) mass spectrometry is an emerging technique that offers more complete detection and quantification of peptides and proteins across multiple samples. DIA allows fragment-level quantification, which can be considered as repeated measurements of the abundance of the corresponding peptides and proteins in the downstream statistical analysis. However, few statistical approaches are available for aggregating these complex fragment-level data into peptide- or protein-level statistical summaries. In this work, we describe a software package, mapDIA, for statistical analysis of differential protein expression using DIA fragment-level intensities. The workflow consists of three major steps: intensity normalization, peptide/fragment selection, and statistical analysis. First, mapDIA offers normalization of fragment-level intensities by total intensity sums as well as a novel alternative normalization by local intensity sums in retention time space. Second, mapDIA removes outlier observations and selects peptides/fragments that preserve the major quantitative patterns across all samples for each protein. Last, using the selected fragments and peptides, mapDIA performs model-based statistical significance analysis of protein-level differential expression between specified groups of samples. Using a comprehensive set of simulation datasets, we show that mapDIA detects differentially expressed proteins with accurate control of the false discovery rates. We also describe the analysis procedure in detail using two recently published DIA datasets generated for 14-3-3β dynamic interaction network and prostate cancer glycoproteome. The software was written in C++ language and the source code is available for free through SourceForge website http://sourceforge.net/projects/mapdia/.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Computational Proteomics. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Sensitivity equation for quantitative analysis with multivariate curve resolution-alternating least-squares: theoretical and experimental approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bauza, María C; Ibañez, Gabriela A; Tauler, Romà; Olivieri, Alejandro C

    2012-10-16

    A new equation is derived for estimating the sensitivity when the multivariate curve resolution-alternating least-squares (MCR-ALS) method is applied to second-order multivariate calibration data. The validity of the expression is substantiated by extensive Monte Carlo noise addition simulations. The multivariate selectivity can be derived from the new sensitivity expression. Other important figures of merit, such as limit of detection, limit of quantitation, and concentration uncertainty of MCR-ALS quantitative estimations can be easily estimated from the proposed sensitivity expression and the instrumental noise. An experimental example involving the determination of an analyte in the presence of uncalibrated interfering agents is described in detail, involving second-order time-decaying sensitized lanthanide luminescence excitation spectra. The estimated figures of merit are reasonably correlated with the analytical features of the analyzed experimental system.

  2. Quantitative evaluation of experimental choroidal neovascularization by confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy: fluorescein angiogram parallels heparan sulfate proteoglycan expression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C.V. Regatieri

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the present study was to develop a quantitative method to evaluate laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV in a rat model using Heidelberg Retina Angiograph 2 (HRA2 imaging. The expression of two heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG related to inflammation and angiogenesis was also investigated. CNV lesions were induced with argon laser in 21 heterozygous Zucker rats and after three weeks a fluorescein angiogram and autofluorescence exams were performed using HRA2. The area and greatest linear dimension were measured by two observers not aware of the protocol. Bland-Altman plots showed agreement between the observers, suggesting that the technique was reproducible. After fluorescein angiogram, HSPG (perlecan and syndecan-4 were analyzed by real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. There was a significant increase in the expression of perlecan and syndecan-4 (P < 0.0001 in retinas bearing CNV lesions compared to control retinas. The expression of these two HSPG increased with increasing CNV area. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that the rat retina damaged with laser shots presented increased expression of perlecan and syndecan-4. Moreover, we observed that the overexpression occurred in the outer layer of the retina, which is related to choroidal damage. It was possible to develop a standardized quantitative method to evaluate CNV in a rat model using HRA2. In addition, we presented data indicating that the expression of HSPG parallels the area of CNV lesion. The understanding of these events offers opportunities for studies of new therapeutic interventions targeting these HSPG.

  3. Microarray analysis of gene expression profiles in ripening pineapple fruits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koia, Jonni H; Moyle, Richard L; Botella, Jose R

    2012-12-18

    Pineapple (Ananas comosus) is a tropical fruit crop of significant commercial importance. Although the physiological changes that occur during pineapple fruit development have been well characterized, little is known about the molecular events that occur during the fruit ripening process. Understanding the molecular basis of pineapple fruit ripening will aid the development of new varieties via molecular breeding or genetic modification. In this study we developed a 9277 element pineapple microarray and used it to profile gene expression changes that occur during pineapple fruit ripening. Microarray analyses identified 271 unique cDNAs differentially expressed at least 1.5-fold between the mature green and mature yellow stages of pineapple fruit ripening. Among these 271 sequences, 184 share significant homology with genes encoding proteins of known function, 53 share homology with genes encoding proteins of unknown function and 34 share no significant homology with any database accession. Of the 237 pineapple sequences with homologs, 160 were up-regulated and 77 were down-regulated during pineapple fruit ripening. DAVID Functional Annotation Cluster (FAC) analysis of all 237 sequences with homologs revealed confident enrichment scores for redox activity, organic acid metabolism, metalloenzyme activity, glycolysis, vitamin C biosynthesis, antioxidant activity and cysteine peptidase activity, indicating the functional significance and importance of these processes and pathways during pineapple fruit development. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis validated the microarray expression results for nine out of ten genes tested. This is the first report of a microarray based gene expression study undertaken in pineapple. Our bioinformatic analyses of the transcript profiles have identified a number of genes, processes and pathways with putative involvement in the pineapple fruit ripening process. This study extends our knowledge of the molecular basis of pineapple fruit

  4. Semi-Nested Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction Methods for the Successful Quantitation of Cytokeratin mRNA Expression Levels for the Subtyping of Non-Small-Cell Lung Carcinoma Using Paraffin-Embedded and Microdissected Lung Biopsy Specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakanishi, Yoko; Shimizu, Tetsuo; Tsujino, Ichiro; Obana, Yukari; Seki, Toshimi; Fuchinoue, Fumi; Ohni, Sumie; Oinuma, Toshinori; Kusumi, Yoshiaki; Yamada, Tsutomu; Takahashi, Noriaki; Hashimoto, Shu; Nemoto, Norimichi

    2013-01-01

    In patients with inoperable advanced non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs), histological subtyping using small-mount biopsy specimens was often required to decide the indications for drug treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the utility of highly sensitive mRNA quantitation for the subtyping of advanced NSCLC using small formalin fixing and paraffin embedding (FFPE) biopsy samples. Cytokeratin (CK) 6, CK7, CK14, CK18, and thyroid transcription factor (TTF)-1 mRNA expression levels were measured using semi-nested real-time quantitative (snq) reverse-transcribed polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in microdissected tumor cells collected from 52 lung biopsies. Our results using the present snqRT-PCR method showed an improvement in mRNA quantitation from small FFPE samples, and the mRNA expression level using snqRT-PCR was correlated with the immunohistochemical protein expression level. CK7, CK18, and TTF-1 mRNA were expressed at significantly higher levels (P<0.05) in adenocarcinoma (AD) than in squamous cell carcinoma (SQ), while CK6 and CK14 mRNA expression was significantly higher (P<0.05) in SQ than in AD. Each histology-specific CK, particularly CK18 in AD and CK6 in SQ, were shown to be correlated with a poor prognosis (P=0.02, 0.02, respectively). Our results demonstrated that a quantitative CK subtype mRNA analysis from lung biopsy samples can be useful for predicting the histology subtype and prognosis of advanced NSCLC

  5. Stable Isotope Quantitative N-Glycan Analysis by Liquid Separation Techniques and Mass Spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mittermayr, Stefan; Albrecht, Simone; Váradi, Csaba; Millán-Martín, Silvia; Bones, Jonathan

    2017-01-01

    Liquid phase separation analysis and subsequent quantitation remains a challenging task for protein-derived oligosaccharides due to their inherent structural complexity and diversity. Incomplete resolution or co-detection of multiple glycan species complicates peak area-based quantitation and associated statistical analysis when optical detection methods are used. The approach outlined herein describes the utilization of stable isotope variants of commonly used fluorescent tags that allow for mass-based glycan identification and relative quantitation following separation by liquid chromatography (LC) or capillary electrophoresis (CE). Comparability assessment of glycoprotein-derived oligosaccharides is performed by derivatization with commercially available isotope variants of 2-aminobenzoic acid or aniline and analysis by LC- and CE-mass spectrometry. Quantitative information is attained from the extracted ion chromatogram/electropherogram ratios generated from the light and heavy isotope clusters.

  6. Expression analysis of a heat-inducible, Myo-inositol-1-phosphate synthase (MIPS) gene from wheat and the alternatively spliced variants of rice and Arabidopsis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khurana, Neetika; Chauhan, Harsh; Khurana, Paramjit

    2012-01-01

    Molecular dissection and a deeper analysis of the heat stress response mechanism in wheat have been poorly understood so far. This study delves into the molecular basis of action of TaMIPS, a heat stress-inducible enzyme that was identified through PCR-select subtraction technology, which is named here as TaMIPS2. MIPS (L-Myo-inositol-phosphate synthase) is important for the normal growth and development in plants. Expression profiling showed that TaMIPS2 is expressed during different developing seed stages upon heat stress. Also, the transcript levels increase in unfertilized ovaries and significant amounts are present during the recovery period providing evidence that MIPS is crucial for its role in heat stress recovery and flower development. Alternatively spliced forms from rice and Arabidopsis were also identified and their expression analysis revealed that apart from heat stress, some of the spliced variants were also inducible by drought, NaCl, Cold, ABA, BR, SA and mannitol. In silico promoter analysis revealed various cis-elements that could contribute for the differential regulation of MIPS in different plant systems. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that MIPS are highly conserved among monocots and dicots and TaMIPS2 grouped specifically with monocots. Comparative analyses was undertaken by different experimental approaches, i.e., semi-quantitative RT-PCR, quantitative RT-PCR, Genevestigator as a reference expression tool and motif analysis to predict the possible function of TaMIPS2 in regulating the different aspects of plant development under abiotic stress in wheat.

  7. Quantitative analysis of myocardial tissue with digital autofluorescence microscopy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Thomas; Holten-Rossing, Henrik; Svendsen, Ida M H

    2016-01-01

    to that of hematoxylin and eosin staining in conventional pathology. This study presents an automated fluorescence-based microscopy approach providing highly detailed morphological data from unstained microsections. This data may provide a basic histological starting point from which further digital analysis including...... staining may benefit. METHODS: This study explores the inherent tissue fluorescence, also known as autofluorescence, as a mean to quantitate cardiac tissue components in histological microsections. Data acquisition using a commercially available whole slide scanner and an image-based quantitation algorithm......BACKGROUND: The opportunity offered by whole slide scanners of automated histological analysis implies an ever increasing importance of digital pathology. To go beyond the importance of conventional pathology, however, digital pathology may need a basic histological starting point similar...

  8. Gene expression profile and immunological evaluation of unique hypothetical unknown proteins of Mycobacterium leprae by using quantitative real-time PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hee Jin; Prithiviraj, Kalyani; Groathouse, Nathan; Brennan, Patrick J; Spencer, John S

    2013-02-01

    The cell-mediated immunity (CMI)-based in vitro gamma interferon release assay (IGRA) of Mycobacterium leprae-specific antigens has potential as a promising diagnostic means to detect those individuals in the early stages of M. leprae infection. Diagnosis of leprosy is a major obstacle toward ultimate disease control and has been compromised in the past by the lack of specific markers. Comparative bioinformatic analysis among mycobacterial genomes identified potential M. leprae-specific proteins called "hypothetical unknowns." Due to massive gene decay and the prevalence of pseudogenes, it is unclear whether any of these proteins are expressed or are immunologically relevant. In this study, we performed cDNA-based quantitative real-time PCR to investigate the expression status of 131 putative open reading frames (ORFs) encoding hypothetical unknowns. Twenty-six of the M. leprae-specific antigen candidates showed significant levels of gene expression compared to that of ESAT-6 (ML0049), which is an important T cell antigen of low abundance in M. leprae. Fifteen of 26 selected antigen candidates were expressed and purified in Escherichia coli. The seroreactivity to these proteins of pooled sera from lepromatous leprosy patients and cavitary tuberculosis patients revealed that 9 of 15 recombinant hypothetical unknowns elicited M. leprae-specific immune responses. These nine proteins may be good diagnostic reagents to improve both the sensitivity and specificity of detection of individuals with asymptomatic leprosy.

  9. CHESS (CgHExpreSS): a comprehensive analysis tool for the analysis of genomic alterations and their effects on the expression profile of the genome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Mikyung; Kim, Yangseok

    2009-12-16

    Genomic alterations frequently occur in many cancer patients and play important mechanistic roles in the pathogenesis of cancer. Furthermore, they can modify the expression level of genes due to altered copy number in the corresponding region of the chromosome. An accumulating body of evidence supports the possibility that strong genome-wide correlation exists between DNA content and gene expression. Therefore, more comprehensive analysis is needed to quantify the relationship between genomic alteration and gene expression. A well-designed bioinformatics tool is essential to perform this kind of integrative analysis. A few programs have already been introduced for integrative analysis. However, there are many limitations in their performance of comprehensive integrated analysis using published software because of limitations in implemented algorithms and visualization modules. To address this issue, we have implemented the Java-based program CHESS to allow integrative analysis of two experimental data sets: genomic alteration and genome-wide expression profile. CHESS is composed of a genomic alteration analysis module and an integrative analysis module. The genomic alteration analysis module detects genomic alteration by applying a threshold based method or SW-ARRAY algorithm and investigates whether the detected alteration is phenotype specific or not. On the other hand, the integrative analysis module measures the genomic alteration's influence on gene expression. It is divided into two separate parts. The first part calculates overall correlation between comparative genomic hybridization ratio and gene expression level by applying following three statistical methods: simple linear regression, Spearman rank correlation and Pearson's correlation. In the second part, CHESS detects the genes that are differentially expressed according to the genomic alteration pattern with three alternative statistical approaches: Student's t-test, Fisher's exact test and Chi square

  10. Quantitative analysis of target components by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mispelaar, V.G. van; Tas, A.C.; Smilde, A.K.; Schoenmakers, P.J.; Asten, A.C. van

    2003-01-01

    Quantitative analysis using comprehensive two-dimensional (2D) gas chromatography (GC) is still rarely reported. This is largely due to a lack of suitable software. The objective of the present study is to generate quantitative results from a large GC x GC data set, consisting of 32 chromatograms.

  11. Gene silencing in primary and metastatic tumors by small interfering RNA delivery in mice: quantitative analysis using melanoma cells expressing firefly and sea pansy luciferases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, Yuki; Nishikawa, Makiya; Kobayashi, Naoki; Takakura, Yoshinobu

    2005-07-20

    Silencing of oncogenes or other genes contributing to tumor malignancy or progression by RNA interference (RNAi) offers a promising approach to treating tumor patients. To achieve RNAi-based tumor therapy, a small interfering RNA (siRNA) or siRNA-expressing vector needs to be delivered to tumor cells, but little information about its in vivo delivery has been reported. In this study, we examined whether the expression of the target gene in tumor cells can be suppressed by the delivery of RNAi effectors to primary and metastatic tumor cells. To quantitatively evaluate the RNAi effects in tumor cells, mouse melanoma B16-BL6 cells were stably transfected with both firefly (a model target gene) and sea pansy (an internal standard gene) luciferase genes to obtain B16-BL6/dual Luc cells. The target gene expression in subcutaneous primary tumors of B16-BL6/dual Luc cells was significantly suppressed by direct injection of the RNAi effectors followed by electroporation. The expression in metastatic hepatic tumors was also significantly reduced by an intravenous injection of either RNAi effector by the hydrodynamics-based procedure. These results indicate that the both RNAi effectors have a potential to silence target gene in tumor cells in vivo when successfully delivered to tumor cells.

  12. Role of image analysis in quantitative characterisation of nuclear fuel materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dubey, J.N.; Rao, T.S.; Pandey, V.D.; Majumdar, S.

    2005-01-01

    Image analysis is one of the important techniques, widely used for materials characterization. It provides the quantitative estimation of the microstructural features present in the material. This information is very much valuable for finding out the criteria for taking up the fuel for high burn up. Radiometallurgy Division has been carrying out development and fabrication of plutonium related fuels for different type of reactors viz. Purnima, Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR), Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), Boiling Water Reactor (BWR), Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR), Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) and KAMINI Reactor. Image analysis has been carried out on microstructures of PHWR, AHWR, FBTR and KAMINI fuels. Samples were prepared as per standard ASTM metallographic procedure. Digital images of the microstructure of these specimens were obtained using CCD camera, attached to the optical microscope. These images are stores on computer and used for detection and analysis of features of interest with image analysis software. Quantitative image analysis technique has been standardised and used for finding put type of the porosity, its size, shape and distribution in the above sintered oxide and carbide fuels. This technique has also been used for quantitative estimation of different phases present in KAMINI fuel. Image analysis results have been summarised and presented in this paper. (author)

  13. Micro photometer's automation for quantitative spectrograph analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gutierrez E, C.Y.A.

    1996-01-01

    A Microphotometer is used to increase the sharpness of dark spectral lines. Analyzing these lines one sample content and its concentration could be determined and the analysis is known as Quantitative Spectrographic Analysis. The Quantitative Spectrographic Analysis is carried out in 3 steps, as follows. 1. Emulsion calibration. This consists of gauging a photographic emulsion, to determine the intensity variations in terms of the incident radiation. For the procedure of emulsion calibration an adjustment with square minimum to the data obtained is applied to obtain a graph. It is possible to determine the density of dark spectral line against the incident light intensity shown by the microphotometer. 2. Working curves. The values of known concentration of an element against incident light intensity are plotted. Since the sample contains several elements, it is necessary to find a work curve for each one of them. 3. Analytical results. The calibration curve and working curves are compared and the concentration of the studied element is determined. The automatic data acquisition, calculation and obtaining of resulting, is done by means of a computer (PC) and a computer program. The conditioning signal circuits have the function of delivering TTL levels (Transistor Transistor Logic) to make the communication between the microphotometer and the computer possible. Data calculation is done using a computer programm

  14. [Rapid analysis of suppositories by quantitative 1H NMR spectroscopy].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abramovich, R A; Kovaleva, S A; Goriainov, S V; Vorob'ev, A N; Kalabin, G A

    2012-01-01

    Rapid analysis of suppositories with ibuprofen and arbidol by quantitative 1H NMR spectroscopy was performed. Optimal conditions for the analysis were developed. The results are useful for design of rapid methods for quality control of suppositories with different components

  15. Quantitative EDXS analysis of organic materials using the ζ-factor method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fladischer, Stefanie; Grogger, Werner

    2014-01-01

    In this study we successfully applied the ζ-factor method to perform quantitative X-ray analysis of organic thin films consisting of light elements. With its ability to intrinsically correct for X-ray absorption, this method significantly improved the quality of the quantification as well as the accuracy of the results compared to conventional techniques in particular regarding the quantification of light elements. We describe in detail the process of determining sensitivity factors (ζ-factors) using a single standard specimen and the involved parameter optimization for the estimation of ζ-factors for elements not contained in the standard. The ζ-factor method was then applied to perform quantitative analysis of organic semiconducting materials frequently used in organic electronics. Finally, the results were verified and discussed concerning validity and accuracy. - Highlights: • The ζ-factor method is used for quantitative EDXS analysis of light elements. • We describe the process of determining ζ-factors from a single standard in detail. • Organic semiconducting materials are successfully quantified

  16. Assessing a new gene expression analysis technique for radiation biodosimetry applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Manning, Grainne; Kabacik, Sylwia; Finnon, Paul; Paillier, Francois; Bouffler, Simon [Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics, Biological Effects Department, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Health Protection Agency, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 ORQ (United Kingdom); Badie, Christophe, E-mail: christophe.badie@hpa.org.uk [Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics, Biological Effects Department, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Health Protection Agency, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 ORQ (United Kingdom)

    2011-09-15

    The response to any radiation accident or incident involving actual or potential ionising radiation exposure requires accurate and rapid assessment of the doses received by individuals. The techniques available today for biodosimetry purposes are not fully adapted to rapid high-throughput measurements of exposures in large numbers of individuals. A recently emerging technique is based on gene expression analysis, as there are a number of genes which are radiation responsive in a dose-dependent manner. The present work aimed to assess a new technique which allows the detection of the level of expression of up to 800 genes without need of enzymatic reactions. In order to do so, human peripheral blood was exposed ex vivo to a range of x-ray doses from 5 mGy to 4 Gy of x-rays and the transcriptional expression of five radiation-responsive genes PHPT1, PUMA, CCNG1, DDB2 and MDM2 was studied by both the nCounter Digital Analyzer and Multiplex Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (MQRT-PCR) as the benchmark technology. Results from both techniques showed good correlation for all genes with R{sup 2} values ranging between 0.8160 and 0.9754. The reproducibility of the nCounter Digital Analyzer was also assessed in independent biological replicates and proved to be good. Although the slopes of the correlation of results obtained by the techniques suggest that MQRT-PCR is more sensitive than the nCounter Digital Analyzer, the nCounter Digital Analyzer provides sensitive and reliable data on modifications in gene expression in human blood exposed to radiation without enzymatic amplification of RNA prior to analysis.

  17. Identification and validation of quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR reference genes for gene expression analysis in teak (Tectona grandis L.f.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galeano, Esteban; Vasconcelos, Tarcísio Sales; Ramiro, Daniel Alves; De Martin, Valentina de Fátima; Carrer, Helaine

    2014-07-22

    Teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) is currently the preferred choice of the timber trade for fabrication of woody products due to its extraordinary qualities and is widely grown around the world. Gene expression studies are essential to explore wood formation of vascular plants, and quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) is a sensitive technique employed for quantifying gene expression levels. One or more appropriate reference genes are crucial to accurately compare mRNA transcripts through different tissues/organs and experimental conditions. Despite being the focus of some genetic studies, a lack of molecular information has hindered genetic exploration of teak. To date, qRT-PCR reference genes have not been identified and validated for teak. Identification and cloning of nine commonly used qRT-PCR reference genes from teak, including ribosomal protein 60s (rp60s), clathrin adaptor complexes medium subunit family (Cac), actin (Act), histone 3 (His3), sand family (Sand), β-Tubulin (Β-Tub), ubiquitin (Ubq), elongation factor 1-α (Ef-1α), and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). Expression profiles of these genes were evaluated by qRT-PCR in six tissue and organ samples (leaf, flower, seedling, root, stem and branch secondary xylem) of teak. Appropriate gene cloning and sequencing, primer specificity and amplification efficiency was verified for each gene. Their stability as reference genes was validated by NormFinder, BestKeeper, geNorm and Delta Ct programs. Results obtained from all programs showed that TgUbq and TgEf-1α are the most stable genes to use as qRT-PCR reference genes and TgAct is the most unstable gene in teak. The relative expression of the teak cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (TgCAD) gene in lignified tissues at different ages was assessed by qRT-PCR, using TgUbq and TgEf-1α as internal controls. These analyses exposed a consistent expression pattern with both reference genes. This study proposes a first broad

  18. Quantitative analysis by computer controlled X-ray fluorescence spectrometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balasubramanian, T.V.; Angelo, P.C.

    1981-01-01

    X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy has become a widely accepted method in the metallurgical field for analysis of both minor and major elements. As encountered in many other analytical techniques, the problem of matrix effect generally known as the interelemental effects is to be dealt with effectively in order to make the analysis accurate. There are several methods by which the effects of matrix on the analyte are minimised or corrected for and the mathematical correction is one among them. In this method the characteristic secondary X-ray intensities are measured from standard samples and correction coefficients. If any, for interelemental effects are evaluated by mathematical calculations. This paper describes attempts to evaluate the correction coefficients for interelemental effects by multiple linear regression programmes using a computer for the quantitative analysis of stainless steel and a nickel base cast alloy. The quantitative results obtained using this method for a standard stainless steel sample are compared with the given certified values. (author)

  19. PIQMIe: A web server for semi-quantitative proteomics data management and analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    A. Kuzniar (Arnold); R. Kanaar (Roland)

    2014-01-01

    textabstractWe present the Proteomics Identifications and Quantitations Data Management and Integration Service or PIQMIe that aids in reliable and scalable data management, analysis and visualization of semi-quantitative mass spectrometry based proteomics experiments. PIQMIe readily integrates

  20. Issues in Quantitative Analysis of Ultraviolet Imager (UV) Data: Airglow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Germany, G. A.; Richards, P. G.; Spann, J. F.; Brittnacher, M. J.; Parks, G. K.

    1999-01-01

    The GGS Ultraviolet Imager (UVI) has proven to be especially valuable in correlative substorm, auroral morphology, and extended statistical studies of the auroral regions. Such studies are based on knowledge of the location, spatial, and temporal behavior of auroral emissions. More quantitative studies, based on absolute radiometric intensities from UVI images, require a more intimate knowledge of the instrument behavior and data processing requirements and are inherently more difficult than studies based on relative knowledge of the oval location. In this study, UVI airglow observations are analyzed and compared with model predictions to illustrate issues that arise in quantitative analysis of UVI images. These issues include instrument calibration, long term changes in sensitivity, and imager flat field response as well as proper background correction. Airglow emissions are chosen for this study because of their relatively straightforward modeling requirements and because of their implications for thermospheric compositional studies. The analysis issues discussed here, however, are identical to those faced in quantitative auroral studies.

  1. Serial analysis of gene expression identifies connective tissue growth factor expression as a prognostic biomarker in gallbladder cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alvarez, Hector; Corvalan, Alejandro; Roa, Juan C; Argani, Pedram; Murillo, Francisco; Edwards, Jennifer; Beaty, Robert; Feldmann, Georg; Hong, Seung-Mo; Mullendore, Michael; Roa, Ivan; Ibañez, Luis; Pimentel, Fernando; Diaz, Alfonso; Riggins, Gregory J; Maitra, Anirban

    2008-05-01

    Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is an uncommon neoplasm in the United States, but one with high mortality rates. This malignancy remains largely understudied at the molecular level such that few targeted therapies or predictive biomarkers exist. We built the first series of serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) libraries from GBC and nonneoplastic gallbladder mucosa, composed of 21-bp long-SAGE tags. SAGE libraries were generated from three stage-matched GBC patients (representing Hispanic/Latino, Native American, and Caucasian ethnicities, respectively) and one histologically alithiasic gallbladder. Real-time quantitative PCR was done on microdissected epithelium from five matched GBC and corresponding nonneoplastic gallbladder mucosa. Immunohistochemical analysis was done on a panel of 182 archival GBC in high-throughput tissue microarray format. SAGE tags corresponding to connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) transcripts were identified as differentially overexpressed in all pairwise comparisons of GBC (P Cancer Genome Anatomy Project web site and should facilitate much needed research into this lethal neoplasm.

  2. Critical appraisal of semi-quantitative analysis of 2-deoxyglucose autoradiograms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kelly, P T; McCulloch, J [Glasgow Univ. (UK)

    1983-06-13

    Semi-quantitative analysis (e.g. optical density ratios) of (/sup 14/C)2-deoxyglucose autoradiograms is widely used in neuroscience research. The authors demonstrate that a fixed ratio of /sup 14/C-concentrations in the CNS does not yield a constant optical density ratio but is dependent upon the exposure time in the preparation of the autoradiograms and the absolute amounts of /sup 14/C from which the concentration ratio is derived. The failure of a fixed glucose utilization ratio to result in a constant optical density ratio represents a major interpretative difficulty in investigations where only semi-quantitative analysis of (/sup 14/C)2-deoxyglucose autoradiograms is undertaken.

  3. Quantitative Analysis of Complex Tropical Forest Stands: A Review ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    FIRST LADY

    The importance of data analysis in quantitative assessment of natural resources .... Data collection design is an important process in complex forest statistical ... Ideally, the sample size should be equal among groups and sufficiently large.

  4. Transportation and quantitative analysis of socio-economic development of relations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yun

    2017-12-01

    Transportation has a close relationship with socio-economic. This article selects the indicators which can measure the development of transportation and socio-economic, using the method of correlation analysis, regression analysis, intensity of transportation analysis and transport elastic analysis, to analyze the relationship between them quantitatively, so that it has the fact guiding sense in the national development planning for the future.

  5. Age-Specific Gene Expression Profiles of Rhesus Monkey Ovaries Detected by Microarray Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hengxi Wei

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The biological function of human ovaries declines with age. To identify the potential molecular changes in ovarian aging, we performed genome-wide gene expression analysis by microarray of ovaries from young, middle-aged, and old rhesus monkeys. Microarray data was validated by quantitative real-time PCR. Results showed that a total of 503 (60 upregulated, 443 downregulated and 84 (downregulated genes were differentially expressed in old ovaries compared to young and middle-aged groups, respectively. No difference in gene expression was found between middle-aged and young groups. Differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in cell and organelle, cellular and physiological process, binding, and catalytic activity. These genes were primarily associated with KEGG pathways of cell cycle, DNA replication and repair, oocyte meiosis and maturation, MAPK, TGF-beta, and p53 signaling pathway. Genes upregulated were involved in aging, defense response, oxidation reduction, and negative regulation of cellular process; genes downregulated have functions in reproduction, cell cycle, DNA and RNA process, macromolecular complex assembly, and positive regulation of macromolecule metabolic process. These findings show that monkey ovary undergoes substantial change in global transcription with age. Gene expression profiles are useful in understanding the mechanisms underlying ovarian aging and age-associated infertility in primates.

  6. Quantitative high-resolution genomic analysis of single cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hannemann, Juliane; Meyer-Staeckling, Sönke; Kemming, Dirk; Alpers, Iris; Joosse, Simon A; Pospisil, Heike; Kurtz, Stefan; Görndt, Jennifer; Püschel, Klaus; Riethdorf, Sabine; Pantel, Klaus; Brandt, Burkhard

    2011-01-01

    During cancer progression, specific genomic aberrations arise that can determine the scope of the disease and can be used as predictive or prognostic markers. The detection of specific gene amplifications or deletions in single blood-borne or disseminated tumour cells that may give rise to the development of metastases is of great clinical interest but technically challenging. In this study, we present a method for quantitative high-resolution genomic analysis of single cells. Cells were isolated under permanent microscopic control followed by high-fidelity whole genome amplification and subsequent analyses by fine tiling array-CGH and qPCR. The assay was applied to single breast cancer cells to analyze the chromosomal region centred by the therapeutical relevant EGFR gene. This method allows precise quantitative analysis of copy number variations in single cell diagnostics.

  7. Genome-wide expression analysis of salt-stressed diploid and autotetraploid Paulownia tomentosa.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhenli Zhao

    Full Text Available Paulownia tomentosa is a fast-growing tree species with multiple uses. It is grown worldwide, but is native to China, where it is widely cultivated in saline regions. We previously confirmed that autotetraploid P. tomentosa plants are more stress-tolerant than the diploid plants. However, the molecular mechanism underlying P. tomentosa salinity tolerance has not been fully characterized. Using the complete Paulownia fortunei genome as a reference, we applied next-generation RNA-sequencing technology to analyze the effects of salt stress on diploid and autotetraploid P. tomentosa plants. We generated 175 million clean reads and identified 15,873 differentially expressed genes (DEGs from four P. tomentosa libraries (two diploid and two autotetraploid. Functional annotations of the differentially expressed genes using the Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes databases revealed that plant hormone signal transduction and photosynthetic activities are vital for plant responses to high-salt conditions. We also identified several transcription factors, including members of the AP2/EREBP, bHLH, MYB, and NAC families. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis validated the expression patterns of eight differentially expressed genes. Our findings and the generated transcriptome data may help to accelerate the genetic improvement of cultivated P. tomentosa and other plant species for enhanced growth in saline soils.

  8. Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Sulfolobus solfataricus Membrane Proteins

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pham, T.K.; Sierocinski, P.; Oost, van der J.; Wright, P.C.

    2010-01-01

    A quantitative proteomic analysis of the membrane of the archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus P2 using iTRAQ was successfully demonstrated in this technical note. The estimated number of membrane proteins of this organism is 883 (predicted based on Gravy score), corresponding to 30 % of the total

  9. Quantitative RNA-Seq analysis in non-model species: assessing transcriptome assemblies as a scaffold and the utility of evolutionary divergent genomic reference species

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hornett Emily A

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background How well does RNA-Seq data perform for quantitative whole gene expression analysis in the absence of a genome? This is one unanswered question facing the rapidly growing number of researchers studying non-model species. Using Homo sapiens data and resources, we compared the direct mapping of sequencing reads to predicted genes from the genome with mapping to de novo transcriptomes assembled from RNA-Seq data. Gene coverage and expression analysis was further investigated in the non-model context by using increasingly divergent genomic reference species to group assembled contigs by unique genes. Results Eight transcriptome sets, composed of varying amounts of Illumina and 454 data, were assembled and assessed. Hybrid 454/Illumina assemblies had the highest transcriptome and individual gene coverage. Quantitative whole gene expression levels were highly similar between using a de novo hybrid assembly and the predicted genes as a scaffold, although mapping to the de novo transcriptome assembly provided data on fewer genes. Using non-target species as reference scaffolds does result in some loss of sequence and expression data, and bias and error increase with evolutionary distance. However, within a 100 million year window these effect sizes are relatively small. Conclusions Predicted gene sets from sequenced genomes of related species can provide a powerful method for grouping RNA-Seq reads and annotating contigs. Gene expression results can be produced that are similar to results obtained using gene models derived from a high quality genome, though biased towards conserved genes. Our results demonstrate the power and limitations of conducting RNA-Seq in non-model species.

  10. Evaluating stance-annotated sentences from the Brexit Blog Corpus: A quantitative linguistic analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simaki Vasiliki

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper offers a formally driven quantitative analysis of stance-annotated sentences in the Brexit Blog Corpus (BBC. Our goal is to identify features that determine the formal profiles of six stance categories (contrariety, hypotheticality, necessity, prediction, source of knowledge and uncertainty in a subset of the BBC. The study has two parts: firstly, it examines a large number of formal linguistic features, such as punctuation, words and grammatical categories that occur in the sentences in order to describe the specific characteristics of each category, and secondly, it compares characteristics in the entire data set in order to determine stance similarities in the data set. We show that among the six stance categories in the corpus, contrariety and necessity are the most discriminative ones, with the former using longer sentences, more conjunctions, more repetitions and shorter forms than the sentences expressing other stances. necessity has longer lexical forms but shorter sentences, which are syntactically more complex. We show that stance in our data set is expressed in sentences with around 21 words per sentence. The sentences consist mainly of alphabetical characters forming a varied vocabulary without special forms, such as digits or special characters.

  11. ImaEdge - a platform for quantitative analysis of the spatiotemporal dynamics of cortical proteins during cell polarization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhen; Lim, Yen Wei; Zhao, Peng; Kanchanawong, Pakorn; Motegi, Fumio

    2017-12-15

    Cell polarity involves the compartmentalization of the cell cortex. The establishment of cortical compartments arises from the spatial bias in the activity and concentration of cortical proteins. The mechanistic dissection of cell polarity requires the accurate detection of dynamic changes in cortical proteins, but the fluctuations of cell shape and the inhomogeneous distributions of cortical proteins greatly complicate the quantitative extraction of their global and local changes during cell polarization. To address these problems, we introduce an open-source software package, ImaEdge, which automates the segmentation of the cortex from time-lapse movies, and enables quantitative extraction of cortical protein intensities. We demonstrate that ImaEdge enables efficient and rigorous analysis of the dynamic evolution of cortical PAR proteins during Caenorhabditis elegans embryogenesis. It is also capable of accurate tracking of varying levels of transgene expression and discontinuous signals of the actomyosin cytoskeleton during multiple rounds of cell division. ImaEdge provides a unique resource for quantitative studies of cortical polarization, with the potential for application to many types of polarized cells.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first authors of the paper. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  12. Molecular Cloning, Bioinformatic Analysis, and Expression of Bombyx mori Lebocin 5 Gene Related to Beauveria bassiana Infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lü, Dingding; Hou, Chengxiang; Qin, Guangxing; Gao, Kun; Chen, Tian; Guo, Xijie

    2017-01-01

    A full-length cDNA of lebocin 5 (BmLeb5) was first cloned from silkworm, Bombyx mori , by rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The BmLeb5 gene is 808 bp in length and the open reading frame encodes a 179-amino acid hydroxyproline-rich peptide. Bioinformatic analysis results showed that BmLeb5 owns an O-glycosylation site and four RXXR motifs as other lebocins. Sequence similarity and phylogenic analysis results indicated that lebocins form a multiple gene family in silkworm as cecropins. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that BmLeb5 was highest expressed in the fat body. In the silkworm larvae infected by Beauveria bassiana , the expression level of BmLeb5 was upregulated in the fat body and hemolymph which are the most important immune tissues in silkworm. The recombinant protein of BmLeb5 was for the first time successfully expressed with prokaryotic expression system and purified. There are no reports so far that the expression of lebocins could be induced by entomopathogenic fungus. Our study suggested that BmLeb5 might play an important role in the immune response of silkworm to defend B. bassiana infection. The results also provided helpful information for further studying the lebocin family functioned in antifungal immune response in the silkworm.

  13. Quantitative X-ray analysis of biological fluids: the microdroplet technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roinel, N.

    1988-01-01

    X-ray microanalysis can be used to quantitatively determine the elemental composition of microvolumes of biological fluids. This article describes the various steps in preparation of microdroplets for analysis: The manufacturing of micropipettes, the preparation of the specimen support, the deposition of droplets on the support, shock-freezing, and lyophilization. Examples of common artifacts (incomplete rehydration prior to freezing or partial rehydration after lyophilization) are demonstrated. Analysis can be carried out either by wavelength-dispersive analysis, which is the most sensitive method, or by energy-dispersive analysis, which is more commonly available. The minimum detectable concentration is 0.05 mmol.liter-1 for 0.1-nl samples analyzed by wavelength-dispersive spectrometry and 0.5-1 mmol.liter-1 for samples analyzed by energy-dispersive spectrometry. A major problem, especially in wavelength-dispersive analysis, where high beam currents are used, is radiation damage to the specimen; in particular chloride (but also other elements) can be lost. Quantitative analysis requires the use of standard solutions with elemental concentration in the same range as those present in the specimen

  14. Comparative gene expression analysis of the human periodontal ligament in deciduous and permanent teeth.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Je Seon Song

    Full Text Available There are histological and functional differences between human deciduous and permanent periodontal ligament (PDL tissues. The aim of this study was to determine the differences between these two types of tissue at the molecular level by comparing their gene expression patterns. PDL samples were obtained from permanent premolars (n = 38 and anterior deciduous teeth (n = 31 extracted from 40 healthy persons. Comparative cDNA microarray analysis revealed several differences in gene expression between the deciduous and permanent PDL tissues. These findings were verified by qRT-PCR (quantitative reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis, and the areas where genes are expressed were revealed by immunohistochemical staining. The expressions of 21 genes were up-regulated in deciduous relative to PDL tissues, and those of 30 genes were up-regulated in permanent relative to deciduous PDL tissues. The genes that were up-regulated in deciduous PDL tissues were those involved in the formation of the extracellular matrix (LAMC2, LAMB3, and COMP, tissue development (IGF2BP, MAB21L2, and PAX3, and inflammatory or immune reactions leading to tissue degradation (IL1A, CCL21, and CCL18. The up-regulated genes in permanent PDL tissues were related to tissue degradation (IL6 and ADAMTS18, myocontraction (PDE3B, CASQ2, and MYH10, and neurological responses (FOS, NCAM2, SYT1, SLC22A3, DOCK3, LRRTM1, LRRTM3, PRSS12, and ARPP21. The analysis of differential gene expressions between deciduous and permanent PDL tissues aids our understanding of histological and functional differences between them at the molecular level.

  15. Comparative gene expression analysis of the human periodontal ligament in deciduous and permanent teeth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Je Seon; Hwang, Dong Hwan; Kim, Seong-Oh; Jeon, Mijeong; Choi, Byung-Jai; Jung, Han-Sung; Moon, Seok Jun; Park, Wonse; Choi, Hyung-Jun

    2013-01-01

    There are histological and functional differences between human deciduous and permanent periodontal ligament (PDL) tissues. The aim of this study was to determine the differences between these two types of tissue at the molecular level by comparing their gene expression patterns. PDL samples were obtained from permanent premolars (n = 38) and anterior deciduous teeth (n = 31) extracted from 40 healthy persons. Comparative cDNA microarray analysis revealed several differences in gene expression between the deciduous and permanent PDL tissues. These findings were verified by qRT-PCR (quantitative reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction) analysis, and the areas where genes are expressed were revealed by immunohistochemical staining. The expressions of 21 genes were up-regulated in deciduous relative to PDL tissues, and those of 30 genes were up-regulated in permanent relative to deciduous PDL tissues. The genes that were up-regulated in deciduous PDL tissues were those involved in the formation of the extracellular matrix (LAMC2, LAMB3, and COMP), tissue development (IGF2BP, MAB21L2, and PAX3), and inflammatory or immune reactions leading to tissue degradation (IL1A, CCL21, and CCL18). The up-regulated genes in permanent PDL tissues were related to tissue degradation (IL6 and ADAMTS18), myocontraction (PDE3B, CASQ2, and MYH10), and neurological responses (FOS, NCAM2, SYT1, SLC22A3, DOCK3, LRRTM1, LRRTM3, PRSS12, and ARPP21). The analysis of differential gene expressions between deciduous and permanent PDL tissues aids our understanding of histological and functional differences between them at the molecular level.

  16. Expression analysis of HSP70 in the testis of Octopus tankahkeei under thermal stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Ling-Li; Han, Ying-Li; Sheng, Zhang; Du, Chen; Wang, You-Fa; Zhu, Jun-Quan

    2015-09-01

    The gene encoding heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) was identified in Octopus tankahkeei by homologous cloning and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The full-length cDNA (2471 bp) consists of a 5'-untranslated region (UTR) (89 bp), a 3'-UTR (426 bp), and an open reading frame (1956 bp) that encodes 651 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 71.8 kDa and an isoelectric point of 5.34. Based on the amino acid sequence analysis and multiple sequence alignment, this cDNA is a member of cytoplasmic hsp70 subfamily of the hsp70 family and was designated as ot-hsp70. Tissue expression analysis showed that HSP70 expression is highest in the testes when all examined organs were compared. Immunohistochemistry analysis, together with hematoxylin-eosin staining, revealed that the HSP70 protein was expressed in all spermatogenic cells, but not in fibroblasts. In addition, O. tankahkeei were heat challenged by exposure to 32 °C seawater for 2 h, then returned to 13 °C for various recovery time (0-24 h). Relative expression of ot-hsp70 mRNA in the testes was measured at different time points post-challenge by quantitative real-time PCR. A clear time-dependent mRNA expression of ot-hsp70 after thermal stress indicates that the HSP70 gene is inducible. Ultrastructural changes of the heat-stressed testis were observed by transmission electron microscopy. We suggest that HSP70 plays an important role in spermatogenesis and testis protection against thermal stress in O. tankahkeei. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Quantitative Expression Analysis of APP Pathway and Tau Phosphorylation-Related Genes in the ICV STZ-Induced Non-Human Primate Model of Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sang-Je Park

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The accumulation and aggregation of misfolded proteins in the brain, such as amyloid-β (Aβ and hyperphosphorylated tau, is a neuropathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD. Previously, we developed and validated a novel non-human primate model for sporadic AD (sAD research using intracerebroventricular administration of streptozotocin (icv STZ. To date, no characterization of AD-related genes in different brain regions has been performed. Therefore, in the current study, the expression of seven amyloid precursor protein (APP pathway-related and five tau phosphorylation-related genes was investigated by quantitative real-time PCR experiments, using two matched-pair brain samples from control and icv STZ-treated cynomolgus monkeys. The genes showed similar expression patterns within the control and icv STZ-treated groups; however, marked differences in gene expression patterns were observed between the control and icv STZ-treated groups. Remarkably, other than β-secretase (BACE1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5, all the genes tested showed similar expression patterns in AD models compared to controls, with increased levels in the precuneus and occipital cortex. However, significant changes in gene expression patterns were not detected in the frontal cortex, hippocampus, or posterior cingulate. Based on these results, we conclude that APP may be cleaved via the general metabolic mechanisms of increased α- and γ-secretase levels, and that hyperphosphorylation of tau could be mediated by elevated levels of tau protein kinase, specifically in the precuneus and occipital cortex.

  18. Cloning and expression analysis of two dehydrodolichyl diphosphate synthase genes from Tripterygium wilfordii

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lin-Hui Gao

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To clone and investigate two dehydrodolichyl diphosphate synthase genes of Tripterygium wilfordii by bioinformatics and tissue expression analysis. Materials and Methods: According to the T. wifordii transcriptome database, specific primers were designed to clone the TwDHDDS1 and TwDHDDS2 genes via PCR. Based on the cloned sequences, protein structure prediction, multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree construction were performed. The expression levels of the genes in different tissues of T. wilfordii were measured by real-time quantitative PCR. Results: The TwDHDDS1 gene encompassed a 873 bp open reading frame (ORF and encoded a protein of 290 amino acids. The calculated molecular weight of the translated protein was about 33.46 kDa, and the theoretical isoelectric point (pI was 8.67. The TwDHDDS2 encompassed a 768 bp ORF, encoding a protein of 255 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of about 21.19 kDa, and a theoretical isoelectric point (pI of 7.72. Plant tissue expression analysis indicated that TwDHDDS1 and TwDHDDS2 both have relatively ubiquitous expression in all sampled organ tissues, but showed the highest transcription levels in the stems. Conclusions: The results of this study provide a basis for further functional studies of TwDHDDS1 and TwDHDDS2. Most importantly, these genes are promising genetic targets for the regulation of the biosynthetic pathways of important bioactive terpenoids such as triptolide.

  19. Quantitative iTRAQ secretome analysis of Aspergillus niger reveals novel hydrolytic enzymes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adav, Sunil S; Li, An A; Manavalan, Arulmani; Punt, Peter; Sze, Siu Kwan

    2010-08-06

    The natural lifestyle of Aspergillus niger made them more effective secretors of hydrolytic proteins and becomes critical when this species were exploited as hosts for the commercial secretion of heterologous proteins. The protein secretion profile of A. niger and its mutant at different pH was explored using iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomics approach coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). This study characterized 102 highly confident unique proteins in the secretome with zero false discovery rate based on decoy strategy. The iTRAQ technique identified and relatively quantified many hydrolyzing enzymes such as cellulases, hemicellulases, glycoside hydrolases, proteases, peroxidases, and protein translocating transporter proteins during fermentation. The enzymes have potential application in lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysis for biofuel production, for example, the cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic enzymes glucan 1,4-alpha-glucosidase, alpha-glucosidase C, endoglucanase, alpha l-arabinofuranosidase, beta-mannosidase, glycosyl hydrolase; proteases such as tripeptidyl-peptidase, aspergillopepsin, and other enzymes including cytochrome c oxidase, cytochrome c oxidase, glucose oxidase were highly expressed in A. niger and its mutant secretion. In addition, specific enzyme production can be stimulated by controlling pH of the culture medium. Our results showed comprehensive unique secretory protein profile of A. niger, its regulation at different pH, and the potential application of iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomics for the microbial secretome analysis.

  20. Method of quantitative x-ray diffractometric analysis of Ta-Ta2C system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gavrish, A.A.; Glazunov, M.P.; Korolev, Yu.M.; Spitsyn, V.I.; Fedoseev, G.K.

    1976-01-01

    The syste86 Ta-Ta 2 C has beemonsidered because of specific features of diffraction patterns of the components, namely, overlapping of the most intensive reflexes of both phases. The method of standard binary system has been used for quantitative analysis. Because of overlapping of the intensive reflexes dsub(1/01)=2.36(Ta 2 C) and dsub(110)=2.33(Ta), the other, most intensive, reflexes have been used for quantitative determination of Ta 2 C and Ta: dsub(103)=1.404 A for tantalum subcarbide and dsub(211)=1.35A for tantalum. Besides, the TaTa 2 C phases have been determined quantitatively with the use of another pair of reflexes: dsub(102)=1.82 A for Ta 2 C and dsub(200)=1.65 A for tantalum. The agreement between the results obtained while performing the quantitative phase analysis is good. To increase reliability and accuracy of the quantitative determination of Ta and Ta 2 C, it is expedient to carry out the analysis with the use of two above-mentioned pairs of reflexes located in different regions of the diffraction spectrum. Thus, the procedure of quantitative analysis of Ta and Ta 2 C in different ratios has been developed taking into account the specific features of the diffraction patterns of these components as well as the ability of Ta 2 C to texture in the process of preparation

  1. A Quantitative Analysis of the Behavioral Checklist of the Movement ABC Motor Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz, Luis Miguel; Gomez, Marta; Graupera, Jose Luis; Gutierrez, Melchor; Linaza, Jose Luis

    2007-01-01

    The fifth section of the Henderson and Sugden's Movement ABC Checklist is part of the general Checklist that accompanies The Movement ABC Battery. The authors maintain that the analysis of this section must be mainly qualitative instead of quantitative. The main objective of this study was to employ a quantitative analysis of this behavioural…

  2. Quantitative assessment of in-solution digestion efficiency identifies optimal protocols for unbiased protein analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Leon, Ileana R; Schwämmle, Veit; Jensen, Ole N

    2013-01-01

    a combination of qualitative and quantitative LC-MS/MS methods and statistical data analysis. In contrast to previous studies we employed both standard qualitative as well as data-independent quantitative workflows to systematically assess trypsin digestion efficiency and bias using mitochondrial protein...... conditions (buffer, RapiGest, deoxycholate, urea), and two methods for removal of detergents prior to analysis of peptides (acid precipitation or phase separation with ethyl acetate). Our data-independent quantitative LC-MS/MS workflow quantified over 3700 distinct peptides with 96% completeness between all...... protocols and replicates, with an average 40% protein sequence coverage and an average of 11 peptides identified per protein. Systematic quantitative and statistical analysis of physicochemical parameters demonstrated that deoxycholate-assisted in-solution digestion combined with phase transfer allows...

  3. Chemical Fingerprint Analysis and Quantitative Analysis of Rosa rugosa by UPLC-DAD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sanawar Mansur

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available A method based on ultra performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector (UPLC-DAD was developed for quantitative analysis of five active compounds and chemical fingerprint analysis of Rosa rugosa. Ten batches of R. rugosa collected from different plantations in the Xinjiang region of China were used to establish the fingerprint. The feasibility and advantages of the used UPLC fingerprint were verified for its similarity evaluation by systematically comparing chromatograms with professional analytical software recommended by State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA of China. In quantitative analysis, the five compounds showed good regression (R2 = 0.9995 within the test ranges, and the recovery of the method was in the range of 94.2%–103.8%. The similarities of liquid chromatography fingerprints of 10 batches of R. rugosa were more than 0.981. The developed UPLC fingerprint method is simple, reliable, and validated for the quality control and identification of R. rugosa. Additionally, simultaneous quantification of five major bioactive ingredients in the R. rugosa samples was conducted to interpret the consistency of the quality test. The results indicated that the UPLC fingerprint, as a characteristic distinguishing method combining similarity evaluation and quantification analysis, can be successfully used to assess the quality and to identify the authenticity of R. rugosa.

  4. Evaluation of Candidate Reference Genes for Quantitative Gene Expression Analysis in Spodoptera exigu a after Long-time Exposure to Cadmium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Płachetka-Bożek, Anna; Augustyniak, Maria

    2017-08-21

    Studies on the transcriptional control of gene expression play an important role in many areas of biology. Reference genes, which are often referred to as housekeeping genes, such as GAPDH, G3PDH, EF2, RpL7A, RpL10, TUBα and Actin, have traditionally been assumed to be stably expressed in all conditions, and they are frequently used to normalize mRNA levels between different samples in qPCR analysis. However, it is known that the expression of these genes is influenced by numerous factors, such as experimental conditions. The difference in gene expression underlies a range of biological processes, including development, reproduction and behavior. The aim of this study was to show the problems associated with using reference genes in the qPCR technique, in a study on inbred strains of Spodoptera exigua selected toward cadmium resistance. We present and discuss our results and observations, and give some recommendations concerning the use and limitations of housekeeping genes as internal standards, especially in research on insects. Our results suggest that holometabolism and poikilothermia, as well as time since metamorphosis and the level of exposure to the selective factor (cadmium in this case), have a significant effect on the expression of reference genes.

  5. Phase analysis in duplex stainless steel: comparison of EBSD and quantitative metallography methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Michalska, J; Chmiela, B

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of the research was to work out the qualitative and quantitative analysis of phases in DSS in as-received state and after thermal aging. For quantitative purposes, SEM observations, EDS analyses and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) methods were employed. Qualitative analysis of phases was performed by two methods: EBSD and classical quantitative metallography. A juxtaposition of different etchants for the revealing of microstructure and brief review of sample preparation methods for EBSD studies were presented. Different ways of sample preparation were tested and based on these results a detailed methodology of DSS phase analysis was developed including: surface finishing, selective etching methods and image acquisition. The advantages and disadvantages of applied methods were pointed out and compared the accuracy of the analysis phase performed by both methods

  6. Comparative study of standard space and real space analysis of quantitative MR brain data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aribisala, Benjamin S; He, Jiabao; Blamire, Andrew M

    2011-06-01

    To compare the robustness of region of interest (ROI) analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain data in real space with analysis in standard space and to test the hypothesis that standard space image analysis introduces more partial volume effect errors compared to analysis of the same dataset in real space. Twenty healthy adults with no history or evidence of neurological diseases were recruited; high-resolution T(1)-weighted, quantitative T(1), and B(0) field-map measurements were collected. Algorithms were implemented to perform analysis in real and standard space and used to apply a simple standard ROI template to quantitative T(1) datasets. Regional relaxation values and histograms for both gray and white matter tissues classes were then extracted and compared. Regional mean T(1) values for both gray and white matter were significantly lower using real space compared to standard space analysis. Additionally, regional T(1) histograms were more compact in real space, with smaller right-sided tails indicating lower partial volume errors compared to standard space analysis. Standard space analysis of quantitative MRI brain data introduces more partial volume effect errors biasing the analysis of quantitative data compared to analysis of the same dataset in real space. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  7. Selection of Reliable Reference Genes for Gene Expression Studies in the Biofuel Plant Jatropha curcas Using Real-Time Quantitative PCR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lu Zhang

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Jatropha curcas is a promising renewable feedstock for biodiesel and bio-jet fuel production. To study gene expression in Jatropha in different tissues throughout development and under stress conditions, we examined a total of 11 typical candidate reference genes using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR analysis, which is widely used for validating transcript levels in gene expression studies. The expression stability of these candidate reference genes was assessed across a total of 20 samples, including various tissues at vegetative and reproductive stages and under desiccation and cold stress treatments. The results obtained using software qBasePLUS showed that the top-ranked reference genes differed across the sample subsets. The combination of actin, GAPDH, and EF1α would be appropriate as a reference panel for normalizing gene expression data across samples at different developmental stages; the combination of actin, GAPDH, and TUB5 should be used as a reference panel for normalizing gene expression data across samples under various abiotic stress treatments. With regard to different developmental stages, we recommend the use of actin and TUB8 for normalization at the vegetative stage and GAPDH and EF1α for normalization at the reproductive stage. For abiotic stress treatments, we recommend the use of TUB5 and TUB8 for normalization under desiccation stress and GAPDH and actin for normalization under cold stress. These results are valuable for future research on gene expression during development or under abiotic stress in Jatropha. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the stability of reference genes in Jatropha.

  8. Statistical shape analysis using 3D Poisson equation--A quantitatively validated approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Yi; Bouix, Sylvain

    2016-05-01

    Statistical shape analysis has been an important area of research with applications in biology, anatomy, neuroscience, agriculture, paleontology, etc. Unfortunately, the proposed methods are rarely quantitatively evaluated, and as shown in recent studies, when they are evaluated, significant discrepancies exist in their outputs. In this work, we concentrate on the problem of finding the consistent location of deformation between two population of shapes. We propose a new shape analysis algorithm along with a framework to perform a quantitative evaluation of its performance. Specifically, the algorithm constructs a Signed Poisson Map (SPoM) by solving two Poisson equations on the volumetric shapes of arbitrary topology, and statistical analysis is then carried out on the SPoMs. The method is quantitatively evaluated on synthetic shapes and applied on real shape data sets in brain structures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Endogenous protein "barcode" for data validation and normalization in quantitative MS analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Wooram; Lazar, Iulia M

    2014-07-01

    Quantitative proteomic experiments with mass spectrometry detection are typically conducted by using stable isotope labeling and label-free quantitation approaches. Proteins with housekeeping functions and stable expression level such actin, tubulin, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase are frequently used as endogenous controls. Recent studies have shown that the expression level of such common housekeeping proteins is, in fact, dependent on various factors such as cell type, cell cycle, or disease status and can change in response to a biochemical stimulation. The interference of such phenomena can, therefore, substantially compromise their use for data validation, alter the interpretation of results, and lead to erroneous conclusions. In this work, we advance the concept of a protein "barcode" for data normalization and validation in quantitative proteomic experiments. The barcode comprises a novel set of proteins that was generated from cell cycle experiments performed with MCF7, an estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cell line, and MCF10A, a nontumorigenic immortalized breast cell line. The protein set was selected from a list of ~3700 proteins identified in different cellular subfractions and cell cycle stages of MCF7/MCF10A cells, based on the stability of spectral count data generated with an LTQ ion trap mass spectrometer. A total of 11 proteins qualified as endogenous standards for the nuclear and 62 for the cytoplasmic barcode, respectively. The validation of the protein sets was performed with a complementary SKBR3/Her2+ cell line.

  10. High ALK mRNA expression has a negative prognostic significance in rhabdomyosarcoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonvini, P; Zin, A; Alaggio, R; Pawel, B; Bisogno, G; Rosolen, A

    2013-01-01

    Background: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a receptor tyrosine kinase aberrantly expressed in cancer, but its clinical and functional importance remain controversial. Mutation or amplification of ALK, as well as its expression levels assessed by conventional immunohistochemistry methods, has been linked to prognosis in cancer, although with potential bias because of the semi-quantitative approaches. Herein, we measured ALK mRNA expression in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and determined its clinical impact on patients' stratification and outcome. Methods: Specimens were obtained from RMS patients and cell lines, and ALK expression was analysed by quantitative RT–PCR, western blotting, IHC, and copy number analysis. Results: High ALK mRNA expression was detected in the vast majority of PAX3/7-FOXO1-positive tumours, whereas PAX3/7-FOXO1-negative RMS displayed considerably lower amounts of both mRNA and protein. Notably, ALK mRNA distinguished unfavourable PAX3/7-FOXO1-positive tumours from PAX3/7-FOXO1-negative RMS (Ptumour size (PALK mRNA levels were of prognostic relevance by Cox univariate regression analysis and correlated with increased risk of relapse (P=0.001) and survival (P=0.01), whereas by multivariate analysis elevated ALK mRNA expression resulted a negative prognostic marker when clinical stage was not included. Conclusion: Quantitative assessment of ALK mRNA expression helps to improve risk stratification of RMS patients and identifies tumours with adverse biological characteristics and aggressive behaviour. PMID:24149177

  11. Quantitative two-dimensional gel electrophoresis analysis of human fibroblasts transformed by ras oncogenes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, M J; Maher, V M; McCormick, J J

    1992-11-01

    Quantitative two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was used to compare the cellular protein patterns of a normal foreskin-derived human fibroblasts cell line (LG1) and three immortal derivatives of LG1. One derivative, designated MSU-1.1 VO, was selected for its ability to grow in the absence of serum and is non-tumorigenic in athymic mice. The other two strains were selected for focus-formation following transfection with either Ha-ras or N-ras oncogenes and form high grade malignant tumors. Correspondence and cluster analysis provided a nonbiased estimate of the relative similarity of the different two-dimensional patterns. These techniques separated the gel patterns into three distinct classes: LG1, MSU-1.1 VO, and the ras transformed cell strains. The MSU-1.1 VO cells were more closely related to the parental LG1 than to the ras-transformed cells. The differences between the three classes were primarily quantitative in nature: 16% of the spots demonstrated statistically significant changes (P 2) in the rate of incorporation of radioactive amino acids. The patterns from the two ras-transformed cell strains were similar, and variations in the expression of proteins that occurred between the separate experiments obscured consistent differences between the Ha-ras and N-ras transformed cells. However, while only 9 out of 758 spots were classified as different (1%), correspondence analysis could consistently separate the two ras transformants. One of these spots was five times more intense in the Ha-ras transformed cells than the N-ras.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  12. Clinical value of miR-452-5p expression in lung adenocarcinoma: A retrospective quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction study and verification based on The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gan, Xiao-Ning; Luo, Jie; Tang, Rui-Xue; Wang, Han-Lin; Zhou, Hong; Qin, Hui; Gan, Ting-Qing; Chen, Gang

    2017-05-01

    The role and mechanism of miR-452-5p in lung adenocarcinoma remain unclear. In this study, we performed a systematic study to investigate the clinical value of miR-452-5p expression in lung adenocarcinoma. The expression of miR-452-5p in 101 lung adenocarcinoma patients was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases were joined to verify the expression level of miR-452-5p in lung adenocarcinoma. Via several online prediction databases and bioinformatics software, pathway and network analyses of miR-452-5p target genes were performed to explore its prospective molecular mechanism. The expression of miR-452-5p in lung adenocarcinoma in house was significantly lower than that in adjacent tissues (p < 0.001). Additionally, the expression level of miR-452-5p was negatively correlated with several clinicopathological parameters including the tumor size (p = 0.014), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.032), and tumor-node-metastasis stage (p = 0.036). Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas also confirmed the low expression of miR-452 in lung adenocarcinoma (p < 0.001). Furthermore, reduced expression of miR-452-5p in lung adenocarcinoma (standard mean deviations = -0.393, 95% confidence interval: -0.774 to -0.011, p = 0.044) was validated by a meta-analysis. Five hub genes targeted by miR-452-5p, including SMAD family member 4, SMAD family member 2, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B, tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein epsilon, and tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein beta, were significantly enriched in the cell-cycle pathway. In conclusion, low expression of miR-452-5p tends to play an essential role in lung adenocarcinoma. Bioinformatics analysis might be beneficial to reveal the potential mechanism of miR-452-5p in lung adenocarcinoma.

  13. Quantitative analysis of background parenchymal enhancement in whole breast on MRI: Influence of menstrual cycle and comparison with a qualitative analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Yongsik; Jeong, Seong Kyun; Kang, Doo Kyoung; Moon, Yeorae; Kim, Tae Hee

    2018-06-01

    We quantitatively analyzed background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) in whole breast according to menstrual cycle and compared it with a qualitative analysis method. A data set of breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from 273 breast cancer patients was used. For quantitative analysis, we used semiautomated in-house software with MATLAB. From each voxel of whole breast, the software calculated BPE using following equation: [(signal intensity [SI] at 1 min 30 s after contrast injection - baseline SI)/baseline SI] × 100%. In total, 53 patients had minimal, 108 mild, 87 moderate, and 25 marked BPE. On quantitative analysis, mean BPE values were 33.1% in the minimal, 42.1% in the mild, 59.1% in the moderate, and 81.9% in the marked BPE group showing significant difference (p = .009 for minimal vs. mild, p quantitative BPE (r = 0.63, p Quantitative analysis of BPE correlated well with the qualitative BPE grade. Quantitative BPE values were lowest in the second week and highest in the fourth week. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Towards quantitative laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy analysis of soil samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bousquet, B.; Sirven, J.-B.; Canioni, L.

    2007-01-01

    A quantitative analysis of chromium in soil samples is presented. Different emission lines related to chromium are studied in order to select the best one for quantitative features. Important matrix effects are demonstrated from one soil to the other, preventing any prediction of concentration in different soils on the basis of a univariate calibration curve. Finally, a classification of the LIBS data based on a series of Principal Component Analyses (PCA) is applied to a reduced dataset of selected spectral lines related to the major chemical elements in the soils. LIBS data of heterogeneous soils appear to be widely dispersed, which leads to a reconsideration of the sampling step in the analysis process

  15. Quantitative high-resolution genomic analysis of single cancer cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juliane Hannemann

    Full Text Available During cancer progression, specific genomic aberrations arise that can determine the scope of the disease and can be used as predictive or prognostic markers. The detection of specific gene amplifications or deletions in single blood-borne or disseminated tumour cells that may give rise to the development of metastases is of great clinical interest but technically challenging. In this study, we present a method for quantitative high-resolution genomic analysis of single cells. Cells were isolated under permanent microscopic control followed by high-fidelity whole genome amplification and subsequent analyses by fine tiling array-CGH and qPCR. The assay was applied to single breast cancer cells to analyze the chromosomal region centred by the therapeutical relevant EGFR gene. This method allows precise quantitative analysis of copy number variations in single cell diagnostics.

  16. Quantitative risk analysis as a basis for emergency planning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yogui, Regiane Tiemi Teruya [Bureau Veritas do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Macedo, Eduardo Soares de [Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnologicas (IPT), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

    2009-07-01

    Several environmental accidents happened in Brazil and in the world during the 70's and 80's. This strongly motivated the preparation for emergencies in the chemical and petrochemical industries. Environmental accidents affect the environment and the communities that are neighbor to the industrial facilities. The present study aims at subsidizing and providing orientation to develop Emergency Planning from the data obtained on Quantitative Risk Analysis, elaborated according to the Technical Standard P4.261/03 from CETESB (Sao Paulo Environmental Agency). It was observed, during the development of the research, that the data generated on these studies need a complementation and a deeper analysis, so that it is possible to use them on the Emergency Plans. The main issues that were analyzed and discussed on this study were the reevaluation of hazard identification for the emergency plans, the consequences and vulnerability analysis for the response planning, the risk communication, and the preparation to respond to the emergencies of the communities exposed to manageable risks. As a result, the study intends to improve the interpretation and use of the data deriving from the Quantitative Risk Analysis to develop the emergency plans. (author)

  17. Stable isotope dimethyl labelling for quantitative proteomics and beyond

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Jue-Liang; Chen, Shu-Hui

    2016-01-01

    Stable-isotope reductive dimethylation, a cost-effective, simple, robust, reliable and easy-to- multiplex labelling method, is widely applied to quantitative proteomics using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. This review focuses on biological applications of stable-isotope dimethyl labelling for a large-scale comparative analysis of protein expression and post-translational modifications based on its unique properties of the labelling chemistry. Some other applications of the labelling method for sample preparation and mass spectrometry-based protein identification and characterization are also summarized. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Quantitative mass spectrometry’. PMID:27644970

  18. Identification of appropriate reference genes for human mesenchymal stem cell analysis by quantitative real-time PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiuying; Yang, Qiwei; Bai, Jinping; Xuan, Yali; Wang, Yimin

    2015-01-01

    Normalization to a reference gene is the method of choice for quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis. The stability of reference genes is critical for accurate experimental results and conclusions. We have evaluated the expression stability of eight commonly used reference genes found in four different human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). Using geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper algorithms, we show that beta-2-microglobulin and peptidyl-prolylisomerase A were the optimal reference genes for normalizing RT-qPCR data obtained from MSC, whereas the TATA box binding protein was not suitable due to its extensive variability in expression. Our findings emphasize the significance of validating reference genes for qPCR analyses. We offer a short list of reference genes to use for normalization and recommend some commercially-available software programs as a rapid approach to validate reference genes. We also demonstrate that the two reference genes, β-actin and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, are frequently used are not always successful in many cases.

  19. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of Anopheles dirus TEP1 and NOS during Plasmodium berghei infection, using three reference genes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonathan W.K. Liew

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR has been an integral part of characterizing the immunity of Anopheles mosquitoes towards Plasmodium invasion. Two anti-Plasmodium factors of Anopheles, thioester-containing protein 1 (TEP1 and nitric oxide synthase (NOS, play a role in the refractoriness of Anopheles towards Plasmodium infection and are generally expressed during infection. However, these are less studied in Anopheles dirus, a dominant malaria vector in Southeast Asia. Furthermore, most studies used a single reference gene for normalization during gene expression analysis without proper validation. This may lead to erroneous quantification of expression levels. Therefore, the present study characterized and investigated the expression profiles of TEP1 and NOS of Anopheles dirus during P. berghei infection. Prior to that, the elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1, actin 1 (Act and ribosomal protein S7 (S7 genes were validated for their suitability as a set of reference genes. TEP1 and NOS expressions in An. dirus were found to be significantly induced after P. berghei infection.

  20. Altered retinal microRNA expression profiles in early diabetic retinopathy: an in silico analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiong, Fen; Du, Xinhua; Hu, Jianyan; Li, Tingting; Du, Shanshan; Wu, Qiang

    2014-07-01

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) - as negative regulators of target genes - are associated with various human diseases, but their precise role(s) in diabetic retinopathy (DR) remains to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to elucidate the involvement of miRNAs in early DR using in silico analysis to explore their gene expression patterns. We used the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat to investigate the roles of miRNAs in early DR. Retinal miRNA expression profiles from diabetic versus healthy control rats were examined by miRNA array analysis. Based on several bioinformatic systems, specifically, gene ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, we identified signatures of the potential pathological processes, gene functions, and signaling pathways that are influenced by dysregulated miRNAs. We used quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to validate six (i.e. those with significant changes in expression levels) of the 17 miRNAs that were detected in the miRNA array. We also describe the significant role of the miRNA-gene network, which is based on the interactions between miRNAs and target genes. GO analysis of the 17 miRNAs detected in the miRNA array analysis revealed the most prevalent miRNAs to be those related to biological processes, olfactory bulb development and axonogenesis. These miRNAs also exert significant influence on additional pathways, including the mitogen-activated protein and calcium signaling pathways. Six of the seventeen miRNAs were chosen for qRT-PCR validation. With the exception of a slight difference in miRNA-350, our results are in close agreement with the differential expressions detected by array analysis. This study, which describes miRNA expression during the early developmental phases of DR, revealed extensive miRNA interactions. Based on both their target genes and signaling pathways, we suggest that miRNAs perform critical regulatory functions during the early stages of DR

  1. Quantitative analysis of patient-specific dosimetric IMRT verification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Budgell, G J; Perrin, B A; Mott, J H L; Fairfoul, J; Mackay, R I

    2005-01-01

    Patient-specific dosimetric verification methods for IMRT treatments are variable, time-consuming and frequently qualitative, preventing evidence-based reduction in the amount of verification performed. This paper addresses some of these issues by applying a quantitative analysis parameter to the dosimetric verification procedure. Film measurements in different planes were acquired for a series of ten IMRT prostate patients, analysed using the quantitative parameter, and compared to determine the most suitable verification plane. Film and ion chamber verification results for 61 patients were analysed to determine long-term accuracy, reproducibility and stability of the planning and delivery system. The reproducibility of the measurement and analysis system was also studied. The results show that verification results are strongly dependent on the plane chosen, with the coronal plane particularly insensitive to delivery error. Unexpectedly, no correlation could be found between the levels of error in different verification planes. Longer term verification results showed consistent patterns which suggest that the amount of patient-specific verification can be safely reduced, provided proper caution is exercised: an evidence-based model for such reduction is proposed. It is concluded that dose/distance to agreement (e.g., 3%/3 mm) should be used as a criterion of acceptability. Quantitative parameters calculated for a given criterion of acceptability should be adopted in conjunction with displays that show where discrepancies occur. Planning and delivery systems which cannot meet the required standards of accuracy, reproducibility and stability to reduce verification will not be accepted by the radiotherapy community

  2. Fluorescent foci quantitation for high-throughput analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Ledesma-Fernández

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available A number of cellular proteins localize to discrete foci within cells, for example DNA repair proteins, microtubule organizing centers, P bodies or kinetochores. It is often possible to measure the fluorescence emission from tagged proteins within these foci as a surrogate for the concentration of that specific protein. We wished to develop tools that would allow quantitation of fluorescence foci intensities in high-throughput studies. As proof of principle we have examined the kinetochore, a large multi-subunit complex that is critical for the accurate segregation of chromosomes during cell division. Kinetochore perturbations lead to aneuploidy, which is a hallmark of cancer cells. Hence, understanding kinetochore homeostasis and regulation are important for a global understanding of cell division and genome integrity. The 16 budding yeast kinetochores colocalize within the nucleus to form a single focus. Here we have created a set of freely-available tools to allow high-throughput quantitation of kinetochore foci fluorescence. We use this ‘FociQuant’ tool to compare methods of kinetochore quantitation and we show proof of principle that FociQuant can be used to identify changes in kinetochore protein levels in a mutant that affects kinetochore function. This analysis can be applied to any protein that forms discrete foci in cells.

  3. A simple approach to quantitative analysis using three-dimensional spectra based on selected Zernike moments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhai, Hong Lin; Zhai, Yue Yuan; Li, Pei Zhen; Tian, Yue Li

    2013-01-21

    A very simple approach to quantitative analysis is proposed based on the technology of digital image processing using three-dimensional (3D) spectra obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). As the region-based shape features of a grayscale image, Zernike moments with inherently invariance property were employed to establish the linear quantitative models. This approach was applied to the quantitative analysis of three compounds in mixed samples using 3D HPLC-DAD spectra, and three linear models were obtained, respectively. The correlation coefficients (R(2)) for training and test sets were more than 0.999, and the statistical parameters and strict validation supported the reliability of established models. The analytical results suggest that the Zernike moment selected by stepwise regression can be used in the quantitative analysis of target compounds. Our study provides a new idea for quantitative analysis using 3D spectra, which can be extended to the analysis of other 3D spectra obtained by different methods or instruments.

  4. Single particle transfer for quantitative analysis with total-reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Esaka, Fumitaka; Esaka, Konomi T.; Magara, Masaaki; Sakurai, Satoshi; Usuda, Shigekazu; Watanabe, Kazuo

    2006-01-01

    The technique of single particle transfer was applied to quantitative analysis with total-reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometry. The technique was evaluated by performing quantitative analysis of individual Cu particles with diameters between 3.9 and 13.2 μm. The direct quantitative analysis of the Cu particle transferred onto a Si carrier gave a discrepancy between measured and calculated Cu amounts due to the absorption effects of incident and fluorescent X-rays within the particle. By the correction for the absorption effects, the Cu amounts in individual particles could be determined with the deviation within 10.5%. When the Cu particles were dissolved with HNO 3 solution prior to the TXRF analysis, the deviation was improved to be within 3.8%. In this case, no correction for the absorption effects was needed for quantification

  5. Quantitative analysis of thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kanemoto, Nariaki; Hoer, G.; Johost, S.; Maul, F.-D.; Standke, R.

    1981-01-01

    The method of quantitative analysis of thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy using computer assisted technique was described. Calculated indices are washout factor, vitality index and redistribution factor. Washout factor is the ratio of counts at certain period of time after exercise and immediately after exercise. This value is neccessary for the evaluation of redistribution to the ischemic areas in serial imagings to correct the Tl-201 washout from the myocardium under the assumption that the washout is constant in the whole myocardium. Vitality index is the ratio between the Tl-201 uptake in the region of interest and that of the maximum. Redistribution factor is the ratio of the redistribution in the region of interest in serial imagings after exercise to that of immediately after exercise. Four examples of exercise Tl-201 myocardial scintigrams and the quantitative analyses before and after the percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty were presented. (author)

  6. Quantitative developmental transcriptomes of the Mediterranean sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gildor, Tsvia; Malik, Assaf; Sher, Noa; Avraham, Linor; Ben-Tabou de-Leon, Smadar

    2016-02-01

    Embryonic development progresses through the timely activation of thousands of differentially activated genes. Quantitative developmental transcriptomes provide the means to relate global patterns of differentially expressed genes to the emerging body plans they generate. The sea urchin is one of the classic model systems for embryogenesis and the models of its developmental gene regulatory networks are of the most comprehensive of their kind. Thus, the sea urchin embryo is an excellent system for studies of its global developmental transcriptional profiles. Here we produced quantitative developmental transcriptomes of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (P. lividus) at seven developmental stages from the fertilized egg to prism stage. We generated de-novo reference transcriptome and identified 29,817 genes that are expressed at this time period. We annotated and quantified gene expression at the different developmental stages and confirmed the reliability of the expression profiles by QPCR measurement of a subset of genes. The progression of embryo development is reflected in the observed global expression patterns and in our principle component analysis. Our study illuminates the rich patterns of gene expression that participate in sea urchin embryogenesis and provide an essential resource for further studies of the dynamic expression of P. lividus genes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Multiscale Embedded Gene Co-expression Network Analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Won-Min Song

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Gene co-expression network analysis has been shown effective in identifying functional co-expressed gene modules associated with complex human diseases. However, existing techniques to construct co-expression networks require some critical prior information such as predefined number of clusters, numerical thresholds for defining co-expression/interaction, or do not naturally reproduce the hallmarks of complex systems such as the scale-free degree distribution of small-worldness. Previously, a graph filtering technique called Planar Maximally Filtered Graph (PMFG has been applied to many real-world data sets such as financial stock prices and gene expression to extract meaningful and relevant interactions. However, PMFG is not suitable for large-scale genomic data due to several drawbacks, such as the high computation complexity O(|V|3, the presence of false-positives due to the maximal planarity constraint, and the inadequacy of the clustering framework. Here, we developed a new co-expression network analysis framework called Multiscale Embedded Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (MEGENA by: i introducing quality control of co-expression similarities, ii parallelizing embedded network construction, and iii developing a novel clustering technique to identify multi-scale clustering structures in Planar Filtered Networks (PFNs. We applied MEGENA to a series of simulated data and the gene expression data in breast carcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA. MEGENA showed improved performance over well-established clustering methods and co-expression network construction approaches. MEGENA revealed not only meaningful multi-scale organizations of co-expressed gene clusters but also novel targets in breast carcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma.

  8. Multiscale Embedded Gene Co-expression Network Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Won-Min; Zhang, Bin

    2015-11-01

    Gene co-expression network analysis has been shown effective in identifying functional co-expressed gene modules associated with complex human diseases. However, existing techniques to construct co-expression networks require some critical prior information such as predefined number of clusters, numerical thresholds for defining co-expression/interaction, or do not naturally reproduce the hallmarks of complex systems such as the scale-free degree distribution of small-worldness. Previously, a graph filtering technique called Planar Maximally Filtered Graph (PMFG) has been applied to many real-world data sets such as financial stock prices and gene expression to extract meaningful and relevant interactions. However, PMFG is not suitable for large-scale genomic data due to several drawbacks, such as the high computation complexity O(|V|3), the presence of false-positives due to the maximal planarity constraint, and the inadequacy of the clustering framework. Here, we developed a new co-expression network analysis framework called Multiscale Embedded Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (MEGENA) by: i) introducing quality control of co-expression similarities, ii) parallelizing embedded network construction, and iii) developing a novel clustering technique to identify multi-scale clustering structures in Planar Filtered Networks (PFNs). We applied MEGENA to a series of simulated data and the gene expression data in breast carcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). MEGENA showed improved performance over well-established clustering methods and co-expression network construction approaches. MEGENA revealed not only meaningful multi-scale organizations of co-expressed gene clusters but also novel targets in breast carcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma.

  9. A comparative study of techniques for differential expression analysis on RNA-Seq data.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zong Hong Zhang

    Full Text Available Recent advances in next-generation sequencing technology allow high-throughput cDNA sequencing (RNA-Seq to be widely applied in transcriptomic studies, in particular for detecting differentially expressed genes between groups. Many software packages have been developed for the identification of differentially expressed genes (DEGs between treatment groups based on RNA-Seq data. However, there is a lack of consensus on how to approach an optimal study design and choice of suitable software for the analysis. In this comparative study we evaluate the performance of three of the most frequently used software tools: Cufflinks-Cuffdiff2, DESeq and edgeR. A number of important parameters of RNA-Seq technology were taken into consideration, including the number of replicates, sequencing depth, and balanced vs. unbalanced sequencing depth within and between groups. We benchmarked results relative to sets of DEGs identified through either quantitative RT-PCR or microarray. We observed that edgeR performs slightly better than DESeq and Cuffdiff2 in terms of the ability to uncover true positives. Overall, DESeq or taking the intersection of DEGs from two or more tools is recommended if the number of false positives is a major concern in the study. In other circumstances, edgeR is slightly preferable for differential expression analysis at the expense of potentially introducing more false positives.

  10. Microarray analysis of pancreatic gene expression during biotin repletion in biotin-deficient rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dakshinamurti, Krishnamurti; Bagchi, Rushita A; Abrenica, Bernard; Czubryt, Michael P

    2015-12-01

    Biotin is a B vitamin involved in multiple metabolic pathways. In humans, biotin deficiency is relatively rare but can cause dermatitis, alopecia, and perosis. Low biotin levels occur in individuals with type-2 diabetes, and supplementation with biotin plus chromium may improve blood sugar control. The acute effect on pancreatic gene expression of biotin repletion following chronic deficiency is unclear, therefore we induced biotin deficiency in adult male rats by feeding them a 20% raw egg white diet for 6 weeks. Animals were then randomized into 2 groups: one group received a single biotin supplement and returned to normal chow lacking egg white, while the second group remained on the depletion diet. After 1 week, pancreata were removed from biotin-deficient (BD) and biotin-repleted (BR) animals and RNA was isolated for microarray analysis. Biotin depletion altered gene expression in a manner indicative of inflammation, fibrosis, and defective pancreatic function. Conversely, biotin repletion activated numerous repair and anti-inflammatory pathways, reduced fibrotic gene expression, and induced multiple genes involved in pancreatic endocrine and exocrine function. A subset of the results was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR analysis, as well as by treatment of pancreatic AR42J cells with biotin. The results indicate that biotin repletion, even after lengthy deficiency, results in the rapid induction of repair processes in the pancreas.

  11. Comparison of lung cancer cell lines representing four histopathological subtypes with gene expression profiling using quantitative real-time PCR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kawaguchi Makoto

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Lung cancers are the most common type of human malignancy and are intractable. Lung cancers are generally classified into four histopathological subtypes: adenocarcinoma (AD, squamous cell carcinoma (SQ, large cell carcinoma (LC, and small cell carcinoma (SC. Molecular biological characterization of these subtypes has been performed mainly using DNA microarrays. In this study, we compared the gene expression profiles of these four subtypes using twelve human lung cancer cell lines and the more reliable quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR. Results We selected 100 genes from public DNA microarray data and examined them by DNA microarray analysis in eight test cell lines (A549, ABC-1, EBC-1, LK-2, LU65, LU99, STC 1, RERF-LC-MA and a normal control lung cell line (MRC-9. From this, we extracted 19 candidate genes. We quantified the expression of the 19 genes and a housekeeping gene, GAPDH, with qPCR, using the same eight cell lines plus four additional validation lung cancer cell lines (RERF-LC-MS, LC-1/sq, 86-2, and MS-1-L. Finally, we characterized the four subtypes of lung cancer cell lines using principal component analysis (PCA of gene expression profiling for 12 of the 19 genes (AMY2A, CDH1, FOXG1, IGSF3, ISL1, MALL, PLAU, RAB25, S100P, SLCO4A1, STMN1, and TGM2. The combined PCA and gene pathway analyses suggested that these genes were related to cell adhesion, growth, and invasion. S100P in AD cells and CDH1 in AD and SQ cells were identified as candidate markers of these lung cancer subtypes based on their upregulation and the results of PCA analysis. Immunohistochemistry for S100P and RAB25 was closely correlated to gene expression. Conclusions These results show that the four subtypes, represented by 12 lung cancer cell lines, were well characterized using qPCR and PCA for the 12 genes examined. Certain genes, in particular S100P and CDH1, may be especially important for distinguishing the different subtypes. Our results

  12. A microcosm of musical expression: II. Quantitative analysis of pianists' dynamics in the initial measures of Chopin's Etude in E major.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Repp, B H

    1999-03-01

    Patterns of expressive dynamics were measured in bars 1-5 of 115 commercially recorded performances of Chopin's Etude in E major, op. 10, No. 3. The grand average pattern (or dynamic profile) was representative of many performances and highly similar to the average dynamic profile of a group of advanced student performances, which suggests a widely shared central norm of expressive dynamics. The individual dynamic profiles were subjected to principal components analysis, which yielded Varimax-rotated components, each representing a different, nonstandard dynamic profile associated with a small subset of performances. Most performances had dynamic patterns resembling a mixture of several components, and no clustering of of performances into distinct groups was apparent. Some weak relationships of dynamic profiles with sociocultural variables were found, most notably a tendency of female pianists to exhibit a greater dynamic range in the melody. Within the melody, there were no significant relationships between expressive timing [Repp, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 104, 1085-1100 (1998)] and expressive dynamics. These two important dimensions seemed to be controlled independently at this local level and thus offer the artist many degrees of freedom in giving a melody expressive shape.

  13. Housekeeping gene expression during fetal brain development in the rat-validation by semi-quantitative RT-PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Bader, Maie Dawoud; Al-Sarraf, Hameed Ali

    2005-04-21

    Mammalian gene expression is usually carried out at the level of mRNA where the amount of mRNA of interest is measured under different conditions such as growth and development. It is therefore important to use a "housekeeping gene", that does not change in relative abundance during the experimental conditions, as a standard or internal control. However, recent data suggest that expression of some housekeeping genes may vary with the extent of cell proliferation, differentiation and under various experimental conditions. In this study, the expression of various housekeeping genes (18S rRNA [18S], glyceraldehydes-3-phosphate dehydrogenase [G3PDH], beta-glucuronidase [BGLU], histone H4 [HH4], ribosomal protein L19 [RPL19] and cyclophilin [CY]) was investigated during fetal rat brain development using semi-quantitative RT-PCR at 16, 19 and 21 days gestation. It was found that all genes studied, with exception to G3PDH, did not show any change in their expression levels during development. G3PDH, on the other hand, showed increased expression with development. These results suggest that the choice of a housekeeping gene is critical to the interpretation of experimental results and should be modified according to the nature of the study.

  14. Selection and validation of appropriate reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR analysis in Salvia hispanica.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rahul Gopalam

    Full Text Available Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR has become the most popular choice for gene expression studies. For accurate expression analysis, it is pertinent to select a stable reference gene to normalize the data. It is now known that the expression of internal reference genes varies considerably during developmental stages and under different experimental conditions. For Salvia hispanica, an economically important oilseed crop, there are no reports of stable reference genes till date. In this study, we chose 13 candidate reference genes viz. Actin11 (ACT, Elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1-α, Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3E (ETIF3E, alpha tubulin (α-TUB, beta tubulin (β-TUB, Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH, Cyclophilin (CYP, Clathrin adaptor complex (CAC, Serine/threonine-protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A, FtsH protease (FtsH, 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA, S-adenosyl methionine decarboxylase (SAMDC and Rubisco activase (RCA and the expression levels of these genes were assessed in a diverse set of tissue samples representing vegetative stages, reproductive stages and various abiotic stress treatments. Two of the widely used softwares, geNorm and Normfinder were used to evaluate the expression stabilities of these 13 candidate reference genes under different conditions. Results showed that GAPDH and CYP expression remain stable throughout in the different abiotic stress treatments, CAC and PP2A expression were relatively stable under reproductive stages and α-TUB, PP2A and ETIF3E were found to be stably expressed in vegetative stages. Further, the expression levels of Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT1, a key enzyme in triacylglycerol synthesis was analyzed to confirm the validity of reference genes identified in the study. This is the first systematic study of selection of reference genes in S. hispanica, and will benefit future expression studies in this crop.

  15. A hybrid approach to protein differential expression in mass spectrometry-based proteomics

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, X.

    2012-04-19

    MOTIVATION: Quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics involves statistical inference on protein abundance, based on the intensities of each protein\\'s associated spectral peaks. However, typical MS-based proteomics datasets have substantial proportions of missing observations, due at least in part to censoring of low intensities. This complicates intensity-based differential expression analysis. RESULTS: We outline a statistical method for protein differential expression, based on a simple Binomial likelihood. By modeling peak intensities as binary, in terms of \\'presence/absence,\\' we enable the selection of proteins not typically amenable to quantitative analysis; e.g. \\'one-state\\' proteins that are present in one condition but absent in another. In addition, we present an analysis protocol that combines quantitative and presence/absence analysis of a given dataset in a principled way, resulting in a single list of selected proteins with a single-associated false discovery rate. AVAILABILITY: All R code available here: http://www.stat.tamu.edu/~adabney/share/xuan_code.zip.

  16. Label-Free Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Harmless and Pathogenic Strains of Infectious Microalgae, Prototheca spp.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jayaseelan Murugaiyan

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Microalgae of the genus Prototheca (P. spp are associated with rare algal infections of invertebrates termed protothecosis. Among the seven generally accepted species, P. zopfii genotype 2 (GT2 is associated with a severe form of bovine mastitis while P. blaschkeae causes the mild and sub-clinical form of mastitis. The reason behind the infectious nature of P. zopfii GT2, while genotype 1 (GT1 remains non-infectious, is not known. Therefore, in the present study we investigated the protein expression level difference between the genotypes of P. zopfii and P. blaschkeae. Cells were cultured to the mid-exponential phase, harvested, and processed for LC-MS analysis. Peptide data was acquired on an LTQ Orbitrap Velos, raw spectra were quantitatively analyzed with MaxQuant software and matching with the reference database of Chlorella variabilis and Auxenochlorella protothecoides resulted in the identification of 226 proteins. Comparison of an environmental strain with infectious strains resulted in the identification of 51 differentially expressed proteins related to carbohydrate metabolism, energy production and protein translation. The expression level of Hsp70 proteins and their role in the infectious process is worth further investigation. All mass spectrometry data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD005305.

  17. Real-time quantitative PCR of microdissected paraffin-embedded breast carcinoma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gjerdrum, Lise Mette; Sorensen, Boe Sandahl; Kjeldsen, Eigil

    2004-01-01

    We studied the feasibility of using real-time quantitative PCR to determine HER-2 DNA amplification and mRNA expression in microdissected formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded breast tumors and compared this with standard immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) methods...... tumors as being amplified. Interestingly, all these scored 2+ with the HercepTest, but were negative using FISH. We believe that real-time quantitative PCR analysis of HER-2 DNA amplification following microdissection represents a useful supplementary or perhaps even an alternative technique...

  18. Quantitative pulsed eddy current analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morris, R.A.

    1975-01-01

    The potential of pulsed eddy current testing for furnishing more information than conventional single-frequency eddy current methods has been known for some time. However, a fundamental problem has been analyzing the pulse shape with sufficient precision to produce accurate quantitative results. Accordingly, the primary goal of this investigation was to: demonstrate ways of digitizing the short pulses encountered in PEC testing, and to develop empirical analysis techniques that would predict some of the parameters (e.g., depth) of simple types of defect. This report describes a digitizing technique using a computer and either a conventional nuclear ADC or a fast transient analyzer; the computer software used to collect and analyze pulses; and some of the results obtained. (U.S.)

  19. Molecular characterisation and expression analysis of acc oxidase gene from guzmania ruiz and pav

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jianxin, L.; Huaqiao, D.; Weiyong, W.; Danqing, T.

    2017-01-01

    ACC oxidase is the last key enzyme of ethylene synthesis pathway, while ethylene is a key factor affecting flowering in ornamental bromeliad. To understand ACC oxidase gene's characteristics and its effect on ornamental bromeliad flowering, we cloned 1504bp full-length cDNA sequence (GenBank: JX972145) and 2546bp corresponding genomic sequence (GenBank: JX972146)of GoACO1 (ACC oxidase gene) from Guzmania variety: Ostara. Prokaryotic expression study showed that expression of GoACO1 can produced a 41 KD protein precipitation in Escherichia coli DE3(BL-21); Real-time quantitative analysis showed that GoACO1 can express in all tested tissues including floral organ, bract, leaf and scape, and expression quantity in bract was the highest. Through constructing plant overexpression vector, transforming into Arabidopsis thaliana, and investigating blossom character of T2 generation seeds, we found that first flowering time of the goal Arabidopsis thaliana was 1.5 days earlier, and their peak flowering time(the number of flowering more than 50%) was 1.8 days earlier, compared with wild type one. Taken together, our results suggested that GoACO1can express in all kinds of tissues and seems to promote Arabidopsis thaliana flowering earlier. (author)

  20. Quantitative surface analysis using deuteron-induced nuclear reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Afarideh, Hossein

    1991-01-01

    The nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) technique consists of looking at the energies of the reaction products which uniquely define the particular elements present in the sample and it analysis the yield/energy distribution to reveal depth profiles. A summary of the basic features of the nuclear reaction analysis technique is given, in particular emphasis is placed on quantitative light element determination using (d,p) and (d,alpha) reactions. The experimental apparatus is also described. Finally a set of (d,p) spectra for the elements Z=3 to Z=17 using 2 MeV incident deutrons is included together with example of more applications of the (d,alpha) spectra. (author)

  1. Evolution and expression analysis of the grape (Vitis vinifera L.) WRKY gene family.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Chunlei; Guo, Rongrong; Xu, Xiaozhao; Gao, Min; Li, Xiaoqin; Song, Junyang; Zheng, Yi; Wang, Xiping

    2014-04-01

    WRKY proteins comprise a large family of transcription factors that play important roles in plant defence regulatory networks, including responses to various biotic and abiotic stresses. To date, no large-scale study of WRKY genes has been undertaken in grape (Vitis vinifera L.). In this study, a total of 59 putative grape WRKY genes (VvWRKY) were identified and renamed on the basis of their respective chromosome distribution. A multiple sequence alignment analysis using all predicted grape WRKY genes coding sequences, together with those from Arabidopsis thaliana and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), indicated that the 59 VvWRKY genes can be classified into three main groups (I-III). An evaluation of the duplication events suggested that several WRKY genes arose before the divergence of the grape and Arabidopsis lineages. Moreover, expression profiles derived from semiquantitative PCR and real-time quantitative PCR analyses showed distinct expression patterns in various tissues and in response to different treatments. Four VvWRKY genes showed a significantly higher expression in roots or leaves, 55 responded to varying degrees to at least one abiotic stress treatment, and the expression of 38 were altered following powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator) infection. Most VvWRKY genes were downregulated in response to abscisic acid or salicylic acid treatments, while the expression of a subset was upregulated by methyl jasmonate or ethylene treatments.

  2. UV-laser microdissection and mRNA expression analysis of individual neurons from postmortem Parkinson's disease brains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gründemann, Jan; Schlaudraff, Falk; Liss, Birgit

    2011-01-01

    Cell specificity of gene expression analysis is essential to avoid tissue sample related artifacts, in particular when the relative number of target cells present in the compared tissues varies dramatically, e.g., when comparing dopamine neurons in midbrain tissues from control subjects with those from Parkinson's disease (PD) cases. Here, we describe a detailed protocol that combines contact-free UV-laser microdissection and quantitative PCR of reverse-transcribed RNA of individual neurons from postmortem human midbrain tissue from PD patients and unaffected controls. Among expression changes in a variety of dopamine neuron marker, maintenance, and cell-metabolism genes, we found that α-synuclein mRNA levels were significantly elevated in individual neuromelanin-positive dopamine midbrain neurons from PD brains when compared to those from matched controls.

  3. Selection of reference genes for quantitative gene expression normalization in flax (Linum usitatissimum L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neutelings Godfrey

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR is currently the most accurate method for detecting differential gene expression. Such an approach depends on the identification of uniformly expressed 'housekeeping genes' (HKGs. Extensive transcriptomic data mining and experimental validation in different model plants have shown that the reliability of these endogenous controls can be influenced by the plant species, growth conditions and organs/tissues examined. It is therefore important to identify the best reference genes to use in each biological system before using qRT-PCR to investigate differential gene expression. In this paper we evaluate different candidate HKGs for developmental transcriptomic studies in the economically-important flax fiber- and oil-crop (Linum usitatissimum L. Results Specific primers were designed in order to quantify the expression levels of 20 different potential housekeeping genes in flax roots, internal- and external-stem tissues, leaves and flowers at different developmental stages. After calculations of PCR efficiencies, 13 HKGs were retained and their expression stabilities evaluated by the computer algorithms geNorm and NormFinder. According to geNorm, 2 Transcriptional Elongation Factors (TEFs and 1 Ubiquitin gene are necessary for normalizing gene expression when all studied samples are considered. However, only 2 TEFs are required for normalizing expression in stem tissues. In contrast, NormFinder identified glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GADPH as the most stably expressed gene when all samples were grouped together, as well as when samples were classed into different sub-groups. qRT-PCR was then used to investigate the relative expression levels of two splice variants of the flax LuMYB1 gene (homologue of AtMYB59. LuMYB1-1 and LuMYB1-2 were highly expressed in the internal stem tissues as compared to outer stem tissues and other samples. This result was confirmed with both ge

  4. Selection of reference genes for quantitative gene expression normalization in flax (Linum usitatissimum L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huis, Rudy; Hawkins, Simon; Neutelings, Godfrey

    2010-04-19

    Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) is currently the most accurate method for detecting differential gene expression. Such an approach depends on the identification of uniformly expressed 'housekeeping genes' (HKGs). Extensive transcriptomic data mining and experimental validation in different model plants have shown that the reliability of these endogenous controls can be influenced by the plant species, growth conditions and organs/tissues examined. It is therefore important to identify the best reference genes to use in each biological system before using qRT-PCR to investigate differential gene expression. In this paper we evaluate different candidate HKGs for developmental transcriptomic studies in the economically-important flax fiber- and oil-crop (Linum usitatissimum L). Specific primers were designed in order to quantify the expression levels of 20 different potential housekeeping genes in flax roots, internal- and external-stem tissues, leaves and flowers at different developmental stages. After calculations of PCR efficiencies, 13 HKGs were retained and their expression stabilities evaluated by the computer algorithms geNorm and NormFinder. According to geNorm, 2 Transcriptional Elongation Factors (TEFs) and 1 Ubiquitin gene are necessary for normalizing gene expression when all studied samples are considered. However, only 2 TEFs are required for normalizing expression in stem tissues. In contrast, NormFinder identified glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GADPH) as the most stably expressed gene when all samples were grouped together, as well as when samples were classed into different sub-groups.qRT-PCR was then used to investigate the relative expression levels of two splice variants of the flax LuMYB1 gene (homologue of AtMYB59). LuMYB1-1 and LuMYB1-2 were highly expressed in the internal stem tissues as compared to outer stem tissues and other samples. This result was confirmed with both geNorm-designated- and Norm

  5. Analysis of Facial Expression by Taste Stimulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tobitani, Kensuke; Kato, Kunihito; Yamamoto, Kazuhiko

    In this study, we focused on the basic taste stimulation for the analysis of real facial expressions. We considered that the expressions caused by taste stimulation were unaffected by individuality or emotion, that is, such expressions were involuntary. We analyzed the movement of facial muscles by taste stimulation and compared real expressions with artificial expressions. From the result, we identified an obvious difference between real and artificial expressions. Thus, our method would be a new approach for facial expression recognition.

  6. mESAdb: microRNA expression and sequence analysis database.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaya, Koray D; Karakülah, Gökhan; Yakicier, Cengiz M; Acar, Aybar C; Konu, Ozlen

    2011-01-01

    microRNA expression and sequence analysis database (http://konulab.fen.bilkent.edu.tr/mirna/) (mESAdb) is a regularly updated database for the multivariate analysis of sequences and expression of microRNAs from multiple taxa. mESAdb is modular and has a user interface implemented in PHP and JavaScript and coupled with statistical analysis and visualization packages written for the R language. The database primarily comprises mature microRNA sequences and their target data, along with selected human, mouse and zebrafish expression data sets. mESAdb analysis modules allow (i) mining of microRNA expression data sets for subsets of microRNAs selected manually or by motif; (ii) pair-wise multivariate analysis of expression data sets within and between taxa; and (iii) association of microRNA subsets with annotation databases, HUGE Navigator, KEGG and GO. The use of existing and customized R packages facilitates future addition of data sets and analysis tools. Furthermore, the ability to upload and analyze user-specified data sets makes mESAdb an interactive and expandable analysis tool for microRNA sequence and expression data.

  7. Microgenomic analysis in skeletal muscle: expression signatures of individual fast and slow myofibers.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesco Chemello

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Skeletal muscle is a complex, versatile tissue composed of a variety of functionally diverse fiber types. Although the biochemical, structural and functional properties of myofibers have been the subject of intense investigation for the last decades, understanding molecular processes regulating fiber type diversity is still complicated by the heterogeneity of cell types present in the whole muscle organ. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We have produced a first catalogue of genes expressed in mouse slow-oxidative (type 1 and fast-glycolytic (type 2B fibers through transcriptome analysis at the single fiber level (microgenomics. Individual fibers were obtained from murine soleus and EDL muscles and initially classified by myosin heavy chain isoform content. Gene expression profiling on high density DNA oligonucleotide microarrays showed that both qualitative and quantitative improvements were achieved, compared to results with standard muscle homogenate. First, myofiber profiles were virtually free from non-muscle transcriptional activity. Second, thousands of muscle-specific genes were identified, leading to a better definition of gene signatures in the two fiber types as well as the detection of metabolic and signaling pathways that are differentially activated in specific fiber types. Several regulatory proteins showed preferential expression in slow myofibers. Discriminant analysis revealed novel genes that could be useful for fiber type functional classification. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: As gene expression analyses at the single fiber level significantly increased the resolution power, this innovative approach would allow a better understanding of the adaptive transcriptomic transitions occurring in myofibers under physiological and pathological conditions.

  8. Evaluation of shear wave elastography for differential diagnosis of breast lesions: A new qualitative analysis versus conventional quantitative analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Wei-Wei; Li, Xiao-Long; Wang, Dan; Liu, Bo-Ji; Zhao, Chong-Ke; Xu, Hui-Xiong

    2018-04-13

    To evaluate a special kind of ultrasound (US) shear wave elastography for differential diagnosis of breast lesions, using a new qualitative analysis (i.e. the elasticity score in the travel time map) compared with conventional quantitative analysis. From June 2014 to July 2015, 266 pathologically proven breast lesions were enrolled in this study. The maximum, mean, median, minimum, and standard deviation of shear wave speed (SWS) values (m/s) were assessed. The elasticity score, a new qualitative feature, was evaluated in the travel time map. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves were plotted to evaluate the diagnostic performance of both qualitative and quantitative analyses for differentiation of breast lesions. Among all quantitative parameters, SWS-max showed the highest AUROC (0.805; 95% CI: 0.752, 0.851) compared with SWS-mean (0.786; 95% CI:0.732, 0.834; P = 0.094), SWS-median (0.775; 95% CI:0.720, 0.824; P = 0.046), SWS-min (0.675; 95% CI:0.615, 0.731; P = 0.000), and SWS-SD (0.768; 95% CI:0.712, 0.817; P = 0.074). The AUROC of qualitative analysis in this study obtained the best diagnostic performance (0.871; 95% CI: 0.825, 0.909, compared with the best parameter of SWS-max in quantitative analysis, P = 0.011). The new qualitative analysis of shear wave travel time showed the superior diagnostic performance in the differentiation of breast lesions in comparison with conventional quantitative analysis.

  9. Quantitative gene-expression of the tumor angiogenesis markers vascular endothelial growth factor, integrin alphaV and integrin beta3 in human neuroendocrine tumors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Oxboel, Jytte; Binderup, Tina; Knigge, Ulrich

    2009-01-01

    , in neuroendocrine tumors. We used quantitative real-time PCR for measuring mRNA gene-expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), integrin alphaV, and integrin beta3, and CD34 for a group of patients with neuroendocrine tumors (n=13). Tissue from patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases (n=14...... compared to both colorectal liver metastases (p=0.10) and normal liver tissue (p=0.06). In neuroendocrine tumors, gene-expression was highly variable of VEGF (530-fold), integrin alphaV (23-fold) and integrin beta3 (106-fold). Quantitative gene-expression levels of the key angiogenesis molecules VEGF......Anti-angiogenesis treatment is a promising new therapy for cancer that recently has also been suggested for patients with neuroendocrine tumors. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate the level of tumor angiogenesis, and thereby the molecular basis for anti-angiogenesis treatment...

  10. Gene expression analysis in prostate cancer: the importance of the endogenous control.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Vajda, Alice

    2013-03-01

    Aberrant gene expression is a hallmark of cancer. Quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) is the gold-standard for quantifying gene expression, and commonly employs a house-keeping gene (HKG) as an endogenous control to normalize results; the choice of which is critical for accurate data interpretation. Many factors, including sample type, pathological state, and oxygen levels influence gene expression including putative HKGs. The aim of this study was to determine the suitability of commonly used HKGs for qRT-PCR in prostate cancer.

  11. An information-theoretic machine learning approach to expression QTL analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tao Huang

    Full Text Available Expression Quantitative Trait Locus (eQTL analysis is a powerful tool to study the biological mechanisms linking the genotype with gene expression. Such analyses can identify genomic locations where genotypic variants influence the expression of genes, both in close proximity to the variant (cis-eQTL, and on other chromosomes (trans-eQTL. Many traditional eQTL methods are based on a linear regression model. In this study, we propose a novel method by which to identify eQTL associations with information theory and machine learning approaches. Mutual Information (MI is used to describe the association between genetic marker and gene expression. MI can detect both linear and non-linear associations. What's more, it can capture the heterogeneity of the population. Advanced feature selection methods, Maximum Relevance Minimum Redundancy (mRMR and Incremental Feature Selection (IFS, were applied to optimize the selection of the affected genes by the genetic marker. When we applied our method to a study of apoE-deficient mice, it was found that the cis-acting eQTLs are stronger than trans-acting eQTLs but there are more trans-acting eQTLs than cis-acting eQTLs. We compared our results (mRMR.eQTL with R/qtl, and MatrixEQTL (modelLINEAR and modelANOVA. In female mice, 67.9% of mRMR.eQTL results can be confirmed by at least two other methods while only 14.4% of R/qtl result can be confirmed by at least two other methods. In male mice, 74.1% of mRMR.eQTL results can be confirmed by at least two other methods while only 18.2% of R/qtl result can be confirmed by at least two other methods. Our methods provide a new way to identify the association between genetic markers and gene expression. Our software is available from supporting information.

  12. Quantitative analysis of topoisomerase IIα to rapidly evaluate cell proliferation in brain tumors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oda, Masashi; Arakawa, Yoshiki; Kano, Hideyuki; Kawabata, Yasuhiro; Katsuki, Takahisa; Shirahata, Mitsuaki; Ono, Makoto; Yamana, Norikazu; Hashimoto, Nobuo; Takahashi, Jun A.

    2005-01-01

    Immunohistochemical cell proliferation analyses have come into wide use for evaluation of tumor malignancy. Topoisomerase IIα (topo IIα), an essential nuclear enzyme, has been known to have cell cycle coupled expression. We here show the usefulness of quantitative analysis of topo IIα mRNA to rapidly evaluate cell proliferation in brain tumors. A protocol to quantify topo IIα mRNA was developed with a real-time RT-PCR. It took only 3 h to quantify from a specimen. A total of 28 brain tumors were analyzed, and the level of topo IIα mRNA was significantly correlated with its immuno-staining index (p < 0.0001, r = 0.9077). Furthermore, it sharply detected that topo IIα mRNA decreased in growth-inhibited glioma cell. These results support that topo IIα mRNA may be a good and rapid indicator to evaluate cell proliferate potential in brain tumors

  13. MCM - 2 and Ki - 67 as proliferation markers in renal cell carcinoma: A quantitative and semi - quantitative analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehdi, Muhammad Zain; Nagi, Abdul Hanan; Naseem, Nadia

    2016-01-01

    Fuhrman nuclear grade is the most important histological parameter to predict prognosis in a patient of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, it suffers from inter-observer and intra-observer variation giving rise to need of a parameter that not only correlates with nuclear grade but is also objective and reproducible. Proliferation is the measure of aggressiveness of a tumour and it is strongly correlated with Fuhrman nuclear grade, clinical survival and recurrence in RCC. Ki-67 is conventionally used to assess proliferation. Mini-chromosome maintenance 2 (MCM-2) is a lesser known marker of proliferation and identifies a greater proliferation faction. This study was designed to assess the prognostic significance of MCM-2 by comparing it with Fuhrman nuclear grade and Ki-67. n=50 cases of various ages, stages, histological subtypes and grades of RCC were selected for this study. Immunohistochemical staining using Ki-67(MIB-1, Mouse monoclonal antibody, Dako) and MCM-2 (Mouse monoclonal antibody, Thermo) was performed on the paraffin embedded blocks in the department of Morbid anatomy and Histopathology, University of Health Sciences, Lahore. Labeling indices (LI) were determined by two pathologists independently using quantitative and semi-quantitative analysis. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS 20.0. Kruskall-Wallis test was used to determine a correlation of proliferation markers with grade, and Pearson's correlate was used to determine correlation between the two proliferation markers. Labeling index of MCM-2 (median=24.29%) was found to be much higher than Ki-67(median=13.05%). Both markers were significantly related with grade (p=0.00; Kruskall-Wallis test). LI of MCM-2 was found to correlate significantly with LI of Ki-67(r=0.0934;p=0.01 with Pearson's correlate). Results of semi-quantitative analysis correlated well with quantitative analysis. Both Ki-67 and MCM-2 are markers of proliferation which are closely linked to grade. Therefore, they

  14. Exploring valid reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR analysis in Sesamia inferens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meng Sun

    Full Text Available The pink stem borer, Sesamia inferens, which is endemic in China and other parts of Asia, is a major pest of rice and causes significant yield loss in this host plant. Very few studies have addressed gene expression in S. inferens. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR is currently the most accurate and sensitive method for gene expression analysis. In qRT-PCR, data are normalized using reference genes, which help control for internal differences and reduce error between samples. In this study, seven candidate reference genes, 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA, elongation factor 1 (EF1, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH, ribosomal protein S13 (RPS13, ribosomal protein S20 (RPS20, tubulin (TUB, and β-actin (ACTB were evaluated for their suitability in normalizing gene expression under different experimental conditions. The results indicated that three genes (RPS13, RPS20, and EF1 were optimal for normalizing gene expression in different insect tissues (head, epidermis, fat body, foregut, midgut, hindgut, Malpighian tubules, haemocytes, and salivary glands. 18S rRNA, EF1, and GAPDH were best for normalizing expression with respect to developmental stages and sex (egg masses; first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth instar larvae; male and female pupae; and one-day-old male and female adults. 18S rRNA, RPS20, and TUB were optimal for fifth instars exposed to different temperatures (-8, -6, -4, -2, 0, and 27°C. To validate this recommendation, the expression profile of a target gene heat shock protein 83 gene (hsp83 was investigated, and results showed the selection was necessary and effective. In conclusion, this study describes reference gene sets that can be used to accurately measure gene expression in S. inferens.

  15. Exploring valid reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR analysis in Sesamia inferens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Meng; Lu, Ming-Xing; Tang, Xiao-Tian; Du, Yu-Zhou

    2015-01-01

    The pink stem borer, Sesamia inferens, which is endemic in China and other parts of Asia, is a major pest of rice and causes significant yield loss in this host plant. Very few studies have addressed gene expression in S. inferens. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) is currently the most accurate and sensitive method for gene expression analysis. In qRT-PCR, data are normalized using reference genes, which help control for internal differences and reduce error between samples. In this study, seven candidate reference genes, 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA), elongation factor 1 (EF1), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), ribosomal protein S13 (RPS13), ribosomal protein S20 (RPS20), tubulin (TUB), and β-actin (ACTB) were evaluated for their suitability in normalizing gene expression under different experimental conditions. The results indicated that three genes (RPS13, RPS20, and EF1) were optimal for normalizing gene expression in different insect tissues (head, epidermis, fat body, foregut, midgut, hindgut, Malpighian tubules, haemocytes, and salivary glands). 18S rRNA, EF1, and GAPDH were best for normalizing expression with respect to developmental stages and sex (egg masses; first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth instar larvae; male and female pupae; and one-day-old male and female adults). 18S rRNA, RPS20, and TUB were optimal for fifth instars exposed to different temperatures (-8, -6, -4, -2, 0, and 27°C). To validate this recommendation, the expression profile of a target gene heat shock protein 83 gene (hsp83) was investigated, and results showed the selection was necessary and effective. In conclusion, this study describes reference gene sets that can be used to accurately measure gene expression in S. inferens.

  16. Quantitative Myocardial Perfusion Imaging Versus Visual Analysis in Diagnosing Myocardial Ischemia: A CE-MARC Substudy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biglands, John D; Ibraheem, Montasir; Magee, Derek R; Radjenovic, Aleksandra; Plein, Sven; Greenwood, John P

    2018-05-01

    This study sought to compare the diagnostic accuracy of visual and quantitative analyses of myocardial perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance against a reference standard of quantitative coronary angiography. Visual analysis of perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance studies for assessing myocardial perfusion has been shown to have high diagnostic accuracy for coronary artery disease. However, only a few small studies have assessed the diagnostic accuracy of quantitative myocardial perfusion. This retrospective study included 128 patients randomly selected from the CE-MARC (Clinical Evaluation of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Coronary Heart Disease) study population such that the distribution of risk factors and disease status was proportionate to the full population. Visual analysis results of cardiovascular magnetic resonance perfusion images, by consensus of 2 expert readers, were taken from the original study reports. Quantitative myocardial blood flow estimates were obtained using Fermi-constrained deconvolution. The reference standard for myocardial ischemia was a quantitative coronary x-ray angiogram stenosis severity of ≥70% diameter in any coronary artery of >2 mm diameter, or ≥50% in the left main stem. Diagnostic performance was calculated using receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis. The area under the curve for visual analysis was 0.88 (95% confidence interval: 0.81 to 0.95) with a sensitivity of 81.0% (95% confidence interval: 69.1% to 92.8%) and specificity of 86.0% (95% confidence interval: 78.7% to 93.4%). For quantitative stress myocardial blood flow the area under the curve was 0.89 (95% confidence interval: 0.83 to 0.96) with a sensitivity of 87.5% (95% confidence interval: 77.3% to 97.7%) and specificity of 84.5% (95% confidence interval: 76.8% to 92.3%). There was no statistically significant difference between the diagnostic performance of quantitative and visual analyses (p = 0.72). Incorporating rest myocardial

  17. Characterization and Improvement of RNA-Seq Precision in Quantitative Transcript Expression Profiling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Labaj, Pawel P.; Leparc, German G.; Linggi, Bryan E.; Markillie, Lye Meng; Wiley, H. S.; Kreil, David P.

    2011-07-01

    Measurement precision determines the power of any analysis to reliably identify significant signals, such as in screens for differential expression, independent of whether the experimental design incorporates replicates or not. With the compilation of large scale RNA-Seq data sets with technical replicate samples, however, we can now, for the first time, perform a systematic analysis of the precision of expression level estimates from massively parallel sequencing technology. This then allows considerations for its improvement by computational or experimental means. Results: We report on a comprehensive study of target coverage and measurement precision, including their dependence on transcript expression levels, read depth and other parameters. In particular, an impressive target coverage of 84% of the estimated true transcript population could be achieved with 331 million 50 bp reads, with diminishing returns from longer read lengths and even less gains from increased sequencing depths. Most of the measurement power (75%) is spent on only 7% of the known transcriptome, however, making less strongly expressed transcripts harder to measure. Consequently, less than 30% of all transcripts could be quantified reliably with a relative error < 20%. Based on established tools, we then introduce a new approach for mapping and analyzing sequencing reads that yields substantially improved performance in gene expression profiling, increasing the number of transcripts that can reliably be quantified to over 40%. Extrapolations to higher sequencing depths highlight the need for efficient complementary steps. In discussion we outline possible experimental and computational strategies for further improvements in quantification precision.

  18. A critical appraisal of semi-quantitative analysis of 2-deoxyglucose autoradiograms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kelly, P.T.; McCulloch, J.

    1983-01-01

    Semi-quantitative analysis (e.g. optical density ratios) of [ 14 C]2-deoxyglucose autoradiograms is widely used in neuroscience research. The authors demonstrate that a fixed ratio of 14 C-concentrations in the CNS does not yield a constant optical density ratio but is dependent upon the exposure time in the preparation of the autoradiograms and the absolute amounts of 14 C from which the concentration ratio is derived. The failure of a fixed glucose utilization ratio to result in a constant optical density ratio represents a major interpretative difficulty in investigations where only semi-quantitative analysis of [ 14 C]2-deoxyglucose autoradiograms is undertaken. (Auth.)

  19. [Detecting HB-1 Expression Level in Bone Marrow of Acute Leukemia Patients by Real-Time Fluorescence Quantitative RT-PCR].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qing-Yun; Li, Yuan; Ji, Li; Liang, Ze-Yin; Liu, Wei; Ren, Han-Yun; Qiu, Zhi-Xiang

    2018-02-01

    To investigate the expression level of HB-1 gene in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and the significance of HB-1 gene in monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD). The method of real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR (Taqman probe) was established to detect the expression levels of HB-1 gene; then the sensitivity, specificity and repeatability of this assay were evaluated and verified. The HB-1 gene expression levels in bone marrow of 183 cases of ALL, 70 cases of acute myeloid leukemias (AML), 52 cases of non-malignant hematologic diseases and 24 healthy hematopoietic stem cell donors were detected. The correlation of HB-1 level with diagnosis and relapse was analyzed by detecting bone marrow samples of 33 B-ALL. The sensitivity of this assay reached the 10 -4 level. The coefficient of variation for inter-batch and inter-tube of HB-1 were 6.79% and 4.80%, respectively. It was found that HB-1 gene specifically expressed in acute B lymphoblastic leukemia. The median expression levels of HB-1 gene in newly diagnosed and relapsed B-ALL patients were statistically significantly higher than those in ALL in complete remission(CR), newly diagnosed T-ALL, newly diagnosed AML, non-malignant hematologic diseases, and healthy hematopoietic stem cell donors(33.0% vs 0.68%, 0.07%, 0.02%, 0.58% and 0, respectively) (P0.05). The expression level of HB-1 gene declined sharply when B-ALL patients reached complete remission (0-7.99%, with median level 0.68%), but increased when relapsed (7.69%, 8.08% and 484.0% in 3 relapsed samples), which was in accordance with results of flow cytometry. HB-1 gene specifically expressed in acute B lymphoblastic leukemia cells. The established real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR assay shows good sensitivity, specificity and repeatability, thus, can be used as a biological marker in the clinical detection, monitoring MRD and predicting of early relapse for B-ALL patients.

  20. Quantitative analysis of culture using millions of digitized books.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michel, Jean-Baptiste; Shen, Yuan Kui; Aiden, Aviva Presser; Veres, Adrian; Gray, Matthew K; Pickett, Joseph P; Hoiberg, Dale; Clancy, Dan; Norvig, Peter; Orwant, Jon; Pinker, Steven; Nowak, Martin A; Aiden, Erez Lieberman

    2011-01-14

    We constructed a corpus of digitized texts containing about 4% of all books ever printed. Analysis of this corpus enables us to investigate cultural trends quantitatively. We survey the vast terrain of 'culturomics,' focusing on linguistic and cultural phenomena that were reflected in the English language between 1800 and 2000. We show how this approach can provide insights about fields as diverse as lexicography, the evolution of grammar, collective memory, the adoption of technology, the pursuit of fame, censorship, and historical epidemiology. Culturomics extends the boundaries of rigorous quantitative inquiry to a wide array of new phenomena spanning the social sciences and the humanities.

  1. Quantitative analysis of culture using millions of digitized books

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michel, Jean-Baptiste; Shen, Yuan Kui; Aiden, Aviva P.; Veres, Adrian; Gray, Matthew K.; Pickett, Joseph P.; Hoiberg, Dale; Clancy, Dan; Norvig, Peter; Orwant, Jon; Pinker, Steven; Nowak, Martin A.; Aiden, Erez Lieberman

    2011-01-01

    We constructed a corpus of digitized texts containing about 4% of all books ever printed. Analysis of this corpus enables us to investigate cultural trends quantitatively. We survey the vast terrain of ‘culturomics’, focusing on linguistic and cultural phenomena that were reflected in the English language between 1800 and 2000. We show how this approach can provide insights about fields as diverse as lexicography, the evolution of grammar, collective memory, the adoption of technology, the pursuit of fame, censorship, and historical epidemiology. ‘Culturomics’ extends the boundaries of rigorous quantitative inquiry to a wide array of new phenomena spanning the social sciences and the humanities. PMID:21163965

  2. Quantitative mass spectrometric analysis of glycoproteins combined with enrichment methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahn, Yeong Hee; Kim, Jin Young; Yoo, Jong Shin

    2015-01-01

    Mass spectrometry (MS) has been a core technology for high sensitive and high-throughput analysis of the enriched glycoproteome in aspects of quantitative assays as well as qualitative profiling of glycoproteins. Because it has been widely recognized that aberrant glycosylation in a glycoprotein may involve in progression of a certain disease, the development of efficient analysis tool for the aberrant glycoproteins is very important for deep understanding about pathological function of the glycoprotein and new biomarker development. This review first describes the protein glycosylation-targeting enrichment technologies mainly employing solid-phase extraction methods such as hydrizide-capturing, lectin-specific capturing, and affinity separation techniques based on porous graphitized carbon, hydrophilic interaction chromatography, or immobilized boronic acid. Second, MS-based quantitative analysis strategies coupled with the protein glycosylation-targeting enrichment technologies, by using a label-free MS, stable isotope-labeling, or targeted multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) MS, are summarized with recent published studies. © 2014 The Authors. Mass Spectrometry Reviews Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of telomerase activity in benign and malignant thyroid tissues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng Rongxiu; Fang Peihua; Tan Jian; Lu Mei; Li Yigong

    2002-01-01

    Objective: To study the status of telomerase activity during the development of thyroid tumors, and to determine whether telomerase activity can be used clinically as a molecular marker in the differential diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Methods: Telomerase activity was measured in 37 thyroid carcinomas, 33 benign thyroid lesions and 30 normal thyroid tissue samples by means of a modified TRAP-PCR. The assay was also applied to 15 fine needle aspirates (FNAs) of thyroid carcinomas to test its sensitivity. Results: Thirty-one of 37 thyroid carcinomas (83.8%), 7 of 33 benign thyroid lesions (21.2%), and 4 of 30 adjacent normal thyroid tissue samples expressed telomerase activity, 15 FNAs also had positive telomerase activity, just as their corresponding tissue specimens. The quantitative analysis showed that the telomerase activity was significantly higher in thyroid carcinomas than that in benign thyroid tissue samples. And medullary carcinomas and anaplastic carcinomas had higher levels of telomerase activity than papillary carcinomas. Conclusions: Telomerase activity is a good marker for thyroid carcinomas. The quantitative TRAP-PCR might have more potential application in the differential diagnosis of tumors and the estimation of tumor progression and prognosis. And this sensitive assay could become a useful new modality for supplementing microscopic cytopathology in the detection of cancer cells in small tissue samples and FNAs

  4. A Genome-Wide mQTL Analysis in Human Adipose Tissue Identifies Genetic Variants Associated with DNA Methylation, Gene Expression and Metabolic Traits

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Volkov, Petr; Olsson, Anders H; Gillberg, Linn

    2016-01-01

    Little is known about the extent to which interactions between genetics and epigenetics may affect the risk of complex metabolic diseases and/or their intermediary phenotypes. We performed a genome-wide DNA methylation quantitative trait locus (mQTL) analysis in human adipose tissue of 119 men, w...... and epigenetic variation in both cis and trans positions influencing gene expression in adipose tissue and in vivo (dys)metabolic traits associated with the development of obesity and diabetes.......Little is known about the extent to which interactions between genetics and epigenetics may affect the risk of complex metabolic diseases and/or their intermediary phenotypes. We performed a genome-wide DNA methylation quantitative trait locus (mQTL) analysis in human adipose tissue of 119 men......, where 592,794 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were related to DNA methylation of 477,891 CpG sites, covering 99% of RefSeq genes. SNPs in significant mQTLs were further related to gene expression in adipose tissue and obesity related traits. We found 101,911 SNP-CpG pairs (mQTLs) in cis and 5...

  5. Quantitative analysis of macro-ARG using IP system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakajima, Eiichi; Kawai, Kenji; Furuta, Yoshitake

    1997-01-01

    Recent progress in imaging plate (IP) system allow us to analyze autoradiographic images quantitatively. In the 'whole-body autoradiography', a method clarify the distribution of radioisotope or labeled compounds in the tissues and organs in a freeze-dried whole-body section of small animals such as rats and mice, the sections are pressed against a IP for exposure and the IP is scanned by Bio-Imaging Analyzer (Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd) and a digital autoradiographic image is given. Quantitative data concerning the activity in different tissues can be obtained using an isotope scale as a reference source. Fading effect, application of IP system for distribution of receptor binding ARG, analysis of radio-spots on TLC and radioactive concentration in liquid such as blood are also discussed. (author)

  6. Potential Application of Quantitative Prostate-specific Antigen Analysis in Forensic Examination of Seminal Stains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhenping Liu

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The aims of this study are to use quantitative analysis of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA in the seminal stain examination and to explore the practical value of this analysis in forensic science. For a comprehensive analysis, vaginal swabs from 48 rape cases were tested both by a PSA fluorescence analyzer (i-CHROMA Reader and by a conventional PSA strip test. To confirm the results of these PSA tests, seminal DNA was tested following differential extraction. Compared to the PSA strip test, the PSA rapid quantitative fluorescence analyzer provided the more accurate and sensitive results. More importantly, individualized schemes based on quantitative PSA results of samples can be developed to improve the quality and procedural efficiency in the forensic seminal inspection of samples prior to DNA analysis.

  7. Molecular characters and expression analysis of a new isoform of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    STORAGESEVER

    2008-10-20

    Oct 20, 2008 ... isoform of the myocyte enhancer factor 2 gene from the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Qing-zhi Ling1, 2, ... BMEF2B mRNA content in the brain was measured using the combined method of quantitative RT-PCR and Southern ... specific cofactors to control gene expression in pheno- typically different muscles.

  8. Expression of the Long Intergenic Non-Protein Coding RNA 665 (LINC00665) Gene and the Cell Cycle in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using The Cancer Genome Atlas, the Gene Expression Omnibus, and Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Dong-Yue; Lin, Peng; Pang, Yu-Yan; Chen, Gang; He, Yun; Dang, Yi-Wu; Yang, Hong

    2018-05-05

    BACKGROUND Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have a role in physiological and pathological processes, including cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of the long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 665 (LINC00665) gene and the cell cycle in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using database analysis including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). MATERIAL AND METHODS Expression levels of LINC00665 were compared between human tissue samples of HCC and adjacent normal liver, clinicopathological correlations were made using TCGA and the GEO, and qPCR was performed to validate the findings. Other public databases were searched for other genes associated with LINC00665 expression, including The Atlas of Noncoding RNAs in Cancer (TANRIC), the Multi Experiment Matrix (MEM), Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. RESULTS Overexpression of LINC00665 in patients with HCC was significantly associated with gender, tumor grade, stage, and tumor cell type. Overexpression of LINC00665 in patients with HCC was significantly associated with overall survival (OS) (HR=1.47795%; CI: 1.046-2.086). Bioinformatics analysis identified 469 related genes and further analysis supported a hypothesis that LINC00665 regulates pathways in the cell cycle to facilitate the development and progression of HCC through ten identified core genes: CDK1, BUB1B, BUB1, PLK1, CCNB2, CCNB1, CDC20, ESPL1, MAD2L1, and CCNA2. CONCLUSIONS Overexpression of the lncRNA, LINC00665 may be involved in the regulation of cell cycle pathways in HCC through ten identified hub genes.

  9. On the Need for Quantitative Bias Analysis in the Peer-Review Process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fox, Matthew P; Lash, Timothy L

    2017-05-15

    Peer review is central to the process through which epidemiologists generate evidence to inform public health and medical interventions. Reviewers thereby act as critical gatekeepers to high-quality research. They are asked to carefully consider the validity of the proposed work or research findings by paying careful attention to the methodology and critiquing the importance of the insight gained. However, although many have noted problems with the peer-review system for both manuscripts and grant submissions, few solutions have been proposed to improve the process. Quantitative bias analysis encompasses all methods used to quantify the impact of systematic error on estimates of effect in epidemiologic research. Reviewers who insist that quantitative bias analysis be incorporated into the design, conduct, presentation, and interpretation of epidemiologic research could substantially strengthen the process. In the present commentary, we demonstrate how quantitative bias analysis can be used by investigators and authors, reviewers, funding agencies, and editors. By utilizing quantitative bias analysis in the peer-review process, editors can potentially avoid unnecessary rejections, identify key areas for improvement, and improve discussion sections by shifting from speculation on the impact of sources of error to quantification of the impact those sources of bias may have had. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  10. AUTOMATED ANALYSIS OF QUANTITATIVE IMAGE DATA USING ISOMORPHIC FUNCTIONAL MIXED MODELS, WITH APPLICATION TO PROTEOMICS DATA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morris, Jeffrey S; Baladandayuthapani, Veerabhadran; Herrick, Richard C; Sanna, Pietro; Gutstein, Howard

    2011-01-01

    Image data are increasingly encountered and are of growing importance in many areas of science. Much of these data are quantitative image data, which are characterized by intensities that represent some measurement of interest in the scanned images. The data typically consist of multiple images on the same domain and the goal of the research is to combine the quantitative information across images to make inference about populations or interventions. In this paper, we present a unified analysis framework for the analysis of quantitative image data using a Bayesian functional mixed model approach. This framework is flexible enough to handle complex, irregular images with many local features, and can model the simultaneous effects of multiple factors on the image intensities and account for the correlation between images induced by the design. We introduce a general isomorphic modeling approach to fitting the functional mixed model, of which the wavelet-based functional mixed model is one special case. With suitable modeling choices, this approach leads to efficient calculations and can result in flexible modeling and adaptive smoothing of the salient features in the data. The proposed method has the following advantages: it can be run automatically, it produces inferential plots indicating which regions of the image are associated with each factor, it simultaneously considers the practical and statistical significance of findings, and it controls the false discovery rate. Although the method we present is general and can be applied to quantitative image data from any application, in this paper we focus on image-based proteomic data. We apply our method to an animal study investigating the effects of opiate addiction on the brain proteome. Our image-based functional mixed model approach finds results that are missed with conventional spot-based analysis approaches. In particular, we find that the significant regions of the image identified by the proposed method

  11. Immune adherence: a quantitative and kinetic analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sekine, T [National Cancer Center, Tokyo (Japan). Research Inst.

    1978-09-01

    Quantitative and kinetic analysis of the immune-adherence reaction (IA) between C3b fragments and IA receptors as an agglutination reaction is difficult. Analysis is possible, however, by use of radio-iodinated bovine serum albumin as antigen at low concentrations (less than 200 ng/ml) and optimal concentration of antibody to avoid precipitation of antigen-antibody complexes with human erythrocytes without participation of complement. Antigen and antibody are reacted at 37/sup 0/C, complement is added, the mixture incubated and human erythrocytes added; after further incubation, ice-cold EDTA containing buffer is added and the erythrocytes centrifuged and assayed for radioactivity. Control cells reacted with heated guinea pig serum retained less than 5% of the added radioactivity. The method facilitates measurement of IA reactivity and permits more detailed analysis of the mechanism underlying the reaction.

  12. Quantitative Determination of Aluminum in Deodorant Brands: A Guided Inquiry Learning Experience in Quantitative Analysis Laboratory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sedwick, Victoria; Leal, Anne; Turner, Dea; Kanu, A. Bakarr

    2018-01-01

    The monitoring of metals in commercial products is essential for protecting public health against the hazards of metal toxicity. This article presents a guided inquiry (GI) experimental lab approach in a quantitative analysis lab class that enabled students' to determine the levels of aluminum in deodorant brands. The utility of a GI experimental…

  13. Automatic emotional expression analysis from eye area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akkoç, Betül; Arslan, Ahmet

    2015-02-01

    Eyes play an important role in expressing emotions in nonverbal communication. In the present study, emotional expression classification was performed based on the features that were automatically extracted from the eye area. Fırst, the face area and the eye area were automatically extracted from the captured image. Afterwards, the parameters to be used for the analysis through discrete wavelet transformation were obtained from the eye area. Using these parameters, emotional expression analysis was performed through artificial intelligence techniques. As the result of the experimental studies, 6 universal emotions consisting of expressions of happiness, sadness, surprise, disgust, anger and fear were classified at a success rate of 84% using artificial neural networks.

  14. Quantitative data analysis with SPSS release 8 for Windows a guide for social scientists

    CERN Document Server

    Bryman, Alan

    2002-01-01

    The latest edition of this best-selling introduction to Quantitative Data Analysis through the use of a computer package has been completely updated to accommodate the needs of users of SPSS Release 8 for Windows. Like its predecessor, it provides a non-technical approach to quantitative data analysis and a user-friendly introduction to the widely used SPSS for Windows. It assumes no previous familiarity with either statistics or computing but takes the reader step-by-step through the techniques, reinforced by exercises for further practice. Techniques explained in Quantitative Data Analysis with SPSS Release 8 for Windows include: * correlation * simple and multiple regression * multivariate analysis of variance and covariance * factor analysis The book also covers issues such as sampling, statistical significance, conceptualization and measurement and the selection of appropriate tests. For further information or to download the book's datasets, please visit the webstite: http://www.routledge.com/textbooks/...

  15. Quantitative analysis on electrooculography (EOG) for neurodegenerative disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Chang-Chia; Chaovalitwongse, W. Art; Pardalos, Panos M.; Seref, Onur; Xanthopoulos, Petros; Sackellares, J. C.; Skidmore, Frank M.

    2007-11-01

    Many studies have documented abnormal horizontal and vertical eye movements in human neurodegenerative disease as well as during altered states of consciousness (including drowsiness and intoxication) in healthy adults. Eye movement measurement may play an important role measuring the progress of neurodegenerative diseases and state of alertness in healthy individuals. There are several techniques for measuring eye movement, Infrared detection technique (IR). Video-oculography (VOG), Scleral eye coil and EOG. Among those available recording techniques, EOG is a major source for monitoring the abnormal eye movement. In this real-time quantitative analysis study, the methods which can capture the characteristic of the eye movement were proposed to accurately categorize the state of neurodegenerative subjects. The EOG recordings were taken while 5 tested subjects were watching a short (>120 s) animation clip. In response to the animated clip the participants executed a number of eye movements, including vertical smooth pursued (SVP), horizontal smooth pursued (HVP) and random saccades (RS). Detection of abnormalities in ocular movement may improve our diagnosis and understanding a neurodegenerative disease and altered states of consciousness. A standard real-time quantitative analysis will improve detection and provide a better understanding of pathology in these disorders.

  16. Quantitative XPS analysis of high Tc superconductor surfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jablonski, A.; Sanada, N.; Suzuki, Y.; Fukuda, Y.; Nagoshi, M.

    1993-01-01

    The procedure of quantitative XPS analysis involving the relative sensitivity factors is most convenient to apply to high T c superconductor surfaces because this procedure does not require standards. However, a considerable limitation of such an approach is its relatively low accuracy. In the present work, a proposition is made to use for this purpose a modification of the relative sensitivity factor approach accounting for the matrix and the instrumental effects. The accuracy of this modification when applied to the binary metal alloys is 2% or better. A quantitative XPS analysis was made for surfaces of the compounds Bi 2 Sr 2 CuO 6 , Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 , and YBa 2 Cu 3 O Y . The surface composition determined for the polycrystalline samples corresponds reasonably well to the bulk stoichiometry. Slight deficiency of oxygen was found for the Bi-based compounds. The surface exposed on cleavage of the Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 single crystal was found to be enriched with bismuth, which indicates that the cleavage occurs along the BiO planes. This result is in agreement with the STM studies published in the literature

  17. The functional landscape of mouse gene expression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhang Wen

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Large-scale quantitative analysis of transcriptional co-expression has been used to dissect regulatory networks and to predict the functions of new genes discovered by genome sequencing in model organisms such as yeast. Although the idea that tissue-specific expression is indicative of gene function in mammals is widely accepted, it has not been objectively tested nor compared with the related but distinct strategy of correlating gene co-expression as a means to predict gene function. Results We generated microarray expression data for nearly 40,000 known and predicted mRNAs in 55 mouse tissues, using custom-built oligonucleotide arrays. We show that quantitative transcriptional co-expression is a powerful predictor of gene function. Hundreds of functional categories, as defined by Gene Ontology 'Biological Processes', are associated with characteristic expression patterns across all tissues, including categories that bear no overt relationship to the tissue of origin. In contrast, simple tissue-specific restriction of expression is a poor predictor of which genes are in which functional categories. As an example, the highly conserved mouse gene PWP1 is widely expressed across different tissues but is co-expressed with many RNA-processing genes; we show that the uncharacterized yeast homolog of PWP1 is required for rRNA biogenesis. Conclusions We conclude that 'functional genomics' strategies based on quantitative transcriptional co-expression will be as fruitful in mammals as they have been in simpler organisms, and that transcriptional control of mammalian physiology is more modular than is generally appreciated. Our data and analyses provide a public resource for mammalian functional genomics.

  18. Quantitative Analysis of Complex Tropical Forest Stands: A Review ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The importance of data analysis in quantitative assessment of natural resources remains significant in the sustainable management of complex tropical forest resources. Analyses of data from complex tropical forest stands have not been easy or clear due to improper data management. It is pivotal to practical researches ...

  19. Reference gene selection for quantitative gene expression studies during biological invasions: A test on multiple genes and tissues in a model ascidian Ciona savignyi.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Xuena; Gao, Yangchun; Jiang, Bei; Zhou, Zunchun; Zhan, Aibin

    2016-01-15

    As invasive species have successfully colonized a wide range of dramatically different local environments, they offer a good opportunity to study interactions between species and rapidly changing environments. Gene expression represents one of the primary and crucial mechanisms for rapid adaptation to local environments. Here, we aim to select reference genes for quantitative gene expression analysis based on quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) for a model invasive ascidian, Ciona savignyi. We analyzed the stability of ten candidate reference genes in three tissues (siphon, pharynx and intestine) under two key environmental stresses (temperature and salinity) in the marine realm based on three programs (geNorm, NormFinder and delta Ct method). Our results demonstrated only minor difference for stability rankings among the three methods. The use of different single reference gene might influence the data interpretation, while multiple reference genes could minimize possible errors. Therefore, reference gene combinations were recommended for different tissues - the optimal reference gene combination for siphon was RPS15 and RPL17 under temperature stress, and RPL17, UBQ and TubA under salinity treatment; for pharynx, TubB, TubA and RPL17 were the most stable genes under temperature stress, while TubB, TubA and UBQ were the best under salinity stress; for intestine, UBQ, RPS15 and RPL17 were the most reliable reference genes under both treatments. Our results suggest that the necessity of selection and test of reference genes for different tissues under varying environmental stresses. The results obtained here are expected to reveal mechanisms of gene expression-mediated invasion success using C. savignyi as a model species. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Quantitative analysis of eyes and other optical systems in linear optics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, William F; Evans, Tanya; van Gool, Radboud D

    2017-05-01

    To show that 14-dimensional spaces of augmented point P and angle Q characteristics, matrices obtained from the ray transference, are suitable for quantitative analysis although only the latter define an inner-product space and only on it can one define distances and angles. The paper examines the nature of the spaces and their relationships to other spaces including symmetric dioptric power space. The paper makes use of linear optics, a three-dimensional generalization of Gaussian optics. Symmetric 2 × 2 dioptric power matrices F define a three-dimensional inner-product space which provides a sound basis for quantitative analysis (calculation of changes, arithmetic means, etc.) of refractive errors and thin systems. For general systems the optical character is defined by the dimensionally-heterogeneous 4 × 4 symplectic matrix S, the transference, or if explicit allowance is made for heterocentricity, the 5 × 5 augmented symplectic matrix T. Ordinary quantitative analysis cannot be performed on them because matrices of neither of these types constitute vector spaces. Suitable transformations have been proposed but because the transforms are dimensionally heterogeneous the spaces are not naturally inner-product spaces. The paper obtains 14-dimensional spaces of augmented point P and angle Q characteristics. The 14-dimensional space defined by the augmented angle characteristics Q is dimensionally homogenous and an inner-product space. A 10-dimensional subspace of the space of augmented point characteristics P is also an inner-product space. The spaces are suitable for quantitative analysis of the optical character of eyes and many other systems. Distances and angles can be defined in the inner-product spaces. The optical systems may have multiple separated astigmatic and decentred refracting elements. © 2017 The Authors Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics © 2017 The College of Optometrists.

  1. Quantitative X ray analysis system. User's manual and guide to X ray fluorescence technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    This guide covers trimmed and re-arranged version 3.6 of the Quantitative X ray Analysis System (QXAS) software package that includes the most frequently used methods of quantitative analysis. QXAS is a comprehensive quantitative analysis package that has been developed by the IAEA through research and technical contracts. Additional development has also been carried out in the IAEA Laboratories in Seibersdorf where QXAS was extensively tested. New in this version of the manual are the descriptions of the Voigt-profile peak fitting, the backscatter fundamental parameters' and emission-transmission methods of chemical composition analysis, an expanded chapter on the X ray fluorescence physics, and completely revised and increased number of practical examples of utilization of the QXAS software package. The analytical data accompanying this manual were collected in the IAEA Seibersdorf Laboratories in the years 2006/2007

  2. Quantitative proteomic analysis of intact plastids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shiraya, Takeshi; Kaneko, Kentaro; Mitsui, Toshiaki

    2014-01-01

    Plastids are specialized cell organelles in plant cells that are differentiated into various forms including chloroplasts, chromoplasts, and amyloplasts, and fulfill important functions in maintaining the overall cell metabolism and sensing environmental factors such as sunlight. It is therefore important to grasp the mechanisms of differentiation and functional changes of plastids in order to enhance the understanding of vegetality. In this chapter, details of a method for the extraction of intact plastids that makes analysis possible while maintaining the plastid functions are provided; in addition, a quantitative shotgun method for analyzing the composition and changes in the content of proteins in plastids as a result of environmental impacts is described.

  3. Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Ruissen, Fred; Baas, Frank

    2007-01-01

    In 1995, serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) was developed as a versatile tool for gene expression studies. SAGE technology does not require pre-existing knowledge of the genome that is being examined and therefore SAGE can be applied to many different model systems. In this chapter, the SAGE

  4. Quantitative analysis of elastography images in the detection of breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Landoni, V.; Francione, V.; Marzi, S.; Pasciuti, K.; Ferrante, F.; Saracca, E.; Pedrini, M.; Strigari, L.; Crecco, M.; Di Nallo, A.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a quantitative method for breast cancer diagnosis based on elastosonography images in order to reduce whenever possible unnecessary biopsies. The proposed method was validated by correlating the results of quantitative analysis with the diagnosis assessed by histopathologic exam. Material and methods: 109 images of breast lesions (50 benign and 59 malignant) were acquired with the traditional B-mode technique and with elastographic modality. Images in Digital Imaging and COmmunications in Medicine format (DICOM) were exported into a software, written in Visual Basic, especially developed to perform this study. The lesion was contoured and the mean grey value and softness inside the region of interest (ROI) were calculated. The correlations between variables were investigated and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the proposed method. Pathologic results were used as standard reference. Results: Both the mean grey value and the softness inside the ROI resulted statistically different at the t test for the two populations of lesions (i.e., benign versus malignant): p < 0.0001. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.924 (0.834–0.973) and 0.917 (0.826–0.970) for the mean grey value and for the softness respectively. Conclusions: Quantitative elastosonography is a promising ultrasound technique in the detection of breast cancer but large prospective trials are necessary to determine whether quantitative analysis of images can help to overcome some pitfalls of the methodic.

  5. The quantitative basis of the Arabidopsis innate immune system to endemic pathogens depends on pathogen genetics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Corwin, Jason A; Copeland, Daniel; Feusier, Julie

    2016-01-01

    The most established model of the eukaryotic innate immune system is derived from examples of large effect monogenic quantitative resistance to pathogens. However, many host-pathogen interactions involve many genes of small to medium effect and exhibit quantitative resistance. We used the Arabido......The most established model of the eukaryotic innate immune system is derived from examples of large effect monogenic quantitative resistance to pathogens. However, many host-pathogen interactions involve many genes of small to medium effect and exhibit quantitative resistance. We used....... cinerea, we identified a total of 2,982 genes associated with quantitative resistance using lesion area and 3,354 genes associated with camalexin production as measures of the interaction. Most genes were associated with resistance to a specific Botrytis isolate, which demonstrates the influence...... genes associated with quantitative resistance. Using publically available co-expression data, we condensed the quantitative resistance associated genes into co-expressed gene networks. GO analysis of these networks implicated several biological processes commonly connected to disease resistance...

  6. Renal geology (quantitative renal stone analysis) by 'Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy'.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Iqbal

    2008-01-01

    To prospectively determine the precise stone composition (quantitative analysis) by using infrared spectroscopy in patients with urinary stone disease presenting to our clinic. To determine an ideal method for stone analysis suitable for use in a clinical setting. After routine and a detailed metabolic workup of all patients of urolithiasis, stone samples of 50 patients of urolithiasis satisfying the entry criteria were subjected to the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis after adequate sample homogenization at a single testing center. Calcium oxalate monohydrate and dihydrate stone mixture was most commonly encountered in 35 (71%) followed by calcium phosphate, carbonate apatite, magnesium ammonium hexahydrate and xanthine stones. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy allows an accurate, reliable quantitative method of stone analysis. It also helps in maintaining a computerized large reference library. Knowledge of precise stone composition may allow the institution of appropriate prophylactic therapy despite the absence of any detectable metabolic abnormalities. This may prevent and or delay stone recurrence.

  7. Integration analysis of quantitative proteomics and transcriptomics data identifies potential targets of frizzled-8 protein-related antiproliferative factor in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Wei; Kim, Yongsoo; Kim, Taek-Kyun; Keay, Susan K; Kim, Kwang Pyo; Steen, Hanno; Freeman, Michael R; Hwang, Daehee; Kim, Jayoung

    2012-12-01

    identify more differentially expressed genes with a lower false discovery rate from a previously published microarray data set, an integrative hypothesis-testing statistical approach was applied. • For validation experiments, expression and phosphorylation levels of select proteins were evaluated by western blotting. • Integration analysis of this transcriptomics data set with our own quantitative proteomics data set identified 10 genes that are potentially regulated by APF in vivo from 4140 differentially expressed genes identified with a false discovery rate of 1%. • Of these, five (i.e. JUP, MAPKSP1, GSPT1, PTGS2/COX-2 and XPOT) were found to be prominent after network modelling of the common genes identified in the proteomics and microarray studies. • This molecular signature reflects the biological processes of cell adhesion, cell proliferation and inflammation, which is consistent with the known physiological effects of APF. • Lastly, we found the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway was down-regulated in response to APF. • This unbiased integration analysis of in vitro quantitative proteomics data with in vivo quantitative transcriptomics data led to the identification of potential downstream mediators of the APF signal transduction pathway. © 2012 THE AUTHORS. BJU INTERNATIONAL © 2012 BJU INTERNATIONAL.

  8. Integrating genome-wide association study and expression quantitative trait loci data identifies multiple genes and gene set associated with neuroticism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Qianrui; Wang, Wenyu; Hao, Jingcan; He, Awen; Wen, Yan; Guo, Xiong; Wu, Cuiyan; Ning, Yujie; Wang, Xi; Wang, Sen; Zhang, Feng

    2017-08-01

    Neuroticism is a fundamental personality trait with significant genetic determinant. To identify novel susceptibility genes for neuroticism, we conducted an integrative analysis of genomic and transcriptomic data of genome wide association study (GWAS) and expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) study. GWAS summary data was driven from published studies of neuroticism, totally involving 170,906 subjects. eQTL dataset containing 927,753 eQTLs were obtained from an eQTL meta-analysis of 5311 samples. Integrative analysis of GWAS and eQTL data was conducted by summary data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) analysis software. To identify neuroticism associated gene sets, the SMR analysis results were further subjected to gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). The gene set annotation dataset (containing 13,311 annotated gene sets) of GSEA Molecular Signatures Database was used. SMR single gene analysis identified 6 significant genes for neuroticism, including MSRA (p value=2.27×10 -10 ), MGC57346 (p value=6.92×10 -7 ), BLK (p value=1.01×10 -6 ), XKR6 (p value=1.11×10 -6 ), C17ORF69 (p value=1.12×10 -6 ) and KIAA1267 (p value=4.00×10 -6 ). Gene set enrichment analysis observed significant association for Chr8p23 gene set (false discovery rate=0.033). Our results provide novel clues for the genetic mechanism studies of neuroticism. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  9. Selection and Verification of Candidate Reference Genes for Mature MicroRNA Expression by Quantitative RT-PCR in the Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hui Song

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR is a rapid and sensitive method for analyzing microRNA (miRNA expression. However, accurate qRT-PCR results depend on the selection of reliable reference genes as internal positive controls. To date, few studies have identified reliable reference genes for differential expression analysis of miRNAs among tissues, and among experimental conditions in plants. In this study, three miRNAs and four non-coding small RNAs (ncRNA were selected as reference candidates, and the stability of their expression was evaluated among different tissues and under different experimental conditions in the tea plant (Camellia sinensis using the geNorm and NormFinder programs. It was shown that miR159a was the best single reference gene in the bud to the fifth leaf, 5S rRNA was the most suitable gene in different organs, miR6149 was the most stable gene when the leaves were attacked by Ectropis oblique and U4, miR5368n and miR159a were the best genes when the leaves were treated by methyl jasmonate (MeJA, salicylic acid (SA and abscisic acid (ABA, respectively. Our results provide suitable reference genes for future investigations on miRNA functions in tea plants.

  10. Identification, expression and phylogenetic analysis of EgG1Y162 from Echinococcus granulosus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Fengbo; Ma, Xiumin; Zhu, Yuejie; Wang, Hongying; Liu, Xianfei; Zhu, Min; Ma, Haimei; Wen, Hao; Fan, Haining; Ding, Jianbing

    2014-01-01

    Objective: This study was to clone, identify and analyze the characteristics of egG1Y162 gene from Echinococcus granulosus. Methods: Genomic DNA and total RNAs were extracted from four different developmental stages of protoscolex, germinal layer, adult and egg of Echinococcus granulosus, respectively. Fluorescent quantitative PCR was used for analyzing the expression of egG1Y162 gene. Prokaryotic expression plasmid of pET41a-EgG1Y162 was constructed to express recombinant His-EgG1Y162 antigen. Western blot analysis was performed to detect antigenicity of EgG1Y162 antigen. Gene sequence, amino acid alignment and phylogenetic tree of EgG1Y162 were analyzed by BLAST, online Spidey and MEGA4 software, respectively. Results: EgG1Y162 gene was expressed in four developmental stages of Echinococcus granulosus. And, egG1Y162 gene expression was the highest in the adult stage, with the relative value of 19.526, significantly higher than other three stages. Additionally, Western blot analysis revealed that EgG1Y162 recombinant protein had good reaction with serum samples from Echinococcus granulosus infected human and dog. Moreover, EgG1Y162 antigen was phylogenetically closest to EmY162 antigen, with the similarity over 90%. Conclusion: Our study identified EgG1Y162 antigen in Echinococcus granulosus for the first time. EgG1Y162 antigen had a high similarity with EmY162 antigen, with the genetic differences mainly existing in the intron region. And, EgG1Y162 recombinant protein showed good antigenicity. PMID:25337206

  11. Identification, expression and phylogenetic analysis of EgG1Y162 from Echinococcus granulosus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Fengbo; Ma, Xiumin; Zhu, Yuejie; Wang, Hongying; Liu, Xianfei; Zhu, Min; Ma, Haimei; Wen, Hao; Fan, Haining; Ding, Jianbing

    2014-01-01

    This study was to clone, identify and analyze the characteristics of egG1Y162 gene from Echinococcus granulosus. Genomic DNA and total RNAs were extracted from four different developmental stages of protoscolex, germinal layer, adult and egg of Echinococcus granulosus, respectively. Fluorescent quantitative PCR was used for analyzing the expression of egG1Y162 gene. Prokaryotic expression plasmid of pET41a-EgG1Y162 was constructed to express recombinant His-EgG1Y162 antigen. Western blot analysis was performed to detect antigenicity of EgG1Y162 antigen. Gene sequence, amino acid alignment and phylogenetic tree of EgG1Y162 were analyzed by BLAST, online Spidey and MEGA4 software, respectively. EgG1Y162 gene was expressed in four developmental stages of Echinococcus granulosus. And, egG1Y162 gene expression was the highest in the adult stage, with the relative value of 19.526, significantly higher than other three stages. Additionally, Western blot analysis revealed that EgG1Y162 recombinant protein had good reaction with serum samples from Echinococcus granulosus infected human and dog. Moreover, EgG1Y162 antigen was phylogenetically closest to EmY162 antigen, with the similarity over 90%. Our study identified EgG1Y162 antigen in Echinococcus granulosus for the first time. EgG1Y162 antigen had a high similarity with EmY162 antigen, with the genetic differences mainly existing in the intron region. And, EgG1Y162 recombinant protein showed good antigenicity.

  12. Quantitative proteomic analysis of ibuprofen-degrading Patulibacter sp. strain I11

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Almeida, Barbara; Kjeldal, Henrik; Lolas, Ihab Bishara Yousef

    2013-01-01

    was identified and quantified by gel based shotgun-proteomics. In total 251 unique proteins were quantitated using this approach. Biological process and pathway analysis indicated a number of proteins that were up-regulated in response to active degradation of ibuprofen, some of them are known to be involved...... in the degradation of aromatic compounds. Data analysis revealed that several of these proteins are likely involved in ibuprofen degradation by Patulibacter sp. strain I11.......Ibuprofen is the third most consumed pharmaceutical drug in the world. Several isolates have been shown to degrade ibuprofen, but very little is known about the biochemistry of this process. This study investigates the degradation of ibuprofen by Patulibacter sp. strain I11 by quantitative...

  13. Analysis association of milk fat and protein percent in quantitative ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Analysis association of milk fat and protein percent in quantitative trait locus ... African Journal of Biotechnology ... Protein and fat percent as content of milk are high-priority criteria for financial aims and selection of programs in dairy cattle.

  14. Identification of Suitable Reference Genes for Investigating Gene Expression in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury by Using Reverse Transcription-Quantitative PCR.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariana Ferreira Leal

    Full Text Available The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL is one of the most frequently injured structures during high-impact sporting activities. Gene expression analysis may be a useful tool for understanding ACL tears and healing failure. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR has emerged as an effective method for such studies. However, this technique requires the use of suitable reference genes for data normalization. Here, we evaluated the suitability of six reference genes (18S, ACTB, B2M, GAPDH, HPRT1, and TBP by using ACL samples of 39 individuals with ACL tears (20 with isolated ACL tears and 19 with ACL tear and combined meniscal injury and of 13 controls. The stability of the candidate reference genes was determined by using the NormFinder, geNorm, BestKeeper DataAssist, and RefFinder software packages and the comparative ΔCt method. ACTB was the best single reference gene and ACTB+TBP was the best gene pair. The GenEx software showed that the accumulated standard deviation is reduced when a larger number of reference genes is used for gene expression normalization. However, the use of a single reference gene may not be suitable. To identify the optimal combination of reference genes, we evaluated the expression of FN1 and PLOD1. We observed that at least 3 reference genes should be used. ACTB+HPRT1+18S is the best trio for the analyses involving isolated ACL tears and controls. Conversely, ACTB+TBP+18S is the best trio for the analyses involving (1 injured ACL tears and controls, and (2 ACL tears of patients with meniscal tears and controls. Therefore, if the gene expression study aims to compare non-injured ACL, isolated ACL tears and ACL tears from patients with meniscal tear as three independent groups ACTB+TBP+18S+HPRT1 should be used. In conclusion, 3 or more genes should be used as reference genes for analysis of ACL samples of individuals with and without ACL tears.

  15. Multidimensional electrostatic repulsion-hydrophilic interaction chromatography (ERLIC) for quantitative analysis of the proteome and phosphoproteome in clinical and biomedical research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loroch, Stefan; Schommartz, Tim; Brune, Wolfram; Zahedi, René Peiman; Sickmann, Albert

    2015-05-01

    Quantitative proteomics and phosphoproteomics have become key disciplines in understanding cellular processes. Fundamental research can be done using cell culture providing researchers with virtually infinite sample amounts. In contrast, clinical, pre-clinical and biomedical research is often restricted to minute sample amounts and requires an efficient analysis with only micrograms of protein. To address this issue, we generated a highly sensitive workflow for combined LC-MS-based quantitative proteomics and phosphoproteomics by refining an ERLIC-based 2D phosphoproteomics workflow into an ERLIC-based 3D workflow covering the global proteome as well. The resulting 3D strategy was successfully used for an in-depth quantitative analysis of both, the proteome and the phosphoproteome of murine cytomegalovirus-infected mouse fibroblasts, a model system for host cell manipulation by a virus. In a 2-plex SILAC experiment with 150 μg of a tryptic digest per condition, the 3D strategy enabled the quantification of ~75% more proteins and even ~134% more peptides compared to the 2D strategy. Additionally, we could quantify ~50% more phosphoproteins by non-phosphorylated peptides, concurrently yielding insights into changes on the levels of protein expression and phosphorylation. Beside its sensitivity, our novel three-dimensional ERLIC-strategy has the potential for semi-automated sample processing rendering it a suitable future perspective for clinical, pre-clinical and biomedical research. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  16. Contribution of the surface contamination of uranium-materials on the quantitative analysis results by electron probe microbeam analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonino, O.; Fournier, C.; Fucili, C.; Dugne, O.; Merlet, C.

    2000-01-01

    The analytical testing of uranium materials is necessary for quality research and development in nuclear industry applications (enrichment, safety studies, fuel, etc). Electron Probe Microbeam Analysis Wavelength Dispersive Spectrometry (EPMA-WDS) is a dependable non-destructive analytical technology. The characteristic X-ray signal is measured to identify and quantify the sample components, and the analyzed volume is about one micron cube. The surface contamination of uranium materials modifies and contributes to the quantitative analysis results of EPMA-WDS. This contribution is not representative of the bulk. A thin oxidized layer appears in the first instants after preparation (burnishing, cleaning) as well as a carbon contamination layer, due to metallographic preparation and carbon cracking under the impact of the electron probe. Several analytical difficulties subsequently arise, including an overlapping line between the carbon Ka ray and the Uranium U NIVOVI ray. Sensitivity and accuracy of the quantification of light elements like carbon and oxygen are also reduced by the presence of uranium. The aim of this study was to improve the accuracy of quantitative analysis on uranium materials by EPMA-WDS by taking account of the contribution of surface contamination. The first part of this paper is devoted to the study of the contaminated surface of the uranium materials U, UFe 2 and U 6 Fe a few hours after preparation. These oxidation conditions are selected so as to reproduce the same contamination surfaces occurring in microprobe analytical conditions. Surface characterization techniques were SIMS and Auger spectroscopy. The contaminated surfaces are shown. They consist of successive layers: a carbon layer, an oxidized iron layer, followed by an iron depletion layer (only in UFe 2 and U 6 Fe), and a ternary oxide layer (U-Fe-O for UFe 2 et U 6 Fe and UO 2+x for uranium). The second part of the paper addresses the estimation of the errors in quantitative

  17. Gene expression of the mismatch repair gene MSH2 in primary colorectal cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Lars Henrik; Kuramochi, Hidekazu; Crüger, Dorthe Gylling

    2011-01-01

    promoter was only detected in 14 samples and only at a low level with no correlation to gene expression. MSH2 gene expression was not a prognostic factor for overall survival in univariate or multivariate analysis. The gene expression of MSH2 is a potential quantitative marker ready for further clinical...

  18. A new quantitative analysis on nitriding kinetics in the oxidized Zry-4 at 900-1200 .deg. C

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Sanggi [ACT Co. Ltd., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    Two major roles of nitrogen on the zirconium based cladding degradation were identified: mechanical degradation of the cladding, and the additional chemical heat release. It has long been known that accelerated oxidation can occur in air due to the nitrogen. In addition, significant uptake of nitrogen can also occur. The nitriding of pre-oxidized zirconium based alloys leads to micro porous and less coherent oxide scales. This paper aims to quantitatively investigate the nitriding mechanism and kinetics by proposing a new methodology that is coupled with the mass balance analysis and the optical microscope image processing analysis. A new quantitative analysis methodology is described in chapter 2 and the investigation of the nitriding kinetics is performed in chapter 3. The experimental details are previously reported in. Previously only qualitative analysis was performed in, and hence the quantitative analysis will be performed in this paper. In this paper, the nitriding kinetics and mechanism were quantitatively analyzed by the new proposed analysis methods: the mass balance analysis and the optical microscope image processing analysis. Using these combined methods, the mass gain curves and the optical microscopes are analyzed in very detail, and the mechanisms of nitriding accelerated, stabilized and saturated behaviors were well understood. This paper has two very distinctive achievements as follows: 1) Development of very effective quantitative analysis methods only using two main results of oxidation tests: No detailed analytical sample measurements (e.g. TEM, EPMA and so on.) were required. These methods can effectively reduce the cost and effort of the post-test investigation. 2) The first identification of the nitriding behaviors and its very accurate analysis in a quantitative way. Based on this quantitative analysis results on the nitriding kinetics, these new findings will contribute significantly the understanding the air oxidation behaviors and model

  19. Patient-specific coronary blood supply territories for quantitative perfusion analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zakkaroff, Constantine; Biglands, John D.; Greenwood, John P.; Plein, Sven; Boyle, Roger D.; Radjenovic, Aleksandra; Magee, Derek R.

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Myocardial perfusion imaging, coupled with quantitative perfusion analysis, provides an important diagnostic tool for the identification of ischaemic heart disease caused by coronary stenoses. The accurate mapping between coronary anatomy and under-perfused areas of the myocardium is important for diagnosis and treatment. However, in the absence of the actual coronary anatomy during the reporting of perfusion images, areas of ischaemia are allocated to a coronary territory based on a population-derived 17-segment (American Heart Association) AHA model of coronary blood supply. This work presents a solution for the fusion of 2D Magnetic Resonance (MR) myocardial perfusion images and 3D MR angiography data with the aim to improve the detection of ischaemic heart disease. The key contribution of this work is a novel method for the mediated spatiotemporal registration of perfusion and angiography data and a novel method for the calculation of patient-specific coronary supply territories. The registration method uses 4D cardiac MR cine series spanning the complete cardiac cycle in order to overcome the under-constrained nature of non-rigid slice-to-volume perfusion-to-angiography registration. This is achieved by separating out the deformable registration problem and solving it through phase-to-phase registration of the cine series. The use of patient-specific blood supply territories in quantitative perfusion analysis (instead of the population-based model of coronary blood supply) has the potential of increasing the accuracy of perfusion analysis. Quantitative perfusion analysis diagnostic accuracy evaluation with patient-specific territories against the AHA model demonstrates the value of the mediated spatiotemporal registration in the context of ischaemic heart disease diagnosis. PMID:29392098

  20. Suppression subtractive hybridization and comparative expression analysis to identify developmentally regulated genes in filamentous fungi.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gesing, Stefan; Schindler, Daniel; Nowrousian, Minou

    2013-09-01

    Ascomycetes differentiate four major morphological types of fruiting bodies (apothecia, perithecia, pseudothecia and cleistothecia) that are derived from an ancestral fruiting body. Thus, fruiting body differentiation is most likely controlled by a set of common core genes. One way to identify such genes is to search for genes with evolutionary conserved expression patterns. Using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH), we selected differentially expressed transcripts in Pyronema confluens (Pezizales) by comparing two cDNA libraries specific for sexual and for vegetative development, respectively. The expression patterns of selected genes from both libraries were verified by quantitative real time PCR. Expression of several corresponding homologous genes was found to be conserved in two members of the Sordariales (Sordaria macrospora and Neurospora crassa), a derived group of ascomycetes that is only distantly related to the Pezizales. Knockout studies with N. crassa orthologues of differentially regulated genes revealed a functional role during fruiting body development for the gene NCU05079, encoding a putative MFS peptide transporter. These data indicate conserved gene expression patterns and a functional role of the corresponding genes during fruiting body development; such genes are candidates of choice for further functional analysis. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Quantitative analysis of γ–oryzanol content in cold pressed rice bran oil by TLC–image analysis method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Apirak Sakunpak

    2014-02-01

    Conclusions: The TLC-densitometric and TLC-image analysis methods provided a similar reproducibility, accuracy and selectivity for the quantitative determination of γ-oryzanol in cold pressed rice bran oil. A statistical comparison of the quantitative determinations of γ-oryzanol in samples did not show any statistically significant difference between TLC-densitometric and TLC-image analysis methods. As both methods were found to be equal, they therefore can be used for the determination of γ-oryzanol in cold pressed rice bran oil.

  2. Evaluation of Housekeeping Genes for Quantitative Real-Time PCR Analysis of Bradysia odoriphaga (Diptera: Sciaridae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caihua Shi

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The soil insect Bradysia odoriphaga (Diptera: Sciaridae causes substantial damage to Chinese chive. Suitable reference genes in B. odoriphaga (Bradysia odoriphaga have yet to be identified for normalizing target gene expression among samples by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR. This study was focused on identifying the expression stability of 12 candidate housekeeping genes in B. odoriphaga under various experiment conditions. The final stability ranking of 12 housekeeping genes was obtained with RefFinder, and the most suitable number of reference genes was analyzed by GeNorm. The results revealed that the most appropriate sets of internal controls were RPS15, RPL18, and RPS18 across developmental phases; RPS15, RPL28, and GAPDH across temperatures; RPS15 and RPL18 across pesticide treatments; RSP5, RPS18, and SDHA across photoperiods; ACTb, RPS18, and RPS15 across diets; RPS13 and RPL28 across populations; and RPS15, ACTb, and RPS18 across all samples. The use of the most suitable reference genes versus an arbitrarily selected reference gene resulted in significant differences in the analysis of a target gene expression. HSP23 in B. odoriphaga was found to be up-regulated under low temperatures. These results will contribute to the standardization of qRT-PCR and will also be valuable for further research on gene function in B. odoriphaga.

  3. Cloning and expression analysis of cinnamoyl-CoA reductase (CCR) genes in sorghum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jieqin; Fan, Feifei; Wang, Lihua; Zhan, Qiuwen; Wu, Peijin; Du, Junli; Yang, Xiaocui; Liu, Yanlong

    2016-01-01

    Cinnamoyl-CoA reductase (CCR) is the first enzyme in the monolignol-specific branch of the lignin biosynthetic pathway. In this research, three sorghum CCR genes including SbCCR1, SbCCR2-1 and SbCCR2-2 were cloned and characterized. Analyses of the structure and phylogeny of the three CCR genes showed evolutionary conservation of the functional domains and divergence of function. Transient expression assays in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves demonstrated that the three CCR proteins were localized in the cytoplasm. The expression analysis showed that the three CCR genes were induced by drought. But in 48 h, the expression levels of SbCCR1 and SbCCR2-2 did not differ between CK and the drought treatment; while the expression level of SbCCR2-1 in the drought treatment was higher than in CK. The expression of the SbCCR1 and SbCCR2-1 genes was not induced by sorghum aphid [Melanaphis sacchari (Zehntner)] attack, but SbCCR2-2 was significantly induced by sorghum aphid attack. It is suggested that SbCCR2-2 is involved in the process of pest defense. Absolute quantitative real-time PCR revealed that the three CCR genes were mainly expressed in lignin deposition organs. The gene copy number of SbCCR1 was significantly higher than those of SbCCR2-1 and SbCCR2-2 in the tested tissues, especially in stem. The results provide new insight into the functions of the three CCR genes in sorghum.

  4. Optimal climate policy is a utopia. From quantitative to qualitative cost-benefit analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van den Bergh, Jeroen C.J.M.

    2004-01-01

    The dominance of quantitative cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and optimality concepts in the economic analysis of climate policy is criticised. Among others, it is argued to be based in a misplaced interpretation of policy for a complex climate-economy system as being analogous to individual inter-temporal welfare optimisation. The transfer of quantitative CBA and optimality concepts reflects an overly ambitious approach that does more harm than good. An alternative approach is to focus the attention on extreme events, structural change and complexity. It is argued that a qualitative rather than a quantitative CBA that takes account of these aspects can support the adoption of a minimax regret approach or precautionary principle in climate policy. This means: implement stringent GHG reduction policies as soon as possible

  5. Gene expression analysis in lymphoblasts derived from patients with autism spectrum disorder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yasuda Yuka

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The autism spectrum disorders (ASDs are complex neurodevelopmental disorders that result in severe and pervasive impairment in the development of reciprocal social interaction and verbal and nonverbal communication skills. In addition, individuals with ASD have stereotypical behavior, interests and activities. Rare mutations of some genes, such as neuroligin (NLGN 3/4, neurexin (NRXN 1, SHANK3, MeCP2 and NHE9, have been reported to be associated with ASD. In the present study, we investigated whether alterations in mRNA expression levels of these genes could be found in lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from patients with ASD. Methods We measured mRNA expression levels of NLGN3/4, NRXN1, SHANK3, MeCP2, NHE9 and AKT1 in lymphoblastoid cells from 35 patients with ASD and 35 healthy controls, as well as from 45 patients with schizophrenia and 45 healthy controls, using real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assays. Results The mRNA expression levels of NLGN3 and SHANK3 normalized by β-actin or TBP were significantly decreased in the individuals with ASD compared to controls, whereas no difference was found in the mRNA expression level of MeCP2, NHE9 or AKT1. However, normalized NLGN3 and SHANK3 gene expression levels were not altered in patients with schizophrenia, and expression levels of NLGN4 and NRXN1 mRNA were not quantitatively measurable in lymphoblastoid cells. Conclusions Our results provide evidence that the NLGN3 and SHANK3 genes may be differentially expressed in lymphoblastoid cell lines from individuals with ASD compared to those from controls. These findings suggest the possibility that decreased mRNA expression levels of these genes might be involved in the pathophysiology of ASD in a substantial population of ASD patients.

  6. Method of quantitative analysis of superconducting metal-conducting composite materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bogomolov, V.N.; Zhuravlev, V.V.; Petranovskij, V.P.; Pimenov, V.A.

    1990-01-01

    Technique for quantitative analysis of superconducting metal-containing composite materials, SnO 2 -InSn, WO 3 -InW, Zn)-InZn in particular, has been developed. The method of determining metal content in a composite is based on the dependence of superconducting transition temperature on alloy composition. Sensitivity of temperature determination - 0.02K, error of analysis for InSn system - 0.5%

  7. Meta-analysis for quantitative microbiological risk assessments and benchmarking data

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Besten, den H.M.W.; Zwietering, M.H.

    2012-01-01

    Meta-analysis studies are increasingly being conducted in the food microbiology area to quantitatively integrate the findings of many individual studies on specific questions or kinetic parameters of interest. Meta-analyses provide global estimates of parameters and quantify their variabilities, and

  8. Visual and Quantitative Analysis Methods of Respiratory Patterns for Respiratory Gated PET/CT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Son, Hye Joo; Jeong, Young Jin; Yoon, Hyun Jin; Park, Jong-Hwan; Kang, Do-Young

    2016-01-01

    We integrated visual and quantitative methods for analyzing the stability of respiration using four methods: phase space diagrams, Fourier spectra, Poincaré maps, and Lyapunov exponents. Respiratory patterns of 139 patients were grouped based on the combination of the regularity of amplitude, period, and baseline positions. Visual grading was done by inspecting the shape of diagram and classified into two states: regular and irregular. Quantitation was done by measuring standard deviation of x and v coordinates of Poincaré map (SD x , SD v ) or the height of the fundamental peak ( A 1 ) in Fourier spectrum or calculating the difference between maximal upward and downward drift. Each group showed characteristic pattern on visual analysis. There was difference of quantitative parameters (SD x , SD v , A 1 , and MUD-MDD) among four groups (one way ANOVA, p = 0.0001 for MUD-MDD, SD x , and SD v , p = 0.0002 for A 1 ). In ROC analysis, the cutoff values were 0.11 for SD x (AUC: 0.982, p quantitative indices of respiratory stability and determining quantitative cutoff value for differentiating regular and irregular respiration.

  9. Design of a Virtual Reality System for Affect Analysis in Facial Expressions (VR-SAAFE); Application to Schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bekele, E; Bian, D; Peterman, J; Park, S; Sarkar, N

    2017-06-01

    Schizophrenia is a life-long, debilitating psychotic disorder with poor outcome that affects about 1% of the population. Although pharmacotherapy can alleviate some of the acute psychotic symptoms, residual social impairments present a significant barrier that prevents successful rehabilitation. With limited resources and access to social skills training opportunities, innovative technology has emerged as a potentially powerful tool for intervention. In this paper, we present a novel virtual reality (VR)-based system for understanding facial emotion processing impairments that may lead to poor social outcome in schizophrenia. We henceforth call it a VR System for Affect Analysis in Facial Expressions (VR-SAAFE). This system integrates a VR-based task presentation platform that can minutely control facial expressions of an avatar with or without accompanying verbal interaction, with an eye-tracker to quantitatively measure a participants real-time gaze and a set of physiological sensors to infer his/her affective states to allow in-depth understanding of the emotion recognition mechanism of patients with schizophrenia based on quantitative metrics. A usability study with 12 patients with schizophrenia and 12 healthy controls was conducted to examine processing of the emotional faces. Preliminary results indicated that there were significant differences in the way patients with schizophrenia processed and responded towards the emotional faces presented in the VR environment compared with healthy control participants. The preliminary results underscore the utility of such a VR-based system that enables precise and quantitative assessment of social skill deficits in patients with schizophrenia.

  10. GProX, a user-friendly platform for bioinformatics analysis and visualization of quantitative proteomics data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rigbolt, Kristoffer T G; Vanselow, Jens T; Blagoev, Blagoy

    2011-08-01

    Recent technological advances have made it possible to identify and quantify thousands of proteins in a single proteomics experiment. As a result of these developments, the analysis of data has become the bottleneck of proteomics experiment. To provide the proteomics community with a user-friendly platform for comprehensive analysis, inspection and visualization of quantitative proteomics data we developed the Graphical Proteomics Data Explorer (GProX)(1). The program requires no special bioinformatics training, as all functions of GProX are accessible within its graphical user-friendly interface which will be intuitive to most users. Basic features facilitate the uncomplicated management and organization of large data sets and complex experimental setups as well as the inspection and graphical plotting of quantitative data. These are complemented by readily available high-level analysis options such as database querying, clustering based on abundance ratios, feature enrichment tests for e.g. GO terms and pathway analysis tools. A number of plotting options for visualization of quantitative proteomics data is available and most analysis functions in GProX create customizable high quality graphical displays in both vector and bitmap formats. The generic import requirements allow data originating from essentially all mass spectrometry platforms, quantitation strategies and software to be analyzed in the program. GProX represents a powerful approach to proteomics data analysis providing proteomics experimenters with a toolbox for bioinformatics analysis of quantitative proteomics data. The program is released as open-source and can be freely downloaded from the project webpage at http://gprox.sourceforge.net.

  11. Analysis of archaeological ceramics by total-reflection X-ray fluorescence: Quantitative approaches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandez-Ruiz, R.; Garcia-Heras, M.

    2008-01-01

    This paper reports the quantitative methodologies developed for the compositional characterization of archaeological ceramics by total-reflection X-ray fluorescence at two levels. A first quantitative level which comprises an acid leaching procedure, and a second selective level, which seeks to increase the number of detectable elements by eliminating the iron present in the acid leaching procedure. Total-reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry has been compared, at a quantitative level, with Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis in order to test its applicability to the study of this kind of materials. The combination of a solid chemical homogenization procedure previously reported with the quantitative methodologies here presented allows the total-reflection X-ray fluorescence to analyze 29 elements with acceptable analytical recoveries and accuracies

  12. Analysis of archaeological ceramics by total-reflection X-ray fluorescence: Quantitative approaches

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fernandez-Ruiz, R. [Servicio Interdepartamental de Investigacion, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Modulo C-9, Laboratorio de TXRF, Crta. Colmenar, Km 15, Cantoblanco, E-28049, Madrid (Spain)], E-mail: ramon.fernandez@uam.es; Garcia-Heras, M. [Grupo de Arqueometria de Vidrios y Materiales Ceramicos, Instituto de Historia, Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales, CSIC, C/ Albasanz, 26-28, 28037 Madrid (Spain)

    2008-09-15

    This paper reports the quantitative methodologies developed for the compositional characterization of archaeological ceramics by total-reflection X-ray fluorescence at two levels. A first quantitative level which comprises an acid leaching procedure, and a second selective level, which seeks to increase the number of detectable elements by eliminating the iron present in the acid leaching procedure. Total-reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry has been compared, at a quantitative level, with Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis in order to test its applicability to the study of this kind of materials. The combination of a solid chemical homogenization procedure previously reported with the quantitative methodologies here presented allows the total-reflection X-ray fluorescence to analyze 29 elements with acceptable analytical recoveries and accuracies.

  13. Study on methods of quantitative analysis of the biological thin samples in EM X-ray microanalysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Detian; Zhang Xuemin; He Kun; Yang Yi; Zhang Sa; Wang Baozhen

    2000-01-01

    Objective: To study the methods of quantitative analysis of the biological thin samples. Methods: Hall theory was used to study the qualitative analysis, background subtraction, peel off overlap peaks; external radiation and aberrance of spectra. Results: The results of reliable qualitative analysis and precise quantitative analysis were achieved. Conclusion: The methods for analysis of the biological thin samples in EM X-ray microanalysis can be used in biomedical research

  14. Quantitative x-ray fractographic analysis of fatigue fractures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saprykin, Yu.V.

    1983-01-01

    The study deals with quantitative X-ray fractographic investigation of fatigue fractures of samples with sharp notches tested at various stresses and temperatures with the purpose of establishing a connection between material crack resistance parameters and local plastic instability zones restraining and controlling the crack growth. At fatigue fractures of notched Kh18N9T steel samples tested at +20 and -196 deg C a zone of sharp ring notch effect being analogous to the zone in which crack growth rate is controlled by the microshifting mechanisms is singled out. The size of the notched effect zone in the investigate steel is unambiguosly bound to to the stress amplitude. This provides the possibility to determine the stress value by the results of quantitative fractographic analysis of notched sample fractures. A possibility of determining one of the threshold values of cyclic material fracture toughness by the results of fatigue testing and fractography of notched sample fractures is shown. Correlation between the size of the hsub(s) crack effect zone in the notched sample, delta material yield limit and characteristic of cyclic Ksub(s) fracture toughness has been found. Such correlation widens the possibilities of quantitative diagnostics of fractures by the methods of X-ray fractography

  15. Wavelength Selection Method Based on Differential Evolution for Precise Quantitative Analysis Using Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Zhi; Chen, Weidong; Lian, Feiyu; Ge, Hongyi; Guan, Aihong

    2017-12-01

    Quantitative analysis of component mixtures is an important application of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) and has attracted broad interest in recent research. Although the accuracy of quantitative analysis using THz-TDS is affected by a host of factors, wavelength selection from the sample's THz absorption spectrum is the most crucial component. The raw spectrum consists of signals from the sample and scattering and other random disturbances that can critically influence the quantitative accuracy. For precise quantitative analysis using THz-TDS, the signal from the sample needs to be retained while the scattering and other noise sources are eliminated. In this paper, a novel wavelength selection method based on differential evolution (DE) is investigated. By performing quantitative experiments on a series of binary amino acid mixtures using THz-TDS, we demonstrate the efficacy of the DE-based wavelength selection method, which yields an error rate below 5%.

  16. Quantitative texture analysis of electrodeposited line patterns

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pantleon, Karen; Somers, Marcel A.J.

    2005-01-01

    Free-standing line patterns of Cu and Ni were manufactured by electrochemical deposition into lithographically prepared patterns. Electrodeposition was carried out on top of a highly oriented Au-layer physically vapor deposited on glass. Quantitative texture analysis carried out by means of x......-ray diffraction for both the substrate layer and the electrodeposits yielded experimental evidence for epitaxy between Cu and Au. An orientation relation between film and substrate was discussed with respect to various concepts of epitaxy. While the conventional mode of epitaxy fails for the Cu...

  17. Automated Quantitative Analysis of p53, Cyclin D1, Ki67 and pERK Expression in Breast Carcinoma Does Not Differ from Expert Pathologist Scoring and Correlates with Clinico-Pathological Characteristics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cass, Jamaica D. [Division of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Cancer Research Institute, Queen’s University, Kingston K7L 3N6 (Canada); Varma, Sonal [Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston K7L 3N6 (Canada); Day, Andrew G. [Kingston General Hospital, Kingston K7L 2V7 (Canada); Sangrar, Waheed [Division of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Cancer Research Institute, Queen’s University, Kingston K7L 3N6 (Canada); Rajput, Ashish B. [Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston K7L 3N6 (Canada); Raptis, Leda H.; Squire, Jeremy [Division of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Cancer Research Institute, Queen’s University, Kingston K7L 3N6 (Canada); Madarnas, Yolanda [Department of Oncology, Queen’s University, Kingston K7L 3N6 (Canada); SenGupta, Sandip K. [Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston K7L 3N6 (Canada); Elliott, Bruce E., E-mail: elliottb@queensu.ca [Division of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Cancer Research Institute, Queen’s University, Kingston K7L 3N6 (Canada); Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston K7L 3N6 (Canada)

    2012-07-18

    There is critical need for improved biomarker assessment platforms which integrate traditional pathological parameters (TNM stage, grade and ER/PR/HER2 status) with molecular profiling, to better define prognostic subgroups or systemic treatment response. One roadblock is the lack of semi-quantitative methods which reliably measure biomarker expression. Our study assesses reliability of automated immunohistochemistry (IHC) scoring compared to manual scoring of five selected biomarkers in a tissue microarray (TMA) of 63 human breast cancer cases, and correlates these markers with clinico-pathological data. TMA slides were scanned into an Ariol Imaging System, and histologic (H) scores (% positive tumor area x staining intensity 0–3) were calculated using trained algorithms. H scores for all five biomarkers concurred with pathologists’ scores, based on Pearson correlation coefficients (0.80–0.90) for continuous data and Kappa statistics (0.55–0.92) for positive vs. negative stain. Using continuous data, significant association of pERK expression with absence of LVI (p = 0.005) and lymph node negativity (p = 0.002) was observed. p53 over-expression, characteristic of dysfunctional p53 in cancer, and Ki67 were associated with high grade (p = 0.032 and 0.0007, respectively). Cyclin D1 correlated inversely with ER/PR/HER2-ve (triple negative) tumors (p = 0.0002). Thus automated quantitation of immunostaining concurs with pathologists’ scoring, and provides meaningful associations with clinico-pathological data.

  18. Automated Quantitative Analysis of p53, Cyclin D1, Ki67 and pERK Expression in Breast Carcinoma Does Not Differ from Expert Pathologist Scoring and Correlates with Clinico-Pathological Characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cass, Jamaica D.; Varma, Sonal; Day, Andrew G.; Sangrar, Waheed; Rajput, Ashish B.; Raptis, Leda H.; Squire, Jeremy; Madarnas, Yolanda; SenGupta, Sandip K.; Elliott, Bruce E.

    2012-01-01

    There is critical need for improved biomarker assessment platforms which integrate traditional pathological parameters (TNM stage, grade and ER/PR/HER2 status) with molecular profiling, to better define prognostic subgroups or systemic treatment response. One roadblock is the lack of semi-quantitative methods which reliably measure biomarker expression. Our study assesses reliability of automated immunohistochemistry (IHC) scoring compared to manual scoring of five selected biomarkers in a tissue microarray (TMA) of 63 human breast cancer cases, and correlates these markers with clinico-pathological data. TMA slides were scanned into an Ariol Imaging System, and histologic (H) scores (% positive tumor area x staining intensity 0–3) were calculated using trained algorithms. H scores for all five biomarkers concurred with pathologists’ scores, based on Pearson correlation coefficients (0.80–0.90) for continuous data and Kappa statistics (0.55–0.92) for positive vs. negative stain. Using continuous data, significant association of pERK expression with absence of LVI (p = 0.005) and lymph node negativity (p = 0.002) was observed. p53 over-expression, characteristic of dysfunctional p53 in cancer, and Ki67 were associated with high grade (p = 0.032 and 0.0007, respectively). Cyclin D1 correlated inversely with ER/PR/HER2-ve (triple negative) tumors (p = 0.0002). Thus automated quantitation of immunostaining concurs with pathologists’ scoring, and provides meaningful associations with clinico-pathological data

  19. PRAME gene expression profile in medulloblastoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tânia Maria Vulcani-Freitas

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant tumors of central nervous system in the childhood. The treatment is severe, harmful and, thus, has a dismal prognosis. As PRAME is present in various cancers, including meduloblastoma, and has limited expression in normal tissues, this antigen can be an ideal vaccine target for tumor immunotherapy. In order to find a potential molecular target, we investigated PRAME expression in medulloblastoma fragments and we compare the results with the clinical features of each patient. Analysis of gene expression was performed by real-time quantitative PCR from 37 tumor samples. The Mann-Whitney test was used to analysis the relationship between gene expression and clinical characteristics. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to evaluate survival. PRAME was overexpressed in 84% samples. But no statistical association was found between clinical features and PRAME overexpression. Despite that PRAME gene could be a strong candidate for immunotherapy since it is highly expressed in medulloblastomas.

  20. Joint analysis of binary and quantitative traits with data sharing and outcome-dependent sampling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Gang; Wu, Colin O; Kwak, Minjung; Jiang, Wenhua; Joo, Jungnam; Lima, Joao A C

    2012-04-01

    We study the analysis of a joint association between a genetic marker with both binary (case-control) and quantitative (continuous) traits, where the quantitative trait values are only available for the cases due to data sharing and outcome-dependent sampling. Data sharing becomes common in genetic association studies, and the outcome-dependent sampling is the consequence of data sharing, under which a phenotype of interest is not measured for some subgroup. The trend test (or Pearson's test) and F-test are often, respectively, used to analyze the binary and quantitative traits. Because of the outcome-dependent sampling, the usual F-test can be applied using the subgroup with the observed quantitative traits. We propose a modified F-test by also incorporating the genotype frequencies of the subgroup whose traits are not observed. Further, a combination of this modified F-test and Pearson's test is proposed by Fisher's combination of their P-values as a joint analysis. Because of the correlation of the two analyses, we propose to use a Gamma (scaled chi-squared) distribution to fit the asymptotic null distribution for the joint analysis. The proposed modified F-test and the joint analysis can also be applied to test single trait association (either binary or quantitative trait). Through simulations, we identify the situations under which the proposed tests are more powerful than the existing ones. Application to a real dataset of rheumatoid arthritis is presented. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. Quantitative detection of the tumor-associated antigen large external antigen in colorectal cancer tissues and cells using quantum dot probe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wang S

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Shuo Wang, Wanming Li, Dezheng Yuan, Jindan Song, Jin Fang Department of Cell Biology, Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Ministry of Public Health, and Key Laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, Ministry of Education, China Medical University, Shenyang, People’s Republic of China Abstract: The large external antigen (LEA is a cell surface glycoprotein that has been proven to be highly expressed in colorectal cancer (CRC as a tumor-associated antigen. To evaluate and validate the relationship between LEA expression and clinical characteristics of CRC with high efficiency, LEA expression levels were detected in 85 tissue blocks from CRC patients by quantum dot-based immunohistochemistry (QD-IHC combined with imaging quantitative analysis using quantum dots with a 605 nm emission wavelength (QD605 conjugated to an ND-1 monoclonal antibody against LEA as a probe. Conventional IHC was performed in parallel for comparison. Both QD-IHC and conventional IHC showed that LEA was specifically expressed in CRC, but not in non-CRC tissues, and high LEA expression was significantly associated with a more advanced T-stage (P<0.05, indicating that LEA is likely to serve as a CRC prognostic marker. Compared with conventional IHC, receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that QD-IHC possessed higher sensitivity, resulting in an increased positive detection rate of CRC, from 70.1% to 89.6%. In addition, a simpler operation, objective analysis of results, and excellent repeatability make QD-IHC an attractive alternative to conventional IHC in clinical practice. Furthermore, to explore whether the QD probes can be utilized to quantitatively detect living cells or single cells, quantum dot-based immunocytochemistry (QD-ICC combined with imaging quantitative analysis was developed to evaluate LEA expression in several CRC cell lines. It was demonstrated that QD-ICC could also predict the correlation between LEA expression and the T-stage characteristics of

  2. GProX, a User-Friendly Platform for Bioinformatics Analysis and Visualization of Quantitative Proteomics Data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rigbolt, Kristoffer T G; Vanselow, Jens T; Blagoev, Blagoy

    2011-01-01

    -friendly platform for comprehensive analysis, inspection and visualization of quantitative proteomics data we developed the Graphical Proteomics Data Explorer (GProX)(1). The program requires no special bioinformatics training, as all functions of GProX are accessible within its graphical user-friendly interface...... such as database querying, clustering based on abundance ratios, feature enrichment tests for e.g. GO terms and pathway analysis tools. A number of plotting options for visualization of quantitative proteomics data is available and most analysis functions in GProX create customizable high quality graphical...... displays in both vector and bitmap formats. The generic import requirements allow data originating from essentially all mass spectrometry platforms, quantitation strategies and software to be analyzed in the program. GProX represents a powerful approach to proteomics data analysis providing proteomics...

  3. Digital gene expression analysis of gene expression differences within Brassica diploids and allopolyploids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Jinjin; Wang, Yue; Zhu, Bao; Fang, Tingting; Fang, Yujie; Wang, Youping

    2015-01-27

    Brassica includes many successfully cultivated crop species of polyploid origin, either by ancestral genome triplication or by hybridization between two diploid progenitors, displaying complex repetitive sequences and transposons. The U's triangle, which consists of three diploids and three amphidiploids, is optimal for the analysis of complicated genomes after polyploidization. Next-generation sequencing enables the transcriptome profiling of polyploids on a global scale. We examined the gene expression patterns of three diploids (Brassica rapa, B. nigra, and B. oleracea) and three amphidiploids (B. napus, B. juncea, and B. carinata) via digital gene expression analysis. In total, the libraries generated between 5.7 and 6.1 million raw reads, and the clean tags of each library were mapped to 18547-21995 genes of B. rapa genome. The unambiguous tag-mapped genes in the libraries were compared. Moreover, the majority of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were explored among diploids as well as between diploids and amphidiploids. Gene ontological analysis was performed to functionally categorize these DEGs into different classes. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis was performed to assign these DEGs into approximately 120 pathways, among which the metabolic pathway, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and peroxisomal pathway were enriched. The non-additive genes in Brassica amphidiploids were analyzed, and the results indicated that orthologous genes in polyploids are frequently expressed in a non-additive pattern. Methyltransferase genes showed differential expression pattern in Brassica species. Our results provided an understanding of the transcriptome complexity of natural Brassica species. The gene expression changes in diploids and allopolyploids may help elucidate the morphological and physiological differences among Brassica species.

  4. Gene expression patterns during the larval development of European sea bass (dicentrarchus labrax) by microarray analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darias, M J; Zambonino-Infante, J L; Hugot, K; Cahu, C L; Mazurais, D

    2008-01-01

    During the larval period, marine teleosts undergo very fast growth and dramatic changes in morphology, metabolism, and behavior to accomplish their metamorphosis into juvenile fish. Regulation of gene expression is widely thought to be a key mechanism underlying the management of the biological processes required for harmonious development over this phase of life. To provide an overall analysis of gene expression in the whole body during sea bass larval development, we monitored the expression of 6,626 distinct genes at 10 different points in time between 7 and 43 days post-hatching (dph) by using heterologous hybridization of a rainbow trout cDNA microarray. The differentially expressed genes (n = 485) could be grouped into two categories: genes that were generally up-expressed early, between 7 and 23 dph, and genes up-expressed between 25 and 43 dph. Interestingly, among the genes regulated during the larval period, those related to organogenesis, energy pathways, biosynthesis, and digestion were over-represented compared with total set of analyzed genes. We discuss the quantitative regulation of whole-body contents of these specific transcripts with regard to the ontogenesis and maturation of essential functions that take place over larval development. Our study is the first utilization of a transcriptomic approach in sea bass and reveals dynamic changes in gene expression patterns in relation to marine finfish larval development.

  5. Survival Prediction in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma by Quantitative Computed Tomography Image Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Attiyeh, Marc A; Chakraborty, Jayasree; Doussot, Alexandre; Langdon-Embry, Liana; Mainarich, Shiana; Gönen, Mithat; Balachandran, Vinod P; D'Angelica, Michael I; DeMatteo, Ronald P; Jarnagin, William R; Kingham, T Peter; Allen, Peter J; Simpson, Amber L; Do, Richard K

    2018-04-01

    Pancreatic cancer is a highly lethal cancer with no established a priori markers of survival. Existing nomograms rely mainly on post-resection data and are of limited utility in directing surgical management. This study investigated the use of quantitative computed tomography (CT) features to preoperatively assess survival for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients. A prospectively maintained database identified consecutive chemotherapy-naive patients with CT angiography and resected PDAC between 2009 and 2012. Variation in CT enhancement patterns was extracted from the tumor region using texture analysis, a quantitative image analysis tool previously described in the literature. Two continuous survival models were constructed, with 70% of the data (training set) using Cox regression, first based only on preoperative serum cancer antigen (CA) 19-9 levels and image features (model A), and then on CA19-9, image features, and the Brennan score (composite pathology score; model B). The remaining 30% of the data (test set) were reserved for independent validation. A total of 161 patients were included in the analysis. Training and test sets contained 113 and 48 patients, respectively. Quantitative image features combined with CA19-9 achieved a c-index of 0.69 [integrated Brier score (IBS) 0.224] on the test data, while combining CA19-9, imaging, and the Brennan score achieved a c-index of 0.74 (IBS 0.200) on the test data. We present two continuous survival prediction models for resected PDAC patients. Quantitative analysis of CT texture features is associated with overall survival. Further work includes applying the model to an external dataset to increase the sample size for training and to determine its applicability.

  6. Quantitative Proteome Analysis Reveals Increased Content of Basement Membrane Proteins in Arteries from Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Lower Levels among Metformin Users

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rørdam Preil, Simone; Kristensen, Lars P; Beck, Hans C

    2015-01-01

    hypothesized that metformin intake influences the protein composition. METHODS AND RESULTS: -We analyzed non-atherosclerotic repair arteries gathered at coronary by-pass operations from 30 patients with type 2 diabetes, as well as from 30 age- and gender-matched non-diabetic individuals. Quantitative proteome......BACKGROUND: -The increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in type 2 diabetes has been extensively documented, but the origins of the association remain largely unknown. We sought to determine changes in protein expressions in arterial tissue from patients with type 2 diabetes and moreover...... analysis was done by iTRAQ-labelling and LC-MS/MS analysis on individual arterial samples. The amounts of the basement membrane (BM) components, alpha-1- and alpha-2- type IV collagen, gamma-1- and beta-2-laminin were significantly increased in patients with diabetes. Moreover, the expressions of basement...

  7. Limitations for qualitative and quantitative neutron activation analysis using reactor neutrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Abbady, W.H.; El-Tanahy, Z.H.; El-Hagg, A.A.; Hassan, A.M.

    1999-01-01

    In this work, the most important limitations for qualitative and quantitative analysis using reactor neutrons for activation are reviewed. Each limitation is discussed using different examples of activated samples. Photopeak estimation, nuclear reactions interference and neutron flux measurements are taken into consideration. Solutions for high accuracy evaluation in neutron activation analysis applications are given. (author)

  8. Comparison of trophic factors' expression between paralyzed and recovering muscles after facial nerve injury. A quantitative analysis in time course.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grosheva, Maria; Nohroudi, Klaus; Schwarz, Alisa; Rink, Svenja; Bendella, Habib; Sarikcioglu, Levent; Klimaschewski, Lars; Gordon, Tessa; Angelov, Doychin N

    2016-05-01

    After peripheral nerve injury, recovery of motor performance negatively correlates with the poly-innervation of neuromuscular junctions (NMJ) due to excessive sprouting of the terminal Schwann cells. Denervated muscles produce short-range diffusible sprouting stimuli, of which some are neurotrophic factors. Based on recent data that vibrissal whisking is restored perfectly during facial nerve regeneration in blind rats from the Sprague Dawley (SD)/RCS strain, we compared the expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2), insulin growth factors 1 and 2 (IGF1, IGF2) and nerve growth factor (NGF) between SD/RCS and SD-rats with normal vision but poor recovery of whisking function after facial nerve injury. To establish which trophic factors might be responsible for proper NMJ-reinnervation, the transected facial nerve was surgically repaired (facial-facial anastomosis, FFA) for subsequent analysis of mRNA and proteins expressed in the levator labii superioris muscle. A complicated time course of expression included (1) a late rise in BDNF protein that followed earlier elevated gene expression, (2) an early increase in FGF2 and IGF2 protein after 2 days with sustained gene expression, (3) reduced IGF1 protein at 28 days coincident with decline of raised mRNA levels to baseline, and (4) reduced NGF protein between 2 and 14 days with maintained gene expression found in blind rats but not the rats with normal vision. These findings suggest that recovery of motor function after peripheral nerve injury is due, at least in part, to a complex regulation of lesion-associated neurotrophic factors and cytokines in denervated muscles. The increase of FGF-2 protein and concomittant decrease of NGF (with no significant changes in BDNF or IGF levels) during the first week following FFA in SD/RCS blind rats possibly prevents the distal branching of regenerating axons resulting in reduced poly-innervation of motor endplates. Copyright

  9. SIGNATURE: A workbench for gene expression signature analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chang Jeffrey T

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The biological phenotype of a cell, such as a characteristic visual image or behavior, reflects activities derived from the expression of collections of genes. As such, an ability to measure the expression of these genes provides an opportunity to develop more precise and varied sets of phenotypes. However, to use this approach requires computational methods that are difficult to implement and apply, and thus there is a critical need for intelligent software tools that can reduce the technical burden of the analysis. Tools for gene expression analyses are unusually difficult to implement in a user-friendly way because their application requires a combination of biological data curation, statistical computational methods, and database expertise. Results We have developed SIGNATURE, a web-based resource that simplifies gene expression signature analysis by providing software, data, and protocols to perform the analysis successfully. This resource uses Bayesian methods for processing gene expression data coupled with a curated database of gene expression signatures, all carried out within a GenePattern web interface for easy use and access. Conclusions SIGNATURE is available for public use at http://genepattern.genome.duke.edu/signature/.

  10. Program for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tepelea, V.; Purice, E.; Dan, R.; Calcev, G.; Domnisan, M.; Galis, V.; Teodosiu, G.; Debert, C.; Mocanu, N.; Nastase, M.

    1985-01-01

    A computer code for processing of data from neutron activation analysis is described. The code is capable of qualitative and quantitative analysis of regular spectra from neutron irradiated samples, measured by a Ge(li) detector. Multichannel analysers with 1024 channels, such as TN 1705 or a Romanian made MCA 79, and an ITC interface can be used. The code is implemented on FELIX M118 and FELIX M216 microcomputers. Spectrum processing is performed off line, after storing the data on a floppy disk. The background is assumed to be a polynomial of first, second or third degree. Qualitative analysis is performed by recursive least square, Gaussian curve fitting. The elements are identified using a polynomial relation between energy and channel, obtained by calibration with a standard sample

  11. Molecular Cloning and Expression Analysis of a Hexokinase Gene, MdHXK1 in Apple

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin Zhao

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available A hexokinase gene named MdHXK1 (MDP0000309677 was cloned from ‘Gala’ apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.. Sequence analysis showed that the MdHXK1 gene was 1 497 bp long and encoded 499 amino acids. The predicted molecular mass of this protein was 54.05 kD, and the pI was 5.76. A phylogenetic tree indicated apple MdHXK1 exhibited the highest sequence similarity to Pyrus bretschneideri PbHXK1. Analysis of the functional domain showed that the MdHXK1 protein included two conserved kinase domains. The prediction of subcellular localization suggested that the MdHXK1 protein was mainly localized in the cytoplasm. There was an indication that MdHXK1 existed as one copy in the apple genome by Southern blotting. Silico analysis suggested that the promoter sequence contained several typical cis-acting elements, including defense, sugar signaling and phytohormone responsive elements. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis demonstrated that the MdHXK1 gene was mainly expressed in stem and flower tissues. During the development of apple fruits, the expression of the MdHXK1 gene initially increased and then decreased. The changes on Glc phosphorylation relative activity and glucose concentration showed the same trend. In addition, the expression of this gene was induced by salt stress, low temperature, and abscisic acid (ABA. Finally, we obtained and purified the fused MdHXK1 protein by recombinant prokaryotic expression. Studies have demonstrated that MdHXK1 may participate in sugar metabolism in apple fruits. Enzyme encoded by MdHXK1 is a key factor in the mediation of sugar accumulation. Recently, researchers on hexokinase at home and abroad mainly focused on model plants, such as Arabidopsis, tobacco and rice, but orchard fruit like apple were underresearched. Our research established the foundation for the further study of the functions of MdHXK1.

  12. Characterization of vitellogenin gene expression in round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowley, Lucas A; Alam, Farhana; Marentette, Julie R; Balshine, Sigal; Wilson, Joanna Y

    2010-12-01

    A growing concern over endocrine disruption in aquatic species has prompted the development of molecular assays to monitor environmental impacts. This study describes the development of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays to characterize the expression of two vitellogenin (Vtg) genes in the invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus). Fragments from the 18SrRNA (housekeeping gene), Vtg II, and Vtg III genes were cloned and sequenced. The qPCR assays were developed to detect hepatic Vtg expression in goby. The assays detected induction of both Vtg genes in nonreproductive males following a two-week laboratory exposure to 17β-estradiol (≥1 mg/kg i.p. injection). The assays were applied to goby from Hamilton Harbour, Lake Ontario (Canada), including those from sites where feminization and intersex of goby has been documented. Both Vtg genes had significantly higher expression in females compared to males. Male reproductive goby adopt either parental or sneaker tactics; Vtg II expression was higher in sneaker than in parental males but parental and nonreproductive males did not differ from each other. The Vtg III expression was significantly higher in sneaker males followed by parental males and nonreproductive males, respectively. The Vtg II and III expression in nonreproductive males was elevated in the contaminated site with documented intersex. This assay provides an important tool for the use of an invasive species in monitoring endocrine disruption in the Great Lakes region. Copyright © 2010 SETAC.

  13. The time-course analysis of gene expression during wound healing in mouse skin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kagawa, Shinichiro; Matsuo, Aya; Yagi, Yoichi; Ikematsu, Kazuya; Tsuda, Ryouichi; Nakasono, Ichiro

    2009-03-01

    RNA analysis has been applied to forensic work to determine wound age. We investigated mRNA expression using quantitative RT-PCR of ten genes, including c-fos, fosB, mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1), CD14, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 9 (CCL9), placenta growth factor (PlGF), mast cell protease-5 (MCP-5), growth arrest specific 5 (Gas5), beta-2 microglobulin (B2M) and major urinary protein-1 (MUP-1), in terms of repair response in adult mice. The expression level of c-fos, fosB and MKP-1 transcripts increased drastically, peaked within 1h, and that of the CD14 and CCL9 transcripts peaked from 12 to 24h. An increase in PlGF and MCP-5 mRNA appeared on about day 5. Gas5, B2M and MUP-1 transcripts showed no significant change. Each gene had differentially expressional patterns with time-course. Our result implied that the observation of the 7 genes in wounded skin could serve to aid in the accurate diagnosis of wound age.

  14. Identification and expression analysis of BoMF25, a novel polygalacturonase gene involved in pollen development of Brassica oleracea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyu, Meiling; Liang, Ying; Yu, Youjian; Ma, Zhiming; Song, Limin; Yue, Xiaoyan; Cao, Jiashu

    2015-06-01

    BoMF25 acts on pollen wall. Polygalacturonase (PG) is a pectin-digesting enzyme involved in numerous plant developmental processes and is described to be of critical importance for pollen wall development. In the present study, a PG gene, BoMF25, was isolated from Brassica oleracea. BoMF25 is the homologous gene of At4g35670, a PG gene in Arabidopsis thaliana with a high expression level at the tricellular pollen stage. Collinear analysis revealed that the orthologous gene of BoMF25 in Brassica campestris (syn. B. rapa) genome was probably lost because of genome deletion and reshuffling. Sequence analysis indicated that BoMF25 contained four classical conserved domains (I, II, III, and IV) of PG protein. Homology and phylogenetic analyses showed that BoMF25 was clustered in Clade F. The putative promoter sequence, containing classical cis-acting elements and pollen-specific motifs, could drive green fluorescence protein expression in onion epidermal cells. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis suggested that BoMF25 was mainly expressed in the anther at the late stage of pollen development. In situ hybridization analysis also indicated that the strong and specific expression signal of BoMF25 existed in pollen grains at the mature pollen stage. Subcellular localization showed that the fluorescence signal was observed in the cell wall of onion epidermal cells, which suggested that BoMF25 may be a secreted protein localized in the pollen wall.

  15. Detection of growth hormone doping by gene expression profiling of peripheral blood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Christopher J; Nelson, Anne E; Cowley, Mark J; Kaplan, Warren; Stone, Glenn; Sutton, Selina K; Lau, Amie; Lee, Carol M Y; Ho, Ken K Y

    2009-12-01

    GH abuse is a significant problem in many sports, and there is currently no robust test that allows detection of doping beyond a short window after administration. Our objective was to evaluate gene expression profiling in peripheral blood leukocytes in-vivo as a test for GH doping in humans. Seven men and thirteen women were administered GH, 2 mg/d sc for 8 wk. Blood was collected at baseline and at 8 wk. RNA was extracted from the white cell fraction. Microarray analysis was undertaken using Agilent 44K G4112F arrays using a two-color design. Quantitative RT-PCR using TaqMan gene expression assays was performed for validation of selected differentially expressed genes. GH induced an approximately 2-fold increase in circulating IGF-I that was maintained throughout the 8 wk of the study. GH induced significant changes in gene expression with 353 in women and 41 in men detected with a false discovery rate of less than 5%. None of the differentially expressed genes were common between men and women. The maximal changes were a doubling for up-regulated or halving for down-regulated genes, similar in magnitude to the variation between individuals. Quantitative RT-PCR for seven target genes showed good concordance between microarray and quantitative PCR data in women but not in men. Gene expression analysis of peripheral blood leukocytes is unlikely to be a viable approach for the detection of GH doping.

  16. Unique gene expression profile of the proliferating Xenopus tadpole tail blastema cells deciphered by RNA-sequencing analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hiroshi Tsujioka

    Full Text Available Organ regenerative ability depends on the animal species and the developmental stage. The molecular bases for variable organ regenerative ability, however, remain unknown. Previous studies have identified genes preferentially expressed in the blastema tissues in various animals, but transcriptome analysis of the isolated proliferating blastema cells has not yet been reported. In the present study, we used RNA-sequencing analysis to analyze the gene expression profile of isolated proliferating blastema cells of regenerating Xenopus laevis tadpole tails. We used flow cytometry to isolate proliferating cells, and non-proliferating blastema cells, from regenerating tadpole tails as well as proliferating tail bud cells from tail bud embryos, the latter two of which were used as control cells, based on their DNA content. Among the 28 candidate genes identified by RNA-sequencing analysis, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction identified 10 genes whose expression was enriched in regenerating tadpole tails compared with non-regenerating tadpole tails or tails from the tail bud embryos. Among them, whole mount in situ hybridization revealed that chromosome segregation 1-like and interleukin 11 were expressed in the broad area of the tail blastema, while brevican, lysyl oxidase, and keratin 18 were mainly expressed in the notochord bud in regenerating tails. We further combined whole mount in situ hybridization with immunohistochemistry for the incorporated 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine to confirm that keratin 18 and interleukin 11 were expressed in the proliferating tail blastema cells. Based on the proposed functions of their homologs in other animal species, these genes might have roles in the extracellular matrix formation in the notochord bud (brevican and lysyl oxidase, cell proliferation (chromosome segregation 1-like and keratin 18, and in the maintenance of the differentiation ability of proliferating blastema cells (interleukin 11

  17. Quantitative monitoring of the Chlamydia trachomatis developmental cycle using GFP-expressing bacteria, microscopy and flow cytometry.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    François Vromman

    Full Text Available Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular bacteria. These pathogens develop inside host cells through a biphasic cycle alternating between two morphologically distinct forms, the infectious elementary body and the replicative reticulate body. Recently, C. trachomatis strains stably expressing fluorescent proteins were obtained. The fluorochromes are expressed during the intracellular growth of the microbe, allowing bacterial visualization by fluorescence microscopy. Whether they are also present in the infectious form, the elementary body, to a detectable level has not been studied. Here, we show that a C. trachomatis strain transformed with a plasmid expressing the green fluorescent protein (GFP accumulates sufficient quantities of the probe in elementary bodies for detection by microscopy and flow cytometry. Adhesion of single bacteria was detected. The precise kinetics of bacterial entry were determined by microscopy using automated procedures. We show that during the intracellular replication phase, GFP is a convenient read-out for bacterial growth with several advantages over current methods. In particular, infection rates within a non-homogenous cell population are easily quantified. Finally, in spite of their small size, individual elementary bodies are detected by flow cytometers, allowing for direct enumeration of a bacterial preparation. In conclusion, GFP-expressing chlamydiae are suitable to monitor, in a quantitative manner, progression throughout the developmental cycle. This will facilitate the identification of the developmental steps targeted by anti-chlamydial drugs or host factors.

  18. Dynamic association rules for gene expression data analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Shu-Chuan; Tsai, Tsung-Hsien; Chung, Cheng-Han; Li, Wen-Hsiung

    2015-10-14

    The purpose of gene expression analysis is to look for the association between regulation of gene expression levels and phenotypic variations. This association based on gene expression profile has been used to determine whether the induction/repression of genes correspond to phenotypic variations including cell regulations, clinical diagnoses and drug development. Statistical analyses on microarray data have been developed to resolve gene selection issue. However, these methods do not inform us of causality between genes and phenotypes. In this paper, we propose the dynamic association rule algorithm (DAR algorithm) which helps ones to efficiently select a subset of significant genes for subsequent analysis. The DAR algorithm is based on association rules from market basket analysis in marketing. We first propose a statistical way, based on constructing a one-sided confidence interval and hypothesis testing, to determine if an association rule is meaningful. Based on the proposed statistical method, we then developed the DAR algorithm for gene expression data analysis. The method was applied to analyze four microarray datasets and one Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) dataset: the Mice Apo A1 dataset, the whole genome expression dataset of mouse embryonic stem cells, expression profiling of the bone marrow of Leukemia patients, Microarray Quality Control (MAQC) data set and the RNA-seq dataset of a mouse genomic imprinting study. A comparison of the proposed method with the t-test on the expression profiling of the bone marrow of Leukemia patients was conducted. We developed a statistical way, based on the concept of confidence interval, to determine the minimum support and minimum confidence for mining association relationships among items. With the minimum support and minimum confidence, one can find significant rules in one single step. The DAR algorithm was then developed for gene expression data analysis. Four gene expression datasets showed that the proposed

  19. Multivariate analysis of quantitative traits can effectively classify rapeseed germplasm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jankulovska Mirjana

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study, the use of different multivariate approaches to classify rapeseed genotypes based on quantitative traits has been presented. Tree regression analysis, PCA analysis and two-way cluster analysis were applied in order todescribe and understand the extent of genetic variability in spring rapeseed genotype by trait data. The traits which highly influenced seed and oil yield in rapeseed were successfully identified by the tree regression analysis. Principal predictor for both response variables was number of pods per plant (NP. NP and 1000 seed weight could help in the selection of high yielding genotypes. High values for both traits and oil content could lead to high oil yielding genotypes. These traits may serve as indirect selection criteria and can lead to improvement of seed and oil yield in rapeseed. Quantitative traits that explained most of the variability in the studied germplasm were classified using principal component analysis. In this data set, five PCs were identified, out of which the first three PCs explained 63% of the total variance. It helped in facilitating the choice of variables based on which the genotypes’ clustering could be performed. The two-way cluster analysissimultaneously clustered genotypes and quantitative traits. The final number of clusters was determined using bootstrapping technique. This approach provided clear overview on the variability of the analyzed genotypes. The genotypes that have similar performance regarding the traits included in this study can be easily detected on the heatmap. Genotypes grouped in the clusters 1 and 8 had high values for seed and oil yield, and relatively short vegetative growth duration period and those in cluster 9, combined moderate to low values for vegetative growth duration and moderate to high seed and oil yield. These genotypes should be further exploited and implemented in the rapeseed breeding program. The combined application of these multivariate methods

  20. Quantitative method of X-ray diffraction phase analysis of building materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Czuba, J.; Dziedzic, A.

    1978-01-01

    Quantitative method of X-ray diffraction phase analysis of building materials, with use of internal standard, has been presented. The errors committed by determining the content of particular phases have been also given. (author)

  1. Comprehensive Analysis of Gene Expression Profiles of Sepsis-Induced Multiorgan Failure Identified Its Valuable Biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yumei; Yin, Xiaoling; Yang, Fang

    2018-02-01

    Sepsis is an inflammatory-related disease, and severe sepsis would induce multiorgan dysfunction, which is the most common cause of death of patients in noncoronary intensive care units. Progression of novel therapeutic strategies has proven to be of little impact on the mortality of severe sepsis, and unfortunately, its mechanisms still remain poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed gene expression profiles of severe sepsis with failure of lung, kidney, and liver for the identification of potential biomarkers. We first downloaded the gene expression profiles from the Gene Expression Omnibus and performed preprocessing of raw microarray data sets and identification of differential expression genes (DEGs) through the R programming software; then, significantly enriched functions of DEGs in lung, kidney, and liver failure sepsis samples were obtained from the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery; finally, protein-protein interaction network was constructed for DEGs based on the STRING database, and network modules were also obtained through the MCODE cluster method. As a result, lung failure sepsis has the highest number of DEGs of 859, whereas the number of DEGs in kidney and liver failure sepsis samples is 178 and 175, respectively. In addition, 17 overlaps were obtained among the three lists of DEGs. Biological processes related to immune and inflammatory response were found to be significantly enriched in DEGs. Network and module analysis identified four gene clusters in which all or most of genes were upregulated. The expression changes of Icam1 and Socs3 were further validated through quantitative PCR analysis. This study should shed light on the development of sepsis and provide potential therapeutic targets for sepsis-induced multiorgan failure.

  2. The Individual vocal expression in future music teacher's personal competence development

    OpenAIRE

    Jucevičiūtė-Bartkevičienė, Vaiva

    2011-01-01

    In music education, individual vocal expression is a significant fact contributing to future teachers’ emotional, spiritual and intellectual perfection. This article examines aspects of the individual vocal expression of future music teachers in the context of education related to becoming a competent member of the music teacher’s profession. Using the methods of analysis of the education documents and quantitative analysis, the results of the research, which was conducted in Lithuania, are p...

  3. Semi-quantitative evaluation of gallium-67 scintigraphy in lupus nephritis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin Wanyu; Hsieh Jihfang; Tsai Shihchuan; Lan Joungliang; Cheng Kaiyuan; Wang Shyhjen

    2000-01-01

    Within nuclear medicine there is a trend towards quantitative analysis. Gallium renal scan has been reported to be useful in monitoring the disease activity of lupus nephritis. However, only visual interpretation using a four-grade scale has been performed in previous studies, and this method is not sensitive enough for follow-up. In this study, we developed a semi-quantitative method for gallium renal scintigraphy to find a potential parameter for the evaluation of lupus nephritis. Forty-eight patients with lupus nephritis underwent renal biopsy to determine World Health Organization classification, activity index (AI) and chronicity index (CI). A delayed 48-h gallium scan was also performed and interpreted by visual and semi-quantitative methods. For semi-quantitative analysis of the gallium uptake in both kidneys, regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn over both kidneys, the right forearm and the adjacent spine. The uptake ratios between these ROIs were calculated and expressed as the ''kidney/spine ratio (K/S ratio)'' or the ''kidney/arm ratio (K/A ratio)''. Spearman's rank correlation test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis. Our data showed a good correlation between the semi-quantitative gallium scan and the results of visual interpretation. K/S ratios showed a better correlation with AI than did K/A ratios. Furthermore, the left K/S ratio displayed a better correlation with AI than did the right K/S ratio. In contrast, CI did not correlate well with the results of semi-quantitative gallium scan. In conclusion, semi-quantitative gallium renal scan is easy to perform and shows a good correlation with the results of visual interpretation and renal biopsy. The left K/S ratio from semi-quantitative renal gallium scintigraphy displays the best correlation with AI and is a useful parameter in evaluating the disease activity in lupus nephritis. (orig.)

  4. Qualitative and quantitative expression status of the human chromosome 20 genes in cancer tissues and the representative cell lines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Quanhui; Wen, Bo; Yan, Guangrong; Wei, Junying; Xie, Liqi; Xu, Shaohang; Jiang, Dahai; Wang, Tingyou; Lin, Liang; Zi, Jin; Zhang, Ju; Zhou, Ruo; Zhao, Haiyi; Ren, Zhe; Qu, Nengrong; Lou, Xiaomin; Sun, Haidan; Du, Chaoqin; Chen, Chuangbin; Zhang, Shenyan; Tan, Fengji; Xian, Youqi; Gao, Zhibo; He, Minghui; Chen, Longyun; Zhao, Xiaohang; Xu, Ping; Zhu, Yunping; Yin, Xingfeng; Shen, Huali; Zhang, Yang; Jiang, Jing; Zhang, Chengpu; Li, Liwei; Chang, Cheng; Ma, Jie; Yan, Guoquan; Yao, Jun; Lu, Haojie; Ying, Wantao; Zhong, Fan; He, Qing-Yu; Liu, Siqi

    2013-01-04

    Under the guidance of the Chromosome-centric Human Proteome Project (C-HPP), (1, 2) we conducted a systematic survey of the expression status of genes located at human chromosome 20 (Chr.20) in three cancer tissues, gastric, colon, and liver carcinoma, and their representative cell lines. We have globally profiled proteomes in these samples with combined technology of LC-MS/MS and acquired the corresponding mRNA information upon RNA-seq and RNAchip. In total, 323 unique proteins were identified, covering 60% of the coding genes (323/547) in Chr.20. With regards to qualitative information of proteomics, we overall evaluated the correlation of the identified Chr.20 proteins with target genes of transcription factors or of microRNA, conserved genes and cancer-related genes. As for quantitative information, the expression abundances of Chr.20 genes were found to be almost consistent in both tissues and cell lines of mRNA in all individual chromosome regions, whereas those of Chr.20 proteins in cells are different from tissues, especially in the region of 20q13.33. Furthermore, the abundances of Chr.20 proteins were hierarchically evaluated according to tissue- or cancer-related distribution. The analysis revealed several cancer-related proteins in Chr.20 are tissue- or cell-type dependent. With integration of all the acquired data, for the first time we established a solid database of the Chr.20 proteome.

  5. Quantitative immuno-electron microscopic analysis of depolarization-induced expression of PGC-1alpha in cultured rat visual cortical neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Hui; Liang, Huan Ling; Wong-Riley, Margaret

    2007-10-17

    Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1alpha (PGC- 1alpha) is a coactivator of nuclear receptors and other transcription factors that regulate several metabolic processes, including mitochondrial biogenesis, energy homeostasis, respiration, and gluconeogenesis. PGC-1alpha plays a vital role in stimulating genes that are important to oxidative metabolism and other mitochondrial functions in brown adipose tissue and skeleton muscles, but the significance of PGC-1alpha in the brain remains elusive. The goal of our present study was to determine by means of quantitative immuno-electron microscopy the expression of PGC-1alpha in cultured rat visual cortical neurons under normal conditions as well as after depolarizing stimulation for varying periods of time. Our results showed that: (a) PGC-1alpha was normally located in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. In the nucleus, PGC-1alpha was associated mainly with euchromatin rather than heterochromatin, consistent with active involvement in transcription. In the cytoplasm, it was associated mainly with free ribosomes. (b) Neuronal depolarization by KCl for 0.5 h induced a significant increase in PGC-1alpha labeling density in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm (Pneuronal activity by synthesizing more proteins in the cytoplasm and translocating them to the nucleus for gene activation. PGC-1alpha level in neurons is, therefore, tightly regulated by neuronal activity.

  6. Application of magnetic carriers to two examples of quantitative cell analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Chen; Qian, Zhixi; Choi, Young Suk; David, Allan E. [Department of Chemical Engineering, 212 Ross Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849 (United States); Todd, Paul, E-mail: pwtodd@hotmail.com [Techshot, Inc., 7200 Highway 150, Greenville, IN 47124 (United States); Hanley, Thomas R. [Department of Chemical Engineering, 212 Ross Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849 (United States)

    2017-04-01

    The use of magnetophoretic mobility as a surrogate for fluorescence intensity in quantitative cell analysis was investigated. The objectives of quantitative fluorescence flow cytometry include establishing a level of labeling for the setting of parameters in fluorescence activated cell sorters (FACS) and the determination of levels of uptake of fluorescently labeled substrates by living cells. Likewise, the objectives of quantitative magnetic cytometry include establishing a level of labeling for the setting of parameters in flowing magnetic cell sorters and the determination of levels of uptake of magnetically labeled substrates by living cells. The magnetic counterpart to fluorescence intensity is magnetophoretic mobility, defined as the velocity imparted to a suspended cell per unit of magnetic ponderomotive force. A commercial velocimeter available for making this measurement was used to demonstrate both applications. Cultured Gallus lymphoma cells were immunolabeled with commercial magnetic beads and shown to have adequate magnetophoretic mobility to be separated by a novel flowing magnetic separator. Phagocytosis of starch nanoparticles having magnetic cores by cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells, a CHO line, was quantified on the basis of magnetophoretic mobility. - Highlights: • Commercial particle tracking velocimetry measures magnetophoretic mobility of labeled cells. • Magnetically labeled tumor cells were shown to have adequate mobility for capture in a specific sorter. • The kinetics of nonspecific endocytosis of magnetic nanomaterials by CHO cells was characterized. • Magnetic labeling of cells can be used like fluorescence flow cytometry for quantitative cell analysis.

  7. Expression quantitative trait loci for PAX8 contributes to the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shijie Ma

    Full Text Available Paired-box family member PAX8 encodes a transcription factor that has a role in cell differentiation and cell growth and may participate in the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. By bioinformatics analysis, we identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs within a newly identified long non-coding RNA (lncRNA AC016683.6 as expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs for PAX8. Hence, we hypothesized that PAX8eQTLs in lncRNA AC016683.6 may influence the HCC prognosis. We then performed a case-only study to assess the association between the two SNPs as well as the prognosis of HCC in 331 HBV-positive HCC patients without surgical treatment. Cox proportional hazard models were used for survival analysis with adjustments for the age, gender, smoking status, drinking status, Barcelona-Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC stage, and chemotherapy or TACE (transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization status. We found that the G allele of rs1110839 and the T allele of rs4848320 in PAX8was significantly associated with a better prognosis compared with the T allele of rs1110839 and the C allele of rs4848320 (adjusted HR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.61-0.91, P = 0.004 for rs1110839 and adjusted HR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.54-0.94, P = 0.015 for rs4848320 in the additive model. Furthermore, the combined effect of the variant genotypes for these two SNPs was more prominent in patients with the BCLC-C stage orpatients with chemotherapy or TACE. Although the exact biological function remains to be explored, our findings suggest a possible association of PAX8eQTLs in lncRNA AC016683.6 with the HCC prognosis inthe Chinese population. Further large and functional studies are needed to confirm our findings.

  8. cDNA cloning and expression analysis of two distinct Sox8 genes in Paramisgurnus dabryanus (Cypriniformes).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Xiaohua; Zhao, Jie; Du, Qiyan; Chang, Zhongjie

    2010-08-01

    The Sox9 gene attracts a lot of attention because of its connection with gonadal development and differentiation. However, Sox8, belonging to the same subgroup SoxE, has rarely been studied. To investigate the function as well as the evolutionary origin of SOXE subgroup, we amplified the genomic DNA of Paramisgurnus dabryanu using a pair of degenerate primers. Using rapid amplification of the cDNA ends (RACE), it was discovered that P. dabryanu has two duplicates: Sox8a and Sox8b. Each has an intron of different length in the conserved HMG-box region. The overall sequence similarity of the deduced amino acid of PdSox8a and PdSox8b was 46.26%, and only two amino acids changed in the HMG-box. This is the first evidence showing that there are two distinct duplications of Sox8 genes in Cypriniformes. Southern blot analysis showed only one hybrid band, with lengths 7.4 or 9.2 kb. Both semi-quantitative RT-PCR and real-time quantitative PCR assay displayed that both PdSox8a and PdSox8b are downregulated during early embryonic development. In adult tissues, the two Sox8 genes expressed ubiquitously, and expression levels are particularly high in the gonads and brain. In gonads, both PdSox8a and PdSox8b are expressed at a higher level in the tesis than in the ovary. PdSox8a and PdSox8b may have functional overlaps and are essential for the neuronal development and differentiation of gonads.

  9. Quantitative 3D analysis of bone in hip osteoarthritis using clinical computed tomography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turmezei, Tom D; Treece, Graham M; Gee, Andrew H; Fotiadou, Anastasia F; Poole, Kenneth E S

    2016-07-01

    To assess the relationship between proximal femoral cortical bone thickness and radiological hip osteoarthritis using quantitative 3D analysis of clinical computed tomography (CT) data. Image analysis was performed on clinical CT imaging data from 203 female volunteers with a technique called cortical bone mapping (CBM). Colour thickness maps were created for each proximal femur. Statistical parametric mapping was performed to identify statistically significant differences in cortical bone thickness that corresponded with the severity of radiological hip osteoarthritis. Kellgren and Lawrence (K&L) grade, minimum joint space width (JSW) and a novel CT-based osteophyte score were also blindly assessed from the CT data. For each increase in K&L grade, cortical thickness increased by up to 25 % in distinct areas of the superolateral femoral head-neck junction and superior subchondral bone plate. For increasing severity of CT osteophytes, the increase in cortical thickness was more circumferential, involving a wider portion of the head-neck junction, with up to a 7 % increase in cortical thickness per increment in score. Results were not significant for minimum JSW. These findings indicate that quantitative 3D analysis of the proximal femur can identify changes in cortical bone thickness relevant to structural hip osteoarthritis. • CT is being increasingly used to assess bony involvement in osteoarthritis • CBM provides accurate and reliable quantitative analysis of cortical bone thickness • Cortical bone is thicker at the superior femoral head-neck with worse osteoarthritis • Regions of increased thickness co-locate with impingement and osteophyte formation • Quantitative 3D bone analysis could enable clinical disease prediction and therapy development.

  10. [Quantitative Analysis of Heavy Metals in Water with LIBS Based on Signal-to-Background Ratio].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Li; Zhao, Nan-jing; Liu, Wen-qing; Fang, Li; Zhang, Da-hai; Wang, Yin; Meng, De Shuo; Yu, Yang; Ma, Ming-jun

    2015-07-01

    There are many influence factors in the precision and accuracy of the quantitative analysis with LIBS technology. According to approximately the same characteristics trend of background spectrum and characteristic spectrum along with the change of temperature through in-depth analysis, signal-to-background ratio (S/B) measurement and regression analysis could compensate the spectral line intensity changes caused by system parameters such as laser power, spectral efficiency of receiving. Because the measurement dates were limited and nonlinear, we used support vector machine (SVM) for regression algorithm. The experimental results showed that the method could improve the stability and the accuracy of quantitative analysis of LIBS, and the relative standard deviation and average relative error of test set respectively were 4.7% and 9.5%. Data fitting method based on signal-to-background ratio(S/B) is Less susceptible to matrix elements and background spectrum etc, and provides data processing reference for real-time online LIBS quantitative analysis technology.

  11. Universal platform for quantitative analysis of DNA transposition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pajunen Maria I

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Completed genome projects have revealed an astonishing diversity of transposable genetic elements, implying the existence of novel element families yet to be discovered from diverse life forms. Concurrently, several better understood transposon systems have been exploited as efficient tools in molecular biology and genomics applications. Characterization of new mobile elements and improvement of the existing transposition technology platforms warrant easy-to-use assays for the quantitative analysis of DNA transposition. Results Here we developed a universal in vivo platform for the analysis of transposition frequency with class II mobile elements, i.e., DNA transposons. For each particular transposon system, cloning of the transposon ends and the cognate transposase gene, in three consecutive steps, generates a multifunctional plasmid, which drives inducible expression of the transposase gene and includes a mobilisable lacZ-containing reporter transposon. The assay scores transposition events as blue microcolonies, papillae, growing within otherwise whitish Escherichia coli colonies on indicator plates. We developed the assay using phage Mu transposition as a test model and validated the platform using various MuA transposase mutants. For further validation and to illustrate universality, we introduced IS903 transposition system components into the assay. The developed assay is adjustable to a desired level of initial transposition via the control of a plasmid-borne E. coli arabinose promoter. In practice, the transposition frequency is modulated by varying the concentration of arabinose or glucose in the growth medium. We show that variable levels of transpositional activity can be analysed, thus enabling straightforward screens for hyper- or hypoactive transposase mutants, regardless of the original wild-type activity level. Conclusions The established universal papillation assay platform should be widely applicable to a

  12. Correlative SEM SERS for quantitative analysis of dimer nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Timmermans, F J; Lenferink, A T M; van Wolferen, H A G M; Otto, C

    2016-11-14

    A Raman microscope integrated with a scanning electron microscope was used to investigate plasmonic structures by correlative SEM-SERS analysis. The integrated Raman-SEM microscope combines high-resolution electron microscopy information with SERS signal enhancement from selected nanostructures with adsorbed Raman reporter molecules. Correlative analysis is performed for dimers of two gold nanospheres. Dimers were selected on the basis of SEM images from multi aggregate samples. The effect of the orientation of the dimer with respect to the polarization state of the laser light and the effect of the particle gap size on the Raman signal intensity is observed. Additionally, calculations are performed to simulate the electric near field enhancement. These simulations are based on the morphologies observed by electron microscopy. In this way the experiments are compared with the enhancement factor calculated with near field simulations and are subsequently used to quantify the SERS enhancement factor. Large differences between experimentally observed and calculated enhancement factors are regularly detected, a phenomenon caused by nanoscale differences between the real and 'simplified' simulated structures. Quantitative SERS experiments reveal the structure induced enhancement factor, ranging from ∼200 to ∼20 000, averaged over the full nanostructure surface. The results demonstrate correlative Raman-SEM microscopy for the quantitative analysis of plasmonic particles and structures, thus enabling a new analytical method in the field of SERS and plasmonics.

  13. Quantitative analysis method for niobium in lead zirconate titanate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hara, Hideo; Hashimoto, Toshio

    1986-01-01

    Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) is a strong dielectric ceramic having piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties, and is used most as a piezoelectric material. Also it is a main component of lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT), which is a typical electrical-optical conversion element. Since these have been developed, the various electronic parts utilizing the piezoelectric characteristics have been put in practical use. The characteristics can be set up by changing the composition of PZT and the kinds and amount of additives. Among the additives, niobium has the action to make metallic ion vacancy in crystals, and by the formation of this vacancy, to ease the movement of domain walls in crystal grains, and to increase resistivity. Accordingly, it is necessary to accurately determine the niobium content for the research and development, quality control and process control. The quantitative analysis methods for niobium used so far have respective demerits, therefore, the authors examined the quantitative analysis of niobium in PZT by using an inductively coupled plasma emission spectro-analysis apparatus which has remarkably developed recently. As the result, the method of dissolving a specimen with hydrochloric acid and hydrofluoric acid, and masking unstable lead with ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid 2 sodium and fluoride ions with boric acid was established. The apparatus, reagents, the experiment and the results are reported. (Kako, I.)

  14. Calling genotypes from public RNA-sequencing data enables identification of genetic variants that affect gene-expression levels

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Deelen, Patrick; Zhernakova, Daria V.; de Haan, Mark; van der Sijde, Marijke; Bonder, Marc Jan; Karjalainen, Juha; van der Velde, K. Joeri; Abbott, Kristin M.; Fu, Jingyuan; Wijmenga, Cisca; Sinke, Richard J.; Swertz, Morris A.; Franke, Lude

    2015-01-01

    Background: RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) is a powerful technique for the identification of genetic variants that affect gene-expression levels, either through expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) mapping or through allele-specific expression (ASE) analysis. Given increasing numbers of RNA-seq

  15. Quality Assessments of Long-Term Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Breast Cancer Xenograft Tissues

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Jian-Ying; Chen, Lijun; Zhang, Bai; Tian, Yuan; Liu, Tao; Thomas, Stefani N.; Chen, Li; Schnaubelt, Michael; Boja, Emily; Hiltket, Tara; Kinsinger, Christopher; Rodriguez, Henry; Davies, Sherri; Li, Shunqiang; Snider, Jacqueline E.; Erdmann-Gilmore, Petra; Tabb, David L.; Townsend, Reid; Ellis, Matthew; Rodland, Karin D.; Smith, Richard D.; Carr, Steven A.; Zhang, Zhen; Chan, Daniel W.; Zhang, Hui

    2017-09-21

    The identification of protein biomarkers requires large-scale analysis of human specimens to achieve statistical significance. In this study, we evaluated the long-term reproducibility of an iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification) based quantitative proteomics strategy using one channel for universal normalization across all samples. A total of 307 liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) analyses were completed, generating 107 one-dimensional (1D) LC-MS/MS datasets and 8 offline two-dimensional (2D) LC-MS/MS datasets (25 fractions for each set) for human-in-mouse breast cancer xenograft tissues representative of basal and luminal subtypes. Such large-scale studies require the implementation of robust metrics to assess the contributions of technical and biological variability in the qualitative and quantitative data. Accordingly, we developed a quantification confidence score based on the quality of each peptide-spectrum match (PSM) to remove quantification outliers from each analysis. After combining confidence score filtering and statistical analysis, reproducible protein identification and quantitative results were achieved from LC-MS/MS datasets collected over a 16 month period.

  16. Differential gene expression in granulosa cells from polycystic ovary syndrome patients with and without insulin resistance: identification of susceptibility gene sets through network analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaur, Surleen; Archer, Kellie J; Devi, M Gouri; Kriplani, Alka; Strauss, Jerome F; Singh, Rita

    2012-10-01

    Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous, genetically complex, endocrine disorder of uncertain etiology in women. Our aim was to compare the gene expression profiles in stimulated granulosa cells of PCOS women with and without insulin resistance vs. matched controls. This study included 12 normal ovulatory women (controls), 12 women with PCOS without evidence for insulin resistance (PCOS non-IR), and 16 women with insulin resistance (PCOS-IR) undergoing in vitro fertilization. Granulosa cell gene expression profiling was accomplished using Affymetrix Human Genome-U133 arrays. Differentially expressed genes were classified according to gene ontology using ingenuity pathway analysis tools. Microarray results for selected genes were confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR. A total of 211 genes were differentially expressed in PCOS non-IR and PCOS-IR granulosa cells (fold change≥1.5; P≤0.001) vs. matched controls. Diabetes mellitus and inflammation genes were significantly increased in PCOS-IR patients. Real-time quantitative PCR confirmed higher expression of NCF2 (2.13-fold), TCF7L2 (1.92-fold), and SERPINA1 (5.35-fold). Increased expression of inflammation genes ITGAX (3.68-fold) and TAB2 (1.86-fold) was confirmed in PCOS non-IR. Different cardiometabolic disease genes were differentially expressed in the two groups. Decreased expression of CAV1 (-3.58-fold) in PCOS non-IR and SPARC (-1.88-fold) in PCOS-IR was confirmed. Differential expression of genes involved in TGF-β signaling (IGF2R, increased; and HAS2, decreased), and oxidative stress (TXNIP, increased) was confirmed in both groups. Microarray analysis demonstrated differential expression of genes linked to diabetes mellitus, inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, and infertility in the granulosa cells of PCOS women with and without insulin resistance. Because these dysregulated genes are also involved in oxidative stress, lipid metabolism, and insulin signaling, we hypothesize that these

  17. Comprehensive identification and expression analysis of Hsp90s gene family in Solanum lycopersicum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zai, W S; Miao, L X; Xiong, Z L; Zhang, H L; Ma, Y R; Li, Y L; Chen, Y B; Ye, S G

    2015-07-14

    Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a protein produced by plants in response to adverse environmental stresses. In this study, we identified and analyzed Hsp90 gene family members using a bioinformatic method based on genomic data from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). The results illustrated that tomato contains at least 7 Hsp90 genes distributed on 6 chromosomes; protein lengths ranged from 267-794 amino acids. Intron numbers ranged from 2-19 in the genes. The phylogenetic tree revealed that Hsp90 genes in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), rice (Oryza sativa L.), and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana L.) could be divided into 5 groups, which included 3 pairs of orthologous genes and 4 pairs of paralogous genes. Expression analysis of RNA-sequence data showed that the Hsp90-1 gene was specifically expressed in mature fruits, while Hsp90-5 and Hsp90-6 showed opposite expression patterns in various tissues of cultivated and wild tomatoes. The expression levels of the Hsp90-1, Hsp90-2, and Hsp90- 3 genes in various tissues of cultivated tomatoes were high, while both the expression levels of genes Hsp90-3 and Hsp90-4 were low. Additionally, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that these genes were involved in the responses to yellow leaf curl virus in tomato plant leaves. Our results provide a foundation for identifying the function of the Hsp90 gene in tomato.

  18. Absorption correction factor in X-ray fluorescent quantitative analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pimjun, S.

    1994-01-01

    An experiment on absorption correction factor in X-ray fluorescent quantitative analysis were carried out. Standard samples were prepared from the mixture of Fe 2 O 3 and tapioca flour at various concentration of Fe 2 O 3 ranging from 5% to 25%. Unknown samples were kaolin containing 3.5% to-50% of Fe 2 O 3 Kaolin samples were diluted with tapioca flour in order to reduce the absorption of FeK α and make them easy to prepare. Pressed samples with 0.150 /cm 2 and 2.76 cm in diameter, were used in the experiment. Absorption correction factor is related to total mass absorption coefficient (χ) which varied with sample composition. In known sample, χ can be calculated by conveniently the formula. However in unknown sample, χ can be determined by Emission-Transmission method. It was found that the relationship between corrected FeK α intensity and contents of Fe 2 O 3 in these samples was linear. This result indicate that this correction factor can be used to adjust the accuracy of X-ray intensity. Therefore, this correction factor is essential in quantitative analysis of elements comprising in any sample by X-ray fluorescent technique

  19. Quantitative analysis of the secretion of the MCP family of chemokines by muscle cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henningsen, Jeanette; Pedersen, Bente Klarlund; Kratchmarova, Irina

    2011-01-01

    by Amino acids in Cell culture (SILAC) method for quantitative analysis resulted in the identification and generation of quantitative profiles of 59 growth factors and cytokines, including 9 classical chemokines. The members of the CC chemokine family of proteins such as monocyte chemotactic proteins 1, 2...

  20. Qualitative and quantitative reliability analysis of safety systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karimi, R.; Rasmussen, N.; Wolf, L.

    1980-05-01

    A code has been developed for the comprehensive analysis of a fault tree. The code designated UNRAC (UNReliability Analysis Code) calculates the following characteristics of an input fault tree: (1) minimal cut sets; (2) top event unavailability as point estimate and/or in time dependent form; (3) quantitative importance of each component involved; and, (4) error bound on the top event unavailability. UNRAC can analyze fault trees, with any kind of gates (EOR, NAND, NOR, AND, OR), up to a maximum of 250 components and/or gates. The code is benchmarked against WAMCUT, MODCUT, KITT, BIT-FRANTIC, and PL-MODT. The results showed that UNRAC produces results more consistent with the KITT results than either BIT-FRANTIC or PL-MODT. Overall it is demonstrated that UNRAC is an efficient easy-to-use code and has the advantage of being able to do a complete fault tree analysis with this single code. Applications of fault tree analysis to safety studies of nuclear reactors are considered

  1. Quantitative analysis of regional myocardial performance in coronary artery disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, D. K.; Dodge, H. T.; Frimer, M.

    1975-01-01

    Findings from a group of subjects with significant coronary artery stenosis are given. A group of controls determined by use of a quantitative method for the study of regional myocardial performance based on the frame-by-frame analysis of biplane left ventricular angiograms are presented. Particular emphasis was placed upon the analysis of wall motion in terms of normalized segment dimensions, timing and velocity of contraction. The results were compared with the method of subjective assessment used clinically.

  2. Visualization and quantitative analysis of the CSF pulsatile flow with cine MR phase imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katayama, Shinji; Itoh, Takahiko; Kinugasa, Kazushi; Asari, Shoji; Nishimoto, Akira; Tsuchida, Shohei; Ono, Atsushi; Ikezaki, Yoshikazu; Yoshitome, Eiji.

    1991-01-01

    The visualization and the quantitative analysis of the CSF pulsatile flow were performed on ten healthy volunteers with cine MR phase imaging, a combination of the phase-contrast technique and the cardiac-gating technique. The velocities appropriate for the visualization and the quantitative analysis of the CSF pulsatile flow were from 6.0 cm/sec to 15.0 cm/sec. The applicability of this method for the quantitative analysis was proven with a steady-flow phantom. Phase images clearly demonstrated a to-and-fro motion of the CSF flow in the anterior subarachnoid space and in the posterior subarachnoid space. The flow pattern of CSF on healthy volunteers depends on the cardiac cycle. In the anterior subarachnoid space, the cephalic CSF flow continued until a 70-msec delay after the R-wave of the ECG and then reversed to caudal. At 130-190 msec, the caudal CSF flow reached its maximum velocity; thereafter it reversed again to cephalic. The same turn appeared following the phase, but then the amplitude decreased. The cephalic peaked at 370-430 msec, while the caudal peaked at 490-550 msec. The flow pattern of the CSF flow in the posterior subarachnoid space was almost identical to that in the anterior subarachnoid space. Cine MR phase imaging is thus useful for the visualization and the quantitative analysis of the CSF pulsative flow. (author)

  3. Expressed sequence tag analysis of functional genes associated with adventitious rooting in Liriodendron hybrids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Y D; Sun, X Y; Liu, E Y; Li, Y Q; Gao, Z; Yu, F X

    2016-06-24

    Liriodendron hybrids (Liriodendron chinense x L. tulipifera) are important landscaping and afforestation hardwood trees. To date, little genomic research on adventitious rooting has been reported in these hybrids, as well as in the genus Liriodendron. In the present study, we used adventitious roots to construct the first cDNA library for Liriodendron hybrids. A total of 5176 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were generated and clustered into 2921 unigenes. Among these unigenes, 2547 had significant homology to the non-redundant protein database representing a wide variety of putative functions. Homologs of these genes regulated many aspects of adventitious rooting, including those for auxin signal transduction and root hair development. Results of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that AUX1, IRE, and FB1 were highly expressed in adventitious roots and the expression of AUX1, ARF1, NAC1, RHD1, and IRE increased during the development of adventitious roots. Additionally, 181 simple sequence repeats were identified from 166 ESTs and more than 91.16% of these were dinucleotide and trinucleotide repeats. To the best of our knowledge, the present study reports the identification of the genes associated with adventitious rooting in the genus Liriodendron for the first time and provides a valuable resource for future genomic studies. Expression analysis of selected genes could allow us to identify regulatory genes that may be essential for adventitious rooting.

  4. A risk assessment-driven quantitative comparison of gene expression profiles in PBMCs and white adipose tissue of humans and rats after isoflavone supplementation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Velpen, van der V.; Veer, van 't P.; Islam, M.A.; Braak, ter C.J.F.; Leeuwen, F.X.R.; Afman, L.A.; Hollman, P.C.H.; Schouten, A.; Geelen, M.M.E.E.

    2016-01-01

    Quantitative insight into species differences in risk assessment is expected to reduce uncertainty and variability related to extrapolation from animals to humans. This paper explores quantification and comparison of gene expression data between tissues and species from intervention studies with

  5. Variable selection based near infrared spectroscopy quantitative and qualitative analysis on wheat wet gluten

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lü, Chengxu; Jiang, Xunpeng; Zhou, Xingfan; Zhang, Yinqiao; Zhang, Naiqian; Wei, Chongfeng; Mao, Wenhua

    2017-10-01

    Wet gluten is a useful quality indicator for wheat, and short wave near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a high performance technique with the advantage of economic rapid and nondestructive test. To study the feasibility of short wave NIRS analyzing wet gluten directly from wheat seed, 54 representative wheat seed samples were collected and scanned by spectrometer. 8 spectral pretreatment method and genetic algorithm (GA) variable selection method were used to optimize analysis. Both quantitative and qualitative model of wet gluten were built by partial least squares regression and discriminate analysis. For quantitative analysis, normalization is the optimized pretreatment method, 17 wet gluten sensitive variables are selected by GA, and GA model performs a better result than that of all variable model, with R2V=0.88, and RMSEV=1.47. For qualitative analysis, automatic weighted least squares baseline is the optimized pretreatment method, all variable models perform better results than those of GA models. The correct classification rates of 3 class of 30% wet gluten content are 95.45, 84.52, and 90.00%, respectively. The short wave NIRS technique shows potential for both quantitative and qualitative analysis of wet gluten for wheat seed.

  6. Selection of reference genes for expression analysis of Kumamoto and Portuguese oysters and their hybrid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Lulu; Su, Jiaqi; Wang, Zhaoping; Yan, Xiwu; Yu, Ruihai

    2017-12-01

    Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is a rapid and reliable technique which has been widely used to quantifying gene transcripts (expression analysis). It is also employed for studying heterosis, hybridization breeding and hybrid tolerability of oysters, an ecologically and economically important taxonomic group. For these studies, selection of a suitable set of housekeeping genes as references is crucial for correct interpretation of qRT-PCR data. To identify suitable reference genes for oysters during low temperature and low salinity stresses, we analyzed twelve genes from the gill tissue of Crassostrea sikamea (SS), Crassostrea angulata (AA) and their hybrid (SA), which included three ribosomal genes, 28S ribosomal protein S5 ( RPS5), ribosomal protein L35 ( RPL35), and 60S ribosomal protein L29 ( RPL29); three structural genes, tubulin gamma ( TUBγ), annexin A6 and A7 ( AA6 and AA7); three metabolic pathway genes, ornithine decarboxylase ( OD), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase ( GAPDH) and glutathione S-transferase P1 ( GSP); two transcription factors, elongation factor 1 alpha and beta ( EF1α and EF1β); and one protein synthesis gene (ubiquitin ( UBQ). Primers specific for these genes were successfully developed for the three groups of oysters. Three different algorithms, geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper, were used to evaluate the expression stability of these candidate genes. BestKeeper program was found to be the most reliable. Based on our analysis, we found that the expression of RPL35 and EF1α was stable under low salinity stress, and the expression of OD, GAPDH and EF1α was stable under low temperature stress in hybrid (SA) oyster; the expression of RPS5 and GAPDH was stable under low salinity stress, and the expression of RPS5, UBQ, GAPDH was stable under low temperature stress in SS oyster; the expression of RPS5, GAPDH, EF1β and AA7 was stable under low salinity stress, and the expression of RPL35, EF1α, GAPDH

  7. Scientific aspects of urolithiasis: quantitative stone analysis and crystallization experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wandt, M.A.E.

    1986-03-01

    The theory, development and results of three quantitative analytical procedures are described and the crystallization experiments in a rotary evaporator are presented. Of the different methods of quantitative X-ray powder diffraction analyses, the 'internal standard method' and a microanalytical technique were identified as the two most useful procedures for the quantitative analysis of urinary calculi. 'Reference intensity ratios' for 6 major stone phases were determined and were used in the analysis of 20 calculi by the 'internal standard method'. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopic (ICP-AES) methods were also investigated, developed and used in this study. Various procedures for the digestion of calculi were tested and a mixture of HNO 3 and HC1O 4 was eventually found to be the most successful. The major elements Ca, Mg, and P in 41 calculi were determined. For the determination of trace elements, a new microwave-assisted digestion procedure was developed and used for the digestion of 100 calculi. Fluoride concentrations in two stone collections were determined using a fluoride-ion sensitive electrode and the HNO 3 /HC1O 4 digestion prodecure used for the ICP study. A series of crystallization experiments involving a standard reference artificial urine was carried out in a rotary evaporator. The effect of pH and urine composition was studied by varying the former and by including uric acid, urea, creatinine, MgO, methylene blue, chondroitin sulphate A, and fluoride in the reference solution. Crystals formed in these experiments were subjected to qualitative and semi-quantitative X-ray powder diffraction analyses. Scanning electron microscopy of several deposits was also carried out. Similar deposits to those observed in calculi were obtained with the fast evaporator. The results presented suggest that this system provides a simple, yet very useful means for studying the crystallization characteristics of urine solutions

  8. Qualitative and quantitative immunohistochemical evaluation of iNOS expression in the spleen of dogs naturally infected with Leishmania chagasi.

    Science.gov (United States)

    dos Santos, Fernando Rocha; Vieira, Paula Melo Abreu; Correa-Oliveira, Rodrigo; Giunchetti, Rodolfo Cordeiro; Carneiro, Claudia Martins; Reis, Alexandre Barbosa; Malaquias, Luiz Cosme Cotta

    2011-06-01

    Nitric oxide (NO), the product of the nitric oxide synthase enzymes has been detected in Leishmania-infected animals. Besides its role on the immunity to infection, the role of NO and the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the pathogenesis of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) is not well understood. This study aimed at evaluating immunohistochemically the iNOS expression in the spleen of dogs naturally infected (ID) with Leishmania (L.) chagasi compared with non-infected dogs (NID). The ID was grouped according to the clinical form and the parasite load. Symptomatic dogs (SD) presented higher parasite load in relation to oligosymptomatic (OD) and asymptomatic (AD). The qualitative expression of iNOS was observed only in ID. SD presented strong and prominent labeling of iNOS, followed by OD and AD. Quantitatively, the results showed that the median expression of iNOS was higher in SD and OD compared to NID. Also, dog spleens with high parasitism load showed marked iNOS expression. Taken together, the results suggest that the expression of iNOS in the spleen of infected dogs with CVL was associated with clinical worsening of the disease and with high parasitism.

  9. Quantitative time domain analysis of lifetime-based Förster resonant energy transfer measurements with fluorescent proteins: Static random isotropic fluorophore orientation distributions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alexandrov, Yuriy; Nikolic, Dino Solar; Dunsby, Christopher

    2018-01-01

    Förster resonant energy transfer (FRET) measurements are widely used to obtain information about molecular interactions and conformations through the dependence of FRET efficiency on the proximity of donor and acceptor fluorophores. Fluorescence lifetime measurements can provide quantitative...... into new software for fitting donor emission decay profiles. Calculated FRET parameters, including molar population fractions, are compared for the analysis of simulated and experimental FRET data under the assumption of static and dynamic fluorophores and the intermediate regimes between fully dynamic...... analysis of FRET efficiency and interacting population fraction. Many FRET experiments exploit the highly specific labelling of genetically expressed fluorescent proteins, applicable in live cells and organisms. Unfortunately, the typical assumption of fast randomization of fluorophore orientations...

  10. Quantitative analysis of food and feed samples with droplet digital PCR.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dany Morisset

    Full Text Available In this study, the applicability of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR for routine analysis in food and feed samples was demonstrated with the quantification of genetically modified organisms (GMOs. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR is currently used for quantitative molecular analysis of the presence of GMOs in products. However, its use is limited for detecting and quantifying very small numbers of DNA targets, as in some complex food and feed matrices. Using ddPCR duplex assay, we have measured the absolute numbers of MON810 transgene and hmg maize reference gene copies in DNA samples. Key performance parameters of the assay were determined. The ddPCR system is shown to offer precise absolute and relative quantification of targets, without the need for calibration curves. The sensitivity (five target DNA copies of the ddPCR assay compares well with those of individual qPCR assays and of the chamber digital PCR (cdPCR approach. It offers a dynamic range over four orders of magnitude, greater than that of cdPCR. Moreover, when compared to qPCR, the ddPCR assay showed better repeatability at low target concentrations and a greater tolerance to inhibitors. Finally, ddPCR throughput and cost are advantageous relative to those of qPCR for routine GMO quantification. It is thus concluded that ddPCR technology can be applied for routine quantification of GMOs, or any other domain where quantitative analysis of food and feed samples is needed.

  11. Expression and Functional Pathway Analysis of Nuclear Receptor NR2F2 in Ovarian Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hawkins, Shannon M.; Loomans, Holli A.; Wan, Ying-Wooi; Ghosh-Choudhury, Triparna; Coffey, Donna; Xiao, Weimin; Liu, Zhandong; Sangi-Haghpeykar, Haleh

    2013-01-01

    Context: Recent evidence implicates the orphan nuclear receptor, nuclear receptor subfamily 2, group F, member 2 (NR2F2; chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor II) as both a master regulator of angiogenesis and an oncogene in prostate and other human cancers. Objective: The objective of the study was to determine whether NR2F2 plays a role in ovarian cancer and dissect its potential mechanisms of action. Design, Setting, and Patients: We examined NR2F2 expression in healthy ovary and ovarian cancers using quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. NR2F2 expression was targeted in established ovarian cancer cell lines to assess the impact of dysregulated NR2F2 expression in the epithelial compartment of ovarian cancers. Results: Our results indicate that NR2F2 is robustly expressed in the stroma of healthy ovary with little or no expression in epithelia lining the ovarian surface, clefts, or crypts. This pattern of NR2F2 expression was markedly disrupted in ovarian cancers, in which decreased levels of stromal expression and ectopic epithelial expression were frequently observed. Ovarian cancers with the most disrupted patterns of NR2F2 were associated with significantly shorter disease-free interval by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Targeting NR2F2 expression in established ovarian cancer cell lines enhanced apoptosis and increased proliferation. In addition, we found that NR2F2 regulates the expression of NEK2, RAI14, and multiple other genes involved in the cell cycle, suggesting potential pathways by which dysregulated expression of NR2F2 impacts ovarian cancer. Conclusions: These results uncover novel roles for NR2F2 in ovarian cancer and point to a unique scenario in which a single nuclear receptor plays potentially distinct roles in the stromal and epithelial compartments of the same tissue. PMID:23690307

  12. Differentially expressed genes of Tetrahymena thermophila in response to tributyltin (TBT) identified by suppression subtractive hybridization and real time quantitative PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Lifang; Miao, Wei; Wu, Yuxuan

    2007-02-15

    Tributyltin (TBT) is widely used as antifouling paints, agriculture biocides, and plastic stabilizers around the world, resulting in great pollution problem in aquatic environments. However, it has been short of the biomonitor to detect TBT in freshwater. We constructed the suppression subtractive hybridization library of Tetrahymena thermophila exposed to TBT, and screened out 101 Expressed Sequence Tags whose expressions were significantly up- or down-regulated with TBT treatment. From this, a series of genes related to the TBT toxicity were discovered, such as glutathione-S-transferase gene (down-regulated), plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase isoforms 3 gene (up-regulated) and NgoA (up-regulated). Furthermore, their expressions under different concentrations of TBT treatment (0.5-40 ppb) were detected by real time fluorescent quantitative PCR. The differentially expressed genes of T. thermophila in response to TBT were identified, which provide the basic to make Tetrahymena as a sensitive, rapid and convenient TBT biomonitor in freshwater based on rDNA inducible expression system.

  13. Cloning and Expression Analysis of an AP2/ERF Gene and Its Responses to Phytohormones and Abiotic Stresses in Rice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hao-li MA

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Ethylene response factors (ERFs play important roles in response to plant biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, a gene encoding a putative AP2/ERF domain-containing protein was isolated by screening a SSH cDNA library from rice and designated as Oryza sativa AP2/ERF-like protein (OsAP2LP gene. OsAP2LP is 1491 bp in length, interrupted by seven introns, and encodes a putative protein of 348 amino acids. Temporal and spatial expression analysis showed that the OsAP2LP gene was preferentially expressed in roots, panicles, mature embryos and seeds in rice. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis indicated that the expression levels of the OsAP2LP gene were increased under the treatments of drought and gibberellin but decreased under the treatments of low temperature, salt, abscisic acid (ABA and zeatin. Taken together, these results suggest that OsAP2LP might be involved in stress responses, and probably plays roles as a transcription regulator when plants response to cold, salt and drought stresses through ABA and gibberellin pathways.

  14. Development of a quantitative competitive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for the quantification of growth hormone gene expression in pigs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maurício Machaim Franco

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available After the advent of the genome projects, followed by the discovery of DNA polymorphisms, basic understanding of gene expression is the next focus to explain the association between polymorphisms and the level of gene expression, as well as to demonstrate the interaction among genes. Among the various techniques for the investigation of transcriptional profiling involving patterns of gene expression, quantitative PCR is the simplest analytical laboratory technique. The objective of this work was to analyze two strategies of a competitive PCR technique for the quantification of the pig growth hormone (GH gene expression. A pair of primers was designed targeting exons 3 and 5, and two competitive PCR strategies were performed, one utilizing a specific amplicon as a competitor, and the other utilizing a low-stringency PCR amplicon as a competitor. The latter strategy proved to be easier and more efficient, offering an accessible tool that can be used in any kind of competitive reaction, facilitating the study of gene expression patterns for both genetics and diagnostics of infectious diseases.

  15. Identification and evaluation of reliable reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR analysis in tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is a commonly used technique for measuring gene expression levels due to its simplicity, specificity, and sensitivity. Reliable reference selection for the accurate quantification of gene expression under various experimental conditions is a...

  16. Examination of quantitative accuracy of PIXE analysis for atmospheric aerosol particle samples. PIXE analysis of NIST air particulate on filter media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saitoh, Katsumi; Sera, Koichiro

    2005-01-01

    In order to confirm accuracy of the direct analysis of filter samples containing atmospheric aerosol particles collected on a polycarbonate membrane filter by PIXE, we carried out PIXE analysis on a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, USA) air particulate on filter media (SRM 2783). For 16 elements with NIST certified values determined by PIXE analysis - Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb - quantitative values were 80-110% relative to NIST certified values except for Na, Al, Si and Ni. Quantitative values of Na, Al and Si were 140-170% relative to NIST certified values, which were all high, and Ni was 64%. One possible reason why the quantitative values of Na, Al and Si were higher than the NIST certified values could be the difference in the X-ray spectrum analysis method used. (author)

  17. Quantitative analysis of oyster larval proteome provides new insights into the effects of multiple climate change stressors

    KAUST Repository

    Dineshram, Ramadoss; Chandramouli, Kondethimmanahalli; Ko, Ginger Wai Kuen; Zhang, Huoming; Qian, Pei-Yuan; Ravasi, Timothy; Thiyagarajan, Vengatesen

    2016-01-01

    might be affected in a future ocean, we examined changes in the proteome of metamorphosing larvae under multiple stressors: decreased pH (pH 7.4), increased temperature (30 °C), and reduced salinity (15 psu). Quantitative protein expression profiling

  18. [Differential gene expression in incompatible interaction between Lilium regale Wilson and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lilii revealed by combined SSH and microarray analysis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, J; Liu, D; Zhang, N; He, H; Ge, F; Chen, C

    2014-01-01

    Fusarium wilt, caused by a soilborne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lilii, is the major disease of lily (Lilium L.). In order to isolate the genes differentially expressed in a resistant reaction to F. oxysporum in L. regale Wilson, a cDNA library was constructed with L. regale root during F. oxysporum infection using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH), and a total of 585 unique expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were obtained. Furthermore, the gene expression profiles in the incompatible interaction between L. regale and F. oxysporum were revealed by oligonucleotide microarray analysis of 585 unique ESTs comparison to the compatible interaction between a susceptible Lilium Oriental Hybrid 'Siberia' and F. oxysporum. The result of expression profile analysis indicated that the genes encoding pathogenesis-related proteins (PRs), antioxidative stress enzymes, secondary metabolism enzymes, transcription factors, signal transduction proteins as well as a large number of unknown genes were involved in early defense response of L. regale to F. oxysporum infection. Moreover, the following quantitative reverse transcription PCR (QRT-PCR) analysis confirmed reliability of the oligonucleotide microarray data. In the present study, isolation of differentially expressed genes in L. regale during response to F. oxysporum helped to uncover the molecular mechanism associated with the resistance of L. regale against F. oxysporum.

  19. Identification and expression analysis of primary auxin-responsive ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2013-12-09

    Dec 9, 2013 ... Previous research has demonstrated that auxin induces and regulates the .... three main-stem nodes stage seedlings were prepared for the. IAA treatment ... For semi- quantitative RT-PCR analysis, first-strand cDNA was syn-.

  20. A borax fusion technique for quantitative X-ray fluorescence analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Willigen, J.H.H.G.; Kruidhof, H.; Dahmen, E.A.M.F.

    1971-01-01

    A borax fusion technique to cast glass discs for quantitative X-ray analysis is described in detail. The method is based on the “nonwetting” properties of a Pt/Au alloy towards molten borax, on the favourable composition of the flux and finally on the favourable form of the casting mould. The

  1. ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013 Preliminary Determination: Quantitative Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Halverson, Mark A.; Rosenberg, Michael I.; Wang, Weimin; Zhang, Jian; Mendon, Vrushali V.; Athalye, Rahul A.; Xie, YuLong; Hart, Reid; Goel, Supriya

    2014-03-01

    This report provides a preliminary quantitative analysis to assess whether buildings constructed according to the requirements of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013 would result in energy savings compared with buildings constructed to ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2010.

  2. Complex pedigree analysis to detect quantitative trait loci in dairy cattle

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bink, M.C.A.M.

    1998-01-01

    In dairy cattle, many quantitative traits of economic importance show phenotypic variation. For breeding purposes the analysis of this phenotypic variation and uncovering the contribution of genetic factors is very important. Usually, the individual gene effects contributing to the

  3. Improved Protein Arrays for Quantitative Systems Analysis of the Dynamics of Signaling Pathway Interactions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Chin-Rang [National Inst. of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD (United States). National Heart, Lung and Blood Inst.

    2013-12-11

    Astronauts and workers in nuclear plants who repeatedly exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation (IR, <10 cGy) are likely to incur specific changes in signal transduction and gene expression in various tissues of their body. Remarkable advances in high throughput genomics and proteomics technologies enable researchers to broaden their focus from examining single gene/protein kinetics to better understanding global gene/protein expression profiling and biological pathway analyses, namely Systems Biology. An ultimate goal of systems biology is to develop dynamic mathematical models of interacting biological systems capable of simulating living systems in a computer. This Glue Grant is to complement Dr. Boothman’s existing DOE grant (No. DE-FG02-06ER64186) entitled “The IGF1/IGF-1R-MAPK-Secretory Clusterin (sCLU) Pathway: Mediator of a Low Dose IR-Inducible Bystander Effect” to develop sensitive and quantitative proteomic technology that suitable for low dose radiobiology researches. An improved version of quantitative protein array platform utilizing linear Quantum dot signaling for systematically measuring protein levels and phosphorylation states for systems biology modeling is presented. The signals are amplified by a confocal laser Quantum dot scanner resulting in ~1000-fold more sensitivity than traditional Western blots and show the good linearity that is impossible for the signals of HRP-amplification. Therefore this improved protein array technology is suitable to detect weak responses of low dose radiation. Software is developed to facilitate the quantitative readout of signaling network activities. Kinetics of EGFRvIII mutant signaling was analyzed to quantify cross-talks between EGFR and other signaling pathways.

  4. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for in situ qualitative and quantitative analysis of mineral ores

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pořízka, P.; Demidov, A.; Kaiser, J.; Keivanian, J.; Gornushkin, I.; Panne, U.; Riedel, J.

    2014-01-01

    In this work, the potential of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for discrimination and analysis of geological materials was examined. The research was focused on classification of mineral ores using their LIBS spectra prior to quantitative determination of copper. Quantitative analysis is not a trivial task in LIBS measurement because intensities of emission lines in laser-induced plasmas (LIP) are strongly affected by the sample matrix (matrix effect). To circumvent this effect, typically matrix-matched standards are used to obtain matrix-dependent calibration curves. If the sample set consists of a mixture of different matrices, even in this approach, the corresponding matrix has to be known prior to the downstream data analysis. For this categorization, the multielemental character of LIBS spectra can be of help. In this contribution, a principal component analysis (PCA) was employed on the measured data set to discriminate individual rocks as individual matrices against each other according to their overall elemental composition. Twenty-seven igneous rock samples were analyzed in the form of fine dust, classified and subsequently quantitatively analyzed. Two different LIBS setups in two laboratories were used to prove the reproducibility of classification and quantification. A superposition of partial calibration plots constructed from the individual clustered data displayed a large improvement in precision and accuracy compared to the calibration plot constructed from all ore samples. The classification of mineral samples with complex matrices can thus be recommended prior to LIBS system calibration and quantitative analysis. - Highlights: • Twenty seven igneous rocks were measured on different LIBS systems. • Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed for classification. • The necessity of the classification of the rock (ore) samples prior to the quantification analysis is stressed. • Classification based on the whole LIP spectra and

  5. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for in situ qualitative and quantitative analysis of mineral ores

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pořízka, P. [BAM, Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Richard Willstätter-Straße 11, D-12489 Berlin (Germany); Institute of Physical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Technická 2896/2, 61669 Brno (Czech Republic); Demidov, A. [BAM, Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Richard Willstätter-Straße 11, D-12489 Berlin (Germany); Kaiser, J. [Institute of Physical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Technická 2896/2, 61669 Brno (Czech Republic); Keivanian, J. [Institute for Mining, Technical University Clausthal, Erzstraße 18, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany); Gornushkin, I. [BAM, Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Richard Willstätter-Straße 11, D-12489 Berlin (Germany); Panne, U. [BAM, Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Richard Willstätter-Straße 11, D-12489 Berlin (Germany); Chemistry Department, Humboldt Univerisät zu Berlin, Brook-Taylor-Straße 2, D-12489 Berlin (Germany); Riedel, J., E-mail: jens.riedel@bam.de [BAM, Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Richard Willstätter-Straße 11, D-12489 Berlin (Germany)

    2014-11-01

    In this work, the potential of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for discrimination and analysis of geological materials was examined. The research was focused on classification of mineral ores using their LIBS spectra prior to quantitative determination of copper. Quantitative analysis is not a trivial task in LIBS measurement because intensities of emission lines in laser-induced plasmas (LIP) are strongly affected by the sample matrix (matrix effect). To circumvent this effect, typically matrix-matched standards are used to obtain matrix-dependent calibration curves. If the sample set consists of a mixture of different matrices, even in this approach, the corresponding matrix has to be known prior to the downstream data analysis. For this categorization, the multielemental character of LIBS spectra can be of help. In this contribution, a principal component analysis (PCA) was employed on the measured data set to discriminate individual rocks as individual matrices against each other according to their overall elemental composition. Twenty-seven igneous rock samples were analyzed in the form of fine dust, classified and subsequently quantitatively analyzed. Two different LIBS setups in two laboratories were used to prove the reproducibility of classification and quantification. A superposition of partial calibration plots constructed from the individual clustered data displayed a large improvement in precision and accuracy compared to the calibration plot constructed from all ore samples. The classification of mineral samples with complex matrices can thus be recommended prior to LIBS system calibration and quantitative analysis. - Highlights: • Twenty seven igneous rocks were measured on different LIBS systems. • Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed for classification. • The necessity of the classification of the rock (ore) samples prior to the quantification analysis is stressed. • Classification based on the whole LIP spectra and

  6. RILES, a novel method for temporal analysis of the in vivo regulation of miRNA expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ezzine, Safia; Vassaux, Georges; Pitard, Bruno; Barteau, Benoit; Malinge, Jean-Marc; Midoux, Patrick; Pichon, Chantal; Baril, Patrick

    2013-11-01

    Novel methods are required to investigate the complexity of microRNA (miRNA) biology and particularly their dynamic regulation under physiopathological conditions. Herein, a novel plasmid-based RNAi-Inducible Luciferase Expression System (RILES) was engineered to monitor the activity of endogenous RNAi machinery. When RILES is transfected in a target cell, the miRNA of interest suppresses the expression of a transcriptional repressor and consequently switch-ON the expression of the luciferase reporter gene. Hence, miRNA expression in cells is signed by the emission of bioluminescence signals that can be monitored using standard bioluminescence equipment. We validated this approach by monitoring in mice the expression of myomiRs-133, -206 and -1 in skeletal muscles and miRNA-122 in liver. Bioluminescence experiments demonstrated robust qualitative and quantitative data that correlate with the miRNA expression pattern detected by quantitative RT-PCR (qPCR). We further demonstrated that the regulation of miRNA-206 expression during the development of muscular atrophy is individual-dependent, time-regulated and more complex than the information generated by qPCR. As RILES is simple and versatile, we believe that this methodology will contribute to a better understanding of miRNA biology and could serve as a rationale for the development of a novel generation of regulatable gene expression systems with potential therapeutic applications.

  7. [Effect of dietary fiber in the quantitative expression of butyrate receptor GPR43 in rats colon].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corte Osorio, L Y; Martínez Flores, H E; Ortiz Alvarado, R

    2011-01-01

    Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) acetate, propionate and butyrate are the major anions produced by the bacterial fermentation of dietary fiber (DF) in colon. Recently, butyrate has been recently studied because is important to maintain colonic functions and because it has been related with a protective effect in colorectal cancer, which is mainly, explained by its potential to regulate gene expression by inhibiting enzyme histonedeacetylase (HDAC). Several investigationsshown that SCFAreceptor GPR43 is involved insignal transduction mechanisms once they bind to ligands such as butyrate to generate different physiological effects in colonocytes. Determine if dietary fiber consumption from nopal (Opuntia ficus I.) containing a ratio of soluble-insoluble fiber 40/60, has a direct influence on the quantitative expression of butyrate-specific receptor GPR43. Wistar rats were fed with four different diets formulated at different concentrations of dietary fiber of 0, 5, 15 and 25% of dietary fiber from opuntia, respectively. The results shown an increase in the expression of GPR43 (93.1%) when rats was fed with a 5% fiber diet, using β-actin as a reference gene. The results of this investigation will contribute to determinate the relation of diet with intestinal health for the purpose of expanding the knowledge of butyric acid on colonic functions.

  8. Evaluation of Reference Genes for Real-Time Quantitative PCR Analysis in Larvae of Spodoptera litura Exposed to Azadirachtin Stress Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benshui Shu

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Azadirachtin is an efficient and broad-spectrum botanical insecticide against more than 150 kinds of agricultural pests with the effects of mortality, antifeedant and growth regulation. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR could be one of the powerful tools to analyze the gene expression level and investigate the mechanism of azadirachtin at transcriptional level, however, the ideal reference genes are needed to normalize the expression profiling of target genes. In this present study, the fragments of eight candidate reference genes were cloned and identified from the pest Spodoptera litura. In addition, the expression stability of these genes in different samples from larvae of control and azadirachtin treatments were evaluated by the computational methods of NormFinder, BestKeeper, Delta CT, geNorm, and RefFinder. According to our results, two of the reference genes should be the optimal number for RT-qPCR analysis. Furthermore, the best reference genes for different samples were showed as followed: EF-1α and EF2 for cuticle, β-Tubulin and RPL7A for fat body, EF2 and Actin for midgut, EF2 and RPL13A for larva and RPL13A and RPL7A for all the samples. Our results established a reliable normalization for RT-qPCR experiments in S. litura and ensure the data more accurate for the mechanism analysis of azadirachtin.

  9. Evaluation of Reference Genes for Real-Time Quantitative PCR Analysis in Larvae of Spodoptera litura Exposed to Azadirachtin Stress Conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shu, Benshui; Zhang, Jingjing; Cui, Gaofeng; Sun, Ranran; Sethuraman, Veeran; Yi, Xin; Zhong, Guohua

    2018-01-01

    Azadirachtin is an efficient and broad-spectrum botanical insecticide against more than 150 kinds of agricultural pests with the effects of mortality, antifeedant and growth regulation. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) could be one of the powerful tools to analyze the gene expression level and investigate the mechanism of azadirachtin at transcriptional level, however, the ideal reference genes are needed to normalize the expression profiling of target genes. In this present study, the fragments of eight candidate reference genes were cloned and identified from the pest Spodoptera litura . In addition, the expression stability of these genes in different samples from larvae of control and azadirachtin treatments were evaluated by the computational methods of NormFinder, BestKeeper, Delta CT, geNorm, and RefFinder. According to our results, two of the reference genes should be the optimal number for RT-qPCR analysis. Furthermore, the best reference genes for different samples were showed as followed: EF-1α and EF2 for cuticle, β-Tubulin and RPL7A for fat body, EF2 and Actin for midgut, EF2 and RPL13A for larva and RPL13A and RPL7A for all the samples. Our results established a reliable normalization for RT-qPCR experiments in S. litura and ensure the data more accurate for the mechanism analysis of azadirachtin.

  10. Comparative transcriptome analysis on the alteration of gene expression in ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis larvae associated with salinity change

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xin-Jiang LU

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis fish, which are an amphidromous species distributed in East Asia, live in brackish water (BW during their larval stage and in fresh water (FW during their adult stage. In this study, we found that FW-acclimated ayu larvae exhibited a slower growth ratio compared with that of BW-acclimated larvae. However, the mechanism underlying FW acclimation on growth suppression is poorly known. We employed transcriptome analysis to investigate the differential gene expression of FW acclimation by RNA sequencing. We identified 158 upregulated and 139 downregulated transcripts in FW-acclimated ayu larvae compared with that in BW-acclimated larvae. As determined by Gene Ontology annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway mapping, functional annotation of the genes covered diverse biological functions and processes, and included neuroendocrinology, osmotic regulation, energy metabolism, and the cytoskeleton. Transcriptional expression of several differentially expressed genes in response to FW acclimation was further confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR. In accordance with transcriptome analysis, iodothyronine deiodinase (ID, pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC, betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase 1(BHMT, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase B (aldolase B, tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT, and Na+-K+ ATPase (NKA were upregulated after FW acclimation. Furthermore, the mRNA expressions of b-type natriuretic peptide (BNP and transgelin were downregulated after FW acclimation. Our data indicate that FW acclimation reduced the growth rate of ayu larvae, which might result from the expression alteration of genes related to endocrine hormones, energy metabolism, and direct osmoregulation.

  11. Comparative transcriptome analysis on the alteration of gene expression in ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis) larvae associated with salinity change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Xin-Jiang; Zhang, Hao; Yang, Guan-Jun; Li, Ming-Yun; Chen, Jiong

    2016-05-18

    Ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis) fish, which are an amphidromous species distributed in East Asia, live in brackish water (BW) during their larval stage and in fresh water (FW) during their adult stage. In this study, we found that FW-acclimated ayu larvae exhibited a slower growth ratio compared with that of BW-acclimated larvae. However, the mechanism underlying FW acclimation on growth suppression is poorly known. We employed transcriptome analysis to investigate the differential gene expression of FW acclimation by RNA sequencing. We identified 158 upregulated and 139 downregulated transcripts in FW-acclimated ayu larvae compared with that in BW-acclimated larvae. As determined by Gene Ontology annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway mapping, functional annotation of the genes covered diverse biological functions and processes, and included neuroendocrinology, osmotic regulation, energy metabolism, and the cytoskeleton. Transcriptional expression of several differentially expressed genes in response to FW acclimation was further confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR. In accordance with transcriptome analysis, iodothyronine deiodinase (ID), pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase 1(BHMT), fructose-bisphosphate aldolase B (aldolase B), tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT), and Na(+)-K(+) ATPase (NKA) were upregulated after FW acclimation. Furthermore, the mRNA expressions of b-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and transgelin were downregulated after FW acclimation. Our data indicate that FW acclimation reduced the growth rate of ayu larvae, which might result from the expression alteration of genes related to endocrine hormones, energy metabolism, and direct osmoregulation.

  12. Elevated host lipid metabolism revealed by iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis of cerebrospinal fluid of tuberculous meningitis patients

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mu, Jun [Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing (China); Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing (China); Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing (China); Yang, Yongtao [Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing (China); Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing (China); Department of Neurology, Yongchuan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing (China); Chen, Jin; Cheng, Ke; Li, Qi; Wei, Yongdong; Zhu, Dan; Shao, Weihua; Zheng, Peng [Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing (China); Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing (China); Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing (China); Xie, Peng, E-mail: xiepeng@cqmu.edu.cn [Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing (China); Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing (China); Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing (China); Department of Neurology, Yongchuan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing (China)

    2015-10-30

    Purpose: Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) remains to be one of the most deadly infectious diseases. The pathogen interacts with the host immune system, the process of which is largely unknown. Various cellular processes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) centers around lipid metabolism. To determine the lipid metabolism related proteins, a quantitative proteomic study was performed here to identify differential proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obtained from TBM patients (n = 12) and healthy controls (n = 12). Methods: CSF samples were desalted, concentrated, labelled with isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ™), and analyzed by multi-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Gene ontology and proteomic phenotyping analysis of the differential proteins were conducted using Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) Bioinformatics Resources. ApoE and ApoB were selected for validation by ELISA. Results: Proteomic phenotyping of the 4 differential proteins was invloved in the lipid metabolism. ELISA showed significantly increased ApoB levels in TBM subjects compared to healthy controls. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated ApoB levels could distinguish TBM subjects from healthy controls and viral meningitis subjects with 89.3% sensitivity and 92% specificity. Conclusions: CSF lipid metabolism disregulation, especially elevated expression of ApoB, gives insights into the pathogenesis of TBM. Further evaluation of these findings in larger studies including anti-tuberculosis medicated and unmedicated patient cohorts with other center nervous system infectious diseases is required for successful clinical translation. - Highlights: • The first proteomic study on the cerebrospinal fluid of tuberculous meningitis patients using iTRAQ. • Identify 4 differential proteins invloved in the lipid metabolism. • Elevated expression of ApoB gives

  13. Elevated host lipid metabolism revealed by iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis of cerebrospinal fluid of tuberculous meningitis patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mu, Jun; Yang, Yongtao; Chen, Jin; Cheng, Ke; Li, Qi; Wei, Yongdong; Zhu, Dan; Shao, Weihua; Zheng, Peng; Xie, Peng

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) remains to be one of the most deadly infectious diseases. The pathogen interacts with the host immune system, the process of which is largely unknown. Various cellular processes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) centers around lipid metabolism. To determine the lipid metabolism related proteins, a quantitative proteomic study was performed here to identify differential proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obtained from TBM patients (n = 12) and healthy controls (n = 12). Methods: CSF samples were desalted, concentrated, labelled with isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ™), and analyzed by multi-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Gene ontology and proteomic phenotyping analysis of the differential proteins were conducted using Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) Bioinformatics Resources. ApoE and ApoB were selected for validation by ELISA. Results: Proteomic phenotyping of the 4 differential proteins was invloved in the lipid metabolism. ELISA showed significantly increased ApoB levels in TBM subjects compared to healthy controls. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated ApoB levels could distinguish TBM subjects from healthy controls and viral meningitis subjects with 89.3% sensitivity and 92% specificity. Conclusions: CSF lipid metabolism disregulation, especially elevated expression of ApoB, gives insights into the pathogenesis of TBM. Further evaluation of these findings in larger studies including anti-tuberculosis medicated and unmedicated patient cohorts with other center nervous system infectious diseases is required for successful clinical translation. - Highlights: • The first proteomic study on the cerebrospinal fluid of tuberculous meningitis patients using iTRAQ. • Identify 4 differential proteins invloved in the lipid metabolism. • Elevated expression of ApoB gives

  14. Deriving Trading Rules Using Gene Expression Programming

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrian VISOIU

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents how buy and sell trading rules are generated using gene expression programming with special setup. Market concepts are presented and market analysis is discussed with emphasis on technical analysis and quantitative methods. The use of genetic algorithms in deriving trading rules is presented. Gene expression programming is applied in a form where multiple types of operators and operands are used. This gives birth to multiple gene contexts and references between genes in order to keep the linear structure of the gene expression programming chromosome. The setup of multiple gene contexts is presented. The case study shows how to use the proposed gene setup to derive trading rules encoded by Boolean expressions, using a dataset with the reference exchange rates between the Euro and the Romanian leu. The conclusions highlight the positive results obtained in deriving useful trading rules.

  15. A comparative study of three different gene expression analysis methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choe, Jae Young; Han, Hyung Soo; Lee, Seon Duk; Lee, Hanna; Lee, Dong Eun; Ahn, Jae Yun; Ryoo, Hyun Wook; Seo, Kang Suk; Kim, Jong Kun

    2017-12-04

    TNF-α regulates immune cells and acts as an endogenous pyrogen. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is one of the most commonly used methods for gene expression analysis. Among the alternatives to PCR, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) shows good potential in terms of specificity and sensitivity. However, few studies have compared RT-PCR and LAMP for human gene expression analysis. Therefore, in the present study, we compared one-step RT-PCR, two-step RT-LAMP and one-step RT-LAMP for human gene expression analysis. We compared three gene expression analysis methods using the human TNF-α gene as a biomarker from peripheral blood cells. Total RNA from the three selected febrile patients were subjected to the three different methods of gene expression analysis. In the comparison of three gene expression analysis methods, the detection limit of both one-step RT-PCR and one-step RT-LAMP were the same, while that of two-step RT-LAMP was inferior. One-step RT-LAMP takes less time, and the experimental result is easy to determine. One-step RT-LAMP is a potentially useful and complementary tool that is fast and reasonably sensitive. In addition, one-step RT-LAMP could be useful in environments lacking specialized equipment or expertise.

  16. Immunohistochemical evaluation of inducible nitric oxide synthase in the epithelial lining of odontogenic cysts: A qualitative and quantitative analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akshatha, B K; Karuppiah, Karpagaselvi; Manjunath, G S; Kumarswamy, Jayalakshmi; Papaiah, Lokesh; Rao, Jyothi

    2017-01-01

    The three common odontogenic cysts include radicular cysts (RCs), dentigerous cysts (DCs), and odontogenic keratocysts (OKCs). Among these 3 cysts, OKC is recently been classified as benign keratocystic odontogenic tumor attributing to its aggressive behavior, recurrence rate, and malignant potential. The present study involved qualitative and quantitative analysis of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in epithelial lining of RCs, DCs, and OKCs, compare iNOS expression in epithelial linings of all the 3 cysts and determined overexpression of iNOS in OKCs which might contribute to its aggressive behavior and malignant potential. The present study is to investigate the role of iNOS in the pathogenesis of OKCs, DCs, and RCs by evaluating the iNOS expression in the epithelial lining of these cysts. Analysis of iNOS expression in epithelial lining cells of 20 RCs, 20 DCs, and 20 OKCs using immunohistochemistry done. The percentage of positive cells and intensity of stain was assessed and compared among all the 3 cysts using contingency coefficient. Kappa statistics for the two observers were computed for finding interobserver agreement. The percentage of iNOS-positive cells was found to be remarkably high in OKCs (12/20) -57.1% as compared to RCs (6/20) - 28.6% and DCs (3/20) - 14.3%. The interobserver agreement for iNOS-positive percentage cells was arrived with kappa values with OKCs → Statistically significant ( P > 0.000), RCs → statistically significant ( P > 0.001) with no significant values for DCs. No statistical difference exists among 3 study samples in regard to the intensity of staining with iNOS. Increased iNOS expression in OKCs may contribute to bone resorption and accumulation of wild-type p53, hence, making OKCs more aggressive.

  17. Tissue- Specific Expression Analysis of Anthocyanin Biosynthetic Genes in White- and Red-Fleshed Grape Cultivars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sha Xie

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Yan73, a teinturier (dyer grape variety in China, is one of the few Vitis vinifera cultivars with red-coloured berry flesh. To examine the tissue-specific expression of genes associated with berry colour in Yan73, we analysed the differential accumulation of anthocyanins in the skin and flesh tissues of two red-skinned grape varieties with either red (Yan73 or white flesh (Muscat Hamburg based on HPLC-MS analysis, as well as the differential expression of 18 anthocyanin biosynthesis genes in both varieties by quantitative RT-PCR. The results revealed that the transcripts of GST, OMT, AM3, CHS3, UFGT, MYBA1, F3′5′H, F3H1 and LDOX were barely detectable in the white flesh of Muscat Hamburg. In particular, GST, OMT, AM3, CHS3 and F3H1 showed approximately 50-fold downregulation in the white flesh of Muscat Hamburg compared to the red flesh of Yan73. A correlation analysis between the accumulation of different types of anthocyanins and gene expression indicated that the cumulative expression of GST, F3′5′H, LDOX and MYBA1 was more closely associated with the acylated anthocyanins and the 3′5′-OH anthocyanins, while OMT and AM3 were more closely associated with the total anthocyanins and methoxylated anthocyanins. Therefore, the transcripts of OMT, AM3, GST, F3′5′H, LDOX and MYBA1 explained most of the variation in the amount and composition of anthocyanins in skin and flesh of Yan73. The data suggest that the specific localization of anthocyanins in the flesh tissue of Yan73 is most likely due to the tissue-specific expression of OMT, AM3, GST, F3′5′H, LDOX and MYBA1 in the flesh.

  18. Review of Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) Schools. Volume II: Quantitative Analysis of Educational Quality

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Anderson, Lowell

    2000-01-01

    This volume compiles, and presents in integrated form, IDA's quantitative analysis of educational quality provided by DoD's dependent schools, It covers the quantitative aspects of volume I in greater...

  19. The Arabidopsis co-expression tool (act): a WWW-based tool and database for microarray-based gene expression analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jen, C. H.; Manfield, I. W.; Michalopoulos, D. W.

    2006-01-01

    be examined using the novel clique finder tool to determine the sets of genes most likely to be regulated in a similar manner. In combination, these tools offer three levels of analysis: creation of correlation lists of co-expressed genes, refinement of these lists using two-dimensional scatter plots......We present a new WWW-based tool for plant gene analysis, the Arabidopsis Co-Expression Tool (act) , based on a large Arabidopsis thaliana microarray data set obtained from the Nottingham Arabidopsis Stock Centre. The co-expression analysis tool allows users to identify genes whose expression...

  20. Quantitative analysis of intermolecular interactions in orthorhombic rubrene

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Venkatesha R. Hathwar

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Rubrene is one of the most studied organic semiconductors to date due to its high charge carrier mobility which makes it a potentially applicable compound in modern electronic devices. Previous electronic device characterizations and first principles theoretical calculations assigned the semiconducting properties of rubrene to the presence of a large overlap of the extended π-conjugated core between molecules. We present here the electron density distribution in rubrene at 20 K and at 100 K obtained using a combination of high-resolution X-ray and neutron diffraction data. The topology of the electron density and energies of intermolecular interactions are studied quantitatively. Specifically, the presence of Cπ...Cπ interactions between neighbouring tetracene backbones of the rubrene molecules is experimentally confirmed from a topological analysis of the electron density, Non-Covalent Interaction (NCI analysis and the calculated interaction energy of molecular dimers. A significant contribution to the lattice energy of the crystal is provided by H—H interactions. The electron density features of H—H bonding, and the interaction energy of molecular dimers connected by H—H interaction clearly demonstrate an importance of these weak interactions in the stabilization of the crystal structure. The quantitative nature of the intermolecular interactions is virtually unchanged between 20 K and 100 K suggesting that any changes in carrier transport at these low temperatures would have a different origin. The obtained experimental results are further supported by theoretical calculations.