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Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate, intracellular bacterial pathogen that has until more recently remained recalcitrant to genetic manipulation. However, the field still remains hindered by the absence of tools to create selectable, targeted chromosomal mutations. Previous work with mobile group II introns demonstrated that they can be retargeted by altering DNA sequences within the intron's substrate recognition region to create site-specific gene insertions. This platform (marketed as TargeTron™, Sigma) has been successfully employed in a variety of bacteria. We subsequently modified TargeTron™ for use in C. trachomatis and as proof of principle used our system to insertionally inactivate incA, a chromosomal gene encoding a protein required for homotypic fusion of chlamydial inclusions. C. trachomatis incA::GII(bla) mutants were selected with ampicillin and plaque purified clones were then isolated for genotypic and phenotypic analysis. PCR, Southern blotting, and DNA sequencing verified proper GII(bla) insertion, while continuous passaging in the absence of selection demonstrated that the insertion was stable. As seen with naturally occurring IncA(-) mutants, light and immunofluorescence microscopy confirmed the presence of non-fusogenic inclusions in cells infected with the incA::GII(bla) mutants at a multiplicity of infection greater than one. Lack of IncA production by mutant clones was further confirmed by Western blotting. Ultimately, the ease of retargeting the intron, ability to select for mutants, and intron stability in the absence of selection makes this method a powerful addition to the growing chlamydial molecular toolbox.

Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) is a common, familial disease of the corneal endothelium and is the leading indication for corneal transplantation. Variation in the transcription factor 4 (TCF4) gene has been identified as a major contributor to the disease. We tested for an association between an intronic TGC trinucleotide repeat in TCF4 and FECD by determining repeat length in 66 affected participants with severe FECD and 63 participants with normal corneas in a 3-stage discovery/replication/validation study. PCR primers flanking the TGC repeat were used to amplify leukocyte-derived genomic DNA. Repeat length was determined by direct sequencing, short tandem repeat (STR) assay and Southern blotting. Genomic Southern blots were used to evaluate samples for which only a single allele was identified by STR analysis. Compiling data for 3 arms of the study, a TGC repeat length >50 was present in 79% of FECD cases and in 3% of normal controls cases (p<0.001). Among cases, 52 of 66 (79%) subjects had >50 TGC repeats, 13 (20%) had <40 repeats and 1 (2%) had an intermediate repeat length. In comparison, only 2 of 63 (3%) unaffected control subjects had >50 repeats, 60 (95%) had <40 repeats and 1 (2%) had an intermediate repeat length. The repeat length was greater than 1000 in 4 FECD cases. The sensitivity and specificity of >50 TGC repeats identifying FECD in this patient cohort was 79% and 96%, respectively Expanded TGC repeat was more specific for FECD cases than the previously identified, highly associated, single nucleotide polymorphism, rs613872 (specificity = 79%). The TGC trinucleotide repeat expansion in TCF4 is strongly associated with FECD, and a repeat length >50 is highly specific for the disease This association suggests that trinucleotide expansion may play a pathogenic role in the majority of FECD cases and is a predictor of disease risk.

Dunaliella is a commercially important marine alga producing high amount of β-carotene. The use of Dunaliella as a potential transgenic system for the production of recombinant proteins has been recently recognized. The present study reports for the first time the metabolic engineering of carotenoid biosynthesis in Dunaliella salina for ketocarotenoid production. The pathway modification included the introduction of a bkt gene from H. pluvialis encoding β-carotene ketolase (4,4′β-oxygenase) along with chloroplast targeting for the production of ketocarotenoids. The bkt under the control of Dunaliella Rubisco smaller subunit promoter along with its transit peptide sequence was introduced into the alga through standardized Agrobacterium-mediated transformation procedure. The selected transformants were confirmed using GFP and GUS expression, PCR and southern blot analysis. A notable upregulation of the endogenous hydroxylase level of transformants was observed where the BKT expression was higher in nutrient-limiting conditions. Carotenoid analysis of the transformants through HPLC and MS analysis showed the presence of astaxanthin and canthaxanthin with maximum content of 3.5 and 1.9 µg/g DW, respectively. The present study reports the feasibility of using D. salina for the production of ketocarotenoids including astaxanthin.

Cholesterol in the mammalian brain is a risk factor for certain neurodegenerative diseases, raising the question of its normal function. In the mature brain, the highest cholesterol content is found in myelin. We therefore created mice that lack the ability to synthesize cholesterol in myelin-forming oligodendrocytes. Mutant oligodendrocytes survived, but CNS myelination was severely perturbed, and mutant mice showed ataxia and tremor. CNS myelination continued at a reduced rate for many months, and during this period, the cholesterol-deficient oligodendrocytes actively enriched cholesterol and assembled myelin with >70% of the cholesterol content of wild-type myelin. This shows that cholesterol is an indispensable component of myelin membranes and that cholesterol availability in oligodendrocytes is a rate-limiting factor for brain maturation.

Molecular genetic testing of the FMR1 gene is commonly performed in clinical laboratories. Mutations in the FMR1 gene are associated with fragile X syndrome, fragile X tremor ataxia syndrome, and premature ovarian insufficiency. This document provides updated information regarding FMR1 gene mutations, including prevalence, genotype–phenotype correlation, and mutation nomenclature. Methodological considerations are provided for Southern blot analysis and polymerase chain reaction amplification of the FMR1 gene, including triplet repeat–primed and methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. In addition to report elements, examples of laboratory reports for various genotypes are also included. Genet Med 2013:15(7):575–586

Expansion of CTG trinucleotide repeats (TNR) in the transcription factor 4 (TCF4) gene is highly associated with Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD). Due to limitations in the availability of DNA from diseased corneal endothelium, sizing of CTG repeats in FECD patients has typically been determined using DNA samples isolated from peripheral blood leukocytes. However, it is non-feasible to extract enough DNA from surgically isolated FECD corneal endothelial tissue to determine repeat length based on current technology. To circumvent this issue, total RNA was isolated from FECD corneal endothelium and sequenced using long-read sequencing. Southern blotting of DNA samples isolated from primary cultures of corneal endothelium from these same affected individuals was also assessed. Both long read sequencing and Southern blot analysis showed significantly longer CTG TNR expansion (>1000 repeats) in the corneal endothelium from FECD patients than those characterized in leukocytes from the same individuals (<90 repeats). Our findings suggest that the TCF4 CTG repeat expansions in the FECD corneal endothelium are much longer than those found in leukocytes.

Abscisic acid (ABA)-responsive element binding proteins (AREBs) are basic domain/leucine zipper transcription factors that bind to the ABA-responsive element (ABRE) in the promoter regions of ABA-inducible genes in plants. A novel bZIP transcription factor gene, GmbZIP1, encoding 438 amino acids with a conserved bZIP domain composed of 60 amino acids was isolated from salt-tolerant soybean cv. Tiefeng 8. Southern blotting showed that only one copy was present in the soybean genome. Phylogenetic analyses showed that GmbZIP1 belonged to the AREB subfamily of the bZIP family and was most closely related to AtABF2 and OsTRAB1. The expression of GmbZIP1 was highly induced by ABA, drought, high salt and low temperature; and GmbZIP1 was expressed in soybean roots, stems and leaves under different stress conditions. GmbZIP1 was localized inside the nuclei of transformed onion epidermal cells. Overexpression of GmbZIP1 enhanced the responses of transgenic plants to ABA and triggered stomatal closure under stresses, potentially leading to improved tolerances to several abiotic stresses such as high salt, low temperature and drought in transgenic plants. Furthermore, overexpression of GmbZIP1 affected the expression of some ABA or stress-related genes involved in regulating stomatal closure in Arabidopsis under ABA, drought and high salt stress conditions. A few AREB elements were detected in the promoter region of those ABA or stress-related genes, suggesting that GmbZIP1 regulates the ABA response or stomatal closure mediated by those downstream genes in transgenic Arabidopsis. Moreover, GmbZIP1 was used to improve the drought tolerance trait of Chinese wheat varieties BS93. Functional analysis showed that overexpression of GmbZIP1 enhanced the drought tolerance of transgenic wheat, and transcripts of GmbZIP1 were detected in transgenic wheat using RT-PCR. In addition, GmbZIP1 overexpression did not result in growth retardation in all transgenic plants, suggesting that GmbZIP1 may be a valuable genetic resource for engineering stress tolerance of crops.

Background and aims - Brassica napus (AACC, 2n = 38, oilseed rape) is a relatively recent allotetraploid species derived from the putative progenitor diploid species Brassica rapa (AA, 2n = 20) and Brassica oleracea (CC, 2n = 18). To determine the influence of intensive breeding conditions on the evolution of its genome, we analysed structure and copy number of rDNA in 21 cultivars of B. napus, representative of genetic diversity. Methods - We used next-generation sequencing genomic approaches, Southern blot hybridization, expression analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Subgenome-specific sequences derived from rDNA intergenic spacers (IGS) were used as probes for identification of loci composition on chromosomes. Key results - Most B. napus cultivars (18/21, 86 %) had more A-genome than C-genome rDNA copies. Three cultivars analysed by FISH ('Darmor', 'Yudal' and 'Asparagus kale') harboured the same number (12 per diploid set) of loci. In B. napus 'Darmor', the A-genome-specific rDNA probe hybridized to all 12 rDNA loci (eight on the A-genome and four on the C-genome) while the C-genome-specific probe showed weak signals on the C-genome loci only. Deep sequencing revealed high homogeneity of arrays suggesting that the C-genome genes were largely overwritten by the A-genome variants in B. napus 'Darmor'. In contrast, B. napus 'Yudal' showed a lack of gene conversion evidenced by additive inheritance of progenitor rDNA variants and highly localized hybridization signals of subgenome-specific probes on chromosomes. Brassica napus 'Asparagus kale' showed an intermediate pattern to 'Darmor' and 'Yudal'. At the expression level, most cultivars (95 %) exhibited stable A-genome nucleolar dominance while one cultivar ('Norin 9') showed co-dominance. Conclusions - The B. napus cultivars differ in the degree and direction of rDNA homogenization. The prevalent direction of gene conversion (towards the A-genome) correlates with the direction of expression dominance indicating that gene activity may be needed for interlocus gene conversion.

Weed competition can reduce the alfalfa yield, generating new alfalfa germplasm with herbicide resistance is essential. To obtain transgenic alfalfa lines with glyphosate resistance, a new synthetic glyphosate-resistant gene GR79Ms encoding 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) was introduced into alfalfa germplasm by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. In total, 67 transformants were obtained. PCR and Southern blot analyses confirmed that GR79Ms was successfully inserted into the genome of alfalfa. Reverse transcription-PCR and western blot analyses further demonstrated the expression of GR79Ms and its product, GR79Ms EPSPS. Moreover, two homozygous transgenic lines were developed in the T₂ generation by means of molecular-assisted selection. Herbicide tolerance spray tests showed that the transgenic plants T₀-GR1, T₀-GR2, T₀-GR3 and two homozygous lines were able to tolerate fourfold higher commercial usage of glyphosate than non-transgenic plants.

Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is highly effective in the field and potentially useful to reduce adverse effects chemical fertilisers. Here, Azotobacter species were selected via phenotypic, biochemical and molecular characterisations from different rice fields. Acetylene reduction assay of Azotobacter spp. showed that Azotobacter vinelandii (Az3) fixed higher amount of nitrogen (121.09 nmol C₂H₄ mg⁻¹ bacteria h⁻¹). Likewise, its plant growth functions, viz. siderophore, hydrogen cyanide, salicylic acid, IAA, GA₃, zeatin, NH₃, phosphorus solubilisation, ACC deaminase and iron tolerance, were also higher. The profile of gDNA, plasmid DNA and cellular protein profile depicted inter-generic and inter-specific diversity among the isolates of A. vinelandii. The PCR-amplified genes nifH, nifD and nifK of 0.87, 1.4 and 1.5 kb , respectively, were ascertained by Southern blot hybridisation in isolates of A. vinelandii. The 16S rRNA sequence from A. vinelandii (Az3) was novel, and its accession number (JQ796077) was received from NCBI data base. Biofertiliser formulation of novel A. vinelandii isolates along with commercial one was evaluated in rice (Oriza sativa L. var. Khandagiri) fields. The present finding revealed that treatment T4 (Az3) (A. vinelandii) are highly efficient to improved growth and yield of rice crop.