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P Lens

Publications and source records attributed to P Lens.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Quantification of HIV-1 RNA in plasma using NASBA during HIV-1 primary infection.

Quantification of HIV-1 viral RNA in plasma was achieved by competitive co-amplification of a dilution series of in vitro generated RNA using the nucleic acid sequence based amplification (NASBA) technology. This 1.5 kilobase in vitro RNA, comprising the gag and part of the pol region, differs only by sequence-randomization of a 20 nt fragment from the wild-type RNA, ensuring equal efficiency of amplification. In model systems the accuracy of this method is within one log. Application of the Q-NASBA to plasma samples of a patient with a primary HIV-1 infection shows good concordance of the HIV-1 RNA profile with the p24 antigen profile. However, the HIV-1 RNA determination is more sensitive than the p24 antigen determination. Peak values of HIV-1 RNA are around 10(8) RNA molecules per ml plasma at the moment of seroconversion. Quantitative nucleic acid detection methods, like Q-NASBA, allow the monitoring of HIV-1 RNA during the course of infection which might have predictive value for disease development.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Detection of HIV-1 distribution in different blood fractions by two nucleic acid amplification assays.

A new amplification procedure, NASBA (nucleic acid sequence-based amplification), was used together with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect HIV-1 sequences in different blood fractions of both HIV-infected and uninfected samples. We tested whole blood, plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and platelets. No HIV-1 sequences were found in blood fractions of 37 uninfected persons either by PCR, reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR), or NASBA. We found that none of the infected plasma samples contained HIV-1 DNA sequences. However, a high percentage of these plasma samples was positive for HIV-1 RNA: 86% by NASBA and 80% by RT-PCR. The concordance on a sample-to-sample basis of NASBA and RT-PCR was 91%. Only 33% of the plasma samples was HIV-1 p24-antigen positive, demonstrating the superior sensitivity of amplification procedures. We found that almost all PBMC fractions were positive for HIV-1 (pro)viral sequences (99% HIV-1 DNA positive, 91% HIV-1 RNA positive). A large proportion of the platelet fractions contained HIV-1 RNA, as demonstrated by positive RT-PCR and NASBA results. We found an inverse relation between CD4+ T cell count and T cell reactivity on the one hand and detection of HIV-1 sequences by PCR, RT-PCR, and NASBA on the other hand in all blood fractions. Quantification of the HIV-1 PCR signal in PBMCs revealed an inverse relation of proviral titers with CD4+ levels. This finding supports earlier observations that clinical disease and low CD4+ cell counts are related to an increased viral burden.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Qualitative and quantitative detection of HIV-1 RNA by nucleic acid sequence-based amplification.

AIM: To develop a method to detect HIV-1 viral RNA by amplifying a specific nucleic acid sequence. METHOD: The nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) method uses the simultaneous activity of avian myeloblastosis virus reverse transcriptase, T7 RNA polymerase and RNase H to amplify a specific nucleic acid target sequence. VALIDATION: An in vitro cultured HIV-1 stock solution was used to validate the NASBA method and determine the variation in RNA measurement. CONCLUSION: Although NASBA is theoretically capable of specific amplification of RNA or DNA, it is most suitable for amplification of RNA, and therefore for detection of HIV-1 viral RNA.

Gene Amplification↗
PubMed1991

NASBA isothermal enzymatic in vitro nucleic acid amplification optimized for the diagnosis of HIV-1 infection.

Isothermal nucleic acid amplification of target RNA or DNA sequences is accomplished by the simultaneous enzymatic activity of AMV reverse transcriptase, T7 RNA polymerase and RNase H. Amplification factors of the nucleic acid sequence based amplification (NASBA) method range from 2 x 10(6) to 5 x 10(7) after 2.5 h incubation at 41 degrees C. During NASBA there is a major accumulation of specific single stranded RNA. RNA:DNA hybrid and double stranded DNA are also synthesized, although to a minor extent. The system is optimized for the detection of HIV-1 sequences in in vitro infected cells, blood and plasma. Detection levels are 10 molecules of HIV-1 in a model system with in vitro generated HIV-1 RNA as input and 5 infected cells on a background of 5 x 10(4) non-infected cells. Blood and plasma can also be used as the source of nucleic acid for detection of HIV-1 sequences using a specifically developed sample preparation method. Using NASBA it is possible to amplify specifically RNA or DNA from a pool of total nucleic acid, which permits the investigation of the expression of specific genes involved in pathogenesis of infectious agents. The combination of NASBA with a rapid and user-friendly nucleic acid extraction method makes the whole procedure suitable for large scale diagnosis of infectious agents (e.g. HIV-1).

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Fast-growing, aerobic, heterotrophic bacteria from the rhizosphere of young sugar beet plants.

Fast-growing, aerobic, heterotrophic bacteria from the root surface of young sugar beet plants were inventoried. Isolation of the most abundant bacteria from the root surface of each of 1,100 plants between the second and tenth leaf stage yielded 5,600 isolates. These plants originated from different fields in Belgium and Spain. All isolates were characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of total cellular proteins. Comparison of protein fingerprints allowed us to inventory the bacteria of individual plants of different fields or leaf stages and to analyze the composition and variability of the rhizobacterial population of young sugar beet plants. Each field harbored a specific population of bacteria which showed a highly hierarchic structure. A small number of bacteria occurring frequently at high densities dominated in each field. The major bacteria were identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens, Xanthomonas maltophilia, Pseudomonas paucimobilis, and Phyllobacterium sp. The former three species showed a high genetic variability as they were represented by different protein fingerprint types on the same or different fields or leaf stages. Twinspan analysis and relative abundance plots showed that the structure and composition of the bacterial populations varied strongly over time. Pseudomonads were typically early colonizers which were later replaced by X. maltophilia or Phyllobacterium sp.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1987

Glycosylated chicken growth hormone.

In an attempt to raise monoclonal antibodies to chicken pituitary glycoprotein hormones, mice were immunized with the concanavalin A-adsorbed components of a hypophyseal extract. Fusions of these spleen cells with myeloma cells repeatedly yielded hybridoma lines secreting antibodies that recognized specifically the pituitary caudal acidophils, known as the somatotropes. This paper reveals the existence of a glycosylated counterpart of the well-established holoprotein form of chicken growth hormone, similar to what has been established for human growth hormone and prolactin.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Use of 1H NMR to study transport processes in porous biosystems.

The operation of bioreactors and the metabolism of microorganisms in biofilms or soil/sediment systems are strongly dictated by the transport processes therein. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allow nondestructive and noninvasive quantification and visualisation (in case of MRI) of both static and dynamic water transport phenomena. Flow, mass transfer and transport processes can be measured by mapping the (proton) displacement in a defined time interval directly in a so-called pulsed field gradient (PFG) experiment. Other methods follow the local intensity in time-controlled sequential images of water or labelled molecules, or map the effect of contrast agents. Combining transport measurements with relaxation-time information allows the discrimination of transport processes in different environments or of different fluids, even within a single picture element in an image of the porous biosystem under study. By proper choice of the applied NMR method, a time window ranging from milliseconds to weeks (or longer) can be covered. In this paper, we present an overview of the principles of NMR and MRI techniques to visualise and unravel complex, heterogeneous transport processes in porous biological systems. Applications and limitations will be discussed, based on results obtained in (model) biofilms, bioreactors, microbial mats and sediments.

Biofilms↗