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Dependence of the ligation efficiency of large DNA fragments isolated from agarose gels on the purification method.

The isolation of large DNA fragments (> 5 kb) from agarose gels can be problematic. The DNA yield is often low, and the purification may be insufficient for subsequent reactions such as sequencing or ligation. Here we have compared a number of commonly used methods and commercial kits for DNA recovery. Large DNA fragments (12 and 14 kb, respectively) were isolated from agarose gel and purified, the recovery yield was tested, and a well-defined amount of purified DNA was used in a standard ligation reaction. We observed dramatic differences in the efficiency of this ligation reaction depending on which recovery method had been used. However, the respective ligation efficiencies of the different methods were not related to their recovery yields.

Animals↗

Hairpin ribozyme-catalyzed ligation in water-alcohol solutions.

The hairpin ribozyme (HPR) is a naturally existing RNA that catalyzes site-specific RNA cleavage and ligation. At 37 degrees C and in the presence of divalent metal ions (M(2+)), the HPR efficiently cleaves RNA substrates in trans. Here, we show that the HPR can catalyze efficient M(2+)-independent ligation in trans in aqueous solutions containing any of several alcohols, including methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol, and millimolar concentrations of monovalent cations. Ligation proceeds most efficiently in 60% isopropanol at 37 degrees C, whereas the reverse (cleavage) reaction is negligible under these conditions. We suggest that dehydration of the RNA is the key factor promoting HPR activity in water- alcohol solutions. Alcohol-induced ribozyme ligation may have practical applications.

Alcohols↗

Promotion of cholangiocarcinogenesis in the hamster liver by bile duct ligation after dimethylnitrosamine initiation.

Administration of hepatocarcinogenic nitrosamines before or after infection with the liver fluke, Opisthorchis viverrini (OV), results in marked development of cholangiocellular and hepatocellular precancerous and cancerous lesions in the hamster liver. The promoting effects of OV are believed to be exerted either mechanically, chemically or immunologically. To test the influence of possible mechanical effects, Syrian hamsters were initiated with a single i.p. injection of dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) 20 mg/kg and subjected 2 weeks later either to a sham operation or to complete ligation of the extrahepatic bile duct to the left lateral lobe. At the end of week 40, the animals receiving DMN-initiation and ligation had a 60.9% incidence of cholangiofibrosis, 21.7% of mucous cystadenomas and 39.1% of cholangiocarcinomas, whereas the group given DMN alone only developed cholangiofibrosis, limited to 5% of the animals. In the latter case neither cystadenomas nor cholangiocarcinomas were observed. The incidence of hepatocellular nodules did not differ between the two groups and no tumorous lesions developed in either the ligated or the untreated groups without DMN pretreatment. Complete ligation of the bile duct itself led to a series of events; obstruction of bile flow being followed by dilatation, cyst formation, and necrosis of the bile duct epithelium and surrounding affected areas leading to regenerative proliferation. The results are in line with the conclusion that parasite-associated proliferation in target cell populations is, at least in part, responsible for the influence of OV on liver tumor development.

Animals↗

Depletion of myocardial creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, myoglobin and K+ after coronary artery ligation in dogs.

In order to compare the time-course of disappearance of macromolecules and electrolytes from ischaemic myocardium, measurements of creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase activity and myoglobin, K+ and Na+ concentration were made on myocardial extracts from dogs which had left anterior descending coronary artery ligation for 3, 6, 12 and 24 h (4 groups of 6 dogs each). Intensity of ischaemia was assessed by myocardial blood flow measured with 15+/- 5 micrometers microspheres at 15 min after ligation. Creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase activities and K+/Na+ concentration ratios were at all times correlated with the magnitude of collateral blood flow in the ischaemic myocardium, while myoglobin concentration was correlated with blood flow only at 12 and 24h. Comparisons of the intensity of depletion at the various times after ligation showed that K+, K+/Na+ and creatine kinase had all reached a steady state at 12 h after ligation while lactate dehydrogenase and myoglobin had still to reach a steady state at 24 h. We conclude that these indices are mutually supportive markers of the intensity of ischaemia of 24 h duration, but K+ or K+/Na+ may be the most reliable indices for shorter periods of ischaemia of 3 to 6 h duration.

Animals↗

Apoptosis in the early human placental bed and its discrimination from necrosis using the in-situ DNA ligation technique.

Extensive areas of necrosis are present in the early human placental bed. Our aim was to determine whether apoptosis is also a feature. A method was therefore required to differentiate unequivocally necrosis and apoptosis. Initially, terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling was used to visualize apoptotic cells. However, non-specific labelling, probably due to free DNA released by necrotic cells, was excessive; thus, in-situ DNA ligation was employed. In this technique, two DNA fragments with single-base 3' overhangs and blunt-ends were labelled with a fluorochrome and then ligated to the DNA breaks on the sections. Immunolabelling for cytokeratin or leukocyte common antigen was performed to determine the phenotype of apoptotic cells identified by the in-situ DNA ligation technique. A proportion of the dying cells was confirmed to be trophoblasts. No co-localization with leukocyte common antigen was found in this region, suggesting that maternal macrophages and natural killer cells (CD56+) were not dying by apoptosis in significant numbers. In conclusion, in-situ DNA ligation in association with immunocytochemistry can readily distinguish apoptosis from necrosis in the placental bed. The results suggest that a proportion of invading trophoblast cells are eliminated by apoptosis in early pregnancy.

Apoptosis↗

CD40 ligation counteracts Fas-induced apoptosis of human dendritic cells.

Dendritic cells (DC) are cells of the hematopoletic system specialized in capturing antigens and initiating T cell-mediated immune responses. We show here that human DC generated in vitro by culturing CD34+ cord blood progenitor cells in granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor plus tumor necrosis factor-alpha express the Fas antigen (APO-1, CD95) and undergo apoptosis upon triggering of Fas by mAb. However, only a proportion of the cells die in response to Fas ligation, an observation that may be related to the virtual absence of the bcl-2 protein in about half of the cells. Ligation of DC CD40 by culture on CD40L-transfected fibroblastic cells up-regulates the expression of bcl-2 and, concomitantly, renders DC virtually resistant to Fas-induced apoptosis. Parallel experiments with mature, interdigitating dendritic cells (IDC) isolated from tonsils revealed that IDC express Fas but do not enter into apoptosis following Fas ligation, a finding that may be explained by their high levels of bcl-2. Thus, upon encountering antigen-specific T cells, DC become resistant to Fas-induced apoptosis, as a consequence of CD40 ligation and possibly by mechanisms associated to the up-regulation of bcl-2 protein expression.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Induction of activation-induced cytidine deaminase gene expression by IL-4 and CD40 ligation is dependent on STAT6 and NFkappaB.

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is an inducible gene that plays an important role in class switch recombination, somatic hypermutation and gene conversion in B cells. We examined the regulation of AID gene expression in human and mouse B cells by IL-4 and CD40 ligation. IL-4 by itself and, to a much lesser extent, CD40 ligation induced AID mRNA expression in primary B cells. The two stimuli strongly synergized in inducing AID mRNA and protein expression. IL-4 induced STAT6 binding to a site in the 5' upstream region of the AID gene, while CD40 ligation induced NFkappaB binding to two sites in that region. B cells from STAT6-/- mice failed to up-regulate AID in response to IL-4, while B cells from p50-/- mice were impaired in their ability to up-regulate AID in response to CD40 ligation and IL-4. These results suggest that signals delivered via CD40 that activate NFkappaB synergize with signals delivered via the IL-4 receptor that activate STAT6 to induce optimal AID gene expression.

Animals↗

Stimulation of intermolecular ligation with E. coli DNA ligase by high concentrations of monovalent cations in polyethylene glycol solutions.

In the presence of high concentrations of the nonspecific polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG), intermolecular cohesive-end ligation with the DNA ligase from Escherichia coli was stimulated by high salt concentrations: 200 mM NaCl or 300 mM KCl in 10% (w/v) PEG 6000 solutions, and 100-200 mM NaCl or 150-300 mM KCl in 15% PEG 6000 solutions. Intermolecular blunt-end ligation with this ligase was also stimulated at 100-150 mM NaCl or 150-250 mM KCl in 15% PEG 6000 solutions. The extent of such intermolecular ligation increased and the salt concentrations at which ligation was stimulated extended to lower concentrations when we raised the temperature from 10 to 37 degrees C.

Adenosine Monophosphate↗

Nucleotide sequence and newly formed phosphodiester bond of spontaneously ligated satellite tobacco ringspot virus RNA.

The satellite RNA of tobacco ringspot virus (STobRV RNA) replicates and becomes encapsidated in association with tobacco ringspot virus. Previous results show that the infected tissue produces multimeric STobRV RNAs of both polarities. RNA that is complementary to encapsidated STobRV RNA, designated as having the (-) polarity, cleaves autolytically at a specific ApG bond. Purified autolysis products spontaneously join in a non-enzymic reaction. We report characteristics of this RNA ligation reaction: the terminal groups that react, the type of bond in the newly formed junction and the nucleotide sequence of the joined RNA. The nucleotide sequence of the ligated RNA shows that joining of the reacting RNAs restored an ApG bond. The junction ApG has a 3'-to-5' phosphodiester bond. Thus the net ligation reaction of STobRV (-)RNA is the precise reversal of autolysis. We discuss this new type of RNA ligation reaction and its implications for the formation of multimeric STobRV RNAs during replication.

Base Sequence↗

Cross-ligation and exchange reactions catalyzed by hairpin ribozymes.

The negative strand of the satellite RNA of tobacco ringspot virus (sTobRV(-)) contains a hairpin catalytic domain that shows self-cleavage and self-ligation activities in the presence of magnesium ions. We describe here that the minimal catalytic domain can catalyze a cross-ligation reaction between two kinds of substrates in trans. The cross-ligated product increased when the reaction temperature was decreased during the reaction from 37 degrees C to 4 degrees C. A two-stranded hairpin ribozyme, divided into two fragments between G45 and U46 in a hairpin loop, showed higher ligation activity than the nondivided ribozyme. The two stranded ribozyme also catalyzed an exchange reaction of the 3'-portion of the cleavage site.

Base Sequence↗

High-density multiplex detection of nucleic acid sequences: oligonucleotide ligation assay and sequence-coded separation.

We describe a non-isotopic, semi-automated method for large-scale multiplex analysis of nucleic acid sequences, using the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) gene as an example. Products of a multiplex oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA) are resolved electrophoretically from one another and from unligated probes under denaturing conditions with fluorescence detection. One ligation probe for each OLA target carries a fluorescent tag, while the other probe carries an oligomeric non-nucleotide mobility modifier. Each OLA product has a unique electrophoretic mobility determined by the ligated oligonucleotides and the mobility-modifier oligomer arbitrarily assigned (coded) to its target. The mobility range for practical mobility modifiers is much wider than the accessible range from unmodified ligated oligonucleotides of practical length. Each mobility modifier is built from phosphoramidite monomers in a stepwise manner on its associated oligonucleotide using an automated synthesizer. The resulting mobility modifiers lower the probe-target duplex Tm by less than 3 degrees C and retard probe-target annealing by less than 50%, with negligible effect on OLA yield and specificity. This method is especially useful for allelic discrimination in highly polymorphic genes such as CFTR.

Autoanalysis↗

Vaccinia topoisomerase and Cre recombinase catalyze direct ligation of activated DNA substrates containing a 3'-para-nitrophenyl phosphate ester.

DNA topoisomerases and DNA site-specific recombinases are involved in a diverse set of cellular processes but both function by making transient breaks in DNA. Type IB topoisomerases and tyrosine recombinases cleave DNA by transesterification of an active site tyrosine to generate a DNA-3'-phosphotyrosyl-enzyme adduct and a free 5'-hydroxyl (5'-OH). Strand ligation results when the 5'-OH attacks the covalent complex and displaces the enzyme. We describe the synthesis of 3'-phospho-(para-nitrophenyl) oligonucleotides (3'-pNP DNAs), which mimic the natural 3'-phosphotyrosyl intermediate, and demonstrate that such pre-activated strands are substrates for DNA ligation by vaccinia topoisomerase and Cre recombinase. Ligation occurs by direct attack of a 5'-OH strand on the 3'-pNP DNA (i.e., without a covalent protein-DNA intermediate) and generates free para-nitrophenol as a product. The chromogenic DNA substrate allows ligation to be studied in real-time and in the absence of competing cleavage reactions and can be exploited for high-throughput screening of topoisomerase/recombinase inhibitors.

Arginine↗

Tapping diversity lost in transformations--in vitro amplification of ligation reactions.

Molecular evolution is a powerful means of engineering proteins. It usually requires the generation of a large recombinant DNA library of variants for cloning into a phage or plasmid vector, and the transformation of a host organism for expression and screening of the variant proteins. However, library size is often limited by the low yields of circular DNA and the poor transformation efficiencies of linear DNA. Here we have overcome this limitation by amplification of recombinant circular DNA molecules directly from ligation reactions. The amplification by bacteriophage Phi29 polymerase increased the number of transformants; thus from a nanogram-scale ligation of DNA fragments comprising two sub-libraries of variant antibody domains, we succeeded in amplifying a highly diverse and large combinatorial phage antibody library (>10(9) transformants in Escherichia coli and 10(5)-fold more transformants than without amplification). From the amplified library, but not from the smaller un-amplified library, we could isolate several antibody fragments against a target antigen. It appears that amplification of ligations with Phi29 polymerase can help recover clones and molecular diversity otherwise lost in the transformation step. A further feature of the method is the option of using PCR-amplified vectors for ligations.

Bacillus Phages↗

Relative quantification of 40 nucleic acid sequences by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification.

We describe a new method for relative quantification of 40 different DNA sequences in an easy to perform reaction requiring only 20 ng of human DNA. Applications shown of this multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) technique include the detection of exon deletions and duplications in the human BRCA1, MSH2 and MLH1 genes, detection of trisomies such as Down's syndrome, characterisation of chromosomal aberrations in cell lines and tumour samples and SNP/mutation detection. Relative quantification of mRNAs by MLPA will be described elsewhere. In MLPA, not sample nucleic acids but probes added to the samples are amplified and quantified. Amplification of probes by PCR depends on the presence of probe target sequences in the sample. Each probe consists of two oligonucleotides, one synthetic and one M13 derived, that hybridise to adjacent sites of the target sequence. Such hybridised probe oligonucleotides are ligated, permitting subsequent amplification. All ligated probes have identical end sequences, permitting simultaneous PCR amplification using only one primer pair. Each probe gives rise to an amplification product of unique size between 130 and 480 bp. Probe target sequences are small (50-70 nt). The prerequisite of a ligation reaction provides the opportunity to discriminate single nucleotide differences.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Tubal ligation and fatal ovarian cancer in a large prospective cohort study.

Several studies suggest that tubal sterilization may decrease the risk of ovarian cancer. Data from the Cancer Prevention Study II were analyzed to examine the relation between tubal ligation and ovarian cancer mortality in a large prospective study. A total of 396,114 women who had not had hysterectomies and who had no prior history of cancer (except nonmelanoma skin cancer) were followed prospectively for approximately 9 years from 1982 to 1991. During this time, 799 ovarian cancer deaths were observed. Tubal ligation was significantly associated with a decreased risk of ovarian cancer mortality in an age- and race-adjusted Cox proportional hazards model (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.64, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.42-0.96), and the results were essentially unchanged when controlling for potential ovarian cancer risk factors (HR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.45-1.03). The protective effect appeared to be greater in the first 20 years after the procedure (HR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.24-0.99) than later (HR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.48-1.34). No interactions between ever having had a tubal ligation and other covariates were observed. These data suggest that tubal ligation reduces the risk of fatal ovarian cancer.

Adult↗

Overexpression of Fas antigen on T cells in advanced HIV-1 infection: differential ligation constantly induces apoptosis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate Fas in peripheral lymphocytes from HIV-1-positive patients at different disease stages with respect to the extent of apoptosis. DESIGN: The study included analysis of Fas involvement in T-cell apoptosis observed during HIV-1 infection. Because ligation of Fas can result in costimulation of proliferation or the induction of apoptosis in uninfected cells, we evaluated the effect on T cells of Fas activation by monoclonal antibodies (MAb) of different specificity from both UB2 and CH11 clones and activation by the Fas ligand (Fas-L). METHODS: Fas was measured by FACS in peripheral blood and in phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-driven cultures derived from 59 HIV-1-positive individuals with different Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stages. The percentage of apoptotic cells was detected by propidium iodide cell staining. The effect of Fas ligation was assessed in peripheral T cells from patients and healthy controls by a proliferative test measuring the 3H-thymidine uptake. RESULTS: FACS analysis revealed that Fas was predominantly expressed in advanced disease, although it was promptly exposed in PHA cultures from asymptomatic individuals. In several instances, Fas overexpression was associated with substantial subdiploid DNA content in cells from severely lymphopenic patients. The proliferative assay showed a significant inhibition of 3H-thymidine uptake in T cells from all patients following Fas ligation by the immunoglobulin (Ig) G1 MAb from the UB2 clone. This was in contrast to the apparent cell activation detected in controls and the weak suppression observed in Fas-positive cell lines. In addition, the IgM anti-Fas and recombinant Fas-L concentrations inducing a moderate inhibition of fresh T cells from controls strongly depressed the proliferative rate of cells from patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that Fas overexpression parallels the progression of the disease and that the increased susceptibility of T cells from HIV-1-infected individuals to undergo apoptosis may include a Fas pathway. Functionally exhausted T cells in advanced HIV-1 infection are primed to apoptosis because of their high sensitivity to Fas stimulation even using the IgG1 MAb, which is unreactive to the death domain of Fas. This suggests that the increased sensitivity of Fas is apparently unrelated to its trimeric ligation and supports the hypothesis that Fas pathway plays a role in increasing the lymphocyte apoptosis during the disease.

Adult↗

Enhanced expression of renal endothelin-converting enzyme-1 and endothelin-A-receptor mRNA in rats with interstitial fibrosis following ureter ligation.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) has been implicated in many chronic renal glomerular diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the levels of mRNA expression of endothelin-converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1) and endothelin-A- and -B- (ET(A) and ET(B)) receptors are altered during the progression of interstitial fibrosis following ureter ligation. Rats were subjected to left ureter ligation or a sham operation and euthanized 5 days afterward. Kidneys were fixed in Carnoy's fixative, embedded in paraffin, and sectioned for assessment of interstitial fibrosis by staining for collagen III using immunofluorescence techniques. The area occupied by collagen staining was quantified by image analysis. Kidneys from obstructed rats showed a 54% increase in the area occupied by collagen III staining compared to the contralateral kidney, and an 89% increase compared to sham-operated kidneys. The mRNA levels of ECE-1, as well as ET(A)- and ET(B)-receptors in the kidney were analyzed by Northern blots. It was found that the ECE-1 and ET(A)-receptor mRNA levels in kidneys subjected to ureter ligation increased by 92% and 71%, respectively, when compared with those obtained from the contralateral kidneys. In contrast, mRNA levels of ET(B)-receptors were not significantly different between the two groups. These results suggest that ET-1, through interaction with the ET(A)-receptors, may play a role in the progression of interstitial fibrosis following ureter ligation.

Animals↗

Acute salpingitis subsequent to tubal ligation.

Acute salpingitis subsequent to tubal ligation is an uncommon event. Multiple studies have given credence to the assumption that salpingitis after tubal ligation does not occur. Four cases of salpingitis after tubal ligation are reported during the period of January 1980 to May 1985. This relates to an incidence of one in approximately 450 cases of acute salpingitis. A case of acute stump salpingitis with sequela from tubal rupture is reported and represents (to the authors' knowledge) the third reported case in the literature. Salpingitis can occur in the proximal stumps of tubes that have been ligated.

Acute Disease↗