Allele identification using immobilized mismatch binding protein: detection and identification of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and determination of sheep susceptibility to scrapie
Allele identification using immobilized mismatch binding protein: detection and identification of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and determination of sheep susceptibility to scrapiePaul Debbie, Karen Young1, Loreall Pooler, Cynthia Lamp, Peter Marietta and Robert Wagner*
Gene Check Inc., Suite 106, 1629 Blue Spruce Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80524, USA and 1Roche Molecular Systems Inc., Suite 100, 1145 Atlantic Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501, USA
Received July 15, 1997;Accepted October 7, 1997
ABSTRACT
A novel method for detection and identification of specific alleles has been developed utilizing immobilized mismatch binding protein (IMBP). The assay involves the use of biotin-labeled probes, which are prepared by PCR amplification of cloned fragments with known sequence. The use of probes avoids many of the problems associated with the extreme sensitivity of IMBP assays to errors in PCR amplification. The method can be used to monitor PCR fidelity and to genotype both diploid and haploid organisms and has been used to distinguish rifampicin-sensitive and -resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and to detect and distinguish two alleles of the sheep prion protein gene involved in susceptibility to scrapie.
INTRODUCTION
Mutation detection can be divided into two broad categories: (i) detection of all mutations or polymorphisms within a particular segment of genomic DNA; (ii) detection of a specific mutation, generally one known to be of genetic significance. Similarly, mutation screening involves either: (i) detection of any sequence alterations in a specific DNA fragment, as would occur when screening affected populations for undiscovered disease-causing mutations; (ii) detection of a specific mutation in a large population, as would be required for diagnosis or genotyping.
Many mutation detection methods (1 -9 ) have been designed to detect any (or at least most) mutations in a specific fragment of genomic DNA [e.g., single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP), denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and mismatch cleavage]. Other methods have been designed to detect specific mutations or mutations at a single base pair position in the DNA [e.g., oligonucleotide ligase assay (OLA) and allele-specific oligonucleotide hybridization]. Immobilized mismatch binding protein (IMBP) assays (7 ,8 ) can be used both to screen fragments for mutations and to detect and identify specific mutations. The assays are simple, inexpensive and easy to automate and do not require radioactivity, sequencing or gel electrophoresis.
The use of IMBP to detect mutations in specific DNA fragments has been described (8 ). In those experiments, labeled primers were used to amplify human genomic DNA. Following denaturation and annealing the PCR products were analyzed in IMBP assays. Heterozygotes were detected as strong positive signals. However, the homozygote background was significantly higher than the backgrounds obtained with synthetic oligonucleotides. This background appears to be the result of errors in PCR amplification, both misincorporation and mispriming. Mispriming, which presumably produces labeled single-strand molecules capable of adopting secondary structure with IMBP-recognizable mismatches or unpaired bases, appeared to be the largest contributor to background in those experiments. The results reported here demonstrate that the use of labeled probes, i.e., fragments prepared by amplification of cloned fragments or bacterial DNA, greatly reduces background signals. Labeled probes are mixed with test DNA samples prior to denaturation, annealing and exposure to IMBP. The observed background reduction presumably results from a reduction in mispriming due to the relatively high target to non-target ratio in the plasmid or bacterial DNA used as template for probe preparation. The use of probes also provides a means to use IMBP to detect and identify specific mutations. Alleles with sequence identical to the probe are identified by virtue of not being able to form IMBP-recognizable heteroduplexes with probes. Two model systems have been examined: (i) a region of the Mycobacterium tuberculosisrpoB gene containing sequence variants responsible for rifampicin resistance or sensitivity; (ii) a region of the sheep prion protein gene (PrP) containing sequence variants responsible for susceptibility or resistance to scrapie.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Prion protein gene analysis
The fragment amplified for cloning, probe preparation and DNA testing was a 190 bp fragment of the sheep PrP gene spanning codons 149-212. Primers A (5'-GAGGACCGTTACTATCGTGA) and B (5'-CCACTCGCTCCATTATCTTG) (Ransom Hill Bioscience) were used for all amplifications, but contained a 5' biotin label when used for probe preparation.
The PCR mixture (50 µl) contained 10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.3, 3.5 mM MgCl2, 25 mM KCl, 5% glycerol, 100 µg/ml BSA, 0.2 mM dNTPs (Boehringer Mannheim), 1.0 µM each primer, 40 ng template DNA and 1.5 U Stoffel fragment enzyme (Perkin Elmer). Amplification was for 32 cycles: denaturation, 30 s 94°C; annealing, 1 min, four cycles at 66°C, four cycles at 64°C, four cycles at 62°C, four cycles at 60°C, 16 cycles at 58°C; extension, 1 min at 72°C; a final extension at 72°C for 10 min.
PrP fragment-containing plasmids were prepared using unlabeled PCR products prepared from genomic DNA of known genotype using the PCRscript Cloning Kit (Stratagene) according to the manufacturer's protocol. Clones with inserts were selected and DNA purified from them for sequencing and probe preparation. The sequence of the cloned fragments was confirmed by manual sequencing (dsDNA Cycle Sequencing System; Gibco-BRL).
Probes were prepared by PCR amplification of fragments from 0.2 ng plasmid DNA. Probe fragments were prepared with one biotin-labeled primer. Primer A was labeled for probes made from R DNA (R probe) and primer B labeled for probes made from Q DNA (Q probe). PCR conditions were essentially the same as for test DNA with the following exceptions; the annealing temperatures were 2° higher and the cycle number was limited to 30 cycles (14 cycles at 60°C). Unused primers were removed with Qiaquick spin columns (Qiagen) and probes were eluted in 50 µl Tris-HCl, pH 8.5, and adjusted to 100 mM NaCl by addition of 5 M NaCl. The probes were then quantitated by running them on 8% polyacrylamide gels and comparing them with known standards.
The target for probe and test DNA preparation was a 190 bp fragment of the rpoB gene containing the region where most mutations associated with rifampicin resistance are located. Probe and target DNA were generated by PCR amplification using primers KY290 (5'-GGCGATCACACCGCAGACGT) and KY292 (5'-GGACCTCCAGCCCGGCA), which are specific for M.tuberculosis. Biotin-labeled primers were used for probe DNA synthesis and unlabeled primers were used for test DNA synthesis. Purified M.tuberculosis genomic DNA from one rifampicin-sensitive (wild-type) isolate and three rifampicin-resistant (mutant) isolates with known point mutations were used as templates for amplification. The mutant DNAs were provided by Dr B.Kreiswirth.
Test DNA fragments were generated by PCR amplification in reaction mixtures containing (final concentrations in 50 µl reactions) 10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.3, 5 mM MgCl2, 25 mM KCl, 5% (v/v) glycerol, 100 µg/ml BSA, 0.2 mM dATP, 0.2 mM dGTP, 0.2 mM dCTP, 0.4 mM dUTP (Perkin Elmer), 1.0 µM each primer (unlabeled), 1.5 U Stoffel fragment of Taq DNA polymerase (Perkin Elmer) and ~1000 copies of M.tuberculosis DNA. Amplification was carried out for 32 cycles: two cycles of 30 s at 98°C; annealing, 1 min at 62°C; extension, 1 min at 72°C and 30 cycles of 30 s at 94°C, 1 min at 62°C; extension, 1 min at 72°C; a final extension at 72°C for 10 min, included to allow completion of DNA synthesis.
For probe preparation, PCR was performed using ~10 000 copies of either wild-type or mutant M.tuberculosis DNA as template. Probe fragments were prepared with both primers labeled with biotin. PCR conditions were essentially the same as for test DNA except that cycling was for 30 cycles: denaturation, 1 min at 94°C; annealing, 1 min, four cycles at 68°C, four cycles at 66°C, four cycles at 64°C, four cycles at 62°C, 14 cycles at 60°C; extension, 2 min at 72°C; a final extension at 72°C for 10 min. Probes were then purified and quantitated as described above.
Denaturing and reannealing conditions
All samples were denatured and reannealed as follows: 3 min at 100°C, 90 min at 75°C; cooling to 4°C (Perkin Elmer model TC1).
SSB treatment
After denaturation and reannealing samples were adjusted to assay conditions by the addition of 10× reaction buffer (200 mM Tris-HCl, 50 mM MgCl2, 1 mM DTT and 1 mM EDTA). An aliquot of 1.2 µg SSB (Promega) was added to each sample. The tubes were then incubated at room temperature for 30-45 min. Samples were then added directly to the IMBP assay.
IMBP assays
All IMBP assays were performed with Genecheck Mutation Detection Kits or M2B2 (Magnetic Mismatch Binding Beads) according to the manufacturers' protocols.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The results of experiments comparing the use of labeled primers with the use of labeled probes in IMBP assays for the detection of heterozygotes are presented in Figure 1 . When labeled probes were used there was a clear reduction in background signal from homozygotes. In addition, the use of probes allowed an exact determination of the homozygote genotypes. The reduction in background signal observed with probes is presumably a consequence of the PCR conditions, including buffer and enzyme selection, used to prepare probes. Probes were amplified from fragments cloned into small plasmids where the ratio of target to non-target sequence is nearly six orders of magnitude higher than when the same fragment is amplified from genomic DNA. Therefore, the likelihood of mispriming is greatly reduced. Labeled probes prepared from cloned fragments should also contain fewer misincorporation errors than fragments prepared from genomic DNA, since it is possible to use more starting template and, therefore, fewer rounds of PCR to produce products. Mispriming, i.e., extension of primers at sites other than the target, may contribute to background by virtue of the fact that it produces labeled single-strand fragments which may adopt some secondary structure, frequently containing mispairs or regions with one to four unpaired bases, and thus be substrates for IMBP binding. The probe method also allows the use of a large excess of unlabeled test DNA with respect to probe, which may both increase the extent of annealing (which would leave less labeled single-strand DNA and, thus, reduce background) and allow the direct use of PCR products without quantitation. Support for the idea that single-strand DNA leads to increased background comes from the finding that pretreatment of samples with SSB (single-strand binding protein) after annealing and prior to exposure to IMBP decreases background signal in some samples (data not shown).
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