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Sensitive and specific detection of human papillomaviruses (HPV) in cervical samples is a useful tool for the early diagnosis of epithelial neoplasia and anogenital lesions. Recent studies support the feasibility of HPV DNA testing instead of cytology (Pap smear) as a primary test in population screening for cervical cancer. This is likely to be an option in the near future in many countries, and it would increase the efficiency of screening for cervical abnormalities. We present here a microarray test for the detection and typing of 15 most important high-risk HPV types and two low risk types. The method is based on type specific multiplex PCR amplification of the L1 viral genomic region followed by ligation detection reaction where two specific ssDNA probes, one containing a fluorescent label and the other a flanking ZipCode sequence, are joined by enzymatic ligation in the presence of the correct HPV PCR product. Human beta-globin is amplified in the same reaction to control for sample quality and adequacy. The genotyping capacity of our approach was evaluated against Linear Array test using cervical samples collected in transport medium. Altogether 14 out of 15 valid samples (93%) gave concordant results between our test and Linear Array. One sample was HPV56 positive in our test and high-risk positive in Hybrid Capture 2 but remained negative in Linear Array. The preliminary results suggest that our test has accurate multiple HPV genotyping capability with the additional advantages of generic detection format, and potential for high-throughput screening.

Platelets are the second most abundant cell type in blood and are essential for maintaining haemostasis. Their count and volume are tightly controlled within narrow physiological ranges, but there is only limited understanding of the molecular processes controlling both traits. Here we carried out a high-powered meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in up to 66,867 individuals of European ancestry, followed by extensive biological and functional assessment. We identified 68 genomic loci reliably associated with platelet count and volume mapping to established and putative novel regulators of megakaryopoiesis and platelet formation. These genes show megakaryocyte-specific gene expression patterns and extensive network connectivity. Using gene silencing in Danio rerio and Drosophila melanogaster, we identified 11 of the genes as novel regulators of blood cell formation. Taken together, our findings advance understanding of novel gene functions controlling fate-determining events during megakaryopoiesis and platelet formation, providing a new example of successful translation of GWAS to function.

Arrays of oligonucleotides synthesized in the 5'-->3' direction have potential benefit in several areas of life sciences research because the free 3'-end can be modified by enzymatic reactions. A Geniom One instrument (febit biomed GmbH, Germany), with integrated chip fabrication, multiplex primer extension, fluorescence imaging, and data analysis, was evaluated for studies of genomic variations. Microchannels used for the array synthesis in Geniom One were not optimized before for the APEX method and, as preliminary experiments demonstrated in this study, the signals were strongly affected by the speed of the process inside reaction channels. Using the two-compartment model (TCM), target binding to feature were quantitatively analyzed, revealing profound mass-transport limitations in the observed kinetics and enabling us to draw a series of physicochemical conclusions of the optimal set-up for the APEX reaction. Some kinetically relevant parameters such as target concentration, reaction time, and temperature were comprehensively analyzed. Finally, we applied the arrays and methods in a proof-of-principle experiment where 36 individuals were typed with 900 oligonucleotide probes (sense and antisense primers for 450 markers), using the ABCR gene as a test system. A new DNA analysis method for studies of genomic variation was developed using this all-in-one platform.

Arrayed primer extension reaction (APEX) is a straightforward and robust enzymatic genotyping method in which hundreds to thousands of variations in the genome are simultaneously analyzed in a single multiplexed reaction. It differs from allele-specific hybridization in that the genotype information in APEX is obtained by single base extension, performed by a specific DNA polymerase, together with four different dye terminators. This approach ensures highly specific discrimination without allele-specific hybridization, because the primer to be extended anneals just adjacent to the DNA base that needs to be identified. Selection of primers for specific sites or their consecutive placement in tiled format, shifting them by one base, permits single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis, mutation detection, or resequencing of the DNA template. Careful primer design also permits the analysis of insertions, deletions, splice variants, gene copy numbers, or CpG islands within the genome for gene methylation studies, by performing additional bisulfite reactions.

Background: Genetic variants in immune regulator genes have been associated with numerous diseases, including allergies and cancer. Increasing evidence suggests a substantially elevated disease risk in individuals who carry a combination of disease-relevant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). For the genotyping of immune regulator genes, such as cytokines, chemokines and transcription factors, an oligonucleotide microarray for the analysis of 99 relevant SNPs was established. Since the microarray design was based on a platform that permits flexible in situ oligonucleotide synthesis, a set of optimally performing probes could be defined by a selection approach that combined computational and experimental aspects., Results: While the in silico process eliminated 9% of the initial probe set, which had been picked purely on the basis of potential association with disease, the subsequent experimental validation excluded more than twice as many. The performance of the optimized microarray was demonstrated in a pilot study. The genotypes of 19 hay-fever patients (aged 40-44) with high IgE levels against inhalant antigens were compared to the results obtained with 19 age- and sex-matched controls. For several variants, allele-frequency differences of more than 10% were identified., Conclusion: Based on the ability to improve empirically a chip design, the application of candidate-SNP typing represents a viable approach in the context of molecular epidemiological studies.

While the deciphering of basic sequence information on a genomic scale is yielding complete genomic sequences in ever-shorter intervals, experimental procedures for elucidating the cellular effects and consequences of the DNA-encoded information become critical for further analyses. In recent years, DNA microarray technology has emerged as a prime candidate for the performance of many such functional assays. Technically, array technology has come a long way since its conception some 15 years ago, initially designed as a means for large-scale mapping and sequencing.The basic arrangement, however, could be adapted readily to serve eventually as an analytical tool in a large variety of applications. On their own or in combination with other methods, microarrays open up many new avenues of functional analysis.