Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0021051 (immunodeficiency)
 71,517 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We have developed a quantitative competitive PCR (QC-PCR) assay in a microplate format for quantifying human immunodeficiency virus Type 1 (HIV-1) DNA or RNA in a broad range of source materials. Our QC-PCR assay is a modification of technique originally described by Piatak et al. (1993), which is based on the presence of a competitive internal standard containing an internal 80-bp deletion of HIV-1 gag target sequence. For improved detection and quantification of the wild-type and internal-standard PCR products in a microplate format, we introduced a non-HIV, 31-bp insert into the internal standard as a probe hybridization site that does not cross-hybridize with wild-type HIV-1 products. By using a primer pair in which one primer is biotinylated, QC-PCRs can be bound to a streptavidin-coated microplate, denatured and probed with a digoxigenin (Dig)-labeled, wild-type or internal-standard probe. The hybridized Dig-labeled probes are detected with an anti-Dig antibody conjugated to detector molecules for luminometry (aequorin) or optical densitometry (peroxidase), yielding results that are quantifiable over the range of 100-10,000 copies of HIV gag. Tested source materials for HIV-1 DNA or RNA quantification include plasma, vaginal lavage and cultured cells. The application of the QC-PCR assay using the microplate format affords a convenient and cost-effective method for quantifying HIV-1 proviral and viral loads from a variety of body fluids, cells and tissues.
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PMID:Quantitative, competitive PCR assay for HIV-1 using a microplate-based detection system. 959 Nov 31

Cell-penetrating peptides are short cationic peptides with the property of translocating across the plasma membrane and transferring macromolecules otherwise unable to permeate cell membranes. We investigated the potential ability of the protein transduction domain derived from amino acids 47-57 of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) TAT (transactivator of transcription) protein to be used as a nanocarrier for the delivery of aequorin, a Ca(2+)-sensitive photoprotein widely used as a reliable Ca(2+) reporter in cell populations. The TAT peptide, either covalently linked to apoaequorin or ionically bound to plasmids encoding differentially targeted aequorin, was supplied to plant suspension-cultured cells. The TAT-aequorin fusion protein was found to be rapidly and effectively translocated into plant cells. The chimeric molecule was internalized in fully active biological form and at levels suitable to monitor intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations. Plant cells incubated for just 5 min with TAT-aequorin responded to different environmental stimuli with the expected Ca(2+) signatures. On the other hand, TAT-mediated plasmid internalization did not provide the necessary level of transformation efficiency to allow calibration of luminescence signals into Ca(2+) concentration values. These results indicate that TAT-mediated aequorin transduction is a promising alternative to traditional plant transformation methods to monitor intracellular Ca(2+) dynamics rapidly and effectively in plant cells.
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PMID:TAT-mediated aequorin transduction: an alternative approach for effective calcium measurements in plant cells. 2202 57