枸杞果汁发酵过程复合乳酸菌的实时定量检测

利用植物乳植杆菌（Lactiplantibacillus plantarum）、发酵粘液乳杆菌（Limosilactobacillus fermentum）和瑞士乳杆菌（Lactobacillus helveticus）混合菌种进行枸杞果汁发酵。该研究对乳酸菌亚致死修复液的组成和修复温度进行优化,分别针对3株乳酸菌设计特异性引物,利用叠氮溴化丙锭（PMA）-荧光定量聚合酶链式反应（fqPCR）的方法,实时荧光定量检测枸杞果汁发酵过程中乳酸菌活菌数。结果表明,优化修复液的组成为蛋白胨1 g/L、牛肉浸出粉0.3 g/L、氯化钠0.5 g/L、吐温80 0.10 g/L、丙酮酸钠0.09 g/L、过氧化氢酶0.04 g/L、MgCl2 3 mmol/L、Na2HPO4 1 mmol/L、MnCl2 2 mmol/L和FeCl2 2 mmol/L。在27 ℃条件下培养15 min,乳酸菌亚致死细胞修复率达到97%。利用该方法实现了枸杞果汁发酵过程不同乳酸菌的实时定量检测,为今后枸杞果汁发酵生产过程中的微生物动态监测提供了方法。     

Short communication: Quantitative PCR coupled with sodium dodecyl sulfate and propidium monoazide for detection of culturable Escherichia coli in milk

Escherichia coli has been frequently reported as a major foodborne bacterium contaminating raw milk or pasteurized milk. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore a quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) technique combined with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and propidium monoazide (PMA) to detect culturable E. coli in milk. An internal amplification control was also added into this reaction system as an indicator of false-negative results. The inclusivity and exclusivity of the primers were tested using DNA from 7 E. coli and 14 other bacterial strains. The concentrations of SDS and PMA were determined according to plate counts and quantitative cycle values of qPCR, respectively. A standard curve was established using series diluted E. coli DNA. The reliability and specificity of this method were further determined by the detection of E. coli in spiked milk. The results showed that the optimal concentrations of SDS and PMA were 100 µg/mL and 40 μM, respectively. A standard curve with a good linear relationship (coefficient of determination = 0.997; amplification efficiency = 100.5%) was obtained. Compared with conventional PCR and PMA-qPCR, the SDS-PMA-qPCR assay was more specific and sensitive in culturable E. coli detection. Therefore, we evaluated and improved the SDS-PMA-qPCR method for detecting culturable E. coli in milk.     

Investigating the bacterial microbiota of traditional fermented dairy products using propidium monoazide with single-molecule real-time sequencing

Traditional fermented dairy foods have been the major components of the Mongolian diet for millennia. In this study, we used propidium monoazide (PMA; binds to DNA of nonviable cells so that only viable cells are enumerated) and single-molecule real-time sequencing (SMRT) technology to investigate the total and viable bacterial compositions of 19 traditional fermented dairy foods, including koumiss from Inner Mongolia (KIM), koumiss from Mongolia (KM), and fermented cow milk from Mongolia (CM); sample groups treated with PMA were designated PKIM, PKM, and PCM. Full-length 16S rRNA sequencing identified 195 bacterial species in 121 genera and 13 phyla in PMA-treated and untreated samples. The PMA-treated and untreated samples differed significantly in their bacterial community composition and α-diversity values. The predominant species in KM, KIM, and CM were Lactobacillus helveticus, Streptococcus parauberis, and Lactobacillus delbrueckii, whereas the predominant species in PKM, PKIM, and PCM were Enterobacter xiangfangensis, Lactobacillus helveticus, and E. xiangfangensis, respectively. Weighted and unweighted principal coordinate analyses showed a clear clustering pattern with good separation and only minor overlapping. In addition, a pure culture method was performed to obtain lactic acid bacteria resources in dairy samples according to the results of SMRT sequencing. A total of 102 LAB strains were identified and Lb. helveticus (68.63%) was the most abundant, in agreement with SMRT sequencing results. Our results revealed that the bacterial communities of traditional dairy foods are complex and vary by type of fermented dairy product. The PMA treatment induced significant changes in bacterial community structure.     

Minimizing photobleaching during confocal microscopy of fluorescent probes bound to chromatin: role of anoxia and photon flux

Exposure to light can destroy the ability of a molecule to fluoresce. Such photobleaching limits the use of fluorescence and confocal microscopy in biological studies. Loss of fluorescence decreases the signal‐to‐noise ratio and so image resolution; it also prevents the acquisition of meaningful data late during repeated scanning (e.g. when collecting three‐dimensional images). The aim of this work was to investigate the role of oxygen in the photobleaching of fluorophores bound to DNA in fixed cells, and to explore whether anoxia could minimize such bleaching. Anoxia significantly reduced bleaching rates and changed the order of reaction of both propidium iodide (an intercalator) and chromomycin A₃ (a minor‐groove binder) bound to DNA; it afforded the greatest protection at low photon fluxes. However, it had no effect on the bleaching of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) covalently attached to a histone and so bound to DNA, probably because the protein shielded the chromophore from oxygen. Bleaching of all three fluorophores depended on photon flux. Practical ways of minimizing bleaching were examined, and examples of three‐dimensional images of DNA marked by propidium and GFP (collected under standard and optimized conditions) are presented.     

Quantitative PCR coupled with sodium dodecyl sulfate and propidium monoazide for detection of viable Staphylococcus aureus in milk

Conventional quantitative PCR (qPCR) are unable to differentiate DNA of viable Staphylococcus aureus cells from dead ones. The aim of this study was to use sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and propidium monoazide (PMA) coupled with lysostaphin to detect viable Staph. aureus. The cell suspensions were treated with SDS and PMA before DNA extraction. The SDS is an anionic surfactant, which can increase the permeability of dead cells to PMA without compromising the viability of live cells. The lysostaphin was applied to improve the effectiveness of DNA extraction. The reliability and specificity of this method were further determined by the detection of Staph. aureus in spiked milk. The results showed that there were significant differences between the SDS-PMA-qPCR and qPCR when a final concentration of 200 μg/mL of lysostaphin was added in DNA extraction. The viable Staph. aureus could be effectively detected when SDS and PMA concentrations were 100 µg/mL and 40 μM, respectively. Compared with conventional qPCR, the SDS-PMA-qPCR assay coupled with lysostaphin was more specific and sensitive. Therefore, this method could accurately detect the number of viable Staph. aureus cells.     

Detection of culturable and viable but non‐culturable cells of beer spoilage lactic acid bacteria by combined use of propidium monoazide and horA‐specific polymerase chain reaction

Current methods of detecting beer spoilage lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are time‐consuming and do not differentiate between viable and non‐viable bacteria. In this study, a combination of the conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and propidium monoazide (PMA) pretreatment has been described to circumvent the disadvantages. The horA‐specific PMA‐PCR described here identifies beer spoilage LAB based not on their identity, but on the presence of a gene that is shown to be highly correlated with the ability of LAB to grow in beer. The results suggest that the use of 20 µg/mL or less of PMA did not inhibit the PCR amplification of DNA derived from viable, but putatively non‐culturable (VPNC) Lactobacillus acetotolerans. The minimum amount of PMA to completely inhibit the PCR amplification of DNA derived from dead L. acetotolerans cells was 1.5 µg/mL. The detection limit of established PMA‐PCR assays was found to be 100 VPNC cells/reaction for the horA gene. Furthermore, the horA‐specific PMA‐PCR assays were subjected to 18 reference strains, representing 100% specificity with no false positive amplification observed. In conclusion, the use of horA‐specific PMA‐PCR allows for a substantial reduction in the time required for the detection of potential beer spoilage LAB and efficiently discriminates between live and dead cells. Copyright © 2016 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

Biotin exposure–based immunomagnetic separation coupled with sodium dodecyl sulfate,propidium monoazide,and multiplex real-time PCR for rapid detection of viable Salmonella Typhimurium,Staphylococcus aureus,and Listeria monocytogenes in milk

In this study, we established a rapid and sensitive method for the detection of viable Salmonella Typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes in milk using biotin-exposure-based immunomagnetic separation (IMS) combined with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), propidium monoazide (PMA), and multiplex real-time PCR (mRT-PCR). We used IMS to lessen the assay time for isolation of target bacteria. We then optimized the coupling conditions and immunomagnetic capture process. The immunoreaction and incubation times for 5 μg of mAb coupled with 500 μg of streptavidin-functionalized magnetic beads using a streptavidin-biotin system were 90 and 30 min, respectively. Treatment with SDS-PMA before mRT-PCR amplification eliminated false-positive outcomes from dead bacteria and identified viable target bacteria with good sensitivity and specificity. The limit of detection of IMS combined with the SDS-PMA-mRT-PCR assay for the detection of viable Salmonella Typhimurium, Staph. aureus, and L. monocytogenes in spiked milk matrix samples was 10 cfu/mL and remained significant even in the appearance of 10⁶ cfu/mL of nontarget bacteria. The entire detection process was able to identify viable bacteria within 9 h. The combination of biotin-exposure-mediated IMS and SDS-PMA-mRT-PCR has potential value for the rapid and sensitive detection of foodborne pathogens.     

Real-time recombinase-aided amplification with improved propidium monoazide for the rapid detection of viable Escherichia coli O157:H7 in milk

Escherichia coli O157:H7, the causative agent of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and hemolytic uremic syndrome in humans, generates a effective harm to community health because of its high pathogenicity. A real-time recombinase-aided amplification (rRAA) is an emerging method for nucleic acid detection. However, genomic DNA of bacteria could exist in food and the environment for a long time after death and could be amplified by rRAA assay, resulting in false-positive signal; thus, developing a fast and sensitive method is necessary to detect viable foodborne pathogens in food products. In our research, rRAA assay coupled with an enhanced nucleic acid binding dye named improved propidium monoazide (PMAxx) was established and applied in viable E. coli O157:H7 identification in skim milk. The PMAxx could eliminate interference from dead bacteria by permeating impaired membranes and covalently linking to DNA to prevent DNA amplification. The PMAxx-rRAA assay was performed with high sensitivity and good specificity. The PMAxx-rRAA assay could detect as low as 5.4 × 10⁰ cfu/mL of viable E. coli O157:H7 in pure culture, and 7.9 × 10⁰ cfu/mL of viable E. coli O157:H7 in skim milk. In addition, the PMAxx-rRAA assay was performed in the presence of a high concentration of dead bacteria or nontarget bacteria in skim milk to verify the capacity to resist interference from dead bacteria and nontarget bacteria. Therefore, the established PMAxx-rRAA assay is a valuable tool for the identification of viable E. coli O157:H7 in complex food matrix.     

实时荧光跨越式滚环等温扩增结合PMA检测虾产品中的活副溶血性弧菌

目的：为快速检测虾产品中的活副溶血性弧菌,建立一种实时荧光跨越式滚环等温扩增（real-time fluorescent saltatory rolling circle amplification,RF-SRCA）与叠氮溴化丙锭（propidium monoazide,PMA）染料相结合的检测方法。方法：依据副溶血性弧菌的特异性基因toxR设计并筛选引物,对PMA-RF-SRCA检测方法进行特异性、灵敏度及检出限分析,并与PMA-实时聚合酶链式反应（real-time polymerase chain reaction,real-time PCR）方法进行对比。对76 份样品进行检测,以GB 4789.7—2013方法为标准,对PMA-RF-SRCA方法的相对敏感性、相对特异性、相对符合率进行计算,以对本方法的实用性进行评估。结果：此方法的引物特异性良好,12?株副溶血性弧菌结果均呈阳性,18?株非副溶血性弧菌结果均呈阴性;PMA-RF-SRCA法灵敏度为3.2×100?CFU/mL,检出限为2.08×101?CFU/g,此方法的灵敏度是PMA-real-time PCR的100?倍。经过实际样品检测,PMA-RF-SRCA方法的敏感性、特异性、符合率分别为100.00%、96.00%和98.68%。结论：PMA-RF-SRCA方法特异性强、灵敏度高,可用于虾产品中的活副溶血性弧菌的检测与筛查。     

Propidium monoazide for viable Salmonella enterica detection by PCR and LAMP assays in comparison to RNA-based RT-PCR,RT-LAMP,and culture-based assays

Rapid and sensitive detection of live/infectious foodborne pathogens is urgently needed in order to prevent outbreaks and food recalls. This study aimed to (1) evaluate the incorporation of propidium monoazide (PMA) into PCR or LAMP assays to selectively detect viable Salmonella Enteritidis following sublethal heat or UV treatment, and autoclave sterilization; and (2) compare the detection of PMA-PCR and PMA-LAMP to DNA-based PCR and LAMP (without PMA), RNA-based RT-PCR and RT-LAMP, and culture-based methods. Nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) from 1-mL S. Enteritidis samples were used for PCR, RT-PCR, LAMP, and RT-LAMP assays. Serially diluted samples were plated on Xylose Lysine Tergitol-4 agar for cultural enumeration. Comparable detection of overnight cultured S. Enteritidis was obtained by PMA-PCR, PCR, and RT-PCR, though 1 to 2 log less sensitive than cultural assays. PMA-LAMP and RT-LAMP showed similar detection of overnight cultures, being 1 to 2 log less sensitive than the LAMP assay, and ∼4 log less than culture-based detection. Autoclaved S. Enteritidis did not test positive by RNA-based methods or PMA-PCR, but PMA-LAMP showed detection of 1 log CFU/mL. PMA-PCR and RT-PCR showed comparable detection of sublethal heat-treated cells to cultural assays, while PMA-LAMP showed 1 to 2 log less detection. Our results suggest that PMA-PCR and PMA-LAMP assays are not suitable for selective viable cell detection after UV treatment. While PMA-LAMP assay needs optimization, PMA-PCR shows promise for live/viable S. Enteritidis detection. PMA-PCR shows potential for routine testing in the food industry with results within 1-day, albeit depending on the inactivation method employed.