Detailed polymorphism study on cytomegalovirus DNA polymerase gene to reveal the most suitable genomic targets for quantitative Real-time PCR.

The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an important human pathogen primarily affecting immunocompromised patients, like transplant recipients or HIV- infected individuals. Early diagnosis of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in high-risk patients is essential in order to start preemptive treatments. pol (UL54) gene encoding for HCMV viral DNA polymerase is a well-defined target for HCMV detection in clinical samples and identifying most highly conserved regions for primer design remains crucial. Though real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is a rapid and sensitive method for HCMV detection, failure to detect some HCMV strains due to primer and target mismatches have led the researchers to explore more sensitive and reliable methods. Hence, to understand the broader diversity of the pol mutations in HCMV and to specify the most suitable region for primer-probe design to be used in qPCR assay, we studied both nucleotide and amino acid heterogeneities in 60 HCMV positive samples that were collected to represent national mutational prevalence of pol gene of HCMV in Turkey. The test was designed with a new set of primers- probe for HCMV detection and quantification based on the sequencing data which revealed the most conserved region on the pol gene. Statistical probit analysis was applied on qPCR studies which revealed a 95% detection limit of 100 copies/mL. In addition, linearity, reproducibility, and precision of the new test were assessed for diagnostic purposes.

In Bacillus subtilis LutR is part of the global complex regulatory network governing the adaptation to the transition from exponential growth to stationary phase.

The lutR gene, encoding a product resembling a GntR-family transcriptional regulator, has previously been identified as a gene required for the production of the dipeptide antibiotic bacilysin in Bacillus subtilis. To understand the broader regulatory roles of LutR in B. subtilis, we studied the genome-wide effects of a lutR null mutation by combining transcriptional profiling studies using DNA microarrays, reverse transcription quantitative PCR, lacZ fusion analyses and gel mobility shift assays. We report that 65 transcriptional units corresponding to 23 mono-cistronic units and 42 operons show altered expression levels in lutR mutant cells, as compared with lutR(+) wild-type cells in early stationary phase. Among these, 11 single genes and 25 operons are likely to be under direct control of LutR. The products of these genes are involved in a variety of physiological processes associated with the onset of stationary phase in B. subtilis, including degradative enzyme production, antibiotic production and resistance, carbohydrate utilization and transport, nitrogen metabolism, phosphate uptake, fatty acid and phospholipid biosynthesis, protein synthesis and translocation, cell-wall metabolism, energy production, transfer of mobile genetic elements, induction of phage-related genes, sporulation, delay of sporulation and cannibalism, and biofilm formation. Furthermore, an electrophoretic mobility shift assay performed in the presence of both SinR and LutR revealed a close overlap between the LutR and SinR targets. Our data also revealed a significant overlap with the AbrB regulon. Together, these findings reveal that LutR is part of the global complex, interconnected regulatory systems governing adaptation of bacteria to the transition from exponential growth to stationary phase.