[Mycobacterium tuberculosis detection by polymerase chain reaction and identification of M. tuberculosis strain]. / Vyiavlenie mikobakterii tuberkuleznogo compleksa metodom polimeraznoi tsepnoi reaktsii s odnovremennoi identifikatsiei vida M. tuberculosis.

A rapid multiprimer PCR method for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) and simultaneous identification of M. tuberculosis in clinical samples has been developed. The method is based on simultaneous amplification of two targets: a 401 bp region from the mtp40 species-specific gene sequence of M. tuberculosis and a 544 bp fragment from the RD1 genome region which is specific for MTC but absent in BCG strains. Polymerase inhibitors in this study were detected by internal control in each test. Detection sensitivity was 25 copies of M. tuberculosis genomic DNA. Seven methods for isolation of mycobacterial DNA were compared and the technique with chloroform extraction was selected as the most efficient. The proposed method was used for analysis of 37 clinical samples and the results were compared with the results of culturing, acid-fast bacilli staining, and clinical diagnosis. The method proved to be sufficiently sensitive and specific for detection of mycobacterial DNA. Moreover, in countries with only two main pathogenic species of MTC circulating (M. tuberculosis and M. bovis) this method can be used for differentiation of these two species.

Densin-180 forms a ternary complex with the (alpha)-subunit of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and (alpha)-actinin.

Densin-180 is a transmembrane protein that is tightly associated with the postsynaptic density in CNS neurons and is postulated to function as a synaptic adhesion molecule. Here we report the identification of the alpha-subunit of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and alpha-actinin-4 as potential binding partners for the densin-180 intracellular segment. We demonstrate by yeast two-hybrid and biochemical assays that the intracellular portion of densin-180, the alpha-subunit of CaMKII (CaMKIIalpha), and alpha-actinin interact with each other at distinct binding sites and can form a ternary complex stabilized by multiple interactions. Densin-180 binds specifically to the association domain of CaMKIIalpha and does not bind with high affinity to holoenzymes of CaMKII that contain beta-subunit. The PDZ (PSD-95, DIg, Z0-1) domain of densin contributes to its binding to alpha-actinin. A distinct domain of alpha-actinin interacts with the kinase domains of both alpha- and beta-subunits of CaMKII. Autophosphorylation of CaMKII increases its affinity for densin-180 from an EC(50) of >1 micrometer to an EC(50) of <75-150 nM. In contrast, phosphorylation of densin-180 by CaMKII at serine-1397 only slightly decreases its affinity for CaMKII. The specific interaction of densin-180 with holoenzymes of CaMKII containing only alpha-subunit and the increased affinity of CaMKII for densin-180 after autophosphorylation suggest that densin-180 may be involved in localization of activated CaMKII synthesized in dendrites.