Development and Validation of a Quantitative ELISA for the Detection of Almond Residues in Foods.

Neogen Corp. has developed Veratox for Almond Allergen for use in the quantitative analysis and screening of almond protein residues in food products, such as cookies, crackers, chocolate bars, cereals, beverages, and clean-in-place rinses. Quantitation with Veratox for Almond Allergen ranges from 2.5 to 25 ppm and, with dilution, it can be extended for highly positive samples. This paper describes the findings of internal testing and validation studies designed to establish product claims for the assay of Veratox for Almond Allergen.

Validation of the AccuPoint Advanced ATP Hygiene Monitoring System for Sanitation Monitoring Through Detection of ATP from Stainless Steel Surfaces.

The AccuPoint Advanced ATP Hygeine Monitoring System was validated by an AOAC International Performance Tested MethodSM on the detection of ATP from stainless steel surfaces. Neogen Corp.'s system is a lightweight, hand-held diagnostic tool used to validate and verify a hygiene program's effectiveness by detecting organic residues remaining on surfaces and in liquids after cleaning. The system is composed of three primary components: an electronic luminometer, fully self-contained single-use samplers, and software. The system is designed to detect adenosine triphosphate (ATP) at set thresholds and to report the measurement in relative light units (RLU). These thresholds are established by a facility to reflect effective cleaning practices. The instrument compares the measured level of ATP with the established threshold and reports the results as pass, marginal, or fail. A linear dose-response in RLU was observed with pure analyte. In the matrix and microbial studies, detection levels varied depending on the matrix and microorganism tested. Independent laboratory trials confirmed pure analyte and matrix observations. Specificity testing of similar, yet different, compounds resulted in 0 RLU for all except 2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-triphosphate sodium salt, which showed markedly reduced reactivity when compared with ATP. Also, interference by these compounds was negligible. When disinfectant residues were evaluated for their effect on the test, cleaners increased RLU output to varying degrees. Stability testing showed consistent results between three independently manufactured lots and stable results through the 9 month shelf-life. Additionally, when three readers were compared using electronic light-emitting diodes as the light source, instrument variability was low (<3%). Robustness testing results provided evidence that temperature affects test performance more than shaking time, and sampler performance improves as the temperature increases to room temperature. These results provided evidence that the AccuPoint Advanced ATP Hygiene Monitoring System produces consistent and reliable data for the evaluation of sanitation program effectiveness on stainless steel surfaces in food processing and food service facilities.

Validation of the ANSR® for Campylobacter Method for Detection of Thermophilic Campylobacter spp. in Chicken Carcass Rinse and Turkey Sponge Samples.

A performance validation of the ANSR® for Campylobacter method was conducted in selected matrixes. This assay used selective nicking enzyme amplification technology to amplify target genes. Samples were enriched for 20 to 24 h and then lysed. The assay was completed within 50 min using real-time detection in a combination incubator/fluorescence detector and software. When 50 distinct strains of Campylobacter jejuni, C. lari, or C. coli were tested for inclusivity, all 50 strains produced positive results. In exclusivity testing, 31 strains of related organisms, including seven nontarget Campylobacter strains and other common species, were evaluated. All 31 species generated negative ANSR assay results, including the nontarget Campylobacter strains. The ANSR for Campylobacter method was compared to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook reference method using naturally contaminated chicken carcass rinse or turkey carcass sponge samples. ANSR method performance was not statistically different from the reference method using two different enrichment options. Equivalent results were observed at both time points (20 and 24 h) and in both atmospheres (microaerobic and aerobic) to reference methods. Method performance with chicken carcass rinse was confirmed in an independent laboratory study. Additionally, in robustness testing, small, deliberate changes to the assay parameters minimally affected ANSR method performance. Finally, accelerated stability results from three independently manufactured lots supported a shelf life of 6 months when stored at 4°C. The ANSR assay offered greater efficiency and flexibility when compared to the reference method with a 20-24 h single-step enrichment in a microaerobic or an aerobic atmosphere.

Validation of the ANSR(®) E. coli O157:H7 Method for Detection of E. coli O157:H7.

A performance validation of the ANSR(®) for E. coli O157:H7 method was conducted in selected food matrixes. This assay uses selective nicking enzyme amplification technology to amplify target genes. Samples are enriched for 12-24 h and then lysed. The assay is completed within 40 min using real-time detection in a combination incubator/fluorescence detector and software. When 44 distinct strains of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and 6 strains of E. coli O157:NM were tested for inclusivity, all 50 strains produced positive results. In exclusivity testing, 57 strains representing 33 species of closely related Gram-negative bacteria belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family, including 11 non-H7 O157 strains and shiga toxin-producing E. coli other than O157:H7, were evaluated. All 57 nontarget strains generated negative ANSR assay results. Using 80% lean ground beef and beef trim (approximately 20% fat), ANSR method performance was compared to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook reference culture procedure. ANSR performance with baby spinach and sprout irrigation water was measured against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual reference method. ANSR method performance was not statistically different to that of the reference methods using two different enrichment options. For ground beef and beef trim, the standard enrichment in modified Tryptone Soya Broth can be analyzed using the ANSR assay with a 1:10 dilution of the enrichment in phosphate-buffered saline and produces equivalent results to the reference method. Additionally, in most matrixes tested (exception is spinach which required 24 h enrichment) the assay offers great efficiency and flexibility over the reference method with a 12-24 h single-step enrichment. Equivalent results were observed at both time points (12 and 24 h) to reference methods. Small changes to the assay parameters minimally affected ANSR method performance. Finally, accelerated stability results from three independently manufactured lots support a shelf-life of 6 months when stored at 4°C.

Validation of the Reveal(®) 2.0 Group D1 Salmonella Test for Detection of Salmonella Enteritidis in Raw Shell Eggs and Poultry-Associated Matrixes.

A study was conducted to assess the performance of the Reveal(®) 2.0 Group D1 Salmonella lateral flow immunoassay for use in detection of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) in raw shell eggs and poultry-associated matrixes, including chicken carcass rinse and poultry feed. In inclusivity testing, the Reveal 2.0 test detected all 37 strains of SE tested. The test also detected all but one of 18 non-Enteritidis somatic group D1 Salmonella serovars examined. In exclusivity testing, none of 42 strains tested was detected. The exclusivity panel included Salmonella strains of somatic groups other than D1, as well as strains of other genera of Gram-negative bacteria. In matrix testing, performance of the Reveal 2.0 test was compared to that of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook reference culture procedure for chicken carcass rinse and to that of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual for raw shell eggs and poultry feed. For all matrixes evaluated, there were no significant differences in the ability to detect SE when comparing the Reveal 2.0 method and the appropriate reference culture procedure as determined by probability of detection statistical analysis. The ability of the Reveal 2.0 test to withstand modest perturbations to normal operating parameters was examined in robustness experiments. Results showed that the test can withstand deviations in up to three operating parameters simultaneously without significantly affecting performance. Real-time stability testing of multiple lots of Reveal 2.0 devices established the shelf life of the test device at 16 months postmanufacture.

Estimating Broad Sense Heritability and Investigating the Mechanism of Genetic Transmission of Cold Tolerance Using Mannitol as a Measure of Post-freeze Juice Degradation in Sugarcane and Energycane (Saccharum spp.).

In approximately 25% of the sugarcane-producing countries worldwide, conventional sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) is exposed to damaging freezes. A study was conducted during the 2009 and 2010 harvest seasons to compare late-season freeze tolerance among three groups: commercial Louisiana sugarcane genotypes, early generation genotypes selected for cold tolerance in the U.S. Department of Agriculture sugarcane breeding programs at Houma, LA, and Canal Point, FL, and potential energycane genotypes selected for high total biomass per acre. Mannitol concentrations in cane juice following freezing temperatures were determined to evaluate levels of cold tolerance. Genotypes selected for cold tolerance in Houma, LA, had significantly more late-season freeze tolerance than commercial sugarcane genotypes and genotypes selected in Canal Point, FL. Genotypes showing the most cold tolerance were Ho02-146 and Ho02-152, and those that were most highly susceptible were US87-1006 and US87-1003 (early-generation breeding genotypes) and L99-233 (commercial genotype). Broad-sense heritability for late-season cold tolerance in the two-year study was estimated at g(2) = 0.78. The enzymatic mannitol analysis successfully differentiated high-fiber energycane genotypes from those from other sources.

Hypoxia-induced increases in glucose uptake do not cause oxidative injury or advanced glycation end-product (AGE) formation in vascular endothelial cells.

An increase in glucose uptake by endothelial cells exposed to hyperglycemia is the presumed initiating event that causes systemic vascular disease in individuals with diabetes. Diabetics do not develop clinically significant pulmonary vascular disease, however, despite the pulmonary circulation's exposure to the same level of glucose. We hypothesized that pulmonary artery endothelial cells are protected from the detrimental effects of hyperglycemia because they take up less glucose than endothelial cells in the systemic circulation, either because of intrinsic differences between the two cell types or because the lower oxygen tension in the pulmonary arterial blood depresses glucose uptake. To test this hypothesis, we exposed normoglycemic and hyperglycemic bovine pulmonary artery (PAECs) and aortic endothelial cells (AECs) from the same animal to progressively lower oxygen tensions and determined glucose uptake. In contrast with our initial hypothesis, we detected no significant difference in glucose uptake between the two cell types. Furthermore, glucose uptake in both PAECs and AECs increased, not decreased, as the oxygen tension dropped; this oxygen-dependent increase in glucose uptake in endothelial cells predominated over the hyperglycemia-mediated decrease in glucose uptake that has been reported by others. Despite the increase in glucose uptake at lower oxygen tensions, we detected no corresponding increase in protein carbonylation or advanced glycation endproducts. These results demonstrate that small physiologically relevant changes in oxygen tension can have an important impact on glucose uptake in endothelial cells. These results also demonstrate that an increase in glucose uptake, by itself, is not sufficient to generate ROS-mediated protein carbonylation or increase intracellular advanced glycation endproducts in vascular endothelial cells.

Heterogeneous activation of p19Arf in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells.

p19(ARF) is a tumor suppressor that leads to cell cycle arrest or apoptosis by stabilizing p53. p19(ARF) is not critical for cell cycle regulation under normal conditions, but loss of p19(ARF) is seen in many human cancers, and a murine p19(Arf) knockout model leads to malignant proliferation and tumor formation; its role in controlling nonmalignant proliferation is less defined. To examine this question, pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) were expanded in culture from a transgenic mouse in which the coding sequence of the p19(Arf) gene was replaced with a cDNA encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP), leaving the promoter intact. During the first 10 days in culture, wild-type, heterozygous, and knockout PASMC grew similarly, but, by day 14, p19(Arf)-deficient PASMC proliferated faster than p19(Arf) heterozygous or wild-type cells; reexpression of p19(Arf) prevented the increased proliferation. This time course correlated with activation of the p19(Arf) promoter, as indicated by the appearance of GFP positivity in p19(Arf)-deficient PASMC. By day 42, ∼80% of p19(Arf)-deficient cells were GFP-positive. When GFP-positive, p19(Arf)-deficient cells were sorted and subcultured separately, they remained GFP-positive, indicating that once cells had activated the p19(Arf) promoter, the promoter remained active in those and all subsequent daughter cells. In contrast, GFP-negative p19(Arf)-deficient cells gave rise to a combination of GFP-positive and -negative daughter cells over time. These results suggest that a subpopulation of PASMC are resistant to the signals that activate the p19(Arf) promoter, an event that would normally target these cells for arrest or cell death.

Characterization of Bacillus anthracis arginase: effects of pH, temperature, and cell viability on metal preference.

BACKGROUND: Arginase (RocF) hydrolyzes L-arginine to L-ornithine and urea. While previously characterized arginases have an alkaline pH optimum and require activation with manganese, arginase from Helicobacter pylori is optimally active with cobalt at pH 6. The arginase from Bacillus anthracis is not well characterized; therefore, this arginase was investigated by a variety of strategies and the enzyme was purified. RESULTS: The rocF gene from B. anthracis was cloned and expressed in E. coli and compared with E. coli expressing H. pylori rocF. In the native organisms B. anthracis arginase was up to 1,000 times more active than H. pylori arginase and displayed remarkable activity in the absence of exogenous metals, although manganese, cobalt, and nickel all improved activity. Optimal B. anthracis arginase activity occurred with nickel at an alkaline pH. Either B. anthracis arginase expressed in E. coli or purified B. anthracis RocF showed similar findings. The B. anthracis arginase expressed in E. coli shifted its metal preference from Ni > Co > Mn when assayed at pH 6 to Ni > Mn > Co at pH 9. Using a viable cell arginase assay, B. anthracis arginase increased dramatically when the cells were grown with manganese, even at final concentrations of <1 muM, whereas B. anthracis grown with cobalt or nickel (> or =500 microM) showed no such increase, suggesting existence of a high affinity and specificity manganese transporter. CONCLUSION: Unlike other eubacterial arginases, B. anthracis arginase displays unusual metal promiscuity. The unique properties of B. anthracis arginase may allow utilization of a specific metal, depending on the in vivo niches occupied by this organism.

Helicobacter pylori thioredoxin is an arginase chaperone and guardian against oxidative and nitrosative stresses.

The gastric human pathogen Helicobacter pylori faces formidable challenges in the stomach including reactive oxygen and nitrogen intermediates. Here we demonstrate that arginase activity, which inhibits host nitric oxide production, is post-translationally stimulated by H. pylori thioredoxin (Trx) 1 but not the homologous Trx2. Trx1 has chaperone activity that renatures urea- or heat-denatured arginase back to the catalytically active state. Most reactive oxygen and nitrogen intermediates inhibit arginase activity; this damage is reversed by Trx1, but not Trx2. Trx1 and arginase equip H. pylori with a "renox guardian" to overcome abundant nitrosative and oxidative stresses encountered during the persistence of the bacterium in the hostile gastric environment.

Purification and characterization of Helicobacter pylori arginase, RocF: unique features among the arginase superfamily.

The urea cycle enzyme arginase (EC 3.5.3.1) hydrolyzes l-arginine to l-ornithine and urea. Mammalian arginases require manganese, have a highly alkaline pH optimum and are resistant to reducing agents. The gastric human pathogen, Helicobacter pylori, also has a complete urea cycle and contains the rocF gene encoding arginase (RocF), which is involved in the pathogenesis of H. pylori infection. Its arginase is specifically involved in acid resistance and inhibits host nitric oxide production. The rocF gene was found to confer arginase activity to Escherichia coli; disruption of plasmid-borne rocF abolished arginase activity. A translationally fused His(6)-RocF was purified from E. coli under nondenaturing conditions and had catalytic activity. Remarkably, the purified enzyme had an acidic pH optimum of 6.1. Both purified arginase and arginase-containing H. pylori extracts exhibited optimal catalytic activity with cobalt as a metal cofactor; manganese and nickel were significantly less efficient in catalyzing the hydrolysis of arginine. Viable H. pylori or E. coli containing rocF had significantly more arginase activity when grown with cobalt in the culture medium than when grown with manganese or no divalent metal. His(6)-RocF arginase activity was inhibited by low concentrations of reducing agents. Antibodies raised to purified His(6)-RocF reacted with both H. pylori and E. coli extracts containing arginase, but not with extracts from rocF mutants of H. pylori or E. coli lacking the rocF gene. The results indicate that H. pylori RocF is necessary and sufficient for arginase activity and has unparalleled features among the arginase superfamily, which may reflect the unique gastric ecological niche of this organism.