Microscale sample preparation for PCR of C. difficile infected stool.

In this paper, we describe the design of a microfluidic sample preparation chip for human stool samples infected with Clostridium difficile. We established a polymerase chain reaction able to distinguish C. difficile in the presence of several other organisms found in the normal intestinal flora. A protocol for on-chip extraction of nucleic acids from clinical samples is described that can detect target DNA down to 5.0x10(-3) ng of template. The assay and sample preparation chip were then validated using known positive and known negative clinical samples. The work presented has potential applications in both the developed and developing world.

Sample preparation module for bacterial lysis and isolation of DNA from human urine.

Silica impregnated polymer monolithic columns may provide a simple method for lysing and extracting DNA from bacteria inside of microfluidic chips. Here we use Escherichia coli as a test organism for a point of care thermoplastic microfluidic module designed to take in a urine sample, mix it with lysis buffer, and perform a hybrid chemical/mechanical lysis and solid phase extraction of nucleic acids from the sample. To demonstrate proof-of-concept, we doped human hematuric urine samples with E. coli at concentrations ranging from 10(1)-10(5) colony-forming units/mL (CFU/mL) to simulate patient samples. We then performed on-chip lysis and DNA extraction. The bacterial DNA was amplified using real-time PCR demonstrating lysis and isolation down to 10(1) CFU/mL. Results were comparable to a commercial kit at higher concentrations and performed better at recovering DNA at lower concentrations.

Distinct hsp70 domains mediate apoptosis-inducing factor release and nuclear accumulation.

Although hsp70 antagonizes apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF)-mediated cell death, the relative importance of preventing its release from mitochondria versus sequestering leaked AIF in the cytosol remains controversial. To dissect these two protective mechanisms, hsp70 deletion mutants lacking either the chaperone function (hsp70-deltaEEVD) or ATPase function (hsp70-deltaATPase) were selectively overexpressed before exposing cells to a metabolic inhibitor, an insult sufficient to cause mitochondrial AIF release, nuclear AIF accumulation, and apoptosis. Compared with empty vector, overexpression of wild type human hsp70 inhibited bax activation and reduced mitochondrial AIF release after injury. In contrast, mutants lacking either the chaperone function (hsp70-deltaEEVD) or the ATP hydrolytic domain (hsp70-deltaATPase) failed to prevent mitochondrial AIF release. Although hsp70-deltaEEVD did not inhibit bax activation or mitochondrial membrane injury after cell stress, this hsp70 mutant co-immunoprecipitated with leaked AIF in injured cells and decreased nuclear AIF accumulation. In contrast, hsp70-deltaATPase did not interact with AIF either in intact cells or in a cell-free system and furthermore, failed to prevent nuclear AIF accumulation. These results demonstrate that mitochondrial protection against bax-mediated injury requires both intact chaperone and ATPase functions, whereas the ATPase domain is critical for sequestering AIF in the cytosol.