Multiple displacement amplification to create a long-lasting source of DNA for genetic studies

In many situations there may not be sufficient DNA collected from patient or population cohorts to meet the requirements of genome-wide analysis of SNPs, genomic copy number polymorphisms, or acquired copy number alternations. When the amount of available DNA for genotype analysis is limited, high performance whole-genome amplification (WGA) represents a new development in genetic analysis. It is especially useful for analysis of DNA extracted from stored histology slides, tissue samples, buccal swabs, or blood stains collected on filter paper. The multiple displacement amplification (MDA) method, which relies on isothermal amplification using the DNA polymerase of the bacteriophage phi29, is a recently developed technique for high performance WGA. This review addresses new trends in the technical performance of MDA and its applications to genetic analyses. The main challenge of WGA methods is to obtain balanced and faithful replication of all chromosomal regions without the loss of or preferential amplification of any genomic loci or allele. In multiple comparisons to other WGA methods, MDA appears to be most reliable for genotyping, with the most favorable call rates, best genomic coverage, and lowest amplification bias.     

Assessment of multiple displacement amplification for polymorphism discovery and haplotype determination at a highly polymorphic locus, MC1R

The identification of common genetic variants such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human genome has become central in human population genetics and evolution studies, as well as in the study of the genetic basis of complex traits and diseases. Crucial for the accurate identification of genetic variants is the availability of high quality genomic DNA (gDNA). Since popular sources of gDNA (buccal cells, lymphocytes, hair bulb) often do not yield sufficient quantities of DNA for molecular genetic applications, whole genome amplification methods have recently been introduced to generate a renewable source of double-stranded linear DNA. Here, we assess the fidelity of one method, multiple displacement amplification (MDA), which utilizes bacteriophage Phi29 DNA polymerase to generate amplified DNA from an original source of gDNA, in a representative SNP discovery and genetic association study at the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) locus, a highly polymorphic gene in humans involved in skin and hair pigmentation. We observed that MDA has high fidelity for novel SNP discovery and can be a valuable tool in generating a potentially indefinite source of DNA. However, we observed an allele amplification bias that causes genotype miscalls at heterozygous sites. At loci with multiple polymorphic sites in linkage disequilibrium, such as at MC1R, this bias can create a significant number of heterozygote genotype errors that subsequently misrepresents haplotypes.     

Use of multiple displacement amplification to amplify genomic DNA before sequencing of the alpha and beta haemoglobin genes

AIMS: To evaluate the technique of multiple displacement amplification (MDA) for whole genome amplification from small volume blood samples before sequencing in a clinical test to identify haemoglobin gene mutations. METHODS: Phage phi29 DNA polymerase was used to perform MDA, starting with either 1 micro l of blood or 1 ng of previously isolated blood DNA from 23 patients. The amplified products were then evaluated using a clinical test that involves sequencing the haemoglobin genes to detect mutations. The results were compared with the current clinical test method that uses genomic DNA isolated using column based technology. RESULTS: The MDA technique produced large quantities (theoretically approximately 2 mg) of DNA. The amplification procedure was extremely easy and took about four hours (less than one hour of hands on technician time and three hours for amplification). When MDA products were used in the same clinical test protocol as genomic DNA isolated using column technology, there was 100% concordance for detection of a variety of point mutations in the alpha1, alpha2, and beta globin genes. CONCLUSIONS: The MDA technique is useful for overcoming the problem of insufficient genomic DNA in clinical specimens requiring haemoglobin gene sequencing and could be useful for other clinical applications.     

引物延伸预扩增结合简并引物PCR在单细胞比较基因组杂交分析染色体异常中的应用

目的 建立一种可信的单细胞全基因组扩增(whole genome amplification.WGA)技术,结合比较基因组杂交(comparative genomic hybridization,CGH)分析单细胞的染色体拷贝数变化,探讨其在胚胎植入前遗传学诊断(preimplantation genetic diagnosis,PGD)中的应用前景.方法 采用引物延伸预扩增结合简并核苷酸引物PCR(primer extension preamplification with degenerate oligonucleotide primed-PCR,PEP-DOP-PCR)的方法,扩增12个已知核型的单细胞标本(包括5个绒毛标本、4个干细胞标本和3个淋巴细胞标本)和4个经PGD检测发现染色体异常的单卵裂球标本,将扩增产物标记红色荧光染料后,与标记绿色荧光染料的正常DNA等量混匀,与正常中期分裂相进行比较基因组杂交分析.同时,应用单纯的简并寡核苷酸引物-PCR(DOP-PCR)扩增10个单细胞DNA,标记后进行CGH分析.比较两种单细胞全基因组扩增方法的扩增效率及随后用于CGH分析染色体拷贝数时的准确性.结果 所有的单细胞采用PEP-DOP-PCR扩增时,均能获得稳定均匀的PCR产物,片段大小范围在100～1000 bp之间,集中分布于400 bp左右的区域,CGH分析结果显示染色体拷贝数变化与其它技术检测的结果一致.而10个单纯的DOP-PCR扩增只有6个标本成功,扩增产物进行CGH分析时,杂交信号不均匀,有2个显示与其它技术分析的结果不一致.结论 PEP-DOP-PCR技术能有效地扩增单细胞的全基因组DNA,其扩增产物可应用CGH技术成功检测单个细胞的染色体拷贝数变化,而单纯的DOP-PCR技术易于出现扩增失败、扩增产物杂交后信号不均一的缺点.PEP-DOP-PCR全基因组扩增结合CGH技术在胚胎植入前遗传学诊断中有良好的应用前景.     

Sample selection algorithm to improve quality of genotyping from plasma-derived DNA: to separate the wheat from the chaff

Plasma and serum samples were often the only biological material collected for earlier epidemiological studies. These studies have a huge informative content, especially due to their long follow-up and would be an invaluable treasure for genetic investigations. However, often no banked DNA is available. To use the small amounts of DNA present in plasma, in a first step, we applied magnetic bead technology to extract this DNA, followed by a whole-genome amplification (WGA) using phi29-polymerase. We assembled 88 sample pairs, each consisting of WGA plasma DNA and the corresponding whole-blood DNA. We genotyped nine highly polymorphic short tandem repeats (STRs) and 23 SNPs in both DNA sources. The average within-pair discordance was 3.8% for SNPs and 15.9% for STR genotypes, respectively. We developed an algorithm based on one-half of the sample pairs and validated on the other one-half to identify the samples with high WGA plasma DNA quality to assure low genotyping error and to exclude plasma DNA samples with insufficient quality: excluding samples showing homozygosity at five or more of the nine STR loci yielded exclusion of 22.7% of all samples and decreased average discordance for STR and SNP markers to 3.92% and 0.63%, respectively. For SNPs, this is very close to the error observed for genomic DNA in many laboratories. Our workflow and sample selection algorithm offers new opportunities to recover reliable DNA from stored plasma material. This algorithm is superior to testing the amount of input DNA.     

多重置换扩增——一种新的全基因组扩增技术

全基因组扩增技术用于扩增大量的DNA以满足遗传检测的需要。在高通量的遗传分型中，处理有限的临床样本的基因组DNA，一直是个瓶颈问题。一种新方法—多重置换扩增，能高度忠实的复制整个基因组DNA，扩增出10–100 kb大小的片段，能提供大量均一完整的全基因组序列。MDA是一种简单、有效的方法，非常适用于遗传研究，法医学和临床诊断的需要。     

Multiple displacement amplification,a powerful tool for molecular genetic analysis of powdery mildew fungi

Powdery mildew fungi (Erysiphales) are probably the largest group of plant pathogens that remain uncharacterized from genetic and molecular points of view, with the only exception of the powdery mildew of cereals, Blumeria graminis. Their nature as obligate biotrophic parasites and consequent inability to grow on culture media has significantly hampered research. A common bottleneck to the molecular genetic analysis of powdery mildew fungi is the availability of genomic DNA of suitable quality and in sufficient quantity. The so-called whole genome amplification technology has the potential to overcome this limitation. Here we present the application of phi29 DNA polymerase-mediated multiple displacement amplification (MDA) to amplify the whole genome of Podosphaera fusca, the main causal agent of powdery mildew in cucurbits, to address this problem. The genome coverage and fidelity of the MDA process was evaluated by PCR amplification and sequencing of two genetics markers: the nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions and the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (CYTB). Our results show that MDA is a valuable tool for molecular genetic analysis of powdery mildew fungi that can be used for a number of downstream applications in different fields, such as epidemiology and population genetics or systematics.     

Single-cell whole-genome amplification technique impacts the accuracy of SNP microarray-based genotyping and copy number analyses

Methods of comprehensive microarray-based aneuploidy screening in single cells are rapidly emerging. Whole-genome amplification (WGA) remains a critical component for these methods to be successful. A number of commercially available WGA kits have been independently utilized in previous single-cell microarray studies. However, direct comparison of their performance on single cells has not been conducted. The present study demonstrates that among previously published methods, a single-cell GenomePlex WGA protocol provides the best combination of speed and accuracy for single nucleotide polymorphism microarray-based copy number (CN) analysis when compared with a REPLI-g- or GenomiPhi-based protocol. Alternatively, for applications that do not have constraints on turnaround time and that are directed at accurate genotyping rather than CN assignments, a REPLI-g-based protocol may provide the best solution.     

多重置换扩增在植入前遗传学诊断中的应用及展望

多重置换扩增是一种新兴的全基因组扩增技术,能对单个细胞进行全基因扩增,产生大量的优质DNA,具有高扩增效率和高保真性等特点.多重置换扩增联合常规PCR已被成功用于植入前遗传学诊断,进一步扩展了后者的应用范围.     

Molecular typing of human leukocyte antigen and related polymorphisms following whole genome amplification

Reliable, high-resolution genotyping of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) polymorphisms is often compromised by DNA samples of suboptimal quality or limited quantity. We tested the feasibility of molecular typing for variants at HLA and neighboring loci using whole genome amplification (WGA) strategy facilitated by the Phi29 DNA polymerase. With little (5-100 ng) starting genomic DNA of varying quality and source materials, WGA was deemed successful in 167 of 169 DNA from 47 cell lines, 100 European Americans, and 22 native Africans. The Phi29-processed DNA provided adequate templates for polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based analyses of several HLA (A, B, C, DRB1, and DQB1) and related loci (HFE, MICA, and 10 microsatellites) in the 6p24.3-6p21.3 region, with PCR amplicons ranging from 92 to 2200 bp. Five different genotyping techniques resolved and confirmed 364 genotypes when both original and Phi29-processed DNA worked in PCRs. General population genetic analyses provided additional evidence that WGA may represent a reliable and simple approach to securing ample genomic DNA for typing HLA, MICA, and related variants.     

Mouse models of DNA polymerases

In 1956, Arthur Kornberg discovered the mechanism of the biological synthesis of DNA and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1959 for this contribution, which included the isolation and characterization of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I. Now there are 15 known DNA polymerases in mammalian cells that belong to four different families. These DNA polymerases function in many different cellular processes including DNA replication, DNA repair, and damage tolerance. Several biochemical and cell biological studies have provoked a further investigation of DNA polymerase function using mouse models in which polymerase genes have been altered using gene‐targeting techniques. The phenotypes of mice harboring mutant alleles reveal the prominent role of DNA polymerases in embryogenesis, prevention of premature aging, and cancer suppression.     

A New Workflow for Whole‐Genome Sequencing of Single Human Cells

Unbiased amplification of the whole‐genome amplification (WGA) of single cells is crucial to study cancer evolution and genetic heterogeneity, but is challenging due to the high complexity of the human genome. Here, we present a new workflow combining an efficient adapter‐linker PCR‐based WGA method with second‐generation sequencing. This approach allows comparison of single cells at base pair resolution. Amplification recovered up to 74% of the human genome. Copy‐number variants and loss of heterozygosity detected in single cell genomes showed concordance of up to 99% to pooled genomic DNA. Allele frequencies of mutations could be determined accurately due to an allele dropout rate of only 2%, clearly demonstrating the low bias of our PCR‐based WGA approach. Sequencing with paired‐end reads allowed genome‐wide analysis of structural variants. By direct comparison to other WGA methods, we further endorse its suitability to analyze genetic heterogeneity.     

两种全基因组扩增方法用于微量检材STR基因座分型比较

目的 应用多重置换扩增(MDA)技术和改进型扩增前引物延伸（IPEP）技术对法医学微量DNA进行全基因组扩增，比较两种方法的STR分型效果及法医学应用价值。 方法 用MDA、IPEP方法分别对不同模板量DNA进行扩增，扩增产物用实时荧光定量PCR技术定量、用AmpFLSTR® Identifiler®试剂盒检测基因型。 结果 MDA方法可对模板DNA增加103～106倍，IPEP方法可增加25～310倍。为获得完整准确的分型结果，MDA最低需1ng基因组DNA，IPEP最低需0.05ng基因组DNA。当基因组DNA为0.01ng～0.1ng时，IPEP产物、MDA产物的平均基因座检出数均高于未经全基因组扩增的DNA，其中IPEP产物的平均基因座检出数高于MDA产物。 结论 MDA方法、IPEP方法均可提高微量检材的STR分型效果。MDA方法的产量高于IPEP方法；IPEP方法的灵敏度高于MDA方法，且对微量DNA的STR分型效果优于MDA方法，因此更适于法医学痕量DNA检测。     

Comparison of yield and genotyping performance of multiple displacement amplification and OmniPlex whole genome amplified DNA generated from multiple DNA sources

The promise of whole genome amplification (WGA) is that genomic DNA (gDNA) quantity will not limit molecular genetic analyses. Multiple displacement amplification (MDA) and the OmniPlex PCR-based WGA protocols were evaluated using 4 and 5 ng of input gDNA from 60 gDNA samples from three tissue sources (mouthwash, buffy coat, and lymphoblast). WGA DNA (wgaDNA) yield and genotyping performance were evaluated using genotypes determined from gDNA and wgaDNA using the AmpFlSTR Identifiler assay and N = 49 TaqMan SNP assays. Short tandem repeat (STR) and SNP genotyping completion and concordance rates were significantly reduced with wgaDNA from all WGA methods compared with gDNA. OmniPlex wgaDNA exhibited a greater reduction in genotyping performance than MDA wgaDNA. Reduced wgaDNA genotyping performance was due to allelic (all protocols) and locus (OmniPlex) amplification bias leading to heterozygote and locus dropout, respectively, and %GC sequence content (%GC) was significantly correlated with TaqMan assay performance. Lymphoblast wgaDNA exhibited higher yield (OmniPlex), buffy coat wgaDNA exhibited higher STR genotyping completion (MDA), whereas mouthwash wgaDNA exhibited higher SNP genotyping discordance (MDA). Genotyping of wgaDNA generated from < or = 5 ng gDNA, e.g., from archaeological, forensic, prenatal diagnostic, or pathology samples, may require additional genotyping validation with gDNA and/or more sophisticated analysis of genotypes incorporating observed reductions in genotyping performance.     

Aphidicolin-resistant mutants of bacteriophage phi 29: genetic evidence for altered DNA polymerase

Aphidicolin-resistant mutants (Aphr) of Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage phi 29 were isolated after mutagenesis with hydroxylamine. Efficiency of plating (e.o.p.) of the resistant mutants was not reduced at 500 microM aphidicolin, although e.o.p. of wild type phi 29 was less than 10(-5) at the same concentration of aphidicolin. By recombination and complementation analyses, both sites of the mutations, aph-71 and aph-101, of Aphr71 and Aphr101, respectively, were mapped in gene 2 which encodes phi 29 DNA polymerase. The activity of wild type phi 29 DNA polymerase, in a partially purified fraction, was inhibited by aphidicolin. DNA polymerases from Aphr71 and Aphr101, prepared in the same manner as that of wild type, were resistant to the drug. These results indicate that the acquisition of the aphidicolin resistance of Aphr71 and Aphr101 of bacteriophage phi 29 results from a structural alteration of phi 29 DNA polymerase which reduces sensitivity to aphidicolin.     

Use of multiple displacement amplification in the investigation of human papillomavirus physical status

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The investigation of human papillomavirus (HPV) physical status in pre-invasive cervical lesions has been restricted by the small amounts of tissue available for study. Multiple displacement amplification (MDA), a phi29 DNA polymerase based whole genome amplification technique, has the potential to help resolve this problem by yielding large amounts of high molecular weight DNA from tiny starting quantities. METHODS: Firstly, a comparison was made of restriction endonuclease fragment patterns of DNA from seven different HPV types and corresponding MDA products. Secondly, E6/E7 and LCR sequencing data from HPV16 recombinant plasmid and MDA copy DNA were correlated. Thirdly, DNA and MDA products from cervical cell lines (CaSki, HeLa, and SiHa that contain integrated HPV) and an invasive cervical carcinoma were analysed by Southern blot hybridisation. Fourthly, MDA product from CaSki cell DNA mixed with HPV18-plasmid DNA was tested for the demonstration of both episomal and integrated HPV. Finally, MDA products from HPV16 positive abnormal cervical cytological samples were assayed for integration by Southern blot hybridisation. RESULTS: DNA templates and MDA products yielded analogous data. Episomal and integrated HPV DNA were successfully detected by Southern blot assay of the cell line/HPV-plasmid model, and in MDA products of clinical samples. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that MDA has considerable potential to assist in the investigation of HPV physical status; abundant (>40 microg) DNA can be generated with high fidelity from minuscule (50 ng) starting quantities, and both episomal and integrated HPV DNA are distinguishable in MDA products from solid tumours and cytological materials.     

单细胞水平检测von Hippel-Lindau病基因突变的实验研究

目的建立单细胞水平检测vonHippel-Lindau病基因(VHL)突变的实验方法。方法单个淋巴细胞基于多重置换扩增(multiple displacement amplification,MDA)的全基因组扩增后进行常规PCR后测序和实时荧光定量PCR,结合各荧光的终点变化判断对应的等位基因存在与否。结果MDA后单细胞扩增效率为90.91%,污染率为0;通过测序,患者VHL等位基因的脱扣率为26.67%,诊断正确率为73.33%;通过结合相应荧光的终点变化判断患者VHL基因的等位基因的脱扣率为16.67%,正确率为83.33%。结论单细胞MDA后常规PCR后测序及实时荧光定量PCR能够特异、准确地检测单个淋巴细胞的VHL基因型,两者的联合应用有助于提高检测的准确性。     

全基因组扩增技术最新进展及其法医学应用现状

微量模板DNA的检测，是很多领域迫切需要解决的一个难题。因为其DNA量不足，用现有的技术手段常无法检测成功。全基因组扩增技术可对非常微量的DNA进行均衡的扩增而获得大量的DNA，故被认为是目前解决这一难题的一种基本方法，已被广泛用于法医学、单细胞遗传病的诊断及疾病基因的分析等领域研究，并取得了良好的效果。本文对这一技术的最新研究进展及其在法医学方面的应用现状做一综述。     

Detection of New DNA Polymerase Genes of Known and Potentially Novel Herpesviruses by PCR with Degenerate and Deoxyinosine-Substituted Primers

A consensus primer PCR approach was used to (i) investigate the presence of herpesviruses in wild and zoo equids (zebra, wild ass, tapir) and to (ii) study the genetic relationship of the herpesvirus of pigeons (columbid herpesvirus 1) to other herpesvirus species. The PCR assay, based on degenerate primers targeting highly conserved regions of the DNA polymerase gene of herpesviruses, was modified by using a mixture of degenerate and deoxyinosine-substituted primers. The applicability of the modification was validated by amplification of published DNA polymerase genes of 16 herpesvirus species and of the previously uncharacterized DNA polymerase genes of equine herpesvirus 3 (EHV-3) and equine herpesvirus 5 (EHV-5). The modified assay was then used for partial amplification of the polymerase of columbid herpesvirus 1 which is presently classified as a -herpesvirus based on biological criteria. Sequence analysis of amplicons obtained from four different viral strains revealed a close relationship of columbid herpesvirus 1 to members of the subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae, especially to Mareks disease herpesvirus. This was confirmed by characterization of additional 1.6 kb of the columbid herpesvirus 1 polymerase. Consensus PCR analysis of blood samples from zebras, a wild ass and a tapir revealed amplicons showing high percentages (>50%) of sequence identity to DNA polymerases of -herpesviruses. In particular, the zebra and the wild ass sequence were closely related to each other and to the polymerases of the equine -herpesviruses EHV-2 and EHV-5 with sequence identities of >80%. This is a first indication that novel -herpesviruses are present in wild and zoo equids.