A low-cost smart system for electrophoresis-based nucleic acids detection at the visible spectrum

Unraveling the complexity: Advanced methods in analyzing DNA, RNA, and protein interactions

Exploring the intricate interplay within and between nucleic acids, as well as their interactions with proteins, holds pivotal significance in unraveling the molecular complexities steering cancer initiation and progression. To investigate these interactions, a diverse array of highly specific and sensitive molecular techniques has been developed. The selection of a particular technique depends on the specific nature of the interactions. Typically, researchers employ an amalgamation of these different techniques to obtain a comprehensive and holistic understanding of inter- and intramolecular interactions involving DNA-DNA, RNA-RNA, DNA-RNA, or protein-DNA/RNA. Examining nucleic acid conformation reveals alternative secondary structures beyond conventional ones that have implications for cancer pathways. Mutational hotspots in cancer often lie within sequences prone to adopting these alternative structures, highlighting the importance of investigating intra-genomic and intra-transcriptomic interactions, especially in the context of mutations, to deepen our understanding of oncology. Beyond these intramolecular interactions, the interplay between DNA and RNA leads to formations like DNA:RNA hybrids (known as R-loops) or even DNA:DNA:RNA triplex structures, both influencing biological processes that ultimately impact cancer. Protein-nucleic acid interactions are intrinsic cellular phenomena crucial in both normal and pathological conditions. In particular, genetic mutations or single amino acid variations can alter a protein's structure, function, and binding affinity, thus influencing cancer progression. It is thus, imperative to understand the differences between wild-type (WT) and mutated (MT) genes, transcripts, and proteins. The review aims to summarize the frequently employed methods and techniques for investigating interactions involving nucleic acids and proteins, highlighting recent advancements and diverse adaptations of each technique.

Ratiometric nonfluorescent CRISPR assay utilizing Cas12a-induced plasmid supercoil relaxation

Most CRISPR-based biosensors rely on labeled reporter molecules and expensive equipment for signal readout. A recent approach quantifies analyte concentration by sizing λ DNA reporters via gel electrophoresis, providing a simple solution for label-free detection. Here, we report an alternative strategy for label-free CRISPR-Cas12a, which relies on Cas12a trans-nicking induced supercoil relaxation of dsDNA plasmid reporters to generate a robust and ratiometric readout. The ratiometric CRISPR (rCRISPR) measures the relative percentage of supercoiled plasmid DNA to the relaxed circular DNA by gel electrophoresis for more accurate target concentration quantification. This simple method is two orders of magnitude more sensitive than the typical fluorescent reporter. This self-referenced strategy solves the potential application limitations of previously demonstrated DNA sizing-based CRISPR-Dx without compromising the sensitivity. Finally, we demonstrated the applicability of rCRISPR for detecting various model DNA targets such as HPV 16 and real AAV samples, highlighting its feasibility for point-of-care CRISPR-Dx applications.

A new method for mutation inducing in rice by using DC electrophoresis bath and its mutagenic effects

Mutation breeding is a significant means of increasing breeding efficiency and accelerating breeding process. In present study, we explored a new method for mutations inducing in rice (Oryza sativa L.) by using direct current electrophoresis bath (DCEB). The results showed that 20 mM NaCl solution is the optimal buffer, and the mortality of rice seeds followed an upward trend with increasing voltage and processing time of DCEB. By exploring the mutagenic effects of γ-irradiation and DCEB on seed vigor and physiological damages, we found that the physiological damages induced by DCEB on seed vigor were significant compared with that by γ-irradiation. We screened two mutants with low filled grain percentage and one mutant with abnormal hull from the M₂ generations. These three mutants were confirmed to be authentic mutants based on 48 SSR markers followed by the protocol NY/T 1433-2014. Whole-genome resequencing detected a total of 503 and 537 polymorphisms in the two mutants, respectively, and the DCEB mutagenesis induced mainly InDel variants, while the exon region of mutant genes occupied a large proportion, especially the SNP variants, which occupied about 20% of the mutation sites in the exon region.

Circ-GSK3B up-regulates GSK3B to suppress the progression of lung adenocarcinoma

GSK3B is the mRNA form of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3β), which is a critical repressor of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and generally inhibited in cancer cells. Plenty of researches have disclosed that circular RNAs, namely circRNAs exert important functions in the progression of various human malignancies including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Therefore, we attempted to explore whether there existed certain circRNAs that could mediate LUAD development by regulating GSK3B expression and Wnt/β-catenin pathway. In the present research, circ-GSK3B (hsa_circ_0066903) was found to be significantly down-regulated in LUAD tissues and cells and it suppressed the proliferation, migration and stemness of LUAD cells. Furthermore, it was discovered that circ-GSK3B competitively sponged miR-3681-3p and miR-3909 to elevate GSK3B expression. Circ-GSK3B could impair the binding ability of FKBP51 to GSK-3β to inhibit the phosphorylation of GSK-3β^S9, resulting in the inactivation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. In addition, the regulatory effect of circ-GSK3B on LUAD tumorigenesis and cell progression was testified through in vitro and in vivo rescue experiments. In conclusion, circ-GSK3B suppressed LUAD development through up-regulating and activating GSK3B.

Integrated Soil Health Management for Plant Health and One Health: Lessons From Histories of Soil-borne Disease Management in California Strawberries and Arthropod Pest Management

Many soil health assessment methods are being developed. However, they often lack assessment of soil-borne diseases. To better address management strategies for soil-borne disease and overall soil and plant health, the concept of Integrated Soil Health Management (ISHM) is explored. Applying the concept of Integrated Pest Management and an agroecological transdisciplinary approach, ISHM offers a framework under which a structure for developing and implementing biointensive soil health management strategies for a particular agroecosystem is defined. As a case study, a history of soil-borne disease management in California strawberries is reviewed and contrasted with a history of arthropod pest management to illustrate challenges associated with soil-borne disease management and the future directions of soil health research and soil-borne disease management. ISHM system consists of comprehensive soil health diagnostics, farmers' location-specific knowledge and adaptability, a suite of soil health management practices, and decision support tools. As we better understand plant-soil-microorganism interactions, including the mechanisms of soil suppressiveness, a range of diagnostic methodologies and indicators and their action thresholds may be developed. These knowledge-intensive and location-specific management systems require transdisciplinary approaches and social learning to be co-developed with stakeholders. The ISHM framework supports research into the broader implications of soil health such as the “One health” concept, which connects soil health to the health of plants, animals, humans, and ecosystems and research on microbiome and nutrient cycling that may better explain these interdependencies.

A handheld-type total integrated capillary electrophoresis system for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics: Power, fluorescence detection, and data analysis by smartphone

A micro-capillary electrophoresis (μCE) system is one of the widely adopted techniques in the molecular diagnostics and DNA sequencing due to the benefits of high resolution, rapid analysis, and low reagent consumption, but due to the requirements of bulky high-power suppliers and an expensive laser-induced fluorescence detector module, the conventional set-up of μCE system is not adequate for point-of-care (POC) molecular diagnostics. In this study, we constructed a miniaturized and integrated μCE system which can be manipulated by a smartphone. The smartphone not only powers two boost converters and an excited laser, but also controls the relay for the power switch. Moreover, the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) camera of the smartphone was used for detecting the fluorescence signal of amplicons amplified with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We also developed a web-based application so that the raw data of the recorded fluorescence intensity versus the running time can display typical capillary electropherograms on the smartphone. The total size of the hand-held μCE system was 9.6 cm [Width] × 22 cm [Length] × 15.5 cm [Height], and the weight was ∼1 kg, which is suitable for POC DNA testing. In the integrated smartphone-associated μCE system, we could accurately analyze two genes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), namely N gene and S gene along with two bracket ladders in 6 min to identify SARS-CoV-2. Such an advanced μCE platform can be applied for a variety of on-site molecular diagnostics fields with user-friendliness.