Project description:In this study, the efficiency of four RNA extraction methods was compared on 23 FFPE cardiac tissue specimens. The Qiagen AllPrep DNA/RNA FFPE kit (Method QP), Qiagen AllPrep DNA/RNA FFPE kit, with protocol modification on the ethanol wash step after deparaffinization (Method QE), CELLDATA RNAstorm 2.0 FFPE RNA Extraction kit (Method BP) and CELLDATA RNAstorm 2.0 FFPE RNA Extraction Kit with protocol modifications on the lysis step (Method BL). In comparing RNA quality metrics across FFPE RNA extract, nucleic acids extracted with Method QE and QP had the highest RNA yield. However, Method QE outperformed Method QP as more extract from Method QE had DV 200 values above 30%. Both method BL and BP produced a similar range of RNA purity and yield but more extract from Method BL had DV 200 values above 30% compared to Method BP. When accessing distribution value, Method BL outperformed Methods BP, QE, and QP as more extracts from Method BL had DV 200 values above 30% (16/23 samples) compared to other methods (PDV200<0.001; Kruskal-Wallis). However, method QE outperformed other methods in terms of RNA yield. The sequencing performance of RNA extracts from Method QE and Method BL was further tested on 8 matching samples with high RNA yield and high DV200 value respectively. RNA extracts from Method QE which yielded the highest RNA quantity among all methods exhibited comparable sequencing performance to extract obtained through Method BL, which yielded extract with high DV200 value. This study suggests that the DV200 and RNA yield are both reliable pre-analytic metrics in determining a suitable method for successful transcriptome sequencing of FFPE samples and have important implications for future studies exploring transcriptome sequencing of FFPE cardiac specimens.
Project description:Recent advances in (meta)genomic methods have provided new opportunities to examine host-microbe-environment interactions in the human gut. While opportunities exist to extract DNA from freshly sourced colonic tissue there are potentially valuable sources of DNA from historical studies that might also be examined. We examined how four different tissue DNA extraction methods employed in past clinical trials might impact the recovery of microbial DNA from a colonic tissue sample as assessed using a custom designed phylogenetic microarray for human gut bacteria and archaebacteria. While all methods of DNA extraction produced similar phylogenetic profiles some extraction specific biases were also observed. Real time PCR analysis targeting several bacterial groups substantiated this observation. These data suggest that while the efficacy of different DNA extraction methods differs somewhat all the methods tested produce an accurate representation of microbial diversity. This suggests that DNA samples archived in biobanks should be suitable for retrospective analyses.
Project description:Human stool samples were collected, microbial cells were harvested and subjected to protein extraction using different protocols for metaproteomics analyses. The protein extraction methods differ from the usage of different lysis buffer (SDS, urea and commercially available B-Per reagent), bead beating, ultrasonication and heating. The impacts of different protein extraction methods on metaproteomics results were evaluated with multiple criteria including protein yields, peptide identifications, taxonomic compositions and functional compositions.
Project description:To understand the complex mechanism of estrogen action, multiple assays based on different biological principles is important. Here, multiple assays based on cell, protein and transcription assays were used to evaluate estrogenic activity of soymilk extracts before and after fermentation, and four soy compounds, genistein and daidzein, and their glycosides, genistin and daidzin, respectively. The data obtained by a transcription assay, RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq), was further examined by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database analysis to understand cell functions, i.e. biological processes and metabolic pathways. Among the cell functions identified, the sets of genes for cell division/cell cycle and DNA replication/DNA repair are significantly up-regulated, whereas those for autophagy are significantly down-regulated, which explains well the enhanced activity of cell proliferation by these materials. The applications of estrogenic activity of soymilk extracts and soy flavonoids, and the contribution of fermentation, include pharmacological benefits, such as bone protection/bone regeneration, cancer chemoprevention, neuroprotection and the treatment of menopausal syndromes.
Project description:The goal of this study was to optimize protein extraction methods to study root-associated bacteria in maize. For this we inoculated sterile maize plants with a synthetic community composed of seven different bacteria (Ben Niu et al. PNAS 2017, vol 114, n 12). Then, we extracted proteins from maize roots using eight different protein extraction methods in triplicates. These methods were a combination of different extraction buffers (SDS or Triton-based) and mechanical disruption methods (bead-beating, N2 grinding, glass homogenizer and freeze-thaw cycles). We found that vortexing maize roots with glass beads in PBS yielded the highest numbers of microbial protein identification.