MYB expression by immunohistochemistry is highly specific and sensitive for detection of solid variant of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast among all triple-negative breast cancers.

BACKGROUND: Adenoid cystic carcinoma is a rare subtype of triple-negative breast carcinoma. These low-grade tumours, which are treated by simple mastectomy and have an excellent prognosis compared to other triple-negative breast carcinomas. Solid-variant adenoid cystic carcinomas have basaloid features and are difficult to distinguish morphologically from other triple-negative breast cancers. Breast adenoid cystic carcinoma exhibits MYB protein overexpression, which can be detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). AIM: We compared the IHC expression of MYB in solid-variant adenoid cystic carcinoma with that in other triple-negative breast cancers. METHODS: We conducted IHC staining of 210 samples of triple-negative breast cancers, including solid-variant adenoid cystic carcinoma (n = 17), metaplastic breast carcinoma (n = 44), basaloid triple-negative breast cancer (n = 21), and other triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma (n = 128). We classified nuclear staining of MYB as diffuse/strong (3+), focal moderate (2+), focal weak (1+), or none (0). RESULTS: All 17 solid/basaloid adenoid cystic carcinoma cases exhibited 3+ MYB expression. Of the 21 solid/basaloid triple-negative breast cancers, one (5%) had 2+ expression, seven (33%) 1+ expression, and 13 (62%) 0 expression. Of the 44 metaplastic carcinoma cases, 39 cases (89%) had no (0) staining, and the other five cases had focal weak (1+) or moderate (2+) staining. Among the 128 triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma cases, 92 cases (72%) had no (0) staining, 36 cases (28%) exhibited focal weak (1+) or moderate (2+) staining. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed diffuse/strong MYB staining (3+) only in solid/basaloid adenoid cystic carcinomas. Thus, we recommend routine MYB IHC staining in triple-negative breast carcinoma with solid/basaloid morphology to improve diagnostic accuracy.

Epigenetic activation of SOX11 is associated with recurrence and progression of ductal carcinoma in situ to invasive breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Risk of recurrence and progression of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to invasive cancer remains uncertain, emphasizing the need for developing predictive biomarkers of aggressive DCIS. METHODS: Human cell lines and mouse models of disease progression were analyzed for candidate risk predictive biomarkers identified and validated in two independent DCIS cohorts. RESULTS: RNA profiling of normal mammary and DCIS tissues (n = 48) revealed that elevated SOX11 expression correlates with MKI67, EZH2, and DCIS recurrence score. The 21T human cell line model of DCIS progression to invasive cancer and two mouse models developing mammary intraepithelial neoplasia confirmed the findings. AKT activation correlated with chromatin accessibility and EZH2 enrichment upregulating SOX11 expression. AKT and HER2 inhibitors decreased SOX11 expression along with diminished mammosphere formation. SOX11 was upregulated in HER2+ and basal-like subtypes (P < 0.001). Longitudinal DCIS cohort (n = 194) revealed shorter recurrence-free survival in SOX11+ than SOX11- patients (P = 0.0056 in all DCIS; P < 0.0001 in HER2+ subtype) associated with increased risk of ipsilateral breast event/IBE (HR = 1.9, 95%CI = 1.2-2.9; P = 0.003). DISCUSSION: Epigenetic activation of SOX11 drives recurrence of DCIS and progression to invasive cancer, suggesting SOX11 as a predictive biomarker of IBE.

Pan-cancer proteogenomics characterization of tumor immunity.

Despite the successes of immunotherapy in cancer treatment over recent decades, less than <10%-20% cancer cases have demonstrated durable responses from immune checkpoint blockade. To enhance the efficacy of immunotherapies, combination therapies suppressing multiple immune evasion mechanisms are increasingly contemplated. To better understand immune cell surveillance and diverse immune evasion responses in tumor tissues, we comprehensively characterized the immune landscape of more than 1,000 tumors across ten different cancers using CPTAC pan-cancer proteogenomic data. We identified seven distinct immune subtypes based on integrative learning of cell type compositions and pathway activities. We then thoroughly categorized unique genomic, epigenetic, transcriptomic, and proteomic changes associated with each subtype. Further leveraging the deep phosphoproteomic data, we studied kinase activities in different immune subtypes, which revealed potential subtype-specific therapeutic targets. Insights from this work will facilitate the development of future immunotherapy strategies and enhance precision targeting with existing agents.

Lobular Carcinoma of the Breast: A Comprehensive Review with Translational Insights.

The second most common breast carcinoma, invasive lobular carcinoma, accounts for approximately 15% of tumors of breast origin. Its incidence has increased in recent times due in part to hormone replacement therapy and improvement in diagnostic modalities. Although believed to arise from the same cell type as their ductal counterpart, invasive lobular carcinomas (ILCs) are a distinct entity with different regulating genetic pathways, characteristic histologies, and different biology. The features most unique to lobular carcinomas include loss of E-Cadherin leading to discohesion and formation of a characteristic single file pattern on histology. Because most of these tumors exhibit estrogen receptor positivity and Her2 neu negativity, endocrine therapy has predominated to treat these tumors. However novel treatments like CDK4/6 inhibitors have shown importance and antibody drug conjugates may be instrumental considering newer categories of Her 2 Low breast tumors. In this narrative review, we explore multiple pathological aspects and translational features of this unique entity. In addition, due to advancement in technologies like spatial transcriptomics and other hi-plex technologies, we have tried to enlist upon the characteristics of the tumor microenvironment and the latest associated findings to better understand the new prospective therapeutic options in the current era of personalized treatment.

Stabilizing vimentin phosphorylation inhibits stem-like cell properties and metastasis of hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal carcinomas.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) empowers epithelial cells with mesenchymal and stem-like attributes, facilitating metastasis, a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal (E/M) cells, retaining both epithelial and mesenchymal traits, exhibit heightened metastatic potential and stemness. The mesenchymal intermediate filament, vimentin, is upregulated during EMT, enhancing the resilience and invasiveness of carcinoma cells. The phosphorylation of vimentin is critical to its structure and function. Here, we identify that stabilizing vimentin phosphorylation at serine 56 induces multinucleation, specifically in hybrid E/M cells with stemness properties but not epithelial or mesenchymal cells. Cancer stem-like cells are especially susceptible to vimentin-induced multinucleation relative to differentiated cells, leading to a reduction in self-renewal and stemness. As a result, vimentin-induced multinucleation leads to sustained inhibition of stemness properties, tumor initiation, and metastasis. These observations indicate that a single, targetable phosphorylation event in vimentin is critical for stemness and metastasis in carcinomas with hybrid E/M properties.

Artificial intelligence and digital pathology: clinical promise and deployment considerations.

Artificial intelligence (AI) presents an opportunity in anatomic pathology to provide quantitative objective support to a traditionally subjective discipline, thereby enhancing clinical workflows and enriching diagnostic capabilities. AI requires access to digitized pathology materials, which, at present, are most commonly generated from the glass slide using whole-slide imaging. Models are developed collaboratively or sourced externally, and best practices suggest validation with internal datasets most closely resembling the data expected in practice. Although an array of AI models that provide operational support for pathology practices or improve diagnostic quality and capabilities has been described, most of them can be categorized into one or more discrete types. However, their function in the pathology workflow can vary, as a single algorithm may be appropriate for screening and triage, diagnostic assistance, virtual second opinion, or other uses depending on how it is implemented and validated. Despite the clinical promise of AI, the barriers to adoption have been numerous, to which inclusion of new stakeholders and expansion of reimbursement opportunities may be among the most impactful solutions.

Exploration of cancer associated fibroblasts phenotypes in the tumor microenvironment of classical and pleomorphic Invasive Lobular Carcinoma.

As the second most common subtype of breast carcinoma, Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) microenvironment features have not been thoroughly explored. ILC has different histological subtypes and elucidating differences in their microenvironments could lead to a comprehensive development of cancer therapies. We designed a custom-made cancer associated fibroblast (CAFs) panel and used multiplex immunofluorescence to identify the differences in tumor microenvironment between Classic ILC and Pleomorphic ILC. Materials and methods: Multiplex immunofluorescence were performed on formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissues using Opal-7 color kit. The antibodies used for phenotyping CAFs were Pan CK (AE1/AE3), CD45, A-SMA, FAP, S100, Thy-1 with optimized dilutions. The images were acquired and analyzed using Vectra 3.0 imaging system and InForm software respectively. Results: We studied 19 different CAFs colocalized phenotypes in the tumor, stroma and overall tissue compartments between classic and pleomorphic ILC. Total A-SMA+, A-SMA+FAP+S100+ and A-SMA+S100+ CAFs demonstrated higher densities in classic ILC cases while FAP+S100+ and S-100+ CAFs were increased in the pleomorphic subtype samples. Conclusion: Our study explores multiple CAFs phenotypes between classical and pleomorphic ILC. We showed that CAFs subset differ between Classic ILC and Pleomorphic ILC. A-SMA CAFs are more prevalent in the TME of classic ILCs whereas Pleomorphic ILCs are dominated by CAFs without A-SMA expression. This also iterates the importance of exploring this particular type of breast carcinoma in more detail, paving the way for meaningful translational research.

EGFR is a master switch between immunosuppressive and immunoactive tumor microenvironment in inflammatory breast cancer.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), the most aggressive breast cancer subtype, is driven by an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Current treatments for IBC have limited efficacy. In a clinical trial (NCT01036087), an anti-EGFR antibody combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy produced the highest pathological complete response rate ever reported in patients with IBC having triple-negative receptor status. We determined the molecular and immunological mechanisms behind this superior clinical outcome. Using novel humanized IBC mouse models, we discovered that EGFR-targeted therapy remodels the IBC TME by increasing cytotoxic T cells and reducing immunosuppressive regulatory T cells and M2 macrophages. These changes were due to diminishing immunosuppressive chemokine expression regulated by transcription factor EGR1. We also showed that induction of an immunoactive IBC TME by an anti-EGFR antibody improved the antitumor efficacy of an anti-PD-L1 antibody. Our findings lay the foundation for clinical trials evaluating EGFR-targeted therapy combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with cancer.

Tumor suppressor DEAR1 regulates mammary epithelial cell fate and predicts early onset and metastasis in triple negative breast cancer.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a disease of poor prognosis, with the majority classified as the basal-like subtype associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastasis. Because basal breast cancers originate from proliferative luminal progenitor-like cells upon dysregulation of proper luminal differentiation, genes regulating luminal-basal transition are critical to elucidate novel therapeutic targets to improve TNBC outcomes. Herein we demonstrate that the tumor suppressor DEAR1/TRIM62 is a critical regulator of luminal cell fate. DEAR1 loss in human mammary epithelial cells results in significantly enhanced mammosphere formation that is accelerated in the presence of TGF-ß/SMAD3 signaling. Mammospheres formed following DEAR1 loss are enriched for ALDH1A1 and CK5 expression, EpCAM-/CD49f+ and CD44high/24low basal-like epithelial cells, indicating that DEAR1 regulates stem/progenitor cell properties and luminal-basal progenitor transition. We show that DEAR1 maintains luminal differentiation as a novel ubiquitin ligase for SNAI2/SLUG, a master regulator driving stemness and generation of basal-like progenitor populations. We also identify a significant inverse correlation between DEAR1 and SNAI2 expression in a 103 TNBC case cohort and show that low DEAR1 expression significantly correlates with young age of onset and shorter time to metastasis, suggesting DEAR1 could serve as a biomarker to stratify early onset TNBCs for targeted stem cell therapies.

Impad1 and Syt11 work in an epistatic pathway that regulates EMT-mediated vesicular trafficking to drive lung cancer invasion and metastasis.

Lung cancer is a highly aggressive and metastatic disease responsible for approximately 25% of all cancer-related deaths in the United States. Using high-throughput in vitro and in vivo screens, we have previously established Impad1 as a driver of lung cancer invasion and metastasis. Here we elucidate that Impad1 is a direct target of the epithelial microRNAs (miRNAs) miR-200 and miR∼96 and is de-repressed during epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT); thus, we establish a mode of regulation of the protein. Impad1 modulates Golgi apparatus morphology and vesicular trafficking through its interaction with a trafficking protein, Syt11. These changes in Golgi apparatus dynamics alter the extracellular matrix and the tumor microenvironment (TME) to promote invasion and metastasis. Inhibiting Impad1 or Syt11 disrupts the cancer cell secretome, regulates the TME, and reverses the invasive or metastatic phenotype. This work identifies Impad1 as a regulator of EMT and secretome-mediated changes during lung cancer progression.

Targeting CDK4 overcomes EMT-mediated tumor heterogeneity and therapeutic resistance in KRAS-mutant lung cancer.

Lack of sustained response to therapeutic agents in patients with KRAS-mutant lung cancer poses a major challenge and arises partly due to intratumor heterogeneity that defines phenotypically distinct tumor subpopulations. To attain better therapeutic outcomes, it is important to understand the differential therapeutic sensitivities of tumor cell subsets. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition is a biological phenomenon that can alter the state of cells along a phenotypic spectrum and cause transcriptional rewiring to produce distinct tumor cell subpopulations. We utilized functional shRNA screens, in in vitro and in vivo models, to identify and validate an increased dependence of mesenchymal tumor cells on cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) for survival, as well as a mechanism of resistance to MEK inhibitors. High zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 levels in mesenchymal tumor cells repressed p21, leading to perturbed CDK4 pathway activity. Increased dependence on CDK4 rendered mesenchymal cancer cells particularly vulnerable to selective CDK4 inhibitors. Coadministration of CDK4 and MEK inhibitors in heterogeneous tumors effectively targeted different tumor subpopulations, subverting the resistance to either single-agent treatment.

Genome-wide unique insertion sequences among five Brucella species and demonstration of differential identification of Brucella by multiplex PCR assay.

Brucellosis is a neglected zoonotic disease caused by alpha proteobacterial genus Brucella comprising of facultative intracellular pathogenic species that can infect both animals and humans. In this study, we aimed to identify genome-wide unique insertion sequence (IS) elements among Brucella abortus, B. melitensis, B. ovis, B. suis and B. canis for use in species differentiation by conducting an intensive in silico-based comparative genomic analysis. As a result, 25, 27, 37, 86 and 3 unique ISs were identified respectively and they had a striking pattern of distribution among them. To explain, a particular IS would be present in four species with 100% identity whereas completely absent in the fifth species. However, flanking regions of that IS element would be highly identical and conserved in all five species. Species-specific primers designed on these flanking conserved regions resulted in two different amplicons grouping the species into two: one that possesses IS and the other that lacks it. Seeking for species-specific amplicon size for particular species was sufficient to identify it irrespective of biovar. A multiplex PCR developed using these primers resulted in successful differentiation of the five species irrespective of biovars with significant specificity and sensitivity when examined on clinical samples.

Protective and therapeutic efficacy study of divalent fusion protein rL7/L12-Omp25 against B. abortus 544 in presence of IFNγ.

Brucella as intracellular pathogen requires a coordinate interaction between Th1 subset of gamma interferon-secreting CD4 T cells and CD8 T cells for optimal protective immunity. It was previously recognized that L7/L12 as T cell-reactive antigen from the pathogen. On other hand, Omp25 was found as another antigen to provide protection against the Brucella infection by eliciting both Th1 and Th2 type of immune responses in mice. Here, we analyzed the prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy of a divalent fusion protein (rL7/L12-Omp25) comprising these two promising immunogens of Brucella in the presence of murine IFN-gamma in mice against B. abortus 544 challenge. rIFN-gamma with rL7/L12-Omp25 resulted in superior immune response when compared to the animal vaccine strain B. abortus S19. The vaccine candidate caused dominance of IgG1 over IgG2a and upregulated cytokine secretion (IFN-gamma, TNF-α, and IL-10) among immunized mice. Moreover, the antigen in combination with murine IFN-gamma elicited stronger cell-mediated immune response among the immunized animals when compared to standard vaccine (S19). The registered log protection unit among challenged mice with B. abortus 544 pathogen was 2.16, p = 0.0001 when rL7/L12-Omp25 was administered alone and 2.4, p = 0.0001 when it was administered along with rIFN-gamma. However, the molecule upon administration with murine IFN-gamma imparted very minimal or no therapeutic effect against brucellosis. To conclude, our study demonstrates the potential of rL7/L12-Omp25 as an immunogen of prospective and efficient prophylaxis as it is capable of eliciting both cell-mediated and humoral immune responses against brucellosis.

Recombinant outer membrane protein 25c from Brucella abortus induces Th1 and Th2 mediated protection against Brucella abortus infection in mouse model.

Development of a safe and efficacious vaccine for brucellosis is a long standing challenge for scientists. Recognizing potential antigens towards developing vaccine candidate is crucial. Omp25c, a porin protein of Brucella, is a paralog of two previously identified promising vaccine candidates namely, Omp25 and Omp31, with notable sequence identity. Also, Omp25c is conserved in all major Brucella species. This highlights the possibility of employing this protein in multivalent subunit vaccine based approach of Brucella management. In this study, we were interested in examining the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of Omp25c against Brucella infections. Recombinant unlipidated form of this antigen (rOmp25c) produced, upon intraperitoneal immunization in BALB/c mice along with Freund's adjuvant, was confirmed to be highly immunogenic; leading to high IgG antibody titers during the study duration. The IgG2a/IgG2b ratio of anti-rOmp25c antibodies revealed elicitation of Th2 based humoral immunity. Lymphocyte proliferation study divulged induction of specific memory response and secretion of both Th1-type (IFN-γ, GM-CSF and TNF-α) and Th2-type cytokine (IL-5) from restimulated splenocytes of rOmp25c immunized mice. CD4 T-cell subpopulation was comparatively increased than total B cell subpopulation in case of immunized mice, indicating the induction of strong cell-mediated (Th1 biased) immunity than humoral (Th2) immunity. The collective Th1 plus Th2 immune response specific to rOmp25c could be the reason for protection against Brucella challenge observed in mice groups that was comparable with S19 vaccine strain. Thus, the study encourages rOmp25c as a potent candidate vaccine against brucellosis.

Thermostabilization of indigenous multiplex polymerase chain reaction reagents for detection of enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Among DNA-based techniques, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the most widely accepted molecular tool for the detection of pathogens. However, the technique involves several reagents and multiple pipetting steps that often lead to error-prone results. Additionally, the reagents entail a cold-chain facility to maintain their stability during storage and transportation. The main aim of the present study was to simplify the utility of a pre-optimized multiplex PCR format that was developed to detect toxigenic strains of Staphylococcus aureus by providing stable, pre-mixed, and ready-to-use master mix in a lyophilized formulation. METHODS: Master mix containing all reagents except the template was lyophilized in the presence of an excipient lyoprotectant to achieve long-term stability without altering the sensitivity, specificity and PCR performance. Bromophenol blue was also included in the master mix to reduce the risk of external contamination during gel loading. The stability of lyophilized master mix was analyzed at different temperatures. The PCR performance was also examined after exposure of master mix to notable temperature fluctuations during transportation. RESULTS: The shelf-life of lyophilized master mix was estimated to be 1.5 months at ambient temperature and 6 months at 4°C. Stability was unaffected by temperature fluctuations during transportation even in cold-chain-free conditions, thus reducing the cost required for cold storage. CONCLUSION: The sensitive, cost-effective, ready-to-use, and ambient temperature stable formulation could be implemented as a detection tool in food analysis and diagnostic laboratories and hospitals and for on-field application outside the laboratories, as well as for detection of toxigenic strains of S. aureus.

Evaluation of fimC and bdha based duplex PCR for specific identification and differentiation of Burkholderia pseudomallei from near-neighbor Burkholderia species.

Assays for the rapid detection and accurate differentiation of Burkholderia pseudomallei from near-neighbor species are urgently needed in melioidosis endemic regions due to the high associated mortality and biowarfare importance of the pathogen. PCR-based methods have revolutionized this field due to the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity that are achievable in a rapid way. In this study, a compound molecular detection system, consisting of a duplex PCR assay, was developed for the specific identification of Burkholderia pseudomallei and differentiation from other Burkholderia species. For accurate identification of B. pseudomallei, we deciphered and adopted a novel gene termed putative fimbrial chaperone (fimC). d-beta hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (bdha), reported previously by our group for sequence-based differentiation of B. pseudomallei from other Burkholderia species, was employed as a genus-specific target. Enforcement of an internal amplification control in the PCR format ruled out possible false negative results in the assay. Thus, the developed PCR assay was highly specific (100%) in its detection features, and a clear detection sensitivity of 10 pg/µl for purified gDNA and 3 × 103 CFU/ml for B. pseudomallei spiked urine was recorded. Successful identification of B. pseudomallei from an experimental mouse model at both the genus and species level revealed the accurate diagnostic efficiency of the duplex PCR method.

Intraperitoneal administration of a novel chimeric immunogen (rOP) elicits IFN-γ and IL-12p70 protective immune response in BALB/c mice against virulent Brucella.

Recombinant engineering of immunologically active chimeric protein consisting of Omp19 and P39 domains of B. abortus (rOP), was purified under denaturing conditions upon expression in E. coli BL21 (DE3) and refolded to dynamic form. The immuno-protective efficacy of rOP was evaluated by challenging the BALB/c mice intraperitoneally (I.P) with the infective species of Brucella in the absence or presence of adjuvants, such as Aluminum hydroxide gel (Al), or Freund's Complete Adjuvant (FCA)/Incomplete Freund's Adjuvant (IFA). Surprisingly, after second boosting, mice received rOP per se were found to be immunogenic in terms of IgG response with the dominant expression of IgG2a and significant IFN-γ by splenic T cells, suggesting that rOP is a strong inducer of anti-Brucella immunity. The resulted anti-rOP antibodies recognized native Omp19 and P39 among species of Brucella with distinct double bands and single band against chimera in immunoblotting. An enhanced and comparable antibody response with varied IgG isotype combinations were noticed in the mice primed and boosted with rOP in adjuvants. However, rOP+FCA/IFA formulation was found to be the most effective in lymphocyte recall assays at inducing significant (P<0.001) proliferation index (P.I.) as well as increased Th1-coupled cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-2 and IL-12p70) than rOP+Al in response to rOP re-stimulation. Furthermore, in vitro defensive assay revealed that compared to anti-rOP antisera, the polyclonal anti-sera from rOP+adjuvants exhibited enhanced protection of RAW264.7 cells against virulent challenge by B. melitensis 16M and B. abortus 544. In addition, compared to sham group, enumeration of Brucella CFU after challenge with the above species showed a significant (P<0.01) reduction of bacteria (log CFU) in the macrophage cell lines and organs of vaccinated mice. On the whole, a relatively higher and faster reduction was noticed in the mice vaccinated with similar amount of purified antigen in Freund's adjuvant. Ability of inducing Th1 directed immune protection in the absence of adjuvant support, postulated rOP as a plausible entrant for developing a chimeric based subunit vaccine against Brucella.

Confirmed identification and toxin profiling of Campylobacter jejuni using a thermostabilized multiplex PCR formulation.

Cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) producing Campylobacter jejuni species are one of the leading causes of human gastroenteritis worldwide. The main intent of the study was to develop a multiplex PCR assay for the confirmed identification and toxin profiling of C. jejuni. The genes targeted were rpo B as genus specific, hip O for species; cdt A, cdt B, cdt C encoding respective subunit proteins of CDT with Internal Amplification Control (IAC). To enhance its application as a pre-mixed ready-to-use format, the master mix of developed mPCR was dried by lyophilization and stability was assessed. Thermostabilized reagents showed stability of 1.5 months at room-temperature and upto six months at 4 °C without any loss of functionality. The assay was evaluated on a number of presumptive Campylobacter isolates along with biochemical tests. Results obtained indicated the accurate identification of C. jejuni by developed mPCR format in contrast to misconception associated with biochemical assays. The assay was also tested on spiked samples for its real-time utility. Altogether, the room-temperature storable and ready-to- use mPCR format developed in this study could be preferred for rapid detection and confirmed identification of toxigenic strains of C. jejuni in place of conventional biochemical assays.

Prevalence and Identification of Burkholderia pseudomallei and Near-Neighbor Species in the Malabar Coastal Region of India.

Accurate identification of pathogens with biowarfare importance requires detection tools that specifically differentiate them from near-neighbor species. Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of a fatal disease melioidosis, is one such biothreat agent whose differentiation from its near-neighbor species is always a challenge. This is because of its phenotypic similarity with other Burkholderia species which have a wide spread geographical distribution with shared environmental niches. Melioidosis is a major public health concern in endemic regions including Southeast Asia and northern Australia. In India, the disease is still considered to be emerging. Prevalence surveys of this saprophytic bacterium in environment are under-reported in the country. A major challenge in this case is the specific identification and differentiation of B. pseudomallei from the growing list of species of Burkholderia genus. The objectives of this study included examining the prevalence of B. pseudomallei and near-neighbor species in coastal region of South India and development of a novel detection tool for specific identification and differentiation of Burkholderia species. Briefly, we analyzed soil and water samples collected from Malabar coastal region of Kerala, South India for prevalence of B. pseudomallei. The presumptive Burkholderia isolates were identified using recA PCR assay. The recA PCR assay identified 22 of the total 40 presumptive isolates as Burkholderia strains (22.72% and 77.27% B. pseudomallei and non-pseudomallei Burkholderia respectively). In order to identify each isolate screened, we performed recA and 16S rDNA sequencing. This two genes sequencing revealed that the presumptive isolates included B. pseudomallei, non-pseudomallei Burkholderia as well as non-Burkholderia strains. Furthermore, a gene termed D-beta hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (bdha) was studied both in silico and in vitro for accurate detection of Burkholderia genus. The optimized bdha based PCR assay when evaluated on the Burkholderia isolates of this study, it was found to be highly specific (100%) in its detection feature and a clear detection sensitivity of 10 pg/µl of purified gDNA was recorded. Nucleotide sequence variations of bdha among interspecies, as per in silico analysis, ranged from 8 to 29% within the target stretch of 730 bp highlighting the potential utility of bdha sequencing method in specific detection of Burkholderia species. Further, sequencing of the 730 bp bdha PCR amplicon of each Burkholderia strain isolated could differentiate the species and the data was comparable with recA sequence data of the strains. All sequencing results obtained were submitted to NCBI database. Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of bdha in comparison with recA and 16S rDNA showed that the bdha gene provided comparable identification of Burkholderia species.

Development of IgY based sandwich ELISA for the detection of staphylococcal enterotoxin G (SEG), an egc toxin.

Staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) is a major foodborne illness caused by staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs). It is a well known fact that foodborne outbreak investigations are solely characterized by commercially available immunoassay kits. However, these assays encompass only few enterotoxins such as SEA-SEE which are renowned as "classical" enterotoxins and unable to detect any other novel enterotoxins even though their involvement is predicted. In this context, the present study involved development of a sandwich ELISA immunoassay for the specific detection of "non-classical" enterotoxin G (SEG). The toxin belongs to enterotoxin gene cluster (egc) which comprises a bunch of five toxin genes that are known to co-express. Thus, the developed assay might indirectly speculate the presence of other toxins in the cluster. The efficiency of ELISA was compared with PCR analysis where all strains possessing seg were found positive for toxin production. Additionally, analogous to other studies which reported the co-occurrence of seg and sei, the PCR analysis accomplished in the study evinced the same. The sandwich format allowed sensitive detection with a detection limit of 1ng/mL. High specificity was achieved in presence of non-target protein as well as bacteria. Likewise, staphylococcal protein A (SpA) interference that is inevitably associated with immunoassays was eliminated by implementation of anti-SEG IgY in our study. Consequently, chicken IgY were used to capture target antigen in developed sandwich ELISA. Further, spiking studies and analysis on natural samples emphasized the robustness as well as applicability of developed method. Altogether, the established assay could be a reliable detection tool for the routine investigation of SEG as well as to predict other egc toxins in samples from food and clinical sources.