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The hematopoietic cell transplantation-specific comorbidity index (HCT-CI) was developed at a single center to predict outcomes for allogeneic transplant recipients who have comorbidities. The HCT-CI has not been widely validated in unselected transplant recipients. We evaluated whether the HCT-CI and other readily available pre-transplant variables predicted NRM and OS at a Canadian transplant center. Using a prospective cohort design, we analyzed consecutive adult allogeneic HCT recipients. Of 187 patients, HCT-CI risk was low in 22 (12%), intermediate in 50 (27%), high in 104 (55%) and undetermined in 11 (6%). Two-year OS was 45% (95% CI: 24-64%), 55% (95% CI: 40-68%) and 42% (95% CI: 32-51%) in the low, intermediate and high-risk HCT-CI groups, respectively. Two-year NRM was 36% (95% CI: 17-56%), 26% (95% CI: 15-39%) and 30% (95% CI: 22-39%) in the low, intermediate and high-risk HCT-CI groups, respectively. In multivariate analysis, the HCT-CI failed to predict OS or NRM. However, KPS of <90% at HCT was a strong predictor of NRM. In conclusion, the HCT-CI was not associated with NRM or OS. In contrast, KPS was an independent indicator of survival. International multi-center studies are required before the HCT-CI is used in clinical practice.

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A method is described which permits the ligation- mediated PCR amplification of specific fragments from a Class-II restriction endonuclease total digest. Feasibility was tested using Bcl I and phage lambda DNA as a model enzyme and amplicon system, respectively. Bcl I is one of many widely used restriction enzymes which cleave at palindromic recognition sequences and leave 5'-protruding ends of defined sequence. Using a single pair of universal primers, a given fragment can be specifically amplified after joining the fragments to adaptors consisting of a duplex primer region and a 9-nucleotide protruding single-stranded 5'-end containing the sequence complementary to the cleaved restriction site and a 4-nucleotide 'indexing sequence.' The protruding strand anneals to a restriction fragment by displacing its corresponding strand in the same fragment-specific indexing sequence located juxtaposed to the restriction site. The adaptor is covalently linked to the restriction fragment by T4 DNA ligase, and amplification is carried out under conditions for long-distance PCR using the M13 forward and reverse primers. The technique discriminated robustly between mismatches and perfect matches for the 16 indexing sequences tested to allow individual lambda Bcl I fragments to be amplified from their respective adaptor pairs. A strategy is proposed enabling a non-cloning approach to the accession, physical mapping and sequencing of genomic DNA. The method could also have application in high-throughput genetic mapping and fingerprinting and should expand the enzyme base for ligation- mediated indexing technology which has previously been limited to the Class-IIS and IP restriction endonucleases.

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A modified vector, M13-102, is described which utilizes the previously reported M13-100 direct selection strategy for shotgun cloning [Guilfoyle and Smith, Nucleic Acids Res. 22 (1994) 100-107]. In these vectors, direct selection replaces the need for phosphatase treatment of vector DNA and is achieved by insertional inactivation of M13 gene X. When not inactivated, the engineered overproduction of the M13 gene X product mediates phage replication repression. M13-102 contains two new additions: (1) a sequence enabling triple-helix-mediated affinity capture (TAC) for purification of linearized vector DNA, and (2) universal primer sequences for wider compatibility with commercial instruments that support fluorescence-based sequencing. Using a biotinylated homopyrimidine oligodeoxyribonucleotide as third-strand probe, TAC is performed on streptavidin-coated magnetic beads [Ji et al., Genetics Analysis: Techniques and Applications 11 (1994) 43-47], and serves as a rapid and efficient alternative to gel purification. To reduce tandem insertions, phosphatase treatment of insert DNA was easily invoked without sacrificing cloning efficiency. The combined capabilities of direct selection, TAC purification and phosphatase treatment of inserts should facilitate library construction and improve overall library quality.

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A solid-phase triple-helix-mediated affinity capture method is described for the purification of single-stranded M13 DNA for use as template in fluorescence-based DNA sequencing reactions. In this method, a biotinylated polypyrimidine oligonucleotide "loop" bound to streptavidin-coated magnetic beads is used to selectively capture single-stranded M13 DNA from high-titer phage supernatant through the formation of a cooperative triple helix (CTH) complex between the oligonucleotide and a polypurine site previously cloned into the M13 vector. Capture is accomplished at acidic pH to encourage triple-helix formation, while elution is performed at alkaline pH with heating to destroy the CTH complex. The beads can be reused up to three times without probe replenishment. Yields of M13 ssDNA in excess of 1 microgram per milliliter of culture are obtained, sufficient for use as template in fluorescence-based DNA sequencing reactions.

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A simple and rapid strategy for restriction mapping based on sequence-specific triple-helix affinity capture (TAC) was developed. The strategy was applied to the analysis of cosmid clones by the construction of a new cosmid vector, ScosTriplex-II, containing two different triple-helix-forming sequences flanking the cloning site of the original SuperCos-1 cosmid vector. For restriction mapping, the recombinant cosmid DNA is digested with NotI restriction enzyme or with one of four intron-encoded endonucleases for excision of intact inserts followed by controlled partial digestion with a mapping enzyme used in conjunction with the corresponding methyltransferase. The partial digestion products are combined with biotinylated triple-helix-forming oligonucleotides to form a triple-helical complex. The triple-helix complexes are immobilized on streptavidin-coated magnetic beads, washed, and eluted with pH 9 buffer solution. The fragments are separated and directly sized by agarose gel electrophoresis. Bidirectional maps are obtained simultaneously by binding to the two different triple-helix-forming oligonucleotides. No probe labeling, gel drying, blotting to membranes, hybridization, or autoradiography is necessary. Also, TAC conditions that permit gel-free isolation of the terminal restriction fragments from cosmid inserts were found. These advantages afforded by ScosTriplex-II should facilitate the automation of cosmid restriction site fingerprinting needed for large-scale mapping and sequencing projects.

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A simple and rapid method for the analysis of genetic polymorphisms has been developed using allele-specific oligonucleotide arrays bound to glass supports. Allele-specific oligonucleotides are covalently immobilized on glass slides in arrays of 3 mm spots. Genomic DNA is amplified by PCR using one fluorescently tagged primer oligonucleotide and one biotinylated primer oligonucleotide. The two complementary DNA strands are separated, the fluorescently tagged strand is hybridized to the support-bound oligonucleotide array, and the hybridization pattern is detected by fluorescence scanning. Multiple polymorphisms present in the PCR product may be detected in parallel. The effect of spacer length, surface density and hybridization conditions were evaluated, as was the relative efficacy of hybridization with single or double-stranded PCR products. The utility of the method was demonstrated in the parallel analysis of 5 point mutations from exon 4 of the human tyrosinase gene.

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A high throughput system for the preparation of single stranded M13 sequencing templates is described. Supernatants from clones grown in 48-well plates are treated with a chaotropic agent to dissociate the phage coat protein. Using a semi-automated cell harvester, the free nucleic acid is bound to a glass fiber filter in the presence of chaotrope and then washed with ethanol by aspiration. Individual glass fiber discs are punched out on the cell harvester and dried briefly. The DNA samples are then eluted in water by centrifugation. The processing time from 96 microcultures to sequence quality templates is approximately 1 hr. Assuming the ability to sequence 400 bases per clone, a 0.5 megabase per day genome sequencing facility will require 6250 purified templates a week. Toward accomplishing this goal we have developed a procedure which is a modification of a method that uses a chaotropic agent and glass fiber filter (Kristensen et al., 1987). By exploiting the ability of a cell harvester to uniformly aspirate and wash 96 samples, a rapid system for high quality template preparation has been developed. Other semi-automated systems for template preparation have been developed using commercially available robotic workstations like the Biomek (Mardis and Roe, 1989). Although minimal human intervention is required, processing time is at least twice as long. Custom systems based on paramagnetic beads (Hawkins et al., 1992) produce DNA in insufficient quantity for direct sequencing and therefore require cycle sequencing. These systems require custom programing, have a fairly high initial cost and have not proven to be as fast as the method reported here.

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A new cloning strategy is described which utilizes direct selection of recombinants for shotgun sequencing in the filamentous bacteriophage M13. Direct selection is accomplished by insertional inactivation of the M13 gene X protein, a powerful inhibitor of phage-specific DNA synthesis when overproduced. An extra copy of gene X was inserted into the intergenic region of M13 and placed under the control of the bacteriophage T7 gene 10 promoter and RBS. Random fragments are cloned into the EcoRV cloning site of the new gene X cistron and recombinants are selected in an E. coli male strain producing T7 RNA polymerase. Cloning efficiencies obtained with M13-100 or phosphatase-treated M13mp19 vector are comparable. The direct selection capability of M13-100 was demonstrated to have the following advantages: (a) consistently achieved high ratios of recombinants to religated vector in the libraries, averaging about 500:1 (0.2% background), and (b) the elimination of the need for phosphatase treatment of the vector to reduce background. The direct selection strategy significantly improves the efficiency of shotgun library construction in M13, and should therefore facilitate the cloning aspects of large scale sequencing projects.

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A simple and rapid method for the isolation of cosmid insert DNA was developed based on triple-helix-mediated affinity capture (TAC). A modified cosmid was constructed from the SuperCos 1 cosmid vector by flanking the cloning site with two homopurine-homopyrimidine triple-helix-forming sequences. The cosmid DNA is digested with NotI restriction enzyme to release the insert DNA. The NotI-digested cosmid DNA is then combined with a biotinylated homopyrimidine oligonucleotide in an acidic buffer solution to form a triple-helix complex. The triple-helix complex is captured with streptavidin-coated magnetic beads. Insert DNA is eluted by adding a pH 9 buffered solution to the captured complex. The purified insert DNA is recovered with a yield of up to 95% and a purity of at least 95%. The isolated insert DNA was directly digested with CviJI restriction endonuclease to generate random fragments for shotgun sequencing.

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Human adenovirus early region 1A (E1A) gene products differentially regulate the expression of early region 2A (E2A) encoding the DNA-binding protein (DBP). In a microinjection system, plasmids containing the DBP gene associated with both its early (map coordinate 75) and late (coordinate 72) promoters, or only with the early promoter, are inefficiently expressed, and the presence of E1A DNA is required for full expression. In contrast, the E2A plasmid in which the DBP gene is associated solely with its late promoter, efficiently produces DBP, the synthesis of which is significantly inhibited by an E1A gene product. To identify which of the E1A products is responsible for either activation or repression of DBP gene expression, two E1A mutants (Ad5hr1 and Ad2/5pm975) have been tested in the microinjection system in the presence of different DBP plasmids containing either one or both promoters. The results obtained indicate that the product encoded by the E1A 13S mRNA is responsible for the stimulation of DBP produced from the early promoter and that the 12S mRNA codes for the product which represses the synthesis of DBP from the late promoter. These results were confirmed using clones in which the E2A early or late promoter was associated to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene and assayed for CAT activity after cell transfection in the absence or in the presence of wild-type or mutant E1A plasmids, and we have also shown that this promoter-dependent regulation is reflected in the relative amount of specific DBP mRNA.

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Plasmids containing the VA RNA genes of adenovirus are faithfully transcribed by a crude cytoplasmic extract containing DNA-dependent RNA polymerase III [Wu, G.-J. (1978) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75, 2175-2179]. By subjecting these DNA templates to in vitro site-directed mutagenesis with a novel enzyme of Pseudomonas and recloning in pBR322, we have constructed an ordered series of deletions which affect the in vitro transcription of the major RNA polymerase III viral product, VAI RNA. Three regions that are required for specific synthesis of VAI RNA can be defined. One, inside the gene at nucleotides +10 to +76, affects the transcription in an all-or-none fashion. Transcription is initiated on plasmid sequences that replace up to 10 nucleotides downstream from the 5' end of the gene. Variants with deletions past nucleotide +15 do not support the transcription of VAI RNA. Removal of 3'-end sequences downstream from +76 allows correct initiation. A second region, upstream from the initiation site, affects the exact alignment of the first nucleotide of the transcript [Thimmapaya, B., Jones, N. & Shenk, T. (1979) Cell 18, 947-959]. A third region, downstream from +76, encodes signals for termination of transcription, and new signals were brought in with other viral DNA sequences. Transcription competition experiments indicate that the primary site for binding of a transcriptional regulation factor is located between nucleotides +55 and +70 and suggest that the control region is bifunctional. An internal control region for VAI RNA, approximately 60 bases long and 11 bases downstream from the 5' end of the gene, can be defined.

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