Rapid and direct detection of male DNA by recombinase polymerase amplification assay.

Screening of male DNA is important in forensic investigations, especially sexual assault cases. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is widely used for the detection of male DNA. However, the use of this technique as a screening tool is time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Rapid detection of blood and semen mRNA markers by reverse transcription-recombinase polymerase amplification.

Body fluid identification is crucial for crime scene reconstruction. Recently, messenger RNA (mRNA) profiling has been an effective approach for body fluid identification. In general, mRNA is detected by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) or end-point RT-PCR; however, these conventional methods are time-consuming and require extensive sample processing.

NKG2D defines tumor-reacting effector CD8 T cells within tumor microenvironment.

For successful immunotherapy for cancer, it is important to understand the immunological status of tumor antigen-specific CD8 T cells in the tumor microenvironment during tumor progression. In this study, we monitored the behavior of B16OVA-Luc cells in mice immunized with a model tumor antigen ovalbumin (OVA). Using bioluminescence imaging, we identified the time series of OVA-specific CD8 T-cell responses during tumor progression: initial progression, immune control, and the escape phase.

Rapid and efficient generation of T-cell receptor-like antibodies using chip-based single-cell analysis.

Generation of TCR-like monoclonal antibodies using conventional methods is markedly laborious and inefficient. We have proposed improvements of ISAAC (chip-based Ab-secreting cell [ASC] screening method), allows comprehensive analysis of ASCs at the single-cell level to obtain TCR-like antibodies; blocking procedure enables us to avoid the detection of non-TCR-like antibodies.

A Rapid ATP Bioluminescence-based Test for Detecting Levofloxacin Resistance Starting from Positive Blood Culture Bottles.

Administering appropriate antimicrobial therapy as early as possible is important for rescuing bacteremic patients. Therefore, rapid antimicrobial susceptibility tests in positive blood culture specimens have been diligently sought. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence-based methods have been used for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility tests.

A novel and simple method to produce large amounts of recombinant soluble peptide/major histocompatibility complex monomers for analysis of antigen-specific human T cell receptors.

Soluble peptide/major histocompatibility complex (p/MHC) tetramers that directly bind to T cell receptors (TCRs) allow the direct quantification, phenotypic characterization and isolation of antigen-specific T cells. Conventionally, soluble p/MHC tetramers have been produced using Escherichia coli, but this method requires refolding of the recombinant proteins. Here, a novel and technically simple method that does not require protein refolding in vitro has been developed for the high-throughput generation of soluble and functional p/MHC-single chain trimer (SCT) monomers and tetramers in a mammalian cell system.

Clonally Expanded Decidual Effector Regulatory T Cells Increase in Late Gestation of Normal Pregnancy, but Not in Preeclampsia, in Humans.

Regulatory T (Treg) cells are necessary for the maintenance of allogenic pregnancy. However, the repertoire of effector Treg cells at the feto-maternal interface in human pregnancy remains unknown. Our objective was to study T cell receptor (TCR) repertoires of Treg cells during pregnancy compared to normal and complicated pregnancies.

Bladder cancer-associated cancer-testis antigen-derived long peptides encompassing both CTL and promiscuous HLA class II-restricted Th cell epitopes induced CD4 T cells expressing converged T-cell receptor genes .

DEP domain containing 1 (DEPDC1) and M-phase phosphoprotein 1 (MPHOSPH1) are human cancer testis antigens that are frequently overexpressed in urinary bladder cancer. In a phase I/II clinical trial, a DEPDC1- and MPHOSPH1-derived short peptide vaccine demonstrated promising efficacy in preventing bladder cancer recurrence. Here, we aimed to identify long peptides (LPs) derived from DEPDC1 and MPHOSPH1 that induced both T-helper (Th) cells and tumor-reactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs).

Identification of Tumoricidal TCRs from Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes by Single-Cell Analysis.

T-cell receptor (TCR) gene therapy is a promising next-generation antitumor treatment. We previously developed a single-T-cell analysis protocol that allows the rapid capture of paired TCRα and β cDNAs. Here, we applied the protocol to analyze the TCR repertoire of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) of various cancer patients.