多样性指标用于基因中剪切位点的识别

根据基因剪切位点处的碱基保守性特征,和附近位点的碱基组成和关联特征,应用多样性指标和二次判别分析,对几类模式生物的基因结构进行统一的分析和预测,能够较好地识别外显子和内含子及其边界.计算结果表明,对于4类物种,线虫(C.elegans),拟南芥(A.thaliana), 果蝇(D.melanogaster)和人类(human),核苷酸水平的识别精度为92.5%～97.1%,外显子水平的识别敏感性为83.7%～94.5%,特异性为87.8%～97.1%.预测能力优于GeneSplicer等剪切位点检测软件.     

猪SOCS-2基因的克隆及序列分析

从中国地方猪品种八眉猪（BaMei）肾脏组织中提取总RNA,采用RT-PCR方法克隆了猪SOCS-2(suppressor of cytokine signaling -2,细胞因子信号转导抑制因子-2)基因的cDNA序列,经T/A克隆,插入到pMD19-T载体上,导入大肠杆菌DH-5α,阳性克隆经PCR鉴定后进行测序,将测序结果与GenBank中已登录的人、大鼠和小鼠SOCS-2基因的序列进行同源性比较,利用生物信息学和分子生物学软件对猪SOCS-2基因编码的蛋白进行结构预测。结果表明：首次成功克隆了猪SOCS-2基因的cDNA序列（GenBank登录号为EF121242）,其长度为822 bp,该基因ORF区核苷酸序列与其他物种相比同源性达到93%以上,氨基酸同源性则达到89%以上,生物信息学分析表明该蛋白分子量为22.25kD,等电点pI=8.30,包含199个氨基酸残基。该基因cDNA序列的克隆,有利于进一步研究SOCS-2调节机体发育的分子机理。     

猪SOCS-2基因的克隆及序列分析

从中国地方猪品种八眉猪（BaMei）肾脏组织中提取总RNA,采用RT-PCR方法克隆了猪SOCS-2(suppressor of cytokine signaling -2,细胞因子信号转导抑制因子-2)基因的cDNA序列,经T/A克隆,插入到pMD19-T载体上,导入大肠杆菌DH-5α,阳性克隆经PCR鉴定后进行测序,将测序结果与GenBank中已登录的人、大鼠和小鼠SOCS-2基因的序列进行同源性比较,利用生物信息学和分子生物学软件对猪SOCS-2基因编码的蛋白进行结构预测。结果表明：首次成功克隆了猪SOCS-2基因的cDNA序列（GenBank登录号为EF121242）,其长度为822 bp,该基因ORF区核苷酸序列与其他物种相比同源性达到93%以上,氨基酸同源性则达到89%以上,生物信息学分析表明该蛋白分子量为22.25kD,等电点pI=8.30,包含199个氨基酸残基。该基因cDNA序列的克隆,有利于进一步研究SOCS-2调节机体发育的分子机理。     

奥利万星中间体A82846B产生菌拟孢囊菌CCTCC M2020063全基因组序列分析与mbtH类基因的验证

[目的] 分析荒漠拟孢囊菌CCTCC M2020063中A82846B合成的代谢途径和关键基因。[方法] 使用Illumina二代测序和PacBio三代测序技术对荒漠拟孢囊菌CCTCC M2020063进行全基因组测序,利用Glimmer预测编码序列,使用HPLC和LCMS鉴定次级代谢产物,使用antiSMASH 5.0软件预测次级代谢产物合成基因簇。利用Geneious软件对A82846B合成相关基因进行分析,对其中的mbtH类基因着重分析。[结果] 本实验菌株鉴定为荒漠拟孢囊菌（Kibdelosporangium aridum）,基因组中有一条线性染色体,无质粒,序列全长12475688 bp,GC含量为66.27%,有11900个开放阅读框,共有47个基因簇。该菌株具有合成A82846B的能力,且生物合成相关基因位于Cluster32,包含33个基因,mbtH类基因gene07864的过表达促进A82846的合成,提升了26.42%,卤化酶基因为gene07859,与万古霉素、巴利霉素的卤化酶相似度较高。[结论] 本研究对荒漠拟孢囊菌CCTCC M2020063进行了基因组序列分析,获得了A82846B生物合成相关的功能基因信息,为A82846B的代谢途径和工程改造提供了强有力的基础。     

鼠mPC-1基因的克隆与特性分析

为深入研究人前列腺癌相关基因PC-1的生物功能和进化保守状况,从小鼠肾脏中克隆了全长cDNA序列,命名为mPC-1（GenBank Acc No.AY048852）.mPC-1基因cDNA全长为2 193 bp,主要定位于小鼠染色体3A1-A2区域.mPC-1基因最大开放阅读框编码的蛋白质由224个氨基酸组成,与人PC-1蛋白编码区存在82%的序列一致性,含有coiled-coil结构域和PEST结构域.生物信息学分析表明,由6个外显子组成的mPC-1基因与mD52高度同源,其中,第一外显子代表该基因的特异性序列,实验证据显示mPC-1基因具有自己的启动子,推测mPC-1与小鼠mD52可能是重叠基因.对小鼠20种组织器官和不同发育阶段的胚胎组织cDNA的RT-PCR检测证实,该基因主要在前列腺、肾和眼组织中表达,在胃和平滑肌中有少量表达,在其他组织中表达很弱或不表达.而mD52基因则几乎广泛存在于小鼠的各个组织器官中,因此,两个基因虽然序列上高度重叠却是独立调控的.综上所述,mPC-1基因可能是一个与人PC-1基因结构功能类似的新基因.     

泸型酒窖泥中梭菌的分离及代谢产物分析

[目的] 分离窖泥中的梭菌微生物并对其代谢产物进行评估。[方法] 对窖泥中梭菌群落的16S rRNA基因进行高通量测序;利用高丰度的梭菌OTU序列在KOMODO数据库进行培养基的预测,定向分离窖泥中梭菌菌株;采用顶空固相微萃取结合气相色谱质谱联用仪对窖泥和代表性梭菌菌株的挥发性代谢产物进行检测。[结果] 利用KOMODO数据库预测的梭菌培养基共计筛选到31株梭菌微生物,分属于梭菌属的14个种;根据风味代谢特性,这些菌株主要分为两大类,一是C.carboxidivorans、C.sporogenes和C.tyrobutyricum等产酸为主的梭菌,二是C.beijerinckii、C.butyricum和C.sphenoides等产醇为主的梭菌。[结论] 利用测序序列预测培养基有助于从窖泥中分离获得丰富的梭菌菌株,其物种和代谢能力的多样性对解析白酒复杂风味形成机理奠定了一定的基础。     

来自南极洲类诺卡氏菌(Nocardioides sp.) InS609-2的全基因组序列分析

【背景】类诺卡氏菌（Nocardioides sp.） InS609-2是一株分离自南极洲罗斯海特拉诺瓦湾的恩克斯堡岛土壤中潜在的极地放线菌新种。尚无研究报道Nocardioides sp.InS609-2的全基因组序列，缺少对其功能基因、代谢产物合成途径及比较基因组学等的研究。【目的】解析Nocardioides sp.InS609-2的基因组序列信息，以深入挖掘次级代谢产物基因资源。【方法】利用Illumina HiSeq高通量测序平台对菌株InS609-2进行全基因组完成图测序，使用相关软件对测序数据进行基因组组装、基因预测和功能注释、预测次级代谢产物合成基因簇和共线性分析等。【结果】基因组最后得到的总长度为4 524 052 bp，G+C含量为69.42%，预测到4 656个基因、56个tRNA和6个rRNA。根据Nocardioides sp.InS609-2的全基因组测序结果，分别有3 761、3 052、1 767、4 134和2 725个基因在COG、GO、KEGG、NR和Swiss-Prot数据库中提取到注释信息。同时，还预测得到19个次级代谢产物合成基因簇。基因组测序数据提交至NCBI获得GenBank登录号为CP060034。Nocardioides sp.InS609-2与N. dokdonensis CP015079、N. yefusunii CP034929、N. euryhalodurans CP038267、N. seonyuensis CP038436、N. daphniae CP038462和N. okcheonensis CP087710这6株基因组同源性比较高的类诺卡氏菌进行共线性分析和蛋白聚类分类分析，得到的结果是7个基因组间既有保守性又各自有独特性。七个基因组共有44个蛋白聚类簇。最后进行16S rRNA基因系统发育树、泛基因组、core基因组和基因组进化树分析，进一步挖掘了Nocardioides sp.InS609-2的基因组信息。【结论】从基因组层面上预测了Nocardioides sp.InS609-2的次级代谢产物的生物合成基因簇，为InS609-2的后续相关研究提供了参考信息，具有重要意义。     

分泌蛋白特异性基因陷阱的设计与验证

蛋白质分子向细胞外分泌的过程有赖于信号肽的介导.基因陷阱是功能性基因克隆的一种有效方法,经典的基因陷阱以geo作为报告基因,对所克隆的基因类型没有选择性.将绿脓杆菌外毒素、2A序列、IL-2受体穿膜区以及新霉素磷酸转移酶的基因依次融合构建新型报告基因——peo,该报告基因能够特异性地甄别具有信号肽编码序列的基因.为验证peo对信号肽编码序列的特异性甄别作用,以peo为报告基因,构建了3种质粒载体,分别模拟用基因陷阱载体进行筛选时可能出现的3种情况,通过转染HeLa细胞、G418筛选以及碱性磷酸酶检测,证明peo能够有效地区分信号肽和非信号肽编码序列,以peo为报告基因改造的基因陷阱载体可以用于分泌蛋白基因的筛选.     

鼠伤寒沙门菌小RNA RybB及伴侣蛋白Hfq对孔蛋白OmpD的表达调控

【目的】探究小RNA (small RNA, sRNA) RybB和伴侣蛋白Hfq对沙门氏菌孔蛋白OmpD表达的调控作用。【方法】以鼠伤寒沙门菌(Salmonella Typhimurium, STM)为研究对象,将含有编码β-半乳糖苷酶的lacZ报告基因的pCE40质粒转入ompD基因单缺失菌株中以获得lacZ报告菌株;在此基础上,利用P22噬菌体转导技术分在lacZ报告菌株中构建rybB全序列缺失、hfq全序列缺失、hfq点序列敲除和hfq序列截短以获得双突变实验菌株,以及rybB全序列缺失和hfq全序列缺失的三突变实验菌株。通过β-半乳糖苷酶活性试验和RT-qPCR探究sRNA RybB及伴侣蛋白Hfq对孔蛋白OmpD表达的调控作用。【结果】成功在lacZ报告菌中构建rybB全序列缺失、hfq全序列缺失、hfq点序列敲除和hfq序列截短等双缺失实验菌株,以及rybB全序列缺失和hfq全序列缺失的三突变实验菌株。与野生型(wild type, WT)菌株相比,在lacZ报告菌株中,hfq基因截短为87个氨基酸序列的突变株中的OmpD蛋白活性下调了2.16%,其余实验株OmpD蛋白的β-半乳糖苷酶活性均呈上升趋势。与WT菌株相比,实验菌株ompD基因转录水平除了STM LT2∆ompD::lacZΔhfq65的上调不具有显著性外,其余实验菌株均显著(P<0.05)上调,其中lacZ报告菌株、rybB全序列缺失和hfq全序列缺失的三突变实验菌株ompD基因转录水平上调最明显,为1.83倍。【结论】ompD基因的转录及蛋白表达主要受hfq基因和sRNA RybB的负反馈调节;Hfq的远端面在对ompD基因的转录抑制中起关键作用。通过多个基因突变菌株的构建,阐述了sRNA伴侣蛋白Hfq与孔蛋白OmpD的相互作用关系,探索了Hfq对ompD的调控关键区域,丰富了sRNA的调控理论。     

人脑源性神经营养因子基因表达

用聚合酶链式反应(PCR)从人基因组DNA中扩增了人脑源性神经营养因子(hBDNF) cDNA和hBDNF成熟蛋白编码片段,分别克隆到pUC18中.经测序确认两个插入片段序列正确.hBDNF cDNA在CMV启动子控制下在NIH/3T3细胞中表达,用RT-PCR检测转染细胞确有BDNF mRNA存在.BDNF成熟蛋白编码序列在T7启动子控制下在E.coli中表达,SDS-PAGE表明,BDNF得到表达,以包涵体形式存在.     

Molecular nature of 11 spontaneous de novo mutations in Drosophila melanogaster

To investigate the molecular nature and rate of spontaneous mutation in Drosophila melanogaster, we screened 887,000 individuals for de novo recessive loss-of-function mutations at eight loci that affect eye color. In total, 28 mutants were found in 16 independent events (13 singletons and three clusters). The molecular nature of the 13 events was analyzed. Coding exons of the locus were affected by insertions or deletions >100 nucleotides long (6 events), short frameshift insertions or deletions (4 events), and replacement nucleotide substitutions (1 event). In the case of 2 mutant alleles, coding regions were not affected. Because approximately 70% of spontaneous de novo loss-of-function mutations in Homo sapiens are due to nucleotide substitutions within coding regions, insertions and deletions appear to play a much larger role in spontaneous mutation in D. melanogaster than in H. sapiens. If so, the per nucleotide mutation rate in D. melanogaster may be lower than in H. sapiens, even if their per locus mutation rates are similar.     

Sequence simplicity and evolution of the 3′ untranslated region of the histone H1° Gene

The H1° gene has a long 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) of 1,125 nucleotides in the rat and 1,310 in humans. Analysis of the sequences shows that they have features of simple DNA that suggest involvement of replication slippage in their evolution. These features include the length imbalance between the rat and human sequences; the abundance of single-base repeats, two-base runs and other simple motifs clustered along the sequence; and the presence of single-base repeat length polymorphisms in the rat and mouse sequences. Pairwise comparisons show numerous short insertions/deletions, often flanked by direct repeats. In addition, a proportion of short insertions/deletions results from length differences in conserved single-base repeats. Quantification of the sequence simplicity shows that simple sequences have been more actively incorporated in the human lineage than in the rodent lineage. The combination of insertions/deletions and nucleotide substitutions along the sequence gives rise to three main regions of homology: a highly variable central region flanked by more conserved regions nearest the coding region and the polyA addition site. Correspondence to: P. Suau     

SIFT Indel: Predictions for the Functional Effects of Amino Acid Insertions/Deletions in Proteins

Indels in the coding regions of a gene can either cause frameshifts or amino acid insertions/deletions. Frameshifting indels are indels that have a length that is not divisible by 3 and subsequently cause frameshifts. Indels that have a length divisible by 3 cause amino acid insertions/deletions or block substitutions; we call these 3n indels. The new amino acid changes resulting from 3n indels could potentially affect protein function. Therefore, we construct a SIFT Indel prediction algorithm for 3n indels which achieves 82% accuracy, 81% sensitivity, 82% specificity, 82% precision, 0.63 MCC, and 0.87 AUC by 10-fold cross-validation. We have previously published a prediction algorithm for frameshifting indels. The rules for the prediction of 3n indels are different from the rules for the prediction of frameshifting indels and reflect the biological differences of these two different types of variations. SIFT Indel was applied to human 3n indels from the 1000 Genomes Project and the Exome Sequencing Project. We found that common variants are less likely to be deleterious than rare variants. The SIFT indel prediction algorithm for 3n indels is available at http://sift-dna.org/     

Homology in coding and non-coding DNA sequences: a parsimony perspective

Putative synapomorphy assessment (primary homology assessment) is distinct for DNA strings having a codon structure (hereafter, coding DNA) versus those lacking it (hereafter, non-coding DNA). The first requires the identification of a reading frame and of usually few in-frame insertions and deletions. In non-coding DNA, where length variation is much more common, putative synapomorphy assessment is considerably less straightforward and highly depends on the alignment method. Appreciating the existence of evolutionary constraints, alignments that consider patterns associated with specific putative evolutionary events are favored. Once the sequences have been aligned, the postulated putative evolutionary events need to be coded as an additional step. In order for the alignments and the alignment coding to be falsifiable, they should be carried out using justified and explicitly formulated criteria. Alternative coding methods for the most common patterns present in alignments of non-coding DNA are discussed here. Simpler putative synapomorphy assessment will not always correlate to more reliable phylogenetic information because simplicity does not necessarily correlate to the degree of homoplasy. The use of non-coding DNA can result in more laborious coding, but at the same time in more corroborated hypotheses, mirroring their accuracy for phylogenetic inference.     

Insertion and deletion mutations in the repA4 region of the IncFII plasmid NR1 cause unstable inheritance.

Mutants of IncFII plasmid NR1 that have transposons inserted in the repA4 open reading frame (ORF) are not inherited stably. The repA4 ORF is located immediately downstream from the replication origin (ori). The repA4 coding region contains inverted-repeat sequences that are homologous to the terC inverted repeats located in the replication terminus of the Escherichia coli chromosome. The site of initiation of leading-strand synthesis for replication of NR1 is also located in repA4 near its 3' end. Transposon insertions between ori and the right-hand terC repeat resulted in plasmid instability, whereas transposon insertions farther downstream did not. Derivatives that contained a 35-bp frameshift insertion in the repA4 ORF were all stable, even when the frameshift was located very near the 5' end of the coding region. This finding indicates that repA4 does not specify a protein product that is essential for plasmid stability. Examination of mutants having a nest of deletions with endpoints in or near repA4 indicated that the 3' end of the repA4 coding region and the site of leading-strand initiation could be deleted without appreciable effect on plasmid stability. Deletion of the pemI and pemK genes, located farther downstream from repA4 and reported to affect plasmid stability, also had no detectable effect. In contrast, mutants from which the right-hand terC repeat, or both right- and left-hand repeats, had been deleted were unstable. None of the insertion or deletion mutations in or near repA4 affected plasmid copy number. Alteration of the terC repeats by site-directed mutagenesis had little effect on plasmid stability. Plasmid stability was not affected by a fus mutation known to inactivate the termination function. Therefore, it appears that the overall integrity of the repA4 region is more important for stable maintenance of plasmid NR1 than are any of the individual known features found in this region.     

Comparisons of substitution, insertion and deletion probes for resequencing and mutational analysis using oligonucleotide microarrays

Although oligonucleotide probes complementary to single nucleotide substitutions are commonly used in microarray-based screens for genetic variation, little is known about the hybridization properties of probes complementary to small insertions and deletions. It is necessary to define the hybridization properties of these latter probes in order to improve the specificity and sensitivity of oligonucleotide microarray-based mutational analysis of disease-related genes. Here, we compare and contrast the hybridization properties of oligonucleotide microarrays consisting of 25mer probes complementary to all possible single nucleotide substitutions and insertions, and one and two base deletions in the 9168 bp coding region of the ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated) gene. Over 68 different dye-labeled single-stranded nucleic acid targets representing all ATM coding exons were applied to these microarrays. We assess hybridization specificity by comparing the relative hybridization signals from probes perfectly matched to ATM sequences to those containing mismatches. Probes complementary to two base substitutions displayed the highest average specificity followed by those complementary to single base substitutions, single base deletions and single base insertions. In all the cases, hybridization specificity was strongly influenced by sequence context and possible intra- and intermolecular probe and/or target structure. Furthermore, single nucleotide substitution probes displayed the most consistent hybridization specificity data followed by single base deletions, two base deletions and single nucleotide insertions. Overall, these studies provide valuable empirical data that can be used to more accurately model the hybridization properties of insertion and deletion probes and improve the design and interpretation of oligonucleotide microarray-based resequencing and mutational analysis.     

Nucleotide homologies between the glycosylated seed storage proteins ofGlycine max andPhaseolus vulgaris

We have compared the partial nucleotide and derived amino acid sequences of a phaseolin seed storage protein gene ofPhaseolus vulgaris (1) and a conglycinin storage protein gene ofGlycine max (2). Although these proteins are not antigenically related to one another, the architecture of the genes is similar throughout the sequences compared here. Intervening sequences interrupt the same amino acid positions in both genes. Within the 28% of theG. max gene and the 38% of theP. vulgaris gene represented in this comparison, 73% of the nucleotides in the coding and intervening sequences are identical, excluding the insertions and deletions. The nucleotide mismatches found in the coding sequences are distributed throughout the three codon positions with little bias towards the third codon position. In addition to the single nucleotide differences, six insertions or deletions, ranging from three to twenty-seven nucleotides in length, occur in this portion of the coding region and these are partially responsible for the molecular weight differences of the conglycinin α′-subunit and the phaseolin subunit.     

Spontaneous mutations affecting glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme activity in Drosophila melanogaster.

Significant genetic variance in glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) activity was observed between chromosome lines of Drosophila melanogaster that had each accumulated spontaneous mutations for approximately 300 generations. No restriction map variation was found in a 26-kb region surrounding the entire Gpdh gene. The restriction analysis used is capable of detecting insertions/deletions larger than 0.05 kb. The survey would also detect chromosomal recombinations that include the entire Gpdh coding region. Therefore, if the spontaneous mutations that affected the enzyme activity are located inside the Gpdh gene region, then they are base pair substitutions or structural changes that are smaller than the limit in resolution described above.