普通野生稻线粒体蛋白质编码基因密码子使用偏好性的分析

以普通野生稻(Oryza rufipogon Griff.)线粒体基因组为对象,分析其蛋白质编码基因的密码子使用特征及与亚洲栽培稻(O. sativa L.)的差异,探讨其密码子偏性形成的影响因素和进化过程。结果显示:普通野生稻线粒体基因组编码序列第1、第2和第3位碱基的GC含量依次为49.18%、42.67%和40.86%;有效密码子数(Nc)分布于45.32～61.00之间,其密码子偏性较弱; Nc值仅与GC_3呈显著相关,密码子第3位的碱基组成对密码子偏性影响较大;第1向量轴上显示9.91%的差异,其与GC_3s、Nc、密码子偏好指数(CBI)和最优密码子使用频率(Fop)的相关性均达到显著水平;而GC_3和GC₁₂的相关性未达到显著水平。因此,普通野生稻线粒体基因组密码子的使用偏性主要受自然选择压力影响而形成。本研究确定了21个普通野生稻线粒体基因组的最优密码子,大多以A或T结尾,与叶绿体密码子具有趋同进化,但是与核基因组具有不同的偏好性。同义密码子相对使用度(RSCU)、PR2偏倚分析和中性绘图分析显示,普通野生稻线粒体基因功能和其密码子使用密切相关,且线粒体密码子使用在普通野生稻、粳稻(O. sativa L. subsp. japonica Kato)和籼稻(O. sativa L. subsp.indica Kato)内具有同质性。     

Synonymous codon usage in Thermosynechococcus elongatus (cyanobacteria) identifies the factors shaping codon usage variation

Analysis of synonymous codon usage pattern in the genome of a thermophilic cyanobacterium, Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP-1 using multivariate statistical analysis revealed a single major explanatory axis accounting for codon usage variation in the organism. This axis is correlated with the GC content at third base of synonymous codons (GC3s) in correspondence analysis taking T. elongatus genes. A negative correlation was observed between effective number of codons i.e. Nc and GC3s. Results suggested a mutational bias as the major factor in shaping codon usage in this cyanobacterium. In comparison to the lowly expressed genes, highly expressed genes of this organism possess significantly higher proportion of pyrimidine-ending codons suggesting that besides, mutational bias, translational selection also influenced codon usage variation in T. elongatus. Correspondence analysis of relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) with A, T, G, C at third positions (A3s, T3s, G3s, C3s, respectively) also supported this fact and expression levels of genes and gene length also influenced codon usage. A role of translational accuracy was identified in dictating the codon usage variation of this genome. Results indicated that although mutational bias is the major factor in shaping codon usage in T. elongatus, factors like translational selection, translational accuracy and gene expression level also influenced codon usage variation.     

Optimization of codon usage of the envelope protein E2 gene from various genotypes of hepatitis C virus to predict the expression level in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia pastoris</Emphasis>

Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) alarmingly increases worldwide; it causes chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, so there is urgent need of developing effective and sufficient quantity of vaccine. HCV envelope protein E2 is the main target for developing as a vaccine candidate. Presently recombinant proteins can successfully be used as a vaccine for many diseases. This concern, it is challenging to produce sufficient quantities of many recombinant proteins from their expression hosts. One of the main factors affecting the success of expression of foreign genes in heterologous hosts is the divergence of codon usage of the target gene from that used in the expression system. In this study, we optimized the various genotypes of HCV envelope protein E2 gene according to the codon usage of Pichia pastoris and predicted the expression level. Synonymous codon usage of E2 adapted to that used by P. pastoris was estimated using the relative synonymous codon usage value (RSCU), codon adaptation index (CAI) and effective number of codon (ENC). The CAI of optimized HCV E2 sequences was enhanced from 0.638 to 0.833 and %GC was decreased from 56.05 to 44.05; this was significantly (p < 0.01) different from the native sequences. Codon with RSCU value less than one was replaced with most preferred synonymous codons. The ENC values of optimized HCV E2 sequences varied from 47.00 to 47.50, with a mean value of 47.15 and an SD of 0.14. Our study suggested that, from the measured values of predicted expression level, the codon optimized HCV E2 protein could be produced in sufficient quantity in the expression host; knowledge of the codon usage patterns of E2 of various genotypes facilitate the production of a promising unique vaccine candidate for HCV.     

大肠杆菌mRNA编码区长度、形成二级结构倾向与密码子偏好性的关系

从GenBank获得大肠杆菌K-12MG1655株的全基因组序列,计算了与基因密码子偏好性相关的多个参数(Nc、CAI、GC、GC3s),对其mRNA编码区长度、形成二级结构倾向与密码子偏好性之间的关系进行了统计学分析,发现虽然翻译效率(包括翻译速度和翻译精度)是制约大肠杆菌高表达基因的密码子偏好性的主要因素,同时,mRNA编码区长度及其形成二级结构的倾向也是形成这种偏好性的不可忽略的原因,而且对偏好性有一定程度的削弱。另外对mRNA编码区形成二级结构倾向的生物学意义进行了讨论分析。     

普通野生稻线粒体蛋白质编码基因密码子使用偏好性的分析

以普通野生稻（Oryza rufipogon Griff.）线粒体基因组为对象,分析其蛋白质编码基因的密码子使用特征及与亚洲栽培稻（O.sativa L.）的差异,探讨其密码子偏性形成的影响因素和进化过程。结果显示：普通野生稻线粒体基因组编码序列第1、第2和第3位碱基的GC含量依次为49.18%、42.67%和40.86%;有效密码子数（Nc）分布于45.32~61.00之间,其密码子偏性较弱;Nc值仅与GC₃呈显著相关,密码子第3位的碱基组成对密码子偏性影响较大;第1向量轴上显示9.91%的差异,其与GC_3s、Nc、密码子偏好指数（CBI）和最优密码子使用频率（Fop）的相关性均达到显著水平;而GC₃和GC₁₂的相关性未达到显著水平。因此,普通野生稻线粒体基因组密码子的使用偏性主要受自然选择压力影响而形成。本研究确定了21个普通野生稻线粒体基因组的最优密码子,大多以A或T结尾,与叶绿体密码子具有趋同进化,但是与核基因组具有不同的偏好性。同义密码子相对使用度（RSCU）、PR2偏倚分析和中性绘图分析显示,普通野生稻线粒体基因功能和其密码子使用密切相关,且线粒体密码子使用在普通野生稻、粳稻（O.sativa L.subsp.japonica Kato）和籼稻（O.sativa L.subsp.indica Kato）内具有同质性。     

Analysis of synonymous codon usage in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zea mays</Emphasis>

It is important and meaningful to understand the codon usage pattern and the factors that shape codon usage of maize. In this study, trends in synonymous codon usage in maize have been firstly examined through the multivariate statistical analysis on 7402 cDNA sequences. The results showed that the genes positions on the primary axis were strongly negatively correlated with GC3s, GC content of individual gene and gene expression level assessed by the codon adaptation index (CAI) values, which indicated that nucleotide composition and gene expression level were the main factors in shaping the codon usage of maize, and the variation in codon usage among genes may be due to mutational bias at the DNA level and natural selection acting at the level of mRNA translation. At the same time, CDS length and the hydrophobicity of each protein were, respectively, significantly correlated with the genes locations on the primary axis, GC3s and CAI values. We infer that genes length and the hydrophobicity of the encoded protein may play minor role in shaping codon usage bias. Additional 28 codons ending with a G or C base have been defined as “optimal codons”, which may provide useful information for maize gene-transformation and gene prediction.     

栽培大豆和野生大豆线粒体基因组密码子使用偏性的比较分析

为分析栽培大豆和野生大豆线粒体基因组的密码子使用特征差异,该文以其线粒体基因组编码序列为研究对象,比较其密码子偏性形成的影响因素和演化过程。结果表明:(1)栽培大豆和野生大豆线粒体基因组编码区的GC含量分别为44.56%和44.58%,说明栽培大豆和野生大豆线粒体编码基因均富含A/T碱基。(2)栽培大豆和野生大豆线粒体基因组密码子第1位、第2位GC含量平均值与第3位GC含量的相关性均呈极显著水平,说明突变在其密码子偏性形成中的作用不可忽略; PR2-plot分析显示,在同义密码子第3位碱基的使用频率上,嘌呤低于嘧啶; Nc-plot分析中Nc比值位于-0.1～0.2区间的基因数占总基因数的95%以上;突变和选择等多重因素共同作用影响了大豆线粒体基因组编码序列密码子使用偏性的形成。(3)有20、21个密码子分别被确定为栽培大豆和野生大豆线粒体基因组编码序列的最优密码子,其中除丝氨酸TCC密码子外均以A或T结尾。综上结果认为,栽培大豆线粒体密码子偏性的形成受选择的影响要高于野生大豆,这可能是栽培大豆由野生大豆经长期人工栽培驯化的结果。     

Selection Conflicts,Gene Expression,and Codon Usage Trends in Yeast

Synonymous codon usage in yeast appears to be influenced by natural selection on gene expression, as well as regional variation in compositional bias. Because of the large number of potential targets of selection (i.e., most of the codons in the genome) and presumed small selection coefficients, codon usage is an excellent model for studying factors that limit the effectiveness of selection. We use factor analysis to identify major trends in codon usage for 5836 genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The primary factor is strongly correlated with gene expression, consistent with the model that a subset of codons allows for more efficient translation. The secondary factor is very strongly correlated with third codon position GC content and probably reflects regional variation in compositional bias. We find that preferred codon usage decreases in the face of three potential limitations on the effectiveness of selection: reduced recombination rate, increased gene length, and reduced intergenic spacing. All three patterns are consistent with the Hill–Robertson effect (reduced effectiveness of selection among linked targets). A reduction in gene expression in closely spaced genes may also reflect selection conflicts due to antagonistic pleiotropy.     

Codon usage bias in human cytomegalovirus and its biological implication

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection, a worldwide contagion, causes a serious disorder in infected individuals. Analysis of codon usage can reveal much molecular information about this virus. The effective number of codon (ENC) values, relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) values, codon adaptation index (CAI), and nucleotide contents was investigated in approximately 160 coding sequences (CDS) among 17 human cytomegalovirus genomes using the software CodonW. Linear regression analysis and logistic regression were performed to explore the preliminary data. The results showed that, overall, HCMV genomes had low codon usage bias (mean ENC = 47.619). However, the ENC of individual CDS varied widely and was distributed unevenly between host-related genes and viral-self-function genes (P = 0.002, odds ratio (OR) = 3.194), as did the GC content (P = 0.016, OR = 2.178). The ENC values correlated with CAI, GC content, and the nucleotide composing at the 3rd codon position (GC3s) (P < 0.001). There was a significant variation in the codon preference that depended on the RSCU data. The predicted ENC curve suggested that mutational pressure, rather than natural selection, was one of the main factors that determined the codon usage bias in HCMV. Among 123 genes with known function, the genes related to viral self-replication and viral–host interaction showed different ENC and CAI values, and GC and GC3s contents. In conclusion, the detailed codon usage bias theoretically revealed information concerning HCMV evolution and could be a valuable additional parameter for HCMV gene function research.     

Nonneutral GC3 and Retroelement Codon Mimicry in Phytophthora

Phytophthora is a genus entirely comprised of destructive plant pathogens. It belongs to the Stramenopila, a unique branch of eukaryotes, phylogenetically distinct from plants, animals, or fungi. Phytophthora genes show a strong preference for usage of codons ending with G or C (high GC3). The presence of high GC3 in genes can be utilized to differentiate coding regions from noncoding regions in the genome. We found that both selective pressure and mutation bias drive codon bias in Phytophthora. Indicative for selection pressure is the higher GC3 value of highly expressed genes in different Phytophthora species. Lineage specific GC increase of noncoding regions is reminiscent of whole-genome mutation bias, whereas the elevated Phytophthora GC3 is primarily a result of translation efficiency-driven selection. Heterogeneous retrotransposons exist in Phytophthora genomes and many of them vary in their GC content. Interestingly, the most widespread groups of retroelements in Phytophthora show high GC3 and a codon bias that is similar to host genes. Apparently, selection pressure has been exerted on the retroelement’s codon usage, and such mimicry of host codon bias might be beneficial for the propagation of retrotransposons. Reviewing Editor: Dr. Yves van de Peer     

The 'effective number of codons' revisited

Frank Wright [Gene 87 (1990) 23] derived a formula for calculation of a quantity termed the 'effective number of codons' (Nc) based on codon homozygosities. This quantity is a number between 20 and 61 and tells to what degree the codon usage in a gene is biased, i.e., it approaches 20 codons for the extremely biased genes, and approaches 61 for the genes where all possible codons are used with no preference. Among the different measures of codon bias Nc is considered the most useful and has found widespread use in papers dealing with codon usage phenomena. In this paper, the mathematical behaviours of codon homozygosities and Nc are evaluated, using Escherichia coli as the model organism. The results indicate that the classical formula for calculation of Nc could appropriately be substituted under circumstances, where there is bias discrepancy, i.e., when one amino acid (or more) within a degeneracy group is associated with strong codon bias while at the same time others in the same degeneracy group have little bias. An alternative estimator, termed Nc, is proposed and tested against Nc, and performs better when there is such bias discrepancy.     

双孢蘑菇基因组密码子的偏好性分析

双孢蘑菇Agaricus bisporus是世界上最广泛栽培的食用菌之一。本研究通过分析双孢蘑菇基因组密码子使用偏性,探讨密码子偏性的影响因素及其对基因表达的影响。以双孢蘑菇基因组和转录组数据为依据,分析了双孢蘑菇基因组基因、高表达基因（high expression gene,HEG）和低表达基因（low expression gene,LEG）的密码子使用性。发现双孢蘑菇基因组编码基因平均GC含量为49.08%,T3s值（35.59%）最高,平均ENC值偏高,多数基因表达潜力较低。共鉴定出14个最优密码子,均以C或T结尾,并且遵循密码子中嘌呤和嘧啶使用的均衡性原则。高表达基因具有更强的密码子偏性,进化过程中受到基因突变和自然选择等多种因素影响。基因表达与G/C碱基含量和CAI值呈极显著正相关。高表达基因编码了多种与真菌生长发育相关的蛋白和酶类。研究结果明确了双孢蘑菇基因密码子的使用偏性,为双孢蘑菇转基因育种和品质改良提供了参考。     

Synonymous Codon Usage,GC<Subscript>3</Subscript>, and Evolutionary Patterns Across Plastomes of Three Pooid Model Species: Emerging Grass Genome Models for Monocots

We have analyzed factors affecting the codon usage pattern of the chloroplasts genomes of representative species of pooid grass family. Correspondence analysis of relative synonymous codon usages (RSCU) showed that genes on secondary axis were correlated with their GC_3S values (all r > 0.3, p < 0.05), indicating mutational bias as an important selective force that shaped the variation in the codon usage among chloroplast genes. The Nc-plot showed that although a majority of the points with low-Nc values were lying below the expected curve, a few genes lied on the expected curve. Nc plot clearly showed that mutational bias plays a major role in codon biology across the monocot plastomes. The hydrophobicity and aromaticity of encoded proteins of each species were found to be other factors of codon usage variation. In the view of above light, besides natural selection, several other factors also likely to be involved in determining the selective constraints on codon bias in plastomes of pooid grass genomes. In addition, five codons (B. distachyon), seven codons (H. vulgare), and four codons (T. aestivum) were identified as optimal codons of the three grass chloroplasts. To identify genes evolving under positive selection, rates of nonsynonymous substitutions (Ka) and synonymous substitutions (Ks) were computed for all groups of orthologous gene pairs.     

葡萄基因组密码子使用偏好模式研究

根据完整基因组序列,运用多元统计分析和对应分析的方法,探讨了葡萄全基因组序列密码子的使用模式和影响密码子使用的各种可能因素。结果显示:葡萄密码子偏好性主要受到碱基差异(r=0.925)和自然选择(r=0.193)共同作用的影响,突变压力占了主导因素,自然选择的作用较小。同时基因长度和蛋白质疏水性也对密码子的偏好性有所影响。确定了葡萄的20个最优密码子。     

杜仲基因密码子使用模式分析

为了解杜仲基因密码子使用模式,该文以杜仲基因组密码子为研究对象,运用CodonW软件对杜仲的320个蛋白编码基因进行同义密码子相对使用频率(RSCU)分析、ENC-GC3s关联分析编码基因的密码子ENC值、PR2-plot偏倚分析编码基因的密码子碱基使用频率,并运用CUSP软件与Codon Usage Database软件对杜仲基因密码子的GC含量、使用频率与代表性物种烟草、拟南芥、大肠杆菌和酿酒酵母的密码子GC含量和使用频率进行比较。结果表明:杜仲基因密码子的RSCU>1的密码子有30个,其中18个以G/C结尾、12个以A/U结尾,说明杜仲基因密码子偏好以G/C结尾,且偏好性较强;有效密码子数(ENC)范围为30~60,该范围内的密码子距离标准曲线较远,其ENC值小,偏好性较强;PR2-plot偏倚分析碱基使用频率显示,G>C、U>A;杜仲与代表性物种的GC含量分析显示,杜仲的GC12、GC3以及平均GC含量均高于代表性物种;杜仲与代表性物种的密码子使用频率分析显示,杜仲与烟草、酿酒酵母的密码子偏好较为接近,杜仲与拟南芥、大肠杆菌的密码子偏好差距较大。杜仲是我国特有的珍贵中药材,对其进行密码子使用模式分析,并研究其密码子偏好规律,为杜仲植物基因工程中外源基因的改良及表达提供了理论基础。     

The factors dictating the codon usage variation among the genes in the genome of Burkholderia pseudomallei

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a recognized biothreat agent and the causative agent of melioidosis. Codon usage biases of all protein-coding genes (length greater than or equal to 300 bp) from the complete genome of B. pseudomallei K96243 have been analyzed. As B. pseudomallei is a GC-rich organism (68.5%), overall codon usage data analysis indicates that indeed codons ending in G and/or C are predominant in this organism. But multivariate statistical analysis indicates that there is a single major trend in the codon usage variation among the genes in this organism, which has a strong positively correlation with the expressivities of the genes. The majority of the lowly expressed genes are scattered towards the negative end of the major axis whereas the highly expressed genes are clustered towards the positive end. At the same time, from the results that there were two significant correlations between axis 1 coordinates and the GC, GC3s content at silent sites of each sequence, and clearly significant negatively correlations between the ‘Effective Number of Codons’ values and GC, GC3s content, we inferred that codon usage bias was affected by gene nucleotide composition also. In addition, some other factors such as the lengths of the genes as well as the hydrophobicity of genes also influence the codon usage variation among the genes in this organism in a minor way. At the same time, notably, 21 codons have been defined as ‘optimal codons’ of the B. pseudomallei. In summary, our work have provided a basic understanding of the mechanisms for codon usage bias and some more useful information for improving the expression of target genes in vivo and in vitro. Sheng Zhao and Qin Zhang contributed equally to this work.     

Comparative genome sequence analysis of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius and 9 other isolates of its genus for factors influencing codon and amino acid usage

In the present study, major constraints for codon and amino acid usage of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, Sulfolobus solfataricus, Sulfolobus tokodali, Sulfolobus islandis and 6 other isolates from islandicus species of genus Sulfolobus were investigated. Correspondence analysis revealed high significant correlation between the major trend of synonymous codon usage and gene expression level, as assessed by the “Codon Adaptation Index” (CAI). There is a significant negative correlation between Nc (Effective number of codons) and CAI demonstrating role of codon bias as an important determinant of codon usage. The significant correlation between major trend of synonymous codon usage and GC3s (G + C at third synonymous position) indicated dominant role of mutational bias in codon usage pattern. The result was further supported from SCUO (synonymous codon usage order) analysis. The amino acid usage was found to be significantly influenced by aromaticity and hydrophobicity of proteins. However, translational selection which causes a preference for codons that are most rapidly translated by current tRNA with multiple copy numbers was not found to be highly dominating for all studied isolates. Notably, 26 codons that were found to be optimally used by genes of S. acidocaldarius at higher expression level and its comparative analysis with 9 other isolates may provide some useful clues for further in vivo genetic studies on this genus.     

Comparative study on factors influencing the codon and amino acid usage in Lactobacillus sakei 23K and 13 other lactobacilli

In this study, major factors shaping codon and amino acid usage variation Lactobacillus sakei 23K were investigated. It included 13 other Lactobacillus species for a comparative analysis. The correspondence analysis (COA) showed that in 13 species the major trend of synonymous codon usage was highly correlated with gene expression level as assessed by the “Codon Adaptation Index” (CAI) values. In addition, Nc (effective number of codons) plot, SCUO (synonymous codon usage order) plot and correlation analyses showed that the base composition and mutational bias have dominant role in the codon usage variation. However, the translational selection for genes at higher expression level, where more frequent synonymous codons correspond to more abundant cognate transfer RNAs (tRNAs), was not found to be similar in all species. The study also showed that the amino acid usage in these species was significantly (P < 0.01) influenced by hydrophobicity and aromaticity of proteins. Furthermore, 24 codons that were found to be optimally used by L. sakei and its comparative study with 13 Lactobacillus species might provide some useful information in their further study of molecular evolution and genetic engineering.     

Codon usage patterns among genes for lepidopteran hemolymph proteins

Patterns in codon usage were examined for the coding regions of the 23 known lepidopteran hemolymph proteins. Coding triplets are GC rich at the third position and a significant linear relationship between GC content of silent and nonsilent (replacement) sites was demonstrated. Intron GC content was significantly lower than in coding regions and no relationship between intron GC content and the same at silent and nonsilent sites was found. Though hemolymph proteins are all produced by the same tissue—fat body—significantly less bias was observed when all moth sequences were pooled than when sequences of the two major species were analyzed separately, as predicted by the genome hypothesis. In cases where no statistically significant bias was observed, polar or acidic basic amino acids were almost exclusively involved. Calculation of codon adaptation indices (CAI) was of limited value in quantifying the degree of codon bias and probably reflects the complexity of multicellular-organism life cycles and the changing patterns of gene expression over different developmental stages. Correspondence to: D.R. Frohlich