下一代测序中ChIP-seq数据的处理与分析

将染色质免疫共沉淀技术(ChIP)与下一代高通量测序技术相结合的染色质免疫共沉淀测序(ChIP-seq),已成为功能基因组学、特别是基因表达调控领域研究的关键技术。ChIP-seq实验带来的海量数据向生物信息学研究人员提出了新的挑战。由于此领域数据处理技术的发展大大滞后于实验技术进步,有必要系统地介绍和回顾ChIP-seq数据处理的各个方面,以便更多研究人员进入此领域设计或改进相应的算法。文章结合实例详细介绍了ChIP-seq数据整个流程,并重点讨论了其中的主要问题和关键环节,为这一研究领域的科研人员提供一个快速而深入的认识。     

哺乳动物转录因子DNA结合谱

基因差异表达是生物发育和对刺激作出应答的分子基础,转录因子在这种基因差异表达中发挥着重要的调控作用。因此,要弄清楚转录因子调控基因差异表达的机理,就必须鉴定出它们全部的靶基因并构建其操纵的转录调控网络。对基因组DNA的序列特异性结合是转录因子调控基因转录的关键环节,因此,要鉴定转录因子的靶基因,就必须从它们与DNA相互作用的分子水平,鉴定它们能够识别并结合的全部DNA序列,即转录因子DNA结合谱。近年来随着DNA微阵列芯片和高通量DNA测序技术的产生和快速发展,出现了建立转录因子体内及体外DNA结合谱的一系列革命性的新技术,对该领域的研究带来重大影响。这些新技术主要包括建立转录因子体内DNA结合谱的染色质免疫沉淀-芯片技术(ChIP-chip)和染色质免疫沉淀-测序技术(ChIP-Seq),以及建立转录因子体外DNA结合谱的双链DNA微阵列芯片技术(dsDNA microarray)、指数富集配体系统进化-系列分析基因表达技术(SELEX-SAGE)、结合-n-测序技术(Bind-n-Seq)、多重大规模并行SELEX技术(MMP-SELEX)、凝胶迁移实验-测序技术(EMSA-Seq)和高通量测序-荧光配体互作图谱分析技术(HiTS-FLIP)。文章将对这些新技术做一综述。     

体内甲醛交联及染色质免疫沉淀--研究DNA和蛋白质作用的新方法

甲醛交联及染色质免疫沉淀作用研究体内DNA和蛋白质相互作用的一种新方法,在染色质结构研究中获得了广泛的应用。该方法利用甲醛固定活细胞中的DNA与蛋白质,通过免疫沉淀分离复合物,从而分析蛋白质及其体内的DNA结合序列。     

ChIP技术及其在基因组水平上分析DNA与蛋白质相互作用

染色质免疫沉淀(Chromatin immunoprecipitaion, ChIP)技术是分析细胞内生理状态下DNA结合蛋白与基因组DNA相互作用的技术。ChIP与高密度芯片(ChIP-chip)或高通量测序(ChIP-Seq)相结合能产生大量的研究数据, 在细胞的基因表达调控网络研究中发挥重要作用。文章主要介绍ChIP、ChIP-chip和ChIP-Seq的技术特点以及发展趋势, 重点讨论了ChIP-Seq数据分析方法及相关的应用实例。     

染色质免疫沉淀技术——一种研究基因表达调控的工具

染色质结构在基因表达调节中起着重要的调节作用。利用甲醛固定活细胞中的DNA与蛋白质,通过免疫沉淀分离复合物的染色质免疫沉淀法是研究体内DNA和蛋白质相互作用的一种新方法,它不仅可用来研究体内反式因子与DNA的相互作用,也可以用来研究组蛋白修饰与基因表达的关系,从而分析蛋白质及其体内的DNA结合序列。目前,该方法在染色质结构研究中获得了广泛的应用。     

核小体定位的转录调控功能研究进展

核小体是真核生物染色质的基本组成单位,组蛋白八聚体在DNA 双螺旋上精确位置称为核小体定位．核小体定位已被证实在基因转录调控、DNA复制与修复、调控进化等过程中扮演着重要的角色．随着染色质免疫共沉淀-芯片(ChIP-chip)与染色质免疫共沉淀-测序(ChIP-seq)等高通量技术的出现,已测定了多种模式生物全基因组核小体定位图谱,掀起了一股核小体定位及其功能的研究热潮,并取得了一定的成果．本文介绍了核小体定位的概念,总结了核小体在启动子与编码区域内定位的基本模式．在此基础上,综述了核小体定位在转录起始、转录延伸、基因表达模式多样化以及可变剪接等方面的功能研究进展．     

ChIA-PET技术

配对末端标签测序分析染色质相互作用(chromatin interaction analysis by paired-end tag sequencing,ChIA-PET)技术是一项在全基因组范围内分析远程染色质相互作用的新技术。它把染色质免疫沉淀(chromatin immunoprecipitation,ChIP)技术、染色质邻近式连接(chromatin proximity ligation)技术、配对末端标签(paired-endtag,PET)技术和新一代测序(next-generation sequencing)技术融为一体,在基因组三维折叠和套环状态下分析基因表达和调控。ChIA-PET技术已用于确定人乳腺腺癌细胞内雌激素受体a的结合位点之间的相互作用。随着更多蛋白质因子的发现及其抗体的应用,该技术可实时捕获全基因组范围内参与复制、转录过程的蛋白质因子结合位点以及结合位点间的相互作用,这对于阐明基因调控和疾病发生机制具有重大意义。     

染色质互作相关转录因子的挖掘及功能分析

染色质互作是真核生物基因组组装的基础,并且在调控真核基因细胞特异性表达中发挥重要作用.染色质互作的发生与特定的蛋白质有关,目前已经发现CTCF (CCCTC binding facor,转录阻抑物)和黏连蛋白与染色质互作相关,然而并不清楚是否还有其他蛋白质参与染色质互作.我们将整合高通量染色体构象捕获(Hi-C)和染色质免疫沉淀-测序(ChIP-seq)数据,在GM12878和K562细胞系中挖掘与染色质互作相关的转录因子,并对发现的转录因子做功能分析.我们在频繁发生互作的染色质位点中发现RUNX3、SPI1等转录因子也可能参与染色质互作.另外,通过FP-growth的数据挖掘方法还发现多个转录因子可能协同作用参与染色质互作.研究结果将为染色质互作相关实验的开展提供先验知识.     

染色质结构之美——染色质可及性

染色质可及性(chromatin accessibility)作为一种衡量染色质结合因子与染色质DNA结合能力高低的染色质属性,是评价染色质结构稳态的重要指标之一,在多种细胞核进程中扮演重要角色,包括基因转录调控以及DNA损伤修复等。该属性的异常调控与多种疾病的发生发展密切相关,包括肿瘤以及神经退行性疾病等。对于该属性探究已经成为生命科学与疾病领域的热点。伴随越来越多的新技术应运而生,例如染色质构象捕获技术、高通量测序技术以及两种技术的结合等。随着技术的进步,多种参与调控染色质可及性的因素被发现和总结,包括核小体占位、组蛋白修饰以及非编码RNA等。多项大规模的染色质组学数据绘制了多种疾病的染色质可及性图谱,为揭示疾病的发生发展与染色质可及性之间的关系提供了数据支持。同时,随着单细胞染色质可及性测序技术的发展,实现了对细胞类型染色质层面的划分,弥补了单纯依赖基因表达划分细胞类型的不足。本文将从染色质的组成与可及性、影响染色质可及性的因素、染色质可及性的检测方法,以及染色质可及性与癌症的关系等方面简要阐述染色质可及性的研究进展。     

下一代测序技术在表观遗传学研究中的重要应用及进展

下一代测序技术(Next generation sequencing,NGS)的出现,极大地促进了表观遗传学的研究。将NGS技术引入表观遗传学,便形成了以NGS为基础的各种表观遗传学测序及研究方法,如:全基因组亚硫酸氢盐测序法(Whole genome bisulfite sequencing,WGBS)、简化代表性亚硫酸氢盐测序法(Reduced representation bisulfite sequencing,RRBS)、甲基化DNA免疫共沉淀测序(Methylated DNA immunoprecipitationsequencing,MeDIP-seq)、染色质免疫共沉淀测序(Chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing,ChIP-seq)、Tet辅助重亚硫酸盐测序法(Tet-assisted bisulfite sequencing,TAB-seq)、各种染色体构象捕获测序(Chromosome conformation capture sequencing,3C-seq)技术、DnaseⅠ-seq/MNase-seq/FAIRE-seq以及RNA测序(RNA sequencing,RNA-seq)。这些方法的应用和普及改变了人们对多种表观遗传现象的传统认识,使研究人员能够更加全面地深入了解各种表观遗传标志在机体内的广泛分布,以及如何在外界因素的影响下发生相应的动态变化。文章概述了当今主要商业NGS平台的原理和特点,系统介绍了以NGS方法为基础衍生出来的各种表观遗传学测序及研究方法,并在此基础上对近年来应用NGS技术在表观遗传学研究领域中取得的最新研究成果进行了综述。     

Curcuminoids as inhibitors of thioredoxin reductase: A receptor based pharmacophore study with distance mapping of the active site

Curcumin is the yellow pigment of turmeric that interacts irreversibly forming an adduct with thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), an enzyme responsible for redox control of cell and defence against oxidative stress. Docking at both the active sites of TrxR was performed to compare the potency of three naturally occurring curcuminoids, namely curcumin, demethoxy curcumin and bis-demethoxy curcumin. Results show that active sites of TrxR occur at the junction of E and F chains. Volume and area of both cavities is predicted. It has been concluded by distance mapping of the most active conformations that Se atom of catalytic residue SeCYS498, is at a distance of 3.56 from C13 of demethoxy curcumin at the E chain active site, whereas C13 carbon atom forms adduct with Se atom of SeCys 498. We report that at least one methoxy group in curcuminoids is necessary for interation with catalytic residues of thioredoxin. Pharmacophore of both active sites of the TrxR receptor for curcumin and demethoxy curcumin molecules has been drawn and proposed for design and synthesis of most probable potent antiproliferative synthetic drugs.     

A Unique Protease Cleavage Site Predicted in the Spike Protein of the Novel Pneumonia Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Potentially Related to Viral Transmissibility

正Dear Editor,In December 2019, a novel human coronavirus caused an epidemic of severe pneumonia(Coronavirus Disease 2019,COVID-19) in Wuhan, Hubei, China(Wu et al. 2020; Zhu et al. 2020). So far, this virus has spread to all areas of China and even to other countries. The epidemic has caused 67,102 confirmed infections with 1526 fatal cases     

Comparative morphology of the carpel in the Liliaceae: Hewardieae, Petrosavieae, and Tricyrteae

The young pistils in the melanthioid tribes, Hewardieae, Petrosavieae and Tricyrteae, are uniformly tricarpellate and syncarpous. They lack raphide idioblasts. All are multiovulate, with bitegmic ovules. The Petrosavieae are marked by the presence of septal glands and incomplete syncarpy. Tepals and stamens adhere to the ovary in the Hewardieae and the Petrosavieae but not in the Tricyrteae. Two vascular bundles occur in the stamens of the Hewartlieae and Tricyrtis latifolia. Ventral bundles in the upper part of the ovary of the Hewardieae are continuous with compound septal bundles and placental bundles in the lower part. Putative ventral bundles occur in the alternate position in the Tricyrteae and putative placental bundles in the opposite. position in the Petrosavieae. The dichtomously branched stigma in each carpel of the Tricyrteae is supplied by a bifurcated dorsal bundle.     

鸡传染性法氏囊病病毒研究进展

传染性法氏囊病(Infection bursal disease, IBD)是由鸡传染性法氏囊病毒(Infectious bursal disease virus, IBDV)引起的鸡和火鸡的一种高度接触性传染病,给世界各国的禽养殖业带来了巨大损失.自IBDV发现至今新的变异株不断出现,分子结构的改变导致病毒致病力的改变及宿主对疫苗应答的改变,使得传统的疫苗已不能控制其流行,因此各国学者对其基因组结构和功能进行了广泛深入的研究,并积极研制新型有效的疫苗以达到防治的目的.     

Development of a Novel Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Method for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2

In conclusion, the novel visual RT-LAMP assay is a simple, rapid, and sensitive approach for detection of SARS-CoV-2, and it is ready for application in primary care and community hospitals or health care centers, and even patients' own houses in response to the current SARS-CoV-2 epidemic because the assay does not require sophisticated equipment and skilled personnel. Furthermore, it is also ready to be used in fields for screening samples from wild animals and environments to facilitate the identification of potential intermediate hosts that mediate the cross-species transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from bats to humans.     

Perinatal Vertical Transmission of Chikungunya Virus in Ruili,a Town on the Border between China and Myanmar

正Dear Editor,Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arbovirus in the family of Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus, is transmitted by the A.aegyptii or A. albopictus mosquito, and causes disease in humans characterized by fever, rash, and arthralgia (Silva and Dermody 2017; Suhrbier 2019). It was first reported in 1953 in Tanzania, and caused only a few outbreaks and sporadic cases in Africa and Asia in last century. However, in the epidemic in 2004, CHIKV acquired mutations that conferred enhanced transmission by the A. albopictus mosquito(Schuffenecker et al. 2006). Since then, it has successively caused outbreaks in Africa, the Indian Ocean, South East Asia, the South America, and Europe (Zeller et al. 2016).     

Enterovirus 71 3C proteolytically processes the histone H3 N-terminal tail during infection

Highlights
1. The N-terminal tail of histone H3 is specifically cleaved during EV71 infection.
2. Viral protease 3C is identified as a protease responsible for proteolytically processing the N-terminal H3 tail.
3. Our finding reveals a new epigenetic regulatory mechanism for Enterovirus 71 in virus-host interactions.     

Detection of EBV and HHV6 in the Brain Tissue of Patients with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis

Rasmussen’s encephalitis (RE) is a rare pediatric neurological disorder, and the exact etiology is not clear. Viral infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of RE, but conflicting results have reported. In this study, we evaluated the expression of both Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human herpes virus (HHV) 6 antigens in brain sections from 30 patients with RE and 16 control individuals by immunohistochemistry. In the RE group, EBV and HHV6 antigens were detected in 56.7% (17/30) and 50% (15/30) of individuals, respectively. In contrast, no detectable EBV and HHV6 antigen expression was found in brain tissues of the control group. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in 20.0% (6/30) of individuals. In particular, a 4-year-old boy had a typical clinical course, including a medical history of viral encephalitis, intractable epilepsy, and hemispheric atrophy. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in neurons and astrocytes in the brain tissue, accompanied by a high frequency of CD8⁺ T cells. Our results suggest that EBV and HHV6 infection and the activation of CD8⁺ T cells are involved in the pathogenesis of RE.