Complete Plastid Genome Sequencing of Four Tilia Species (Malvaceae): A Comparative Analysis and Phylogenetic Implications

Tilia is an ecologically and economically important genus in the family Malvaceae. However, there is no complete plastid genome of Tilia sequenced to date, and the taxonomy of Tilia is difficult owing to frequent hybridization and polyploidization. A well-supported interspecific relationships of this genus is not available due to limited informative sites from the commonly used molecular markers. We report here the complete plastid genome sequences of four Tilia species determined by the Illumina technology. The Tilia plastid genome is 162,653 bp to 162,796 bp in length, encoding 113 unique genes and a total number of 130 genes. The gene order and organization of the Tilia plastid genome exhibits the general structure of angiosperms and is very similar to other published plastid genomes of Malvaceae. As other long-lived tree genera, the sequence divergence among the four Tilia plastid genomes is very low. And we analyzed the nucleotide substitution patterns and the evolution of insertions and deletions in the Tilia plastid genomes. Finally, we build a phylogeny of the four sampled Tilia species with high supports using plastid phylogenomics, suggesting that it is an efficient way to resolve the phylogenetic relationships of this genus.     

Comparative Analysis between Homoeologous Genome Segments of Brassica napus and Its Progenitor Species Reveals Extensive Sequence-Level Divergence

Homoeologous regions of Brassica genomes were analyzed at the sequence level. These represent segments of the Brassica A genome as found in Brassica rapa and Brassica napus and the corresponding segments of the Brassica C genome as found in Brassica oleracea and B. napus. Analysis of synonymous base substitution rates within modeled genes revealed a relatively broad range of times (0.12 to 1.37 million years ago) since the divergence of orthologous genome segments as represented in B. napus and the diploid species. Similar, and consistent, ranges were also identified for single nucleotide polymorphism and insertion-deletion variation. Genes conserved across the Brassica genomes and the homoeologous segments of the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana showed almost perfect collinearity. Numerous examples of apparent transduplication of gene fragments, as previously reported in B. oleracea, were observed in B. rapa and B. napus, indicating that this phenomenon is widespread in Brassica species. In the majority of the regions studied, the C genome segments were expanded in size relative to their A genome counterparts. The considerable variation that we observed, even between the different versions of the same Brassica genome, for gene fragments and annotated putative genes suggest that the concept of the pan-genome might be particularly appropriate when considering Brassica genomes.     

The Complete Plastid Genome Sequence of the Haptophyte Emiliania huxleyi: a Comparison to Other Plastid Genomes

The complete nucleotide sequence of the plastid genome of thehaptophyte Emiliania huxleyi has been determined. E. huxleyiis the most abundant coccolithophorid and has a key role inthe carbon cycle. It is also implicated in the production ofdimethylsulphide (DMS), which is involved in cloud nucleationand may affect the global climate. Here, we report the plastidgenome sequence of this ecologically and economically importantspecies and compare its gene content and arrangement to otherknown plastid genomes. The genome is circular and consists of105,309 bp with an inverted repeat of 4,841 bp. In terms ofboth genome size and gene content E. huxleyi cpDNA is substantiallysmaller than any other from the red plastid lineage. The geneticinformation is densely packed, with 86.8% of the genome specifying110 identified protein-coding genes, 9 open reading frames,28 different tRNAs, and 3 rRNAs. A detailed comparison to otherplastid genomes, based on gene content, gene function, and genecluster analysis is discussed. These analyses suggest a closerelationship of the E. huxleyi cpDNA to the chlorophyll c-containingplastids from heterokonts and cryptophytes, and they supportthe origin of the chromophyte plastids from the red algal lineage.     

Genome Sequencing of up to 6,000-Year-Old Citrullus Seeds Reveals Use of a Bitter-Fleshed Species Prior to Watermelon Domestication

Iconographic evidence from Egypt suggests that watermelon pulp was consumed there as a dessert by 4,360 BP. Earlier archaeobotanical evidence comes from seeds from Neolithic settlements in Libya, but whether these were watermelons with sweet pulp or other forms is unknown. We generated genome sequences from 6,000- and 3,300-year-old seeds from Libya and Sudan, and from worldwide herbarium collections made between 1824 and 2019, and analyzed these data together with resequenced genomes from important germplasm collections for a total of 131 accessions. Phylogenomic and population-genomic analyses reveal that (1) much of the nuclear genome of both ancient seeds is traceable to West African seed-use “egusi-type” watermelon (Citrullus mucosospermus) rather than domesticated pulp-use watermelon (Citrullus lanatus ssp. vulgaris); (2) the 6,000-year-old watermelon likely had bitter pulp and greenish-white flesh as today found in C. mucosospermus, given alleles in the bitterness regulators ClBT and in the red color marker LYCB; and (3) both ancient genomes showed admixture from C. mucosospermus, C. lanatus ssp. cordophanus, C. lanatus ssp. vulgaris, and even South African Citrullus amarus, and evident introgression between the Libyan seed (UMB-6) and populations of C. lanatus. An unexpected new insight is that Citrullus appears to have initially been collected or cultivated for its seeds, not its flesh, consistent with seed damage patterns induced by human teeth in the oldest Libyan material.     

Complete Plastid Genome Sequence of the Basal Asterid Ardisia polysticta Miq. and Comparative Analyses of Asterid Plastid Genomes

Ardisia is a basal asterid genus well known for its medicinal values and has the potential for development of novel phytopharmaceuticals. In this genus of nearly 500 species, many ornamental species are commonly grown worldwide and some have become invasive species that caused ecological problems. As there is no completed plastid genome (plastome) sequence in related taxa, we sequenced and characterized the plastome of Ardisia polysticta to find plastid markers of potential utility for phylogenetic analyses at low taxonomic levels. The complete A. polysticta plastome is 156,506 bp in length and has gene content and organization typical of most asterids and other angiosperms. We identified seven intergenic regions as potentially informative markers with resolution for interspecific relationships. Additionally, we characterized the diversity of asterid plastomes with respect to GC content, plastome organization, gene content, and repetitive sequences through comparative analyses. The results demonstrated that the genome organizations near the boundaries between inverted repeats (IRs) and single-copy regions (SCs) are polymorphic. The boundary organization found in Ardisia appears to be the most common type among asterids, while six other types are also found in various asterid lineages. In general, the repetitive sequences in genic regions tend to be more conserved, whereas those in noncoding regions are usually lineage-specific. Finally, we inferred the whole-plastome phylogeny with the available asterid sequences. With the improvement in taxon sampling of asterid orders and families, our result highlights the uncertainty of the position of Gentianales within euasterids I.     

Complete Genome Sequence of Methanomassiliicoccus luminyensis, the Largest Genome of a Human-Associated Archaea Species

The present study describes the complete and annotated genome sequence of Methanomassiliicoccus luminyensis strain B10 (DSM 24529(T), CSUR P135), which was isolated from human feces. The 2.6-Mb genome represents the largest genome of a methanogenic euryarchaeon isolated from humans. The genome data of M. luminyensis reveal unique features and horizontal gene transfer events, which might have occurred during its adaptation and/or evolution in the human ecosystem.     

Comparative Genome Analysis and Phylogenetic Relationship of Order Liliales Insight from the Complete Plastid Genome Sequences of Two Lilies (Lilium longiflorum and Alstroemeria aurea)

Monocots are one of the most diverse, successful and economically important clades of angiosperms. We attempt to analyse the complete plastid genome sequences of two lilies and their lengths were 152,793bp in Lilium longiflorum (Liliaceae) and 155,510bp in Alstroemeria aurea (Alstroemeriaceae). Phylogenetic analyses were performed for 28 taxa including major lineages of monocots using the sequences of 79 plastid genes for clarifying the phylogenetic relationship of the order Liliales. The sister relationship of Liliales and Asparagales-commelinids was improved with high resolution. Comparative analyses of inter-familial and inter-specific sequence variation were also carried out among three families of Liliaceae, Smilacaceae, and Alstroemeriaceae, and between two Lilium species of L . longflorum and L . superbum . Gene content and order were conserved in the order Liliales except infA loss in Smilax and Alstroemeria . IR boundaries were similar in IRa, however, IRb showed different extension patterns as JLB of Smilax and JSB in Alstroemeria . Ka/Ks ratio was high in matK among the pair-wise comparison of three families and the most variable genes were psaJ, ycf1, rpl32, rpl22, matK, and ccsA among the three families and rps15, rpoA, matK, and ndhF between Lilium.     

青藏高原特有种-藏扇穗茅叶绿体基因组测序及序列分析

藏扇穗茅（Littledalea tibetica）是禾本科（Poaceae）雀麦族（Bromeae）中一个具有重要生态价值的多年生高山特有种,主要分布于青藏高原及其毗邻地区。本文采用基于第二代高通量测序平台的Illumina MiSeq技术,对青藏高原特有种—藏扇穗茅进行了叶绿体基因组测序,首次建立了雀麦族物种的标准测序流程;同时,以其近缘物种—黑麦草（Lolium perenne）的叶绿体基因组序列作为参考,组装获得它的叶绿体基因组序列。结果表明,藏扇穗茅叶绿体基因组序列全长136 852 bp,GC含量为38.5%,呈典型的四段式结构,其中大（LSC）、小（SSC）单拷贝区大小分别为80 970和12 876 bp,反向互补重复区（IR）大小为21 503 bp,共注释得到141个基因,包含95个蛋白编码基因、38个tRNA基因和8个rRNA基因,主要分布于大单拷贝区和小单拷贝区。同时,基于藏扇穗茅和其它30种禾本科植物叶绿体基因全序列构建的系统发育树显示,藏扇穗茅与早熟禾亚科中小麦族植物亲缘关系较近。     

1株梅花鹿源狂犬病街毒株全基因组测序与分析

对1株梅花鹿源性狂犬病街毒株(DRV)进行全基因组克隆,对全长cDNA进行测序分析.RT-PCR扩增克隆覆盖全基因组9个重叠基因片段,基因组3'和5'末端采取3,-RACE和5'-RACE方法,9个重叠基因片段序列拼接得到DRV全基因组cDNA序列,共11 863个核苷酸.DRV毒株全基因组构成与其他狂犬病毒基因组构成相似,由5个编码区组成,基因起始位点和终止位点高度保守,在核蛋白和糖蛋白的重要抗原位点有个别氨基酸发生变异,对已完成全基因组测序的几个基因1型毒株分别进行了N、P、M、G、L基因核苷酸及氨基酸的同源性比较.与其他具有代表性的毒株进行N基因序列比较建立的系统进化树表明,DRV毒株属于基因1型,与中国人用疫苗株3aG同源性最高为94%,与分类位置未确定的北高加索毒株(WCBV)的同源性最低为71%.本研究结果可为狂犬病毒各项分子生物学研究提供理论参考.     

Complete Genome Sequence of the Biocontrol Strain Pseudomonas protegens Cab57 Discovered in Japan Reveals Strain-Specific Diversity of This Species

The biocontrol strain Pseudomonas sp. Cab57 was isolated from the rhizosphere of shepherd’s purse growing in a field in Hokkaido by screening the antibiotic producers. The whole genome sequence of this strain was obtained by paired-end and whole-genome shotgun sequencing, and the gaps between the contigs were closed using gap-spanning PCR products. The P. sp. Cab57 genome is organized into a single circular chromosome with 6,827,892 bp, 63.3% G+C content, and 6,186 predicted protein-coding sequences. Based on 16S rRNA gene analysis and whole genome analysis, strain Cab57 was identified as P. protegens. As reported in P. protegens CHA0 and Pf-5, four gene clusters (phl, prn, plt, and hcn) encoding the typical antibiotic metabolites and the reported genes associated with Gac/Rsm signal transduction pathway of these strains are fully conserved in the Cab57 genome. Actually strain Cab57 exhibited typical Gac/Rsm activities and antibiotic production, and these activities were enhanced by knocking out the retS gene (for a sensor kinase acting as an antagonist of GacS). Two large segments (79 and 115 kb) lacking in the Cab57 genome, as compared with the Pf-5 genome, accounted for the majority of the difference (247 kb) between these genomes. One of these segments was the complete rhizoxin analog biosynthesis gene cluster (ca. 79 kb) and another one was the 115-kb mobile genomic island. A whole genome comparison of those relative strains revealed that each strain has unique gene clusters involved in metabolism such as nitrite/nitrate assimilation, which was identified in the Cab57 genome. These findings suggest that P. protegens is a ubiquitous bacterium that controls its biocontrol traits while building up strain-specific genomic repertoires for the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and niche adaptation.     

Evolution of the Mitochondrial Genome in Cephalochordata as Inferred from Complete Nucleotide Sequences from Two Epigonichthys Species

Complete mitochondrial (mt) DNA sequences of two lancelets, Epigonichthys maldivensis and E. lucayanus, were compared with those of two Branchiostoma lancelets and several deuterostomes previously surveyed. The mt-gene order of E. lucayanus was quite different from that of E. maldivensis, the latter being identical to the two Branchiostoma species. A remarkable genomic change in E. lucayanus mtDNA was an inversion, indicating the possibility of recombination of the mt-genome. Gene rearrangements, probably attributable to tandem genome duplications and subsequent random deletions, were observed in two parts. Short major unassignable sequences of the examined lancelets were regarded as a part of putative regulative elements, judging from some sequence similarity to the conserved sequence block (CSB) in mammalian mtDNA. The considerable mt-genome reorganization in E. lucayanus seemed to have affected the nucleotide substitution pattern, suggested by base composition analyses. The present analysis also suggested that AGR codons in lancelet mtDNA were likely to correspond to serine residue, rather than glycine. Furthermore, the AGG codon, so far reputed to be unassignable in lancelet mtDNA, was found twice in E. maldivensis, indicating the availability of all four AGN codons in some lancelets. This finding lends support to an alternative hypothesis regarding the evolutionary history of AGR-codon assignment in extant chordates, rather than that previously proposed. A molecular phylogenetic tree of the Epigonichthys and Branchiostoma species based on DNA sequences of the 13 mt-protein genes doubted the monophyly of the former genus, unlike the prevailing classification based on their different gonadal arrangements.Reviewing Editor: Dr. Axel Meyer     

The Complete Sequence of the Acacia ligulata Chloroplast Genome Reveals a Highly Divergent clpP1 Gene

Legumes are a highly diverse angiosperm family that include many agriculturally important species. To date, 21 complete chloroplast genomes have been sequenced from legume crops confined to the Papilionoideae subfamily. Here we report the first chloroplast genome from the Mimosoideae, Acacia ligulata, and compare it to the previously sequenced legume genomes. The A. ligulata chloroplast genome is 158,724 bp in size, comprising inverted repeats of 25,925 bp and single-copy regions of 88,576 bp and 18,298 bp. Acacia ligulata lacks the inversion present in many of the Papilionoideae, but is not otherwise significantly different in terms of gene and repeat content. The key feature is its highly divergent clpP1 gene, normally considered essential in chloroplast genomes. In A. ligulata, although transcribed and spliced, it probably encodes a catalytically inactive protein. This study provides a significant resource for further genetic research into Acacia and the Mimosoideae. The divergent clpP1 gene suggests that Acacia will provide an interesting source of information on the evolution and functional diversity of the chloroplast Clp protease complex.     

2株WU多瘤病毒全基因组序列测定和分析

WU多瘤病毒(WUPyV)是多瘤病毒科多瘤病毒属的新成员,近来发现与人呼吸道感染等有关。本研究对2株WUPyV进行全基因组序列测定和拼接,获得这2株病毒全基因组序列,并与已上传到GenBank的国内外几株WUPyV的全基因组序列和氨基酸序列进行比对和系统进化分析。这2株WUPyV是环状、双链DNA病毒,基因组全长5 228bp,比GenBank已知WUPyV全序列少1bp。缺失的一对碱基位于位点4 536处,属于大T抗原的非编码区。病毒全基因组编码5个蛋白,分别是3个衣壳蛋白VP2、VP3、VP1与大T抗原和小T抗原。系统进化分析显示相对中国福建福州的FZ18株,另一株FZTF株与参考株-澳大利亚的B0株关系较近。     

绵羊肺腺瘤病毒NM株前病毒基因组的克隆与全序列分析

本研究参照GenBank中已发表的绵羊肺腺瘤病毒的基因组全序列,设计合成8对引物,从内蒙古某羊场自然感染绵羊肺腺瘤病的病肺肿瘤组织中提取总DNA为模板,对JSRV-NM株基因组分8段进行PCR扩增,产物分别为8个(531bp, 888bp, 949 bp, 944bp, 1428bp, 947bp, 1836bp, 538bp)基因片段,将其分别克隆入pMD-18 T载体中进行双向测序并拼接序列,获得完整的JSRV-NM株前病毒基因组全序列.结果表明,JSRV-NM株前病毒基因组全长7430bp,有相互重叠的4个较长的开放阅读框(ORF),分别代表gag、 pro、 pol 和 env基因.与绵羊肺腺瘤病毒Ⅰ型即南非代表株(NC-001494)和绵羊肺腺瘤病毒Ⅱ型即美国代表株(AF105220)的核苷酸同源性比较分别为90.4%和90%,推导出的氨基酸同源性分别为90%和89.1%.分析JSRV-NM株基因组结构,发现在LTR的上游和下游都具有外源性exJSRV特有的ScaⅠ酶切位点,在gag基因编码的NC区发现有2个较典型的"胱氨酸-组氨酸序列",可形成锌指结构.在env基因编码的TM区有特异性的"YXXM"基序.用地高辛标记外源性exJSRV特异的JSRV-2片段制成探针,原位杂交法检测自然感染绵羊肺腺瘤病(OPA)的病肺组织中JSRV-NM的 RNA及前病毒DNA,结果表明OPA患羊肺肿瘤细胞的胞浆和核内都有JSRV-2基因mRNA的表达, 说明JSRV-NM株是具有致瘤作用的外源性反转录病毒.这是我国首次报道的绵羊肺腺瘤病毒的基因组全序列.     

绵羊肺腺瘤病毒NM株前病毒基因组的克隆与全序列分析

本研究参照GenBank中已发表的绵羊肺腺瘤病毒的基因组全序列,设计合成8对引物,从内蒙古某羊场自然感染绵羊肺腺瘤病的病肺肿瘤组织中提取总DNA为模板,对JSRV-NM株基因组分8段进行PCR扩增,产物分别为8个(531bp,888bp,949bp,944bp,1428bp,947bp,1836bp,538bp)基因片段,将其分别克隆入pMD-18T载体中进行双向测序并拼接序列,获得完整的JSRV-NM株前病毒基因组全序列。结果表明,JSRV-NM株前病毒基因组全长7430bp,有相互重叠的4个较长的开放阅读框(ORF),分别代表gag、pro、pol和env基因。与绵羊肺腺瘤病毒Ⅰ型即南非代表株(NC-001494)和绵羊肺腺瘤病毒Ⅱ型即美国代表株(AF105220)的核苷酸同源性比较分别为90.4%和90%,推导出的氨基酸同源性分别为90%和89.1%。分析JSRV-NM株基因组结构,发现在LTR的上游和下游都具有外源性exJSRV特有的ScaⅠ酶切位点,在gag基因编码的NC区发现有2个较典型的“胱氨酸—组氨酸序列”,可形成锌指结构。在env基因编码的TM区有特异性的“YXXM”基序。用地高辛标记外源性exJSRV特异的JSRV-2片段制成探针,原位杂交法检测自然感染绵羊肺腺瘤病(OPA)的病肺组织中JSRV-NM的RNA及前病毒DNA,结果表明OPA患羊肺肿瘤细胞的胞浆和核内都有JSRV-2基因mRNA的表达,说明JSRV-NM株是具有致瘤作用的外源性反转录病毒。这是我国首次报道的绵羊肺腺瘤病毒的基因组全序列。     

The Complete Mitochondrial Genome Sequence of the Spider Habronattus oregonensis Reveals Rearranged and Extremely Truncated tRNAs

DOI:10.1093/molbev/msh170 Susan E. Masta and