Length and Distribution of Meiotic Gene Conversion Tracts and Crossovers in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

We have measured gene conversion tract length in strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae containing three to six restriction site heterozygosities in a 9-kb interval. Tetrads containing a conversion were identified genetically by nonmendelian segregation of a marker in the middle of the interval. Gene conversions accompanied by a crossover have a tract length of 1.4 kb +/- 0.7 kb, which is indistinguishable from a tract length of 1.6 +/- 0.8 for conversions without an associated exchange. Among tetrads identified first as having a crossover in the interval, the average gene conversion tracts were apparently significantly shorter (0.71 +/- 1). We provide evidence that this apparent difference is due to the method of measuring conversion tracts and does not reflect a real difference in tract length. We also provide evidence that the number and position of restriction site markers alters the apparent distribution of the conversion tracts. More than ninety percent of the conversion tracts spanning three or more sites were continuous.     

Estimation of Levels of Gene Flow from DNA Sequence Data

We compare the utility of two methods for estimating the average levels of gene flow from DNA sequence data. One method is based on estimating FST from frequencies at polymorphic sites, treating each site as a separate locus. The other method is based on computing the minimum number of migration events consistent with the gene tree inferred from their sequences. We compared the performance of these two methods on data that were generated by a computer simulation program that assumed the infinite sites model of mutation and that assumed an island model of migration. We found that in general when there is no recombination, the cladistic method performed better than FST while the reverse was true for rates of recombination similar to those found in eukaryotic nuclear genes, although FST performed better for all recombination rates for very low levels of migration (Nm = 0.1).     

Gene Conversion Tracts from Double-Strand Break Repair in Mammalian Cells

Mammalian cells are able to repair chromosomal double-strand breaks (DSBs) both by homologous recombination and by mechanisms that require little or no homology. Although spontaneous homologous recombination is rare, DSBs will stimulate recombination by 2 to 3 orders of magnitude when homology is provided either from exogenous DNA in gene-targeting experiments or from a repeated chromosomal sequence. Using a gene-targeting assay in mouse embryonic stem cells, we now investigate the effect of heterology on recombinational repair of DSBs. Cells were cotransfected with an endonuclease expression plasmid to induce chromosomal DSBs and with substrates containing up to 1.2% heterology from which to repair the DSBs. We find that heterology decreases the efficiency of recombinational repair, with 1.2% sequence divergence resulting in an approximately sixfold reduction in recombination. Gene conversion tract lengths were examined in 80 recombinants. Relatively short gene conversion tracts were observed, with 80% of the recombinants having tracts of 58 bp or less. These results suggest that chromosome ends in mammalian cells are generally protected from extensive degradation prior to recombination. Gene conversion tracts that were long (up to 511 bp) were continuous, i.e., they contained an uninterrupted incorporation of the silent mutations. This continuity suggests that these long tracts arose from extensive degradation of the ends or from formation of heteroduplex DNA which is corrected with a strong bias in the direction of the unbroken strand.     

Meiotic Gene Conversion Tract Length Distribution within the Rosy Locus of Drosophila Melanogaster

Employing extensive co-conversion data for selected and unselected sites of known molecular location in the rosy locus of Drosophila melanogaster, we determine the parameters of meiotic gene conversion tract length distribution. The tract length distribution for gene conversion events can be approximated by the equation P(L >/= n) = (n) where P is the probability that tract length (L) is greater than or equal to a specified number of nucleotides (n). From the co-conversion data, a maximum likelihood estimate with standard error for is 0.99717 +/- 0.00026, corresponding to a mean conversion tract length of 352 base pairs. (Thus, gene conversion tract lengths are sufficiently small to allow for extensive shuffling of DNA sequence polymorphisms within a gene.) For selected site conversions there is a bias towards recovery of longer tracts. The distribution of conversion tract lengths associated with selected sites can be approximated by the equation P(L >/= n| selected = (n)(1 - n + n/), where P is now the probability that a selected site tract length (L) is greater than or equal to a specified number of nucleotides (n). For the optimal value of determined from the co-conversion analysis, the mean conversion tract length for selected sites is 706 base pairs. We discuss, in the light of this and other studies, the relationship between meiotic gene conversion and P element excision induced gap repair and determine that they are distinct processes defined by different parameters and, possibly, mechanisms.     

Relationship Estimation from Whole-Genome Sequence Data

The determination of the relationship between a pair of individuals is a fundamental application of genetics. Previously, we and others have demonstrated that identity-by-descent (IBD) information generated from high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data can greatly improve the power and accuracy of genetic relationship detection. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) marks the final step in increasing genetic marker density by assaying all single-nucleotide variants (SNVs), and thus has the potential to further improve relationship detection by enabling more accurate detection of IBD segments and more precise resolution of IBD segment boundaries. However, WGS introduces new complexities that must be addressed in order to achieve these improvements in relationship detection. To evaluate these complexities, we estimated genetic relationships from WGS data for 1490 known pairwise relationships among 258 individuals in 30 families along with 46 population samples as controls. We identified several genomic regions with excess pairwise IBD in both the pedigree and control datasets using three established IBD methods: GERMLINE, fastIBD, and ISCA. These spurious IBD segments produced a 10-fold increase in the rate of detected false-positive relationships among controls compared to high-density microarray datasets. To address this issue, we developed a new method to identify and mask genomic regions with excess IBD. This method, implemented in ERSA 2.0, fully resolved the inflated cryptic relationship detection rates while improving relationship estimation accuracy. ERSA 2.0 detected all 1^st through 6^th degree relationships, and 55% of 9^th through 11^th degree relationships in the 30 families. We estimate that WGS data provides a 5% to 15% increase in relationship detection power relative to high-density microarray data for distant relationships. Our results identify regions of the genome that are highly problematic for IBD mapping and introduce new software to accurately detect 1^st through 9^th degree relationships from whole-genome sequence data.     

The Role of Exo1p Exonuclease in DNA End Resection to Generate Gene Conversion Tracts in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The yeast Exo1p nuclease functions in multiple cellular roles: resection of DNA ends generated during recombination, telomere stability, DNA mismatch repair, and expansion of gaps formed during the repair of UV-induced DNA damage. In this study, we performed high-resolution mapping of spontaneous and UV-induced recombination events between homologs in exo1 strains, comparing the results with spontaneous and UV-induced recombination events in wild-type strains. One important comparison was the lengths of gene conversion tracts. Gene conversion events are usually interpreted as reflecting heteroduplex formation between interacting DNA molecules, followed by repair of mismatches within the heteroduplex. In most models of recombination, the length of the gene conversion tract is a function of the length of single-stranded DNA generated by end resection. Since the Exo1p has an important role in end resection, a reduction in the lengths of gene conversion tracts in exo1 strains was expected. In accordance with this expectation, gene conversion tract lengths associated with spontaneous crossovers in exo1 strains were reduced about twofold relative to wild type. For UV-induced events, conversion tract lengths associated with crossovers were also shorter for the exo1 strain than for the wild-type strain (3.2 and 7.6 kb, respectively). Unexpectedly, however, the lengths of conversion tracts that were unassociated with crossovers were longer in the exo1 strain than in the wild-type strain (6.2 and 4.8 kb, respectively). Alternative models of recombination in which the lengths of conversion tracts are determined by break-induced replication or oversynthesis during strand invasion are proposed to account for these observations.     

Physical Lengths of Meiotic and Mitotic Gene Conversion Tracts in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

Physical lengths of gene conversion tracts for meiotic and mitotic conversions were examined, using the same diploid yeast strain in all experiments. This strain is heterozygous for a mutation in the URA3 gene as well as closely linked restriction site markers. In cells that had a gene conversion event at the URA3 locus, it was determined by Southern analysis which of the flanking heterozygous restriction sites had co-converted. It was found that mitotic conversion tracts were longer on the average than meiotic tracts. About half of the tracts generated by spontaneous mitotic gene conversion included heterozygous markers 4.2 kb apart; none of the meiotic conversions included these markers. Stimulation of mitotic gene conversion by ultraviolet light or methylmethanesulfonate had no obvious effect on the size or distribution of the tracts. Almost all conversion tracts were continuous.     

Estimation of Copy Number Alterations from Exome Sequencing Data

Exome sequencing constitutes an important technology for the study of human hereditary diseases and cancer. However, the ability of this approach to identify copy number alterations in primary tumor samples has not been fully addressed. Here we show that somatic copy number alterations can be reliably estimated using exome sequencing data through a strategy that we have termed exome2cnv. Using data from 86 paired normal and primary tumor samples, we identified losses and gains of complete chromosomes or large genomic regions, as well as smaller regions affecting a minimum of one gene. Comparison with high-resolution comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) arrays revealed a high sensitivity and a low number of false positives in the copy number estimation between both approaches. We explore the main factors affecting sensitivity and false positives with real data, and provide a side by side comparison with CGH arrays. Together, these results underscore the utility of exome sequencing to study cancer samples by allowing not only the identification of substitutions and indels, but also the accurate estimation of copy number alterations.     

On the Estimation of Effective Number of Alleles from Electrophoretic Data

Estimation of the effective number of alleles in natural populations from the frequencies of electrophoretically detected alleles involves significant ambiguity, which should be explicitly considered in the estimate. For large genetic populations the ambiguity importantly affects the value of n(e).     

The Distribution of the Number of Maxima in a Cyclic Sequence

A simple statistical method is presented which tests for non-randomness in a cyclic sequence. The distribution of the statistic is tabulated for short sequences, and a large sample approximation is derived. Significant values of the statistic are given for sequences of length up to 52. Easily used computer programs to carry out appropriate calculations are presented.     

The Distribution of the Number of Maxima in a Cyclic Sequence

A simple statistical method is presented which tests for non-randomness in a cyclic sequence. The distribution of the statistic is tabulated for short sequences, and a large sample approximation is derived. Significant values of the statistic are given for sequences of length up to 52. Easily used computer programs to carry out appropriate calculations are presented.     

Inferring Coalescence Times from DNA Sequence Data

The paper is concerned with methods for the estimation of the coalescence time (time since the most recent common ancestor) of a sample of intraspecies DNA sequences. The methods take advantage of prior knowledge of population demography, in addition to the molecular data. While some theoretical results are presented, a central focus is on computational methods. These methods are easy to implement, and, since explicit formulae tend to be either unavailable or unilluminating, they are also more useful and more informative in most applications. Extensions are presented that allow for the effects of uncertainty in our knowledge of population size and mutation rates, for variability in population sizes, for regions of different mutation rate, and for inference concerning the coalescence time of the entire population. The methods are illustrated using recent data from the human Y chromosome.     

Estimation of the Number of Classes in a Population

The problem of estimating M, the number of classes in a population, is formulated as an occupancy problem in which N items are drawn from M urns. Under the assumption of a uniform distribution for the number of classes in the population, the sufficient statistic for M, which is the number of distinct classes observed, does not depend upon the number of repetitions in the sample. Point and interval estimates of M are developed using maximum likelihood and the method of moments. Both techniques give rise to the same basic equation which requires a simple iterative solution. These same techniques are used in the more general situation in which the classes can be further subdivided according to type.     

利用基因芯片数据挖掘宫颈癌相关基因的EST片段

目的:利用基因芯片数据,探讨宫颈癌在分子水平上的发病机制,挖掘肿瘤相关基因EST片段,探索恶性肿瘤标志物,为肿瘤防治找到新的有效手段。方法:从基因芯片数据库GEO(gene expression omnibus)中获得GSM99077基因芯片数据,利用该数据筛选出宫颈癌相关基因的EST片段;然后通过NCBI中的在线BLAST软件找到与之相匹配的同源序列,对这些同源序列进行生物学功能分析,找到与肿瘤的相关性。结果:共发现宫颈癌组织与正常宫颈组织差异表达EST共127条,其中上调的106条,下调的11条,这些差异表达EST的同源序列的转录产物参与转录、翻译、细胞增殖分裂及细胞信号传导等过程。结论:基因芯片能有效、高通量地获取生物内在信息,通过对基因芯片数据再挖掘,可发现宫颈癌的发生涉及多个基因共同作用。     

On the Number of Ancestors to a DNA Sequence

If homologous sequences in a population are not subject to recombination, they can all be traced back to one ancestral sequence. However, the rest of our genome is subject to recombination and will be spread out on a series of individuals. The distribution of ancestral material to an extant chromosome is here investigated by the coalescent with recombination, and the results are discussed relative to humans. In an ancestral population of actual size 1.3 million a minority of <6.4% will carry material ancestral to any present human. The estimated actual population size can be even higher, 5 million, reducing the percentage to 1.7%.     

抗除草剂转基因大豆插入拷贝数及其旁侧序列分析

目的:确定抗除草剂转基因大豆外源基因拷贝数和其插入位点侧翼序列.方法:采用绝对定量PCR法测定转EPSPS基因大豆中外源基因拷贝数,内参照基因标准曲线选用大豆凝集素(Lectin)基因为标准品,外源基因标准曲线以含EPSPS基因的阳性质粒为标准品.采用基因组步移技术和巢式PCR方法确定抗除草剂转基因大豆插入位点旁侧序列.结果:抗除草剂转基因大豆外源基因的拷贝数为1.CaMV35S上游扩增887bp,NOS下游扩增1 340bp.结论:明确了EPSPS外源基因在转基因大豆中为单拷贝,转基因大豆插入位点附近大豆基因组发生了DNA重排.