Complete Sequence of the First Chimera Genome Constructed by Cloning the Whole Genome of Synechocystis Strain PCC6803 into the Bacillus subtilis 168 Genome

Genome synthesis of existing or designed genomes is made feasible by the first successful cloning of a cyanobacterium, Synechocystis PCC6803, in Gram-positive, endospore-forming Bacillus subtilis. Whole-genome sequence analysis of the isolate and parental B. subtilis strains provides clues for identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 2 complete bacterial genomes in one cell.     

High-quality Arabidopsis thaliana Genome Assembly with Nanopore and HiFi Long Reads

Arabidopsis thaliana is an important and long-established model species for plant molecular biology, genetics, epigenetics, and genomics. However, the latest version of reference genome still contains a significant number of missing segments. Here, we reported a high-quality and almost complete Col-0 genome assembly with two gaps (named Col-XJTU) by combining the Oxford Nanopore Technologies ultra-long reads, Pacific Biosciences high-fidelity long reads, and Hi-C data. The total genome assembly size is 133,725,193 bp, introducing 14.6 Mb of novel sequences compared to the TAIR10.1 reference genome. All five chromosomes of the Col-XJTU assembly are highly accurate with consensus quality (QV) scores > 60 (ranging from 62 to 68), which are higher than those of the TAIR10.1 reference (ranging from 45 to 52). We completely resolved chromosome (Chr) 3 and Chr5 in a telomere-to-telomere manner. Chr4 was completely resolved except the nucleolar organizing regions, which comprise long repetitive DNA fragments. The Chr1 centromere (CEN1), reportedly around 9 Mb in length, is particularly challenging to assemble due to the presence of tens of thousands of CEN180 satellite repeats. Using the cutting-edge sequencing data and novel computational approaches, we assembled a 3.8-Mb-long CEN1 and a 3.5-Mb-long CEN2. We also investigated the structure and epigenetics of centromeres. Four clusters of CEN180 monomers were detected, and the centromere-specific histone H3-like protein (CENH3) exhibited a strong preference for CEN180 Cluster 3. Moreover, we observed hypomethylation patterns in CENH3-enriched regions. We believe that this high-quality genome assembly, Col-XJTU, would serve as a valuable reference to better understand the global pattern of centromeric polymorphisms, as well as the genetic and epigenetic features in plants.     

枯草芽胞杆菌基因组混组方法

基因组混组作为一种育种方法,通过循环原生质体融合等手段,使得不同菌株来源的基因组能够得到充分重组,增加将正向突变整合到同一重组子中的机会。使用4株带有4种不同标记的枯草芽胞杆菌亲本为初始菌株,通过循环转化、循环转导或循环原生质体融合的手段进行基因组混组,统计后代中非亲本类型占整个群体的比例,以衡量基因组混组的效果。分别经过5轮循环原生质体融合、循环转化或者循环转导,结果显示,重组程度较高者在后代群体中的比例较低,带有4种标记的后代未出现,带有3种标记的后代最高分别为4.53×10?4、1.64×10?4、4.47×10?3,明显低于文献报道的天蓝色链霉菌中同样实验的结果:带4种和3种标记的后代分别占2.5%、17%。对比上述实验的结果和文献报道的天蓝色链霉菌、乳杆菌基因组混组的结果,并结合计算机模拟循环融合过程,分析后认为:要达到较充分的基因组混组,需要有能够实现微生物细胞间高频重组的操作技术作为基础,重组频率应该不低于10?3～10?2数量级。     

产纳豆激酶枯草芽孢杆菌种子液培养条件的优化

利用Plackett-Burman法(PB法),以紫外分光光度法作为测量方法对产纳豆激酶枯草芽孢杆菌种子液培养条件进行了优化。确定了产纳豆激酶枯草芽孢杆菌种子液的最佳氮源是大豆蛋白胨,优化出最佳种子液培养条件为牛肉膏0.5 g/100 mL、大豆蛋白胨1 g/100 mL、NaCl 0.75 g/100 mL、pH 7、培养温度37℃、培养时间8.5 h、接种量为3 mL/100 mL、装液量100 mL/250 mL。     

Complete Genome Sequence of Bacillus subtilis Strain QB928, a Strain Widely Used in B. subtilis Genetic Studies

The complete genome sequence of Bacillus subtilis strain QB928 was constructed to facilitate studies in the evolution of the genetic code. With a widespread use of the strain in Bacillus subtilis genetics studies, its complete genome sequence would facilitate deeper understanding of Bacillus subtilis genetics.     

De Novo Assembly of the Complete Genome of an Enhanced Electricity-Producing Variant of Geobacter sulfurreducens Using Only Short Reads

State-of-the-art DNA sequencing technologies are transforming the life sciences due to their ability to generate nucleotide sequence information with a speed and quantity that is unapproachable with traditional Sanger sequencing. Genome sequencing is a principal application of this technology, where the ultimate goal is the full and complete sequence of the organism of interest. Due to the nature of the raw data produced by these technologies, a full genomic sequence attained without the aid of Sanger sequencing has yet to be demonstrated.We have successfully developed a four-phase strategy for using only next-generation sequencing technologies (Illumina and 454) to assemble a complete microbial genome de novo. We applied this approach to completely assemble the 3.7 Mb genome of a rare Geobacter variant (KN400) that is capable of unprecedented current production at an electrode. Two key components of our strategy enabled us to achieve this result. First, we integrated the two data types early in the process to maximally leverage their complementary characteristics. And second, we used the output of different short read assembly programs in such a way so as to leverage the complementary nature of their different underlying algorithms or of their different implementations of the same underlying algorithm.The significance of our result is that it demonstrates a general approach for maximizing the efficiency and success of genome assembly projects as new sequencing technologies and new assembly algorithms are introduced. The general approach is a meta strategy, wherein sequencing data are integrated as early as possible and in particular ways and wherein multiple assembly algorithms are judiciously applied such that the deficiencies in one are complemented by another.     

Functional myo-inositol catabolic genes of Bacillus subtilis Natto are involved in depletion of pinitol in Natto (fermented soybean)

Soybeans are rich in pinitol (PI; 3-O-methyl-D-chiro-inositol), which improves health by treating conditions associated with insulin resistance, such as diabetes mellitus and obesity. Natto is a food made from soybeans fermented by strains of Bacillus subtilis natto. In the chromosome of natto strain OK2, there is a putative promoter region almost identical to the iol promoter for myo-inositol (MI) catabolic genes of B. subtilis 168. In the presence of MI, the putative iol promoter functioned to induce inositol dehydrogenase, the enzyme for the first-step reaction in the MI catabolic pathway. PI also induced inositol dehydrogenase and the promoter was indispensable for the utilization of PI as well as MI, suggesting that PI might be an alternative carbon source metabolized in a way involving the MI catabolic genes. Natto fermentation studies have revealed that the parental natto strain consumed PI while a mutant defective in the iol promoter did not do so at all. These results suggest that inactivating the MI catabolic genes might prevent PI consumption, retaining it in natto for enrichment of possible health-promoting properties.     

基于全基因组重测序SNP标记的148份马铃薯种质遗传多样性分析

为了解148份国内外四倍体马铃薯普通栽培种的遗传背景和亲缘关系,该研究通过第三代高通量测序手段进行全基因组重测序,以SNP为分子标记、遗传相似系数为指标,结合系谱信息,利用群体结构与聚类分析相结合的方法,分析该群体遗传多样性。结果表明:(1)通过有效过滤筛选后获得1 209 969个高质量SNP位点,明确定位在染色体水平上的SNP位点为1 192 472个,占比98.55%;除11号染色体没有位点分布外,5号染色体分布位点最多,7号染色体最少。(2)各品种间遗传相似系数在0.784～0.958之间,平均为0.842,且主要集中于0.800～0.880(有10 604个),占97.5%。(3)群体结构分析显示,将148份材料分为6个群组,Q值0.6的品种有36个,占比24.3%,遗传背景较单一的品种中,华北区育成品种有16个占44.4%,国外品种有13个占36.1%,二者共占80.5%,说明华北区育成品种及国外品种的遗传组分相对单一而且比例高于其他区域品种。(4)聚类分析结果表明148份马铃薯品种被划分为3个类群,‘中薯系列’、‘陇薯系列’及‘冀张薯系列’品种聚在一起有着一定的地理区域性,其他不同地理来源的马铃薯品种相互交错分布,说明育成区域的差别与亲缘关系并无必然联系,同时也说明各育种单位相互引种频繁,新品种选育过程中存在基因交流情况。群体结构分析与聚类分析分群结果基本吻合,相互验证。研究认为,马铃薯绝大部分普通栽培种品种间遗传相似性很高,遗传背景不够丰富,在育种中亟待引入新型种质,拓宽遗传基础。     

Complete Growth Inhibition of Bacillus subtilis by Nisin-Producing Lactococci in Fermented Soybeans

The growth inhibition by nisin-producing lactococci against Bacillus subtilis and its application to soybean miso fermentation were investigated. Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis IFO12007 (nisin-producing, salt-intolerant) rapidly proliferated to more than 10⁹ cells/g in cooked soybeans without any excessive pH decrease. In spite of the mild decrease in pH, the growth of B. subtilis was completely inhibited; no living cells were detected in a soybean sample inoculated with 10⁶ cells/g and incubated for 24 to 72 h. This Lc. lactis was applied to soybean miso fermentation as a starter culture. It produced high nisin activity (1.28×10⁵ AU/g) in cooked soybean, resulting in the complete growth inhibition of B. subtilis, which had been inoculated at the beginning of the koji fermentation, throughout the process of miso production. Over-acidification, which is undesirable for miso quality, was successfully prevented simply by adding salt which killed the salt-intolerant Lc. lactis. Furthermore, the nisin activity in miso disappeared with aging.     

Complete genome sequence of the alkaliphilic bacterium Bacillus halodurans and genomic sequence comparison with Bacillus subtilis

The 4 202 353 bp genome of the alkaliphilic bacterium Bacillus halodurans C-125 contains 4066 predicted protein coding sequences (CDSs), 2141 (52.7%) of which have functional assignments, 1182 (29%) of which are conserved CDSs with unknown function and 743 (18.3%) of which have no match to any protein database. Among the total CDSs, 8.8% match sequences of proteins found only in Bacillus subtilis and 66.7% are widely conserved in comparison with the proteins of various organisms, including B.subtilis. The B.halodurans genome contains 112 transposase genes, indicating that transposases have played an important evolutionary role in horizontal gene transfer and also in internal genetic rearrangement in the genome. Strain C-125 lacks some of the necessary genes for competence, such as comS, srfA and rapC, supporting the fact that competence has not been demonstrated experimentally in C-125. There is no paralog of tupA, encoding teichuronopeptide, which contributes to alkaliphily, in the C-125 genome and an ortholog of tupA cannot be found in the B.subtilis genome. Out of 11 σ factors which belong to the extracytoplasmic function family, 10 are unique to B.halodurans, suggesting that they may have a role in the special mechanism of adaptation to an alkaline environment.     

Evaluation and Validation of Assembling Corrected PacBio Long Reads for Microbial Genome Completion via Hybrid Approaches

Despite the ever-increasing output of next-generation sequencing data along with developing assemblers, dozens to hundreds of gaps still exist in de novo microbial assemblies due to uneven coverage and large genomic repeats. Third-generation single-molecule, real-time (SMRT) sequencing technology avoids amplification artifacts and generates kilobase-long reads with the potential to complete microbial genome assembly. However, due to the low accuracy (~85%) of third-generation sequences, a considerable amount of long reads (>50X) are required for self-correction and for subsequent de novo assembly. Recently-developed hybrid approaches, using next-generation sequencing data and as few as 5X long reads, have been proposed to improve the completeness of microbial assembly. In this study we have evaluated the contemporary hybrid approaches and demonstrated that assembling corrected long reads (by runCA) produced the best assembly compared to long-read scaffolding (e.g., AHA, Cerulean and SSPACE-LongRead) and gap-filling (SPAdes). For generating corrected long reads, we further examined long-read correction tools, such as ECTools, LSC, LoRDEC, PBcR pipeline and proovread. We have demonstrated that three microbial genomes including Escherichia coli K12 MG1655, Meiothermus ruber DSM1279 and Pdeobacter heparinus DSM2366 were successfully hybrid assembled by runCA into near-perfect assemblies using ECTools-corrected long reads. In addition, we developed a tool, Patch, which implements corrected long reads and pre-assembled contigs as inputs, to enhance microbial genome assemblies. With the additional 20X long reads, short reads of S. cerevisiae W303 were hybrid assembled into 115 contigs using the verified strategy, ECTools + runCA. Patch was subsequently applied to upgrade the assembly to a 35-contig draft genome. Our evaluation of the hybrid approaches shows that assembling the ECTools-corrected long reads via runCA generates near complete microbial genomes, suggesting that genome assembly could benefit from re-analyzing the available hybrid datasets that were not assembled in an optimal fashion.     

Complete Genome Sequence of Bacillus thuringiensis Mutant Strain BMB171

Bacillus thuringiensis has been widely used as a biopesticide for a long time. Here we report the finished and annotated genome sequence of B. thuringiensis mutant strain BMB171, an acrystalliferous mutant strain with a high transformation frequency obtained and stocked in our laboratory.Bacillus thuringiensis is an insect pathogen which is widely used as a biopesticide due to its various endogenous crystal proteins and spores (12). To improve the virulence and practical effectiveness of B. thuringiensis, genetic transformation of different genes with beneficial traits is a fundamental procedure. Simultaneously, genetic transformation can facilitate functional genomic research. However, wild-type strains are not suitable to be used as recipient strains because of low transformation efficiency. This obstacle is mainly caused by the thick cell wall layer of B. thuringiensis together with multiple plasmids inside the cell, which harbor genes encoding insecticidal crystal proteins. We used the method of elevating the growth temperature and adding 0.05% sodium dodecyl sulfate to treat several parental strains and finally obtained mutant strain BMB171, with no resident plasmid, from wild-type crystalliferous strain YBT-1463 (9). The electrotransformation frequency of mutant BMB171 could reach up to 10⁷ transformants/μg DNA after optimization of the electrotransformation parameters (7), which was 4.8 × 10⁴-fold higher than that of the parental strain (8). Moreover, mutant strain BMB171 exhibited the same characteristics as YBT-1463, such as metabolic abilities and growth properties, as well as sensitivity to 10 antibiotics (8). Of course, BMB171 could produce parasporal crystals with characteristic geometric shapes through the expression of relevant cry genes carried by plasmids (7). Thus, B. thuringiensis mutant strain BMB171 has become a major recipient strain and is widely used for insecticidal crystal protein-encoding gene expression (14, 15), cell surface display (10, 13), gene function and regulation researches (2, 5), etc.The B. thuringiensis mutant strain BMB171 genome was sequenced by using a massive parallel pyrosequencing technology (454 GS-FLX). A total of 448,963 high-quality reads with an average read length of 391 bp were produced, providing about 32-fold coverage of the genome. Assembly was performed using the Newbler software of the 454 suite package (454 Life Sciences), which resulted in 193 large (defined as >500 bp) contigs. The relationship of contigs was determined by multiplex PCR, and gaps were filled through sequencing of PCR products by primer walking or shotgun sequencing with an ABI 3730 sequencer. The Phred/Phrap/Consed software package (3) was used for final sequence assembly and quality assessment. Protein-coding genes were predicted by combining the results of Glimmer 3.02 (1) and ZCURVE (4), followed by manual inspection. Both tRNA and rRNA genes were identified by tRNAscan-SE (11) and RNAmmer (6), respectively. Functional annotation was performed by searching against a protein database of the microbial genome developed in house.The 5.64-Mb genome of B. thuringiensis mutant strain BMB171 contains two replicons: a circular chromosome (5.33 Mb) encoding 5,088 open reading frames (ORFs) and a circular plasmid (0.31 Mb), which is named pBMB171, encoding 276 predicted ORFs. The G+C content of the chromosome is 35.3%, while that of the plasmid is 33.3%. The mutant strain BMB171 genome encodes 104 tRNAs and 14 rRNA operons. A previous study indicated that BMB171 is a plasmid-free mutant (9); however, our sequencing results demonstrated that a large plasmid still remains. The reason why the plasmid was not detected previously might be its large size and low copy number. We did not find any crystal protein genes in either chromosome or plasmid sequences, which was consistent with previous observations (9).In summary, the complete B. thuringiensis mutant strain BMB171 genome provides a better-defined genetic background for gene expression and regulation studies, especially crystal protein production and metabolic network construction.     

Complete Genome Sequence of the Extremophilic Bacillus cereus Strain Q1 with Industrial Applications

Bacillus cereus strain Q1 was isolated from a deep-subsurface oil reservoir in the Daqing oil field in northeastern China. This strain is able to produce biosurfactants and to survive in extreme environments. Here we report the finished and annotated genome sequence of this organism.Bacillus cereus strain Q1 was isolated from a deep-subsurface oil reservoir in the Daqing oil field in northeastern China. This strain can facilitate oil recovery when added to an oil reservoir. This attribute may be partially due to its ability to produce biosurfactants, which assist microbial enhanced oil recovery by lowering interfacial tension at the oil-rock interface (data not shown).The complete genome sequence of B. cereus Q1 was determined by the whole-genome shotgun strategy. Draft assemblies were based on 55,790 high-quality reads. All libraries provided sixfold coverage of the genome. Gap closure was accomplished by primer walking on gap-spanning clones and direct sequencing of combinatorial PCR products. Open reading frame (ORF) predictions were obtained and annotation was performed as described previously (4). GenomeComp was used for genomic comparison with default parameters (5).The genome of B. cereus Q1 is composed of one circular chromosome of 5,214,195 bp and two circular plasmids (pBc239 [239,246 bp] and pBc53 [52,766 bp]) with mean G+C contents of 35.6, 33.5, and 35.1%, respectively. There are 5,657 predicted ORFs, 13 rRNA operons, and 94 tRNA genes for all 20 amino acids, covering 86% of the genome. Putative functions were assigned to 3,946 ORFs. Of the remainder, 1,561 showed similarity to hypothetical proteins and 140 had no detectable homologs in the public protein database (E value, <10⁻¹⁰). Twelve phage-related genes were identified, but no complete prophages were found. Whole-genome comparison showed that Q1 has extensive similarity to the genomes of other members of the B. cereus group and the greatest similarity to nonpathogenic strain B. cereus ATCC 10987 (5,224,283 bp).Genome analysis revealed that B. cereus Q1 contains several genes related to niche-specific adaptations. As a thermophilic bacterium, Q1 can easily adapt to geothermal oil reservoirs. Three thermophily-associated genes (BC1015, BC1017, and BC1018) found in Q1 have orthologs in Moorella thermoacetica ATCC 39073. The latter genes encode the structural maintenance of chromosome protein, exonuclease SbcC, and subunit A of DNA topoisomerase VI, respectively. The presence of the genes involved in the utilization of l-fucose (BC2995 to BC3006) and d-mannose (BC5091 to BC5094, BC5097 to BC5102, and BC5105 to BC5111) helps Q1 use these carbohydrates as carbon sources under glucose-limited conditions. Q1 also contains the nitrate utilization gene cluster (BC2100 to BC2123), including a typical narGHJI operon that encodes membrane-bound nitrate reductase. The nitrate utilization gene cluster might play an important role in helping the strain use nitrate as a nitrogen source and survive under anaerobic or oxygen-limited conditions. Moreover, we found an operon that encodes proteins responsible for producing a novel type of lantibiotic (2), which we designated cereicidin. All of the above-mentioned genes were not found in the other B. cereus group bacteria.One of the notable features of Q1 is its ability to produce biosurfactants. The dhb operon (dhbACEBF), which is involved in nonribosomal peptide synthesis and encodes the biosynthetic template for the catecholic siderophore in B. subtilis (1), was identified in Q1. Downstream of the operon, the sfp gene, which encodes phosphopantetheinyl transferase and is required for production of the lipopeptide antibiotic surfactin in B. subtilis (3), was found. No surfactin synthetase gene (srfAA, srfAB, or srfAC) was found, but the mbtH gene involved in mycobactin synthesis and a gene (BC2300) with an unknown function were found in the region between the dhb operon and the sfp gene. We therefore speculated that these three genes located downstream of the dhbF gene might belong to the dhb operon, which is involved in antibiotic-siderophore-surfactin biosynthesis.The B. cereus Q1 genome provides an excellent platform for the further improvement of this organism for biosurfactant production and extends our understanding of the evolutionary relationships among B. cereus group organisms.     

Complete Genome Sequence of Bacillus thuringiensis Serovar Sichuansis Strain MC28

Bacillus thuringiensis is an important microbial insecticide used in the control of agricultural pests. Here we report the finished, annotated genome sequence of Bacillus thuringiensis serovar Sichuansis strain MC28, which can form parasporal crystals consisting of Cry4Cc1, Cry30Fa1, Cry53Ab1, Cry54Aa1, Cry54Ab1, Cry68Aa1, Cry69Aa1, Cry69Aa2, Cry70Ba1, Cyt1Da1, and Cyt2Aa3. It is also highly toxic to lepidopterous and dipterous insects.