短柄草与麦类作物的比较基因组学研究进展

麦类作物是人类主要的食物来源,其遗传改良对于保障世界粮食生产具有重要作用。获得麦类作物的基因组和功能基因组信息是作物遗传育种学家解析种质资源高产及抗逆机理,并准确选择目标性状、实现分子设计育种目标的有效途径。目前,二穗短柄草（Brachypodium distachyum）是早熟禾亚科中唯一完成全基因组测序的植物。以二穗短柄草为模式植物,利用比较基因组学方法获得早熟禾亚科中基因组庞大而复杂的麦类作物的相关信息,必将加速麦类作物的遗传改良进程。本文重点介绍近十年来短柄草在麦类作物比较基因组学方面的研究进展。     

比较基因组学及其应用

比较基因组学是利用某些基因组图谱和测序获得的信息推测其他生物基因组的基因数目、位置、功能、表达机制和物种进化的学科。比较基因组学的发展与序列数据的积累密切相关,目前该学科已经成为研究生物基因组的最主要手段之一。利用FASTA、BLAST和CLUSTAL W等序列比对工具,种间的比较基因组学能够让人们了解物种间在基因组结构上的差异,发现基因的功能、物种的进化关系,以及进行功能基因的克隆。种内的比较基因组学研究主要涉及个体或群体基因组内诸如SNP、CNP等变异和多态现象。比较基因组学的研究结果不但有助于深入了解生命体的遗传机制,也有助于阐明人类复杂疾病的致病机制,揭示生命的本质规律。     

A Database of Potential Reading Frame Shifts in Coding Sequences from Different Eukaryotic Genomes

Biophysics - Abstract—A new data bank containing potential reading frame shifts was developed. A new mathematical method based on the use of the genetic algorithm and dynamic programming was...     

Comparative Mouse Genomics Centers Consortium: the Mouse Genotype Database

The Comparative Mouse Genomics Centers Consortium (CMGCC) is a branch of the Environmental Genome Project sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) focusing upon the identification of human single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that may confer disease susceptibility within the human population. The goal of the CMGCC (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/cmgcc/) is to make genetic mouse models for human SNPs within cell cycle control, DNA replication and DNA repair genes that may be associated with human pathologies. In order to facilitate information sharing and analysis within the consortium a set of informatics resources have been generated to support the mouse model development efforts. The primary entry point for information about the mouse models developed by the consortium is through the CMGCC Genotype Database (http://mrages.niehs.nih.gov/genotype/), which maintains both a consortium specific and public access display of the available and developing mouse models.     

Development of 5006 Full-Length CDNAs in Barley: A Tool for Accessing Cereal Genomics Resources

A collection of 5006 full-length (FL) cDNA sequences was developed in barley. Fifteen mRNA samples from various organs and treatments were pooled to develop a cDNA library using the CAP trapper method. More than 60% of the clones were confirmed to have complete coding sequences, based on comparison with rice amino acid and UniProt sequences. Blastn homologies (E<1E-5) to rice genes and Arabidopsis genes were 89 and 47%, respectively. Of the 5028 possible amino acid sequences derived from the 5006 FLcDNAs, 4032 (80.2%) were classified into 1678 GreenPhyl multigenic families. There were 555 cDNAs showing low homology to both rice and Arabidopsis. Gene ontology annotation by InterProScan indicated that many of these cDNAs (71%) have no known molecular functions and may be unique to barley. The cDNAs showed high homology to Barley 1 GeneChip oligo probes (81%) and the wheat gene index (84%). The high homology between FLcDNAs (27%) and mapped barley expressed sequence tag enabled assigning linkage map positions to 151–233 FLcDNAs on each of the seven barley chromosomes. These comprehensive barley FLcDNAs provide strong platform to connect pre-existing genomic and genetic resources and accelerate gene identification and genome analysis in barley and related species.Key words: full-length cDNA, Hordeum vulgare, mRNA, gene ontology     

Mitochondrial Genome Sequences and Comparative Genomics of Achlya hypogyna and Thraustotheca clavata

As a lineage, oomycetes have adapted to a wide range of lifestyles. Although the common ancestor of the group was likely a marine pathogen, extant members inhabit a spectrum from free‐living saprobes to obligate biotrophs. The mitochondrial genomes of Achlya hypogyna and Thraustotheca clavata were sequenced to directly compare a facultative parasitic species (A. hypogyna) to a closely related free living saprobe (T. clavata). Both sequenced mitochondrial genomes are circular, with sizes of 46,869 bp for A. hypogyna and 47,381 bp for T. clavata. They share 63 common genes, indicating little influence of lifestyle on gene content, but small differences in total number and order of genes. Achlya hypogyna has a single copy of nad2, whereas T. clavata has one pseudogene (rps7) and two duplicated genes (nad5 and nad2), each with one full and one truncated copy. The genomes encode a total of 29 or 30 tRNAs (A. hypogyna and T. clavata, respectively) for 19 amino acids. Three unidentified open reading frames are conserved, and one is unique to T. clavata. Comparisons of these genomes with published sequences of the closely related Saprolegnia ferax mitochondrial genome, and four other more distantly related oomycetes, reveals no correlation in genome content or architecture with lifestyle.     

Microbial NAD Metabolism: Lessons from Comparative Genomics

Summary: NAD is a coenzyme for redox reactions and a substrate of NAD-consuming enzymes, including ADP-ribose transferases, Sir2-related protein lysine deacetylases, and bacterial DNA ligases. Microorganisms that synthesize NAD from as few as one to as many as five of the six identified biosynthetic precursors have been identified. De novo NAD synthesis from aspartate or tryptophan is neither universal nor strictly aerobic. Salvage NAD synthesis from nicotinamide, nicotinic acid, nicotinamide riboside, and nicotinic acid riboside occurs via modules of different genes. Nicotinamide salvage genes nadV and pncA, found in distinct bacteria, appear to have spread throughout the tree of life via horizontal gene transfer. Biochemical, genetic, and genomic analyses have advanced to the point at which the precursors and pathways utilized by a microorganism can be predicted. Challenges remain in dissecting regulation of pathways.     

Phylogenetic Analysis of Leymus (Poaceae: Triticeae) Inferred from Nuclear rDNA ITS Sequences

To investigate the phylogenetic relationships of polyploid Leymus (Poaceae: Triticeae), sequences of the nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) were analyzed for 34 Leymus accessions representing 25 species, together with three Psathyrostachys species (Ns genome), two Pseudoroegneria (St genome) species, Lophopyrum elongatum (E(e) genome), and Thinopyrum bessarabicum (E(b) genome). The phylogenetic analyses (maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference) supported two major clades, one including 21 Leymus species and three Psathyrostachys species, the other with nine Leymus species and four diploid species. The ITS RNA secondary structure of the Leymus species was compared with that of their putative diploid donor. It is suggested that (1) the species from the same areas or neighboring geographic regions are closely related to each other; (2) L. coreanus, L. duthiei, L. duthiei var. longearistatus, and L. komarovii are closely related to other Leymus species, and it is reasonable to transfer these species from the genus Hystrix to Leymus; (3) the ITS sequences of Leymus are evolutionarily distinct; (4) the different Leymus species and different distribution of a species derived their Ns genome from different Psathyrostachys species; and (5) there is a close relationship among Leymus, Pseudoroegneria, Lophopyrum, and Thinopyrum, but it is difficult to presume that the St, E(e), and E(b) genome may be the Xm genome donor of the Leymus species.     

dbCNS: A New Database for Conserved Noncoding Sequences

We developed dbCNS (http://yamasati.nig.ac.jp/dbcns), a new database for conserved noncoding sequences (CNSs). CNSs exist in many eukaryotes and are assumed to be involved in protein expression control. Version 1 of dbCNS, introduced here, includes a powerful and precise CNS identification pipeline for multiple vertebrate genomes. Mutations in CNSs may induce morphological changes and cause genetic diseases. For this reason, many vertebrate CNSs have been identified, with special reference to primate genomes. We integrated ∼6.9 million CNSs from many vertebrate genomes into dbCNS, which allows users to extract CNSs near genes of interest using keyword searches. In addition to CNSs, dbCNS contains published genome sequences of 161 species. With purposeful taxonomic sampling of genomes, users can employ CNSs as queries to reconstruct CNS alignments and phylogenetic trees, to evaluate CNS modifications, acquisitions, and losses, and to roughly identify species with CNSs having accelerated substitution rates. dbCNS also produces links to dbSNP for searching pathogenic single-nucleotide polymorphisms in human CNSs. Thus, dbCNS connects morphological changes with genetic diseases. A test analysis using 38 gnathostome genomes was accomplished within 30 s. dbCNS results can evaluate CNSs identified by other stand-alone programs using genome-scale data.     

Stretch Coding and Block Coding: Two New Strategies to Represent Questionably Aligned DNA Sequences

Most coding strategies that address the problem of questionable alignment (elision, case sensitive, missing, polymorphic, gaps as presence/absence matrix) conflict with phylogenetic principles, particularly those relating to the concept of homology (shared similiarity explained by common ancestry). In some cases, the test of conjunction is failed. In other cases, characters that are coded ambiguously can lead to character-state optimization in the terminal taxa that conflicts with the original observations. Only data exclusion and contraction avoid these pitfalls. In highly dissimilar sequences additional character states can represent the available information. Two new methods that accomplish this—block and stretch coding—are introduced here. These two new coding strategies are not in conflict with the test of conjunction and do not contradict the original observations. They are comparable to coding practices with morphological data once the intrinsic differences due to character-state identity and topographical identity have been taken into account. It is suggested that, of the three recoding methods, the one is selected that preserves the maximum potential phylogenetic information as measured with the minimum number of steps required for the particular part of the data matrix. Received: 1 August 2000 / Accepted: 10 July 2001     

基于比较基因组学的玉米ESTs定位方法

描述了以水稻基因组数据和玉米与水稻的比较遗传图谱为桥梁,基于水稻和玉米间存在的标记和序列水平上的广泛的共线性,对大量的玉米ESTs初步定位于玉米连锁群上新方法,为对ESTs开展进一步的基因组学研究和基因克隆提供参考信息。对139条玉米ESTs的定位发现,96条玉米ESTs（69%）可在水稻基因组中找到同源序列,77条ESTs（55%）可使用该策略进行定位,证实了该方法的可行性和有效性。      

Whole-Genome Sequences and Comparative Genomics of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhi Isolates from Patients with Fatal and Nonfatal Typhoid Fever in Papua New Guinea

Many of the developing countries of the Southeast Asian region are significantly affected by endemic typhoid fever, possibly as a result of marginal living standards. It is an important public health problem in countries such as Papua New Guinea, which is geographically close to some of the foci of endemicity in Asia. The severity of the disease varies in different regions, and this may be attributable to genetic diversity among the native strains. Genome sequence data on strains from different countries are needed to clearly understand their genetic makeup and virulence potential. We describe the genomes of two Salmonella Typhi isolates from patients with fatal and nonfatal cases of typhoid fever in Papua New Guinea. We discuss in brief the underlying sequencing methodology, assembly, genome statistics, and important features of the two draft genomes, which form an essential step in our functional molecular infection epidemiology program centering on typhoid fever. The comparative genomics of these and other isolates would enable us to identify genetic rearrangements and mechanisms responsible for endemicity and the differential severity of pathogenic salmonellae in Papua New Guinea and elsewhere.