Characteristics of palindromic sequences in DNA of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius

Some properties of the palindromic sequences in the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius nuclear DNA have been studied. It was shown that the amount of "foldback HAP bound DNA" and the S1 nuclease resistant DNA depends on renaturation temperature and Na+ concentration in solution. The authentic fraction of inverted repeats comprises 10-15% of the total DNA. The complexity of the palindromic fraction is approximately 8,2 X 10(7) nucleotide pairs and the average number of inverted repeats approximates 5 X 10(5) per haploid genome. The renaturation kinetics of inverted repeats with excess of total homologous DNA indicates that these sequences are enriched with unique DNA. The possible function of palindromic sequences is discussed.     

Characterization of the genome of the free-living nematode Panagrellus silusiae: absence of short period interspersion.

The complexity of the DNA of the free-living nematode Panagrellus silusiae has been examined. Reassociation kinetics of pressure-sheared fragments (approximately 290 nucleotides) in 0.18 M Na+ at 60 degrees C showed the presence of foldback, repetitive, and unique DNA sequence elements. The three classes comprise 9.3%, 26.1%, and 61.3% of the total DNA, respectively. The mean length of the foldback duplex DNA after digestion with S1 nuclease is about 185 nucleotides. There are about 1.8 x10(4) inverted repeats per genome. Sequence arrangement was deduced from (1) renaturation kinetic profiles of long and short fragments on hydroxylapatite; (2) the pattern of renaturation of tracer DNA, labeled in vitro with 125I, of various sizes after incubation with excess short fragments; and (3) thermal denaturation behavior of DNA that had been reassociated to various C0t values. It was found that DNA fragments of the repetitive fraction that are, at least, 2000 nucleotides in length are virtually free of unique sequences. Moreover, it is estimated that the repeated segments in this species could extend for 10,000 nucleotide pairs. Thus, Panagrellus DNA lacks the pattern of extensive short period interspersion that is typified by the DNA of Xenopus.     

Characterization of the nuclear genome of pearl millet.

The nuclear genome of pearl millet has been characterized with respect to its size, buoyant density in CsCl equilibrium density gradients, melting temperature, reassociation kinetics and sequence organization. The genome size is 0.22 pg. The mol percent G + C of the DNA is calculated from the buoyant density and the melting temperature to be 44.9 and 49.7%, respectively. The reassociation kinetics of fragments of DNA 300 nucleotides long reveals three components: a rapidly renaturing fraction composed of highly repeated and/or foldback DNA, middle repetitive DNA and single copy DNA. The single copy DNA consists of 17% of the genome. 80% of the repetitive sequences are at least 5000 nucleotide pairs in length. Thermal denaturation profiles of the repetitive DNA sequences show high Tm values implying a high degree of sequence homogeneity. About half of the single copy DNA is short (750--1400 nucleotide paris) and interspersed with long repetitive DNA sequences. The remainder of the single copy sequences vary in size from 1400 to 8600 nucleotide pairs.     

Sequence organisation in nuclear DNA from Physarum polycephalum. Arrangement of highly-repeated sequences

Recombinant plasmids containing highly repetitive Physarum DNA segments were identified by colony hybridisation using a radioactively-labelled total Physarum DNA probe. A large number of these clones also hybridised to a foldback DNA probe purified from Physarum nuclear DNA. The foldback DNA probe was characterised by reassociation kinetic analysis. About one-half of this component was shown to consist of highly repeated sequences with a kinetic complexity of 1100 bp and an average repetition frequency of 5200. Direct screening of 67 recombinant plasmids for foldback sequences using the electron microscope revealed that about one-half were located in segments of DNA containing highly repetitive sequences; the remainder were present in clones containing low-copy number repeated elements. Analysis of two DNA clones showed that they contained repetitive elements located in over half of all DNA segments containing highly repetitive DNA and that the foci containing these highly repetitive sequences had different sequence arrangements. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the most highly repeated DNA sequence families in the Physarum genome are few in number and are clustered together in different arrangements in about one-sixth of the genome. Over one-half of the foldback DNA complement in the Physarum genome is derived from these segments of DNA.     

Nucleotide sequence organization in the very small genome of a tetraodontid fish, Arothron diadematus

We have investigated the sequence organization of the very small genome (DNA content/haploid cell c = 0.4-0.5 pg) of a tetraodontid fish, Arotron diadematus, by using two main experimental approaches. The first one, renaturation kinetics, showed that slowly reassociating, intermediate, fast and foldback sequences represented 87%, 7%, 5% and 1%, respectively, of A. diadematus DNA, which is, so far, the vertebrate DNA lowest in repeated sequences. The second approach, centrifugation in Cs2SO4/BAMD density gradients [BAMD = bis(acetatomercurimethyl)dioxane], showed that A. diadematus DNA can be resolved into several components, characterized by buoyant densities of 1.700, 1.704(5), 1.708, 1.702 and 1.723 g/cm3, and representing 15%, 73%, 4%, 4% and 2.5%, respectively, of total DNA. The last component comprised a satellite DNA and ribosomal DNA. A family of interspersed repeats, possibly related to the AluI family of warm-blooded vertebrates, showed an extremely specific genomic distribution, being present in only the 1.708 g/cm3 component, which it matched in base composition.     

DNA sequence repetition in the genome of the American oyster.

The genome of Crassostrea virignica, the American oyster, has been studied by reassociation kinetics in order to construct a profile of DNA sequence frequency components. Oyster DNA has been shown to contain at least 51% single copy DNA sequences and two classes of middle repetitive DNA. The major repetitive class contains sequences which are repeated on the average 20 times and comprise 29% of oyster DNA. The other class represents 10% of oyster DNA and contains sequences repeated approx. 3000 times. In addition the DNA of oyster contains at least 1% foldback sequences. The spectrum of DNA repetition components in the American oyster is similar to that found in the genomes of other mollusks.     

Sequence organisation in nuclear DNA from Physarum polycephalum: Arrangement of highly-repeated sequences

Recombinant plasmids containing highly repetitive Physarum DNA segments were identified by colony hybridisation using a radioactively-labelled total Physarum DNA probe. A large number of these clones also hybridised to a foldback DNA probe purified from Physarum nuclear DNA. The foldback DNA probe was characterised by reassociation kinetic analysis. About one-half of this component was shown to consist of highly repeated sequences with a kinetic complexity of 1100 bp and an average repetition frequency of 5200. Direct screening of 67 recombinant plasmids for foldback sequences using the electron microscope revealed that about one-half were located in segments of DNA containing highly repetitive sequences; the remainder were present in clones containing low-copy number repeated elements. Analysis of two DNA clones showed that they contained repetitive elements located in over half of all DNA segments containing highly repetitive DNA and that the foci containing these highly repetitive sequences had different sequence arrangements. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the most highly repeated DNA sequence families in the Physarum genome are few in number and are clustered together in different arrangements in about one-sixth of the genome. Over one-half of the foldback DNA complement in the Physarum genome is derived from these segments of DNA.     

A critical examination of possible fractionations of human DNA according to base composition.

Human DNA has been fractionated according to base composition by sedimentation equilibrium in an HgCl2/Cs2SO4 density gradient, followed by sedimentation equilibrium in an actinomycin/cesium formate density gradient. The fractions of different base composition resulting from this procedure were subsequently analyzed by sedimentation equilibrium in CsCl, DNA renaturation kinetics, and electron microscopy. All fractions contain similar kinetic classes of repeated DNA sequences as judged by renaturation studies. Short (300 nucleotides) interspersed repeated sequences are found in all fractions with no noticeable enrichment for these sequences in any fraction. Repeated sequences from fractions of different base composition are partially able to cross-hybridize, demonstrating that nearly identical repeated sequences occur in molecules of different base composition. These findings are critically compared to reports of successful density gradient fractionations of different human DNA sequence classes.     

Maize DNA enrichment by representational difference analysis in a maize chromosome addition line of oat

 The recent recovery of maize (Zea mays L.) single-chromosome addition lines of oat (Avena sativa L.) from oat x maize crosses has provided novel source materials for the potential isolation of maize chromosome-specific sequences for use in genetic mapping and gene cloning. We report here the application of a technique, known as representational difference analysis (RDA), to selectively isolate maize sequences from a maize chromosome-3 addition line of oat. DNA fragments from the addition line and from the oat parent were prepared using BamHI digestion and primer ligation followed by PCR amplification. A subtractive hybridization technique using an excess of the oat parental DNA was employed to reduce the availability for amplification of DNA fragments from the addition lines that were in common with the ones from the oat parental line. After three rounds of hybridization and amplification, the resulting DNA fragments were cloned into a plasmid vector. A DNA library containing 400 clones was constructed by this method. In a test of 18 clones selected at random from this library, four (22%) detected maize-specific repetitive DNA sequences and nine (50%) showed strong hybridization to genomic DNA of maize but weak hybridization to genomic DNA of oat. Among these latter nine clones, three detected low-copy DNA sequences and two of them detected DNA sequences specific to chromosome 3 of maize, the chromosome retained in the source maize addition line of oat. The other eight out of the 13 clones that had strong hybridization to maize DNA detected repetitive DNA sequences or high-copy number sequences present on most or all maize chromosomes. We estimate that the maize DNA sequences were enriched from about 1.8% to over 72% of the total DNA by this procedure. Most of the isolated DNA fragments detected multiple or repeated DNA sequences in maize, indicating that the major part of the maize genome consists of repetitive DNA sequences that do not cross-hybridize to oat genomic sequences. Received: 18 November 1997 / Accepted: 12 March 1998     

Sequence organization of the rat genome by electron microscopy.

The size and arrangement of repetitive and inverted repeat (foldback) sequences in rat DNA were studied by visualization of hybrid and heteroduplex structures in the electron microscope. The self-reassociation of repetitive sequence-bearing DNA strands often results in the formation of four-ended "H" structures, whose duplex regions equal the repetitive sequence length and can be measured in the electron microscope. In this way, it was determined that the average size of the class of numerous short repetitive sequences is 0.40 +/- 0.15 kbp. Heteroduplex structures were prepared between long whole DNA single strands and short repeat-sequence-bearing strands. The analysis of these structures confirms that the size of the repetitive sequences in 0.4 kbp on average. Length measurements between adjacent duplexes show that the average spacing between two interspersed repeats is at least 1.5-1.8 kbp. By examining 29.4-kbp single strands after brief renaturation, the size and distribution of foldback sequences were determined. There are 1.9 X 10(5) foldback apirs per rat genome, spaced an average of 9.7 kbp apart according to our measurement. Repetitive, inverted repeat and unique sequences are interspersed with each other in at least half the genome.     

An electron microscopic study of mouse foldback DNA.

Foldback DNA is defined by its rapid, concentration-independent renaturation, consistent with intramolecular base pairing of inverted repeat sequences. Foldback DNA, isolated from renatured mouse main band DNA by hydroxyapatite chromatography, is spread for electron microscopy by the formamide isodenaturing technique. A large fraction of the molecules can be recognized as intramolecular "hairpins"--structures in which complementary sequences on a single DNA strand form base-paired "stem" regions analogous to tRNA stems. The stem regions of the hairpins have a wide distribution of lengths, averaging about 1000 base pairs. About 60% of the stem regions terminate in single-stranded loops, ranging from 400 to many thousands of nucleotides in length, while 40% of the hairpins do not have discernible loops. There are about 40,000 hairpin-forming sequences in the main band portion of the mouse haploid genome. They appear to be either clustered in groups or confined to about one third of the DNA, rather than uniformly or randomly distributed. Another large fraction of the molecules seen in foldback DNA consists of linear structures, some of which are probably also hairpins. The electron microscopic results, along with simple theoretical considerations, make possible a better interpretation of our previous studies of the yield and S1 nuclease resistance of mouse foldback DNA.     

Characterization of inverted repeated sequences in Ascaris nuclear DNA

The inverted repeated sequences of the chromatin-eliminating nematode Ascaris lumbricoides var. suum have been examined by electron microscopy and by hydroxyapatite chromatography, both in the germ-line and in the somatic DNA. 38% of the inverted repeats of the germ-line DNA analysed in the electron microscope have a single-stranded loop, in comparison to about 50% of looped structures in the somatic DNA. The loops are on average 2.3 X 10(3) base pairs (bp) long. The rest of the foldback DNA consists of simple hairpins. The average length of looped and unlooped inverted repeats is of the order of 300-400 bp in the germ-line and in the somatic DNA. The content of S1-resistant foldback duplexes isolated by hydroxyapatite chromatography amounts to 1.3% in spermatids, with an average length of 350 bp, and to 1.1% in intestinal or larval cell nuclei, with a length of about 320 bp. We estimate by two different methods that there exist approximately 12500 inverted repeats per haploid germ-line genome and approximately 8000 in the haploid somatic genome. A statistical analysis of the data indicates that the great majority of the foldback sequences are randomly distributed in the Ascaris genome, with a spacing of about (40-80) X 10(3) bp, both in the germ-line and in the somatic DNA.     

Characterization of inverted repeated sequences in wheat nuclear DNA.

The properties of inverted repeated sequences in wheat nuclear DNA have been studied by HAP(1) chromatography, nuclease S1 digestion and electron microscopy. Inverted repeated sequences comprise 1.7% of wheat genome. The HAP studies show that the amount of "foldback HAP bound DNA" depends on DNA length. Inverted repeats appear to be clustered with an average intercluster distance of 25 kb. It is estimated that there are approximately 3 x 10(6) inverted repeats per haploid wheat genome. The sequences around inverted repeats involve all families of repetition frequencies. Inverted repeats are observed as hairpins in electron microscopy. 20% of hairpins are terminated by a single-stranded spacer ranging from 0.3 to 1.5 kb in length. Duplex regions of the inverted repeats range from 0.1 to 0.45 kb with number average values of 0.24 kb and 0.18 kb for unlooped and looped hairpin respectively. Thermal denaturations and nuclease S1 digestions have revealed a length of about 100 bases for duplex regions. The methods used to study inverted repeated sequences are compared and discussed.     

Kinetic determination of the genome size of the pea

Renaturation of pea (Pisum sativum) DNA has been used to estimate the size of the pea genome and the fraction of pea DNA containing repeated DNA sequences. Pea DNA renaturation and single copy tracer renaturation indicate that the size of the pea genome is 0.5 picograms. More than 70% of pea DNA sequences are repeated from 100 to 5,000 times.     

Sequence organization in nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid from Physarum polycephalum. Physical properties of foldback sequences.

An investigation was performed with the use of physical techniques, to determine the nature and organization of inverted repeat sequences in nuclear DNA fragments from Physarum polycephalum. From the average size of foldback duplexes (550 nucleotide pairs), and the foldback duplex yield as determined by treatment of DNA with S1 deoxyribonuclease followed by hydroxyapatite chromatography, it is estimated that there are at least 25000 foldback sequences in the Physarum genome. Foldback DNA molecules exhibit properties intermediate between single-stranded DNA and native duplexes on elution from hydroxyapatite with a salt gradient. In addition, thermal-elution chromatography of foldback DNA from hydroxyapatite crystals shows that foldback duplexes are less stable than native DNA. These properties can be explained on the basis that inverted repeat sequences are mismatched when in the foldback configuration. The results of experiments in which the binding of foldback DNA molecules to hydroxyapatite was determined, by using fragments of different single-chain size, agree with previous studies indicating that inverted repeat sequences are located, on average, every 7000 residues throughout the Physarum genome. The inverted repeats are derived from both the repetitive and single-copy components in Physarum nuclear DNA.     

Evaluating Quantitative Variation in the Genome of ZEA MAYS

Genomic diversity within the species Zea mays has been examined by measuring the variation in the repetitive component of the nuclear genome among North American inbred lines and varieties. This was done by preparing a set of clones of repetitive maize sequences that differ in function, molecular arrangement and multiplicity and then using these as probes for quantitative hybridization to DNA from various maize genotypes. The comparison showed that the majority of repeated sequences are markedly variable in copy number among the ten maize strains tested.The clone sample contained the rDNA and 5S genes, the major repeat of the chromosome knobs, sequences functioning as origins of DNA replication in yeast (ARS sequences) and randomly cloned sequences of unknown function and chromosomal location. The sequences ranged in reiteration frequency from 200 to greater than 10(5) copies and included both tandemly arrayed and dispersed repeats. The copy numbers were measured by hybridizing labeled cloned sequences to aliquots of high molecular weight genomic DNA that were applied to nitrocellulose filters through a slotted template (slot blotting). The hybridization signal on an autoradiogram occurred in a narrow band that could be scored reliably with a densitometer. This provided a rapid method of determining the abundance of particular repeated sequences in individual plants and plant populations. Using this technique, we found that the copy number of repeated sequences of all types generally varied among the strains by two- to threefold, although at least one sequence showed no detectable variation. In contrast to the variability found between strains, individuals within an inbred line or variety were found to be indistinguishable in terms of specific sequence multiplicity. Each genotype has a different pattern of copy numbers for the set of repeated sequence clones, and this pattern is characteristic of all individuals of a particular genotype. The data also show that the copy number of each sequence varies independently. No strains had uniformly high or low copy numbers for the entire set of probes.     

Size and complexity of the nuclear genome of Colletotrichum graminicola.

DNA reassociation was used to estimate GC content, size, and complexity of the nuclear genomes of Colletotrichum from maize and sorghum. Melting-temperature analysis indicated that the GC content of the maize pathotype DNA was 51% and that the GC content of the sorghum pathotype was 52%. DNA reassociation kinetics employing S1 nuclease digestion and an appropriately modified second-order equation indicated that the genome sizes of the maize and sorghum pathotypes were 4.8 x 10(7) bp, and 5.0 x 10(7) bp, respectively. Genomic reconstruction experiments based on Southern blot hybridization between a cloned single-copy gene, PYR1 (orotate phosphoribosyl transferase), and maize-pathotype DNA confirmed the size of the nuclear genome. The single-copy component of the genomes of both pathotypes was estimated at about 90%. For both pathotypes, ca. 7% of the genome represented repetitive DNA, and 2 to 3% was foldback DNA.     

Nuclear DNA changes within Helianthus annuus L.: cytophotometric,karyological and biochemical analyses

Summary Cytophotometric measurement of the root meristems of seedlings after Feulgen-staining reveals that large differences (up to 58.16%) in nuclear DNA content may occur in the thirty-one cultivated varieties or lines of Helianthus annuus tested. Significant variations (not exceeding 25%) in the amount of DNA, which does not differ between the root and the shoot meristems of a single seedling, are also found to exist within cultivars or lines; even seedlings obtained from seeds collected from different portions of single heads of plants belonging to a selfed line may vary one from the other in this respect. Variations in the number of chromosomes or alterations in the chromosome structure do not account for the differences observed in nuclear DNA content. Karyometric analyses demonstrate that the surface area of squashed interphase nuclei and metaphase chromosomes and the total length of the latter increase with the increase in Feulgen/DNA absorption. DNA thermal denaturation and reassociation kinetics indicate that a frequency variation in repeated DNA sequences goes hand in hand with changes in the size of the genome. These results, supporting the concept that a plant genome is highly flexible, are discussed in relation to other data to be found in the literature on the intraspecific variation in the nuclear DNA content and in relation to the way in which it is produced in H. annuus.     

DNA sequence organization in the mollusc Aplysia californica.

The sequence organization of the DNA of the mollusc Aplysia californica has been examined by a combination of techniques. Close-spaced interspersion of repetitive and single copy sequences occurs throughout the majority of the genome. Detailed examination of the DNA of this protostome reveals great similarities to the pattern observed in the two deuterostome organisms previously examined in detail in this laboratory, Xenopus laevis and Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Labeled and unlabeled Aplysia DNA were prepared from developing embryos and sheared to a fragment length of 400 nucleotides. The kinetics of reassociation were studied by means of hydroxyapatite chromatography, single-strand-specific S1 nuclease, and optical methods of assay. Aplysia DNA of this fragment length contains at least five resolvable kinetic fractions. One classification of these fractions, listed with their reassociation rate constants (l M-1 sec-1) is: single copy (0.00057), slow (0.047), fast (2.58), very fast (4000), and foldback (greater than 10(5)). Sequence arrangement was deduced from: the kinetics of reassociation of DNA fragments of length 400 or 2000 nucleotides; the hyperchromicity of reassociated fragments containing duplex regions; the size of duplex regions resistant to S1 nuclease; and the reassociation of labeled fragments of various lengths with short driver fragments. More than 80% of the single copy DNA sequences are interspersed with repetitive sequences. The maximum spacing of the repeats is about 2000 nucleotides, and the average less than 1000. The very fast fraction does not show interspersion with single copy sequences or with other kinetic fractions. The foldback fraction sequences are fairly widely interspersed. The slow fraction sequences are interspersed with the fast fraction, and possibly also with the single copy DNA. The fast fraction is the dominant interspersed repetitive fraction. Its sequences are adjacent to the great majority of the single copy sequences and have an average length of about 300 nucleotides.     

Genomic organization of two families of highly repeated nuclear DNA sequences of maize selected for autonomous replicating activity in yeast

Maize nuclear DNA sequences capable of promoting the autonomous replication of plasmids in yeast were isolated by ligating Eco RI-digested fragments into yeast vectors unable to replicate autonomously. Three such autonomously replicating sequences (ARS), representing two families of highly repeated sequences within the maize genome, were isolated and characterized. Each repetitive family shows hybridization patterns on a Southern blot characteristic of a dispersed sequence. Unlike most repetitive sequences in maize, both ARS families have a constant copy number and characteristic genomic hybridization pattern in the inbred lines examined. Larger genome clones with sequence homology to the ARS-containing elements were selected from a lambda library of maize genomic DNA. There was typically only one copy of an ARS-homologous sequence on each 12–15 kb genomic fragment.