Comparative genomic analysis of Lactobacillus mucosae LM1 identifies potential niche-specific genes and pathways for gastrointestinal adaptation

Lactobacillus mucosae is currently of interest as putative probiotics due to their metabolic capabilities and ability to colonize host mucosal niches. L. mucosae LM1 has been studied in its functions in cell adhesion and pathogen inhibition, etc. It demonstrated unique abilities to use energy from carbohydrate and non-carbohydrate sources. Due to these functions, we report the first complete genome sequence of an L. mucosae strain, L. mucosae LM1. Analysis of the pan-genome in comparison with closely-related Lactobacillus species identified a complete glycogen metabolism pathway, as well as folate biosynthesis, complementing previous proteomic data on the LM1 strain. It also revealed common and unique niche-adaptation genes among the various L. mucosae strains. The aim of this study was to derive genomic information that would reveal the probable mechanisms underlying the probiotic effect of L. mucosae LM1, and provide a better understanding of the nature of L. mucosae sp.     

Arabidopsis genomic information for interpreting wheat EST sequences

The resources available from Arabidopsis thaliana for interpreting functional attributes of wheat EST are reviewed. A focus for the review is a comparison between wheat EST sequences, generated from developing endosperm tissue, and the complete genomic sequence from Arabidopsis. The available information indicates that not only can tentative annotations be assigned to many wheat genes but also putative or unknown Arabidopsis gene annotations can be improved by comparative genomics. Electronic Publication     

Genetic analyses of reddish-brown polyoxin-resistant mutants of Bipolaris maydis

In the southern corn blight fungus, Bipolaris maydis, five polyoxin-resistance genes (Pol1 to Pol5) have been reported. Pol2 and Pol5 are pleiotropic for not only polyoxin resistance but also reddish brown colonies. Here, we used a comparative genomics approach to identify Pol2 and Pol5 at a molecular genetics level. Our analysis revealed that nucleotide sequence variations in the genes for hydroxymethylbilane synthase (HMBS) and ferrochelatase (FECH) were linked to the phenotypes of Pol2 and Pol5, respectively. Further variations in the nucleotide sequences of these genes were also found in other strains of Pol2 and Pol5. Complementation tests with the wild type genes confirmed that these mutations at Hmbs and Fech were responsible for the polyoxin resistance in the Pol2 and Pol5 mutants. The deletion mutants of these genes (ΔHMBS and ΔFECH) were conditionally lethal without exogenous heme. The heme contents of Pol2 and Pol5 mutants were lower than that in the wild type, suggesting that the mutations in hmbs and fech reduced the functions of HMBS and FECH, although neither was completely inactivated. These results suggested Pol2 and Pol5 encode HMBS and FECH, members of enzymes in the heme-biosynthetic pathway of this fungus.     

Inventory of the cichlid olfactory receptor gene repertoires: identification of olfactory genes with more than one coding exon

Background

To help understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the remarkable phenotypic diversity displayed by cichlids, the genome sequences of O. niloticus, P. nyererei, H. burtoni, N. brichardi and M. zebra were recently determined. Here, we present the contents of the olfactory receptor (OR) repertoires in the genomes of these five fishes.

Results

We performed an exhaustive TBLASTN search of the five cichlid genomes to identify their OR repertoires as completely as possible. We used as bait a set of ORs described in the literature. The cichlid repertoires thereby extracted contained large numbers of complete genes (O. niloticus 158; H. burtoni 90; M. zebra 102; N. brichardi 69; P. nyererei 88), a small numbers of pseudogenes and many “edge genes” corresponding to incomplete genes located at the ends of contigs. A phylogenetic tree was constructed and showed these repertoires include a large number of families and subfamilies. It also allowed the identification of a large number of OR analogues between cichlids with very high amino-acid identity (≥99%). Nearly 9% of the full-length cichlid OR genes are composed of several coding exons. This is very unusual for vertebrate OR genes. Nevertheless, the evidence is strong, and includes the donor and acceptor splice junction sequences; also, the positions of these genes in the phylogenetic tree indicate that they constitute subfamilies well apart from non-OR G protein-coupled receptor families.

Conclusions

Cichlid OR repertoires are made up of a larger number of genes and fewer pseudogenes than those in other teleosts except zebrafish. These ORs share all identified properties common to all fish ORs; however, the large number of families and subfamilies, each containing few ORs implies that they have evolved more rapidly. This high level of OR diversity is consistent with the substantial phenotypic diversity that characterizes cichlids.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-586) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

细菌比较基因组学和进化基因组学

通过比较不同细菌基因组间差异性与相似性,进而深入研究其分子机理,最终与其表型特征联系起来,是为比较基因组学;不同细菌经过长期进化,其基因组在结构与功能上存在着明显的分化,并构成表型进化的遗传基础,大量细菌全基因组测序的完成,细菌进化基因组学应运而生;以比较基因组学为研究手段,细菌进化基因组学可从基因组水平深入认识物种分化、生境适应、毒力进化、耐药性产生蔓延等表型进化过程。     

灵长类比较基因组学的研究进展

随着人类和黑猩猩全基因组测序工作宣布完成,以及其他灵长类基因组测序工作的逐步开展,目前已经积累了大量的灵长类基因组数据,一个崭新的研究领域——灵长类比较基因组学应运而生。该文主要通过对人类和其他非人灵长类系统关系和基因组结构的比较,从系统进化、基因组结构和基因表达调控等方面评述该领域的研究进展,阐述人类、黑猩猩与其他非人灵长类之间的主要生物学差异,揭示人类进化的生物学机制。     

Interspecific Chromosome-Wide Transcription Profiles Reveal the Existence of Mammalian-Specific and Species-Specific Chromosome Domains

A long-range exploration of expression levels through wide chromosome territories was carried out in three species (pig, cattle, and chicken) by aligning EST counts against the human genome. This strategy made it possible to produce expression profiles that were very similar between pig and cattle and that were significantly correlated with chicken levels of expression. In parallel with these alignments, we developed a statistical approach enabling us to screen genomic regions for both underexpression and overexpression at the chromosome level within a given species, as well as interspecifically. The observed correlations are indicative of the existence of interspecifically conserved domains of gene expression, not only for housekeeping genes (which are highly expressed), but also for regions where genes are significantly underexpressed. Furthermore, our strategy made it possible to point out regions that are differentially regulated between species. These expression data were crossed with available comparative mapping information for pigs and cattle, suggesting that coregulated regions are syntenic in various mammals.     

Transposable elements,genes and recombination in a 215-kb contig from wheat chromosome 5A(m)

Sequencing of a contiguous 215-kb interval of Triticum monococcum showed the presence of five genes in the same order as in previously sequenced colinear barley and rice BACs. Gene 2 was in the same orientation in wheat and rice but inverted in barley. Gene density in this region was 1 gene per 43 kb and the ratio of physical to genetic distance was estimated to be 2,700 kb cM^–1. Twenty more-or-less intact retrotransposons were found in the intergenic regions, covering at least 70% of the sequenced region. The insertion times of 11 retrotransposons were less than 5 million years ago and were consistent with their nested structure. Five new families of retroelements and the first full-length elements for two additional retrotransposon families were discovered in this region. Significantly higher values of GC content were observed for Triticeae BACs compared with rice BACs. Relative enrichment or depletion of certain dinucleotides was observed in the comparison of introns, exons and retrotransposons. A higher proportion of transitions in CG and CNG sites that are targets for cytosine methylation was observed in retrotransposons (76%) than in introns (37%). These results showed that the wheat genome is a complex mixture of different sequence elements, but with general patterns of content and interspersion that are similar to those seen in maize and barley. Electronic Publication     

乳酸菌基因组学研究进展

乳酸菌广泛应用于食品发酵工业中,其中有些菌种是重要的益生菌。目前,对乳酸菌的研究已从最初的形态学研究进入到了分子水平的研究。乳酸菌全基因组测序研究已在全球展开。乳酸菌基因组研究有助于揭示乳酸菌的遗传和代谢机制,加速重要益生功能基因的挖掘,同时为乳酸菌的应用提供众多可能性。本文就乳酸菌基因组研究的概况、重要乳酸菌基因组、乳酸菌的功能基因组以及比较基因组进行了综述。     

Identification and characterization of cichlid TAAR genes and comparison with other teleost TAAR repertoires

Background

TAARs (trace amine-associated receptors) are among the principal receptors expressed by the olfactory epithelium. We used the recent BROAD Institute release of the genome sequences of five representative fishes of the cichlid family to establish the complete TAAR repertoires of these species and to compare them with five other fish TAAR repertoires.

Results

The genome sequences of O. niloticus, P. nyererei, H. burtoni, N. brichardi and M. zebra were analyzed by exhaustive TBLASTN searches with a set of published TAAR gene sequences used as positive bait. A second TBLASTN analysis was then performed on the candidate genes, with a set of non-TAAR class A GPCR (G protein-coupled receptors) used as negative bait. The resulting cichlid repertoire contained 44 complete TAAR genes from O. niloticus, 18 from P. nyererei, 23 from H. burtoni, 12 from N. brichardi and 20 from M. zebra, plus a number of pseudogenes, edge genes and fragments. A large proportion of these sequences (80%) consisted of two coding exons, separated in all but two cases by an intron in the interloop 1 coding sequence. We constructed phylogenetic trees. These trees indicated that TAARs constitute a distinct clade, well separated from ORs (olfactory receptors) and other class A GPCRs. Also these repertoires consist of several families and subfamilies, a number of which are common to fugu, tetraodon, stickleback and medaka. Like all other TAARs identified to date, cichlid TAARs have a characteristic two-dimensional structure and contain a number of amino-acid motifs or amino acids, such cysteine, in particular conserved positions.

Conclusions

Little is known about the functions of TAARs: in most cases their ligands have yet to be identified, partly because appropriate methods for such investigations have not been developed. Sequences analyses and comparisons of TAARs in several animal species, here fishes living in the same environment, should help reveal their roles and whether they are complementary to that of ORs.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1478-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Improved genomic resources and new bioinformatic workflow for the carcinogenic parasite Clonorchis sinensis: Biotechnological implications

Clonorchis sinensis (family Opisthorchiidae) is an important foodborne parasite that has a major socioeconomic impact on ~35 million people predominantly in China, Vietnam, Korea and the Russian Far East. In humans, infection with C. sinensis causes clonorchiasis, a complex hepatobiliary disease that can induce cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a malignant cancer of the bile ducts. Central to understanding the epidemiology of this disease is knowledge of genetic variation within and among populations of this parasite. Although most published molecular studies seem to suggest that C. sinensis represents a single species, evidence of karyotypic variation within C. sinensis and cryptic species within a related opisthorchiid fluke (Opisthorchis viverrini) emphasise the importance of studying and comparing the genes and genomes of geographically distinct isolates of C. sinensis. Recently, we sequenced, assembled and characterised a draft nuclear genome of a C. sinensis isolate from Korea and compared it with a published draft genome of a Chinese isolate of this species using a bioinformatic workflow established for comparing draft genome assemblies and their gene annotations. We identified that 50.6% and 51.3% of the Korean and Chinese C. sinensis genomic scaffolds were syntenic, respectively. Within aligned syntenic blocks, the genomes had a high level of nucleotide identity (99.1%) and encoded 15 variable proteins likely to be involved in diverse biological processes. Here, we review current technical challenges of using draft genome assemblies to undertake comparative genomic analyses to quantify genetic variation between isolates of the same species. Using a workflow that overcomes these challenges, we report on a high-quality draft genome for C. sinensis from Korea and comparative genomic analyses, as a basis for future investigations of the genetic structures of C. sinensis populations, and discuss the biotechnological implications of these explorations.     

Genomic characterisation of an endometrial pathogenic Escherichia coli strain reveals the acquisition of genetic elements associated with extra-intestinal pathogenicity

Background

Strains of Escherichia coli cause a wide variety of intestinal and extra-intestinal diseases in both humans and animals, and are also often found in healthy individuals or the environment. Broadly, a strong phylogenetic relationship exists that distinguishes most E. coli causing intestinal disease from those that cause extra-intestinal disease, however, isolates within a recently described subclass of Extra-Intestinal Pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC), termed endometrial pathogenic E. coli, tend to be phylogenetically distant from the vast majority of characterised ExPECs, and more closely related to human intestinal pathogens. In this work, we investigate the genetic basis for ExPEC infection in the prototypic endometrial pathogenic E. coli strain MS499.

Results

By investigating the genome of MS499 in comparison with a range of other E. coli sequences, we have discovered that this bacterium has acquired substantial lengths of DNA which encode factors more usually associated with ExPECs and less frequently found in the phylogroup relatives of MS499. Many of these acquired factors, including several iron acquisition systems and a virulence plasmid similar to that found in several ExPECs such as APEC O1 and the neonatal meningitis E. coli S88, play characterised roles in a variety of typical ExPEC infections and appear to have been acquired recently by the evolutionary lineage leading to MS499.

Conclusions

Taking advantage of the phylogenetic relationship we describe between MS499 and several other closely related E. coli isolates from across the globe, we propose a step-wise evolution of a novel clade of sequence type 453 ExPECs within phylogroup B1, involving the recruitment of ExPEC virulence factors into the genome of an ancestrally non-extraintestinal E. coli, which has repurposed this lineage with the capacity to cause extraintestinal disease. These data reveal the genetic components which may be involved in this phenotype switching, and argue that horizontal gene exchange may be a key factor in the emergence of novel lineages of ExPECs.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-1075) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Comparative protein analysis of the chitin metabolic pathway in extant organisms: A complex network approach

Chitin is a structural endogenous carbohydrate, which is a major component of fungal cell walls and arthropod exoskeletons. A renewable resource and the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature after cellulose, chitin is currently used for waste water clearing, cosmetics, medical, and veterinary applications. This work comprises data mining of protein sequences related to the chitin metabolic pathway of completely sequenced genomes of extant organisms pertaining to the three life domains, followed by meta-analysis using traditional sequence similarity comparison and complex network approaches. Complex networks involving proteins of the chitin metabolic pathway in extant organisms were constructed based on protein sequence similarity. Several usual network indices were estimated in order to obtain information on the topology of these networks, including those related to higher order neighborhood properties. Due to the assumed evolutionary character of the system, we also discuss issues related to modularity properties, with the concept of edge betweenness playing a particularly important role in our analysis. Complex network approach correctly identifies clusters of organisms that belong to phylogenetic groups without any a priori knowledge about the biological features of the investigated protein sequences. We envisage the prospect of using such a complex network approach as a high-throughput phylogenetic method.     

玉米比较基因组学研究进展

玉米是世界上重要的粮食作物 ,长期以来一直是遗传学、分子生物学和基因组学研究的重点对象。近十多年来 ,涉及到玉米的基因组学研究取得了很大进展。不仅在利用比较遗传作图方法方面发现玉米和其它植物 (尤其是禾谷类作物 )的基因组存在广泛的共线性 ,在较小的DNA区域上也发现存在微共线性。尽管还存在一些共线性的例外情形 ,进一步的比较基因组学研究将深入阐明玉米基因组的结构和进化 ,并把这些研究成果应用于基因发掘中。     

Development of nuclear gene-derived molecular markers linked to legume genetic maps

The systematic identification of the orthologous features of related organisms greatly facilitates comparative genomics, including research on genome evolution and comparative genetic mapping. In this study, we selected 274 unique gene sequences for the development of PCR-based genetic markers across fifteen legume genomes, representing six crop or model legume species from the phaseoloid and inverted repeat loss clades (IRLC). DNA sequence analysis demonstrated that 129 of the amplified fragments represented single copy loci across most target diploid genomes. The majority of these markers are intron-spanning (70.5%) and linked to legume genetic maps (85.3%). The markers were grouped into four main categories: (1) intron-spanning relatively conserved, (2) intron-spanning diverged, (3) exon-derived conserved, and (4) exon-derived diverged. The extent of sequence divergence within each category indicates that the corresponding markers may have utility for assessing phylogenetic relationships at different, but overlapping, taxonomic levels. We tested marker performance on genomes that had not been previously sampled, representing 95 different species that span the diversity of the Fabaceae. Phylogenetic analyses support the orthology of amplified sequences, with the notable exception of an ambiguous affiliation of Lotus relative to the IRLC and phaseoloid clades.     

Some lessons from Rickettsia genomics

Sequencing of the Rickettsia conorii genome and its comparison with its closest sequenced pathogenic relative, i.e., Rickettsia prowazekii, provided powerful insights into the evolution of these microbial pathogens. However, advances in our knowledge of rickettsial diseases are still hindered by the difficulty of working with strict intracellular bacteria and their hosts. Information gained from comparing the genomes of closely related organisms will shed new light on proteins susceptible to be targeted in specific diagnostic assays, by new antimicrobial drugs, and that could be employed in the generation of future rickettsial vaccines. In this review we present a detailed comparison of the metabolic pathways of these bacteria as well as the polymorphisms of their membrane proteins, transporters and putative virulence factors. Environmental adaptation of Rickettsia is also discussed.     

Comparative genetic mutation frequencies based on amino acid composition differences

Genetic variation inferred from large-scale amino acid composition comparisons among genomes and chromosomes of several species, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Drosophila melanogaster, Ceanorhabditis elegans, H. sapiens, is shown to be correlated (highest, r² = 0.9855, p < 0.01) with reported mutation rates for various genes in these species. This study, based largely on pseudogene data, helps to establish reference mutation frequencies that are likely to be representative of overall genome mutation rates in each of the species examined, and provides further insight into heterogeneity of mutation rates among genomes.