Construction and analysis of cDNA libraries from the antennae of male and female cotton bollworms Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and expression analysis of putative odorant-binding protein genes

Two high-quality cDNA libraries were constructed from female and male antennae of the cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner). The titers were approximately 2.0 × 10⁶ pfu/ml for females and 2.3 × 10⁶ pfu/ml for males, and this complies with the test requirement. From the libraries, 1750 male ESTs and 1640 female ESTs were sequenced and further analyzed. We identified 15 olfactory genes (12 are new), and 14 of them have the characteristic six conserved cysteine residues. With the exception of OBP9, all the genes were classified as classical OBP genes. By alignment and cluster analysis, the 14 classical OBPs were divided into pheromone binding protein (PBP) genes, odorant binding protein (OBP) genes, general odorant binding protein 1 (GOBP1) genes, general odorant binding protein 2 (GOBP2) genes and antennae binding protein (ABP) genes. Among these genes, we obtained three PBP genes (PBP1–PBP3) including two new PBP genes, one new ABP gene, nine new OBP genes (OBP1–OBP9), one known GOBP1 gene and one known GOBP2 gene. Furthermore, the expression patterns of these 14 classical OBP genes were investigated in various tissues by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The results indicated that some OBP genes are expressed differently in different sexes and tissues, but most of them are highly expressed in antennae.     

Computational disease gene identification: a concert of methods prioritizes type 2 diabetes and obesity candidate genes

Genome-wide experimental methods to identify disease genes, such as linkage analysis and association studies, generate increasingly large candidate gene sets for which comprehensive empirical analysis is impractical. Computational methods employ data from a variety of sources to identify the most likely candidate disease genes from these gene sets. Here, we review seven independent computational disease gene prioritization methods, and then apply them in concert to the analysis of 9556 positional candidate genes for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and the related trait obesity. We generate and analyse a list of nine primary candidate genes for T2D genes and five for obesity. Two genes, LPL and BCKDHA, are common to these two sets. We also present a set of secondary candidates for T2D (94 genes) and for obesity (116 genes) with 58 genes in common to both diseases.     

生物膜形成中间状态下副溶血弧菌的基因转录谱分析

【目的】探究生物膜形成中间状态下副溶血弧菌的差异基因表达情况,为今后研究生物膜形成调控机制提供基因信息。【方法】以非生物膜形成条件下为参照,采用Illumina HiSeq测序平台进行转录组测序（RNA sequencing,RNA-seq）研究,分析生物膜形成中间状态下副溶血弧菌的基因表达情况,并采用实时定量PCR （quantitative real-time PCR,qPCR）进行验证。【结果】本研究共获得979个差异显著性表达基因（differentially expressed gene,DEG）,其中下调基因379个,上调基因600个。基因本体（gene ontology,GO）分类分析结果显示,共有363个DEGs注释到分子功能、细胞组分和生物学过程3个一级分类和30个二级分类;京都基因和基因组百科全书（Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes,KEGG）代谢途径分析结果显示,共有706个DEGs归到37个代谢通路中（Q value<0.05）,差异表达基因主要集中在细胞代谢和转运通路上;蛋白相邻类的聚簇（clusters of orthologous groups,COG）分类结果显示,有888个DEGs可归为20个类别,涉及DEGs最多的为氨基酸转运与代谢、一般功能预测基因、能量产生与转换以及未知功能基因。qPCR验证挑选的DEGs变化趋势均与RNA-seq的结果一致。此外,从转录组数据中共筛选出10个c-di-GMP代谢相关基因、1个侧生鞭毛蛋白基因（lafA）、13个极生鞭毛合成相关基因、6个荚膜多糖合成相关基因、6个胞外多糖合成相关基因、5个IV型菌毛合成相关基因、膜融合蛋白（membrane fusion protein,Mfp）基因（cpsQ-mfpABC）、14个III型分泌系统1（T3SS1）相关基因、14个Vp-PAI基因（1个tdh2和13个T3SS2基因）、3个VI型分泌系统1（T6SS1）相关基因、6个T6SS2基因、45个推定调控子基因和15个推定的外膜蛋白基因。【结论】生物膜形成引起副溶血弧菌基因表达谱发生明显变化,差异表达基因中包含生物膜形成相关基因、关键毒力基因和许多推定调控子基因等,这为后续研究生物膜形成调控机制提供重要信息。     

Identification of genes differentially expressed in hemocytes of Scylla paramamosain in response to lipopolysaccharide

Although the crab Scylla paramamosain has been cultured in China for a long time, little knowledge is available on how crabs respond to infection by bacteria. A forward suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA library was constructed from their hemocytes and the up-regulated genes were identified in order to isolate differentially expressed genes in S. paramamosain in response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). A total of 721 clones on the middle scale in the SSH library were sequenced. Among these genes, 271 potentially functional genes were recognized based on the BLAST searches in NCBI and were categorized into seven groups in association with different biological processes using AmiGO against the Gene Ontology database. Of the 271 genes, 269 translatable DNA sequences were predicted to be proteins, and the putative amino acid sequences were searched for conserved domains and proteins using the CD-Search service and BLASTp. Among 271 genes, 179 (66.1%) were annotated to be involved in different biological processes, while 92 genes (33.9%) were classified as an unknown-function gene group. It was noted that only 18 of the 271 genes (6.6%) had previously been reported in other crustaceans and most of the screened genes showed less similarity to known sequences based on BLASTn results, suggesting that 253 genes were found for the first time in S. paramamosain. Furthermore, two up-regulated genes screened from the SSH library were selected for full-length cDNA sequence cloning and in vivo expression study, including Sp-superoxide dismutase (Sp-Cu-ZnSOD) gene and Sp-serpin gene. The differential expression pattern of the two genes during the time course of LPS challenge was analyzed using real-time PCR. We found that both genes were significantly expressed in LPS-challenged crabs in comparison with control. Taken together, the study primarily provides the data of the up-regulated genes associated with different biological processes in S. paramamosain in response to LPS, by which the interesting genes or proteins potentially involved in the innate immune defense of S. paramamosain will be investigated in future.     

The characterisation of three types of genes that overlie copy number variable regions

Background

Due to the increased accuracy of Copy Number Variable region (CNV) break point mapping, it is now possible to say with a reasonable degree of confidence whether a gene (i) falls entirely within a CNV; (ii) overlaps the CNV or (iii) actually contains the CNV. We classify these as type I, II and III CNV genes respectively.

Principal Findings

Here we show that although type I genes vary in copy number along with the CNV, most of these type I genes have the same expression levels as wild type copy numbers of the gene. These genes must, therefore, be under homeostatic dosage compensation control. Looking into possible mechanisms for the regulation of gene expression we found that type I genes have a significant paucity of genes regulated by miRNAs and are not significantly enriched for monoallelically expressed genes. Type III genes, on the other hand, have a significant excess of genes regulated by miRNAs and are enriched for genes that are monoallelically expressed.

Significance

Many diseases and genomic disorders are associated with CNVs so a better understanding of the different ways genes are associated with normal CNVs will help focus on candidate genes in genome wide association studies.     

Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes in the High and Low Metastatic Human Ovarian Cancer Cell Lines and Analyses of Their Chromosomal Localizations and Functions

Oligonucleotide microarrays were used to study the differences of gene expressions in high (H) and low (L) metastatic ovarian cancer cell lines and in normal ovarian tissues (C). Bioinformatics was used to identify novel genes and their functions as well as chromosomal localizations. A total of 409 genes were differentially expressed between the high and low metastatic ovarian cancer cell lines. Of them, 271 genes were up regulated (Signal Log Ratio[SLR] ≥1), and 138 genes were down regulated (SLR≤-1). Except one gene whose location was unknown, all these genes were localized randomly on all the chromosomes, with a majority of them localized to Chromosomes 1, 6, 2, 17, 3, 5 and 11. Chromosome 1 contained, 43 of them (10.7%), the most for a single chromosome. A total of 264 genes (64.7%) were localized on the short arm of the chromosome (q). Functional classification showed that the 104 (25.4%) genes coding for enzymes and enzyme regulators made up the largest functional group, followed by signal transduction activity genes (43, 10.5%), nucleic acid binding activity genes (42, 10.3%), and proteins binding activity genes (34, 8.3%). These four groups accounted for 54.5% of all the differentially expressed genes. In addition, the functions of 76 genes (18.6%) were unknown. Tumor metastasis is the result of a number of genes acting in concert. The four functional groups of genes classified among these genes and their abnormalities would be the focus of further studies on ovarian cancer metastasis.     

Genome-Scale Identification of Cell-Wall-Related Genes in Switchgrass through Comparative Genomics and Computational Analyses of Transcriptomic Data

Large numbers of plant cell-wall (CW)-related genes have been identified or predicted in several plant genomes such as Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa (rice), and Zea mays (maize), as results of intensive studies of these organisms in the past 2 decades. However, no such gene list has been identified in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), a key bioenergy crop. Here, we present a computational study for prediction of CW genes in switchgrass using a two-step procedure: (i) homology mapping of all annotated CW genes in the fore-mentioned species to switchgrass, giving rise to a total of 991 genes, and (ii) candidate prediction of CW genes based on switchgrass genes co-expressed with the 991 genes under a large number of experimental conditions. Specifically, our co-expression analyses using the 991 genes as seeds led to the identification of 104 large clusters of co-expressed genes, each referred to as a co-expression module (CEM), covering 830 of the 991 genes plus 823 additional genes that are strongly co-expressed with some of the 104 CEMs. These 1653 genes represent our prediction of CW genes in switchgrass, 112 of which are homologous to predicted CW genes in Arabidopsis. Functional inference of these genes is conducted to derive the possible functional relations among these predicted CW genes. Overall, these data may offer a highly useful information source for cell-wall biologists of switchgrass as well as plants in general.     

Codon usages in different gene classes of the Escherichia coli genome

A new measure for assessing codon bias of one group of genes with respect to a second group of genes is introduced. In this formulation, codon bias correlations for Escherichia coli genes are evaluated for level of expression, for contrasts along genes, for genes in different 200 kb (or longer) contigs around the genome, for effects of gene size, for variation over different function classes, for codon bias in relation to possible lateral transfer and for dicodon bias for some gene classes. Among the function classes, codon biases of ribosomal proteins are the most deviant from the codon frequencies of the average E. coli gene. Other classes of ‘highly expressed genes’ (e.g. amino acyl tRNA synthetases, chaperonins, modification genes essential to translation activities) show less extreme codon biases. Consistently for genes with experimentally determined expression rates in the exponential growth phase, those of highest molar abundances are more deviant from the average gene codon frequencies and are more similar in codon frequencies to the average ribosomal protein gene. Independent of gene size, the codon biases in the 5′ third of genes deviate by more than a factor of two from those in the middle and 3′ thirds. In this context, there appear to be conflicting selection pressures imposed by the constraints of ribosomal binding, or more generally the early phase of protein synthesis (about the first 50 codons) may be more biased than the complete nascent polypeptide. In partitioning the E. coli genome into 10 equal lengths, pronounced differences in codon site 3 G+C frequencies accumulate. Genes near to oriC have 5% greater codon site 3 G+C frequencies than do genes from the ter region. This difference also is observed between small (100–300 codons) and large (>800 codons) genes. This result contrasts with that for eukaryotic genomes (including human, Caenorhabditis elegans and yeast) where long genes tend to have site 3 more AT rich than short genes. Many of the above results are special for E. coli genes and do not apply to genes of most bacterial genomes. A gene is defined as alien (possibly horizontally transferred) if its codon bias relative to the average gene exceeds a high threshold and the codon bias relative to ribosomal proteins is also appropriately high. These are identified, including four clusters (operons). The bulk of these genes have no known function.     

Selection of reference genes for real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis in tissues from Bombus terrestris and Bombus lucorum of different ages

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is an accurate and sensitive technique for gene expression analysis. However, it requires data normalization using reference genes. Here we assessed the stability of eight reference genes in the labial gland and fat body of the bumblebees Bombus terrestris and Bombus lucorum of different ages. To date, no reference genes have been identified for these species. Our data show that arginine kinase (AK) and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) are the most stable genes in both tissues of B. terrestris. The most stable genes for the labial gland and fat body of B. lucorum were found to be elongation factor 1α (EEF1A) and PLA2.     

High intraspecific diversity of Restorer‐of‐fertility‐like genes in barley

Nuclear restorer of fertility (Rf) genes suppress the effects of mitochondrial genes causing cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), a condition in which plants fail to produce viable pollen. Rf genes, many of which encode RNA‐binding pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins, are applied in hybrid breeding to overcome CMS used to block self‐pollination of the seed parent. Here, we characterise the repertoire of restorer‐of‐fertility‐like (RFL) PPR genes in barley (Hordeum vulgare). We found 26 RFL genes in the reference genome (‘Morex’) and an additional 51 putative orthogroups (POGs) in a re‐sequencing data set from 262 barley genotypes and landraces. Whereas the sequences of some POGs are highly conserved across hundreds of barley accessions, the sequences of others are much more variable. High sequence variation strongly correlates with genomic location – the most variable genes are found in a cluster on chromosome 1H. A much higher likelihood of diversifying selection was found for genes within this cluster than for genes present as singlets. This work includes a comprehensive analysis of the patterns of intraspecific variation of RFL genes. The RFL sequences characterised in this study will be useful for the development of new markers for fertility restoration loci.     

Comprehensive analysis of prokaryotic mechanosensation genes: their characteristics in codon usage.

In the present study, we examined GC nucleotide composition, relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU), effective number of codons (ENC), codon adaptation index (CAI) and gene length for 308 prokaryotic mechanosensitive ion channel (MSC) genes from six evolutionary groups: Euryarchaeota, Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Gammaproteobacteria. Results showed that: (1) a wide variation of overrepresentation of nucleotides exists in the MSC genes; (2) codon usage bias varies considerably among the MSC genes; (3) both nucleotide constraint and gene length play an important role in shaping codon usage of the bacterial MSC genes; and (4) synonymous codon usage of prokaryotic MSC genes is phylogenetically conserved. Knowledge of codon usage in prokaryotic MSC genes may benefit from the study of the MSC genes in eukaryotes in which few MSC genes have been identified and functionally analysed.     

Outcome of array CGH analysis for 255 subjects with intellectual disability and search for candidate genes using bioinformatics

Array CGH enables the detection of pathogenic copy number variants (CNVs) in 5–15% of individuals with intellectual disability (ID), making it a promising tool for uncovering ID candidate genes. However, most CNVs encompass multiple genes, making it difficult to identify key disease gene(s) underlying ID etiology. Using array CGH we identified 47 previously unreported unique CNVs in 45/255 probands. We prioritized ID candidate genes using five bioinformatic gene prioritization web tools. Gene priority lists were created by comparing integral genes from each CNV from our ID cohort with sets of training genes specific either to ID or randomly selected. Our findings suggest that different training sets alter gene prioritization only moderately; however, only the ID gene training set resulted in significant enrichment of genes with nervous system function (19%) in prioritized versus non-prioritized genes from the same de novo CNVs (7%, p < 0.05). This enrichment further increased to 31% when the five web tools were used in concert and included genes within mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathways. Gene prioritization web tools enrich for genes with relevant function in ID and more readily facilitate the selection of ID candidate genes for functional studies, particularly for large CNVs.     

Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes During Anther Abortion of Taigu Genic Male Sterile Wheat by Combining Suppression Subtractive Hybridization and cDNA Array

Talgu Genlc Male Sterile Wheat （TGMSW; Trltlcum aestlvum L.）, a dominant genic male sterile germplasm, is of considerable value in the genetic Improvement of wheat because of Its stable Inherence, complete male abortion, and high cross-fertilization rate. To Identify specially transcribed genes In sterile anther, a suppression subtractlve hybridization （aSH） library was constructed with sterile anther as the tester and fertile anther as the driver. A total of 2 304 SSH Inserts amplified by polymerase chain reaction were arrayed using robotic printing. The cDNA arrays were hybridized with 32P-labeled probes prepared from the RNA of forward- and reverse-subtracted anthers. Ninety-six clones were scored as upregulated in sterile anthers compared with the corresponding fertile anthers and some clones were selected for sequencing and analysis In GenBank. Based on their putative functions, 87 non-redundant clones were classified Into the following groups： （i） eight genes Involved In metabolic processes; （11） four material transportation genes; （iii） three signal transductlon-assoclated genes; （iv） four stress response and senescence-associated protein genes; （v） seven other functional protein genes; （vi） five genes with no known function; and （vii） another 56 genes with no match to the databases. To test the hybridization efficiency, eight genes were selected and analyzed by Northern blot. The results of the present study provide a comprehensive overview of the genes and gene products Involved In anther abortion In TGMSW.     

Genetic and Biochemical Basis of Enzyme Activity Variation in Natural Populations. I. Alcohol Dehydrogenase in DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Recent studies by various authors suggest that variation in gene regulation may be common in nature, and might be of great evolutionary consequence; but the ascertainment of variation in gene regulation has proven to be a difficult problem. In this study, we explore this problem by measuring alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity in Drosophila melanogaster strains homozygous for various combinations of given second and third chromosomes sampled from a natural population. The structural locus (Adh) coding for ADH is on the second chromosome. The results show that: (1) there are genes, other than Adh, that affect the levels of ADH activity; (2) at least some of these "regulatory" genes are located on the third chromosome, and thus are not adjacent to the Adh locus; (3) variation exists in natural populations for such regulatory genes; (4) the effect of these regulatory genes varies as they interact with different second chromosomes; (5) third chromosomes with high-activity genes are either partially or completely dominant over chromosomes with low-activity genes; (6) the effects of the regulatory genes are pervasive throughout development; and (7) the third chromosome genes regulate the levels of ADH activity by affecting the number of ADH molecules in the flies. The results are consistent with the view that the evolution of regulatory genes may play an important role in adaptation.     

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of Nucleotide-Binding Site (NBS) Resistance Genes in Pineapple

Pineapple is a major tropical fruit and the most important crop processing CAM photosynthesis. It originated in southwest Brazil and northeast Paraguay and survived the harsh, semi-arid environment. Disease resistance genes have contributed to the survival and thriving of this species. The largest class of disease resistance (R) genes in plants consists of genes encoding nucleotide-binding site (NBS) domains. The sequenced genome of pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.) provides a resource for analyzing the NBS-encoding genes in this species. A total of 177 NBS-encoding genes were identified using automated and manual analysis criteria, and these represent about 0.6 % of the total number of predicted pineapple genes. Five genes identified here contained the N-terminal Toll/Interleukin-l receptor (TIR) domain, and 46 genes carried the N-terminal Coiled-Coil (CC) motif. A majority of these NBS-encoding genes (84 %) contained a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain. A total of 130 of 177 (73 %) of these NBS-encoding genes were distributed across 20 pineapple linkage groups. The identification and characterization of NBS genes in pineapple yielded a valuable genomic resource and improved understanding of R genes in pineapple, which will facilitate the development of disease resistant pineapple cultivars.     

Next-generation sequencing-based transcriptome analysis of l-lysine-producing Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 21300 strain

In the present study, 151 genes showed a significant change in their expression levels in Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 21300 compared with those of C. glutamicum ATCC 13032. Of these 151 genes, 56 genes (2%) were up-regulated and 95 genes (3%) were down-regulated. RNA sequencing analysis also revealed that 11 genes, involved in the L-lysine biosynthetic pathway of C. glutamicum, were up- or down-regulated compared with those of C. glutamicum ATCC 13032. Of the 151 genes, 10 genes were identified to have mutations including SNP (9 genes) and InDel (1 gene). This information will be useful for genome breeding of C. glutamicum to develop an industrial amino acid-producing strain with minimal mutation.