Generation of 919 expressed sequence tags from immature flower buds and gene expression analysis using expressed sequence tags in the model plant Lotus japonicus

Lotus japonicus has received increased attention as a potential model legume plant. In order to study gene expression in reproductive organs and to identify genes that play a crucial function in sexual reproduction, we constructed a cDNA library from immature flower buds containing anthers at the stage of developing tapetum cells in L. japonicus, and characterized 919 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) randomly selected from a cDNA library of the immature flower buds. The 919 ESTs analyzed were clustered into 821 non-redundant EST groups. As a result of a database search, 436 groups (53%) out of the 821 groups showed sequence similarity to genes registered in the public database. Out of these 436 groups, 109 groups showed similarity to genes encoding hypothetical proteins whose function had not yet been estimated. Three hundred eighty five groups (47%) showed no significant homology to known sequences and were classified as novel sequences. A comparison of 821 non-redundant EST sequences and EST sequences derived from the whole plant L. japonicus revealed that 474 EST sequences derived from immature flower buds were not found in the EST sequences of the whole plant. In order to confirm the expression pattern of potential reproductive-organ specific EST clones, nine clones, which were not matched to ESTs derived from the whole plant, were selected, and RT-PCR analysis was performed on these clones. As a result of RT-PCR, we found two novel anther specific clones. One clone was homologous to a gene encoding human cleft lip and palate associated transmembrane protein (CLPTM1) like protein, and the other clone did not show a significant similarity to any genes deposited in the public database. These results indicate that ESTs analyzed here represent a valuable resource for finding reproductive-organ specific genes in Lotus japonicus.     

Large Scale Structural Analysis of cDNAs in the Model Legume, Lotus japonicus

Lotus japonicus possesses certain characteristics suited to molecular genetic and genomic analyses and has been adopted as a model species in the study of legume plants. To make a catalogue of genes expressed in L. japonicus and understand biological processes specific to legume plants, large scale EST analyses have been performed. To date, more than 26,000 EST sequences of L. japonicus have been deposited in the public databases. These sequences were developed by five laboratories using different organs. In this review, information obtained from two EST projects carried out in Japan is presented. Some 7137 non-redundant EST groups from young plants and 718 groups from flower buds were generated. A similarity search revealed that homologues of nodulin genes in other legume plants, as well as genes related to secondary metabolism, seed development and the reproductive process, were included in the EST collection, indicating the usefulness of the EST clones in the study of biological phenomena distinctive to legume plant species. Received 23 August 2000/ Accepted in revised form 22 September 2000     

Structural analysis of a Lotus japonicus genome. V. Sequence features and mapping of sixty-four TAC clones which cover the 6.4 mb regions of the genome.

We determined the nucleotide sequences of 64 TAC (transformation-competent artificial chromosome) clones selected from genomic libraries of Lotus japonicus accession Miyakojima MG-20 based on the sequence information of expressed sequence tags (ESTs), cDNAs, genes and DNA markers from L. japonicus and other legumes. The length of the DNA regions sequenced in this study was 6,370,255 bp, and the total length of the L. japonicus genome sequenced so far is 32,537,698 bp together with the nucleotide sequences of 256 TAC clones previously reported. Five hundred forty-eight potential protein-encoding genes with known or predicted functions, 127 gene segments and 224 pseudogenes were assigned to the newly sequenced regions by computer prediction and similarity searches against the sequences in protein and EST databases. Based on the nucleotide sequences of the clones, simple sequence repeat length polymorphism (SSLP) or derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (dCAPS) markers were generated, and each clone was genetically localized onto the linkage map of two accessions of L. japonicus, MG-20 and Gifu B-129. The sequence data, gene information and mapping information are available through the World Wide Web at http://www.kazusa.or.jp/lotus/.     

Structural analysis of a Lotus japonicus genome. IV. Sequence features and mapping of seventy-three TAC clones which cover the 7.5 mb regions of the genome.

Using the sequence information of expressed sequences tags (ESTs), cDNAs and genes from Lotus japonicus and other legumes, 73 TAC (transformation-competent artificial chromosomes) clones were selected from a genomic library of L. japonicus accession MG-20, and their nucleotide sequences were determined. The length of the DNA sequenced in this study was 7,455,959 bp, and the total length of the DNA regions sequenced so far is 26,167,443 bp together with the nucleotide sequences of 183 TAC clones previously reported. By similarity searches against the sequences in protein and EST databases and prediction by computer programs, a total of 699 potential protein-encoding genes with known or predicted functions, 163 gene segments and 267 pseudogenes were assigned to the newly sequenced regions. Based oil the nucleotide sequences of the clones, simple sequence repeat length polymorphism (SSLP) or derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (dCAPS) markers were generated, and each clone was located onto the linkage map of two accessions of L. japonicus, Gifu B-129 and Miyakojima MG-20. The sequence data, gene information and mapping information are available through the World Wide Web at http://www.kazusa.or.jp/lotus/.     

Expressed sequence tags of Chinese cabbage flower bud cDNA.

We randomly selected and partially sequenced cDNA clones from a library of Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. ssp. pekinensis) flower bud cDNAs. Out of 1216 expressed sequence tags (ESTs), 904 cDNA clones were unique or nonredundant. Five hundred eighty-eight clones (48.4%) had sequence homology to functionally defined genes at the peptide level. Only 5 clones encoded known flower-specific proteins. Among the cDNAs with no similarity to known protein sequences (628), 184 clones had significant similarity to nucleotide sequences registered in the databases. Among these 184 clones, 142 exhibited similarities at the nucleotide level only with plant ESTs. Also, sequence similarities were evident between these 142 ESTs and their matching ESTs when compared using the deduced amino acid sequences. Therefore, it is possible that the anonymous ESTs encode plant-specific ubiquitous proteins. Our extensive EST analysis of genes expressed in floral organs not only contributes to the understanding of the dynamics of genome expression patterns in floral organs but also adds data to the repertoire of all genomic genes.     

Structural analysis of a Lotus japonicus genome. III. Sequence features and mapping of sixty-two TAC clones which cover the 6.7 Mb regions of the genome.

A total of sixty-two clones were selected from a TAC (transformation-competent artificial chromosome) genomic library of the Lotus japonicus accession MG-20 based on the sequence information of expressed sequence tags (ESTs), cDNA and gene information, and their nucleotide sequences were determined. The length of the sequenced regions in this study is 6,682,189 bp, and the total length of the regions sequenced so far is 18,711,484 bp together with the nucleotide sequences of 121 TAC clones previously reported. By comparison with the sequences in protein and EST databases and analysis with computer programs for gene modeling, a total of 573 potential protein-coding genes with known or predicted functions, 91 gene segments and 272 pseudogenes were identified in the newly sequenced regions. Each of the sequenced clones was localized onto the linkage map of two accessions of L. japonicus, Gifu B-129 and Miyakojima MG-20, using simple sequence repeat length polymorphism (SSLP) or derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (dCAPS) markers generated based on the nucleotide sequences of the clones. The sequence data, gene information and mapping information are available through the World Wide Web at http://www.kazusa.or.jp/lotus/.     

Generation of a large-scale genomic resource for functional and comparative genomics in Liriodendron tulipifera L.

Liriodendron tulipifera L., a member of Magnoliaceae in the order Magnoliales, has been used extensively as a reference species in studies on plant evolution. However, genomic resources for this tree species are limited. We constructed cDNA libraries from ten different types of tissues: premeiotic flower buds, postmeiotic flower buds, open flowers, developing fruit, terminal buds, leaves, cambium, xylem, roots, and seedlings. EST sequences were generated either by 454 GS FLX or Sanger methods. Assembly of almost 2.4 million sequencing reads from all libraries resulted in 137,923 unigenes (132,905 contigs and 4,599 singletons). About 50% of the unigenes had significant matches to publically available plant protein sequences, representing a wide variety of putative functions. Approximately 30,000 simple sequence repeats were identified. More than 97% of the cell wall formation genes in the Cell Wall Navigator and the MAIZEWALL databases are represented. The cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) homologs identified in the L. tulipifera EST dataset showed different expression levels in the ten tissue types included in this study. In particular, the LtuCAD1 was found to partially recover the stiffness of the floral stems in the Arabidopsis thaliana CAD4 and CAD5 double mutant plants, of the LtuCAD1 in lignin biosynthesis. L. tulipifera genes have greater sequence similarity to homologs from other woody angiosperm species than to non-woody model plants. This large-scale genomic resour"HistryDatesce will be instrumental for gene discovery, cDNA microarray production, and marker-assisted breeding in L. tulipifera, and strengthen this species' role in comparative studies.     

A large scale analysis of cDNA in Arabidopsis thaliana: generation of 12,028 non-redundant expressed sequence tags from normalized and size-selected cDNA libraries.

For comprehensive analysis of genes expressed in the model dicotyledonous plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were accumulated. Normalized and size-selected cDNA libraries were constructed from aboveground organs, flower buds, roots, green siliques and liquid-cultured seedlings, respectively, and a total of 14,026 5'-end ESTs and 39,207 3'-end ESTs were obtained. The 3'-end ESTs could be clustered into 12,028 non-redundant groups. Similarity search of the non-redundant ESTs against the public non-redundant protein database indicated that 4816 groups show similarity to genes of known function, 1864 to hypothetical genes, and the remaining 5348 are novel sequences. Gene coverage by the non-redundant ESTs was analyzed using the annotated genomic sequences of approximately 10 Mb on chromosomes 3 and 5. A total of 923 regions were hit by at least one EST, among which only 499 regions were hit by the ESTs deposited in the public database. The result indicates that the EST source generated in this project complements the EST data in the public database and facilitates new gene discovery.     

Structural analysis of a Lotus japonicus genome. II. Sequence features and mapping of sixty-five TAC clones which cover the 6.5-mb regions of the genome.

Sixty-five TAC (transformation-competent artificial chromosomes) clones were selected from a genomic library of Lotus japonicus accession MG-20 based on the sequence information of expressed sequences tags (ESTs), cDNA and gene information, and their nucleotide sequences were determined. The average insert size of the TAC clone was approximately 100 kb, and the total length of the sequenced regions in this study is 6,556,100 bp. Together with the nucleotide sequences of 56 TAC clones previously reported, the regions sequenced so far total 12,029,295 bp. By comparison with the sequences in protein and EST databases and by analysis with computer programs for gene modeling, a total of 711 potential protein-encoding genes with known or predicted functions, 239 gene segments and 90 pseudogenes were identified in the newly sequenced regions. The average gene density assigned so far was 1 gene/9140 bp. The average length of the assigned genes was 2.6 kb, which is considerably larger than that assigned in the Arabidopsis thaliana genome (1.9 kb for 6451 genes). Introns were identified in approximately 73% of the potential genes, and the average number and length of the introns per gene were 3.4 and 377 bp, respectively. Simple sequence repeat length polymorphism (SSLP) or derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (dCAPS) markers were generated based on the nucleotide sequences of the genomic clones obtained, and each clone was mapped onto the linkage map using the F2 mapping population derived from a cross of two accessions of L. japonicus, Gifu B-129 and Miyakojima MG-20. The sequence data, gene information and mapping information are available through the World Wide Web at http://www.kazusa.or.jp/lotus/.     

Structural analysis of a Lotus japonicus genome. I. Sequence features and mapping of fifty-six TAC clones which cover the 5.4 mb regions of the genome.

A total of 56 TAC clones with an average insert size of 100 kb were isolated from a TAC library of the Lotus japonicus genome based on the expressed sequences tags (ESTs), cDNA and gene information, and their nucleotide sequences were determined according to the shot-gun based strategy. The total length of the sequenced regions is 5,473,195 bp. By comparison with the sequences in protein and EST databases and analysis with computer programs for gene modeling, a total of 605 potential protein-encoding genes with known or predicted functions, 69 gene segments, and 172 pseudogenes were identified. The average density of the genes assigned so far is 1 gene/8120 bp. Introns were identified in approximately 78% of the potential genes. There was an average of 3.8 introns per gene and the average length of the introns was 375 bp. DNA markers were generated based on the nucleotide sequences obtained, and each clone was mapped onto the linkage map using the F2 mapping population derived from a cross of L. japonicus Gifu B-129 and Miyakojima MG-20. The sequence data, gene information and mapping information are available through the World Wide Web at http://www.kazusa.or.jp/lotus/.     

Characterization and mapping of three new mammalian ATP-binding transporter genes from an EST database

Analysis of the human expressed sequence tag (EST) database identified four clones that contain sequences of previously uncharacterized genes, members of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily. Two new ABC genes (EST20237, 31252) are located at Chromosome (Chr) 1q42 and 1q25 respectively in humans, as determined by FISH; at locations distinct from previously mapped genes of this superfamily. Two additional clones, EST 600 and EST 1596, were found to represent different ATP-binding domains of the same gene, ABC2. This gene was localized to 9q34 in humans by FISH and to the proximal region of Chr 2 in mice by linkage analysis. All genes display extensive diversity in sequence and expression pattern. We present several approaches to characterizing EST clones and demonstrate that the analysis of EST clones from different tissues is a powerful approach to identify new members of important gene families. Some drawbacks of using EST databases, including chimerism of cDNA clones, are discussed.     

Generation of ESTs for flowering gene discovery and SSR marker development in upland cotton

Background

Upland cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., is one of the world''s most important economic crops. In the absence of the entire genomic sequence, a large number of expressed sequence tag (EST) resources of upland cotton have been generated and used in several studies. However, information about the flower development of this species is rare.

Methodology/Principal Findings

To clarify the molecular mechanism of flower development in upland cotton, 22,915 high-quality ESTs were generated and assembled into 14,373 unique sequences consisting of 4,563 contigs and 9,810 singletons from a normalized and full-length cDNA library constructed from pooled RNA isolated from shoot apexes, squares, and flowers. Comparative analysis indicated that 5,352 unique sequences had no high-degree matches to the cotton public database. Functional annotation showed that several upland cotton homologs with flowering-related genes were identified in our library. The majority of these genes were specifically expressed in flowering-related tissues. Three GhSEP (G. hirsutum L. SEPALLATA) genes determining floral organ development were cloned, and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) revealed that these genes were expressed preferentially in squares or flowers. Furthermore, 670 new putative microsatellites with flanking sequences sufficient for primer design were identified from the 645 unigenes. Twenty-five EST–simple sequence repeats were randomly selected for validation and transferability testing in 17 Gossypium species. Of these, 23 were identified as true-to-type simple sequence repeat loci and were highly transferable among Gossypium species.

Conclusions/Significance

A high-quality, normalized, full-length cDNA library with a total of 14,373 unique ESTs was generated to provide sequence information for gene discovery and marker development related to upland cotton flower development. These EST resources form a valuable foundation for gene expression profiling analysis, functional analysis of newly discovered genes, genetic linkage, and quantitative trait loci analysis.     

LjCYC genes constitute floral dorsoventral asymmetry in Lotus japonicus

Previous study shows that LjCYC2, a CYC-like TCP (TB1, CYC and PCFs) gene in the model legume, Lotus japonicus, is involved in dorsal petal development, which together with the other two homologous genes,LjCYC1 and LjCYC3, belongs to an LjCYC gene cluster. In this report, we modified the transformation system in L. japonicus, and constructed different RNAi transgenes to target different LjCYC genes. The expression of three endogenous LjCYC genes was specifically suppressed by different specific RNAi transgenes, and a chimerical RNAi transgene that contains the specific sequences from LjCYC1 and LjCYC2 was found to downregulate the expression of both endogenous genes simultaneously. Effects of silencing three LjCYC genes were mainly restricted on either dorsal or lateral petals, demonstrating their dorsalizing and lateralizing activities during the development of zygomorphic flower. Furthermore,abolishing the expression of three LjCYC genes could give rise to complete loss of dorsoventral (DV) differentiation in the flower whose petals all resembled the ventral one in the wild type and displayed intact organ internal (IN) asymmetry. Our data demonstrate that during zygomorphic flower development, the DV asymmetry is constituted by the LjCYC genes, while the floral organ IN asymmetry is independently determined by other genetic factors.     

Generation of 7137 non-redundant expressed sequence tags from a legume, Lotus japonicus.

For comprehensive analysis of genes expressed in a model legume, Lotus japonicus, a total of 22,983 5' end expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were accumulated from normalized and size-selected cDNA libraries constructed from young (2 weeks old) plants. The EST sequences were clustered into 7137 non-redundant groups. Similarity search against public non-redundant protein database indicated that 3302 groups showed similarity to genes of known function, 1143 groups to hypothetical genes, and 2692 were novel sequences. Homologues of 5 nodule-specific genes which have been reported in other legume species were contained in the collected ESTs, suggesting that the EST source generated in this study will become a useful tool for identification of genes related to legume-specific biological processes. The sequence data of individual ESTs are available at the web site: http://www.kazusa.or.jp/en/plant/lotus/EST/.     

普通烟草LBD基因家族的全基因组序列鉴定与表达分析

LBD是一类具有LOB(lateral organ boundaries)结构域的基因家族,在植物发育过程中起到非常重要的作用。采用生物信息学方法,根据拟南芥LBD基因序列鉴定了普通烟草基因组中的LBD基因,并对家族成员进行了序列特征、系统发育和表达谱分析。结果表明:普通烟草基因组中共有98个LBD基因成员,其基因结构相对简单,一般含有1~3个外显子。LBD基因家族可分成I和II两大类,两类均含有CX_2CX_6CX_3C保守结构域,但II类不含有LX_6LX_3LX_6L形成的"卷曲螺旋"二级结构,根据与拟南芥LBD蛋白构建的系统发育树则可细分成5个亚家族(Ia、Ib、Ic、Id和II)。将LBD基因与表达序列标签(EST)比对,发现36个基因有EST证据;EST、芯片数据和转录组数据分析表明:LBD基因具有不同的组织表达模式,部分基因表现出组织特异性。这些研究结果为普通烟草LBD基因家族功能的深入研究奠定了基础。     

Analysis of expressed sequence tags of the water flea Daphnia magna.

To study gene expression in the water flea Daphnia magna we constructed a cDNA library and characterized the expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of 7210 clones. The EST sequences clustered into 2958 nonredundant groups. BLAST analyses of both protein and DNA databases showed that 1218 (41%) of the unique sequences shared significant similarities to known nucleotide or amino acid sequences, whereas the remaining 1740 (59%) showed no significant similarities to other genes. Clustering analysis revealed particularly high expression of genes related to ATP synthesis, structural proteins, and proteases. The cDNA clones and EST sequence information should be useful for future functional analysis of daphnid biology and investigation of the links between ecology and genomics.