The use of nuclear DNA molecular markers for studying speciation and systematics as exemplified by the “Lacerta agilis complex” (Sauria: Lacertidae)

Four types of nuclear DNA markers identified by the taxonprint, RAPD, and IMP (Inter-MIR-PCR) methods, and the nucleotide sequences of satellite DNA monomers have been used to analyze the molecular genetic similarity between some populations, subspecies, and species of lizards combined into the group Lacerta s. str., as well as representatives of some other genera. The notions on the systematics and phylogeny of this group based on morphological and zoogeographic criteria have been compared to the conclusions based on molecular genetic data. The genus and species subdivisions of populations based on nuclear molecular markers and morphological characters generally agree with each other, the degree of genetic differences being correlated with the taxonomy suggested by zoomorphologists. The degree of differences between the subspecies of one of the species studied, Lacerta agilis, varies depending on the molecular markers used: according to the results of RAPD analysis, all subspecies substantially differ from one another, the variation within populations being small; with respect to other markers, the differences are smaller and not equivalent. The existence of the so-called eastern and western clades of this species earlier assumed by other researchers on the basis of mtDNA and morphological data has been confirmed. There are no distinct gradations exceeding individual variation in 14 populations of L. agilis exigua (the eastern clade) with respect to IMP markers, although these populations inhabit a vast area from the Ural Mountains to the Kabardino-Balkar Republic (the Caucasus). These data suggest that the subspecies has been rapidly spreading northwards since the Pleistocene glaciation (about 15,000 years ago).     

How Can We Use Genomics to Improve Cereals with Rice as a Reference Genome?

Rice serves as a model crop for cereal genomics. The availability of complete genome sequences, together with various genomic resources available for both rice and Arabidopsis, have revolutionized our understanding of the genetic make-up of crop plants. Both macrocolinearity revealed by comparative mapping and microcolinearity revealed by sequence comparisons among the grasses indicate that sequencing and functional analysis of the rice genome will have a significant impact on other cereals in terms of both genomic studies and crop improvement. The availability of mutants, introgression libraries, and advanced transformation techniques make functional genomics in rice and other cereals more manageable than ever before. A wide array of genetic markers, including anchor markers for comparative mapping, SSRs and SNPs are widely used in genetic mapping, germplasm evaluation and marker assisted selection. An integrated database that combines genome information for rice and other cereals is key to the effective utilization of all genomics resources for cereal improvement. To maximize the potential of genomics for plant breeding, experiments must be further miniaturized and costs must be reduced. Many techniques, including targeted gene disruption or allele substitution, insertional mutagenesis, RNA interference and homologous recombination, need to be refined before they can be widely used in functional genomic analysis and plant breeding.     

利用分子标记将2Ai-2染色体转移到小麦ph1b遗传背景的研究

小麦ph1b突变体可诱导部分同源染色体配对和交换,产生遗传上较为稳定、补偿性较好的重组体。将外源染色体引入ph1b的小麦遗传背景是产生目标染色体重组体的基础,但ph1b植株没有明显而稳定的表型性状,难以从表型上进行选择。本研究利用CSph1b缺失区中的分子标记Mads及外源染色体特异的分子标记P4和P68,对小麦-中间偃麦草2Ai-2(2B)异代换系N420与CSph1b的杂种F2群体及其衍生的F5株系进行ph1b-2Ai-2染色体综合体的选择,高效地获得了目标基因型。     

High Throughput BAC DNA Isolation for Physical Map Construction of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)

With the aim of constructing a physical map of sorghum, we developed a rapid, high throughput approach for isolating BAC DNA suitable for restriction endonuclease digestion fingerprinting, PCR- based STS-content mapping, and BAC-end sequencing. The system utilizes a programmable 96 channel liquid handling system and associated accessories that permit bacterial cultivation and DNA isolation in 96-well plate format. This protocol details culture conditions that optimize bacterial growth in deep-well plates and criteria for BAC DNA isolation to obtain high yields of quality BAC DNA. The system is robust, accurate, and relatively cost-effective. The BAC DNA isolation system has been tested during efforts to construct a physical map of sorghum.     

A species-specific nucleosomal signature defines a periodic distribution of amino acids in proteins

Nucleosomes are the basic structural units of chromatin. Most of the yeast genome is organized in a pattern of positioned nucleosomes that is stably maintained under a wide range of physiological conditions. In this work, we have searched for sequence determinants associated with positioned nucleosomes in four species of fission and budding yeasts. We show that mononucleosomal DNA follows a highly structured base composition pattern, which differs among species despite the high degree of histone conservation. These nucleosomal signatures are present in transcribed and non-transcribed regions across the genome. In the case of open reading frames, they correctly predict the relative distribution of codons on mononucleosomal DNA, and they also determine a periodicity in the average distribution of amino acids along the proteins. These results establish a direct and species-specific connection between the position of each codon around the histone octamer and protein composition.     

Smoke without fire: most reported cases of intron gain in nematodes instead reflect intron losses

Identification of recently gained spliceosomal introns would provide crucial evidence in the continuing debate concerning the age and evolutionary significance of introns. A previously published genomic analysis reported to have identified 122 introns that had been gained since the divergence of the nematodes Caenorhabidits elegans and Caenorhabditis briggsae approximately 100 MYA. However, using newly available genomic sequence from additional Caenorhabditis species, we show that 74% (60/81) of the reported gains in C. elegans are present in a C. briggsae relative. This pattern indicates that these introns represent losses in C. briggsae, not gains in C. elegans. In addition, 61% (25/41) of the reported gains in C. briggsae are present in the more distant C. briggsae relative, in a pattern suggesting that additional reported gains in C. elegans and/or C. briggsae may in fact represent unrecognized losses. These results underscore the dominance of intron loss over intron gain in recent eukaryotic evolution, the pitfalls associated with parsimony in inferring intron gains, and the importance of genomic sequencing of clusters of closely related species for drawing accurate inferences about genome evolution.     

锈菌类真菌基因组结构分析研究进展

锈菌种群庞大,可以引起许多重要经济作物和林木病害,严重威胁全球粮食和林业生产安全。全基因组分析为锈菌基因功能研究、毒性变异研究及锈菌演化规律研究提供了重要基础,为制定锈病有效防控策略和创制抗锈新材料提供理论依据。本文综述了目前锈菌全基因组分析领域的进展,对锈菌的基因组结构、基因组成、基因组变异等特征进行了归纳分析,对基因组变异与其专性寄生特性的关系、基因组变异对其毒性变异的可能影响等进行了阐述。基因组学将为最终揭示锈菌生活史复杂性和毒性高度变异性的根本成因提供有力工具。     

大豆遗传图谱的构建和分析

利用大豆栽培品种科丰1号和南农1138－2杂交得到的重组近交系NJRIKY,通过RFLP,SSR,RAPD和AFLP4种分子标记的遗传连锁分析,构建了包含24个连锁群,由792个遗传标记组成的大豆较高密度连锁图谱,该图谱覆盖2320．7cM,平均图距2．9cM,SSR标记的多态性较高,在基因组中的位置相对稳定,可以作为锚定标记,有利于连锁群的归并和不同图谱的比较整合;而AFLP标记对于增加图谱密度效率较高,但其容易出现聚集现象,从而造成连锁群上有很大的空隙（gap),另外,在连锁群中有21．7％的分子标记出现偏分离,该图谱为基因定位,比较基因组学和重要农艺性状的QTL定位等研究打下了基础。     

Molecular evolution of cdc2 pseudogenes in spruce (Picea)

The p34^cdc2 protein and other cyclin-dependent protein kinases (CDK) are important regulators of eukaryotic cell cycle progression. We have previously cloned a functional cdc2 gene from Picea abies and found it to be part of a family of related sequences, largely consisting of pseudogenes. We now report on the isolation of partial cdc2 pseudogenes from Picea engelmannii and Picea sitchensis, as well as partial functional cdc2 sequences from P. engelmannii, P. sitchensis and Pinus contorta. A high level of conservation between species was detected for these sequences. Phylogenetic analyses of pseudogene and functional cdc2 sequences, as well as the presence of shared insertions or deletions, support the division of most of the cdc2 pseudogenes into two subfamilies. New cdc2 pseudogenes appear to have been formed in Picea at a much higher rate than they have been obliterated by neutral mutations. The pattern of nucleotide changes in the cdc2 pseudogenes, as compared to a presumed ancestral functional cdc2 gene, was similar to that previously found in mammalian pseudogenes, with a strong bias for the transitions C to T and G to A, and the transversions C to A and G to T.