Conservation and Periodicity of DNA Bend Sites in Eukaryotic Genomes

DNA bend sites appear every 680 bp on average in the human -and ß-globin gene regions. Although most of theirmolecular nature has not been unraveled, a potential bend coresequence A₂N₈A₂N₈A₂ (A/A/A) and its complementary T₂N₈T₂N₈T₂(T/T/T) appeared preferentially either in or very close to mostof the bend sites, whereas other combinations of A₂ and T₂ dinucleotides,A/T/T + A/A/T, T/T/A + T/A/A and A/T/A + T/A/T, did not. Thedistances between any two of the core sequences in the entireß-globin locus showed a strong bias to a length of701–800 bp and multiples thereof, suggesting that thereis periodicity throughout the locus. This bias was not foundfor other combinations of A₂ and T₂. Again, this periodicitywas identified in many eukaryotic genes, whereas the tendencywas absent in mRNAs and prokaryotic as well as viral genomes.     

Complete Genome Sequence of Methanomassiliicoccus luminyensis, the Largest Genome of a Human-Associated Archaea Species

The present study describes the complete and annotated genome sequence of Methanomassiliicoccus luminyensis strain B10 (DSM 24529(T), CSUR P135), which was isolated from human feces. The 2.6-Mb genome represents the largest genome of a methanogenic euryarchaeon isolated from humans. The genome data of M. luminyensis reveal unique features and horizontal gene transfer events, which might have occurred during its adaptation and/or evolution in the human ecosystem.     

Sequence Divergence of Seryl-tRNA Synthetases in Archaea

The genomic sequences of Methanococcus jannaschii and Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum contain a structurally uncommon seryl-tRNA synthetase (SerRS) sequence and lack an open reading frame (ORF) for the canonical cysteinyl-tRNA synthetase (CysRS). Therefore, it is not clear if Cys-tRNA^Cys is formed by direct aminoacylation or by a transformation of serine misacylated to tRNA^Cys. To address this question, we prepared SerRS from two methanogenic archaea and measured the enzymatic properties of these proteins. SerRS was purified from M. thermoautotrophicum; its N-terminal peptide sequence matched the sequence deduced from the relevant ORF in the genomic data of M. thermoautotrophicum and M. jannaschii. In addition, SerRS was expressed from a cloned Methanococcus maripaludis serS gene. The two enzymes charged serine to their homologous tRNAs and also accepted Escherichia coli tRNA as substrate for aminoacylation. Gel shift experiments showed that M. thermoautotrophicum SerRS did not mischarge tRNA^Cys with serine. This indicates that Cys-tRNA^Cys is formed by direct acylation in these organisms.     

ApA Dinucleotide Periodicity in Prokaryote, Eukaryote, and Organelle Genomes

Computer analyses of various genome sequences revealed the existence of certain periodical patterns of adenine–adenine dinucleotides (ApA). For each genome sequence of 13 eubacteria, 3 archaebacteria, 10 eukaryotes, 60 mitochondria, and 9 chloroplasts, we counted frequencies of ApA dinucleotides at each downstream position within 50 bp from every ApA. We found that the complete genomes of all three archaebacteria have clear ApA periodicities of about 10 bps. On the other hand, all of the 13 eubacteria we analyzed were found to have an ApA periodicity of about 11 bp. Similar periodicities exist in the 10 eukaryotes, although higher organisms such as primates tend to have weaker periodic patterns. None of the mitochondria and chroloplasts we analyzed showed an evident periodic pattern. Received: 3 November 1998 / Accepted: 24 March 1999     

Genomes of Two New Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea Enriched from Deep Marine Sediments

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are ubiquitous and abundant and contribute significantly to the carbon and nitrogen cycles in the ocean. In this study, we assembled AOA draft genomes from two deep marine sediments from Donghae, South Korea, and Svalbard, Arctic region, by sequencing the enriched metagenomes. Three major microorganism clusters belonging to Thaumarchaeota, Epsilonproteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria were deduced from their 16S rRNA genes, GC contents, and oligonucleotide frequencies. Three archaeal genomes were identified, two of which were distinct and were designated Ca. “Nitrosopumilus koreensis” AR1 and “Nitrosopumilus sediminis” AR2. AR1 and AR2 exhibited average nucleotide identities of 85.2% and 79.5% to N. maritimus, respectively. The AR1 and AR2 genomes contained genes pertaining to energy metabolism and carbon fixation as conserved in other AOA, but, conversely, had fewer heme-containing proteins and more copper-containing proteins than other AOA. Most of the distinctive AR1 and AR2 genes were located in genomic islands (GIs) that were not present in other AOA genomes or in a reference water-column metagenome from the Sargasso Sea. A putative gene cluster involved in urea utilization was found in the AR2 genome, but not the AR1 genome, suggesting niche specialization in marine AOA. Co-cultured bacterial genome analysis suggested that bacterial sulfur and nitrogen metabolism could be involved in interactions with AOA. Our results provide fundamental information concerning the metabolic potential of deep marine sedimentary AOA.     

埃博拉病毒基因组中微卫星序列的分布分析

微卫星或简单重复序列(simple sequence repeat, SSR)在真核和原核生物以及病毒基因组中普遍存在,并被广泛用于遗传与进化研究。本研究从NCBI中下载埃博拉病毒属的四个不同种的埃博拉病毒全基因组序列,筛选36条作为实验材料,利用IMEx在线提取软件提取SSRs,用Python编程统计数据,从而分析SSRs在埃博拉病毒全基因组序列中的分布情况。分析得出,埃博拉病毒基因组序列中二型SSRs含量最为丰富,其次是一型SSRs,三型SSRs有少量,四型SSRs则更少,没有发现五型和六型SSRs。在更深入的分析中得出在埃博拉病毒属四个种中,含A/T碱基的SSRs含量远远大于含C/G碱基的SSRs。分析得出一型SSRs中(A)n/(T)n远多于(G)n/(C)n,二型SSRs中不存在(GC/CG)n,三型中也不存在(GGC/CGG/GCG/CCG/CGC/GCC) n。上述发现可能跟埃博拉病毒的致病机理有密切联系。通过对埃博拉病毒基因组序列中SSRs的分析,为研究埃博拉病毒的变异情况及致病机制提供更多参考。     

The Complete Plastid Genome Sequence of the Haptophyte Emiliania huxleyi: a Comparison to Other Plastid Genomes

The complete nucleotide sequence of the plastid genome of thehaptophyte Emiliania huxleyi has been determined. E. huxleyiis the most abundant coccolithophorid and has a key role inthe carbon cycle. It is also implicated in the production ofdimethylsulphide (DMS), which is involved in cloud nucleationand may affect the global climate. Here, we report the plastidgenome sequence of this ecologically and economically importantspecies and compare its gene content and arrangement to otherknown plastid genomes. The genome is circular and consists of105,309 bp with an inverted repeat of 4,841 bp. In terms ofboth genome size and gene content E. huxleyi cpDNA is substantiallysmaller than any other from the red plastid lineage. The geneticinformation is densely packed, with 86.8% of the genome specifying110 identified protein-coding genes, 9 open reading frames,28 different tRNAs, and 3 rRNAs. A detailed comparison to otherplastid genomes, based on gene content, gene function, and genecluster analysis is discussed. These analyses suggest a closerelationship of the E. huxleyi cpDNA to the chlorophyll c-containingplastids from heterokonts and cryptophytes, and they supportthe origin of the chromophyte plastids from the red algal lineage.     

叶绿体系统发育基因组学的研究进展

系统发育基因组学是由系统发育研究和基因组学相结合产生的一门崭新的交叉学科。近年来,在植物系统发育研究中,基于叶绿体基因组的系统发育基因组学研究优势渐显端倪,为一些分类困难类群的系统学问题提出了解决方案,但同时也存在某些问题。本文结合近年来叶绿体系统发育基因组学研究中的一些典型实例,讨论了叶绿体系统发育基因组学在植物系统关系重建中的价值和应用前景,并针对其存在问题进行了探讨,其中也涉及了新一代测序技术对叶绿体系统发育基因组学的影响。     

The Complete Genome Sequence of the Pathogenic Intestinal Spirochete Brachyspira pilosicoli and Comparison with Other Brachyspira Genomes

Background

The anaerobic spirochete Brachyspira pilosicoli colonizes the large intestine of various species of birds and mammals, including humans. It causes “intestinal spirochetosis”, a condition characterized by mild colitis, diarrhea and reduced growth. This study aimed to sequence and analyse the bacterial genome to investigate the genetic basis of its specialized ecology and virulence.

Methodology/Principal Findings

The genome of B. pilosicoli 95/1000 was sequenced, assembled and compared with that of the pathogenic Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and a near-complete sequence of Brachyspira murdochii. The B. pilosicoli genome was circular, composed of 2,586,443 bp with a 27.9 mol% G+C content, and encoded 2,338 genes. The three Brachyspira species shared 1,087 genes and showed evidence of extensive genome rearrangements. Despite minor differences in predicted protein functional groups, the species had many similar features including core metabolic pathways. Genes distinguishing B. pilosicoli from B. hyodysenteriae included those for a previously undescribed bacteriophage that may be useful for genetic manipulation, for a glycine reductase complex allowing use of glycine whilst protecting from oxidative stress, and for aconitase and related enzymes in the incomplete TCA cycle, allowing glutamate synthesis and function of the cycle during oxidative stress. B. pilosicoli had substantially fewer methyl-accepting chemotaxis genes than B. hyodysenteriae and hence these species are likely to have different chemotactic responses that may help to explain their different host range and colonization sites. B. pilosicoli lacked the gene for a new putative hemolysin identified in B. hyodysenteriae WA1. Both B. pilosicoli and B. murdochii lacked the rfbBADC gene cluster found on the B. hyodysenteriae plasmid, and hence were predicted to have different lipooligosaccharide structures. Overall, B. pilosicoli 95/1000 had a variety of genes potentially contributing to virulence.

Conclusions/Significance

The availability of the complete genome sequence of B. pilosicoli 95/1000 will facilitate functional genomics studies aimed at elucidating host-pathogen interactions and virulence.     

古核生物ABC转运体系的重构及其基因组比较

代谢途径和调控网络的重建和比较研究是基因组功能预测的高级内容。运用多种生物信息学工具在基因组水平上重构了古核生物深海热球菌（Ｐｙｒｃｏｃｃｕｓ ａｂｙｓｓｉ）的ＡＢＣ（ＡＴＰ－ｂｉｎｄｉｎｇ ｃａｓｓｅｔｔｅ）转运体系,预测了它们的功能特性;并与另一古核生物詹氏甲烷球菌（Ｍ．ｊａｎｎａｓｃｈｉｉ）的对应体系作了进化比较,发现Ｍ．ｊａｎｎａｓｃｈｉｉ缺少负责短肽摄入的ＡＢＣ转运体系,推测与二者分属不     

猪圆环病毒2型福建株的全基因组克隆与序列分析

根据GenBank上公布的猪圆环病毒2型全基因序列设计一对扩增PCV-2全基因的引物,建立扩增PCV-2全序列的PCR方法,并应用此方法从福建省不同地区采集的疑似断奶仔猪多系统衰竭综合征(PMWS)的仔猪肺组织病料中扩增出PCV-2全基因组(1 767 bp),将此基因片段克隆入pMD 18-T载体,筛选获得重组质粒pMD-PCV-2,并对其进行序列测定,然后对全基因组进行同源性和遗传进化分析。结果表明,福建省不同地区采集的猪肺组织扩增出的PCV-2全序列与GenBank上公布的的全基因组同源性介于94.9%-99.8%之间,ORF1的同源性介于97.2%-99.9%,ORF2的同源性也很高,介于97.7%-99.8%之间。其中福州株、福清株和漳州株与中国农大报道的12株、郑州株5株、杭州4株、武汉株3株、上海株2株、扬州2株、南京1株和兰州1株共30株在一个进化分支上,同源性也高达99.3%。本研究有助于监测PCV-2的疫源和进化关系,为进一步深入研究福建省生猪猪圆环病毒来源奠定一定基础。     

猪圆环病毒2型分离毒株全基因组的克隆及序列分析

根据GenBank中猪圆环病毒2型（PCV－2）基因序列,设计两对特异性引物,用PCR方法从接种疑似PMWS仔猪病料的细胞中分段扩增2个分离毒株全基因组。将扩增片段克隆入pGEM-T easy载体,筛选获得含有相应片段的阳性重组质粒。对质粒中的插入片段进行测序拼接,获得2株均为1768bp的全基因组序列。应用DNA star序列分析软件,对所测PCV－2序列与GenBank中的国内外PCV毒株进行同源性比较,并绘制系统发生树,结果发现：所测两毒株之间的核苷酸序列同源性极高,可达99．8％,亲缘关系密切;与PCV－2参考毒株的同源性介于95．3％－99．7％之间,其中与美国的一株PCV－2同源性最高,分别为99．5％和99．7％,亲缘关系很近;与国内两分离株同源性分别为96．4％和98．8％－98．9％;与PCV－1参考毒株同源性仅为77．1％－77．5％。     

Large-Scale Genomic Analysis Suggests a Neutral Punctuated Dynamics of Transposable Elements in Bacterial Genomes

Insertion sequences (IS) are the simplest and most abundant form of transposable DNA found in bacterial genomes. When present in multiple copies, it is thought that they can promote genomic plasticity and genetic exchange, thus being a major force of evolutionary change. The main processes that determine IS content in genomes are, though, a matter of debate. In this work, we take advantage of the large amount of genomic data currently available and study the abundance distributions of 33 IS families in 1811 bacterial chromosomes. This allows us to test simple models of IS dynamics and estimate their key parameters by means of a maximum likelihood approach. We evaluate the roles played by duplication, lateral gene transfer, deletion and purifying selection. We find that the observed IS abundances are compatible with a neutral scenario where IS proliferation is controlled by deletions instead of purifying selection. Even if there may be some cases driven by selection, neutral behavior dominates over large evolutionary scales. According to this view, IS and hosts tend to coexist in a dynamic equilibrium state for most of the time. Our approach also allows for a detection of recent IS expansions, and supports the hypothesis that rapid expansions constitute transient events—punctuations—during which the state of coexistence of IS and host becomes perturbated.     

Inverse Symmetry in Complete Genomes and Whole-Genome Inverse Duplication

The cause of symmetry is usually subtle, and its study often leads to a deeper understanding of the bearer of the symmetry. To gain insight into the dynamics driving the growth and evolution of genomes, we conducted a comprehensive study of textual symmetries in 786 complete chromosomes. We focused on symmetry based on our belief that, in spite of their extreme diversity, genomes must share common dynamical principles and mechanisms that drive their growth and evolution, and that the most robust footprints of such dynamics are symmetry related. We found that while complement and reverse symmetries are essentially absent in genomic sequences, inverse–complement plus reverse–symmetry is prevalent in complex patterns in most chromosomes, a vast majority of which have near maximum global inverse symmetry. We also discovered relations that can quantitatively account for the long observed but unexplained phenomenon of -mer skews in genomes. Our results suggest segmental and whole-genome inverse duplications are important mechanisms in genome growth and evolution, probably because they are efficient means by which the genome can exploit its double-stranded structure to enrich its code-inventory.     

龟鳖类线粒体全基因组的比较研究

在基因组水平上,比较分析了已登录GenBank的19种龟鳖类线粒体全基因组的结构特征．结果表明：1）除平胸龟、扁陆龟外,其余17种龟鳖类线粒体基因组结构、基因排列顺序均与典型的脊椎动物相似,显示龟鳖类线粒体基因组在进化上十分保守：2）19种龟鳖类线粒体全基因组和各部分的碱基组成均表现出高AT、低G含量的偏向,在控制区中表现尤为明显：3）除中华鳖和白腹摄龟外,其余种类的某些蛋白编码基因中都存在一个或多个额外插入的核苷酸：4）除侧颈龟亚目的非洲侧颈龟外,其余18种曲颈龟线粒体DNA的“WANCY”区中都存在轻链复制起始点（OL）,且它们的二级结构、核苷酸组成高度保守,推测该结构可能是曲颈龟亚目的一个共同特征：5）部分龟鳖类线粒体基因组控制区3’端存在大片段（200～450bp）的重复序列,某些龟鳖类中有由（AT）构成的微卫星序列,并且这些拷贝序列在种间表现出一定的差异,其可作为特异的分子标记,对于龟鳖类动物系统学的研究、亲缘关系的鉴定、物种多样性的保护和研究等方面具有重要的参考价值．     

Underlying Hydrophobic Sequence Periodicity of Protein Tertiary Structure

Abstract

Hydropathy plots or window averages over local stretches of the sequence of residue hydrophobicity have revealed patterns related to various protein tertiary structural features. This has enabled identification of regions of the sequence that are at the surface or within the interior of globular soluble proteins, regions located within the lipid bilayer of transmembrane proteins, portions of the sequence that characterize repeating motifs, as well as motifs that usefully characterize different protein structural families. This, therefore, provides one example of the generally expressed maxim that “sequence determines structure”. On the other hand, a number of previous investigations have shown the rapidly varying values of residue hydrophobicity along the sequence to be distributed approximately randomly. So one might question just how much of the sequence actually determines structure. It is, therefore, of interest to extract that part of this rapidly varying distribution of residue hydrophobicity that is responsible for the longer wavelength variations that correlate with protein tertiary structural features and to determine their prevalence within the entire distribution. This is accomplished by a finite Fourier analysis of the sequence of residue hydrophobicity and of a new measure of residue distance from the protein interior. Calculations are performed on a number of globins, immunoglobulins, cuprodoxins, and papain-like structures. The spectral power of the Fourier amplitudes of the frequencies extracted, whose inverse transforms underlie the windowed values of residue hydrophobicity is shown to be a small fraction of the total power of the hydrophobicity distribution and thereby consistent with a distribution that might appear to be predominantly random. The wide range of sequence identity between proteins having the same fold, all exhibiting similar small fractions of power amplitude that correlate with the longer wavelength inside-to- outside excursions of the amino acid residues, supports the general contention that close sequence identity is an expression of a close evolutionary relationship rather than an expression of structural similarity. Practical implications of the present analysis for protein structure prediction and engineering are also described.     

Complete Plastid Genome Sequence of the Basal Asterid Ardisia polysticta Miq. and Comparative Analyses of Asterid Plastid Genomes

Ardisia is a basal asterid genus well known for its medicinal values and has the potential for development of novel phytopharmaceuticals. In this genus of nearly 500 species, many ornamental species are commonly grown worldwide and some have become invasive species that caused ecological problems. As there is no completed plastid genome (plastome) sequence in related taxa, we sequenced and characterized the plastome of Ardisia polysticta to find plastid markers of potential utility for phylogenetic analyses at low taxonomic levels. The complete A. polysticta plastome is 156,506 bp in length and has gene content and organization typical of most asterids and other angiosperms. We identified seven intergenic regions as potentially informative markers with resolution for interspecific relationships. Additionally, we characterized the diversity of asterid plastomes with respect to GC content, plastome organization, gene content, and repetitive sequences through comparative analyses. The results demonstrated that the genome organizations near the boundaries between inverted repeats (IRs) and single-copy regions (SCs) are polymorphic. The boundary organization found in Ardisia appears to be the most common type among asterids, while six other types are also found in various asterid lineages. In general, the repetitive sequences in genic regions tend to be more conserved, whereas those in noncoding regions are usually lineage-specific. Finally, we inferred the whole-plastome phylogeny with the available asterid sequences. With the improvement in taxon sampling of asterid orders and families, our result highlights the uncertainty of the position of Gentianales within euasterids I.     

应用长PCR扩增蝗虫线粒体全基因组

介绍了用两对长PCR引物扩增蝗虫(Acridoidea)线粒体全基因组的方法。从NCBI的核酸数据库下载得到36种已测昆虫线粒体全基因组,选取cytochromeb(Cytb)c、ytochrome oxidase subunitⅡ(COⅡ)、cytochrome oxidase subunitⅠ(COⅠ)基因的保守区域设计两对引物。其中引物LP03和LP04从COⅠ向Cytb扩增;引物LPCytb和LPCOⅡ从Cytb向COⅡ扩增,两对引物扩增的片段之间有大约1 kb的重叠。应用这两对引物成功扩增出10种蝗虫的线粒体基因组。考虑到在设计引物过程中所选序列在其他昆虫中的保守性,它们应能在大部分昆虫线粒体基因组扩增中发挥作用。