Rates of evolution of avirulence phenotypes and DNA markers in a northwest European population of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici

The effects of evolutionary processes in fungal pathogen populations may occur more rapidly and display larger effects in agricultural systems than in wild ecosystems because of human involvement by plant breeding and crop management. In this study, we analysed the rate of evolution in three lineages of a northwest European population of a biotrophic and asexual reproduced fungal pathogen, Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, causing yellow rust on wheat. Pathogen samples were collected between 1975 and 2002 in the UK and Denmark, and assayed for 14 individual avirulence/virulence alleles and up to 234 amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) primer pairs producing approximately 17,000 AFLP fragments. The large number of fragments and a targeted sampling of isolates allowed a reconstruction of phylogenies in great detail, i.e. no homoplasy and a representation of sequential, evolutionary steps by pathogen samples. A recent, phenotypic loss of avirulence was observed at least once for loci corresponding to P. striiformis f. sp. tritici resistance Yr2, Yr3, Yr4, Yr7, Yr9, and Yr15, whereas Avr6 and Avr17 were lost independently in all three lineages, corresponding to 16 events of loss of avirulence (emergence of virulence). The opposite process, restoration of avirulence, was observed for Yr9 and Yr32. An interpretation of phenotypic changes within lineages as independent mutation events resulted in mutation frequencies from 1.4x10(-6) to 4.1x10(-6) per AFLP fragment (locus) per generation, whereas the effective rate by which a mutation from avirulence to virulence was established in the pathogen population, when subject to selection by host resistance genes, was approximately three orders of magnitude faster.     

Maximum likelihood estimation of ancestral codon usage bias parameters in Drosophila

We present a likelihood method for estimating codon usage bias parameters along the lineages of a phylogeny. The method is an extension of the classical codon-based models used for estimating dN/dS ratios along the lineages of a phylogeny. However, we add one extra parameter for each lineage: the selection coefficient for optimal codon usage (S), allowing joint maximum likelihood estimation of S and the dN/dS ratio. We apply the method to previously published data from Drosophila melanogaster, Drosophila simulans, and Drosophila yakuba and show, in accordance with previous results, that the D. melanogaster lineage has experienced a reduction in the selection for optimal codon usage. However, the D. melanogaster lineage has also experienced a change in the biological mutation rates relative to D. simulans, in particular, a relative reduction in the mutation rate from A to G and an increase in the mutation rate from C to T. However, neither a reduction in the strength of selection nor a change in the mutational pattern can alone explain all of the data observed in the D. melanogaster lineage. For example, we also confirm previous results showing that the Notch locus has experienced positive selection for previously classified unpreferred mutations.     

Recent and ongoing selection in the human genome

The recent availability of genome-scale genotyping data has led to the identification of regions of the human genome that seem to have been targeted by selection. These findings have increased our understanding of the evolutionary forces that affect the human genome, have augmented our knowledge of gene function and promise to increase our understanding of the genetic basis of disease. However, inferences of selection are challenged by several confounding factors, especially the complex demographic history of human populations, and concordance between studies is variable. Although such studies will always be associated with some uncertainty, steps can be taken to minimize the effects of confounding factors and improve our interpretation of their findings.     

Structural Basis for Antigen Recognition by Transglutaminase 2-specific Autoantibodies in Celiac Disease

Antibodies to the autoantigen transglutaminase 2 (TG2) are a hallmark of celiac disease. We have studied the interaction between TG2 and an anti-TG2 antibody (679-14-E06) derived from a single gut IgA plasma cell of a celiac disease patient. The antibody recognizes one of four identified epitopes targeted by antibodies of plasma cells of the disease lesion. The binding interface was identified by small angle x-ray scattering, ab initio and rigid body modeling using the known crystal structure of TG2 and the crystal structure of the antibody Fab fragment, which was solved at 2.4 Å resolution. The result was confirmed by testing binding of the antibody to TG2 mutants by ELISA and surface plasmon resonance. TG2 residues Arg-116 and His-134 were identified to be critical for binding of 679-14-E06 as well as other epitope 1 antibodies. In contrast, antibodies directed toward the two other main epitopes (epitopes 2 and 3) were not affected by these mutations. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest interactions of 679-14-E06 with the N-terminal domain of TG2 via the CDR2 and CDR3 loops of the heavy chain and the CDR2 loop of the light chain. In addition there were contacts of the framework 3 region of the heavy chain with the catalytic domain of TG2. The results provide an explanation for the biased usage of certain heavy and light chain gene segments by epitope 1-specific antibodies in celiac disease.