直接从人工老化的菜心干种子中提取基因组DNA用于RAPD分析

利用 4 0℃、1 0 0 %RH对菜心种子进行人工加速老化处理获得了不同活力的种子批 ,利用平衡酚_氯仿法直接从人工老化的菜心干种子中提取基因组DNA ,并对提取的基因组DNA进行了RAPD扩增。结果表明 ,所提取的基因组DNA量多 ,而且比较整齐一致。引物S2 0 8扩增所获得的基因组DNA指纹图谱上的DNA带清晰、明亮 ,从而表明利用本方法从人工老化菜心干种子中直接提取的基因组DNA完全可以用于RAPD分析。     

Comparative Genomic Study of the Thioredoxin Family in Photosynthetic Organisms with Emphasis on Populus trichocarpa

The recent genome sequencing of Populus trichocarpa and Vitis vinifera, two models of woody plants, of Sorghum bicolor, a model of monocot using C4 metabolism, and of the moss Physcomitrella patens, together with the availability of photosynthetic organism genomes allows performance of a comparative genomic study with organisms having different ways of life, reproduction modes, biological traits, and physiologies. Thioredoxins （Trxs） are small ubiq- uitous proteins involved in the reduction of disulfide bridges in a variety of target enzymes present in all sub-cellular compartments and involved in many biochemical reactions. The genes coding for these enzymes have been identified in these newly sequenced genomes and annotated. The gene content, organization and distribution were compared to other photosynthetic organisms, leading to a refined classification. This analysis revealed that higher plants and bryo- phytes have a more complex family compared to algae and cyanobacteria and to non-photosynthetic organisms, since poplar exhibits 49 genes coding for typical and atypical thioredoxins and thioredoxin reductases, namely one-third more than monocots such as Oryza sativa and S. bicolor. The higher number of Trxs in poplar is partially explained by gene duplication in the Trx m, h, and nucleoredoxin classes. Particular attention was paid to poplar genes with emphasis on Trx-like classes called Clot, thioredoxin-like, thioredoxins of the lilium type and nucleoredoxins, which were not described in depth in previous genomic studies.     

Boveri's long experiment: sea urchin merogones and the establishment of the role of nuclear chromosomes in development

Theodor Boveri's major intellectual contribution was his focus on the causality of nuclear chromosomal determinants for embryological development. His initial experimental attempt to demonstrate that the character of the developing embryo is determined by nuclear rather than cytoplasmic factors was launched in 1889. The experimental design was to fertilize enucleate sea urchin eggs with sperm of another species that produces a distinguishably different embryonic morphology. Boveri's “hybrid merogone” experiment provided what he initially thought was empirical evidence for the nuclear control of development. However, for subtle reasons, the data were not interpretable and the experiment was repeated and contested. At the end of his life, Boveri was finally able to explain the technical difficulties that had beset the original experiment. However, by 1902 Boveri had carried out his famous polyspermy experiments, which provided decisive evidence for the role of nuclear chromosomal determinants in embryogenesis. Here we present the history of the hybrid merogone experiment as an important case of conceptual reasoning paired with (often difficult) experimental approaches. We then trace the further history of the merogone and normal species hybrid approaches that this experiment had set in train, and review their results from the standpoint of current insights. The history of Boveri's hybrid merogone experiment suggests important lessons about the interplay between what we call “models”, the specific intellectual statements we conceive about how biology works, and the sometimes difficult task of generating experimental proof for these concepts.     

Genetic diversity and relationships of diploid and tetraploid cottons revealed using AFLP

Gossypium species (± 49) represent a vast resource of genetic diversity for the improvement of cultivated cotton. To determine intra- and inter-specific genetic relationships within a diverse collection of Gossypium taxa, we employed 16 AFLP primer combinations on three diploid species, Gossypium herbaceum L. (A1), Gossypium arboreum L. (A2) and Gossypium raimondii Ulbrich (D5), and 26 AD allotetraploid accessions (Gossypium barbadense L. and Gossypium hirsutum L.). A total of 1180 major AFLP bands were observed; 368 of these (31%) were polymorphic. Genetic similarities among all taxa ranged from 0.21 (between the diploid species G. arboreum and G. raimondii) up to 0.89 (within G. barbadense). Phenetic trees based on genetic similarities (UPGMA, N-J) were consistent with known taxonomic relationships. In some cases, well-supported phylogenetic relationships, as well as evidence of genetic reticulation, could also be inferred. UPGMA trees and principal coordinate analysis based on genetic similarity matrices were used to identify genetically distinct cultivars that are potentially important sources of germplasm for cotton improvement, particularly of fiber quality traits. We show that AFLP is useful for estimating genetic relationships across a wide range of taxonomic levels, and for analyzing the evolutionary and historical development of cotton cultivars at the genomic level. Received: 17 January 2000 / Accepted: 4 May 2000     

Genomic characterization of Helicobacter hepaticus: ordered cosmid library and comparative sequence analysis

Helicobacter hepaticus is an important pathogen in laboratory mice and induces the development of liver tumors and gastrointestinal disease in susceptible strains of mice. In this study, a miniset of 36 cosmid clones from a genomic library of H. hepaticus was ordered and grouped into four large contigs representing approximately 1 Mb of the H. hepaticus genome using PCR, DNA sequencing, Southern and dot-blot hybridization and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. From the 200-300 terminal nucleotide sequences of 38 cosmid clones, 56 coding regions were predicted, of which 51 were found to have orthologs in the public databases and five appeared to be unique to H. hepaticus. Of these 51 genes, 36 have orthologs in Helicobacter pylori and 25 display the highest sequence similarity to H. pylori. However, chromosomal positions of these genes are not conserved between these two helicobacters. In addition, 10 H. hepaticus genes had the highest sequence similarity to orthologs in Campylobacter jejuni. The GC content in a randomly selected 21-kb H. hepaticus genomic sequence was 35.8%, which approximates the average between H. pylori (39%) and C. jejuni (30.6%). These results demonstrate that: (1) H. hepaticus is more closely related to H. pylori than C. jejuni; (2) significant genomic alterations exist between H. hepaticus and H. pylori, including gene organization, protein sequences and GC content, probably in part due to specific adaptation to distinct ecological niches.     

Fluorescence in situ Hybridization and Southern Blot Analyses on Leymus racemosus and Related Species

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was carried out in somatic cells of racemosus (lam.) Tzvel. and Thinopyrum junceum ( Savul. & Rayss) A. Love using Th. bessarabicum ( Savul. & Rayss) A. Love genomic DNA as probe. Fourteen pairs of chromosomes in L. racemosus gave positive signal, and only seven of fourteen pairs of chromosomes in Th. junceum showed signal. In FISH probed with PHv62, the chromosomes in Th. bessarabicum and L. racemosus hybridized with PHv62, whereas Th. Bessarabicum showed positive signal in four pairs of chromosomes, and the latter in thirteen pairs of chromosomes. No positive signal was observed in chromosomes of Psathyrostachys juncea (Fisch.) Nevski and Th. junceum. The results of Southern hybridization probed with PHv62 were similar to those of in situ hybridization. Twelve alien chromosome lines of T. aestivum-L, racemosus were detected by PHv62 probing. In most of the alien chromosome lines, PHv62 hybridized in fragment of Leymus chromosomes, except for the line containing chromosomes 5Lr # 1 and 1 1Lr # 1. It is inferred that Th. bessarabicum may involve in the formation of species. Non the less, significant changes have occurred during the evolution of Leymus genomes.     

A Brief Review: The Z-curve Theory and its Application in Genome Analysis

In theoretical physics, there exist two basic mathematical approaches, algebraic and geometrical methods, which, in most cases, are complementary. In the area of genome sequence analysis, however, algebraic approaches have been widely used, while geometrical approaches have been less explored for a long time. The Z-curve theory is a geometrical approach to genome analysis. The Z-curve is a three-dimensional curve that represents a given DNA sequence in the sense that each can be uniquely reconstructed given the other. The Z-curve, therefore, contains all the information that the corresponding DNA sequence carries. The analysis of a DNA sequence can then be performed through studying the corresponding Z-curve. The Z-curve method has found applications in a wide range of areas in the past two decades, including the identifications of protein-coding genes, replication origins, horizontally-transferred genomic islands, promoters, translational start sides and isochores, as well as studies on phylogenetics, genome visualization and comparative genomics. Here, we review the progress of Z-curve studies from aspects of both theory and applications in genome analysis.     

Targeted, haplotype-resolved resequencing of long segments of the human genome

Currently, challenges exist to acquire long-range (hundreds of kilobase pairs) phase-discriminated sequence across substantial numbers of individuals. We have developed a straightforward method for isolating and characterizing specific genomic regions in a haplospecific manner. Real-time PCR is carried out to STS content map and genotype pools of fosmid clones arrayed in 384-well microtiter plates. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms, microsatellite markers, and insertion-deletion polymorphisms are used to differentiate the target region into haplotype-specific tiling paths. DNA of clones from these tiling paths is retrieved from the library and either sequenced by standard shotgun methods or amplified in vitro and sequenced by a primer-based, directed method. This approach provides convenient access to complete, haplotype-resolved resequencing data from multiple individuals across tens to hundreds of thousands of basepairs. We illustrate its implementation with a detailed example of more than 400 kbp from the human CFTR region, across 15 individuals, and summarize our experience applying it to many other human loci.     

Identification of a type III secretion system in uropathogenic Escherichia coli

To determine virulence-related genes in uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) showing invasiveness to T-24 bladder cancer cells, genomic subtractive hybridization was performed between a highly invasive and a less invasive strain. Forty-nine DNA fragments were isolated from the invasive strain. One of them showed homology with Salmonella invA gene. By chromosomal walking of the strain, a type III secretion system that has been described in E. coli O157:H7 was identified on the genome of the invasive strains. Three strains out of 100 UPEC isolates had a type III secretion system inserted at 64 min of the chromosome, corresponding to E. coli K-12 MG1655. This finding suggested that the type III secretion system could play a part in uropathogenicity of UPEC.     

Superantigen-like gene(s) in human pathogenic Streptococcus dysgalactiae,subsp equisimilis: genomic localisation of the gene encoding streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin G (speG(dys))

Streptococcus pyogenes (GAS) causes about 90% of streptococcal human infections while group C (GCS) and G (GGS) streptococci can be pathogenic for different mammalians. Especially the human pathogenic GCS and GGS, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, subsp. equisimilis, account for 5-8% of the human streptococcal diseases like wound infections, otitis media, purulent pharyngitis and also streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. A defined superantigen so far was not identified in GCS and GGS strains. In the present investigation we screened DNA of GCS and GGS human isolates for the presence of genes for streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxins (spe) by hybridisation with probes that stand for the GAS genes speA, speC, speZ (smeZ), speH, speG, speI, speJ and ssa. In many GCS and GGS strains we found positive reactions with the probes speG, speJ and ssa, but not with the probes for the remaining genes under investigation. PCR amplification with subsequent sequence analysis of the PCR fragments revealed only the presence of the gene speG in GCS and GGS strains, while no DNA fragments specific for speJ and ssa could be amplified. Additionally, the upstream and downstream regions flanking speG in GGS strain 39072 were sequenced. Remarkable differences were found in the neighbourhood of speG between GAS and GGS sequences. Downstream of speG we identified in strain GGS 39072 two new open reading frames encoding proteins with no similarity to protein sequences accessible in the databases so far. In the compared GAS strains SF370 and MGAS8232, this segment, apart from some small fragments, had been deleted. Our analysis suggests that a gene transfer from GGS to GAS has preceded following deletion of the two genes orf1 and orf2 in GAS.