SNP2GO: Functional Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Studies

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are designed to identify the portion of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genome sequences associated with a complex trait. Strategies based on the gene list enrichment concept are currently applied for the functional analysis of GWAS, according to which a significant overrepresentation of candidate genes associated with a biological pathway is used as a proxy to infer overrepresentation of candidate SNPs in the pathway. Here we show that such inference is not always valid and introduce the program SNP2GO, which implements a new method to properly test for the overrepresentation of candidate SNPs in biological pathways.     

Dissecting the mechanisms responsible for the multiple insecticide resistance phenotype in Anopheles gambiae s.s., M form,from Vallée du Kou,Burkina Faso

With the exception of target site mutations, insecticide resistance mechanisms in the principle malaria vector Anopheles gambiae, remains largely uncharacterized in Burkina Faso.     

本体:生物医学大数据与精准医学研究的基础

在最近兴起的生物医学大数据和精准医学研究中,本体正发挥着不可替代的作用。但一大部分人对本体的定义、类型与应用比较混淆。这篇综述对这些问题进行了回答。具体而言,本体使用人和计算机都可以理解的术语及关系集来表述各种实体/概念以及它们之间关系。根据本体的作用,本体可分为三类:具有多关系模型的增强版控制术语集,反映某知识域的本体知识系统,和对元数据在语义上的约束与标准化的元数据本体。基于这些作用,本体被广泛地应用于生物医学数据的标准化、整合、检索与分析,已经知识的挖掘。当代本体学的研究发展迅速,我国刚刚起步,机遇与挑战并存。广泛地开展国内与国际有关本体的合作研究,将促进国内生物医学本体领域研究水平的整体提升,提高生物与临床科研大数据整合与精准医学研究的能力。     

Genome-wide transcriptional changes of ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud) in response to root-lesion nematode infection

Ramie fiber extracted from stem bark is one of the most important natural fibers. The root-lesion nematode (RLN) Pratylenchus coffeae is a major ramie pest and causes large fiber yield losses in China annually. The response mechanism of ramie to RLN infection is poorly understood. In this study, we identified genes that are potentially involved in the RLN-resistance in ramie using Illumina pair-end sequencing in two RLN-infected plants (Inf1 and Inf2) and two control plants (CO1 and CO2). Approximately 56.3, 51.7, 43.4, and 45.0 million sequencing reads were generated from the libraries of CO1, CO2, Inf1, and Inf2, respectively. De novo assembly for these 196 million reads yielded 50,486 unigenes with an average length of 853.3 bp. A total of 24,820 (49.2%) genes were annotated for their function. Comparison of gene expression levels between CO and Inf ramie revealed 777 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The expression levels of 12 DEGs were further confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). Pathway enrichment analysis showed that three pathways (phenylalanine metabolism, carotenoid biosynthesis, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis) were strongly influenced by RLN infection. A series of candidate genes and pathways that may contribute to the defense response against RLN in ramie will be helpful for further improving resistance to RLN infection.     

一种基于本体集成的生物医学数据库中语义映射维护方法研究

生物医学数据库到生物医学本体的语义映射是基于本体集成生物医学数据库系统的一个重要环节。而生物医学本体随着学科的发展不断演化,造成了集成系统不稳定。针对这个问题,本文在本体演化条件下,分析并发现了语义映射的变化规律,设计了对应的维护流程和维护方法,并通过计算维护收益率证明了该方法对映射的维护是有效性的,从而增强了集成系统在本体演化条件下的稳定性。