Biomedical subjects

Gregory P Harhay

Publications and source records attributed to Gregory P Harhay.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Prion gene haplotypes of U.S. cattle.

BACKGROUND: Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a fatal neurological disorder characterized by abnormal deposits of a protease-resistant isoform of the prion protein. Characterizing linkage disequilibrium (LD) and haplotype networks within the bovine prion gene (PRNP) is important for 1) testing rare or common PRNP variation for an association with BSE and 2) interpreting any association of PRNP alleles with BSE susceptibility. The objective of this study was to identify polymorphisms and haplotypes within PRNP from the promoter region through the 3'UTR in a diverse sample of U.S. cattle genomes. RESULTS: A 25.2-kb genomic region containing PRNP was sequenced from 192 diverse U.S. beef and dairy cattle. Sequence analyses identified 388 total polymorphisms, of which 287 have not previously been reported. The polymorphism alleles define PRNP by regions of high and low LD. High LD is present between alleles in the promoter region through exon 2 (6.7 kb). PRNP alleles within the majority of intron 2, the entire coding sequence and the untranslated region of exon 3 are in low LD (18.0 kb). Two haplotype networks, one representing the region of high LD and the other the region of low LD yielded nineteen different combinations that represent haplotypes spanning PRNP. The haplotype combinations are tagged by 19 polymorphisms (htSNPS) which characterize variation within and across PRNP. CONCLUSION: The number of polymorphisms in the prion gene region of U.S. cattle is nearly four times greater than previously described. These polymorphisms define PRNP haplotypes that may influence BSE susceptibility in cattle.

3' Untranslated Regions↗

PubMed2005

Characterization of 954 bovine full-CDS cDNA sequences.

BACKGROUND: Genome assemblies rely on the existence of transcript sequence to stitch together contigs, verify assembly of whole genome shotgun reads, and annotate genes. Functional genomics studies also rely on transcript sequence to create expression microarrays or interpret digital tag data produced by methods such as Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE). Transcript sequence can be predicted based on reconstruction from overlapping expressed sequence tags (EST) that are obtained by single-pass sequencing of random cDNA clones, but these reconstructions are prone to errors caused by alternative splice forms, transcripts from gene families with related sequences, and expressed pseudogenes. These errors confound genome assembly and annotation. The most useful transcript sequences are derived by complete insert sequencing of clones containing the entire length, or at least the full protein coding sequence (CDS) portion, of the source mRNA. While the bovine genome sequencing initiative is nearing completion, there is currently a paucity of bovine full-CDS mRNA and protein sequence data to support bovine genome assembly and functional genomics studies. Consequently, the production of high-quality bovine full-CDS cDNA sequences will enhance the bovine genome assembly and functional studies of bovine genes and gene products. The goal of this investigation was to identify and characterize the full-CDS sequences of bovine transcripts from clones identified in non-full-length enriched cDNA libraries. In contrast to several recent full-length cDNA investigations, these full-CDS cDNAs were selected, sequenced, and annotated without the benefit of the target organism's genomic sequence, by using comparison of bovine EST sequence to existing human mRNA to identify likely full-CDS clones for full-length insert cDNA (FLIC) sequencing. RESULTS: The predicted bovine protein lengths, 5' UTR lengths, and Kozak consensus sequences from 954 bovine FLIC sequences (bFLICs; average length 1713 nt, representing 762 distinct loci) are all consistent with previously sequenced mammalian full-length transcripts. CONCLUSION: In most cases, the bFLICs span the entire CDS of the genes, providing the basis for creating predicted bovine protein sequences to support proteomics and comparative evolutionary research as well as functional genomics and genome annotation. The results demonstrate the utility of the comparative approach in obtaining predicted protein sequences in other species.

5' Untranslated Regions↗

PubMed2005

Linkage mapping bovine EST-based SNP.

BACKGROUND: Existing linkage maps of the bovine genome primarily contain anonymous microsatellite markers. These maps have proved valuable for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) to broad regions of the genome, but more closely spaced markers are needed to fine-map QTL, and markers associated with genes and annotated sequence are needed to identify genes and sequence variation that may explain QTL. RESULTS: Bovine expressed sequence tag (EST) and bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)sequence data were used to develop 918 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to map genes on the bovine linkage map. DNA of sires from the MARC reference population was used to detect SNPs, and progeny and mates of heterozygous sires were genotyped. Chromosome assignments for 861 SNPs were determined by twopoint analysis, and positions for 735 SNPs were established by multipoint analyses. Linkage maps of bovine autosomes with these SNPs represent 4585 markers in 2475 positions spanning 3058 cM. Markers include 3612 microsatellites, 913 SNPs and 60 other markers. Mean separation between marker positions is 1.2 cM. New SNP markers appear in 511 positions, with mean separation of 4.7 cM. Multi-allelic markers, mostly microsatellites, had a mean (maximum) of 216 (366) informative meioses, and a mean 3-lod confidence interval of 3.6 cM Bi-allelic markers, including SNP and other marker types, had a mean (maximum) of 55 (191) informative meioses, and were placed within a mean 8.5 cM 3-lod confidence interval. Homologous human sequences were identified for 1159 markers, including 582 newly developed and mapped SNP. CONCLUSION: Addition of these EST- and BAC-based SNPs to the bovine linkage map not only increases marker density, but provides connections to gene-rich physical maps, including annotated human sequence. The map provides a resource for fine-mapping quantitative trait loci and identification of positional candidate genes, and can be integrated with other data to guide and refine assembly of bovine genome sequence. Even after the bovine genome is completely sequenced, the map will continue to be a useful tool to link observable phenotypes and animal genotypes to underlying genes and molecular mechanisms influencing economically important beef and dairy traits.

Alleles↗

PubMed2005

Use of bovine single nucleotide polymorphism markers to verify sample tracking in beef processing.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a selected set of 20 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers derived from beef cattle populations can be used to verify sample tracking in a commercial slaughter facility that processes primarily market (ie, culled) dairy cows. DESIGN: Prospective, blinded validation study. ANIMALS: 165 cows and 3 bulls from 18 states (82% Holstein, 8% other dairy breeds, and 10% beef breeds). PROCEDURE: Blood was collected by venipuncture from randomly chosen animals just prior to slaughter. The purported corresponding liver samples were collected during beef processing, and genotype profiles were obtained for each sample. RESULTS: On the basis of SNP allele frequencies in these cattle, the mean probability that 2 randomly selected individuals would possess identical genotypes at all 20 loci was 4.3 x 10(-8). Thus, the chance of a coincidental genotype match between 2 animals was 1 in 23 million. Genotype profiles confirmed appropriate matching for 152 of the 168 (90.5%) purported blood-liver sample pairs and revealed mismatching for 16 (9.5%) pairs. For the 16 mismatched sample pairs, 33% to 76% of the 20 SNP genotypes did not match (mean, 52%). Discordance that could be attributed to genotyping error was estimated to be < 1% on the basis of results for split samples. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that this selected set of 20 bovine SNP markers is sufficiently informative to verify accuracy of sample tracking in slaughter plants that process beef or dairy cattle. These or similar SNP markers may facilitate high-throughput, DNA-based, traceback programs designed to detect drug residues in tissues, control of animal diseases, and enhance food safety.

Animal Identification Systems↗

PubMed2004

Integrating linkage and radiation hybrid mapping data for bovine chromosome 15.

BACKGROUND: Bovine chromosome (BTA) 15 contains a quantitative trait loci (QTL) for meat tenderness, as well as several breaks in synteny with human chromosome (HSA) 11. Both linkage and radiation hybrid (RH) maps of BTA 15 are available, but the linkage map lacks gene-specific markers needed to identify genes underlying the QTL, and the gene-rich RH map lacks associations with marker genotypes needed to define the QTL. Integrating the maps will provide information to further explore the QTL as well as refine the comparative map between BTA 15 and HSA 11. A recently developed approach to integrating linkage and RH maps uses both linkage and RH data to resolve a consensus marker order, rather than aligning independently constructed maps. Automated map construction procedures employing this maximum-likelihood approach were developed to integrate BTA RH and linkage data, and establish comparative positions of BTA 15 markers with HSA 11 homologs. RESULTS: The integrated BTA 15 map represents 145 markers; 42 shared by both data sets, 36 unique to the linkage data and 67 unique to RH data. Sequence alignment yielded comparative positions for 77 bovine markers with homologs on HSA 11. The map covers approximately 32% of HSA 11 sequence in five segments of conserved synteny, another 15% of HSA 11 is shared with BTA 29. Bovine and human order are consistent in portions of the syntenic segments, but some rearrangement is apparent. Comparative positions of gene markers near the meat tenderness QTL indicate the region includes separate segments of HSA 11. The two microsatellite markers flanking the QTL peak are between defined syntenic segments. CONCLUSIONS: Combining data to construct an integrated map not only consolidates information from different sources onto a single map, but information contributed from each data set increases the accuracy of the map. Comparison of bovine maps with well annotated human sequence can provide useful information about genes near mapped bovine markers, but bovine gene order may be different than human. Procedures to connect genetic and physical mapping data, build integrated maps for livestock species, and connect those maps to more fully annotated sequence can be automated, facilitating the maintenance of up-to-date maps, and providing a valuable tool to further explore genetic variation in livestock.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Positional candidate gene selection from livestock EST databases using Gene Ontology.

MOTIVATION: The number of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) in GenBank has now surpassed 200,000 for cattle and 100,000 for swine. The Institute of Genome Research (TIGR) has organized these sequences into approximately 60,000 non-redundant consensus sequences (identified by TIGR Gene Indices) for cattle and 40,000 for swine. Anonymous ESTs are of limited value unless they are connected to function. Functional information is difficult to manage electronically because of heterogeneity of meaning and form among databases. The Gene Ontology (GO) Consortium has produced ontologies for gene function with consistent meaning and form across species. Linking livestock EST to gene function through similarity with sequences from other annotation-rich mammals could accelerate: (1) the discovery of positional candidate genes underlying a livestock quantitative trait locus (QTL) and (2) comparative mapping between livestock and other mammals (e.g. humans, mouse and rat). We initiated this investigation to determine if incorporation of the GO into the annotation process could accelerate livestock positional candidate gene discovery. RESULTS: We have associated livestock ESTs with GO nodes through sequence similarity to the NCBI Reference Sequences (RefSeq). Positional candidate genes are identified within minutes that otherwise required days. The schema described here accommodates queries that return GO nodes from terms familiar to biologists, such as gene name, alternate/alias symbol, and OMIM phenotype. AVAILABILITY: Scripts and schema are available on request from the authors.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Selection and use of SNP markers for animal identification and paternity analysis in U.S. beef cattle.

DNA marker technology represents a promising means for determining the genetic identity and kinship of an animal. Compared with other types of DNA markers, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are attractive because they are abundant, genetically stable, and amenable to high-throughput automated analysis. In cattle, the challenge has been to identify a minimal set of SNPs with sufficient power for use in a variety of popular breeds and crossbred populations. This report describes a set of 32 highly informative SNP markers distributed among 18 autosomes and both sex chromosomes. Informativity of these SNPs in U.S. beef cattle populations was estimated from the distribution of allele and genotype frequencies in two panels: one consisting of 96 purebred sires representing 17 popular breeds, and another with 154 purebred American Angus from six herds in four Midwestern states. Based on frequency data from these panels, the estimated probability that two randomly selected, unrelated individuals will possess identical genotypes for all 32 loci was 2.0 x 10(-13) for multi-breed composite populations and 1.9 x 10(-10) for purebred Angus populations. The probability that a randomly chosen candidate sire will be excluded from paternity was estimated to be 99.9% and 99.4% for the same respective populations. The DNA immediately surrounding the 32 target SNPs was sequenced in the 96 sires of the multi-breed panel and found to contain an additional 183 polymorphic sites. Knowledge of these additional sites, together with the 32 target SNPs, allows the design of robust, accurate genotype assays on a variety of high-throughput SNP genotyping platforms.

Animals↗