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Biomedical subjects

J C Mullikin

Publications and source records attributed to J C Mullikin.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Cancer and genomics.

Identification of the genes that cause oncogenesis is a central aim of cancer research. We searched the proteins predicted from the draft human genome sequence for paralogues of known tumour suppressor genes, but no novel genes were identified. We then assessed whether it was possible to search directly for oncogenic sequence changes in cancer cells by comparing cancer genome sequences against the draft genome. Apparently chimaeric transcripts (from oncogenic fusion genes generated by chromosomal translocations, the ends of which mapped to different genomic locations) were detected to the same degree in both normal and neoplastic tissues, indicating a significant level of false positives. Our experiment underscores the limited amount and variable quality of DNA sequence from cancer cells that is currently available.

Base Sequence↗

Initial sequencing and analysis of the human genome.

The human genome holds an extraordinary trove of information about human development, physiology, medicine and evolution. Here we report the results of an international collaboration to produce and make freely available a draft sequence of the human genome. We also present an initial analysis of the data, describing some of the insights that can be gleaned from the sequence.

Animals↗

A map of human genome sequence variation containing 1.42 million single nucleotide polymorphisms.

We describe a map of 1.42 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) distributed throughout the human genome, providing an average density on available sequence of one SNP every 1.9 kilobases. These SNPs were primarily discovered by two projects: The SNP Consortium and the analysis of clone overlaps by the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium. The map integrates all publicly available SNPs with described genes and other genomic features. We estimate that 60,000 SNPs fall within exon (coding and untranslated regions), and 85% of exons are within 5 kb of the nearest SNP. Nucleotide diversity varies greatly across the genome, in a manner broadly consistent with a standard population genetic model of human history. This high-density SNP map provides a public resource for defining haplotype variation across the genome, and should help to identify biomedically important genes for diagnosis and therapy.

Chromosome Mapping↗

SSAHA: a fast search method for large DNA databases.

We describe an algorithm, SSAHA (Sequence Search and Alignment by Hashing Algorithm), for performing fast searches on databases containing multiple gigabases of DNA. Sequences in the database are preprocessed by breaking them into consecutive k-tuples of k contiguous bases and then using a hash table to store the position of each occurrence of each k-tuple. Searching for a query sequence in the database is done by obtaining from the hash table the "hits" for each k-tuple in the query sequence and then performing a sort on the results. We discuss the effect of the tuple length k on the search speed, memory usage, and sensitivity of the algorithm and present the results of computational experiments which show that SSAHA can be three to four orders of magnitude faster than BLAST or FASTA, while requiring less memory than suffix tree methods. The SSAHA algorithm is used for high-throughput single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection and very large scale sequence assembly. Also, it provides Web-based sequence search facilities for Ensembl projects.

Algorithms↗

An SNP map of human chromosome 22.

The human genome sequence will provide a reference for measuring DNA sequence variation in human populations. Sequence variants are responsible for the genetic component of individuality, including complex characteristics such as disease susceptibility and drug response. Most sequence variants are single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), where two alternate bases occur at one position. Comparison of any two genomes reveals around 1 SNP per kilobase. A sufficiently dense map of SNPs would allow the detection of sequence variants responsible for particular characteristics on the basis that they are associated with a specific SNP allele. Here we have evaluated large-scale sequencing approaches to obtaining SNPs, and have constructed a map of 2,730 SNPs on human chromosome 22. Most of the SNPs are within 25 kilobases of a transcribed exon, and are valuable for association studies. We have scaled up the process, detecting over 65,000 SNPs in the genome as part of The SNP Consortium programme, which is on target to build a map of 1 SNP every 5 kilobases that is integrated with the human genome sequence and that is freely available in the public domain.

Cell Line↗

Quantitative DNA fiber mapping.

The assembly of sequence ready, high-resolution physical maps and construction of minimally overlapping contigs for the human as well as model genomes requires accurate determination of the extent of overlap between adjacent clones as well as their relative orientation. This is presently done by procedures such as clone fingerprinting, Southern blot analysis or clone end sequencing. We present a complementary analytical technique to map directly cloned DNA sequences on to individual stretched DNA molecules. This approach uses the hydrodynamic force of a receding meniscus to prepare straight high molecular weight DNA molecules that provide a linear template of approximately 2.3 kb/microns on to which the cloned probes can be mapped by in situ hybridization. This technique has numerous advantages such as a very high density of mapping templates, reproducible stretching of the mapping template providing a linear genomic scale, determination of clone orientation and direct visualization of DNA repeats. The utility and accuracy of quantitative DNA fiber mapping are illustrated through three examples: (i) mapping of lambda DNA restriction fragments along linearized approximately 49 kb long lambda phage DNA molecules with approximately 1 kb precision; (ii) localization of the overlap between a cosmid and a colinear P1 clone; and (iii) mapping of P1 clones along an approximately 490 kb yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) with approximately 5 kb precision and estimation of the approximately 25 kb gap between them.

Bacteriophage lambda↗

Dicentric chromosome frequency analysis using slit-scan flow cytometry.

Slit-scan flow cytometry (SSFCM) was used to quantify the frequency of dicentric chromosomes in human lymphoblastoid cells following gamma irradiation. In this study, cultured human cells were irradiated with 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 Gy of 0.66 MeV gamma-rays, cultured for an additional 11 h, and treated for 5 h with colcemid. Chromosomes were then isolated, stained with propidium iodide, and analyzed using SSFCM for total fluorescence and slit-scan profile. The frequency of chromosomes having DNA contents greater than once and less than twice the DNA content of the number 1 chromosome and producing trimodal profiles was determined at each dose. This frequency was used as an estimate of the relative dicentric chromosome frequency at that dose. The estimated dicentric chromosome frequency per cell, f(D), increased with dose, D, in a linear-quadratic manner according to the relation f(D) = 4.52 x 10(-5) + 5.72 x 10(-5) D + 1.19 x 10(-4) D2.

Algorithms↗

The DNA sequence and comparative analysis of human chromosome 20.

The finished sequence of human chromosome 20 comprises 59,187,298 base pairs (bp) and represents 99.4% of the euchromatic DNA. A single contig of 26 megabases (Mb) spans the entire short arm, and five contigs separated by gaps totalling 320 kb span the long arm of this metacentric chromosome. An additional 234,339 bp of sequence has been determined within the pericentromeric region of the long arm. We annotated 727 genes and 168 pseudogenes in the sequence. About 64% of these genes have a 5' and a 3' untranslated region and a complete open reading frame. Comparative analysis of the sequence of chromosome 20 to whole-genome shotgun-sequence data of two other vertebrates, the mouse Mus musculus and the puffer fish Tetraodon nigroviridis, provides an independent measure of the efficiency of gene annotation, and indicates that this analysis may account for more than 95% of all coding exons and almost all genes.

Animals↗

Validation of the saline-dilution method for measuring cardiac output by simultaneous measurement with a perivascular electromagnetic flowprobe.

The validity of measurements of right heart output obtained by the saline-indicator method with a catheter-mounted, tetrapolar resistivity sensor placed in the pulmonary artery was assessed. In ten anesthetized dogs, cardiac output was measured simultaneously by the saline-indicator method, using 5 ml of 3 per cent saline as the indicator, and by a perivascular electromagnetic flowprobe placed around the trunk of the pulmonary artery. Cardiac output was altered over a wide range by increasing the depth of halothane anesthesia and by bolus injections of isoproterenol. Linear regression analysis of cardiac output determined from 455 saline-indicator curves and from simultaneous recordings of the electromagnetic flow signal yielded a slope of 0.973, a Y intercept of -0.0047 1/minute, and a correlation coefficient of 0.965. Hence, this method provides accurate and precise measurement of cardiac output. The saline-indicator method with the catheter-mounted resistivity sensor is simple to use and eliminates or minimizes the disadvantages of other indicator-dilution techniques.

Animals↗