Biomedical subjects

Jan-Fang Cheng

Publications and source records attributed to Jan-Fang Cheng.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

Detection of weakly conserved ancestral mammalian regulatory sequences by primate comparisons.

BACKGROUND: Genomic comparisons between human and distant, non-primate mammals are commonly used to identify cis-regulatory elements based on constrained sequence evolution. However, these methods fail to detect functional elements that are too weakly conserved among mammals to distinguish them from non-functional DNA. RESULTS: To evaluate a strategy for large scale genome annotation that is complementary to the commonly used distal species comparisons, we explored the potential of deep intra-primate sequence comparisons. We sequenced the orthologs of 558 kb of human genomic sequence, covering multiple loci involved in cholesterol homeostasis, in 6 non-human primates. Our analysis identified six non-coding DNA elements displaying significant conservation among primates but undetectable in more distant comparisons. In vitro and in vivo tests revealed that at least three of these six elements have regulatory function. Notably, the mouse orthologs of these three functional human sequences had regulatory activity despite their lack of significant sequence conservation, indicating that they are ancestral mammalian cis-regulatory elements. These regulatory elements could be detected even in a smaller set of three primate species including human, rhesus and marmoset. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated that intra-primate sequence comparisons can be used to identify functional modules in large genomic regions, including cis-regulatory elements that are not detectable through comparison with non-mammalian genomes. With the available human and rhesus genomes and that of marmoset, which is being actively sequenced, this strategy can be extended to the whole genome in the near future.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Dusty protein kinases: primary structure, gene evolution, tissue specific expression and unique features of the catalytic domain.

Ser/Thr- and Tyr-Protein kinases constitute a key switch underlying the dynamic nature and graded regulation of signal transduction and pathway activities in cellular organization. Here we describe the identification and characterization of Dusty, a single-copy gene that arose in metazoan evolution and encodes a putative dual Ser/Thr and Tyr protein kinase with unique structural features. Dusty is widely expressed in vertebrates, broadly distributed in the central nervous system, and deregulated in certain human cancers. Confocal imaging of transiently expressed human Dusty-GFP fusion proteins showed a cytoplasmic distribution. Dusty proteins from lower to higher species display an increasing degree of sequence conservation from the N-terminal non-catalytic domain to C-terminal catalytic domain. The non-catalytic region has eight conserved cysteine residues, multiple potential kinase-docking motifs and phosphorylation sites, whereas the catalytic domain is divergent and about equally distant of Ser/Thr and Tyr protein kinases. Homology analyses identified the essential catalytic residues, suggesting that Dusty homologues all possess the enzymatic activity of a protein kinase. Taken together, Dusty is a unique evolutionarily selected group of divergent protein kinases that may play important functional roles in the brain and other tissues of vertebrates.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2006

Primate-specific evolution of an LDLR enhancer.

BACKGROUND: Sequence changes in regulatory regions have often been invoked to explain phenotypic divergence among species, but molecular examples of this have been difficult to obtain. RESULTS: In this study we identified an anthropoid primate-specific sequence element that contributed to the regulatory evolution of the low-density lipoprotein receptor. Using a combination of close and distant species genomic sequence comparisons coupled with in vivo and in vitro studies, we found that a functional cholesterol-sensing sequence motif arose and was fixed within a pre-existing enhancer in the common ancestor of anthropoid primates. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates one molecular mechanism by which ancestral mammalian regulatory elements can evolve to perform new functions in the primate lineage leading to human.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

PubMed2006

Chimeric plastid proteome in the Florida "red tide" dinoflagellate Karenia brevis.

Current understanding of the plastid proteome comes almost exclusively from studies of plants and red algae. The proteome in these taxa has a relatively simple origin via integration of proteins from a single cyanobacterial primary endosymbiont and the host. However, the most successful algae in marine environments are the chlorophyll c-containing chromalveolates such as diatoms and dinoflagellates that contain a plastid of red algal origin derived via secondary or tertiary endosymbiosis. Virtually nothing is known about the plastid proteome in these taxa. We analyzed expressed sequence tag data from the toxic "Florida red tide" dinoflagellate Karenia brevis that has undergone a tertiary plastid endosymbiosis. Comparative analyses identified 30 nuclear-encoded plastid-targeted proteins in this chromalveolate that originated via endosymbiotic or horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from multiple different sources. We identify a fundamental divide between plant/red algal and chromalveolate plastid proteomes that reflects a history of mixotrophy in the latter group resulting in a highly chimeric proteome. Loss of phagocytosis in the "red" and "green" clades effectively froze their proteomes, whereas chromalveolate lineages retain the ability to engulf prey allowing them to continually recruit new, potentially adaptive genes through subsequent endosymbioses and HGT. One of these genes is an electron transfer protein (plastocyanin) of green algal origin in K. brevis that likely allows this species to thrive under conditions of iron depletion.

Algal Proteins↗

PubMed2006

A regulatory SNP causes a human genetic disease by creating a new transcriptional promoter.

We describe a pathogenetic mechanism underlying a variant form of the inherited blood disorder alpha thalassemia. Association studies of affected individuals from Melanesia localized the disease trait to the telomeric region of human chromosome 16, which includes the alpha-globin gene cluster, but no molecular defects were detected by conventional approaches. After resequencing and using a combination of chromatin immunoprecipitation and expression analysis on a tiled oligonucleotide array, we identified a gain-of-function regulatory single-nucleotide polymorphism (rSNP) in a nongenic region between the alpha-globin genes and their upstream regulatory elements. The rSNP creates a new promoterlike element that interferes with normal activation of all downstream alpha-like globin genes. Thus, our work illustrates a strategy for distinguishing between neutral and functionally important rSNPs, and it also identifies a pathogenetic mechanism that could potentially underlie other genetic diseases.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed2006

Decoding the fine-scale structure of a breast cancer genome and transcriptome.

A comprehensive understanding of cancer is predicated upon knowledge of the structure of malignant genomes underlying its many variant forms and the molecular mechanisms giving rise to them. It is well established that solid tumor genomes accumulate a large number of genome rearrangements during tumorigenesis. End Sequence Profiling (ESP) maps and clones genome breakpoints associated with all types of genome rearrangements elucidating the structural organization of tumor genomes. Here we extend the ESP methodology in several directions using the breast cancer cell line MCF-7. First, targeted ESP is applied to multiple amplified loci, revealing a complex process of rearrangement and co-amplification in these regions reminiscent of breakage/fusion/bridge cycles. Second, genome breakpoints identified by ESP are confirmed using a combination of DNA sequencing and PCR. Third, in vitro functional studies assign biological function to a rearranged tumor BAC clone, demonstrating that it encodes anti-apoptotic activity. Finally, ESP is extended to the transcriptome identifying four novel fusion transcripts and providing evidence that expression of fusion genes may be common in tumors. These results demonstrate the distinct advantages of ESP including: (1) the ability to detect all types of rearrangements and copy number changes; (2) straightforward integration of ESP data with the annotated genome sequence; (3) immortalization of the genome; (4) ability to generate tumor-specific reagents for in vitro and in vivo functional studies. Given these properties, ESP could play an important role in a tumor genome project.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMed2005

The mammalian alphaD-globin gene lineage and a new model for the molecular evolution of alpha-globin gene clusters at the stem of the mammalian radiation.

We have explored the evolution of the alpha-globin gene family by comparative sequence and phylogenetic analyses of mammalian alpha-globin genes. Our analyses reveal the existence of a new alpha-globin gene lineage in mammals that is related to the alpha(D)-globin genes of birds, squamates and turtles. The gene is located in the middle of the alpha-globin gene cluster of a marsupial, Sminthopsis macroura and of humans. It exists in a wide variety of additional mammals, including pigs, cows, cats, and dogs, but is a pseudogene in American marsupials. Evolutionary analyses suggest that the gene has generally evolved under purifying selection, indicative of a functional gene. The presence of mRNA products in humans, pigs, and cows also suggest that the gene is expressed and likely to be functional. The analyses support the hypothesis that the alpha(D)-globin gene lineage has an ancient evolutionary origin that predates the divergence of amniotes. The structural similarity of alpha-globin gene clusters of marsupials and humans suggest that an eight gene cluster (5'-zeta2-zeta1-alpha(D)-alpha3-alpha2-alpha1-theta-omega-3'), including seven alpha-like genes and one beta-like globin gene (omega-globin) existed in the common ancestor of all marsupial and eutherian mammals. This basic structure has remained relatively stable in marsupials and in the lineage leading to humans, although omega-globin has been lost from the alpha-globin gene cluster of humans.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Annotation of cis-regulatory elements by identification, subclassification, and functional assessment of multispecies conserved sequences.

An important step toward improving the annotation of the human genome is to identify cis-acting regulatory elements from primary DNA sequence. One approach is to compare sequences from multiple, divergent species. This approach distinguishes multispecies conserved sequences (MCS) in noncoding regions from more rapidly evolving neutral DNA. Here, we have analyzed a region of approximately 238kb containing the human alpha globin cluster that was sequenced and/or annotated across the syntenic region in 22 species spanning 500 million years of evolution. Using a variety of bioinformatic approaches and correlating the results with many aspects of chromosome structure and function in this region, we were able to identify and evaluate the importance of 24 individual MCSs. This approach sensitively and accurately identified previously characterized regulatory elements but also discovered unidentified promoters, exons, splicing, and transcriptional regulatory elements. Together, these studies demonstrate an integrated approach by which to identify, subclassify, and predict the potential importance of MCSs.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Gene expression profiles of normal human fibroblasts after exposure to ionizing radiation: a comparative study of low and high doses.

Several types of cellular responses to ionizing radiation, such as the adaptive response or the bystander effect, suggest that low-dose radiation may possess characteristics that distinguish it from its high-dose counterpart. Accumulated evidence also implies that the biological effects of low-dose and high-dose ionizing radiation are not linearly distributed. We have investigated, for the first time, global gene expression changes induced by ionizing radiation at doses as low as 2 cGy and have compared this to expression changes at 4 Gy. We applied cDNA microarray analyses to G1-arrested normal human skin fibroblasts subjected to X irradiation. Our data suggest that both qualitative and quantitative differences exist between gene expression profiles induced by 2 cGy and 4 Gy. The predominant functional groups responding to low-dose radiation are those involved in cell-cell signaling, signal transduction, development and DNA damage responses. At high dose, the responding genes are involved in apoptosis and cell proliferation. Interestingly, several genes, such as cytoskeleton components ANLN and KRT15 and cell-cell signaling genes GRAP2 and GPR51, were found to respond to low-dose radiation but not to high-dose radiation. Pathways that are specifically activated by low-dose radiation were also evident. These quantitative and qualitative differences in gene expression changes may help explain the non-linear correlation of biological effects of ionizing radiation from low dose to high dose.

Cells, Cultured↗

PubMed2004

Loss of silent-chromatin looping and impaired imprinting of DLX5 in Rett syndrome.

Mutations in MECP2 are associated with Rett syndrome, an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder. To identify genes targeted by Mecp2, we sequenced 100 in vivo Mecp2-binding sites in mouse brain. Several sequences mapped to an imprinted gene cluster on chromosome 6, including Dlx5 and Dlx6, whose transcription was roughly two times greater in brains of Mecp2-null mice compared with those of wild-type mice. The maternally expressed gene DLX5 showed a loss of imprinting in lymphoblastoid cells from individuals with Rett syndrome. Because Dlx5 regulates production of enzymes that synthesize gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), loss of imprinting of Dlx5 may alter GABAergic neuron activity in individuals with Rett syndrome. In mouse brain, Dlx5 imprinting was relaxed, yet Mecp2-mediated silent-chromatin structure existed at the Dlx5-Dlx6 locus in brains of wild-type, but not Mecp2-null, mice. Mecp2 targeted histone deacetylase 1 to a sharply defined, approximately 1-kb region at the Dlx5-Dlx6 locus and promoted repressive histone methylation at Lys9 at this site. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-combined loop assays showed that Mecp2 mediated the silent chromatin-derived 11-kb chromatin loop at the Dlx5-Dlx6 locus. This loop was absent in chromatin of brains of Mecp2-null mice, and Dlx5-Dlx6 interacted with far distant sequences, forming distinct active chromatin-associated loops. These results show that formation of a silent-chromatin loop is a new mechanism underlying gene regulation by Mecp2.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

The DNA sequence and comparative analysis of human chromosome 5.

Chromosome 5 is one of the largest human chromosomes and contains numerous intrachromosomal duplications, yet it has one of the lowest gene densities. This is partially explained by numerous gene-poor regions that display a remarkable degree of noncoding conservation with non-mammalian vertebrates, suggesting that they are functionally constrained. In total, we compiled 177.7 million base pairs of highly accurate finished sequence containing 923 manually curated protein-coding genes including the protocadherin and interleukin gene families. We also completely sequenced versions of the large chromosome-5-specific internal duplications. These duplications are very recent evolutionary events and probably have a mechanistic role in human physiological variation, as deletions in these regions are the cause of debilitating disorders including spinal muscular atrophy.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

A genome-wide screen identifies a single beta-defensin gene cluster in the chicken: implications for the origin and evolution of mammalian defensins.

BACKGROUND: Defensins comprise a large family of cationic antimicrobial peptides that are characterized by the presence of a conserved cysteine-rich defensin motif. Based on the spacing pattern of cysteines, these defensins are broadly divided into five groups, namely plant, invertebrate, alpha-, beta-, and theta-defensins, with the last three groups being mostly found in mammalian species. However, the evolutionary relationships among these five groups of defensins remain controversial. RESULTS: Following a comprehensive screen, here we report that the chicken genome encodes a total of 13 different beta-defensins but with no other groups of defensins being discovered. These chicken beta-defensin genes, designated as Gallinacin 1-13, are clustered densely within a 86-Kb distance on the chromosome 3q3.5-q3.7. The deduced peptides vary from 63 to 104 amino acid residues in length sharing the characteristic defensin motif. Based on the tissue expression pattern, 13 beta-defensin genes can be divided into two subgroups with Gallinacin 1-7 being predominantly expressed in bone marrow and the respiratory tract and the remaining genes being restricted to liver and the urogenital tract. Comparative analysis of the defensin clusters among chicken, mouse, and human suggested that vertebrate defensins have evolved from a single beta-defensin-like gene, which has undergone rapid duplication, diversification, and translocation in various vertebrate lineages during evolution. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the chicken genome encodes only beta-defensin sequences and that all mammalian defensins are evolved from a common beta-defensin-like ancestor. The alpha-defensins arose from beta-defensins by gene duplication, which may have occurred after the divergence of mammals from other vertebrates, and theta-defensins have arisen from alpha-defensins specific to the primate lineage. Further analysis of these defensins in different vertebrate lineages will shed light on the mechanisms of host defense and evolution of innate immunity.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

PubMed2004

Haplotypes in the APOA1-C3-A4-A5 gene cluster affect plasma lipids in both humans and baboons.

Genetic studies in non-human primates serve as a potential strategy for identifying genomic intervals where polymorphisms impact upon human disease-related phenotypes. It remains unclear, however, whether independently arising polymorphisms in orthologous regions of non-human primates leads to similar variation in a quantitative trait found in both species. To explore this paradigm, we studied a baboon apolipoprotein gene cluster (APOA1/C3/A4/A5) for which the human gene orthologs have well-established roles in influencing plasma HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations. Our extensive polymorphism analysis of this 68 kb gene cluster in 96 pedigreed baboons identified several haplotype blocks each with limited diversity, consistent with haplotype findings in humans. To determine whether baboons, like humans, also have particular haplotypes associated with lipid phenotypes, we genotyped 634 well-characterized baboons using 16 haplotype tagging SNPs. Genetic analysis of single SNPs, as well as haplotypes, revealed an association of APOA5 and APOC3 variants with HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, respectively. Thus, independent variation in orthologous genomic intervals does associate with similar quantitative lipid traits in both species, supporting the possibility of uncovering human quantitative trait loci genes in a highly controlled non-human primate model.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Characterization of the dog Agouti gene and a nonagoutimutation in German Shepherd Dogs.

The interaction between two genes, Agouti and Melanocortin-1 receptor ( Mc1r), produces diverse pigment patterns in mammals by regulating the type, amount, and distribution pattern of the two pigment types found in mammalian hair: eumelanin (brown/black) and pheomelanin (yellow/red). In domestic dogs ( Canis familiaris), there is a tremendous variation in coat color patterns between and within breeds; however, previous studies suggest that the molecular genetics of pigment-type switching in dogs may differ from that of other mammals. Here we report the identification and characterization of the Agouti gene from domestic dogs, predicted to encode a 131-amino-acid secreted protein 98% identical to the fox homolog, and which maps to chromosome CFA24 in a region of conserved linkage. Comparative analysis of the Doberman Pinscher Agouti cDNA, the fox cDNA, and 180 kb of Doberman Pinscher genomic DNA suggests that, as with laboratory mice, different pigment-type-switching patterns in the canine family are controlled by alternative usage of different promoters and untranslated first exons. A small survey of Labrador Retrievers, Greyhounds, Australian Shepherds, and German Shepherd Dogs did not uncover any polymorphisms, but we identified a single nucleotide variant in black German Shepherd Dogs predicted to cause an Arg-to-Cys substitution at codon 96, which is likely to account for recessive inheritance of a uniform black coat.

Agouti Signaling Protein↗

PubMed2004

Convergent evolution in primates and an insectivore.

The cardiovascular risk factor LPA has a puzzling distribution among mammals, its presence being limited to a subset of primates and a member of the insectivore lineage, the hedgehog. To explore the evolutionary history of LPA, we performed extensive genomic sequence comparisons of multiple species with and without an LPA gene product, such as human, baboon, hedgehog, lemur, and mouse. This analysis indicated that LPA arose independently in a subset of primates, including baboon and human, and an insectivore, the hedgehog, and was not simply lost by species lacking it. The similar structural domains shared by the hedgehog and primate LPA indicate that they were formed by a unique molecular mechanism involving the convergent evolution of paralogous genes in these distant species.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Fifty microdeletions among 112 cases of Sotos syndrome: low copy repeats possibly mediate the common deletion.

Sotos syndrome (SoS) is an autosomal dominant overgrowth syndrome with characteristic craniofacial dysmorphic features and various degrees of mental retardation. We previously showed that haploinsufficiency of the NSD1 gene is the major cause of SoS, and submicroscopic deletions at 5q35, including NSD1, were found in about a half (20/42) of our patients examined. Since the first report, an additional 70 SoS cases consisting of 53 Japanese and 17 non-Japanese have been analyzed. We found 50 microdeletions (45%) and 16 point mutations (14%) among all the 112 cases. A large difference in the frequency of microdeletions between Japanese and non-Japanese patients was noted: 49 (52%) of the 95 Japanese patients and only one (6%) of the 17 non-Japanese had microdeletions. A sequence-based physical map was constructed to characterize the microdeletions. Most of the microdeletions were confirmed to be identical by FISH analysis. We identified highly homologous sequences, i.e., possible low copy repeats (LCRs), in regions flanking proximal and distal breakpoints of the common deletion, This suggests that LCRs may mediate the deletion. Such LCRs seem to be present in different populations. Thus the different frequency of microdeletions between Japanese and non-Japanese cases in our study may have been caused by patient-selection bias.

Carrier Proteins↗

PubMed2003

Comparative and functional analysis of cardiovascular-related genes.

The ability to detect putative cis-regulatory elements in cardiovascular-related genes has been accelerated by the availability of genomic sequence data from numerous vertebrate species and the recent development of comparative genomic tools. This improvement is anticipated to lead to a better understanding of the complex regulatory architecture of cardiovascular (CV) genes and how genetic variants in these non-coding regions can potentially play a role in cardiovascular disease. This manuscript reviews a recently established database dedicated to the comparative sequence analysis of 250 human CV genes of known importance, 37 of which currently contain sequence comparison data for organisms beyond those of human, mouse and rat. These data have provided a glimpse into the variety of possible insights from deep vertebrate sequence comparisons and the identification of putative gene regulatory elements.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Narrowing and genomic annotation of the commonly deleted region of the 5q- syndrome.

The 5q- syndrome is the most distinct of the myelodysplastic syndromes, and the molecular basis for this disorder remains unknown. We describe the narrowing of the common deleted region (CDR) of the 5q- syndrome to the approximately 1.5-megabases interval at 5q32 flanked by D5S413 and the GLRA1 gene. The Ensembl gene prediction program has been used for the complete genomic annotation of the CDR. The CDR is gene rich and contains 24 known genes and 16 novel (predicted) genes. Of 40 genes in the CDR, 33 are expressed in CD34(+) cells and, therefore, represent candidate genes since they are expressed within the hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell compartment. A number of the genes assigned to the CDR represent good candidates for the 5q- syndrome, including MEGF1, G3BP, and several of the novel gene predictions. These data now afford a comprehensive mutational/expression analysis of all candidate genes assigned to the CDR.

Antigens, CD34↗