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Lynn Doucette-Stamm

Publications and source records attributed to Lynn Doucette-Stamm.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

A gene-centered C. elegans protein-DNA interaction network.

Transcription regulatory networks consist of physical and functional interactions between transcription factors (TFs) and their target genes. The systematic mapping of TF-target gene interactions has been pioneered in unicellular systems, using "TF-centered" methods (e.g., chromatin immunoprecipitation). However, metazoan systems are less amenable to such methods. Here, we used "gene-centered" high-throughput yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) assays to identify 283 interactions between 72 C. elegans digestive tract gene promoters and 117 proteins. The resulting protein-DNA interaction (PDI) network is highly connected and enriched for TFs that are expressed in the digestive tract. We provide functional annotations for approximately 10% of all worm TFs, many of which were previously uncharacterized, and find ten novel putative TFs, illustrating the power of a gene-centered approach. We provide additional in vivo evidence for multiple PDIs and illustrate how the PDI network provides insights into metazoan differential gene expression at a systems level.

Animals↗

Towards a proteome-scale map of the human protein-protein interaction network.

Systematic mapping of protein-protein interactions, or 'interactome' mapping, was initiated in model organisms, starting with defined biological processes and then expanding to the scale of the proteome. Although far from complete, such maps have revealed global topological and dynamic features of interactome networks that relate to known biological properties, suggesting that a human interactome map will provide insight into development and disease mechanisms at a systems level. Here we describe an initial version of a proteome-scale map of human binary protein-protein interactions. Using a stringent, high-throughput yeast two-hybrid system, we tested pairwise interactions among the products of approximately 8,100 currently available Gateway-cloned open reading frames and detected approximately 2,800 interactions. This data set, called CCSB-HI1, has a verification rate of approximately 78% as revealed by an independent co-affinity purification assay, and correlates significantly with other biological attributes. The CCSB-HI1 data set increases by approximately 70% the set of available binary interactions within the tested space and reveals more than 300 new connections to over 100 disease-associated proteins. This work represents an important step towards a systematic and comprehensive human interactome project.

Cloning, Molecular↗

Genome sequence of the Brown Norway rat yields insights into mammalian evolution.

The laboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus) is an indispensable tool in experimental medicine and drug development, having made inestimable contributions to human health. We report here the genome sequence of the Brown Norway (BN) rat strain. The sequence represents a high-quality 'draft' covering over 90% of the genome. The BN rat sequence is the third complete mammalian genome to be deciphered, and three-way comparisons with the human and mouse genomes resolve details of mammalian evolution. This first comprehensive analysis includes genes and proteins and their relation to human disease, repeated sequences, comparative genome-wide studies of mammalian orthologous chromosomal regions and rearrangement breakpoints, reconstruction of ancestral karyotypes and the events leading to existing species, rates of variation, and lineage-specific and lineage-independent evolutionary events such as expansion of gene families, orthology relations and protein evolution.

Animals↗

Protein interaction mapping on a functional shotgun sequence of Rickettsia sibirica.

Protein interaction maps can reveal novel pathways and functional complexes, allowing 'guilt by association' annotation of uncharacterized proteins. To address the need for large-scale protein interaction analyses, a bacterial two-hybrid system was coupled with a whole genome shotgun sequencing approach for microbial genome analysis. We report the first large-scale proteomics study using this system, integrating de novo genome sequencing with functional interaction mapping and annotation in a high-throughput format. We apply the approach by shotgun sequencing and annotating the genome of Rickettsia sibirica strain 246, an obligate intracellular human pathogen among the Spotted Fever Group rickettsiae. The bacteria invade endothelial cells and cause lysis after large amounts of progeny have accumulated. Little is known about specific Rickettsial virulence factors and their mode of pathogenicity. Analysis of the combined genomic sequence and protein-protein interaction data for a set of virulence related Type IV secretion system (T4SS) proteins revealed over 250 interactions and will provide insight into the mechanism of Rickettsial pathogenicity.

Bacterial Proteins↗

A map of the interactome network of the metazoan C. elegans.

To initiate studies on how protein-protein interaction (or "interactome") networks relate to multicellular functions, we have mapped a large fraction of the Caenorhabditis elegans interactome network. Starting with a subset of metazoan-specific proteins, more than 4000 interactions were identified from high-throughput, yeast two-hybrid (HT=Y2H) screens. Independent coaffinity purification assays experimentally validated the overall quality of this Y2H data set. Together with already described Y2H interactions and interologs predicted in silico, the current version of the Worm Interactome (WI5) map contains approximately 5500 interactions. Topological and biological features of this interactome network, as well as its integration with phenome and transcriptome data sets, lead to numerous biological hypotheses.

Animals↗

Generation of the Brucella melitensis ORFeome version 1.1.

The bacteria of the Brucella genus are responsible for a worldwide zoonosis called brucellosis. They belong to the alpha-proteobacteria group, as many other bacteria that live in close association with a eukaryotic host. Importantly, the Brucellae are mainly intracellular pathogens, and the molecular mechanisms of their virulence are still poorly understood. Using the complete genome sequence of Brucella melitensis, we generated a database of protein-coding open reading frames (ORFs) and constructed an ORFeome library of 3091 Gateway Entry clones, each containing a defined ORF. This first version of the Brucella ORFeome (v1.1) provides the coding sequences in a user-friendly format amenable to high-throughput functional genomic and proteomic experiments, as the ORFs are conveniently transferable from the Entry clones to various Expression vectors by recombinational cloning. The cloning of the Brucella ORFeome v1.1 should help to provide a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of virulence, including the identification of bacterial protein-protein interactions, but also interactions between bacterial effectors and their host's targets.

Bacterial Proteins↗

C. elegans ORFeome version 3.1: increasing the coverage of ORFeome resources with improved gene predictions.

The first version of the Caenorhabditis elegans ORFeome cloning project, based on release WS9 of Wormbase (August 1999), provided experimental verifications for approximately 55% of predicted protein-encoding open reading frames (ORFs). The remaining 45% of predicted ORFs could not be cloned, possibly as a result of mispredicted gene boundaries. Since the release of WS9, gene predictions have improved continuously. To test the accuracy of evolving predictions, we attempted to PCR-amplify from a highly representative worm cDNA library and Gateway-clone approximately 4200 ORFs missed earlier and for which new predictions are available in WS100 (May 2003). In this set we successfully cloned 63% of ORFs with supporting experimental data ("touched" ORFs), and 42% of ORFs with no supporting experimental evidence ("untouched" ORFs). Approximately 2000 full-length ORFs were cloned in-frame, 13% of which were corrected in their exon/intron structure relative to WS100 predictions. In total, approximately 12,500 C. elegans ORFs are now available as Gateway Entry clones for various reverse proteomics (ORFeome v3.1). This work illustrates why the cloning of a complete C. elegans ORFeome, and likely the ORFeomes of other multicellular organisms, needs to be an iterative process that requires multiple rounds of experimental validation together with gradually improving gene predictions.

Animals↗

A first version of the Caenorhabditis elegans Promoterome.

An important aspect of the development of systems biology approaches in metazoans is the characterization of expression patterns of nearly all genes predicted from genome sequences. Such "localizome" maps should provide information on where (in what cells or tissues) and when (at what stage of development or under what conditions) genes are expressed. They should also indicate in what cellular compartments the corresponding proteins are localized. Caenorhabditis elegans is particularly suited for the development of a localizome map since all its 959 adult somatic cells can be visualized by microscopy, and its cell lineage has been completely described. Here we address one of the challenges of C. elegans localizome mapping projects: that of obtaining a genome-wide resource of C. elegans promoters needed to generate transgenic animals expressing localization markers such as the green fluorescent protein (GFP). To ensure high flexibility for future uses, we utilized the newly developed MultiSite Gateway system. We generated and validated "version 1.1" of the Promoterome: a resource of approximately 6000 C. elegans promoters. These promoters can be transferred easily into various Gateway Destination vectors to drive expression of markers such as GFP, alone (promoter::GFP constructs), or in fusion with protein-encoding open reading frames available in ORFeome resources (promoter::ORF::GFP).

Animals↗

Human ORFeome version 1.1: a platform for reverse proteomics.

The advent of systems biology necessitates the cloning of nearly entire sets of protein-encoding open reading frames (ORFs), or ORFeomes, to allow functional studies of the corresponding proteomes. Here, we describe the generation of a first version of the human ORFeome using a newly improved Gateway recombinational cloning approach. Using the Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC) resource as a starting point, we report the successful cloning of 8076 human ORFs, representing at least 7263 human genes, as mini-pools of PCR-amplified products. These were assembled into the human ORFeome version 1.1 (hORFeome v1.1) collection. After assessing the overall quality of this version, we describe the use of hORFeome v1.1 for heterologous protein expression in two different expression systems at proteome scale. The hORFeome v1.1 represents a central resource for the cloning of large sets of human ORFs in various settings for functional proteomics of many types, and will serve as the foundation for subsequent improved versions of the human ORFeome.

Cloning, Molecular↗

Exo-proofreading, a versatile SNP scoring technology.

We report the validation of a new assay for typing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that takes advantage of the 3'-to-5' exonuclease proofreading activity of many DNA polymerases. The assay uses one or more primers labeled on the 3' nucleotide base, and can be implemented in a variety of formats including a one-step PCR reaction that allows SNP typing directly from genomic DNA samples. The detection of genotypes can be accomplished by means of fluorescence detection on assays that have been purified to remove excess primer, or by means of fluorescence polarization without any additional cleanup. We also demonstrate that the Exo-Proofreading SNP assay can be used on pooled samples to obtain allele frequency data.

Alleles↗

C. elegans ORFeome version 1.1: experimental verification of the genome annotation and resource for proteome-scale protein expression.

To verify the genome annotation and to create a resource to functionally characterize the proteome, we attempted to Gateway-clone all predicted protein-encoding open reading frames (ORFs), or the 'ORFeome,' of Caenorhabditis elegans. We successfully cloned approximately 12,000 ORFs (ORFeome 1.1), of which roughly 4,000 correspond to genes that are untouched by any cDNA or expressed-sequence tag (EST). More than 50% of predicted genes needed corrections in their intron-exon structures. Notably, approximately 11,000 C. elegans proteins can now be expressed under many conditions and characterized using various high-throughput strategies, including large-scale interactome mapping. We suggest that similar ORFeome projects will be valuable for other organisms, including humans.

Alternative Splicing↗

Integrating interactome, phenome, and transcriptome mapping data for the C. elegans germline.

By integrating functional genomic and proteomic mapping approaches, biological hypotheses should be formulated with increasing levels of confidence. For example, yeast interactome and transcriptome data can be correlated in biologically meaningful ways. Here, we combine interactome mapping data generated for a multicellular organism with data from both large-scale phenotypic analysis ("phenome mapping") and transcriptome profiling. First, we generated a two-hybrid interactome map of the Caenorhabditis elegans germline by using 600 transcripts enriched in this tissue. We compared this map to a phenome map of the germline obtained by RNA interference (RNAi) and to a transcriptome map obtained by clustering worm genes across 553 expression profiling experiments. In this dataset, we find that essential proteins have a tendency to interact with each other, that pairs of genes encoding interacting proteins tend to exhibit similar expression profiles, and that, for approximately 24% of germline interactions, both partners show overlapping embryonic lethal or high incidence of males RNAi phenotypes and similar expression profiles. We propose that these interactions are most likely to be relevant to germline biology. Similar integration of interactome, phenome, and transcriptome data should be possible for other biological processes in the nematode and for other organisms, including humans.

Animals↗

The use of direct cDNA selection to rapidly and effectively identify genes in the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus.

Aspergillus fumigatus is one of the causes of invasive lung disease in immunocompromised individuals. To rapidly identify genes in this fungus, including potential targets for chemotherapy, diagnostics, and vaccine development, we constructed cDNA libraries. We began with non-normalized libraries, then to improve this approach we constructed a normalized cDNA library using direct cDNA selection. Normalization resulted in a reduction of the frequency of clones with highly expressed genes and an enrichment of underrepresented cDNAs. Expressed sequence tags generated from both the original and the normalized libraries were compared with the genomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and Candida albicans, indicating that a large proportion of A. fumigatus genes do not have orthologs in these fungal species. This method allowed the expeditious identification of genes in a fungal pathogen. The same approach can be applied to other human or plant pathogens to rapidly identify genes without the need for genomic sequence information.

Aspergillus fumigatus↗