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At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources

Large-scale low-coverage whole-genome sequencing reveals the genetic architecture of wool and growth traits in fine-wool sheep.

Breeding sheep with superior growth performance and wool quality is essential for the sustainability of the fine-wool sheep industry. In this study, we perform low-coverage whole-genome sequencing (lcWGS) on 3842 individuals from 5 sheep breeds (4 fine-wool and 1 semi-fine wool) and generate a large genomic dataset. By comparing these breeds with coarse-wool sheep, we characterize the genomic landscape and selection signatures of fine-wool sheep. We identify several known functional genes associated with hair follicle development and skin morphology, including EGFR, KRT74, EDAR, EREG, and GLI2. Furthermore, GWAS of 19 traits identifies 156 candidate genes significantly associated with growth and wool characteristics, including LCORL for body size, EGFR for clean wool yield, and PRDM1 for fiber diameter. Notably, EGFR is detected in both GWAS and selection signature analyses, indicating its important role in phenotype formation and historical selection. Overall, our findings reveal the genetic basis of growth and wool traits in fine-wool and semi-fine wool sheep, highlight EGFR, LCORL, and PRDM1 as candidate genes, and provide valuable genomic resources and candidate markers for future functional validation and molecular breeding.

Body size↗

A genome-wide coverage-based pipeline for the identification of host-derived candidate DNA biomarkers from cell-free blood.

We have created a new data-analysis pipeline for the discovery of host-specific candidate DNA biomarkers derived from sequencing data of cell-free blood. Unlike approaches that rely on specific molecular or genetic signatures, our method leverages the coverage distribution of cell-free DNA sequences mapped to a reference genome, applying statistical analyses to identify informative short genomic regions for biomarker discovery. The pipeline is applicable to diverse diseases and can be used to analyze cell-free DNA sequences from plasma or serum to identify candidate biomarkers that are characteristic of disease states in mammals. Core functionalities were developed in Java and integrated with open-source software tools for the preprocessing of raw sequencing data, complemented by Python scripts for the machine-learning analysis and statistical validation. The pipeline is designed for HPC use and users can access the pipeline through a Galaxy workflow, which offers a user-friendly web interface for input selection prior to execution and analysis progress monitoring. Performance tests, carried out using duplicate sets of COVID-19 samples and controls, showed linear scalability of execution time with an increasing dataset size, as well as a substantial reduction in execution time through parallelized computation, whereby each HPC node is used to process the data of one chromosome. Further statistical tests confirmed the quality of the pipeline's results by showing that the set of identified candidate biomarkers remained stable across varying dataset sizes.

Biomarkers↗

Use of complete coverage array comparative genomic hybridization to define copy number alterations on chromosome 3p in oral squamous cell carcinomas.

Loss of 3p has been associated with oral cancer progression and is common in many cancers. However, regions of alteration on 3p are poorly defined. We have constructed a high-resolution chromosomal array using a tiling set of 535 human bacterial artificial chromosomes that provides near complete coverage of 3p. Array comparative genomic hybridization analysis of 20 microdissected oral squamous cell carcinomas showed multiple and recurrent segments of copy number changes. These include a deletion containing the FHIT gene; novel segments of copy decrease at 3p22, 3p24, and 3p26; and an unexpected approximately 0.7 Mbp segmental increase at 3p21. These data strongly support the value of using chromosomal array comparative genomic hybridization for detailed profiling of oral squamous cell carcinomas.

Acid Anhydride Hydrolases↗

Systematic generation of high-resolution deletion coverage of the Drosophila melanogaster genome.

In fruit fly research, chromosomal deletions are indispensable tools for mapping mutations, characterizing alleles and identifying interacting loci. Most widely used deletions were generated by irradiation or chemical mutagenesis. These methods are labor-intensive, generate random breakpoints and result in unwanted secondary mutations that can confound phenotypic analyses. Most of the existing deletions are large, have molecularly undefined endpoints and are maintained in genetically complex stocks. Furthermore, the existence of haplolethal or haplosterile loci makes the recovery of deletions of certain regions exceedingly difficult by traditional methods, resulting in gaps in coverage. Here we describe two methods that address these problems by providing for the systematic isolation of targeted deletions in the D. melanogaster genome. The first strategy used a P element-based technique to generate deletions that closely flank haploinsufficient genes and minimize undeleted regions. This deletion set has increased overall genomic coverage by 5-7%. The second strategy used FLP recombinase and the large array of FRT-bearing insertions described in the accompanying paper to generate 519 isogenic deletions with molecularly defined endpoints. This second deletion collection provides 56% genome coverage so far. The latter methodology enables the generation of small custom deletions with predictable endpoints throughout the genome and should make their isolation a simple and routine task.

Animals↗

Drosophila genome project: one-hit coverage in yeast artificial chromosomes.

We present a strategy for assembling a physical map of the genome of Drosophila melanogaster based on yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs). In this paper we report 500 YACs containing inserts of Drosophila DNA averaging 200 kb that have been assigned positions on the physical map by means of in situ hybridization with salivary gland chromosomes. The cloned DNA fragments have randomly sheared ends (DY clones) or ends generated by partial digestion with either NotI (N clones) or EcoRI (E clones). Relative to the euchromatic portion of the genome, the size distribution and genomic positions of the clones reveal no significant bias in the completeness or randomness of genome coverage. The 500 mapped euchromatic clones contain an aggregate of approximately 100 million base pairs of DNA, which is approximately one genome equivalent of Drosophila euchromatin.

Animals↗

A sequence of 'factishes': the media-metaphorical knowledge dynamics structuring the German press coverage of the human genome.

This article deals with the cultural framing of the near sequencing of the human genome and its impact on the media coverage in Germany. It investigates in particular the way in which the weekly journal Die Zeit and the daily newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau reported this media event and its aftermath between June 2000 and June 2001. Both newspapers are quality papers that played an essential role in framing the human genome debate--alongside the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung--which became the most prominent genomic forum. The decoding of the human genome prompted a huge controversy concerning the ethics of human engineering, research on stem cells and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis. The main aim of this article is to show how this controversy was structured by metaphor. The media coverage of the genome generated DNA-factishes--a neologism designating the ambivalence of something as fact (fait) and as a fetish (fetiche)--that mostly propagated images of a new DNA-scienticism or biological determinism. Mediated by cultural experiences, the human genome became a highly artificial and social construct of a 'NatureCulture'.

Biotechnology↗

Functional coverage of the human genome by existing structures, structural genomics targets, and homology models.

The bias in protein structure and function space resulting from experimental limitations and targeting of particular functional classes of proteins by structural biologists has long been recognized, but never continuously quantified. Using the Enzyme Commission and the Gene Ontology classifications as a reference frame, and integrating structure data from the Protein Data Bank (PDB), target sequences from the structural genomics projects, structure homology derived from the SUPERFAMILY database, and genome annotations from Ensembl and NCBI, we provide a quantified view, both at the domain and whole-protein levels, of the current and projected coverage of protein structure and function space relative to the human genome. Protein structures currently provide at least one domain that covers 37% of the functional classes identified in the genome; whole structure coverage exists for 25% of the genome. If all the structural genomics targets were solved (twice the current number of structures in the PDB), it is estimated that structures of one domain would cover 69% of the functional classes identified and complete structure coverage would be 44%. Homology models from existing experimental structures extend the 37% coverage to 56% of the genome as single domains and 25% to 31% for complete structures. Coverage from homology models is not evenly distributed by protein family, reflecting differing degrees of sequence and structure divergence within families. While these data provide coverage, conversely, they also systematically highlight functional classes of proteins for which structures should be determined. Current key functional families without structure representation are highlighted here; updated information on the "most wanted list" that should be solved is available on a weekly basis from http://function.rcsb.org:8080/pdb/function_distribution/index.html.

Databases, Protein↗

Construction of a bacterial artificial chromosome library from the inshore hagfish, Eptatretus burgeri: A resource for the analysis of the agnathan genome.

The jawless fish occupy an important phylogenetic position for understanding the evolution of body plans, the origin of adaptive immunity and genome evolution in chordates. We describe here the construction of a large-insert bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library from the inshore hagfish, Eptatretus burgeri. The BAC library contains 93,978 clones with an average insert size of 100 kb and is estimated to represent threefold genome-equivalent coverage. The library was organized in three-dimensional pools to facilitate screening by PCR. We have screened this library by PCR and isolated several BAC clones; the average number of positive clones was compatible with the estimated genome coverage of the library. This BAC library, constructed for the first time from the jawless fish, should serve as a useful resource for the scientific community.

Animals↗

End-sequence profiling: sequence-based analysis of aberrant genomes.

Genome rearrangements are important in evolution, cancer, and other diseases. Precise mapping of the rearrangements is essential for identification of the involved genes, and many techniques have been developed for this purpose. We show here that end-sequence profiling (ESP) is particularly well suited to this purpose. ESP is accomplished by constructing a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library from a test genome, measuring BAC end sequences, and mapping end-sequence pairs onto the normal genome sequence. Plots of BAC end-sequences density identify copy number abnormalities at high resolution. BACs spanning structural aberrations have end pairs that map abnormally far apart on the normal genome sequence. These pairs can then be sequenced to determine the involved genes and breakpoint sequences. ESP analysis of the breast cancer cell line MCF-7 demonstrated its utility for analysis of complex genomes. End sequencing of approximately 8,000 clones (0.37-fold haploid genome clonal coverage) produced a comprehensive genome copy number map of the MCF-7 genome at better than 300-kb resolution and identified 381 genome breakpoints, a subset of which was verified by fluorescence in situ hybridization mapping and sequencing.

Animals↗

The minimal eukaryotic ribosomal DNA units in the primitive red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae.

Cyanidioschyzon merolae is a small unicellular red alga that is considered to belong to one of the most deeply branched taxa in the plant kingdom. Its genome size is estimated to be 16.5 Mbp, one of the smallest among free-living eukaryotes. In the nucleus containing this small genome, one nucleolus is clearly observed, but the molecular basis for the intranuclear structure including ribosomal DNA organization is still unclear. We constructed a bacterial artificial chromosome library for C. merolae 10D composed of two subsets with different insert size distributions. The two subsets have average insert sizes of 97 and 48 kb, representing 10.0- and 6.9-fold genome-equivalent coverage of the haploid genome, respectively. For application to whole-genome shotgun sequencing, the termini of each clone were sequenced as sequence-tagged connectors and mapped on the contigs assigned to chromosomes. Screening for rRNA genes by conventional colony hybridization with high-density filter blots and subsequent sequencing revealed that the C. merolae genome contained the smallest number of ribosomal DNA units among all the eukaryotes examined to date. They consist of only 3 single units of rRNA genes distributed on separate chromosomal loci, representing an implication for concerted evolution. Based on these results, the origin and evolution of the nucleolus are discussed.

Base Sequence↗

An SNP resource for rice genetics and breeding based on subspecies indica and japonica genome alignments.

Dense coverage of the rice genome with polymorphic DNA markers is an invaluable tool for DNA marker-assisted breeding, positional cloning, and a wide range of evolutionary studies. We have aligned drafts of two rice subspecies, indica and japonica, and analyzed levels and patterns of genetic diversity. After filtering multiple copy and low quality sequence, 408,898 candidate DNA polymorphisms (SNPs/INDELs) were discerned between the two subspecies. These filters have the consequence that our data set includes only a subset of the available SNPs (in particular excluding large numbers of SNPs that may occur between repetitive DNA alleles) but increase the likelihood that this subset is useful: Direct sequencing suggests that 79.8% +/- 7.5% of the in silico SNPs are real. The SNP sample in our database is not randomly distributed across the genome. In fact, 566 rice genomic regions had unusually high (328 contigs/48.6 Mb/13.6% of genome) or low (237 contigs/64.7 Mb/18.1% of genome) polymorphism rates. Many SNP-poor regions were substantially longer than most SNP-rich regions, covering up to 4 Mb, and possibly reflecting introgression between the respective gene pools that may have occurred hundreds of years ago. Although 46.2% +/- 8.3% of the SNPs differentiate other pairs of japonica and indica genotypes, SNP rates in rice were not predictive of evolutionary rates for corresponding genes in another grass species, sorghum. The data set is freely available at http://www.plantgenome.uga.edu/snp.

Breeding↗

Genome alignment, evolution of prokaryotic genome organization, and prediction of gene function using genomic context.

Gene order in prokaryotes is conserved to a much lesser extent than protein sequences. Only several operons, primarily those that code for physically interacting proteins, are conserved in all or most of the bacterial and archaeal genomes. Nevertheless, even the limited conservation of operon organization that is observed can provide valuable evolutionary and functional clues through multiple genome comparisons. A program for constructing gapped local alignments of conserved gene strings in two genomes was developed. The statistical significance of the local alignments was assessed using Monte Carlo simulations. Sets of local alignments were generated for all pairs of completely sequenced bacterial and archaeal genomes, and for each genome a template-anchored multiple alignment was constructed. In most pairwise genome comparisons, <10% of the genes in each genome belonged to conserved gene strings. When closely related pairs of species (i.e., two mycoplasmas) are excluded, the total coverage of genomes by conserved gene strings ranged from <5% for the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp to 24% for the minimal genome of Mycoplasma genitalium, and 23% in Thermotoga maritima. The coverage of the archaeal genomes was only slightly lower than that of bacterial genomes. The majority of the conserved gene strings are known operons, with the ribosomal superoperon being the top-scoring string in most genome comparisons. However, in some of the bacterial-archaeal pairs, the superoperon is rearranged to the extent that other operons, primarily those subject to horizontal transfer, show the greatest level of conservation, such as the archaeal-type H+-ATPase operon or ABC-type transport cassettes. The level of gene order conservation among prokaryotic genomes was compared to the cooccurrence of genomes in clusters of orthologous genes (COGs) and to the conservation of protein sequences themselves. Only limited correlation was observed between these evolutionary variables. Gene order conservation shows a much lower variance than the cooccurrence of genomes in COGs, which indicates that intragenome homogenization via recombination occurs in evolution much faster than intergenome homogenization via horizontal gene transfer and lineage-specific gene loss. The potential of using template-anchored multiple-genome alignments for predicting functions of uncharacterized genes was quantitatively assessed. Functions were predicted or significantly clarified for approximately 90 COGs (approximately 4% of the total of 2414 analyzed COGs). The most significant predictions were obtained for the poorly characterized archaeal genomes; these include a previously uncharacterized restriction-modification system, a nuclease-helicase combination implicated in DNA repair, and the probable archaeal counterpart of the eukaryotic exosome. Multiple genome alignments are a resource for studies on operon rearrangement and disruption, which is central to our understanding of the evolution of prokaryotic genomes. Because of the rapid evolution of the gene order, the potential of genome alignment for prediction of gene functions is limited, but nevertheless, such predictions information significantly complements the results obtained through protein sequence and structure analysis.

Computational Biology↗

Metax enables accurate cross-domain taxonomic profiling of metagenomes.

Taxonomic profiling is fundamental to microbiome research, yet achieving high species-level accuracy remains challenging for complex communities that span bacteria, viruses, eukaryotes, and archaea, and these limitations are exacerbated in low-biomass, host-dominated samples. We introduce Metax, a cross-domain taxonomic profiler that integrates coverage-based probabilistic modeling with an expectation-maximization framework to distinguish true microbial signals from artifacts. Across >600 samples from host-associated, environmental, wastewater, and low-biomass clinical settings, including benchmarks with limited reference representation, Metax improved profiling accuracy, achieving on average 55% higher F1 scores and 45% lower Bray-Curtis dissimilarity than other methods. Moreover, this broad evaluation demonstrated that Metax resolved bacterial and viral signatures of peri-implantitis in oral microbiomes and revealed signals suggestive of reagent-borne contaminants and reference misassemblies in plasma-cell-free DNA. By leveraging genome-wide coverage evidence, Metax enables robust cross-domain profiling across diverse sample types and sequencing depths, including settings where reference databases are highly incomplete.

abundance estimation↗

Construction and characterization of a 10-genome equivalent yeast artificial chromosome library for the laboratory rat, Rattus norvegicus.

Increasing attention has been focused in recent years on the rat as a model organism for genetic studies, in particular for the investigation of complex traits, but progress has been limited by the lack of availability of large-insert genomic libraries. Here, we report the construction and characterization of an arrayed yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) library for the rat genome containing approximately 40,000 clones in the AB1380 host using the pCGS966 vector. An average size of 736 kb was estimated from 166 randomly chosen clones; thus the library provides 10-fold coverage of the genome, with a 99.99% probability of containing a unique sequence. Eight of 39 YACs analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization were found to be chimeric, indicating a proportion of about 20-30% of chimeric clones. The library was spotted on high-density filters to allow the identification of YAC clones by hybridization and was pooled using a 3-dimensional scheme for screening by PCR. Among 48 probes used to screen the library, an average of 9.3 positive clones were found, consistent with the calculated 10-fold genomic coverage of the library. This YAC library represents the first large-insert genomic library for the rat. It will be made available to the research community at large as an important new resource for complex genome analysis in this species.

Animals↗

Genomic peculiarity of coding sequences and metabolic potential of probiotic Escherichia coli strain Nissle 1917 inferred from raw genome data.

Probiotic Escherichia coli strain Nissle 1917 (O6:K5:H1) is a commensal E. coli isolate that has a long tradition in medicine for the treatment of various intestinal disorders in humans. To elucidate the molecular basis of its probiotic nature, we started sequencing the genome of this organism with a whole-genome shotgun approach. A 7.8-fold coverage of the genomic sequence has been generated and is now in the finishing stage. To exploit the genome data as early as possible and to generate hypotheses for functional studies, the unfinished sequencing data were analyzed in this work using a new method [Sun, J., Zeng, A.P., 2004. IdentiCS--identification of coding sequence and in silico reconstruction of the metabolic network directly from unannotated low-coverage bacterial genome sequence. BMC Bioinformatics 5, 112] which is particularly suitable for the prediction of coding sequences (CDSs) from unannotated genome sequence. The CDSs predicted for E. coli Nissle 1917 were compared with those of all five other sequenced E. coli strains (E. coli K-12 MG1655, E. coli K-12 W3110, E. coli CFT073, EHEC O157:H7 EDL933 and EHEC O157:H7 Sakai) published to date. Five thousand one hundred and ninety-two CDSs were predicted for E. coli Nissle 1917, of which 1065 were assigned with enzyme EC numbers. The comparison of all predicted CDSs of E. coli Nissle 1917 to the other E. coli strains revealed 108 CDSs specific for this isolate. They are organized as four big genome islands and many other smaller gene clusters. Based on CDSs with EC numbers for enzymes, the potential metabolic network of Nissle 1917 was reconstructed and compared to those of the other five E. coli strains. Overall, the comparative genomic analysis sheds light on the genomic peculiarity of the probiotic E. coli strain Nissle 1917 and is helpful for designing further functional studies long before the sequencing project is completely finished.

Chromosome Mapping↗

A tiling resolution DNA microarray with complete coverage of the human genome.

We constructed a tiling resolution array consisting of 32,433 overlapping BAC clones covering the entire human genome. This increases our ability to identify genetic alterations and their boundaries throughout the genome in a single comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) experiment. At this tiling resolution, we identified minute DNA alterations not previously reported. These alterations include microamplifications and deletions containing oncogenes, tumor-suppressor genes and new genes that may be associated with multiple tumor types. Our findings show the need to move beyond conventional marker-based genome comparison approaches, that rely on inference of continuity between interval markers. Our submegabase resolution tiling set for array CGH (SMRT array) allows comprehensive assessment of genomic integrity and thereby the identification of new genes associated with disease.

Chromosomes, Artificial, Bacterial↗

Houseofficers' reactions to media coverage about the sequencing of the human genome.

After the announcement that sequencing of the human genome was nearly complete, media coverage was extensive. In light of ample evidence that the media are a primary source of health and science information, even for health professionals, media portrayals are often inaccurate or misleading, and discoveries that emanate from sequencing the human genome are likely to influence future health care, it is important to assess physicians' interpretations of media coverage about the human genome announcement. This paper describes the reactions of a sample of new physicians in the United States to this announcement, as well as the content of the stories they read or heard. Semi-structured surveys were distributed to all incoming houseofficers during Orientation at one major academic medical center. Eighty-one percent of 190 houseofficers returned a survey; 123 completed surveys were analyzed. Fifty-four percent of respondents thought the media message was only positive and 21% thought it was negative or mixed. Participants who reported radio as their media source were less likely to recall positive messages (p<0.05). Sixty-five percent and 76%, respectively, had positive perceptions of the impact of the accomplishment on people and on the medical profession. Overall, 48% were enthusiastic and 52% were guarded about the accomplishment. Enthusiasm was related to being an adult primary care houseofficer (p=0.07) or to having heard about it on television or in the newspaper (p<0.05). Of the 36 stories analyzed, newspaper and television reports focused more on medical implications and radio reports focused more on ethical issues. The degree of enthusiasm about the accomplishment reflects the content of the media coverage, and, at least for adult primary care houseofficers, probably reflects the increasing relevance of genetic discoveries to medical practice. Since physicians obtain much of their health and science information from the media, they can play an instrumental role in helping their patients interpret media coverage of advances in genetics and their impact on health care. However, this will require that physicians develop an appreciation of the newsmaking process, and how subtle interactions between politics, the media and science influence the "framing" of media coverage.

Academic Medical Centers↗

[Current status and future perspective of genetic linkage mapping in aquaculture species].

Constructing genetic linkage map is an essential tool to acknowledge genome in aquaculture species. This paper has reviewed the current status of genetic linkage map research, including mapping population, mapping method and molecular markers used to construct linkage map. Linkage map has great potential in marker assisted selection (MAS), gene locating and cloning, and comparative genome mapping. Genetic linkage map with high density and wide coverage of genome will allow cloning the genes which contribute to economically important traits. The ultimate aim of the constructing linkage map is the development of fast-growing, disease-resistant strains of the major aquaculture species.

Animals↗