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Cerebrin-50, a human cerebrospinal fluid protein whose mRNA is present in multiple tissues but predominantly expressed in the lymphoblastoid cells and the brain.

A full-length cDNA of 2295 bp coding for a human cerebrospinal fluid protein, designated cerebrin-50, has been isolated from a human brain cDNA expression library. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this cDNA revealed that it codes for a 435 amino acid polypeptide which starts with an ATG initiation codon from the 5'-end and ends with a TGA termination codon with a calculated molecular weight of 51,484 daltons. A 10-amino acid peptide of NH2-SGDLETRYWG based on the deduced amino acid sequence of the cerebrin-50 cDNA was synthesized, conjugated to bovine serum albumin and was used to raise a monospecific polyclonal antibody in a rabbit. Immunoblot analysis using this antibody indicated the presence of a 52 kD protein in the human cerebrospinal fluid, brain cytosol, T lymphoblastoid cell-conditioned medium, and human serum; it is also noted that the concentration of this 52 kD protein is several order of magnitude higher in the cerebrospinal fluid than in other biological fluids. The presence of its mRNA in the brain, T lymphoblastoid cells, spleen, liver, and testis was confirmed by sequential use of reverse-transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Preliminary analysis by quantitative RT-PCR has noted that the expression of the cerebrin-50 mRNA is higher in the lymphoblastoid cells and brain than the spleen, liver, and testis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A new member of a family of ATPases is essential for assembly of mitochondrial respiratory chain and ATP synthetase complexes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Respiration-defective pet mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, assigned to complementation group G25, are grossly deficient in mitochondrial respiratory and ATPase complexes. This phenotype is usually found in strains impaired in mitochondrial protein synthesis. The G25 mutants, however, synthesize all of the proteins encoded by mitochondrial DNA. The mutants are also able to import and process cytoplasmically derived subunits of these enzymes. These results are most compatible with the idea that the gene defined by G25 mutants (RCA1) codes for a protein essential for the assembly of functional respiratory and ATPase complexes. The RCA1 gene has been cloned by complementation of an rca1 mutant with a yeast genomic library. The sequence of the encoded product shows Rca1 protein to be a new member of a recently described family of ATPases. The Rca1 protein is a mitochondrial membrane protein and is the third known member of this family implicated to function in the biogenesis of mitochondria. The primary structure of Rca1 protein indicates several distinct domains in addition to the common purine nucleotide binding region shared by all members of this protein family. One, located in the amino-terminal half, contains two hydrophobic stretches of sufficient length to span a membrane lipid bilayer.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Kunitz domain inhibitors of tissue factor-factor VIIa. I. Potent inhibitors selected from libraries by phage display.

Potent active-site inhibitors of human tissue factor-Factor VIIa (TF.FVIIa) have been selected from Alzheimer's amyloid beta-protein precursor inhibitor (APPI) Kunitz domain libraries displayed on phage. Eight randomized positions on the extended primary binding loop (P5 through P4') and positions 34 and 39 were examined in three separate libraries. Libraries contained from 3.2 x 10(5) to 3.2 x 10(6) potential variants resulting from replacing up to 5 positions with all 20 amino acids. Following 4 rounds of selection against FVIIa associated with immobilized tissue factor (TF), 12 clones from each library were sequenced. Variants were purified by trypsin affinity chromatography and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography, and characterized for their ability to inhibit TF.FVIIa chromogenic activity. Measured apparent equilibrium dissociation constants (Ki*) ranged from about 10 to 500 nM. From sequence and activity data, an overall consensus sequence, TF7I-C, was constructed by site-directed mutagenesis. TF7I-C differed from APPI at 4 key residues, T11P, M17L, S19L, and G39Y, and inhibited TF.FVIIa with a Ki* = 1.9 +/- 0.4 nM, which represented an increase in binding affinity of more than 150-fold compared to APPI. At 40 microM, TF7I-C prolonged the clotting times 3.5-fold in a prothrombin time assay and > 10-fold at 7 microM in an activated partial thromboplastin time assay. Prolongation of the activated partial thromboplastin time correlates with potent inhibition of FXIa (Ki* = 0.8 nM) and plasma kallikrein (Ki* = 1.2 nM). TF7I-C also inhibited plasmin (Ki* = 40 nM) and FXa (Ki* = 55 nM), but not activated protein C, thrombin, or FXIIa (Ki* > 10 microM each).

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Parentage testing and linkage analysis in the horse using a set of highly polymorphic microsatellites.

Ten (TG)n positive clones, isolated from an equine genomic library and sequenced, contained 12-19 uninterrupted TG repeats. Primers for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were synthesized and nine of these (TG)n loci (HTG7-15) were successfully amplified and utilized in this study together with five previously reported equine microsatellite loci (HTG2-6). The PCR products were analysed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by automated laser fluorescence detection or autoradiography. All microsatellites showed polymorphism and stable Mendelian inheritance. Differences in microsatellite variability between horse breeds were detected. A linkage analysis comprising HTG2-15, one coat colour gene and 16 genetic blood markers enabled addition of HTG2 to linkage group U2 and a new linkage group (U6) was established comprising the loci HTG7 and HTG12. Close linkage was excluded within a set of eight microsatellites. The estimated probability of exclusion in four breeds for a parentage test based on these eight loci varied between 0.96 and 0.99.

Animals↗

Alternative splicing of human inwardly rectifying K+ channel ROMK1 mRNA.

Recent studies have identified a new family of inwardly rectifying K+ channels, members of which are known by the acronyms ROMK1, IRK1, and GIRK1. We have isolated cDNAs encoding the human homologue of ROMK1 from an adult kidney cDNA library. The sequences of the human kidney ROMK1 cDNA clones indicated that they were derived from at least two types of mRNAs, human ROMK1A and human ROMK1B, differing in sequence at their 5' ends. The isolation of the human ROMK1 gene, localized to chromosome band 11q24 by fluorescence in situ hybridization, indicated that the different ROMK1 transcripts were generated by alternative splicing. Human ROMK1A mRNA was predicted to encode a protein of 389 amino acids, having 93% identity with the 391-residue rat ROMK1 protein, and expression studies in Xenopus oocytes indicated that it encoded a Ba(2+)-sensitive inwardly rectifying K+ channel with properties similar to those reported for cloned rat ROMK1. Human ROMK1B mRNA was predicted to encode a protein of 372 amino acids whose sequence was truncated at the amino terminus but otherwise identical to that of the human ROMK1A protein. Translation of human ROMK1B mRNA was predicted to initiate at a codon corresponding to Met-18 of human ROMK1A mRNA. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction amplification of human kidney mRNA revealed human ROMK1A and -B transcripts as well as a third type of transcript, human ROMK1C mRNA, which was predicted to encode a protein identical to human ROMK1B. Human ROMK1A, -B, and -C transcripts were identified in kidney, whereas only human ROMK1A mRNA could be detected in pancreatic islets and other tissues in which human ROMK1 was expressed at low levels. Thus, tissue-specific alternative splicing of human ROMK1 mRNA may result in the expression of a family of ROMK1 proteins.

Adult↗

Molecular cloning and expression of GalNAc alpha 2,6-sialyltransferase.

cDNA clones encoding GalNAc alpha 2,6-sialyltransferase (EC 2.4.99.3) have been isolated from chick embryo cDNA libraries using sequence information obtained from the conserved amino acid sequence of the previously cloned enzymes. The cDNA sequence included an open reading frame coding for 566 amino acids, and the deduced amino acid sequence showed 12% identity with that of Gal beta 1,4GlcNAc alpha 2,6-sialyltransferase from chick embryo. The primary structure of this enzyme suggested a putative domain structure, like that in other glycosyltransferases, consisting of a short NH2-terminal cytoplasmic domain, a signal-membrane anchor domain, a proteolytically sensitive stem region, and a large COOH-terminal active domain. The identity of this enzyme was confirmed by the construction of a recombinant sialyltransferase in which the NH2-terminal part (232 amino acid residues) was replaced with the immunoglobulin signal sequence. The expression of this recombinant in COS-7 cells resulted in secretion of a catalytically active and soluble form of the enzyme into the medium. The expressed enzyme exhibited activity toward only asialomucin and (asialo)fetuin, no significant activity being detected toward the other glycoprotein and glycolipid substrates tested. 14C-Sialylated glycols obtained from asialomucin re-sialylated with this enzyme were identical to NeuAc alpha 2,6-GalNAc-ol and GlcNAc beta 1,3(NeuAc alpha 2,6) GalNAc-ol. Synthetic GalNAc-SerNAc also served as an acceptor for alpha 2,6-sialylation. These results clearly showed that the expressed enzyme is GalNAc alpha 2,6-sialyltransferase.

Acetylgalactosamine↗

Mouse cDNAs encoding a trifunctional protein of de novo purine synthesis and a related single-domain glycinamide ribonucleotide synthetase.

Three of the enzymatic activities of de novo purine synthesis, glycinamide ribonucleotide synthetase (GARS), aminoimidazole ribonucleotide synthetase (AIRS) and glycinamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase (GART), can be catalyzed by a single 110-kDa protein in mouse cells. Western blots using a polyclonal antibody (Ab) to this protein identified two species, the trifunctional 110-kDa protein and a 50-kDa cytosolic protein with GARS, but not GART activity. We used Ab and, subsequently, oligodeoxyribonucleotide screens to isolate cDNAs corresponding to these two proteins from mouse T-cell cDNA expression libraries. The sequence of one class of these cDNAs and the partial sequence of a corresponding genomic clone defined an open reading frame (ORF) encoding a 1010-amino-acid (aa) protein, individual domains of which showed high homology to each of the monofunctional bacterial GARS, AIRS and GART proteins, and to each domain of chicken and human trifunctional GARS-AIRS-GARTs. cDNAs corresponding to the smaller protein contained a 1.3-kb ORF with complete identity to the GARS domain of, but with a 3' untranslated region different from, the trifunctional cDNAs. Hence, both cDNAs appear to derive from the same gene due to either differential splicing or use of an intronic polyadenylation signal. The functional requirement for the expression of both trifunctional protein with GARS activity and monofunctional, catalytically active GARS is unknown.

Acyltransferases↗

flvi-2, a target of retroviral insertional mutagenesis in feline thymic lymphosarcomas, encodes bmi-1.

LC-FeLV is a myc-containing strain of feline leukemia virus which induces thymic lymphosarcoma in the domestic cat with short latency. A locus in feline DNA, termed flvi-2, is commonly interrupted in naturally occurring and experimentally induced thymic lymphosarcomas containing LC-FeLV; thus, interruption of a gene encoded by flvi-2 may cooperate with the myc oncogene in the induction of T-cell tumors by LC-FeLV. Clones homologous to flvi-2 have been isolated from a normal human thymus cDNA library. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the cDNA clones demonstrates that flvi-2 encodes bmi-1, a gene previously identified as a target for MoMuLV integration and as a myc-collaborator in retrovirally-induced B-cell lymphomas in E mu-myc transgenic mice. In feline thymic lymphomas, retroviral integrations occur downstream of the gene, and result in enhanced expression of a bmi-1 transcript of normal size. These findings demonstrate the interruption of bmi-1 in natural as well as experimentally induced tumors, implicate the activation of bmi-1 in the induction of T-cell as well as B-cell lymphoma, and support the premise that bmi-1 functions as a myc collaborator.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The serine protease cofactor factor V is synthesized by lymphocytes.

Ag-specific cellular immune responses result in CD4+ T cell activation, which can induce the expression of tissue factor in cells of monocyte/macrophage lineage. This results in initiation of the coagulation protease cascade, with ultimate generation of thrombin. The latter is a potent and pleiotropic mediator of cellular responses and deposition of fibrin. To explore the requirements for extravascular cellular mediation of immune effector pathways, we have searched for a cellular source of the cofactor factor Va. Factor V mRNA was identified in human lymphoid cells by using reverse transcription followed by the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We confirmed our reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction results by an independent cloning of factor V cDNA from a T cell cDNA library. The sequence of the factor V cDNA was virtually identical to hepatic factor V mRNA sequence. A limited span of mRNA, encoding part of the connecting region of the factor V protein, was found to contain nucleotide polymorphisms based on six nucleotide substitutions. Northern blot analysis confirmed the presence of a approximately 7-kb factor V mRNA in the Hut-78* human T lymphoma cell line and, at five- to eightfold less abundance, in unstimulated lymphocytes and long term allogeneic stimulated T cells. Immunocytology with factor V mAb identified factor V intracellularly in freshly isolated T lymphocytes but not on the surface of cells. These data provide evidence for factor V transcription and biosynthesis by human lymphocytes. They provide an additional perspective on how lymphocytes may contribute to inflammatory effector functions of cellular immune responses in extravascular sites through provision of cofactors necessary for the coagulation serine protease cascade.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Ovarian cancers express and process progastrin.

Gastrin synthesis in ovarian tumors has been described in a few isolated cases associated with the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Consequently, ovarian gastrin synthesis has been considered exceptional. In order to evaluate whether expression of gastrin in ovarian tumors indeed is rare, we examined the expression and processing of progastrin in 16 malignant and 5 benign ovarian tumors and 4 normal postmenopausal ovaria. Using a library of sequence specific radioimmunoassays, cleavage by processing-like enzymes, and gel chromatography, we found that one-half of the malignant tumors expressed significant concentrations of amidated gastrins [6.7 +/- 2.7 (SEM) pmol/g; range, 1.4-20.0 pmol/g, n = 7]. The concentrations of glycine-extended gastrins and progastrins were low (0.25 +/- 0.03 and 1.4 +/- 0.4 pmol/g, respectively) but higher than in controls and benign tumors. Chromatography showed that the majority of the bioactive gastrins was unsulfated gastrin-17. The other half of the malignant tumors expressed glycine-extended gastrins and progastrins (0.2 +/- 0.03 and 0.6 +/- 0.1 pmol/g; n = 9), but the amidation of the peptides was impaired (0.1 +/- 0.03 pmol/g). Low concentrations of glycine-extended gastrins and progastrins were detected in the normal ovarian tissues (0.2 +/- 0.05 pmol/g tissue and 0.2 +/- 0.06 pmol/g, respectively, n = 4) and in the benign tumors (0.1 +/- 0.02 pmol/g and 0.5 +/- 0.03 pmol/g; n = 5). Amidated gastrins were undetectable, except in low amounts in a single benign tumor (0.2 pmol/g tissue). The results show that postmenopausal ovaria and neoplastic ovarian tissues express the gastrin gene at peptide level. The synthesis and processing of progastrin increase considerably in malignant tumors.

Cholecystokinin↗

Translation initiation and assembly of peripherin in cultured cells.

The peripherin gene has three potential ATG translation initiation sites at positions 38, 56, and 290. The second ATG has been proposed to be the initiation codon used for translation of the protein, but there is no experimental evidence for this conjecture. We have isolated a full-length peripherin cDNA (designated as p61-11) from a rat brain cDNA library. Upon sequencing, we found that this cDNA contains a point mutation at the second potential translation initiation codon, which changes this ATG to ACG. When expressed in SW13 cl.2 vim- cells, a cell line without any detectable cytoplasmic intermediate filaments, the protein product of p61-11 cannot form a filamentous network and the major product is 45 kDa in size, which is most likely initiated from the third ATG. The protein product from the first ATG (57 kDa in size) of p61-11 is also detected albeit in smaller amounts. We introduced a frame-shift mutation upstream of the third ATG in p61-11 to create p61-11FS and showed that the third ATG is able to initiate translation efficiently even in the presence of the first ATG, and the 45 kDa protein leads to a diffuse nonfilamentous staining pattern in vim- cells confirming that the first ATG may not be the preferred translation initiation codon, since it cannot suppress a downstream ATG. We increased the translation efficiency from the first ATG of p61-11 by mutating the three nucleotides preceding this first ATG and thereby placing it in a better Kozak consensus sequence for translation initiation. The resulting 57 kDa protein is able to form a filamentous network in vim- cells. We corrected the mutation in the original p61-11 by polymerase chain reaction and generated two peripherin constructs: perM1M2 (which contains all three translation initiation codons) and per delta 1M2 (the first ATG is deleted, but the other two are present). When transfected, their protein products, about 57 kDa in size, form filamentous networks in the absence of other cytoplasmic intermediate filaments. Since there is no 45 kDa protein detected for these latter two constructs, it is reasonable to conclude that in the presence of the second ATG, little or no translation is initiated from the third ATG. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that the second ATG is the preferred translation initiation codon for the peripherin gene.

Adenocarcinoma↗

TRA1, a novel mRNA highly expressed in leukemogenic mouse monocytic sublines but not in nonleukemogenic sublines.

Mouse monocytic Mm-A, Mm-P, Mm-S1, and Mm-S2 cells are sublines of mouse monocytic and immortalized Mm-1 cells derived from spontaneously differentiated, mouse myeloblastic M1 cells. Although these subline cells retain their monocytic characteristics in vitro, Mm-A and Mm-P cells are highly leukemogenic to syngeneic SL mice and athymic nude mice, whereas Mm-S1 and Mm-S2 cells are not or are only slightly leukemogenic. To better understand the molecular mechanisms of these levels of leukemogenicity, we investigated putative leukemogenesis-associated genes or oncogenes involved in the maintenance of growth, especially in vivo, by means of differential mRNA display. We isolated a fragment clone (15T01) from Mm-P cells. The mRNA probed with 15T01 was expressed at high levels in leukemogenic Mm-P and Mm-A cells but not in nonleukemogenic Mm-S1 and Mm-S2 cells. The gene corresponding to 15T01, named TRA1, was isolated from an Mm-P cDNA library. The longest open reading frame of the TRA1 clone predicts a peptide containing 204 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 23,049 D. The predicted TRA1 protein is cysteine-rich and contains multiple cysteine doublets. A putative normal counterpart gene, named NOR1, was also isolated from a normal mouse kidney cDNA library and sequenced. NOR1 cDNA predicts a peptide containing 234 amino acids. The sequence of 201 amino acids from the C-terminal NOR1 was completely identical to that of TRA1, whereas the remaining N-terminal amino acids (33 amino acids) were longer than that (3 amino acids) of TRA1 and the N-terminus of NOR1 protein contained proline-rich sequence. A similarity search against current nucleotide and protein sequence databases indicated that the NOR1/TRA1 gene(s) is conserved in a wide range of eukaryotes, because apparently homologous genes were identified in Caenorhabditis elegans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae genomes. Northern blotting using TRA1-specific and NOR1-specific probes indicated that TRA1 mRNA is exclusively expressed in leukemogenic but not in nonleukemogenic Mm sublines and normal tissues and also indicated that NOR1 mRNA is expressed in normal tissues, especially in kidney, lung, liver, and bone marrow cells but not in any Mm sublines. After leukemogenic Mm-P cells were induced to differentiate into normal macrophages by sodium butyrate, the normal counterpart, NOR1, was expressed, whereas the TRA1 level decreased. Furthermore, transfection of TRA1 converted nonleukemogenic Mm-S1 cells into leukemogenic cells. These results indicate that the TRA1 gene is associated at least in part with the leukemogenesis of monocytic Mm sublines.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Absence of functional relevance of human transporter associated with antigen processing polymorphism for peptide selection.

The polymorphic TAP (TAP1 and TAP2) genes code for a heteromeric complex that translocates cytosolic peptides across the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum where they associate with MHC class I molecules. In the rat, extensive TAP2 polymorphism modifies the spectrum of peptides presented by MHC class I molecules on the cell surface. Although polymorphism of human TAP proteins is more limited, it has been proposed to be associated with susceptibility to autoimmune diseases. To analyze the peptide selectivity and transport efficiency of human TAP alleles, we have generated the most frequent TAP1 and TAP2 alleles using site-directed mutagenesis. Alleles were cloned in the baculovirus expression system and six TAP1/2 allelic combinations were overexpressed in Sf9 insect cells. Microsomes containing TAP1/2 dimers were isolated, and peptide binding assays were performed using random sequence peptide libraries of variable length (7-18 mer) and a 9-mer polyalanine peptide substituted with various amino acids in positions 1, 2, 3, 7, and 9. All studied allelic combinations selected peptides with identical substitutions and length. Furthermore, transport assays showed similar efficiency and kinetics of peptide translocation by the different TAP alleles. These data suggest that the major human TAP alleles transport identical peptide sets and are therefore unlikely to contribute to predisposition to autoimmune diseases.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗

Structural and comparative analysis of the mouse gene for pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF).

PURPOSE: Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), a neurotrophic protein, is a member of the serine protease inhibitor supergene family. PEDF promotes both neuronal phenotype in cultured Y79 cells and neuronal survival in cultured cerebellar granulocytes. The purpose of this study was to clone the mouse PEDF gene and to determine its structure and levels of expression in different tissues. METHODS: The mouse PEDF cDNA was cloned from a mouse liver cDNA library using human PEDF cDNA as a probe. The mouse PEDF gene was cloned from a mouse ES genomic P1 library. DNA sequencing was performed using a PE-Applied Biosystems model 373 automated fluorescent sequencer. RESULTS: The mouse PEDF cDNA is 1461 bp in length and contains an open reading frame of 417 amino acids. The mouse PEDF gene spans approximately 13 kb and, like the human, it is fragmented into 8 exons. The splice sites follow the AG/GT consensus rule. Southern blot analysis indicates that the mouse genome contains only one gene for PEDF. Northern blot analysis shows the presence of the PEDF transcript in a broad range of adult mouse tissues with liver showing the highest level of expression. CONCLUSIONS: The mouse and human PEDF promoters share overall 27% similarity but are nearly identical between mouse +86 to -166 and human +102 to -96. The present study will allow us to move from in vitro experiments to in vivo studies through the development of a "knock-out" mouse model.

Animals↗

Gene array and expression of mouse retina guanylate cyclase activating proteins 1 and 2.

PURPOSE: To identify gene arrangement, chromosomal localization, and expression pattern of mouse guanylate cyclase activating proteins GCAP1 and GCAP2, retina-specific Ca2+-binding proteins, and photoreceptor guanylate cyclase activators. METHODS: The GCAP1 and GCAP2 genes were cloned from genomic libraries and sequenced. The chromosomal localization of the GCAP array was determined using fluorescent in situ hybridization. The expression of GCAP1 and GCAP2 in mouse retinal tissue was determined by immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: In this study, the mouse GCAP1 and GCAP2 gene array, its chromosomal localization, RNA transcripts, and immunolocalization of the gene products were fully characterized. The GCAP tail-to-tail array is located at the D band of chromosome 17. Each gene is transcribed into a single transcript of 0.8 kb (GCAP1) and 2 kb (GCAP2). Immunocytochemistry showed that both GCAP genes are expressed in retinal photoreceptor cells, but GCAP2 was nearly undetectable in cones. GCAP2 was also found in amacrine and ganglion cells of the inner retina. Light-adapted and dark-adapted retinas showed no significant difference in the distribution of the most intense GCAP2 staining within the outer segment and outer plexiform layers. CONCLUSIONS: Identical GCAP gene structures and the existence of the tail-to-tail gene array in mouse and human suggest an ancient gene duplication-inversion event preceding mammalian diversification. Identification of both GCAPs in synaptic regions, and of GCAP2 in the inner retina suggest roles of these Ca-binding proteins in addition to regulation of phototransduction.

Adaptation, Ocular↗

Environmental genomics of "Haloquadratum walsbyi" in a saltern crystallizer indicates a large pool of accessory genes in an otherwise coherent species.

BACKGROUND: Mature saturated brine (crystallizers) communities are largely dominated (> 80% of cells) by the square halophilic archaeon "Haloquadratum walsbyi". The recent cultivation of the strain HBSQ001 and the sequencing of its genome allows comparison with the metagenome of this taxonomically simplified environment. Similar studies carried out in other extreme environments have revealed very little diversity in gene content among the cell lineages present. RESULTS: The metagenome of the microbial community of a crystallizer pond has been analyzed by end sequencing a 2000 clone fosmid library and comparing the sequences obtained with the genome sequence of "Haloquadratum walsbyi". The genome of the sequenced strain was retrieved nearly complete within this environmental DNA library. However, many ORF's that could be ascribed to the "Haloquadratum" metapopulation by common genome characteristics or scaffolding to the strain genome were not present in the specific sequenced isolate. Particularly, three regions of the sequenced genome were associated with multiple rearrangements and the presence of different genes from the metapopulation. Many transposition and phage related genes were found within this pool which, together with the associated atypical GC content in these areas, supports lateral gene transfer mediated by these elements as the most probable genetic cause of this variability. Additionally, these sequences were highly enriched in putative regulatory and signal transduction functions. CONCLUSION: These results point to a large pan-genome (total gene repertoire of the genus/species) even in this highly specialized extremophile and at a single geographic location. The extensive gene repertoire is what might be expected of a population that exploits a diverse nutrient pool, resulting from the degradation of biomass produced at lower salinities.

Base Composition↗

Sample sequencing of a Salmonella typhimurium LT2 lambda library: comparison to the Escherichia coli K12 genome.

As part of the ongoing sequencing of the complete Salmonella typhimurium LT2 genome, a partly ordered set of 416 lambda clones has been developed, representing over 90% of the genome. The average insert size is 17 kb. Sequences were obtained from both ends of each clone in this set. A total of over 600 kb of sequence has been deposited in the genome survey sequence section of GenBank. This resource of clones is available from the Salmonella Genome Stock Center. A preliminary comparison with the Escherichia coli K12 genome indicates that there are likely to be many hundred insertion deletion events, encompassing more than one gene, that distinguish these genomes. Fully 30% of the S. typhimurium sequences have no close homologs in the GenBank database.

Adult↗

High-throughput DNA extraction and cost-effective miniaturized metagenome and amplicon library preparation of soil samples for DNA sequencing.

Reductions in sequencing costs have enabled widespread use of shotgun metagenomics and amplicon sequencing, which have drastically improved our understanding of the microbial world. However, large sequencing projects are now hampered by the cost of library preparation and low sample throughput, comparatively to the actual sequencing costs. Here, we benchmarked three high-throughput DNA extraction methods: ZymoBIOMICS™ 96 MagBead DNA Kit, MP BiomedicalsTM FastDNATM-96 Soil Microbe DNA Kit, and DNeasy® 96 PowerSoil® Pro QIAcube® HT Kit. The DNA extractions were evaluated based on length, quality, quantity, and the observed microbial community across five diverse soil types. DNA extraction of all soil types was successful for all kits, however DNeasy® 96 PowerSoil® Pro QIAcube® HT Kit excelled across all performance parameters. We further used the nanoliter dispensing system I.DOT One to miniaturize Illumina amplicon and metagenomic library preparation volumes by a factor of 5 and 10, respectively, with no significant impact on the observed microbial communities. With these protocols, DNA extraction, metagenomic, or amplicon library preparation for one 96-well plate are approx. 3, 5, and 6 hours, respectively. Furthermore, the miniaturization of amplicon and metagenome library preparation reduces the chemical and plastic costs from 5.0 to 3.6 and 59 to 7.3 USD pr. sample. This enhanced efficiency and cost-effectiveness will enable researchers to undertake studies with greater sample sizes and diversity, thereby providing a richer, more detailed view of microbial communities and their dynamics.

Metagenome↗