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Genomic pathways to antifungal discovery.

The limitations of the therapeutic antifungals are becoming increasingly apparent in the clinic due to their modest efficacy against life-threatening systemic fungal infections. These antifungals belong to only a few structural classes that affect a small range of targets, some are quite toxic in humans while the use of others, particularly the azole drugs, has encouraged the emergence of resistant clinical isolates and the selection of innately resistant fungal pathogens. Only a few new drugs based on novel targets are in clinical development, and these may be insufficient to overcome the changing tide of fungal disease. In parallel with the successful completion of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human genome sequencing projects, an increasing number of genome sequencing projects are being initiated and completed for significant fungal pathogens. The growing repository of genomic information, which is complemented by decades of genetic and biochemical study, is now available for genome-wide analysis of gene function and for incisive inter-genomic comparison, with the S. cerevisiae and human genomes providing key points of reference. Functional genomic and comparative genomic techniques, many of which were developed with S. cerevisiae, are being applied to fungal pathogens with the aim of obtaining an integrated view of fungal biology and to extract targets suitable for drug discovery. This review describes some of these techniques, their limitations and their increasing contribution to the antifungal discovery process through effective gene annotation, target identification and prioritization, and in the optimization of antifungal leads.

Antifungal Agents↗

Anchored reference loci for comparative genome mapping in mammals.

Recent advances in gene mapping technologies have led to increased emphasis in developing representative genetic maps for several species, particularly domestic plants and animals. These maps are being compiled with two distinct goals: to provide a resource for genetic analysis, and to help dissect the evolution of genome organization by comparing linkage relationships of homologous genes. We propose here a list of 321 reference anchor loci suitable for comparative gene mapping in mammals and other vertebrate classes. We selected cloned mouse and human functional genes spaced an average of 5-10 centiMorgans throughout their respective genomes. We also attempted to include loci that are evolutionarily conserved and represented in comparative gene maps in other mammalian orders, particularly cattle and the domestic cat. We believe that the map may provide the basis for a unified approach to comparative analysis of mammalian species genomes.

Animals↗

Characterization, distribution, and expression of novel genes among eight clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Eight low-passage-number Streptococcus pneumoniae clinical isolates, each of a different serotype and a different multilocus sequence type, were obtained from pediatric participants in a pneumococcal vaccine trial. Comparative genomic analyses were performed with these strains and two S. pneumoniae reference strains. Individual genomic libraries were constructed for each of the eight clinical isolates, with an average insert size of approximately 1 kb. A total of 73,728 clones were picked for arraying, providing more than four times genomic coverage per strain. A subset of 4,793 clones were sequenced, for which homology searches revealed that 750 (15.6%) of the sequences were unique with respect to the TIGR4 reference genome and 263 (5.5%) clones were unrelated to any available streptococcal sequence. Hypothetical translations of the open reading frames identified within these novel sequences showed homologies to a variety of proteins, including bacterial virulence factors not previously identified in S. pneumoniae. The distribution and expression patterns of 58 of these novel sequences among the eight clinical isolates were analyzed by PCR- and reverse transcriptase PCR-based analyses, respectively. These unique sequences were nonuniformly distributed among the eight isolates, and transcription of these genes in planktonic cultures was detected in 81% (172/212) of their genic occurrences. All 58 novel sequences were transcribed in one or more of the clinical strains, suggesting that they all correspond to functional genes. Sixty-five percent (38/58) of these sequences were found in 50% or less of the clinical strains, indicating a significant degree of genomic plasticity among natural isolates.

Bacteriocins↗

Development and characterization of a pooled Haemophilus influenzae genomic library for the evaluation of gene expression changes associated with mucosal biofilm formation in otitis media.

UNLABELLED: Haemophilus influenzae is one of the most important respiratory pathogens of man. It has been etiologically associated with otitis media, otorrhea, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Identification of new genomic elements will provide novel targets to fight chronic infections caused by this organism. OBJECTIVE: The new paradigm that chronic infections are caused by bacterial biofilms prompted us to study the relationship between bacterial pathogenicity, biofilm formation and bacterial communal cooperation. To do this, it is essential to determine the virulence gene sets that are involved in the above processes and whether they are present in every bacterial cell or distributed in a "communal gene-pool", the distributed genome hypothesis (DGH). We designed, constructed and characterized a highly redundant genomic DNA library comprised of the genomes of ten low passage clinical isolates of H. influenzae carrying large numbers of genes that are not present in the laboratory strains of H. influenzae. METHODS: Genomic DNA fragments of the ten clinical strains were hydro-dynamically sheared to produce a mean fragment size of 1.5-2.5 kb. The ten sheared DNAs were than pooled and used in the construction of a genomic library with 76800 clones. RESULTS: Our restriction endonuclease and sequence analyses of 800 clones demonstrate that 75% of the clones carry an insert larger than 0.5 kb. The library has an approximately 1.5 kb average insert size, and therefore, better than 4.5x redundancy for each of the genomes of the ten clinical isolates. Our sequencing effort ( approximately 1 million nucleotides to date) reveals that a high percentage of genes (75 clones, 11% of the 686 sequenced clones) present in this library are not represented in the genome of the reference strain H. influenzae Rd. CONCLUSIONS: The library, based on the above results, has a better than 4.5x coverage for each of the ten constituent genomes. On the basis of our preliminary sequencing data ( approximately 1 million nucleotides) the library lacks of highly repeated sequences, therefore, the expected genome coverage (4.5x) is not degraded. Using the prevalence of non-Rd like sequences (11%) detected during characterization of the genomic library, we estimated that the library contains DNA sequences equivalent to approximately 2 million bp, which are not represented in the reference genome of the H. influenzae Rd strain and that is greater in size than the genome of this reference strain, providing ample targets for innovative drug design.

Base Sequence↗

Sequencing and analysis of Neanderthal genomic DNA.

Our knowledge of Neanderthals is based on a limited number of remains and artifacts from which we must make inferences about their biology, behavior, and relationship to ourselves. Here, we describe the characterization of these extinct hominids from a new perspective, based on the development of a Neanderthal metagenomic library and its high-throughput sequencing and analysis. Several lines of evidence indicate that the 65,250 base pairs of hominid sequence so far identified in the library are of Neanderthal origin, the strongest being the ascertainment of sequence identities between Neanderthal and chimpanzee at sites where the human genomic sequence is different. These results enabled us to calculate the human-Neanderthal divergence time based on multiple randomly distributed autosomal loci. Our analyses suggest that on average the Neanderthal genomic sequence we obtained and the reference human genome sequence share a most recent common ancestor approximately 706,000 years ago, and that the human and Neanderthal ancestral populations split approximately 370,000 years ago, before the emergence of anatomically modern humans. Our finding that the Neanderthal and human genomes are at least 99.5% identical led us to develop and successfully implement a targeted method for recovering specific ancient DNA sequences from metagenomic libraries. This initial analysis of the Neanderthal genome advances our understanding of the evolutionary relationship of Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis and signifies the dawn of Neanderthal genomics.

Animals↗

Proportion of genome shared identical by descent by relatives: concept, computation, and applications.

One widely used measure of genetic similarity for pairs of relatives is gene identity-by-descent (IBD) sharing. Genes that are copies of a single gene in a common ancestor of the individuals who now carry them are said to be IBD. One obvious extension of the IBD concept is IBD gene(s) shared by more than two individuals. In this paper, I further extend the gene IBD concept to the proportion of genomes shared IBD by every member of a group of relatives. Genome may refer either to the entire autosomal genome or to one or more chromosomal segments or regions with known lengths. Consideration of a genome instead of one or two loci has several advantages. I present a model to describe the crossover process, based on the work of K. P. Donnelly. On the basis of this model, I give a mathematical definition of the proportion of genome shared IBD by relatives, or IBDP for short. Since the distribution of the IBDP is in general very difficult to determine, and since in most applications the mean and variance of the IBDP will suffice, I then provide a method for computing the first two moments of the IBDP. Applications to assessing gene survival, to genetic resemblance between two relatives, and to gene mapping are illustrated with examples. Finally, I discuss the utility of the IBDP in other areas.

Analysis of Variance↗

Ethnic India: a genomic view, with special reference to peopling and structure.

We report a comprehensive statistical analysis of data on 58 DNA markers (mitochondrial [mt], Y-chromosomal, and autosomal) and sequence data of the mtHVS1 from a large number of ethnically diverse populations of India. Our results provide genomic evidence that (1) there is an underlying unity of female lineages in India, indicating that the initial number of female settlers may have been small; (2) the tribal and the caste populations are highly differentiated; (3) the Austro-Asiatic tribals are the earliest settlers in India, providing support to one anthropological hypothesis while refuting some others; (4) a major wave of humans entered India through the northeast; (5) the Tibeto-Burman tribals share considerable genetic commonalities with the Austro-Asiatic tribals, supporting the hypothesis that they may have shared a common habitat in southern China, but the two groups of tribals can be differentiated on the basis of Y-chromosomal haplotypes; (6) the Dravidian tribals were possibly widespread throughout India before the arrival of the Indo-European-speaking nomads, but retreated to southern India to avoid dominance; (7) formation of populations by fission that resulted in founder and drift effects have left their imprints on the genetic structures of contemporary populations; (8) the upper castes show closer genetic affinities with Central Asian populations, although those of southern India are more distant than those of northern India; (9) historical gene flow into India has contributed to a considerable obliteration of genetic histories of contemporary populations so that there is at present no clear congruence of genetic and geographical or sociocultural affinities.

Chromosomes, Human, Y↗

Biological parameters and molecular markers of clone CL Brener--the reference organism of the Trypanosoma cruzi genome project.

Clone CL Brener is the reference organism used in the Trypanosoma cruzi Genome Project. Some biological parameters of CL Brener were determined: (a) the doubling time of epimastigote forms cultured in liver infusion-tryptose (LIT) medium at 28 degrees C is 58 +/- 13 hr; (b) differentiation of epimastigotes to metacyclic trypomastigotes is obtained by incubation in LIT-20% Grace's medium; (c) trypomastigotes infect mammalian cultured cells and perform the complete intracellular cycle at 33 and 37 degrees C; (d) blood forms are highly infective to mice; (e) blood forms are susceptible to nifurtimox and benznidazole. The molecular typing of CL Brener has been determined: (a) isoenzymatic profiles are characteristic of zymodeme ZB; (b) PCR amplification of a 24S alpha ribosomal RNA sequence indicates it belongs to T. cruzi lineage 1; (c) schizodeme, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and DNA fingerprinting analyses were performed.

Animals↗

Isolates of Neisseria meningitidis from different sites in the same patient: phenotypic and genomic studies, with special reference to adherence, piliation, and DNA restriction endonuclease pattern.

Neisseria meningitidis was isolated from the throat, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid of six patients and from the throat and blood of two patients. All 22 isolates were of serogroup B, serotype 15, and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis type IV. Isolates from a single patient always possessed identical DNA restriction endonuclease patterns; this observation strongly suggested genomic identity. In spite of this apparent genomic identity, however, significant differences in piliation and adherence were observed among isolates from different sites in the same patient. Isolates from the throat were significantly more piliated (P less than .001) and adhered to human buccal epithelial cells in vitro in significantly higher numbers (P less than .001) than did isolates from the blood and the cerebrospinal fluid of the same patient. These results indicate that phase shift occurs in N. meningitidis in vivo.

Adhesiveness↗

A portable recalibration workflow for reference-based variant calling in non-human genomes.

A key computational step in reference-based variant calling is distinguishing true genetic variants from sequencing errors. Advanced tools and workflows have been developed to handle this by computational modelling of technical errors from the sequencing machines. However, these recalibration workflows have largely been evaluated for human data only and its exact applicability for non-human data remains unknown. Here, we conducted a systematic evaluation of variant calling on human, rice, sheep, and chickpea data, and found that existing workflows introduce unexpected statistical bias, thus leading to suboptimal variant calls for non-human data. To address this problem, we present simple guidelines for constructing a "pseudo-"database (pseudoDB) of genetic variants as a scalable and portable solution for recalibration and variant calling. With human data, our pseudoDB-based workflow performs comparably to existing dbSNP-based GATK3 workflows and those using DeepVariant, Strelka2, and FreeBayes. We extend this to other non-human genomes, namely cattle, brown bear, swan goose, African oil palm, Komodo dragon, and stevia, altogether resulting in the identification of up to 242.0% unique genetic variants. The majority of newly identified variants are within the non-coding regions, hinting at the rich diversity of genome regulation in the non-human population. Our pseudoDB-based workflow is agnostic to reference genomes and modular for easy integration with other computational workflows for human and non-human resequencing data.

Humans↗

The molecular karyotype of the megabase chromosomes of Trypanosoma brucei stock 427.

We present the molecular karyotype of the megabase chromosomes of Trypanosoma brucei stock 427, clone 221a. This cloned stock is most commonly used in research laboratories in genetic manipulation experiments and in studies of antigenic variation. Using 116 previously characterised chromosome-specific markers, we identify 11 diploid pairs of megabase chromosomes and detect no loss of synteny in EST and gene marker distribution between this stock and the genome project reference stock TREU 927/4. Nevertheless, the chromosomes of 427 are all larger than their homologues in 927, except chromosomes IIa and IXa. The greatest size variation is seen in chromosome I, the smallest of which is 1.1 Mb (927-Ia) and the largest 3.6 Mb (427-Ib). The total nuclear DNA content of both stocks has been estimated by comparison of the mobility of T. brucei and yeast chromosomes. Trypanosomes of stock 427 contain approximately 16.5 Mb more megabase chromosomal DNA than those of stock 927. We have detected the presence of bloodstream-form expression-site-associated sequences on eight or more megabase chromosomes. These sequences are not found on the same chromosomes in each stock. We have determined the chromosomal band location of nine characterised variant surface glycoprotein genes, including the currently expressed VSG 221. Our results demonstrate both the stability of the T. brucei genome, as illustrated by the conservation of syntenic groups of genes in the two stocks, and the polymorphic nature of the genomic regions involved in antigenic variation. We propose that the chromosomes of stock 427 be numbered to correspond to their homologues in the genome project reference stock TREU 927/4.

Animals↗

Reference profiling of the genomic response induced by an antimicrotubule agent, TZT-1027 (Soblidotin), in vitro.

TZT-1027 is an antimicrotubule agent targeting beta-tubulin that is undergoing clinical development. The genomic response of cancer cells to TZT-1027 was profiled to evaluate its biochemical activity. A lung cancer cell line, PC-14, was exposed to antimicrotubule agents including dolastatins, Vinca alkaloids and taxanes at an equivalent toxicity level. Alterations in the TZT-1027-induced gene expression of approximately 600 genes were then examined using microarray technology and the resulting gene profiles were compared with those for cells exposed to the other antimicrotubule agents. A principle component analysis using the whole gene set demonstrated that TZT-1027 produced similar gene profiles to those produced by dolastatin 10, but that these gene profiles differed from those produced by other agents. The agents were classified according to their induced genomic response in a molecular structure-dependent manner. Genes whose expression profiles differed according to drug class included intermediate filaments, extracellular matrix protein and Rho regulatory genes that may be involved in cytoskeletal and angiogenesis processes that are regulated by microtubule dynamics. TZT-1027 produces a unique genomic response profile distinct from that of Vinca alkaloids and taxanes, suggesting that this agent has a different mechanism of action. The selected genes may act as pharmacodynamic biomarkers allowing the unique mode of action of TZT-1027 to be discriminated from those of other antimicrotubule agents.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Whole-genome automated assembly pipeline for Chlamydia trachomatis strains from reference, in vitro and clinical samples using the integrated CtGAP pipeline.

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) is pivotal for the molecular characterization of Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct)-the leading bacterial cause of sexually transmitted infections and infectious blindness worldwide. Ct WGS can inform epidemiologic, public health and outbreak investigations of these human-restricted pathogens. However, challenges persist in generating high-quality genomes for downstream analyses given its obligate intracellular nature and difficulty with in vitro propagation. No single tool exists for the entirety of Ct genome assembly, necessitating the adaptation of multiple programs with varying success. Compounding this issue is the absence of reliable Ct reference strain genomes. We, therefore, developed CtGAP-Chlamydia trachomatisGenome Assembly Pipeline-as an integrated 'one-stop-shop' pipeline for assembly and characterization of Ct genome sequencing data from various sources including isolates, in vitro samples, clinical swabs and urine. CtGAP, written in Snakemake, enables read quality statistics output, adapter and quality trimming, host read removal, de novo and reference-guided assembly, contig scaffolding, selective ompA, multi-locus-sequence and plasmid typing, phylogenetic tree construction, and recombinant genome identification. Twenty Ct reference genomes were also generated. Successfully validated on a diverse collection of 363 samples containing Ct, CtGAP represents a novel pipeline requiring minimal bioinformatics expertise with easy adaptation for use with other bacterial species.

Chlamydia trachomatis↗

Variation in the human genome and the inherited basis of common disease.

The availability of a reference human genome sequence-an increasingly dense catalog-knowledge of common genetic variation, and new developments in technology present an unprecedented opportunity to systematically explore the genetic basis of complex human diseases such as cancer. An understanding of the common mutations that can cause distinct human cancers will be critical for identifying new targets for drug discovery, patient stratification for clinical trials, and analysis of drug response data to delineate classes of patients that respond to therapy. The genome structure of cancer can be investigated in several ways. Germline mutations can be investigated in large-scale, case-control, or family studies. Somatic alternations can be identified using state-of-the-art genomic technologies such as high-density oligonucleotide arrays and targeted resequencing. Combined, these approaches will lead to a better understanding of the cancer genome.

Gene Expression Profiling↗

Genome evolution and long-term demographic history in true crocodiles.

Reference-quality genomes remain scarce for true crocodiles (Crocodylus), limiting comparative analyses of genome evolution and demographic history. Here, we generated and analyzed 2 long-read genomes, 1 for Crocodylus intermedius and 1 for C. niloticus, to investigate genome architecture, coalescent effective population size (Ne), and patterns of molecular evolution across crocodilians. Comparative analyses revealed broadly similar repeat landscapes in both species and extensive macro-synteny with Alligator sinensis, indicating strong structural conservation across crocodilian genomes. Using phased diploid assemblies and MSMC2, we reconstructed historical Ne trajectories and found marked differences between species. Crocodylus intermedius exhibited persistently low Ne throughout most of the late Quaternary, with a pronounced decline during the Late Pleistocene-early Holocene transition. In contrast, C. niloticus showed substantially larger Ne over comparable time intervals. Genome-wide codon-based analyses identified significant heterogeneity in dN/dS (ω) among crocodilian lineages. Crocodylus niloticus showed the lowest genome-wide ω, whereas elevated values in C. intermedius and other lineages were consistent with reduced long-term efficacy of purifying selection under smaller historical population sizes. Branch-site tests identified candidate genes under positive selection in both focal species, with functional categories related to ion transport, endocrine regulation, and cellular signaling. Together, these results provide genomic resources for Crocodylus and support an association between long-term demographic history and genome-wide patterns of molecular evolution across crocodilians.

Animals↗

Reference-Guided Chromosome-Scale Genome Assembly With Insights on Population Genomics of the Atlantic Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus itajara), Islas del Rosario, Colombia.

Epinephelus itajara, commonly known as the Atlantic Goliath grouper, is the largest species among the western North Atlantic groupers and is critically endangered. This species plays a crucial ecological, cultural, and economic role and has been the focus of captive breeding efforts at the Oceanario of the Rosario Islands, Colombia. However, despite its ecological and conservation importance, genomic resources and population genomic data for E. itajara remain scarce, particularly in the Colombian Caribbean. This study presents a reference-guided chromosome-scale genome assembly and an analysis of the population genomic structure of E. itajara using PacBio HiFi sequencing and Illumina technologies. The assembled genome has a total size of 1.12 Gb, with a contig N50 of 42.69 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 46.30 Mb. A total of 22,692 protein-coding genes were identified after masking 46% of the genome, which consists of repetitive elements. Comparative genomic analyses revealed a high degree of collinearity with closely related Epinephelus species and identified E. lanceolatus as the closest relative, supporting recent divergence and conserved genome architecture within the genus. Additionally, a population genomics analysis was conducted using 7706 high-quality SNPs to assess the genomic structure of captive populations. The results revealed four distinct genomic lineages, with moderate genetic differentiation among the sampled individuals. In the Colombian Caribbean, two unique lineages were identified, associated with the localities of Bahía Cispatá and Bahía Barbacoas, suggesting possible geographic isolation. These genomic resources provide valuable tools and new opportunities to better understand the genomic diversity, evolutionary history, and reproductive mechanisms of E. itajara. Moreover, they serve as a foundation for conservation strategies, including selective breeding programs aimed at increasing genomic diversity in captive populations and guiding restoration efforts in its natural habitat.

Epinephelus itajara↗

Gridded genomic libraries of different chordate species: a reference library system for basic and comparative genetic studies of chordate genomes.

The use of genomic libraries maintained in arrayed format is becoming a more and more popular tool for the analysis of molecular evolution and comparative molecular development. Being able to use already existing reference libraries considerably reduces the work load, and if results are made publicly available, it will facilitate in silica experiments in the future. Here we describe the construction and preliminary characterization of six cosmid libraries of different chordate species, Ciona intestinalis (Hemichordate), Branchiostoma floridae (Cephalochordate), Lampetra fluviatilis (Cyclostoma), Xiphophorus maculatus, and Danio rerio (Osteichthyes) in Lawrist7 and Fugu rubripes in Lawrist4.

Animals↗

TCOF1 mutation database: novel mutation in the alternatively spliced exon 6A and update in mutation nomenclature.

Recently, a novel exon was described in TCOF1 that, although alternatively spliced, is included in the major protein isoform. In addition, most published mutations in this gene do not conform to current mutation nomenclature guidelines. Given these observations, we developed an online database of TCOF1 mutations in which all the reported mutations are renamed according to standard recommendations and in reference to the genomic and novel cDNA reference sequences (www.genoma.ib.usp.br/TCOF1_database). We also report in this work: 1) results of the first screening for large deletions in TCOF1 by Southern blot in patients without mutation detected by direct sequencing; 2) the identification of the first pathogenic mutation in the newly described exon 6A; and 3) statistical analysis of pathogenic mutations and polymorphism distribution throughout the gene.

Alternative Splicing↗