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Genotype classification and molecular evidence for the presence of mixed infections in Indian Citrus tristeza virus isolates.

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) is usually present in field trees as a mixture or complex of isolates. Different biological types of CTV exist in India and this affects disease incidence and yield in the various citrus growing areas. Genotypic profiles were determined for 21 Indian CTV isolates. Of the 21 isolates, 15 contained only the VT genotype. The other isolates contained mixtures of either T30 or T3 with VT or T30, T3 and VT genotypes. One exception was isolate BAN-1, which contained a mixture of T36, T30 and T3 genotypes. Sequence diversity of Indian CTV isolates was determined by characterization in the k17 region of ORF 1a and the overlapping region of RdRp, gene p33, and sequence differences were utilized to identify group-specific genome features. A phylogenetic analysis of these regions divided the isolates into five distinct groups. There was a general trend for severe isolates to cluster into one of four groups and mild isolates into the fifth group. All the sequences from the two different regions of the CTV genome showed nucleotide identity to either VT, T30 or T36 isolates and confirmed the mixed infection of mild isolates with severe CTV isolates from three distinct geographical citrus growing regions in India.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Genetic variability within Helicobacter pylori.

One of the striking characteristics of the human gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori is extensive genetic diversity between different strains. During the last years, intensive research using genomic, molecular genetic and population genetic approaches has permitted to quantitate the diversity in H. pylori, to define its characteristics, and to understand the mechanisms that generate diversity in this global pathogen. This review summarizes the recent developments in this rapidly moving field and discusses the significance of genomic heterogeneity and nucleotide sequence diversity in the contexts of H. pylori epidemiology and pathogenesis.

Genetic Variation↗

Molecular phylogeny and species identification of sardines.

The DNA sequence diversity of Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792) and some closely related species of Clupeomorpha was investigated using the mitochondrial DNA gene encoding cytochrome b. The nucleotide sequences of complete and partial mtDNA cytochrome b were determined in numerous specimens. Sequence divergence between species and genera was evenly distributed in the cytochrome b gene but rather high compared to reports for other fish species. Phylogenetic analyses on complete cytochrome b were used to study the relationships among the considered species. S. pilchardus was easily differentiated, showing a genetic distance of 0.25 with respect to Clupeidae species and 0.26 with respect to the other species. A species-specific short fragment (<150 bp) was isolated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers designed for Clupeomorpha. A rapid and reliable PCR method using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) with two restriction enzymes (MnlI/HinfI) was optimized for unambiguous differentiation of S. pilchardus from the other species tested (raw and canned products).

Animals↗

Phylogenetic study and multiplex PCR-based detection of Burkholderia plantarii, Burkholderia glumae and Burkholderia gladioli using gyrB and rpoD sequences.

In order to develop a detection method for the rice pathogens Burkholderia plantarii, Burkholderia glumae and Burkholderia gladioli, the phylogeny of six plant-pathogenic Burkholderia species was analysed using the combined nucleotide sequences of gyrB and rpoD. B. plantarii, B. glumae and B. gladioli formed tight monophyletic branches supported by high bootstrap probabilities. The high sequence similarity revealed a close phylogenetic relationship between B. glumae and B. plantarii. B. plantarii strains were divided into three subclusters comprising rice strains, whereas the single Vanda strain occupied a unique position in the phylogenetic tree. The gyrB and rpoD sequences of all B. glumae strains examined were highly conserved. In contrast, B. gladioli strains demonstrated a far greater sequence diversity, but this diversity did not correlate with pathovar, host plant or geographical origin of the strains. A multiplex-PCR protocol using specific primers from the gyrB sequences was designed that allowed the specific detection and identification of B. plantarii, B. glumae and B. gladioli in rice seeds infected with these pathogenic species.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Molecular epidemiologic investigation of Campylobacter coli in swine production systems, using multilocus sequence typing.

Multilocus sequence typing of 151 Campylobacter coli isolates from swine reared in conventional (n = 74) and antimicrobial-free (n = 77) production systems revealed high genotypic diversity. Sequence type (ST) 1413 was predominant and observed among ciprofloxacin-resistant strains. We identified a C. coli ST 828 clonal complex consisting of isolates from both production systems.

Abattoirs↗

Detection of stable pre-rRNA in toxigenic Pseudo-nitzschia species.

Nucleotide sequence analysis of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) spacer regions is useful for taxonomic comparisons of closely related microorganisms. These regions have been less useful for routine microbial identification and detection, partly because rRNA precursors (pre-rRNAs) in microbial cells are assumed to be too labile to be detectable by high-throughput probe hybridization methods. We characterized the sequence diversity and physiological stability of pre-rRNA in the toxigenic marine diatoms Pseudo-nitzschia australis, P. multiseries, and P. pungens. As with nucleotide sequences of the first internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) reported previously, sequences of ITS2 and the 5' external transcribed spacer (ETS1) exhibited considerable divergence among these species, including large insertions-deletions detectable by PCR-based spacer length analysis. In slot blot hybridization assays on RNA extracted from lysates of Pseudo-nitzschia cells, oligonucleotide probes directed to pre-rRNA spacers generated much stronger signals than did complementary probes directed to the coding strands of the rDNAs, indicating that the pre-rRNA-targeted probes detected multicopy transcripts. A group of probes directed to a discrete 90-base region within the ITS1 pre-rRNA gave no detectable signal, suggesting that this region is degraded early in the rRNA maturation pathway. Other pre-rRNA regions were always detectable and, in marked contrast to prokaryotic systems analyzed in this manner, were stable and abundant in both actively dividing and nondividing cells. Long, multilabeled RNA probes, which would exhibit considerable cross-reactivity if directed to mature rRNA sequences, detected species-specific pre-rRNA sequences from as few as 1,000 cells. Pre-rRNA is a potentially useful molecular target for detecting and identifying Pseudo-nitzschia species and possibly other unicellular eukaryotes as well.

Base Sequence↗

Reduced mtDNA diversity in the Ngöbé Amerinds of Panamá.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotype diversity was determined for 46 Ngöbé Amerinds sampled widely across their geographic range in western Panamá. The Ngöbé data were compared with mtDNA control region I sequences from two additional Amerind groups located at the northern and southern extremes of Amerind distribution, the Nuu-Chah-Nulth of the Pacific Northwest and the Chilean Mapuche and from one Na-Dene group, the Haida of the Pacific Northwest. The Ngöbé exhibit the lowest mtDNA control region sequence diversity yet reported for an Amerind group. Moreover, they carry only two of the four Amerind founding lineages first described by Wallace and coworkers. We posit that the Ngöbé passed through a population bottleneck caused by ethnogenesis from a small founding population and/or European conquest and colonization. Dating of the Ngöbé population expansion using the Harpending et al. approach to the analysis of pairwise genetic differences indicates a Ngöbé expansion at roughly 6800 years before present (range: 1850-14,000 years before present), a date more consistent with a bottleneck at Chibcha ethnogenesis than a conquest-based event.

Archaeology↗

Sequence-structure signals of 3D domain swapping in proteins.

Three-dimensional domain swapping occurs when two or more identical proteins exchange identical parts of their structure to generate an oligomeric unit. It affects proteins with diverse sequences and structures, and is expected to play important roles in evolution, functional regulation and even conformational diseases. Here, we search for traces of domain swapping in the protein sequence, by means of algorithms that predict the structure and stability of proteins using database-derived potentials. Regions whose sequences are not optimal with regard to the stability of the native structure, or showing marked intrinsic preferences for non-native conformations in absence of tertiary interactions are detected in most domain-swapping proteins. These regions are often located in areas crucial in the swapping process and are likely to influence it on a kinetic or thermodynamic level. In addition, cation-pi interactions are frequently observed to zip up the edges of the interface between intertwined chains or to involve hinge loop residues, thereby modulating stability. We end by proposing a set of mutations altering the swapping propensities, whose experimental characterization would contribute to refine our in silico derived hypotheses.

Algorithms↗

A biological consequence of variation in the site of D-JH gene rearrangement.

One mechanism which generates diversity in immunoglobulin variable (V) regions is flexibility in the site of recombination among the constituent genetic elements. Within a specific antibody family (that is, a particular VH-VL combination), variability in V-D-J rearrangement not only leads to sequence diversity at the boundary of the juxtaposed genes, but also enables the total length of the third complementarity-determining region (CDR-3) of the heavy chain to be conserved. We demonstrate here that the junctional diversity inherent in rearranged immunoglobulin genes can have consequences for the biology of the immune system. Sequence analysis of the expressed immunoglobulin genes of idiotypically variant as opposed to conventional B lymphocytes of a dominant antibody family showed that the variant B cells undergo a novel D-JH joining event such that an extra amino acid is inserted into the heavy chain CDR-3. The unique D-region conformation possessed by the variant B cells accounts for previous observations which showed that variant and conventional B cells could be differentially regulated in vivo by an autologous set of idiotope-specific B lymphocytes. Our findings indicate that D-region structure can determine the expression of regulatory idiotopes and suggest that the conservation of heavy-chain CDR-3 length within an antibody family may reflect regulatory as well as functional constraints.

Animals↗

Structure and function of rotavirus NSP1.

Studies on the structure and function of the nonstructural proteins (NSP1-NSP5) of rotaviruses are important for dissection of the morphogenesis and replication processes of rotavirus. Above all, NSP1, the product of gene 5, has several interesting features, such as extreme sequence diversity, a highly conserved cysteine-rich region, RNA-binding activity, accumulation on the cytoskeleton, and non-random segregation in reassortment. Recently, comparable NSP1 sequence analysis has been performed on a number of rotavirus strains from various species. Furthermore, characterization of mutants with rearranged NSP1 genes has helped to elucidate the structure-function interaction of NSP1. We isolated and characterized two interesting mutants which have a large deletion including the cysteine-rich region or a nonsense codon at the early portion in the open reading frame (ORF) of the NSP1 gene. In this report, we summarize the structure and function of NSP1.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Exploring bias in the Protein Data Bank using contrast classifiers.

In this study we analyzed the bias existing in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) using the novel contrast classifier approach. We trained an ensemble of neural network classifiers, called a contrast classifier, to learn the distributional differences between non-redundant sequence subsets of PDB and SWISS-PROT. Assuming that SWISS-PROT is a representative of the sequence diversity in nature while the PDB is a biased sample, output of the contrast classifier can be used to measure whether the properties of a given sequence or its region are underrepresented in PDB. We applied the contrast classifier to SWISS-PROT sequences to analyze the bias in PDB towards different functional protein properties. The results showed that transmembrane, signal, disordered, and low complexity regions are significantly underrepresented in PDB, while disulfide bonds, metal binding sites, and sites involved in enzyme activity are overrepresented. Additionally, hydroxylation and phosphorylation posttranslational modification sites were found to be underrepresented while acetylation sites were significantly overrepresented. These results suggest the potential usefulness of contrast classifiers in the selection of target proteins for structural characterization experiments.

Bias↗

Intergenic spacer (IGS) polymorphism: a new genetic marker for differentiation of Toxoplasma gondii strains and Neospora caninum.

The region between the 28S and 18S rRNA genes, including the intergenic spacer (IGS) region and the 5S rRNA gene, from 32 strains of Toxoplasma gondii and the NC1 strain of Neospora caninum was amplified and used for DNA sequencing and/or restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. The 5S rDNA sequences from 20 strains of T. gondii were identical. The IGS region between the 5S and 18S rRNA genes (nontranscribed spacer 2 or NTS 2) showed 10 nucleotide variations. Six of the 10 variant positions correlated with the murine virulence of the strains. Intraspecific polymorphisms distinguished the virulent strains of zymodemes 5, 6, and 8 from other virulent strains (in zymodeme 1). RFLP methods (IGS-RFLP) were developed and used to characterize the virulent and avirulent patterns among 29 T. gondii strains. Sequence diversity of 19.8% was found between T. gondii and N. caninum when comparing a region of 919 bp at the 3' end of NTS 2. The sequence variation in ribosomal IGS could therefore be a useful marker for Toxoplasma strain identification and for distinguishing N. caninum from T. gondii.

Animals↗

Microbial community diversity associated with carbon and nitrogen cycling in permeable shelf sediments.

Though a large fraction of primary production and organic matter cycling in the oceans occurs on continental shelves dominated by sandy deposits, the microbial communities associated with permeable shelf sediments remain poorly characterized. Therefore, in this study, we provide the first detailed characterization of microbial diversity in marine sands of the South Atlantic Bight through parallel analyses of small-subunit (SSU) rRNA gene (Bacteria), nosZ (denitrifying bacteria), and amoA (ammonia-oxidizing bacteria) sequences. Communities were analyzed by parallel DNA extractions and clone library construction from both sediment core material and manipulated sediment within column experiments designed for geochemical rate determinations. Rapid organic-matter degradation and coupled nitrification-denitrification were observed in column experiments at flow rates resembling in situ conditions over a range of oxygen concentrations. Numerous SSU rRNA phylotypes were affiliated with the phyla Proteobacteria (classes Alpha-, Delta-, and Gammaproteobacteria), Planctomycetes, Cyanobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Bacteroidetes. Detectable sequence diversity of nosZ and SSU rRNA genes increased in stratified redox-stabilized columns compared to in situ sediments, with the Alphaproteobacteria comprising the most frequently detected group. Alternatively, nitrifier communities showed a relatively low and stable diversity that did not covary with the other gene targets. Our results elucidate predominant phylotypes that are likely to catalyze carbon and nitrogen cycling in marine sands. Although overall diversity increased in response to redox stabilization and stratification in column experiments, the major phylotypes remained the same in all of our libraries, indicating that the columns sufficiently mimic in situ conditions.

Atlantic Ocean↗

Polymorphisms in tandemly repeated sequences of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial DNA.

A spontaneously arising mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been formed by two extra copies of a 14-bp sequence (TTAATTAAATTATC) being added to a tandem repeat of this unit. Similar polymorphisms in tandemly repeated sequences have been found in a comparison between mtDNAs from our strain and others. In 5850 bp of intergenic mtDNA sequence, polymorphisms in tandemly repeated sequences of three or more base pairs occur approximately every 400-500 bp whereas differences in 1-2 bp occur approximately every 60 bp. Some polymorphisms are associated with optional G + C-rich sequences (GC clusters). Two such optional GC clusters and one A + T repeat polymorphism have been discovered in the tRNA synthesis locus. In addition, the variable presence of large open reading frames are documented and mechanisms for generating intergenic sequence diversity in S. cerevisiae mtDNA are discussed.

Base Composition↗

The origin of HIV-1 isolate HTLV-IIIB.

The striking similarity between the first two human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) isolates Lai/LAV (formerly LAV, isolated at the Pasteur Institute) and Lai/IIIB (formerly HTLV-IIIB, reported to be isolated from a pooled culture at the Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology (LTCB) of the National Cancer Institute) provoked considerable controversy in light of the high level of variability found among subsequent HIV-1 isolates. In November 1990, the Office of Scientific Integrity at the National Institutes of Health commissioned our group to analyse archival samples established at the Pasteur Institute and LTCB between 1983 and 1985. Retrospective analyses have shown that contamination of a culture derived from patient BRU by one from patient LAI was responsible for the provenance of HIV-1 Lai/LAV; the contaminated culture (M2T-/B) was sent to LTCB in September 1983. Our goals were to determine which HIV-1 variants were present in the samples and the sequence diversity among HIV-1 isolates from the earliest stages of the AIDS epidemic. We examined archival specimens and report here the detection of six novel HIV-1 sequences in the cultures used to establish the pool: none is closely related to HIV-1 Lai/IIIB. A sample derived from patient LAI contained variants of both HIV-1 Lai/IIIB and HIV-1 Lai/LAV, and a sequence identical to a variant of HIV-1 Lai/IIIB was detected in the contaminated M2T-/B culture. We conclude that the pool, and probably another LTCB culture, MoV, were contaminated between October 1983 and early 1984 by variants of HIV-1 Lai from the M2T-/B culture. Therefore, the origin of the HIV-1 Lai/IIIB isolate also was patient LAI.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Six new DPB1 alleles identified in a study of 1,302 unrelated bone marrow donor-recipient pairs.

Six new DPB1 alleles were identified by PCR-SSOP methodologies in the course of a retrospective study of the role of HLA matching in the outcome of unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation. Sequencing confirmed that five of these alleles (DPB1*5901, *6801, *7101, *7201, and *7301) represent novel combinations of previously described sequence motifs in the variable regions of DPB1; the sixth (DPB1*7001) appears to result from a novel point mutation. These data support previous observations which suggest that multiple mechanisms, including segmental exchange and mutation, appear to be responsible for generating sequence diversity at the DPB1 locus. The extremely low discrepancy rate of 0.1% between the two laboratories which typed the samples, and the ability to predict the new sequences from probe hybridization patterns, indicate that SSOP is an accurate and efficient method for studying polymorphism at DPB1.

Alleles↗

Identification of unique type II polyketide synthase genes in soil.

Many bacteria, particularly actinomycetes, are known to produce secondary metabolites synthesized by polyketide synthases (PKS). Bacterial polyketides are a particularly rich source of bioactive molecules, many of which are of potential pharmaceutical relevance. To directly access PKS gene diversity from soil, we developed degenerate PCR primers for actinomycete type II KS(alpha) (ketosynthase) genes. Twenty-one soil samples were collected from diverse sources in New Jersey, and their bacterial communities were compared by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) analysis of PCR products generated using bacterial 16S rRNA gene primers (27F and 1525R) as well as an actinomycete-specific forward primer. The distribution of actinomycetes was highly variable but correlated with the overall bacterial species composition as determined by TRFLP. Two samples were identified to contain a particularly rich and unique actinomycete community based on their TRFLP patterns. The same samples also contained the greatest diversity of KS(alpha) genes as determined by TRFLP analysis of KS(alpha) PCR products. KS(alpha) PCR products from these and three additional samples with interesting TRFLP pattern were cloned, and seven novel clades of KS(alpha) genes were identified. Greatest sequence diversity was observed in a sample containing a moderate number of peaks in its KS(alpha) TRFLP. The nucleotide sequences were between 74 and 81% identical to known sequences in GenBank. One cluster of sequences was most similar to the KS(alpha) involved in ardacin (glycopeptide antibiotic) production by Kibdelosporangium aridum. The remaining sequences showed greatest similarity to the KS(alpha) genes in pathways producing the angucycline-derived antibiotics simocyclinone, pradimicin, and jasomycin.

Actinobacteria↗

House dust mite allergen characterisation: implications for T-cell responses and immunotherapy.

T cells are central regulators and mediators of allergic sensitisation and disease. The house dust mite allergens are a biochemically diverse group of proteins which are present in extracts and the environment in a wide range of concentrations. Here the importance of ascertaining the contribution of the different allergens to Th2 lymphokine production and the development of allergy is discussed as well as the effect of allelic polymorphisms and inter-species sequence diversity on T-cell activation. The imbalances in allergen concentrations in commercial extracts, the sequence variations from allergens in the environment and the poor discrimination of allergy due to different mite species points to areas of improvement and the development of novel immunotherapeutic strategies and reagents.

Alleles↗