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Deltarho-web, an online tool to assess composition similarity of individual nucleic acid sequences.

SUMMARY: Although whole-genome sequences have been analysed for the presence of anomalous DNA, no dedicated application is currently available to analyse the composition of individual sequence entries, for instance those derived by experimental techniques, such as subtractive hybridization. Since genomic dinucleotide frequency values are conserved between related species, a representative genome sequence can often be found to score for anomalous sequence composition for many of these putative horizontally transferred sequences. We developed the application deltarho-web, which enables the determination of the differences between the dinucleotide composition of an input sequence and that of a selected genome in a size-dependent manner. A feature allowing batch comparisons is included as well. In addition, deltarho-web allows the analysis of the dinucleotide composition of complete genomes. This provides complementary information for the identification of large anomalous gene clusters.

Algorithms↗

Replication of nodamura virus after transfection of viral RNA into mammalian cells in culture.

Nodamura virus (NOV) was purified from the hind limbs of infected suckling mice and used as a source of the two genomic RNAs of the virus, RNA 1 and RNA 2. Upon transfection of the viral RNAs into baby hamster kidney (BHK21) cells in culture, vigorous RNA replication ensued and single-stranded RNAs 1 and 2 accumulated to reach an abundance which approximated that of the cellular rRNAs. Transient synthesis of a small subgenomic RNA (RNA 3) was also observed, and double-stranded versions of RNAs 1, 2, and 3 were detected. Three major viral proteins were synthesized in transfected cells. Protein A (about 115 kDa) and protein B (about 15 kDa) were made transiently at early times after transfection, whereas a large amount of protein alpha (43 kDa), the precursor to the two viral coat proteins, was made continuously starting later in the infectious cycle. When very low concentrations of viral RNAs were used for transfection, preferential replication of RNA 1 occurred. This result was attributed to segregation of the transfected viral RNAs to separate cells in culture and the subsequent replication and amplification of RNA 1 in cells that had received no RNA 2. Accordingly, multiple passages of the viral RNAs by transfection at the limit dilution resulted in the purification of RNA 1 free of RNA 2 and demonstrated that RNA 1 was capable of prolonged autonomous replication which was also accompanied by the continuous synthesis of RNA 3. In cells transfected with RNA 1 alone, protein alpha was not synthesized and proteins A and B were made continuously. Electron microscopic analysis of BHK21 cells 24 h after transfection with NOV RNAs 1 and 2 showed that large numbers of virus particles accumulated in the cytoplasm and formed paracrystalline arrays in some regions. Whole NOV purified from transfected BHK21 cells was infectious for suckling mice and had an electrophoretic mobility that was similar but not identical to that of NOV purified from infected mouse muscle. The high yield of NOV, its simple genetic composition, and its unusual genome strategy make this virus an attractive system for the study of viral RNA replication in animal cells.

Animals↗

Prediction of complete gene structures in human genomic DNA.

We introduce a general probabilistic model of the gene structure of human genomic sequences which incorporates descriptions of the basic transcriptional, translational and splicing signals, as well as length distributions and compositional features of exons, introns and intergenic regions. Distinct sets of model parameters are derived to account for the many substantial differences in gene density and structure observed in distinct C + G compositional regions of the human genome. In addition, new models of the donor and acceptor splice signals are described which capture potentially important dependencies between signal positions. The model is applied to the problem of gene identification in a computer program, GENSCAN, which identifies complete exon/intron structures of genes in genomic DNA. Novel features of the program include the capacity to predict multiple genes in a sequence, to deal with partial as well as complete genes, and to predict consistent sets of genes occurring on either or both DNA strands. GENSCAN is shown to have substantially higher accuracy than existing methods when tested on standardized sets of human and vertebrate genes, with 75 to 80% of exons identified exactly. The program is also capable of indicating fairly accurately the reliability of each predicted exon. Consistently high levels of accuracy are observed for sequences of differing C + G content and for distinct groups of vertebrates.

Animals↗

Applications of the polymerase chain reaction to genome analysis.

The objectives of the Human Genome Project are to create high-resolution genetic and physical maps, and ultimately to determine the complete nucleotide sequence of the human genome. The result of this initiative will be to localize the estimated 50,000-100,000 human genes, and acquire information that will enable development of a better understanding of the relationship between genome structure and function. To achieve these goals, new methodologies that provide more rapid, efficient, and cost effective means of genomic analysis will be required. From both conceptual and practical perspectives, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) represents a fundamental technology for genome mapping and sequencing. The availability of PCR has allowed definition of a technically credible form that the final composite map of the human genome will take, as described in the sequence-tagged site proposal. Moreover, applications of PCR have provided efficient approaches for identifying, isolating, mapping, and sequencing DNA, many of which are amenable to automation. The versatility and power provided by PCR have encouraged its involvement in almost every aspect of human genome research, with new applications of PCR being developed on a continual basis.

Base Sequence↗

Two distinct compositional classes of vertebrate gene-bearing DNA stretches, their structures and possible evolutionary origin.

Genomes of vertebrates are built of long, compositionally uniform DNA regions differing in guanine and cytidine (G + C) content. Examination of G + C distribution and CpG dinucleotide frequency in the longest stretches of vertebrate DNA base sequences available show that the long-range structural features are correlated with the structure of genes. Two classes of DNA stretches are conspicuous: (i) the stretches having low G + C content and low CpG doublet frequency and (ii) stretches rich in G + C containing CpG-rich islands. Both classes show other compositional islands containing exons. These structural features result from evolutionary pressures acting on the DNA or RNA level, as well as from mutations and repair differently biased in different genomic compartments. The analysis presented provides a rationale for a discussion of evolution of the long-range structural characteristics of DNA.

Animals↗

Effects of electron-beam irradiation on whole genome amplification.

Electron-beam (E-beam) irradiation, currently being used to sterilize mail addressed to selected ZIP codes in the United States, has significant negative effects on the genomic integrity of DNA extracted from buccal-cell washes. We investigated the yield, composition, and genotyping performance of whole genome amplified DNA (wgaDNA) derived from 24 matched samples of E-beam-irradiated and nonirradiated genomic DNA (gDNA) as a model for the effects of degraded gDNA on the performance of whole genome amplification. gDNA was amplified using the Multiple Displacement Amplification method. Three methods of DNA quantification analysis were used to estimate the yield and composition of wgaDNA, and 65 short tandem repeat and single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping assays were used to evaluate the genotyping performance of irradiated and nonirradiated gDNA and wgaDNA. Compared with wgaDNA derived from nonirradiated gDNA, wgaDNA derived from irradiated gDNA exhibited a significantly reduced yield of wgaDNA and significantly reduced short tandem repeat and single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping completion and concordance rates (P < 0.0001). Increasing the amount of irradiated gDNA input into whole genome amplification improved genotyping performance of wgaDNA but not to the level of wgaDNA derived from nonirradiated gDNA. Multiple Displacement Amplification wgaDNA derived from E-beam-irradiated gDNA is not suitable for genotyping analysis.

DNA↗

Compositional mapping of mouse chromosomes and identification of the gene-rich regions.

The mouse genome is a mosaic of isochores, consisting of long (> 300 kb), compositionally homogeneous DNA segments that can be divided into two GC-poor families, L1 and L2, representing 56% of the genome, and two GC-rich families, H1 and H2, representing 26% and 7% of the genome, respectively, the remaining 11% being formed by satellite and ribosomal DNAs. (GC is the molar fraction of guanine + cytosine in DNA.) The mouse genome differs from the human genome (which is representative of most mammalian genomes) because it shows a narrower compositional spectrum of isochores and it has a karyotype formed exclusively by acrocentric chromosomes. The chromosomal distribution of the four isochore families, as investigated here by in situ hybridization of single-copy sequences from compositional DNA fractions, has shown that G(lemsa) bands are essentially composed of GC-poor isochores, whereas R(everse) bands comprise three subsets of bands: R' bands, containing GC-poor isochores and GC-rich isochores of the H1 family, and T and T' bands, containing all H2 isochores (in addition to other isochores), the former containing a higher proportion of H2 isochores than the latter. Mouse T and T' bands are generally syntenic with, and are compositionally related to, human T and T' bands and have the highest gene concentrations. These findings indicate that the distribution of isochore families and genes in chromosomal bands is basically similar in mouse and in human genomes, in spite of their remarkable differences and their extremely large phylogenetic distance.

Animals↗

De Novo Assembly and Comparative Analysis of the Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Mesenchytraeus (Annelida, Enchytraeidae).

The Changbai Mountain range is one of the key glacial refugia in Northeast Asia. Mesenchytraeus exhibits high species diversity, strong endemism, and widespread cryptic species in this region, for which mitogenomes provide useful molecular markers for exploring cryptic species complexes. This makes Mesenchytraeus an ideal model for studying mitogenome evolution among closely related lineages; however, no mitogenome data have been reported for this genus to date. In this study, we performed de novo assembly, annotation, and comparative analysis of the mitogenomes of 13 Mesenchytraeus species (14 individuals) from Changbai Mountain. All mitogenomes are typical circular molecules containing 37 genes, but putative control regions are rearranged and consistently located between ATP6 and trnR. All species exhibit annelid-specific strand nucleotide biases, characterized by negative GC skew and near-zero AT skew. Codon usage analysis reveals that codon families with wobble U are significantly biased toward mtDNA codons, whereas those with wobble C or G are biased toward non-mtDNA codons, suggesting a conserved mitochondrial codon usage pattern in annelids. All tRNAs form typical cloverleaf secondary structures except trnS2, which lacks the D-stem and the dihydrouridine (DHU) arm in some species. The putative control regions commonly contain complex palindromic repeats, hairpins, and repetitive elements, and may harbor dual replication origins. Phylogenetic analyses support the monophyly of Mesenchytraeus and reveal significant molecular divergence among morphologically cryptic species. This study provides the first mitogenome dataset for Mesenchytraeus and offers new insights into the evolution and replication mechanisms of mitogenomes in Clitellata and broader Annelida.

Mesenchytraeus↗

Proteome analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage in lung diseases.

The proteomic approach is complementary to genomics and enables protein composition to be investigated under various clinical conditions. Its application to the study of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is extremely promising. BAL proteomic studies were initially based on two-dimensional electrophoretic separation of complex protein samples and subsequent identification of proteins by different methods. With the techniques available today it is possible to attain many different research objectives. BAL proteomics can contribute to the identification of proteins in alveolar spaces with possible insights into pathogenesis and clinical application for diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. Many proteins with different functions have already been identified in BAL. Some could be biomarkers that need to be individually confirmed by correlation with clinical parameters and validation by other methods on larger cohorts of patients. The standardization of BAL sample preparation and processing for proteomic studies is an important goal that would promote and facilitate clinical applications. Here, we review the principal literature on BAL proteomic analysis applied to the study of lung diseases.

Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid↗

Structural and growth characteristics of two avian reoviruses.

Two virus strains which had been suspected to be the etiological agents of infectious bursitis (Gumboro disease) and of inclusion body hepatitis of chickens were characterized by their morphology, their peptide composition and the segmented genome of their double-stranded RNA to be typical reoviruses. Although the 2 avian strains did not clearly differ in their serological behaviour, the size of some of their RNA segments were not identical. Both strains replicated in tissue cultures prepared from the chorioallantoic membrane of embryonated eggs with growth characteristics of reoviruses.

Animals↗

Directional fixation of mutations in vertebrate evolution.

We have made pairwise comparisons between the coding sequences of 21 genes from cold-blooded vertebrates and 41 homologous sequences from warm-blooded vertebrates. In the case of 12 genes, GC levels were higher, especially in third codon positions, in warm-blooded vertebrates compared to cold-blooded vertebrates. Six genes showed no remarkable difference in GC level and three showed a lower level. In the first case, higher GC levels appear to be due to a directional fixation of mutations, presumably under the influence of body temperature (see Bernardi and Bernardi 1986b). These GC-richer genes of warm-blooded vertebrates were located, in all cases studied, in isochores higher in GC than those comprising the homologous genes of cold-blooded vertebrates. In the third case, increases appear to be due to a limited formation of GC-rich isochores which took place in some cold-blooded vertebrates after the divergence of warm-blooded vertebrates. The directional changes in the GC content of coding sequences and the evolutionary conservation of both increased and unchanged GC levels are in keeping with the existence of compositional constraints on the genome.

Animals↗

Bias explorer: measurements of compositional bias in EMBL and GenBank sequence files.

A Windows application for compositional analysis of sequenced genomes (EMBL or GenBank flat files) is available as freeware. The application allows the user to quantify word bias using Markov chain analysis and it allows the user to generate sliding window data for GC-skew, AT-skew, purine excess, keto excess and discrete word counts. The mathematical routines reside in a dynamic link library (DLL), which can be used independently by other applications. The software is available for download at http://www.dfuni.dk/~anfu/Bioinformatics/Main.htm.

Bias↗

A restricted component of the Epstein-Barr virus early antigen complex is structurally related to ribonucleotide reductase.

The 85-kDa polypeptide previously shown to be associated with the restricted (R) component of the EBV-induced early antigen (EA) complex was subjected to amino acid sequencing analysis. This was accomplished by cyanogen bromide cleavage and by separation of individual peptides by high-pressure liquid chromatography employing reversed-phase C18 column techniques. Two of the isolated peptides, F11 and F13, were subjected to amino acid sequencing and both were found to have significant homology to the postulated protein encoded by the BamHI O right reading frame 2 (BamHI ORF2) of the B95-8 strain Epstein-Barr virus. Computer analysis revealed significant homology between the amino acid sequence of this polypeptide and ribonucleotide reductase, an enzyme previously mapped to this genomic fragment. Amino acid composition analysis also revealed a similar association. These results indicate that the 85-kDa EA(R) polypeptide is associated with a component of the EBV-induced ribonucleotide reductase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

CpG islands, genes and isochores in the genomes of vertebrates.

We have shown that human genes associated with CpG islands increase in number as they increase in % of guanine + cytosine (GC) levels, and that most genes associated with CpG islands are located in the GC-richest compartment of the human genome. This is an independent confirmation of the concentration gradient of CpG islands (detected as HpaII tiny fragments, or HTF) which was demonstrated in the genome of warm-blooded vertebrates [Aïssani and Bernardi, Gene 106 (1991) 173-183]. We then reassessed the location of CpG islands using the data currently available and confirmed that CpG islands are most frequently located in the 5'-flanking sequences of genes and that they overlap genes to variable extents. We have shown that such extents increase with the increasing GC levels of genes, the GC-richest genes being completely included in CpG islands. Under such circumstances, we have investigated the properties of the 'extragenic' CpG islands located in the 5'-flanking segments of homologous genes from both warm- and cold-blooded vertebrates. We have confirmed that, in cold-blooded vertebrates, CpG islands are often absent; when present, they have lower GC and CpG levels; the latter attain, however, statistically expected values. Finally, we have shown that CpG doublets increase with the increasing GC of exons, introns and intergenic sequences (including 'extragenic' CpG islands) in the genomes from both warm- and cold-blooded vertebrates. The correlations found are the same for both classes of vertebrates, and are similar for exons, introns and intergenic sequences (including 'extragenic' CpG islands). The findings just outlined indicate that the origin and evolution of CpG islands in the vertebrate genome are associated with compositional transitions (GC increases) in genes and isochores.

Animals↗

Cell culture propagation and biochemical analysis of the Ljungan virus prototype strain.

Ljungan virus (LV) is proposed as a potentially important rodent harbored viral human pathogen. Little is known about the biophysical nature of the virus and despite being molecularly characterized, progress in epidemiological and basic biological studies of LV has been hampered by the lack of a robust and reliable cell culture propagation system. Here we report the first description of an efficient lytic multi-cycle cell culture propagation of the LV prototype strain (87-012). Biophysical analysis of gradient purified LV virions generated by this system identified mature infectious virions to possess a sedimentation coefficient of 160S and in agreement with previous molecular prediction, polyprotein analysis suggests that the native virion is composed of only three major structural proteins. The nucleotide composition of the complete genome of the LV cell culture adapted virus was determined and compared to that of the parental prototype LV. Numerous mutations were observed scattered throughout the viral genome and particularly in VP1. The development of this cell culture system for LV should open new avenues in the study of LV biology, structure, pathogenesis, and prevalence of natural infection in the wider community.

Animals↗

Mollicutes.

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Base Composition↗

Factors contributing to the plasticity of the extended longevity phenotypes of Drosophila.

A number of laboratories have constructed independently derived long-lived strains of Drosophila, each of which have similar but not identical patterns of variability in their adult longevity. Given the observed plasticity of longevity within each of these strains, it would be useful to review the operational and environmental factors that give rise to this phenotypic plasticity and ascertain whether they are common or strain specific. Our review of the more extensively analyzed strains suggests that the allelic composition of the initial genomes and the selection/transgene strategy employed yield extended longevity strains with superficially similar phenotypes but which are probably each the result of different proximal genetic mechanisms. This then offers a plausible explanation for the differential effects of various environmental factors on each strain's particular pattern of phenotypic plasticity. It also illustrates that the species has the potential to employ any one of a number of different proximal mechanisms, each of which give rise to a similar longevity phenotype.

Animals↗