Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Genome analysis”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 865 records · Page 48Linked to original sources

Genomic analysis and expression patterns reveal distinct genes for endothelial and brain nitric oxide synthase.

Constitutively active nitric oxide synthases (NOS) are a unique class of NADPH-dependent, calcium/calmodulin-dependent enzymes that catalyze the conversion of L-arginine to nitric oxide and L-citrulline. However, little is known about the molecular similarities or differences between the two prototypical constitutive NOS enzymes, endothelial NOS (ECNOS) and brain NOS (bNOS). The aims of this study were to begin characterizing the gene structure and tissue distribution of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) for ECNOS and bNOS and to examine the immunological resemblance of the proteins by Western blotting. Full-length complementary DNAs (cDNAs) encoding bovine ECNOS and rat bNOS hybridized, under high stringency, to different-sized fragments of endonuclease-digested bovine, rat, and human genomic DNA. In addition, more than one fragment was detected with both cDNAs, suggesting that ECNOS and bNOS genes contained multiple introns. Tissue distribution of ECNOS mRNA (4.4 kb) and bNOS mRNA (9.5 kb) in the rat was detected by Northern blotting. Patterns among tissue extracts were strikingly different, with ECNOS mRNA being most abundant in aorta, heart, lung, kidney, adrenal gland, spinal cord, and urogenital tissues and bNOS mRNA most prominent in brain regions, intestine, stomach, spinal cord, adrenal gland, and aorta. Interestingly, ECNOS cDNA detected two equally abundant RNA transcripts (4.4 and 4.0 kb) in most brain regions tested, suggesting an alternative splicing of the ECNOS pre-mRNA. Western blotting, using an ECNOS monoclonal antibody, recognized ECNOS protein from native bovine endothelial cells, cultured bovine endothelial cells, and COS cells transfected with ECNOS cDNA but did not recognize purified bNOS.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗

Genomic analysis of idiopathic infertile patients with sperm-specific depletion of CD46.

Three infertile subjects with no expression of CD46 (membrane cofactor protein of complement) on their spermatozoa were found when screening 542 idiopathic male infertile patients. The sperm CD46 isoform was reported to be associated with the sperm-egg interaction, yet a ubiquitous expression of CD46 confers resistance to complement-mediated injury on host cells. All three patients expressed normal CD46 isoforms on their lymphocytes and granulocytes. Thus, the loss of CD46 is sperm-specific, probably due to testicular germ cell-specific regulation of CD46 production. Recently, a mechanism of the gene regulation of human CD46 was elucidated in which the silencer element of the 3' UT and the promoter region of human CD46 gene partly participate. Here, we analyzed these regions of the CD46 gene in our 3 patients. We found no abnormality in 3' and 5' regions of the CD46 genome in the 3 patients. Thus, in these infertile patients sperm-specific depletion of CD46 is not governed by the so for identified regulators in the CD46 gene. Other unknown factors outside the known regulatory regions would play a role in the regulation of sperm-specific CD46 expression.

3' Untranslated Regions↗

Comparative genome analysis of the neurexin gene family in Danio rerio: insights into their functions and evolution.

Neurexins constitute a family of proteins originally identified as synaptic transmembrane receptors for a spider venom toxin. In mammals, the 3 known Neurexin genes present 2 alternative promoters that drive the synthesis of a long (alpha) and a short (beta) form and contain different sites of alternative splicing (AS) that can give rise to thousands of different transcripts. To date, very little is known about the significance of this variability, except for the modulation of binding to some of the Neurexin ligands. Although orthologs of Neurexins have been isolated in invertebrates, these genes have been studied mostly in mammals. With the aim of investigating their functions in lower vertebrates, we chose Danio rerio as a model because of its increasing importance in comparative biology. We have isolated 6 zebrafish homologous genes, which are highly conserved at the structural level and display a similar regulation of AS, despite about 450 Myr separating the human and zebrafish species. Our data indicate a strong selective pressure at the exonic level and on the intronic borders, in particular on the regulative intronic sequences that flank the exons subject to AS. Such a selective pressure could help conserve the regulation and consequently the function of these genes along the vertebrates evolutive tree. AS analysis during development shows that all genes are expressed and finely regulated since the earliest stages of development, but mark an increase after the 24-h stage that corresponds to the beginning of synaptogenesis. Moreover, we found that specific isoforms of a zebrafish Neurexin gene (nrxn1a) are expressed in the adult testis and in the earliest stages of development, before the beginning of zygotic transcription, indicating a potential delivery of paternal RNA to the embryo. Our analysis suggests the existence of possible new functions for Neurexins, serving as the basis for novel approaches to the functional studies of this complex neuronal protein family and more in general to the understanding of the AS mechanism in low vertebrates.

Alternative Splicing↗

The effect of nonsense codons on splicing: a genomic analysis.

The phenomenon of nonsense-associated altered splicing raises the possibility that the recognition of in-frame nonsense codons is used generally for exon identification during pre-mRNA splicing. However, nonsense codon frequencies in pseudo exons and in regions flanking 5' splice sites are no greater than that expected by chance, arguing against the widespread use of this strategy as a means of rejecting potential splice sites.

Codon, Nonsense↗

The complexities of viral genome analysis: the primate lentiviruses.

Analysis of sequence information from RNA-based replication systems continues to challenge the computational molecular biology community. Recent sequence data from the study of primate lentiviruses indicate that extreme sequence heterogeneity, recombination, and cross-species transmissions are all observed in HIV evolution. These types of events will continue to make the development of effective anti-retroviral therapies difficult.

Animals↗

The importance of the Tat-dependent protein secretion pathway in Streptomyces as revealed by phenotypic changes in tat deletion mutants and genome analysis.

Streptomyces are Gram-positive soil bacteria that are used industrially, not only as a source of medically important natural compounds, but also as a host for the secretory production of a number of heterologous proteins. A good understanding of the different secretion processes in this organism is therefore of major importance. The functionality of the recently discovered bacterial twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway has already been shown in Streptomyces lividans. Here, the aberrant phenotype of S. lividans DeltatatB and DeltatatC single mutants is described. Both mutants are characterized by a dispersed growth in liquid medium, an impaired morphological differentiation on solid medium and growth retardation. To reveal the extent to which the Tat pathway is used in Streptomyces, putative Tat-dependent precursor proteins of Streptomyces coelicolor, a very close relative of S. lividans, and of Streptomyces avermitilis, of which the genomes have been completely sequenced, were identified by a modified version of the TATFIND computer program designed by Rose and colleagues [Rose, R. W., Brüser, T., Kissinger, J. C. & Pohlschröder, M. (2002). Mol Microbiol 45, 943-950]. A list of 230 precursor proteins was obtained; this is the highest number of putative Tat substrates found in any genome so far. In addition to the Streptomyces antibioticus tyrosinase, it was also demonstrated that the secretion of the S. lividans xylanase C is Tat-dependent. The predicted Tat substrates belong to a variety of protein classes, with a high number of proteins functioning in degradation of macromolecules, in binding and transport, and in secondary metabolism. Only a minor fraction of the proteins seem to bind a cofactor. The aberrant phenotype of the DeltatatB and DeltatatC mutants together with the high number of putative Tat-dependent substrates suggests that the Streptomyces Tat pathway has a distinct and more important role in protein secretion than in most other bacteria.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Genomic analysis of a pathogenicity island in uropathogenic Escherichia coli CFT073: distribution of homologous sequences among isolates from patients with pyelonephritis, cystitis, and Catheter-associated bacteriuria and from fecal samples.

Urinary tract infection is the most frequently diagnosed kidney and urologic disease and Escherichia coli is by far the most common etiologic agent. Uropathogenic strains have been shown to contain blocks of DNA termed pathogenicity islands (PAIs) which contribute to their virulence. We have defined one of these regions of DNA within the chromosome of a highly virulent E. coli strain, CFT073, isolated from the blood and urine of a woman with acute pyelonephritis. The 57,988-bp stretch of DNA has characteristics which define PAIs, including a size greater than 30 kb, the presence of insertion sequences, distinct segmentation of K-12 and J96 origin, GC content (42.9%) different from that of total genomic DNA (50.8%), and the presence of virulence genes (hly and pap). Within this region, we have identified 44 open reading frames; of these 44, 10 are homologous to entries in the complete K-12 genome sequence, 4 are nearly identical to the sequences of E. coli J96 encoding the HlyA hemolysin, 11 encode P fimbriae, and 19 show no homology to J96 or K-12 entries. To determine whether sequences found within the junctions of the PAI of CFT073 were common to other uropathogenic strains of E. coli, 11 probes were isolated along the length of the PAI and were hybridized to dot blots of genomic DNA isolated from clinical isolates (67 from patients with acute pyelonephritis, 38 from patients with cystitis, 49 from patients with catheter-associated bacteriuria, and 27 from fecal samples). These sequences were found significantly more often in strains associated with the clinical syndromes of acute pyelonephritis (79%) and cystitis (82%) than in those associated with catheter-associated bacteriuria (58%) and in fecal strains (22%) (P < 0.001). From these regions, we have identified a putative iron transport system and genes other than hly and pap that may contribute to the virulent phenotype of uropathogenic E. coli strains.

Bacteriuria↗

An alternative to radiation hybrid mapping for large-scale genome analysis in barley.

The presence of a monosomic gametocidal chromosome (GC) in a barley chromosome addition line of common wheat generates structural aberrations in the barley chromosome as well as in the wheat chromosomes of gametes lacking the GC. A collection of structurally aberrant barley chromosomes is analogous to a panel of radiation hybrid (RH) mapping and is valuable for high-throughput physical mapping. We developed 90 common wheat lines (GC lines) containing aberrant barley 7H chromosomes induced by a gametocidal chromosome, 2C. DNAs isolated from these GC lines provided a panel of 7H chromosomal fragments in a wheat genetic background, comparable with RH mapping panels in mammals. We used this 7H GC panel and the methodology for RH mapping to physically map PCR-based barley markers, SSRs and AFLPs, onto chromosome 7H, relying on polymorphism between the 7H chromosome and the wheat genome. We call this method GC mapping. This study describes a novel adaptation and combination of methods of inducing chromosomal rearrangements to produce physical maps of markers. The advantages of the presented method are similar to RH mapping in that non-polymorphic markers can be used and the mapping panels can be relatively easily obtained. In addition, mapping results are cumulative when using the same mapping set with new markers. The GC lines will be available from the National Bioresources Project-KOMUGI ( http://www.nbrp.jp/index.jsp ).

Chromosomes, Plant↗

Effectiveness of mass spectrometry and genomic analysis in the surveillance of nontuberculous Mycobacterium in Taiwan.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are diverse, and species-level identification remains challenging in routine diagnostics. We analyzed NTM isolates collected at three regional centers of the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) from 2019 to 2024 to assess geographic variation and identification performance after implementation of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Among 3,188 cases meeting the microbiological criteria for probable pulmonary NTM disease, the species distribution differed by region: Mycobacterium avium complex predominated in central Taiwan (Yunlin, 47.3%), whereas M. abscessus complex (Taipei, 26.5%) and M. kansasii (Hsinchu, 12.4%) were more common in northern Taiwan. In 2019, 14.5% of isolates were reported to be unidentified by MALDI-TOF MS; with workflow optimization and database updates, this percentage decreased but plateaued at 4.5-4.8%. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of 61 randomly selected persistently unidentified isolates revealed eight average nucleotide identity (ANI)-defined clusters; 55 isolates (90.2%) could not be assigned to known species using current reference databases. Two clusters detected only in Hsinchu were phylogenetically closest to M. kyorinense, with ANI values below the species demarcation threshold. Overall, we observed marked regional heterogeneity of NTM in Taiwan and a persistent identification gap that remained after MALDI-TOF MS optimization and follow-up WGS.IMPORTANCEThis study characterized regional differences in the NTM species distribution across Taiwan, and the results highlight the limitations of current identification approaches. MALDI-TOF MS identifies most isolates, but locally circulating lineages represent a persistent gap in global reference libraries. Even with whole-genome sequencing (WGS), 90.2% (55/61) of persistently unresolved isolates could not be assigned to known species in the current reference databases despite the formation of clear ANI- and phylogeny-defined clusters. These findings show that both proteomic and genomic reference resources for clinical NTM remain incomplete. Expanding regionally representative databases and performing WGS for isolates that remain unresolved by MALDI-TOF MS will be necessary to improve species-level resolution for surveillance and clinical interpretation.

Taiwan↗

Comprehensive Genomic Analysis of Normal and Cancer Cells Elucidates the Elevated Mutation Burden in Cancer.

Self-renewing normal tissues generate several somatic mutations at each division. Previous studies have reported that cancer cells have more mutations than their normal counterparts. It is not obvious why dramatic differences in mutation burdens between normal tissues and cancers should exist. To fully understand human tumorigenesis, the increase of mutation burden in cancers will have to be understood. Here, we provided a systematic comparison of mutational burdens in normal and cancer cells from five different organs, revealing a four-fold increase of mutation burdens in cancerous vs. non-cancerous cells. Three proposed hypotheses that could account for the increased mutation burdens in cancer are: the classical hypothesis, where driver gene mutations explain the higher mutational burden; the catastrophic hypothesis, where extreme mutational events lead to large-scale genomic alterations; and the tail hypothesis, where differences in baseline mutation rates among individuals account for the differences. Testing through orthogonal observations showed that the observed medians and distributions of mutation burdens in cancers could be explained by the hypotheses to various degrees of significance, and only the tail hypothesis could easily explain the increase in median mutation burdens in the normal tissues of cancer patients compared to the normal tissues of non-cancer patients. Overall, this study characterizes an increased mutation burden across multiple types of cancer compared to normal tissue and provides insights into the contributing factors. A tenable hypothesis proposed in this study involving fundamental differences in baseline mutation rates among individuals could have implications for cancer prevention strategies.

Journal Article↗

Genome analysis of the fungal plant pathogen, Leptosphaeria maculans using pulsed field gel electrophoresis.

Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), or electrophoretic karyotyping, separates chromosomal-sized pieces of DNA in agarose gels where the orientation of the electric field is periodically altered. This technique has revealed that many fungi have a high degree of chromosomal length polymorphisms. Often the only isolates with identical karyotypes are derived from a single clone, thus PFGE provides a 'genetic fingerprint' for them. The size range and number of chromosomes within isolates of a particular species are usually constant, hence PFGE can distinguish between morphologically similar fungi. This technique can also be used to follow inheritance of chromosomal length polymorphisms and shows that in some fungi novel-sized chromosomes are produced during meiosis. As well as resolving the nuclear (A-type) chromosomes, it can also resolve dispensable (B-type) chromosomes and cytoplasmic genomes including mitochondrial DNA and linear plasmids. The application of this technique to Australian isolates of Leptosphaeria maculans, which causes blackleg disease of canola (Brassica napus), is discussed.

Ascomycota↗

Genomic analysis of mutants affecting xanthophyll biosynthesis and regulation of photosynthetic light harvesting in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

When the absorption of light energy exceeds the capacity for its utilization in photosynthesis, regulation of light harvesting is critical in order for photosynthetic organisms to minimize photo-oxidative damage. Thermal dissipation of excess absorbed light energy, measured as non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of chlorophyll fluorescence, is induced rapidly in response to excess light conditions, and it is known that xanthophylls such as zeaxanthin and lutein, the transthylakoid pH gradient, and the PsbS protein are involved in this mechanism. Although mutants affecting NPQ and the biosynthesis of zeaxanthin and lutein were originally isolated and characterized at the physiological level in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the molecular basis of several of these mutants, such as npq1 and lor1, has not been determined previously. The recent sequencing of the C. reinhardtii nuclear genome has facilitated the search for C. reinhardtii homologs of plant genes involved in xanthophyll biosynthesis and regulation of light harvesting. Here we report the identification of C. reinhardtii genes encoding PsbS and lycopene varepsilon-cyclase, and we show that the lor1 mutation, which affects lutein synthesis, is located within the lycopene varepsilon-cyclase gene. In contrast, no homolog of the plant violaxanthin de-epoxidase (VDE) gene was found. Molecular markers were used to map the npq1 mutation, which affects VDE activity, as a first step toward the map-based cloning of the NPQ1 gene.

Journal Article↗

Genomic analysis of Blastocystis hominis strains isolated from two long-term health care facilities.

The genotype Blastocystis hominis is highly polymorphic. Therefore, a genetic marker would be a powerful tool for the identification or classification of B. hominis subtypes and could be used as a means to resolve the transmission route or origin of the parasite. To this end, 32 B. hominis isolates were collected from patients and/or staff members of two long-term health care facilities (facilities A and B), and these organisms were subjected to genotype analysis based on diagnostic PCR primers and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of small subunit rRNA gene (rDNA). Based on PCR amplification using diagnostic primers which were developed from randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis of known strains of B. hominis, the 32 isolates of B. hominis were classified into three different subtypes. Thirty isolates, including twenty-four that were isolated from patients and a staff member, from facility A and all isolates isolated from six patients from facility B showed the same genotype. Two of six patients of facility B had been transferred from facility A, and these two patients also had the same-genotype B. hominis that corresponded to 24 isolates from facility A. This genotype strain may have been transmitted by these two patients from facility A to facility B, suggesting human-to-human transmission. In contrast, 2 of 26 isolates from facility A showed distinct genotypes, suggesting that the colonization by these two isolates is attributable to another infectious route. These different subtypes were subjected to RFLP analysis, and the RFLP profiles were correlated with the results obtained by diagnostic PCR primers. This study presents the first molecular evidence of possible human-to-human B. hominis infection between and/or among two small communities.

Animals↗

Origin and evolutionary process of the CNS elucidated by comparative genomics analysis of planarian ESTs.

Among the bilateral animals, a centralized nervous system is found in both the deuterostome and protostome. To address the question of whether the CNS was derived from a common ancestor of deuterostomes and protostomes, it is essential to know kinds of genes existed in the CNS of the putative common ancestor and to trace the evolutionary divergence of genes expressed in the CNS. To answer these questions, we took a comparative approach using different species, particularly focusing on one of the lower bilateral animals, the planarian (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida), which is known to possess a CNS. We determined the nucleotide sequence of ESTs from the head portion of planarians, obtaining 3,101 nonredundant EST clones. As a result of homology searches, we found that 116 clones had significant similarity to known genes related to the nervous system. Here, we compared these 116 planarian EST clones with all ORFs of the complete genome sequences of the human, fruit fly, and nematode, and showed that >95% of these 116 nervous system-related genes, including genes involved in brain or neural morphogenesis, were commonly shared among these organisms, thus providing evidence at the molecular level for the existence of a common ancestral CNS. Interestingly, we found that approximately 30% of planarian nervous system-related genes had homologous sequences in Arabidopsis and yeast, which do not possess a nervous system. This implies that the origin of nervous system-related genes greatly predated the emergence of the nervous system, and that these genes might have been recruited toward the nervous system.

Animals↗

Genome analysis of the 3'-terminal part of the little cherry disease associated dsRNA reveals a monopartite clostero-like virus.

The high molecular weight dsRNA associated with little cherry disease (LCD) was extracted from infected plant tissue and cloned as cDNA. The sequence of the 3' 8337 nucleotides was determined. Computer assisted translation of the sequence portion identified six open reading frames potentially encoding proteins (from 5' to 3') with molecular masses of 70 kDa, 61 kDa, 46 kDa, 76 kDa, 21 kDa and 27 kDa respectively. A 3'-terminal non-translated region of 210 nucleotides was present. The 70 kDa protein represents a homolog of the cellular HSP70 heat shock proteins, and the 61 kDa protein showed homology to the similarly encoded products of beet yellows (BYV), citrus tristeza (CTV) and lettuce infectious yellows (LIYV) closteroviruses. The putative coat protein (CP) was found to be of 46 kDa and its diverged copy of 76 kDa. The potential coding capacity of these notably large closterovirus proteins was confirmed by their expression in vitro and immunoblotting. No proteins with significant similarity to the two C-terminal proteins were identified, but they are related in molecular mass and location to BYV. The gene arrangement as well as the alignments of the closteroviruses CPs and their diverged copies suggest that the mealybug transmissible virus associated with LCD takes an intermediate evolutionary position between the aphid- and whitefly transmissible closteroviruses.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Genomic analysis of some Japanese isolates of Getah virus.

Using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and direct sequencing, capsid protein and non-structural protein 1 (nsP1) regions of Sagiyama virus and eight Getah virus strains were analysed. The viruses were isolated from Malaysia and various areas of Japan over a period of 30 years. Based on the available published sequence data, oligonucleotide primers were designed for RT-PCR and the sequences were determined. Our findings showed that though there were differences in the nucleotide sequences in the nsP1 region, there was 100% amino acid homology. On the other hand, in the capsid region, the nucleotide differences caused a major difference in the amino acid sequence. Therefore, the difference in the capsid region is one of the useful markers in the genetic classification between Sagiyama virus and strains of Getah virus, and might be responsible for the serological difference in complement fixation test. The genomic differences among the Getah virus strains are due to time factor rather than geographical distribution.

Alphavirus↗

Transcriptional mapping and genomic analysis of the cardiac atria and ventricles.

The atria and ventricles of the heart have distinct development, structure, and physiology. However, only a few of the genes that underlie the differences between these tissues are known. We used a murine cardiac cDNA microarray to identify genes differentially expressed in the atria and ventricles. The reliability of these findings is supported by highly concordant repetition of hybridization, recognition of previously known atrial and ventricular isoforms of contractile proteins, and confirmation of results by quantitative PCR and in situ hybridization. We examined the most differentially regulated genes for evolutionarily conserved noncoding sequences and found that atrial-expressed genes have more predicted myocyte enhancer factor-2 (MEF2) binding sites than ventricle-predominant genes. We confirmed that messages for MEF2 family members are more abundant in the atria, as are their protein products. Moreover, the activity of a transgenic reporter construct for MEF2 activity is preferentially upregulated in the atria in response to hypertrophic stimuli. This study provides a greater understanding of the molecular differences between atria and ventricles and establishes the framework for an anatomically detailed evaluation of cardiac transcriptional regulation.

Animals↗

Genomic analysis of a region encompassing QRfs1 and QRfs2: genes that underlie soybean resistance to sudden death syndrome.

Candidate genes were identified for two loci, QRfs2 providing resistance to the leaf scorch called soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) sudden death syndrome (SDS) and QRfs1 providing resistance to root infection by the causal pathogen Fusarium solani f.sp. glycines. The 7.5 +/- 0.5 cM region of chromosome 18 (linkage group G) was shown to encompass a cluster of resistance loci using recombination events from 4 near-isogenic line populations and 9 DNA markers. The DNA markers anchored 9 physical map contigs (7 are shown on the soybean Gbrowse, 2 are unpublished), 45 BAC end sequences (41 in Gbrowse), and contiguous DNA sequences of 315, 127, and 110 kbp. Gene density was high at 1 gene per 7 kbp only around the already sequenced regions. Three to 4 gene-rich islands were inferred to be distributed across the entire 7.5 cM or 3.5 Mbp showing that genes are clustered in the soybean genome. Candidate resistance genes were identified and a molecular basis for interactions among the disease resistance genes in the cluster inferred.

Contig Mapping↗