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A draft annotation and overview of the human genome.

BACKGROUND: The recent draft assembly of the human genome provides a unified basis for describing genomic structure and function. The draft is sufficiently accurate to provide useful annotation, enabling direct observations of previously inferred biological phenomena. RESULTS: We report here a functionally annotated human gene index placed directly on the genome. The index is based on the integration of public transcript, protein, and mapping information, supplemented with computational prediction. We describe numerous global features of the genome and examine the relationship of various genetic maps with the assembly. In addition, initial sequence analysis reveals highly ordered chromosomal landscapes associated with paralogous gene clusters and distinct functional compartments. Finally, these annotation data were synthesized to produce observations of gene density and number that accord well with historical estimates. Such a global approach had previously been described only for chromosomes 21 and 22, which together account for 2.2% of the genome. CONCLUSIONS: We estimate that the genome contains 65,000-75,000 transcriptional units, with exon sequences comprising 4%. The creation of a comprehensive gene index requires the synthesis of all available computational and experimental evidence.

Chromosome Mapping↗

Transcription factor binding element detection using functional clustering of mutant expression data.

As a powerful tool to reveal gene functions, gene mutation has been used extensively in molecular biology studies. With high throughput technologies, such as DNA microarray, genome-wide gene expression changes can be monitored in mutants. Here we present a simple approach to detect the transcription-factor-binding motif using microarray expression data from a mutant in which the relevant transcription factor is deleted. A core part of our approach is clustering of differentially expressed genes based on functional annotations, such as Gene Ontology (GO). We tested our method with eight microarray data sets from the Rosetta Compendium and were able to detect canonical binding motifs for at least four transcription factors. With the support of chromatin IP chip data, we also predict a possible variant of the Swi4 binding motif and recover a core motif for Arg80. Our approach should be readily applicable to microarray experiments using other types of molecular biology techniques, such as conditional knockout/overexpression or RNAi-mediated 'knockdown', to perturb the expression of a transcription factor. Functional clustering included in our approach may also provide new insights into the function of the relevant transcription factor.

Base Sequence↗

Molecular dynamics of the Shewanella oneidensis response to chromate stress.

Temporal genomic profiling and whole-cell proteomic analyses were performed to characterize the dynamic molecular response of the metal-reducing bacterium Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 to an acute chromate shock. The complex dynamics of cellular processes demand the integration of methodologies that describe biological systems at the levels of regulation, gene and protein expression, and metabolite production. Genomic microarray analysis of the transcriptome dynamics of midexponential phase cells subjected to 1 mm potassium chromate (K(2)CrO(4)) at exposure time intervals of 5, 30, 60, and 90 min revealed 910 genes that were differentially expressed at one or more time points. Strongly induced genes included those encoding components of a TonB1 iron transport system (tonB1-exbB1-exbD1), hemin ATP-binding cassette transporters (hmuTUV), TonB-dependent receptors as well as sulfate transporters (cysP, cysW-2, and cysA-2), and enzymes involved in assimilative sulfur metabolism (cysC, cysN, cysD, cysH, cysI, and cysJ). Transcript levels for genes with annotated functions in DNA repair (lexA, recX, recA, recN, dinP, and umuD), cellular detoxification (so1756, so3585, and so3586), and two-component signal transduction systems (so2426) were also significantly up-regulated (p < 0.05) in Cr(VI)-exposed cells relative to untreated cells. By contrast, genes with functions linked to energy metabolism, particularly electron transport (e.g. so0902-03-04, mtrA, omcA, and omcB), showed dramatic temporal alterations in expression with the majority exhibiting repression. Differential proteomics based on multidimensional HPLC-MS/MS was used to complement the transcriptome data, resulting in comparable induction and repression patterns for a subset of corresponding proteins. In total, expression of 2,370 proteins were confidently verified with 624 (26%) of these annotated as hypothetical or conserved hypothetical proteins. The initial response of S. oneidensis to chromate shock appears to require a combination of different regulatory networks that involve genes with annotated functions in oxidative stress protection, detoxification, protein stress protection, iron and sulfur acquisition, and SOS-controlled DNA repair mechanisms.

Anion Transport Proteins↗

Mouse models of Down syndrome: how useful can they be? Comparison of the gene content of human chromosome 21 with orthologous mouse genomic regions.

With an incidence of approximately 1 in 700 live births, Down syndrome (DS) remains the most common genetic cause of mental retardation. The phenotype is assumed to be due to overexpression of some number of the >300 genes encoded by human chromosome 21. Mouse models, in particular the chromosome 16 segmental trisomies, Ts65Dn and Ts1Cje, are indispensable for DS-related studies of gene-phenotype correlations. Here we compare the updated gene content of the finished sequence of human chromosome 21 (364 genes and putative genes) with the gene content of the homologous mouse genomic regions (291 genes and putative genes) obtained from annotation of the public sector C57Bl/6 draft sequence. Annotated genes fall into one of three classes. First, there are 170 highly conserved, human/mouse orthologues. Second, there are 83 minimally conserved, possible orthologues. Included among the conserved and minimally conserved genes are 31 antisense transcripts. Third, there are species-specific genes: 111 spliced human transcripts show no orthologues in the syntenic mouse regions although 13 have homologous sequences elsewhere in the mouse genomic sequence, and 38 spliced mouse transcripts show no identifiable human orthologues. While these species-specific genes are largely based solely on spliced EST data, a majority can be verified in RNA expression experiments. In addition, preliminary data suggest that many human-specific transcripts may represent a novel class of primate-specific genes. Lastly, updated functional annotation of orthologous genes indicates genes encoding components of several cellular pathways are dispersed throughout the orthologous mouse chromosomal regions and are not completely represented in the Down syndrome segmental mouse models. Together, these data point out the potential for existing mouse models to produce extraneous phenotypes and to fail to produce DS-relevant phenotypes.

Alternative Splicing↗

Identification of up-regulated genes after complete spinal cord transection in adult rats.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) initiates a cascade of events and these responses to injury are likely to be mediated and reflected by changes in mRNA concentrations. As a step towards understanding the complex mechanisms underlying repair and regeneration after SCI, the gene expression pattern was examined 4.5 days after complete transection at T8-9 level of rat spinal cord. Improved subtractive hybridization was used to establish a subtracted cDNA library using cDNAs from normal rat spinal cord as driver and cDNAs from injured spinal cord as tester. By expressed sequence tag (EST) sequencing, we obtained 73 EST fragments from this library, representing 40 differentially expressed genes. Among them, 32 were known genes and 8 were novel genes. Functions of all annotated genes were scattered in almost every important field of cell life such as DNA repair, detoxification, mRNA quality control, cell cycle control, and signaling, which reflected the complexity of SCI and regeneration. Then we verified subtraction results with semiquantitative RT-PCR for eight genes. These analyses confirmed, to a large extent, that the subtraction results accurately reflected the molecular changes occurring at 4.5 days post-SCI. The current study identified a number of genes that may shed new light on SCI-related inflammation, neuroprotection, neurite-outgrowth, synaptogenesis, and astrogliosis. In conclusion, the identification of molecular changes using improved subtractive hybridization may lead to a better understanding of molecular mechanisms responsible for repair and regeneration after SCI.

Animals↗

Exploring trafficking GTPase function by mRNA expression profiling: use of the SymAtlas web-application and the Membrome datasets.

Despite complete sequencing of the human and mouse genomes, functional annotation of novel gene function still remains a major challenge in mammalian biology. Emerging strategies to help elucidate unknown gene function include the analysis of tissue-specific patterns of mRNA expression. A recent study investigated the steady-state mRNA expression profiling of the vast majority of protein-encoding human and mouse genes across a panel of 79 human and 61 mouse nonredundant tissues. The microarray data from this study constitutes the Genomics Institute of Novartis Foundation (GNF) Human and Mouse Gene Atlases and is publicly available for exploration through the SymAtlas web-application (http://symatlas.gnf.org/). We have recently reported the use of these data and hierarchical clustering algorithms to generate a global overview of the distribution of Rabs, SNAREs, and coat machinery components, as well as their respective adaptors, effectors, and regulators. This systems biology approach led us to propose Rab-centric protein activity hubs as a framework for an integrated coding system, the membrome network, which orchestrates the dynamics of specialized membrane architecture of differentiated cells. Here, we describe the use of the SymAtlas web-application and the Membrome datasets to help explore trafficking GTPase function. The human and mouse membrome datasets are available through the Membrome homepage (http://www.membrome.org/) and correspond to subsets of the SymAtlas content restricted to known membrane trafficking components. Considering the fragmentary nature of the current reductionist approaches in elucidating trafficking component functions, the membrome datasets provide a more focused systems biology perspective that not only complements our current understanding of transport in complex tissues but also provides an integrated perspective of Rab activity in controlling membrane architecture.

Animals↗

AgBase: a functional genomics resource for agriculture.

BACKGROUND: Many agricultural species and their pathogens have sequenced genomes and more are in progress. Agricultural species provide food, fiber, xenotransplant tissues, biopharmaceuticals and biomedical models. Moreover, many agricultural microorganisms are human zoonoses. However, systems biology from functional genomics data is hindered in agricultural species because agricultural genome sequences have relatively poor structural and functional annotation and agricultural research communities are smaller with limited funding compared to many model organism communities. DESCRIPTION: To facilitate systems biology in these traditionally agricultural species we have established "AgBase", a curated, web-accessible, public resource http://www.agbase.msstate.edu for structural and functional annotation of agricultural genomes. The AgBase database includes a suite of computational tools to use GO annotations. We use standardized nomenclature following the Human Genome Organization Gene Nomenclature guidelines and are currently functionally annotating chicken, cow and sheep gene products using the Gene Ontology (GO). The computational tools we have developed accept and batch process data derived from different public databases (with different accession codes), return all existing GO annotations, provide a list of products without GO annotation, identify potential orthologs, model functional genomics data using GO and assist proteomics analysis of ESTs and EST assemblies. Our journal database helps prevent redundant manual GO curation. We encourage and publicly acknowledge GO annotations from researchers and provide a service for researchers interested in GO and analysis of functional genomics data. CONCLUSION: The AgBase database is the first database dedicated to functional genomics and systems biology analysis for agriculturally important species and their pathogens. We use experimental data to improve structural annotation of genomes and to functionally characterize gene products. AgBase is also directly relevant for researchers in fields as diverse as agricultural production, cancer biology, biopharmaceuticals, human health and evolutionary biology. Moreover, the experimental methods and bioinformatics tools we provide are widely applicable to many other species including model organisms.

Agriculture↗

Genome-wide screening for gene function using RNAi in mammalian cells.

Mammalian genome sequencing has identified numerous genes requiring functional annotation. The discovery that dsRNA can direct gene-specific silencing in both model organisms and mammalian cells through RNA interference (RNAi) has provided a platform for dissecting the function of independent genes. The generation of large-scale RNAi libraries targeting all predicted genes within mouse, rat and human cells, combined with the large number of cell-based assays, provides a unique opportunity to perform high-throughput genetics in these complex cell systems. Many different formats exist for the generation of genome-wide RNAi libraries for use in mammalian cells. Furthermore, the use of these libraries in either genetic screens or genetic selections allows for the identification of known and novel genes involved in complex cellular phenotypes and biological processes, some of which underpin human disease. In this review, we examine genome-wide RNAi libraries used in model organisms and mammalian cells and provide examples of how these information rich reagents can be used for determining gene function, discovering novel therapeutic targets and dissecting signalling pathways, cellular processes and complex phenotypes.

Animals↗

Extracting gene networks for low-dose radiation using graph theoretical algorithms.

Genes with common functions often exhibit correlated expression levels, which can be used to identify sets of interacting genes from microarray data. Microarrays typically measure expression across genomic space, creating a massive matrix of co-expression that must be mined to extract only the most relevant gene interactions. We describe a graph theoretical approach to extracting co-expressed sets of genes, based on the computation of cliques. Unlike the results of traditional clustering algorithms, cliques are not disjoint and allow genes to be assigned to multiple sets of interacting partners, consistent with biological reality. A graph is created by thresholding the correlation matrix to include only the correlations most likely to signify functional relationships. Cliques computed from the graph correspond to sets of genes for which significant edges are present between all members of the set, representing potential members of common or interacting pathways. Clique membership can be used to infer function about poorly annotated genes, based on the known functions of better-annotated genes with which they share clique membership (i.e., "guilt-by-association"). We illustrate our method by applying it to microarray data collected from the spleens of mice exposed to low-dose ionizing radiation. Differential analysis is used to identify sets of genes whose interactions are impacted by radiation exposure. The correlation graph is also queried independently of clique to extract edges that are impacted by radiation. We present several examples of multiple gene interactions that are altered by radiation exposure and thus represent potential molecular pathways that mediate the radiation response.

Algorithms↗

Whole genome sequencing analysis and functional characterization of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HP-B1083.

Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus is an important strain for the biotransformation of natural products, and its crude extract exhibits biotransformation effect on glycosidic compounds such as baicalin. To further explore the potential of this strain, particularly given its previously demonstrated high-efficiency &#x3b2;-glucuronidase activity for baicalin conversion, whole-genome sequencing and functional annotation of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HP-B1083 were performed in this study, and its acid tolerance, bile salt tolerance, short-term heat resistance and antibacterial activity were evaluated. The results showed that the strain possessed a circular chromosome with a full length of 3,090,505&#xa0;bp and a GC content of 46.69%. Gene annotation revealed that the genome contained 2941 coding sequences (CDS) and 112 non-coding RNA genes, including 60 tRNA genes, 1 tmRNA gene, 36 misc_RNA genes and 15 rRNA genes. The functional annotations further reveal that this genome is rich in genes related to carbohydrate metabolism, hydrolases, and transferases, which is highly consistent with its phenotypic characteristics in glycoside transformation and the synthesis of antibacterial substances. In addition, acid tolerance, bile salt tolerance and short-term heat resistance experiments verified that HP-B1083 had acid resistance, bile salt resistance and short-term heat resistance. Antibacterial activity tests confirmed that HP-B1083 produced inhibition zone diameters over 10&#xa0;mm against common foodborne pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus. Therefore, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HP-B1083 has important application prospects in the development of functional foods, preparation of enzyme preparations and pharmaceutical industry.

Whole Genome Sequencing↗

Associating genes with gene ontology codes using a maximum entropy analysis of biomedical literature.

Functional characterizations of thousands of gene products from many species are described in the published literature. These discussions are extremely valuable for characterizing the functions not only of these gene products, but also of their homologs in other organisms. The Gene Ontology (GO) is an effort to create a controlled terminology for labeling gene functions in a more precise, reliable, computer-readable manner. Currently, the best annotations of gene function with the GO are performed by highly trained biologists who read the literature and select appropriate codes. In this study, we explored the possibility that statistical natural language processing techniques can be used to assign GO codes. We compared three document classification methods (maximum entropy modeling, naïve Bayes classification, and nearest-neighbor classification) to the problem of associating a set of GO codes (for biological process) to literature abstracts and thus to the genes associated with the abstracts. We showed that maximum entropy modeling outperforms the other methods and achieves an accuracy of 72% when ascertaining the function discussed within an abstract. The maximum entropy method provides confidence measures that correlate well with performance. We conclude that statistical methods may be used to assign GO codes and may be useful for the difficult task of reassignment as terminology standards evolve over time.

Algorithms↗

Genome sequencing and identification of gene function in rice.

Rice is known to be one of the most important crops for human consumption. As the model cereal crop, large-scale sequencing of rice genome must play quite important roles both in theoretical research and practical application in rice breeding, which announces the opening of another new way to resolve the world food crisis. At present, the emphasis of rice genome research has been transferred from structure genomics to functional analysis. The discovery of new genes and annotation of gene function was believed to be an important issue in functional genomics research. In this article, the sequencing and functional research of the rice genome were reviewed. These results may provide some useful clues for rice genetic engineering and breeding practices.

Computational Biology↗

Comparative analysis of protein coding sequences from human, mouse and the domesticated pig.

BACKGROUND: The availability of abundant sequence data from key model organisms has made large scale studies of molecular evolution an exciting possibility. Here we use full length cDNA alignments comprising more than 700,000 nucleotides from human, mouse, pig and the Japanese pufferfish Fugu rubrices in order to investigate 1) the relationships between three major lineages of mammals: rodents, artiodactyls and primates, and 2) the rate of evolution and the occurrence of positive Darwinian selection using codon based models of sequence evolution. RESULTS: We provide evidence that the evolutionary splits among primates, rodents and artiodactyls happened shortly after each other, with most gene trees favouring a topology with rodents as outgroup to primates and artiodactyls. Using an unrooted topology of the three mammalian species we show that since their diversification, the pig and mouse lineages have on average experienced 1.44 and 2.86 times as many synonymous substitutions as humans, respectively, whereas the rates of non-synonymous substitutions are more similar. The analysis shows the highest average dN/dS ratio in the human lineage, followed by the pig and then the mouse lineages. Using codon based models we detect signals of positive Darwinian selection in approximately 5.3%, 4.9% and 6.0% of the genes on the human, pig and mouse lineages respectively. Approximately 16.8% of all the genes studied here are not currently annotated as functional genes in humans. Our analyses indicate that a large fraction of these genes may have lost their function quite recently or may still be functional genes in some or all of the three mammalian species. CONCLUSIONS: We present a comparative analysis of protein coding genes from three major mammalian lineages. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of codon-based likelihood models in detecting selection and it illustrates the value of sequencing organisms at different phylogenetic distances for comparative studies.

Animals↗

Schistosoma mansoni: DNA microarray gene expression profiling during the miracidium-to-mother sporocyst transformation.

For the human blood fluke, Schistosoma mansoni, the developmental period that constitutes the transition from miracidium to sporocyst within the molluscan host involves major alterations in morphology and physiology. Although the genetic basis for this transformation process is not well understood, it is likely to be accompanied by changes in gene expression. In an effort to reveal genes involved in this process, we performed a DNA microarray analysis of expressed mRNAs between miracidial and 4 d old in vitro-cultured mother sporocyst stages of S. mansoni. Fluorescently labeled, dsDNA targets were synthesized from miracidia and sporocyst total RNA and hybridized to oligonucleotide DNA microarrays containing 7335 S. mansoni sequences. Fluorescence intensity ratios were statistically compared between five biologically replicated experiments to identify particular transcripts that displayed stage-associated expression within miracidial and sporocyst mRNA populations. A total of 361 sequences showed stage-associated expression in miracidia, while 273 probes displayed sporocyst-associated expression. Differentially expressed mRNAs were annotated with gene ontology terminology based on BLAST homology using high throughput gene ontology functional annotation toolkit (HT-GO-FAT) and clustered using the GOblet GO browser software. A subset of genes displaying stage-associated expression by microarray analyses was verified utilizing real-time quantitative PCR. The use of DNA microarrays for the profiling of gene expression in early-developing S. mansoni larvae provides a starting point for expanding our understanding of the genes that may be involved in the establishment of parasitism and maintenance of infection in these important life cycle stages.

Animals↗

Automatic discovery of regulatory patterns in promoter regions based on whole cell expression data and functional annotation.

MOTIVATION: The whole genomes submitted to GenBank contain valuable information about the function of genes as well as the upstream sequences and whole cell expression provides valuable information on gene regulation. To utilize these large amounts of data for a biological understanding of the regulation of gene expression, new automatic methods for pattern finding are needed. RESULTS: Two word-analysis algorithms for automatic discovery of regulatory sequence elements have been developed. We show that sequence patterns correlated to whole cell expression data can be found using Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests on the raw data, thereby eliminating the need for clustering co-regulated genes. Regulatory elements have also been identified by systematic calculations of the significance of correlations between words found in the functional annotation of genes and DNA words occurring in their promoter regions. Application of these algorithms to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome and publicly available DNA array data sets revealed a highly conserved 9-mer occurring in the upstream regions of genes coding for proteasomal subunits. Several other putative and known regulatory elements were also found. AVAILABILITY: Upon request.

Algorithms↗

B cell pathways implicate shared genetic architecture between schizophrenia and immune-mediated diseases.

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia and immune-mediated diseases are globally prevalent and highly heritable conditions that frequently co-occur, posing major public health burdens. However, their shared genetic architecture remains poorly understood. METHODS: We applied the bivariate causal mixture model (MiXeR) to investigate the polygenic overlap between schizophrenia and eight common immune-mediated diseases, using genome-wide association study summary statistics comprising 2,489 to 67,323 cases and 9,066 to 497,622 controls. Shared loci were identified through conditional/conjunctional false discovery rate (cond/conjFDR), local genetic correlation (LAVA), and colocalization analyses. Subsequently, gene mapping, functional annotation, expression-trait association, and drug-gene interaction analyses were performed to explore shared genes and enriched pathways, and genetic risk scores (GRS) from the UK Biobank were used to validate the findings. RESULTS: MiXeR estimated substantial polygenic overlap between schizophrenia and immune-mediated diseases, and conjFDR identified 133 shared loci, with eight prioritized through local genetic correlation and colocalization signals. These eight loci were mapped to 85 protein-coding genes enriched in pathways essential for B cell function. Among them, S-PrediXcan analyses identified 14 genes whose expression in brain tissues or blood was associated with both diseases. These genes also interact with immunomodulatory or antihypertensive drugs. Additionally, 11 of the 14 genes were linked to innate immunity and/or cognitive traits. Using UK Biobank data, we further confirmed that overall, shared gene, and B cell activation and receptor signaling pathway&#x2013;specific genetic risk for schizophrenia is associated with immune-mediated disease susceptibility. CONCLUSIONS: These findings underscore the shared genetic architecture of schizophrenia and immune-mediated diseases, advancing insights at the interface of psychiatric genetics and immunology.

Schizophrenia↗

The TIGR Gene Indices: clustering and assembling EST and known genes and integration with eukaryotic genomes.

Although the list of completed genome sequencing projects has expanded rapidly, sequencing and analysis of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) remain a primary tool for discovery of novel genes in many eukaryotes and a key element in genome annotation. The TIGR Gene Indices (http://www.tigr.org/tdb/tgi) are a collection of 77 species-specific databases that use a highly refined protocol to analyze gene and EST sequences in an attempt to identify and characterize expressed transcripts and to present them on the Web in a user-friendly, consistent fashion. A Gene Index database is constructed for each selected organism by first clustering, then assembling EST and annotated cDNA and gene sequences from GenBank. This process produces a set of unique, high-fidelity virtual transcripts, or tentative consensus (TC) sequences. The TC sequences can be used to provide putative genes with functional annotation, to link the transcripts to genetic and physical maps, to provide links to orthologous and paralogous genes, and as a resource for comparative and functional genomic analysis.

Animals↗

Gene profiling and bioinformatic analysis of Schwann cell embryonic development and myelination.

To elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in Schwann cell development, we profiled gene expression in the developing and injured rat sciatic nerve. The genes that showed significant changes in expression in developing and dedifferentiated nerve were validated with RT-PCR, in situ hybridisation, Western blot and immunofluorescence. A comprehensive approach to annotating micro-array probes and their associated transcripts was performed using Biopendium, a database of sequence and structural annotation. This approach significantly increased the number of genes for which a functional insight could be found. The analysis implicates agrin and two members of the collapsin response-mediated protein (CRMP) family in the switch from precursors to Schwann cells, and synuclein-1 and alphaB-crystallin in peripheral nerve myelination. We also identified a group of genes typically related to chondrogenesis and cartilage/bone development, including type II collagen, that were expressed in a manner similar to that of myelin-associated genes. The comprehensive function annotation also identified, among the genes regulated during nerve development or after nerve injury, proteins belonging to high-interest families, such as cytokines and kinases, and should therefore provide a uniquely valuable resource for future research.

Agrin↗