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At least 1,423 records · Page 79Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

The complete sequence of the rice (Oryza sativa) chloroplast genome: intermolecular recombination between distinct tRNA genes accounts for a major plastid DNA inversion during the evolution of the cereals.

The entire chloroplast genome of the monocot rice (Oryza sativa) has been sequenced and comprises 134525 bp. Predicted genes have been identified along with open reading frames (ORFs) conserved between rice and the previously sequenced chloroplast genomes, a dicot, tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), and a liverwort (Marchantia polymorpha). The same complement of 30 tRNA and 4 rRNA genes has been conserved between rice and tobacco. Most ORFs extensively conserved between N. tabacum and M. polymorpha are also conserved intact in rice. However, several such ORFs are entirely absent in rice, or present only in severely truncated form. Structural changes are also apparent in the genome relative to tobacco. The inverted repeats, characteristic of chloroplast genome structure, have expanded outward to include several genes present only once per genome in tobacco and liverwort and the large single copy region has undergone a series of inversions which predate the divergence of the cereals. A chimeric tRNA pseudogene overlaps an apparent endpoint of the largest inversion, and a model invoking illegitimate recombination between tRNA genes is proposed which accounts simultaneously for the origin of this pseudogene, the large inversion and the creation of repeated sequences near the inversion endpoints.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Subfamily structure and evolution of the human L1 family of repetitive sequences.

Comparative analysis of the available 3'-portions of the human L1 (LINE-1) family of repeated sequences indicates that all the sequences can be classified in two major subfamilies. The division is based on patterns of diagnostic bases shared within L1 subfamilies of sequences but differing between them. The overall ratio of replacement to synonymous positions, occupied by the diagnostic bases in the large open reading frame of the L1 sequence, is 1.15. This indicates that both subfamilies were obtained from genes coding for functional proteins. The L1 subfamilies appear to be of different ages and may represent a "fossil record" of the same active gene at different times in the history of primates. The younger subfamily can be split further into at least two closely related branches of sequences. The above facts combined with the recent data for the Alu subfamily structure show that LINE and SINE families of interspersed repeats share discontinuous patterns in their evolution. These data are consistent with the model that both Alu and L1 families, as well as other pseudogene families, contain active genes producing discrete layers of pseudogenes throughout the history of primates. Models of evolutionary processes that could generate these discontinuities are discussed together with the possible biological role of Alu and L1 genes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Variation in the pattern of nucleotide substitution across sites.

A model of nucleotide substitution that allows the transition/transversion rate bias to vary across sites was constructed. We examined the fit of this model using likelihood-ratio tests by analyzing 13 protein coding genes and 1 pseudogene. Likelihood-ratio testing indicated that a model that allows variation in the transition/transversion rate bias across sites provided a significant improvement in fit for most protein coding genes but not for the pseudogene. When the analysis was repeated with parameters estimated separately for first, second, and third codon positions, strong heterogeneity was uncovered for the first and second codon positions; the variation in the transition/transversion rate was generally weaker at the third codon position. The transition rate bias and branch lengths are underestimated when variation in the transition/transversion rate was not accommodated, suggesting that it may be important to accommodate variation in the pattern of nucleotide substitution for accurate estimation of evolutionary parameters.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Fine mapping of the tomato I-3 gene for fusarium wilt resistance and elimination of a co-segregating resistance gene analogue as a candidate for I-3.

The I-3 gene from the wild tomato species Lycopersicon pennellii confers resistance to race 3 of the devastating vascular wilt pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. As an initial step in a positional cloning strategy for the isolation of I-3, we converted restriction fragment length polymorphism and conserved orthologue set markers, known genes and a resistance gene analogue (RGA) mapping to the I-3 region into PCR-based sequence characterised amplified region (SCAR) and cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) markers. Additional PCR-based markers in the I-3 region were generated using the randomly amplified DNA fingerprinting (RAF) technique. SCAR, CAPS and RAF markers were used for high-resolution mapping around the I-3 locus. The I-3 gene was localised to a 0.3-cM region containing a RAF marker, eO6, and an RGA, RGA332. RGA332 was cloned and found to correspond to a putative pseudogene with at least two loss-of-function mutations. The predicted pseudogene belongs to the Toll interleukin-1 receptor-nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich-repeat sub-class of plant disease resistance genes. Despite the presence of two RGA332 homologues in L. esculentum, DNA gel blot and PCR analysis suggests that no other homologues are present in lines carrying I-3 that could be alternative candidates for the gene.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2003

Epigenetic silencing may aid evolution by gene duplication.

Gene duplication is commonly regarded as the main evolutionary path toward the gain of a new function. However, even with gene duplication, there is a loss-versus-gain dilemma: most newly born duplicates degrade to pseudogenes, since degenerative mutations are much more frequent than advantageous ones. Thus, something additional seems to be needed to shift the loss versus gain equilibrium toward functional divergence. We suggest that epigenetic silencing of duplicates might play this role in evolution. This study began when we noticed in a previous publication (Lynch M, Conery JS [2000] Science 291:1151-1155) that the frequency of functional young gene duplicates is higher in organisms that have cytosine methylation (H. sapiens, M. musculus, and A. thaliana) than in organisms that do not have methylated genomes (S. cerevisiae, D. melanogaster, and C. elegans). We find that genome data analysis confirms the likelihood of much more efficient functional divergence of gene duplicates in mammals and plants than in yeast, nematode, and fly. We have also extended the classic model of gene duplication, in which newly duplicated genes have exactly the same expression pattern, to the case when they are epigenetically silenced in a tissue- and/or developmental stage-complementary manner. This exposes each of the duplicates to negative selection, thus protecting from "pseudogenization." Our analysis indicates that this kind of silencing (i) enhances evolution of duplicated genes to new functions, particularly in small populations, (ii) is quite consistent with the subfunctionalization model when degenerative but complementary mutations affect different subfunctions of the gene, and (iii) furthermore, may actually cooperate with the DDC (duplication-degeneration-complementation) process.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Rates of DNA duplication and mitochondrial DNA insertion in the human genome.

The hundreds of mitochondrial pseudogenes in the human nuclear genome sequence (numts) constitute an excellent system for studying and dating DNA duplications and insertions. These pseudogenes are associated with many complete mitochondrial genome sequences and through those with a good fossil record. By comparing individual numts with primate and other mammalian mitochondrial genome sequences, we estimate that these numts arose continuously over the last 58 million years. Our pairwise comparisons between numts suggest that most human numts arose from different mitochondrial insertion events and not by DNA duplication within the nuclear genome. The nuclear genome appears to accumulate mtDNA insertions at a rate high enough to predict within-population polymorphism for the presence/absence of many recent mtDNA insertions. Pairwise analysis of numts and their flanking DNA produces an estimate for the DNA duplication rate in humans of 2.2 x 10(-9) per numt per year. Thus, a nucleotide site is about as likely to be involved in a duplication event as it is to change by point substitution. This estimate of the rate of DNA duplication of noncoding DNA is based on sequences that are not in duplication hotspots, and is close to the rate reported for functional genes in other species.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Multiple lineages of the mitochondrial gene NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1) in parasitic helminths: implications for molecular evolutionary studies of facultatively anaerobic eukaryotes.

The task of using partial ND1 sequences to infer a phylogeny for species of the genus Paragonimus (Trematoda: Digenea) was complicated by the discovery of at least two ND1 lineages within individual worms. The divergence of the ND1 lineages is shown by phylogenetic analysis not only to predate the divergence of the three Paragonimus species or species groups investigated but also the divergence of some trematode families. Some sequences are clearly pseudogenes as they contain single base deletions and/or premature termination codons. The presence of both pseudogenes and/or mitochondrial heteroplasmy are invoked to explain the presence of multiple and divergent ND1 lineages in these trematodes, which have two distinct cytochemical types of mitochondria. The implications for phylogenetic studies generally and of parasitic helminths specifically, using ND1 sequence data, are discussed. The ability of these organisms to adapt their metabolic processes to the variable availability of oxygen as an electron acceptor are proposed to explain some of the molecular diversity observed in parasitic helminths and possibly also in other anaerobically adapted eukaryotes.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Genomic characterization of MHC class I genes of the horse.

The availability of a contig of bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones spanning the equine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) made possible a detailed analysis of horse MHC class I genes. Prior to this study, only a single horse MHC class I gene had been sequenced at the genomic level. Although many ( approximately 60) MHC class I cDNA sequences had been determined and published, from this information, it was not possible to determine how many class I loci are expressed in horses or to assign individual sequences to allelic series. In this study, 15 MHC class I genes were identified in BAC subclones and fully sequenced. Because the BAC library donor horse had been bred for homozygosity at the MHC, these 15 genomic clones represent distinct MHC class I genes and pseudogenes and not alleles at a smaller number of loci. For five of the genes, cDNA sequences from these loci had previously been identified. Two additional expressed class I genes were discovered, bringing the known total of different equine MHC class I genes (loci) expressed as mRNA to seven. Expression of all seven loci was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in adult, fetal, and placental tissues. The remaining eight genes were designated as pseudogenes. This work resulted in moderate expansion of the horse MHC BAC contig length, and the remaining gap was shortened. The information contained in these equine MHC class I sequences will permit comparison of MHC class I genes expressed across different horse MHC haplotypes and between horses and other mammalian species.

Alleles↗
PubMed2006

Structure of the catfish IGH locus: analysis of the region including the single functional IGHM gene.

The catfish IGH locus is large ( approximately 1 Mb) and complex, having undergone multiple internal duplications and transpositions. To define the structure of the locus that contains the single expressed IGHM gene, two overlapping bacterial-artificial-chromosome (BAC) clones spanning the most 3' end of the channel catfish immunoglobulin heavy (IGH) chain locus have been completely sequenced. The analyses created a contig of 257,153 bp containing 55 VH, 6 D, 12 JH genes and the IGH constant region genes encoding the functional secreted and membrane forms of IgM and the membrane form of IgD. This analysis revealed three major features. First, no C-region genes were found aside from the previously described IGHM1 and IGHD1, with the latter gene being the most 3' C-region gene of the catfish IGH locus. There was no evidence in the region sequenced for genes that could encode an Ig class similar to the IgZ/IgT described in zebrafish, trout and pufferfish. Second, there are a high number of VH pseudogenes, 28 out of 55 (51%). In contrast, the entire zebrafish IGH locus has 40 functional VH genes and eight pseudogenes (17%). Third, an internal duplication of a 52.4-kb block of VH genes has occurred. These observations suggest that the IGH locus of teleost fish varies significantly from species to species in the diversity of C-region genes as well as the numbers of genes encoding V regions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Gene discovery at the human T-cell receptor alpha/delta locus.

The human T-cell receptor (TCR) alpha/delta variable loci are interspersed on the chromosome 14q11 and consist of 57 intergenic spaces ranging from 4 to 100 kb in length. To elucidate the evolutionary history of this locus, we searched the intergenic spaces of all TCR alpha/delta variable (TRAV/DV) genes for pseudogenes and potential protein-coding genes. We applied direct open reading frame (ORF) searches, an exon-finding algorithm and comparative genomics. Two TRAV/DV pseudogenes were discovered bearing 80 and 65% sequence similarity to TRAV14DV4 and TRAV9-1/9-2 genes, respectively. A gene bearing 85% sequence identity to B lymphocyte activation-related protein, BC-1514, upstream of TRAV26-2 was also discovered. This ORF (BC-1514tcra) is a member of a gene family whose evolutionary history and function are not known. In total, 36 analogs of this gene exist in the human, the chimpanzee, the Rhesus monkey, the frog and the zebrafish. Phylogenetic analyses show convergent evolution of these genes. Assays for the expression of BC-1514tcra revealed transcripts in the bone marrow, thymus, spleen, and small intestine. These assays also showed the expression of another analog to BC-1514, found on chromosome 5 in the bone marrow and thymus RNA. The existence of at least 17 analogs at various locations in the human genome and in nonsyntenic chromosomes of the chimpanzee suggest that BC-1514tcra, along with its analogs may be transposable elements with evolved function(s). The identification of conserved putative serine phosphorylation sites provide evidence of their possible role(s) in signal transduction events involved in B cell development and differentiation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

The rbcL gene from the non-photosynthetic parasite Lathraea clandestina is not transcribed by a plastid-encoded RNA polymerase.

In the plastome of the obligate root-parasitic plant, Lathraea clandestina, the rbcL gene has been maintained and is expressed, despite the reduced size and gene content of the plastid genome. Some of the plastid genes involved in translation (e. g. transfer RNAs, ribosomal RNAs and ribosomal proteins) have been sequenced and still appear to code for functional ribosomal components. Indeed, the 16S rRNA and rpl20 genes are expressed whilst other necessary tRNA and ribosomal protein-encoding genes have probably been deleted or truncated. Although obtained by PCR, the four rpo genes for Escherichia coli-like plastid encoded RNA polymerase appear to be pseudogenes. Nevertheless, the rbcL gene, with a "-10, -35" prokaryotic-like promoter, is still transcribed. In contrast to photosynthetic plants, rbcL transcripts in Lathraea are larger in their 5' region and cover the prokaryotic-like promoter. The transcription initiation site is located near the ATG start codon of the atpB pseudogene. Similarity to non-consensus E. coli-like plastid promoters suggests that rbcL transcription is driven by a nuclear-encoded RNA polymerase.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1997

Two alpha(1,2) fucosyltransferase genes on porcine chromosome 6q11 are closely linked to the blood group inhibitor (S) and Escherichia coli F18 receptor (ECF18R) loci.

The Escherichia coli F18 receptor locus (ECF18R) has been genetically mapped to the halothane linkage group on porcine Chromosome (Chr) 6. In an attempt to obtain candidate genes for this locus, we isolated 5 cosmids containing the alpha (1,2)fucosyltransferase genes FUT1, FUT2, and the pseudogene FUT2P from a porcine genomic library. Mapping by fluorescence in situ hybridization placed all these clones in band q11 of porcine Chr 6 (SSC6q11). Sequence analysis of the cosmids resulted in the characterization of an open reading frame (ORF), 1098 bp in length, that is 82.3% identical to the human FUT1 sequence; a second ORF, 1023 bp in length, 85% identical to the human FUT2 sequence; and a third FUT-like sequence thought to be a pseudogene. The FUT1 and FUT2 loci therefore seem to be the porcine equivalents of the human blood group H and Secretor loci. Direct sequencing of the two ORFs in swine being either susceptible or resistant to adhesion and colonization by F18 fimbriated Escherichia coli (ECF18) revealed two polymorphisms at bp 307 (M307) and bp 857 (M857) of the FUT1 ORF. Analysis of these mutations in 34 Swiss Landrace families with 221 progeny showed close linkage with the locus controlling resistance and susceptibility to E. coli F18 adhesion and colonization in the small intestine (ECF18R), and with the locus of the blood group inhibitor S. A high linkage disequilibrium of M307-ECF18R in Large White pigs makes the M307 mutation a good marker for marker-assisted selection of E. coli F18 adhesion-resistant animals in this breed. Whether the FUT1 or possibly the FUT2 gene products are involved in the synthesis of carbohydrate structures responsible for bacterial adhesion remains to be determined.

Adhesins, Escherichia coli↗
PubMed1998

Olfactory receptors in aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates.

In species representing different levels of vertebrate evolution, olfactory receptor genes have been identified by molecular cloning techniques. Comparing the deduced amino-acid sequences revealed that the olfactory receptor gene family of Rana esculenta resembles that of Xenopus laevis, indicating that amphibians in general may comprise two classes of olfactory receptors. Whereas teleost fish, including the goldfish Carassius auratus, possess only class I receptors, the 'living fossil' Latimeria chalumnae is endowed with both receptor classes; interestingly, most of the class II genes turned out to be pseudogenes. Exploring receptor genes in aquatic mammals led to the discovery of a large array of only class II receptor genes in the dolphin Stenella Coeruleoalba; however, all of these genes were found to be non-functional pseudogenes. These results support the notion that class I receptors may be specialized for detecting water-soluble odorants and class II receptors for recognizing volatile odorants. Comparing the structural features of both receptor classes from various species revealed that they differ mainly in their extracellular loop 3, which may contribute to ligand specificity. Comparing the number and diversity of olfactory receptor genes in different species provides insight into the origin and the evolution of this unique gene family.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Mutational and expression analysis of the reelin pathway components CDK5 and doublecortin in gangliogliomas.

Gangliogliomas represent highly differentiated glioneuronal tumors frequently occurring in young patients with focal epilepsies. Dysplastic neurons are a neuropathological hallmark of this neoplasm. Here, we have analyzed two major components of the reelin pathway associated with neuronal migration and cortical cytoarchitecture in gangliogliomas, i.e., cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) and doublecortin (DCX). The genomic structure of human CDK5 was identified by an " in silico" cloning approach using the "high throughput genomic sequencing" (htgs) databank, NCBI BLAST 2.1. DNA sequence analysis of CDK5 and DCX was carried out in tissue samples obtained from 23 patients and compared with control DNA from non-affected individuals ( n=100). For gene expression analysis of CDK5 and DCX, a quantitative real time reverse transcription-PCR TaqMan assay was used with mRNA from gangliogliomas ( n=22) and non-lesional central nervous tissue control tissue ( n=7). The human CDK5 gene is located on chromosome 7q36 and contains 12 exons. Its coding sequence reveals 90.1% homology to the mouse counterpart. A novel pseudogene of CDK5 was found on chromosome 8. While the mutational analysis of CDK5 and DCX did not reveal any sequence alterations in gangliogliomas, a lower expression was observed for both genes in tumor compared to control tissue samples. The present data indicate that mutations of CDK5 and DCX genes are not involved in the development of gangliogliomas. A novel pseudogene on chromosome 8 has to be taken into account for future studies on CDK5.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Evolution of a multigene family that encodes the Kunitz chymotrypsin inhibitor in winged bean: a possible intermediate in the generation of a new gene with a distinct pattern of expression.

Winged bean Kunitz chymotrypsin inhibitor (WCI) accumulates in an organ-specific and temporally regulated manner. The protein is encoded by a multigene family that includes at least four putative inhibitor-coding genes and three pseudogenes. The structure of the WCI genes indicates that an insertion at a 5' proximal site occurred after duplication of the ancestral WCI gene and that several gene conversion events subsequently contributed to the evolution of this gene family. Analysis of the promoter activity of the 5' regions of the WCI genes in transgenic tobacco showed that only the 5' regions of the WCI-3a and WCI-3b genes, which encode the major WCI protein in winged bean, promoted the organ-specific and temporally regulated expression of a reporter gene. The 5' region of a pseudogene, the WCI-P1 gene which contains frameshift mutations, exhibited constitutive promoter activity in tobacco, an indication that the 5' region of the WCI-P1 gene might spontaneously have acquired new regulatory sequences during evolution. Since gene conversion is a relatively frequent event and since the homology between the WCI-P1 and WCI-3a/b genes is disrupted at a 5' proximal site by remnants of an inserted sequence, the WCI-P1 gene appears to be a possible intermediate that could be converted into a new functional gene with a distinct pattern of expression by a single gene-conversion event.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Characterization and localization of human COX17, a gene involved in mitochondrial copper transport.

Deficiencies in cytochrome oxidase (COX), the terminal enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, are relatively rare but most often lethal. The underlying causes are beginning to be elucidated, and most mutations are thought to affect the function of proteins involved in assembling the holoenzyme. COX17 is such an assembly protein and is thought to recruit copper to mitochondria for incorporation into the COX apoenzyme. Here we present the gene structure, the expression, and chromosomal localization for COX17, a candidate gene for COX deficiency. The COXI 7 gene spans approximately 8 kb of human genomic DNA and encodes a transcript of approximately 450 bp that is expressed in all tissues tested. Although the COX17 gene was previously mapped to chromosome 13q14-21, our results suggest that a COX17 pseudogene maps to this region. The pseudogene contains several nucleotide changes, including one that would result in an altered amino acid in the putative copper binding domain. We have localized the gene encoding the COX 17 protein to the long arm of chromosome 3 by radiation hybrid mapping. Deciphering of the COX17 genomic structure will allow this gene to be assessed for mutations in COX deficient patients.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Two novel polymorphic sequences in the glucocerebrosidase gene region enhance mutational screening and founder effect studies of patients with Gaucher disease.

Gaucher disease, an inherited glycolipid storage disorder, is caused by a deficiency of the catabolic enzyme glucocerebrosidase (EC 3.2.1.45). The gene for human glucocerebrosidase is located on chromosome 1q21 and has a highly homologous pseudogene situated 16 kb downstream. We report two novel polymorphic sequences in the glucocerebrosidase gene region: the first consists of a variable number of dinucleotide (CT) repeats located 3.2 kb upstream from the glucocerebrosidase gene, and the second is a tetranucleotide (AAAT) repeat found between the glucocerebrosidase gene and its pseudogene, 9.8 kb downstream from the functional gene. These polymorphic sequences, along with a previously reported PvuII polymorphism in intron 6 of the glucocerebrosidase gene, were analyzed in patients with Gaucher disease (n=106) and in two normal control populations, one of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry (n=72) and the second comprising non-Jewish individuals (n=46). In these samples, strong linkage disequilibrium was found between mutations N370S, c.84-85insG, and R463C and specific haplotypes; no significant linkage disequilibrium was found when examining haplotypes of patients with the L444P mutation. Studies of these polymorphic sites in several instances also led to the recognition of genotyping errors and the identification of unusual recombinant alleles. These new polymorphic sites provide additional tools for mutational screening and founder effect studies of Gaucher disease.

Amino Acid Substitution↗
PubMed1999

Characterisation of the human snail (SNAI1) gene and exclusion as a major disease gene in craniosynostosis.

The Snail family of proteins in vertebrates comprises two zinc-finger transcription factors, Snail and Slug, which are thought to be involved in the formation of the mesoderm and neural crest. Here, we describe the isolation and characterisation of the human Snail (SNAI1) gene and a related Snail-like pseudogene, SNAI1P. SNAI1 spans approximately 6.4kb, contains three exons and has a CpG island upstream of the coding sequence. A single transcript of 1.9 kb was detected in several human foetal tissues, with the highest expression in the kidney. The SNAI1 open reading frame encodes a protein of 264 amino acids containing four zinc-finger motifs that show 87.1% identity to mouse Snail (mSna). SNAI1 was mapped to chromosome band 20q13.1 and is likely to lie between markers D20S109 and D20S196. Investigation of SNAI1 coding sequences by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis excluded SNAI1 as a major disease gene in craniosynostosis. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms encoding synonymous amino acids were identified in exon 2. The SNAI1P pseudogene was isolated, sequenced and mapped to chromosome band 2q34.

Amino Acid Sequence↗