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Model use in phylogenetics: nine key questions.

Models of character evolution underpin all phylogeny estimations, thus model adequacy remains a crucial issue for phylogenetics and its many applications. Although progress has been made in selecting appropriate models for phylogeny estimation, there is still concern about their purpose and proper use. How do we interpret models in a phylogenetic context? What are their effects on phylogeny estimation? How can we improve confidence in the models that we choose? That the phylogenetics community is asking such questions denotes an important stage in the use of explicit models. Here, we examine these and other common questions and draw conclusions about how the community is using and choosing models, and where this process will take us next.

Animals↗

The genomic sequence of the bovine T cell receptor gamma TRG loci and localization of the TRGC5 cassette.

The bovine and ovine TRG genes have previously been shown to be located in two loci, TRG1 and TRG2, in contrast to human and mouse TRG genes that are located in a single locus. The bovine TRG1 and TRG2 loci are located on chromosome 4 at 4q3.1 and 4q1.5-2.2, respectively. The complete genomic organization of the two bovine loci is described: each locus comprises three cassettes, each one includes one or several variable genes (TRGV) and one or several joining genes (TRGJ) preceding a constant (TRGC) gene. The location of the TRGC5 cassette is conclusively described in 5' of the TRG1 locus. Analysis of 17 TRGV belonging to 10 different subgroups, 8 TRGJ and 6 TRGC genes is conducted which comprises the most comprehensive list to date.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A second insulin gene in fish genomes.

The recent characterization of diverse vertebrate genomes has revealed the importance of gene duplication in vertebrate evolution. Evidence suggests that a genome duplication event occurred on the lineage leading to teleost fish-species that are often used to understand human biology. The existence of a genome duplication event complicates the use of fish as a model for human diseases as there are often two fish homologues for a single copy human gene. Often the second homologue has not been recognized. Our searches of the near complete zebrafish and fugu fish genomes indicate that both species have two insulin genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the two genes are likely the product of the fish-specific genome duplication. The maintenance of two insulin genes within the fish suggests that the two genes have different functions. Thus the well-characterized insulin genes in some fish species may not be complete homologues of the human insulin gene.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Genomic exploration of the hemiascomycetous yeasts: 6. Saccharomyces exiguus.

Random sequence tags were obtained from a genomic DNA library of Saccharomyces exiguus. The mitochondrial genome appeared to be at least 25.7 kb in size, with a different organization compared to Saccharomyces cerevisiae. An unusual putative 953 bp long terminal repeated element associated to Ty3 was found. A set of 1451 genes was identified homologous to S. cerevisiae open reading frames. Only five genes were identified outside the S. cerevisiae taxon, confirming that S. exiguus is phylogenetically closely related to S. cerevisiae. Unexpectedly, numerous duplicated genes were found whereas they are unique in S. cerevisiae. The sequences are deposited at EMBL under the accession numbers: AL407377-AL409955.

Ascomycota↗

Periodicity of dinucleotides in nucleosomes derived from simian virus 40 chromatin.

It is thought that statistical analysis of dinucleotide periodicities can provide insight into the general features of nucleosome forming sequences. The chromatin of simian virus 40 (SV40) provides a model for a unique DNA sequence that is found in association with histones in vivo. I have therefore analyzed the periodicity of dinucleotides in a collection of cloned nucleosomal DNA fragments prepared from SV40 chromatin isolated under relatively mild conditions, in order to learn about the generality of results obtained from the statistical approach and to examine the SV40 data set in the context of models that have been proposed to explain the molecular basis of nucleosome formation. In one study, I assumed a symmetry in the distribution of dinucleotides with respect to the nucleosome dyad position and considered complementary dinucleotides to be equivalent, i.e. AA = TT and GG = CC. The results showed a periodic signal for GG/CC but not for AA/TT, purine-purine, and pyrimidine-pyrimidine dinucleotides. In a second study, the SV40 nucleosomal DNA fragments were aligned and examined with respect to the late strand of the viral genome to determine the distribution of dinucleotides in one direction. Fourier analysis revealed periodic signals for AA/TT (10.26 bp) and GG/CC (10.0 bp) and indicated that AA dominates the occurrences of AA/TT and GG dominates the occurrences of GG/CC. The results of both studies implied that there might be an asymmetry and a directionality in the distribution of certain dinucleotides in nucleosomes.

Base Sequence↗

Discovering new genes with advanced homology detection.

Most genome annotation protocols combine ab initio predictions with transcription and homology analyses to produce reliable gene predictions but they often fail to detect many actual genes. Alternative approaches involving more sensitive homology recognition methods are playing an increasingly important role in the next stage of gene discovery. The hunt for new genes is far from over.

Database Management Systems↗

Distinguishing the ORFs from the ELFs: short bacterial genes and the annotation of genomes.

A substantial fraction of hypothetical open reading frames (ORFs) in completely sequenced bacterial genomes are short, suggesting that many are not genes but random stretches of DNA. Although it is not feasible to authenticate the coding capacity of all such regions experimentally, comparisons of ORFs in related genomes can expose those that encode functional proteins.

Bacteria↗

Genome trees and the tree of life.

Genome comparisons indicate that horizontal gene transfer and differential gene loss are major evolutionary phenomena that, at least in prokaryotes, involve a large fraction, if not the majority, of genes. The extent of these events casts doubt on the feasibility of constructing a 'Tree of Life', because the trees for different genes often tell different stories. However, alternative approaches to tree construction that attempt to determine tree topology on the basis of comparisons of complete gene sets seem to reveal a phylogenetic signal that supports the three-domain evolutionary scenario and suggests the possibility of delineation of previously undetected major clades of prokaryotes. If the validity of these whole-genome approaches to tree building is confirmed by analyses of numerous new genomes, which are currently being sequenced at an increasing rate, it would seem that the concept of a universal 'species' tree is still appropriate. However, this tree should be reinterpreted as a prevailing trend in the evolution of genome-scale gene sets rather than as a complete picture of evolution.

Animals↗

The 5' ends of LINE1 repeats in rabbit DNA define subfamilies and reveal a short sequence conserved between rabbits and humans.

The 5' ends of five full-length LINE1 (L1) repeats from the rabbit genome (L1Oc) were mapped and their nucleotide sequences determined. Computer-generated alignments showed that these five L1Oc repeats can be divided into subfamilies, each of which has a characteristic sequence upstream of the first open reading frame (ORF1). These five L1Ocs range in size from 6.5 to 7.3 kb, with 5' ends located 76 to 1125 bp upstream of ORF1. Two of these subfamilies appear to have diverged from a common ancestor at least 66 million years ago. Comparisons of the 5' ends of L1s from rabbit, human, mouse, and rat show no common sequence 5' to ORF1, except for a 22-bp sequence that is found near the beginning of all characterized full-length L1s from rabbit and human. A statistical analysis indicates that this 22-bp aligned block is highly significant. Part of this 22-bp sequence matches the microE1 binding site in immunoglobulin gene enhancers. This strong conservation suggests that the microE1 binding site may be part of a transcriptional regulatory element at the 5' ends of rabbit and human L1 repeats.

Animals↗

Partial retrotransposon-like DNA sequence in the genomic clone of Aspergillus flavus, pAF28.

A genomic clone of the aflatoxin-producing fungus Aspergillus flavus, designated pAF28, has been used as a probe for Southern blot fingerprinting of fungal strains. A large number of A. flavus strains isolated from corn fields and tree-nut orchards can be distinguished because the DNA fingerprint patterns are highly polymorphic. We have completed the sequencing of a 6355 bp insert in pAF28. The sequence features motifs and open reading frames characteristic of transposable elements of the gypsy class. We have named this new element AfRTL-1, for A. flavus retrotransposon-like DNA.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Comparative analyses of multi-species sequences from targeted genomic regions.

The systematic comparison of genomic sequences from different organisms represents a central focus of contemporary genome analysis. Comparative analyses of vertebrate sequences can identify coding and conserved non-coding regions, including regulatory elements, and provide insight into the forces that have rendered modern-day genomes. As a complement to whole-genome sequencing efforts, we are sequencing and comparing targeted genomic regions in multiple, evolutionarily diverse vertebrates. Here we report the generation and analysis of over 12 megabases (Mb) of sequence from 12 species, all derived from the genomic region orthologous to a segment of about 1.8 Mb on human chromosome 7 containing ten genes, including the gene mutated in cystic fibrosis. These sequences show conservation reflecting both functional constraints and the neutral mutational events that shaped this genomic region. In particular, we identify substantial numbers of conserved non-coding segments beyond those previously identified experimentally, most of which are not detectable by pair-wise sequence comparisons alone. Analysis of transposable element insertions highlights the variation in genome dynamics among these species and confirms the placement of rodents as a sister group to the primates.

Animals↗

Complete genome sequence and comparative analysis of the industrial microorganism Streptomyces avermitilis.

Species of the genus Streptomyces are of major pharmaceutical interest because they synthesize a variety of bioactive secondary metabolites. We have determined the complete nucleotide sequence of the linear chromosome of Streptomyces avermitilis. S. avermitilis produces avermectins, a group of antiparasitic agents used in human and veterinary medicine. The genome contains 9,025,608 bases (average GC content, 70.7%) and encodes at least 7,574 potential open reading frames (ORFs). Thirty-five percent of the ORFs (2,664) constitute 721 paralogous families. Thirty gene clusters related to secondary metabolite biosynthesis were identified, corresponding to 6.6% of the genome. Comparison with Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) revealed that an internal 6.5-Mb region in the S. avermitilis genome was highly conserved with respect to gene order and content, and contained all known essential genes but showed perfectly asymmetric structure at the oriC center. In contrast, the terminal regions were not conserved and preferentially contained nonessential genes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome is recruited to centromeres by the spindle assembly checkpoint.

The anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) is crucial to the control of cell division (for a review, see ref. 1). It is a multi-subunit ubiquitin ligase that, at defined points during mitosis, targets specific proteins for proteasomal degradation. The APC/C is itself regulated by the spindle or kinetochore checkpoint, which has an important role in maintaining genomic stability by preventing sister chromatid separation until all chromosomes are correctly aligned on the mitotic spindle. The spindle checkpoint regulates the APC/C by inactivating Cdc20, an important co-activator of the APC/C. There is also evidence to indicate that the spindle checkpoint components and Cdc20 are spatially regulated by the mitotic apparatus, in particular they are recruited to improperly attached kinetochores. Here, we show that the APC/C itself co-localizes with components of the spindle checkpoint to improperly attached kinetochores. Indeed, we provide evidence that the spindle checkpoint machinery is required to recruit the APC/C to kinetochores. Our data indicate that the APC/C could be regulated directly by the spindle checkpoint.

Anaphase-Promoting Complex-Cyclosome↗

Transcriptional regulation of transport and utilization systems for hexuronides, hexuronates and hexonates in gamma purple bacteria.

The comparative approach is a powerful tool for the analysis of gene regulation in bacterial genomes. It can be applied to the analysis of regulons that have been studied experimentally as well as that of regulons for which no known regulatory sites are available. It is assumed that the set of co-regulated genes and the regulatory signal itself are conserved in related genomes. Here, we use genomic comparisons to study the regulation of transport and utilization systems for sugar acids in gamma purple bacteria Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Yersinia pestis, Erwinia chrysanthemi, Haemophilus influenzae and Vibrio cholerae. The variability of the operon structure and the location of the operator sites for the main transcription factors are demonstrated. The common metabolic map is combined with known and predicted regulatory interactions. It includes all known and predicted members of the GntR, UxuR/ExuR, KdgR, UidR and IdnR regulons. Moreover, most members of these regulons seem to be under catabolite repression mediated by CRP. The candidate UxuR/ExuR signal is proposed, the KdgR consensus is extended, and new operators for all transcription factors are identified in all studied genomes. Two new members of the KdgR regulon, a hypothetical ATP-dependent transport system OgtABCD and YjgK protein with unknown function, are detected. The former is likely to be the transport system for the products of pectin degradation, oligogalacturonides.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The TolQ-TolR proteins energize TolA and share homologies with the flagellar motor proteins MotA-MotB.

The Tol-Pal system of Escherichia coli is required for the maintenance of outer membrane stability. Recently, proton motive force (pmf) has been found to be necessary for the co-precipitation of the outer membrane lipoprotein Pal with the inner membrane TolA protein, indicating that the Tol-Pal system forms a transmembrane link in which TolA is energized. In this study, we show that both TolQ and TolR proteins are essential for the TolA-Pal interaction. A point mutation within the third transmembrane (TM) segment of TolQ was found to affect the TolA-Pal interaction strongly, whereas suppressor mutations within the TM segment of TolR restored this interaction. Modifying the Asp residue within the TM region of TolR indicated that an acidic residue was important for the pmf-dependent interaction of TolA with Pal and outer membrane stabilization. Analysis of sequence alignments of TolQ and TolR homologues from numerous Gram-negative bacterial genomes, together with analyses of the different tolQ-tolR mutants, revealed that the TM domains of TolQ and TolR present structural and functional homologies not only to ExbB and ExbD of the TonB system but also with MotA and MotB of the flagellar motor. The function of these three systems, as ion potential-driven molecular motors, is discussed

Amino Acid Sequence↗