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Released chromatin: linearized DNA for high resolution fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Free DNA was prepared from routinely harvested and fixed cells for high resolution FISH mapping using either a sodium hydroxide/ethanol mixture or 70% formamide. Hybridization signals from cosmid probes appeared as extended lines. The average length of signals on DNA prepared with sodium hydroxide was significantly greater than with formamide. A set of overlapping cosmids from the HLA class II region was used to determine how precisely the actual overlap or gap between probes can be calculated from the measured overlap or gap between their signals. Lengths of the probe signals and their known kilobase lengths were used as an internal ruler. The mean values calculated from the measured length from 30 or more signals for each probe pair showed remarkable conformity with the known kilobase lengths of their overlaps and gaps. Immediately adjacent probes could also be ordered on the released DNA. These simple procedures dramatically increase the speed with which relationships between probes can be determined during contig construction.

Chromatin↗

Angelman syndrome associated with a maternal 15q11-13 deletion of less than 200 kb.

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurogenetic disorder arising from a lack of genetic contribution from the maternal chromosome 15q11-13. To date, the AS critical region has been defined by an inherited deletion of approximately 1.5Mb, spanning the 3-21 (D15S10), LS6-1 (D15S113) and GABRB3 loci. We have identified an individual with the typical features of AS who has a deletion of the maternal chromosome which encompasses LS6-1, but does not extend to either flanking marker. This deletion, initially detected by (CA)n repeat analysis, was further characterised by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) using cosmids derived from a 260 kb LS6-1 yeast artificial chromosome (YAC). Neither end cosmid from this YAC clone falls within the deletion, suggesting that the minimal AS region is less than 200 kb. We also studied three loci within 15q11-13 which detect parent-of-origin specific DNA methylation imprints, and found that both normal maternal and paternal patterns were present in this patient.

Angelman Syndrome↗

Identification of a hot spot for microdeletions in patients with X-linked deafness type 3 (DFN3) 900 kb proximal to the DFN3 gene POU3F4.

Small mutations in the POU domain gene POU3F4 were recently shown to cause X-linked deafness type 3 (DFN3) in nine unrelated males. The POU3F4 gene was found to be located outside four of five deletions associated with DFN3. Two of these deletions were situated more than 400 kb proximal to POU3F4. Employing PCR analysis of sequence tagged sites from this region we initially identified novel deletions in two DFN3 patients. To investigate this chromosomal segment in more detail, we extended a previously established 850 kb cosmid contig in the centromeric direction to a total size of 1500 kb. Cosmids from this contig were hybridized to DNA of 11 unrelated males with DFN3. In two patients, we identified deletions encompassing the POU3F4 gene and variably sized segments of Xq21.1. In six of the nine remaining patients which lacked mutations in the POU3F4 gene, smaller deletions were identified which, with one exception, overlap in a 8 kb segment 900 kb proximal to the POU3F4 gene. In one patient, we identified several small deletions in the vicinity of the 8 kb DNA segment. Together, deletions account for 56% (13/23) of all known DFN3 mutations, most (10/13) of which do not encompass the POU3F4 gene. The combined molecular data suggest that the deletion hot spot region in Xq21.1 contains another DFN3 gene or, alternatively, a sequence element involved in transcriptional regulation of POU3F4.

Base Sequence↗

A transcript map of the newly defined 165 kb Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome critical region.

Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) is a multiple malformation syndrome characterised by mental and developmental defects resulting from the absence of a segment of one chromosome 4 short arm (4p16.3). Due to the complex and variable expression of this disorder, it is thought that the WHS is a contiguous gene syndrome with an undefined number of genes contributing to the phenotype. In an effort to identify genes that contribute to human development and whose absence results in this syndrome, we have utilised a series of landmark cosmids to characterise a collection of WHS patient derived cell lines. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation with these cosmids was used to refine the WHS critical region (WHSCR) to 260 kb. The genomic sequence of this region is available and analysis of this sequence through BLAST detected several cDNA clones in the dbEST data base. A total of nine independent cDNAs, and their predicted translation products, from this analysis show no significant similarity to members of DNA or protein databases. Furthermore, these genes have been localised within the WHS critical region and reveal an interesting pattern of transcriptional organisation. A previously published report of a patient with proximal 4p- syndrome further refines the WHSCR to 165 kb defined by the loci D4S166 and D4S3327. This work provides the starting point to understand how multiple genes or other mechanisms can contribute to the complex phenotype associated with the Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Distribution and characterization of microsatellites in the emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) genome.

This study generates data concerning the genome of a flightless species of bird, the emu. We examined and ultimately rejected the following hypotheses: (1) Microsatellites are randomly distributed throughout the emu genome. (2) The relative order of abundance of dinucleotides will be constant across genomes. (3) Interspersion distances for a given dinucleotide will be equal across vertebrate genomes. (4) In all genomes, a dinucleotide will be more frequent than any trinucleotide. (5) The percentage of single-copy DNA will remain the same in emus as in other volant birds. A cosmid library representing 4.48% of the emu genome was probed with 23 microsatellites. Hybridizations were scored on a scale of 0-3. The average insert size, approximately 40 kb, was used to determine frequency and interspersion. The cosmid library was probed with genomic DNA to determine the percent single copy. Co-occurrence frequencies and confidence intervals were compared to expected using chi-squared. The genome is estimated to contain a microsatellite repeat every 48 kb. Of 1632 clones probed for single-copy DNA, 643 displayed maximal hybridization, 220 displayed moderate hybridization, and 202 had minimal hybridization. After 3 days, 567 showed no hybridization.

Animals↗

Molecular cloning and analysis of yeast gene for cycloheximide resistance and ribosomal protein L29.

A cosmid clone bank of yeast DNA has been used to isolate the cycloheximide resistance gene cyh2 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A cosmid carrying this gene was identified by cross hybridization to another cloned gene, tsm437. The two genes, which are tightly linked genetically are both present on a 31 kb segment of cloned DNA. The cyh2 gene encodes ribosomal protein L29, a component of the large subunit. Blot hybridization analysis reveals that this gene is present as a single copy in the yeast genome, unlike many other yeast ribosomal protein genes which appear to be duplicated. The cyh2 gene also appears to contain an intervening sequence, a characteristic common to most yeast ribosomal protein genes that have been cloned.

Alleles↗

Gene shuttling: moving of cloned DNA into and out of eukaryotic cells.

Successful shuttling of cloned DNA in eukaryotic cells should allow isolation of expressed genes. We tested the utility of cosmids for moving DNA into and out of eukaryotic cells. The unique cleavage of DNA at the cos site by the terminase function of lambda was exploited to maintain the linkage between the vector and inserted gene sequences, a prerequisite for successful rescue of the transforming DNA from high molecular weight DNA of the eukaryotic transformant. A cosmid recombinant containing the HSV thymidine kinase gene and a lambda recombinant containing the chicken thymidine kinase gene were used to test the feasability of this method. It was found that these recombinants can be rescued with high efficiency from DNA of HAT-resistant cells.

Animals↗

Composite human VK genes and a model of their evolution.

A phage library and two cosmid libraries were screened for human VK genes. Two recombinant phage and four cosmid clones were analysed in detail by restriction mapping and sequencing. Each one contained a single VKI sequence. Two of these six sequences are potentially functional VK genes and four are pseudogenes. Two pseudogenes derived from different genomic DNAs are highly homologous and are therefore either allelic variants or the products of a recent duplication event. Comparisons of our sequences with all fully determined human VKI amino acid and DNA sequences reveal identical segments which at first sight appear like minigenes. But these segments do not coincide with the subregions and some of the segments include both, framework and complementarity determining regions (FR, CDR, ref. 2). The findings may be explained by an evolutionary model generating composite genes by gene conversion and selection.

Alleles↗

Cloning of the complete Mycoplasma pneumoniae genome.

The complete genome of Mycoplasma pneumoniae was cloned in an ordered library consisting of 34 overlapping or adjacent cosmids, one plasmid and two lambda phages. The genome size was determined by adding up the sizes of either the individual unique EcoRI restriction fragments of the gene bank or of the XhoI fragments of genomic M. pneumoniae DNA. The values from these calculations, 835 and 849 kbp, are in good agreement. An XhoI restriction map was constructed by identifying adjacent DNA fragments by probing with selected cosmid clones.

Cloning, Molecular↗

Isolation of cDNA clones using yeast artificial chromosome probes.

The cloning of large DNA fragments of hundreds of kilobases in Yeast artificial chromosomes, has simplified the analysis of regions of the genome previously cloned by cosmid walking. The mapping of expressed sequences within cosmid contigs has relied on the association of genes with sequence motifs defined by rare-cutting endonucleases, and the identification of sequence conservation between species. We reasoned that if the contribution of repetitive sequences to filter hybridizations could be minimised, then the use of large cloned DNAs as hybridisation probes to screen cDNA libraries would greatly simplify the characterisation of hitherto unidentified genes. In this paper we demonstrate the use of this approach by using a YAC, containing 180 kb of human genomic DNA including the aldose reductase gene, as a probe to isolate an aldose reductase cDNA from a lambda gt11 human foetal liver cDNA library.

Aldehyde Reductase↗

Chromosome-specific recombinant DNA libraries from the fungus Aspergillus nidulans.

Development of physical genomic maps is facilitated by identification of overlapping recombinant DNA clones containing long chromosomal DNA inserts. To simplify the analysis required to determine which clones in a genomic library overlap one another, we partitioned Aspergillus nidulans cosmid libraries into chromosome-specific subcollections. The eight A. nidulans chromosomes were resolved by pulsed field gel electrophoresis and hybridized to filter replicas of cosmid libraries. The subcollections obtained appeared to be representative of the chromosomes based on the correspondence between subcollection size and chromosome length. A sufficient number of clones was obtained in each chromosome-specific subcollection to predict the overlap and assembly of individual clones into a limited number of contiguous regions. This approach should be applicable to many organisms whose genomes can be resolved by pulsed field gel electrophoresis.

Aspergillus nidulans↗

Molecular cloning of lin-29, a heterochronic gene required for the differentiation of hypodermal cells and the cessation of molting in C.elegans.

The lin-29 gene product of C.elegans activates a temporal developmental switch for hypodermal cells. Loss-of-function lin-29 mutations result in worms that fail to execute a stage-specific pattern of hypodermal differentiation that includes exist from the cell cycle, repression of larval cuticle genes, activation of adult cuticle genes, and the cessation of molting. Combined genetic and physical mapping of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) was used to identify the lin-29 locus. A probe from the insertion site of a Tc1 (maP1), closely linked and to the left of lin-29 on the genetic map, was used to identify a large set of overlapping cosmid, lambda and yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) clones assembled as part of the C.elegans physical mapping project. Radiolabeled DNA from one YAC clone identified two distinct allele-specific alterations that cosegregated with the lin-29 mutant phenotype in lin-29 intragenic recombinants. lin-29 sequences were severely under-represented in all cosmid and lambda libraries tested, but were readily cloned in a YAC vector, suggesting that the lin-29 region contains sequences incompatible with standard prokaryotic cloning techniques.

Animals↗

Isolation and characterization of the cDNA encoding human DNA methyltransferase.

We have cloned a series of overlapping cDNA clones encoding a 5194 bp transcript for human DNA methyltransferase (DNA MTase). This sequence potentially codes for a protein of 1495 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 169 kDa. The human DNA MTase cDNA has eighty percent homology at the nucleotide level, and the predicted protein has seventy-four percent identity at the amino acid level, to the DNA MTase cDNA cloned from mouse cells. Like the murine DNA MTase, the amino terminal two-thirds of the human protein contains a cysteine-rich region suggestive of a metal-binding domain. The carboxy terminal one-third of the protein shows considerable similarity to prokaryotic (cytosine-5)-methyltransferases. The arrangement of multiple motifs conserved in the prokaryotic genes is preserved in the human DNA MTase, including the relative position of a proline-cysteine dipeptide thought to be an essential catalytic site in all (cytosine-5)-methyltransferases. A single 5.2 kb transcript was detected in all human tissues tested, with the highest levels of expression observed in RNA from placenta, brain, heart and lung. DNA MTase cDNA clones were used to screen a chromosome 19 genomic cosmid library. The DNA MTase-positive cosmids which are estimated to span a genomic distance of 93 kb have been localized to 19p13.2-p13.3 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Isolation of the cDNA for human DNA MTase will allow further study of the regulation of DNA MTase expression, and of the role of this enzyme in establishing DNA methylation patterns in both normal and neoplastic cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Efficient selection of 3'-terminal exons from vertebrate DNA.

Identification of expressed sequences within genomic DNA is a hurdle in the characterization of complex genomes. We developed an exon trapping scheme that provides a positive selection for vertebrate 3'-terminal exons. A copy of the trapped exon sequence is obtained by RT/PCR amplification. The technique detects valid terminal exons without interference from partial exons or non-specific sequences, including simple human repeated sequences. Application to random human cosmids yielded one unique trapped terminal exon per cosmid on average. Because vertebrate terminal exons average 600-700 nucleotides in length, the technique provides transcribed sequences of sufficient length to assist further mapping efforts.

Animals↗

The exon trapping assay partly discriminates against alternatively spliced exons.

A cosmid containing eight exons of the gene coding for the microtubule-associated tau protein was subjected to the exon trapping assay. All the constitutive exons contained in the cosmid (4, 5, 7 and 9) were efficiently captured regardless of size. Of the four alternatively spliced exons, three (3, 4A and 8) were not isolated by the assay, but the behavior of exon 6 depended on the identity of its flanking exons.

Alternative Splicing↗

A rapid scanning strip for tri- and dinucleotide short tandem repeats.

Oligonucleotides representing 60 trinucleotide (21mers) and four dinucleotide (20mers) tandem repeats were directly synthesized and arrayed onto an aminated polypropylene substrate. DNA samples of different complexities (a CAG-containing 21mer oligonucleotide, PCR fragments of 200 to 3,000 bp, and cosmids with 31 to 35 kb inserts) were radiolabelled and hybridized to the oligonucleotide array at various temperatures. When compared to sequence data available from the test DNAs, the reverse blot system specifically identified various tri- and dinucleotide short tandem repeats (STRs) in every case. Moreover, there was no random or cross hybridization to nonspecific sequences. It was possible to detect as few as three repeated units in a particular location, as shown for (CCT)n, (GCC)n and (CAC)n triplets in cosmid DNA. Varying the hybridization stringency can enhance the detection of STRs. This single-step reverse blot system therefore allows the rapid, specific and sensitive identification of various STRs in DNA sources of different complexity.

Base Sequence↗

Characterization of a gene encoding a 115 K super T antigen expressed by a SV40-transformed rat cell line.

It has been reported that SV40-transformed V 11 F 1 clone 1 subclone 7 rat cells (subclone 7) produce a super T antigen of 115,000 M. This super T antigen is entirely SV40 coded and is synthesized by translation of an elongated form of SV40 early mRNA (May, E., Kress, M. Daya-Grosjean, L., Monier, R. and May, P. (1981) J. Virol., 37, 24-35). The results reported here show that there is only one independent insertion of viral DNA in the cellular genome of subclone 7 cells. When DNA from subclone 7 cells was cleaved with Bam HI endonuclease two distinct SV40 sequence containing fragments were generated with sizes of 5 Kb and 10 Kb, respectively. Two recombinant cosmids were constructed by insertion of the 5 Kb and 10 Kb fragments, respectively, into cosmid pHC 79. Using restriction map analysis and nucleotide sequencing, we showed that the 5 Kb fragment actually contained the complete sequence of a gene encoding super T antigen. As compared to the normal SV40 early gene, the sequence of super T gene showed the following rearrangements: (i) The segment between nucleotides 4116 - 3544 was duplicated in a direct order and (ii) these two copies of 573 nucleotide sequence were separated by a 93 nucleotide tract which was a nearly perfect inverted repeat of the segment located between nucleotides 4868 and 4776 (nucleotide numbering used here = Weissmann number +17).

Animals↗

Genomics and polymorphism of Agph-DAB1, an Mhc class II B gene in red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus).

To further our understanding of the evolution of avian Mhc genes at the genomic level, we screened a cosmid library made from a red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) with a blackbird cDNA probe and subcloned from one of the Mhc-containing cosmids a gene which we designate Agph-DAB1. The structure of the gene is similar to that found for chicken class II B genes, except that the introns are surprisingly large, ranging from 98 to over 600 bp, making this the longest avian class II B gene to date. Using primers targeted toward the introns flanking the peptide-binding region (PBR), we amplified the entirety of the second exon and determined nucleotide sequences of 41 PCR products from eight individual blackbirds. The 10 sequence types found, among which were two probable pseudogene sequences, exhibit the classic hallmarks for evolution of PBRs, namely, an excess of nonsynonymous over synonymous substitutions and evidence of gene conversion events in polymorphic subdomains. Despite these patterns and our use of intron primers, the distribution of sequences among individuals suggests that more than one locus was amplified in most individuals, and the bushlike tree of sequences provides little information as to locus-specific clusters. These results imply a complex history of gene conversion, recent duplication, or possibly, concerted evolution among multiple loci, although Agph-DAB1, the first genomic Mhc sequence from a bird other than chicken, provides important clues in the quest for locus-specific Mhc primers in birds.

Amino Acid Sequence↗