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July 7, 2019

High-quality genome sequence of the radioresistant bacterium Deinococcus ficus KS 0460.

The genetic platforms of Deinococcus species remain the only systems in which massive ionizing radiation (IR)-induced genome damage can be investigated in vivo at exposures commensurate with cellular survival. We report the whole genome sequence of the extremely IR-resistant rod-shaped bacterium Deinococcus ficus KS 0460 and its phenotypic characterization. Deinococcus ficus KS 0460 has been studied since 1987, first under the name Deinobacter grandis, then Deinococcus grandis. The D. ficus KS 0460 genome consists of a 4.019 Mbp sequence (69.7% GC content and 3894 predicted genes) divided into six genome partitions, five of which are confirmed to be circular. Circularity was determined manually by mate pair linkage. Approximately 76% of the predicted proteins contained identifiable Pfam domains and 72% were assigned to COGs. Of all D. ficus KS 0460 proteins, 79% and 70% had homologues in Deinococcus radiodurans ATCC BAA-816 and Deinococcus geothermalis DSM 11300, respectively. The most striking differences between D. ficus KS 0460 and D. radiodurans BAA-816 identified by the comparison of the KEGG pathways were as follows: (i) D. ficus lacks nine enzymes of purine degradation present in D. radiodurans, and (ii) D. ficus contains eight enzymes involved in nitrogen metabolism, including nitrate and nitrite reductases, that D. radiodurans lacks. Moreover, genes previously considered to be important to IR resistance are missing in D. ficus KS 0460, namely, for the Mn-transporter nramp, and proteins DdrF, DdrJ and DdrK, all of which are also missing in Deinococcus deserti. Otherwise, D. ficus KS 0460 exemplifies the Deinococcus lineage.


July 7, 2019

From isolate to answer: how whole genome sequencing is helping us rapidly characterise nosocomial bacterial outbreaks

The occurrence of highly resistant bacterial pathogens has risen in recent years, causing immense strain on the healthcare industry. Hospital-acquired infections are arguably of most concern, as bacterial outbreaks in clinical settings provide an ideal environment for proliferation among vulnerable populations. Understanding these outbreaks beyond what can be determined with traditional clinical diagnostics and implementing these new techniques routinely in the hospital environment has now become a major focus. This brief review will discuss the three main whole genome sequence techniques available today, and how they are being used to further discriminate bacterial outbreaks in nosocomial settings.


July 7, 2019

Complete genome sequence of Stenotrophomonas sp. strain WZN-1, which is capable of degrading polybrominated diphenyl ethers.

Stenotrophomonas sp. strain WZN-1, isolated from an e-waste recycling area in Tianjin, China, is capable of degrading polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The complete genome of strain WZN-1 consists of 4,512,703 bp. This genome information will provide important information about the biodegradation pathways and mechanisms of PBDEs. Copyright © 2017 Wu et al.


July 7, 2019

LRCstats, a tool for evaluating long reads correction methods.

Third-generation sequencing (TGS) platforms that generate long reads, such as PacBio and Oxford Nanopore technologies, have had a dramatic impact on genomics research. However, despite recent improvements, TGS reads suffer from high-error rates and the development of read correction methods is an active field of research. This motivates the need to develop tools that can evaluate the accuracy of noisy long reads correction tools.We introduce LRCstats, a tool that measures the accuracy of long reads correction tools. LRCstats takes advantage of long reads simulators that provide each simulated read with an alignment to the reference genome segment they originate from, and does not rely on a step of mapping corrected reads onto the reference genome. This allows for the measurement of the accuracy of the correction while being consistent with the actual errors introduced in the simulation process used to generate noisy reads. We illustrate the usefulness of LRCstats by analyzing the accuracy of four hybrid correction methods for PacBio long reads over three datasets.https://github.com/cchauve/lrcstats.laseanl@sfu.ca or cedric.chauve@sfu.ca.Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com


July 7, 2019

Complete genome sequence of Mycobacterium stephanolepidis.

Mycobacterium stephanolepidis is a rapid-growing nonpigmented species isolated from marine teleost fish (Stephanolepis cirrhifer) and is closely related to Mycobacterium chelonae Here, we report the complete sequence of its genome, comprising a 4.9-Mb chromosome. The sequence represents essential data for future phylogenetic and comparative genome studies of this fish pathogen. Copyright © 2017 Fukano et al.


July 7, 2019

Pearl millet genome sequence provides a resource to improve agronomic traits in arid environments.

Pearl millet [Cenchrus americanus (L.) Morrone] is a staple food for more than 90 million farmers in arid and semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa, India and South Asia. We report the ~1.79 Gb draft whole genome sequence of reference genotype Tift 23D2B1-P1-P5, which contains an estimated 38,579 genes. We highlight the substantial enrichment for wax biosynthesis genes, which may contribute to heat and drought tolerance in this crop. We resequenced and analyzed 994 pearl millet lines, enabling insights into population structure, genetic diversity and domestication. We use these resequencing data to establish marker trait associations for genomic selection, to define heterotic pools, and to predict hybrid performance. We believe that these resources should empower researchers and breeders to improve this important staple crop.


July 7, 2019

Complete genome sequence of Streptomyces sp. TN58, a producer of acyl alpha-L-rhamnopyranosides.

Streptomyces sp. TN58, isolated from a Tunisian soil sample, produces several natural products, including acyl alpha-l-rhamnopyranosides. It possesses a 7.6-Mb linear chromosome. This is, to our knowledge, the first genome sequence of a microorganism known to produce acyl alpha-l-rhamnopyranosides, and it will be helpful to study the biosynthesis of these specialized metabolites. Copyright © 2017 Najah et al.


July 7, 2019

Genome sequence of Oceanicola sp. strain MCTG156(1a), isolated from a Scottish coastal phytoplankton net sample.

Oceanicola sp. strain MCTG156(1a) was isolated from a phytoplankton net sample collected on the west coast of Scotland and selected based on its ability to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Here, we present the genome sequence of this strain, which comprises 3,881,122 bp with 3,949 genes and an average G+C content of 62.7%. Copyright © 2017 Gutierrez et al.


July 7, 2019

Complete fusion of a transposon and herpesvirus created the Teratorn mobile element in medaka fish.

Mobile genetic elements (e.g., transposable elements and viruses) display significant diversity with various life cycles, but how novel elements emerge remains obscure. Here, we report a giant (180-kb long) transposon, Teratorn, originally identified in the genome of medaka, Oryzias latipes. Teratorn belongs to the piggyBac superfamily and retains the transposition activity. Remarkably, Teratorn is largely derived from a herpesvirus of the Alloherpesviridae family that could infect fish and amphibians. Genomic survey of Teratorn-like elements reveals that some of them exist as a fused form between piggyBac transposon and herpesvirus genome in teleosts, implying the generality of transposon-herpesvirus fusion. We propose that Teratorn was created by a unique fusion of DNA transposon and herpesvirus, leading to life cycle shift. Our study supports the idea that recombination is the key event in generation of novel mobile genetic elements. Teratorn is a large mobile genetic element originally identified in the small teleost fish medaka. Here, the authors show that Teratorn is derived from the fusion of a piggyBac superfamily DNA transposon and an alloherpesvirus and that it is widely found across teleost fish.


July 7, 2019

Complete genome sequence of Mycobacterium chimaera strain CDC2015-22-71.

Mycobacterium chimaera is a nontuberculous mycobacterium species commonly found in the environment. Here, we report the first complete genome sequence of a strain from the investigation of invasive infections following open-heart surgeries that used contaminated LivaNova Sorin Stockert 3T heater-cooler devices. Copyright © 2017 Hasan et al.


July 7, 2019

Draft genome sequences of two unclassified bacteria, Sphingomonas sp. strains IBVSS1 and IBVSS2, isolated from environmental samples.

We report here the draft genome sequences of Sphingomonas sp. IBVSS1 and IBVSS2, two bacteria assembled from the metagenomes of surface samples from freshwater lakes. The genomes are >99% complete and may represent new species within the Sphingomonas genus, indicating a larger diversity than currently identified. Copyright © 2017 Orr et al.


July 7, 2019

Genome characterization of two bile-isolated Vibrio fluvialis strains: an insight into pathogenicity and bile salt adaption.

Vibrio fluvialis is recognized as an emerging pathogen. However, not much is known about the mechanism of its pathogenesis, and its adaptation to a special niche such as the gall bladder. Here we describe two V. fluvialis strains that cause acute cholecystitis. It is noteworthy that both strains were susceptible to all antibiotics tested, which is in contrast to previous studies, suggesting substantial genetic diversity among V. fluvialis isolates. In agreement with their survival and growth in the gall bladder, the genomes of strains 12605 and 3663 contain a considerable number of genes that confer resistance to bile, including toxR, omp U, tolC, cmeABC, rlpB, yrbK, rpoS, damX and gltK. Furthermore, integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs), virulence factors and prophage regions were also detected in strains 12605 and 3663, reflecting their flexibility in recombination during the evolution of pathogenicity. Comparative analysis of nine available genomes of V. fluvialis revealed a core genome consisting of 3,147 genes. Our results highlight the association of V. fluvialis with a rare disease profile and shed light on the evolution of pathogenesis and niche adaptation of V. fluvialis.


July 7, 2019

Genomic structure and evolution of the mating type locus in the green seaweed Ulva partita.

The evolution of sex chromosomes and mating loci in organisms with UV systems of sex/mating type determination in haploid phases via genes on UV chromosomes is not well understood. We report the structure of the mating type (MT) locus and its evolutionary history in the green seaweed Ulva partita, which is a multicellular organism with an isomorphic haploid-diploid life cycle and mating type determination in the haploid phase. Comprehensive comparison of a total of 12.0 and 16.6?Gb of genomic next-generation sequencing data for mt(-) and mt(+) strains identified highly rearranged MT loci of 1.0 and 1.5?Mb in size and containing 46 and 67 genes, respectively, including 23 gametologs. Molecular evolutionary analyses suggested that the MT loci diverged over a prolonged period in the individual mating types after their establishment in an ancestor. A gene encoding an RWP-RK domain-containing protein was found in the mt(-) MT locus but was not an ortholog of the chlorophycean mating type determination gene MID. Taken together, our results suggest that the genomic structure and its evolutionary history in the U. partita MT locus are similar to those on other UV chromosomes and that the MT locus genes are quite different from those of Chlorophyceae.


July 7, 2019

Draft genome sequences of two unclassified bacteria, Hydrogenophaga sp. strains IBVHS1 and IBVHS2, isolated from environmental samples.

We report here the draft genome sequences of Hydrogenophaga sp. strains IBVHS1 and IBVHS2, two bacteria assembled from the metagenomes of surface samples from freshwater lakes. The genomes are >95% complete and may represent new species within the Hydrogenophaga genus, indicating a larger diversity than currently identified. Copyright © 2017 Orr et al.


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