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July 7, 2019

Covalent modification of bacteriophage T4 DNA inhibits CRISPR-Cas9.

The genomic DNAs of tailed bacteriophages are commonly modified by the attachment of chemical groups. Some forms of DNA modification are known to protect phage DNA from cleavage by restriction enzymes, but others are of unknown function. Recently, the CRISPR-Cas nuclease complexes were shown to mediate bacterial adaptive immunity by RNA-guided target recognition, raising the question of whether phage DNA modifications may also block attack by CRISPR-Cas9. We investigated phage T4 as a model system, where cytosine is replaced with glucosyl-hydroxymethylcytosine (glc-HMC). We first quantified the extent and distribution of covalent modifications in T4 DNA by single-molecule DNA sequencing and enzymatic probing. We then designed CRISPR spacer sequences targeting T4 and found that wild-type T4 containing glc-HMC was insensitive to attack by CRISPR-Cas9 but mutants with unmodified cytosine were sensitive. Phage with HMC showed only intermediate sensitivity. While this work was in progress, another group reported examples of heavily engineered CRISRP-Cas9 complexes that could, in fact, overcome the effects of T4 DNA modification, indicating that modifications can inhibit but do not always fully block attack.Bacteria were recently found to have a form of adaptive immunity, the CRISPR-Cas systems, which use nucleic acid pairing to recognize and cleave genomic DNA of invaders such as bacteriophage. Historic work with tailed phages has shown that phage DNA is often modified by covalent attachment of large chemical groups. Here we demonstrate that DNA modification in phage T4 inhibits attack by the CRISPR-Cas9 system. This finding provides insight into mechanisms of host-virus competition and also a new set of tools that may be useful in modulating the activity of CRISPR-Cas9 in genome engineering applications. Copyright © 2015 Bryson et al.


July 7, 2019

Complete genome sequence of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Agona 460004 2-1, associated with a multistate outbreak in the United States.

Within the last several years, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Agona has been among the 20 most frequently isolated serovars in clinical cases of salmonellosis. In this report, the complete genome sequence of S. Agona strain 460004 2-1 isolated from unsweetened puffed-rice cereal during a multistate outbreak in 2008 was sequenced using single-molecule real-time DNA sequencing. Copyright © 2015 Hoffmann et al.


July 7, 2019

The mitochondrial genomes of a Myxozoan genus Kudoa are extremely divergent in Metazoa.

The Myxozoa are oligo-cellular parasites with alternate hosts-fish and annelid worms-and some myxozoan species harm farmed fish. The phylum Myxozoa, comprising 2,100 species, was difficult to position in the tree of life, due to its fast evolutionary rate. Recent phylogenomic studies utilizing an extensive number of nuclear-encoded genes have confirmed that Myxozoans belong to Cnidaria. Nevertheless, the evolution of parasitism and extreme body simplification in Myxozoa is not well understood, and no myxozoan mitochondrial DNA sequence has been reported to date. To further elucidate the evolution of Myxozoa, we sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of the myxozoan species Kudoa septempunctata, K. hexapunctata and K. iwatai and compared them with those of other metazoans. The Kudoa mitochondrial genomes code for ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, eight proteins for oxidative phosphorylation and three proteins of unknown function, and they are among the metazoan mitochondrial genomes coding the fewest proteins. The mitochondrial-encoded proteins were extremely divergent, exhibiting the fastest evolutionary rate in Metazoa. Nevertheless, the dN/dS ratios of the protein genes in genus Kudoa were approximately 0.1 and similar to other cnidarians, indicating that the genes are under negative selection. Despite the divergent genetic content, active oxidative phosphorylation was indicated by the transcriptome, metabolism and structure of mitochondria in K. septempunctata. As possible causes, we attributed the divergence to the population genetic characteristics shared between the two most divergent clades, Ctenophora and Myxozoa, and to the parasitic lifestyle of Myxozoa. The fast-evolving, functional mitochondria of the genus Kudoa expanded our understanding of metazoan mitochondrial evolution.


July 7, 2019

The mitochondrial genome of a Texas outbreak strain of the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, derived from whole genome sequencing Pacific Biosciences and Illumina reads.

The cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is one of the most significant medical veterinary pests in the world, vectoring several serious livestock diseases negatively impacting agricultural economies of tropical and subtropical countries around the world. In our study, we assembled the complete R. microplus mitochondrial genome from Illumina and Pac Bio sequencing reads obtained from the ongoing R. microplus (Deutsch strain from Texas, USA) genome sequencing project. We compared the Deutsch strain mitogenome to the mitogenome from a Brazilian R. microplus and from an Australian cattle tick that has recently been taxonomically designated as Rhipicephalus australis after previously being considered R. microplus. The sequence divergence of the Texas and Australia ticks is much higher than the divergence between the Texas and Brazil ticks. This is consistent with the idea that the Australian ticks are distinct from the R. microplus of the Americas. Published by Elsevier B.V.


July 7, 2019

Novel recA-independent horizontal gene transfer in Escherichia coli K-12.

In bacteria, mechanisms that incorporate DNA into a genome without strand-transfer proteins such as RecA play a major role in generating novelty by horizontal gene transfer. We describe a new illegitimate recombination event in Escherichia coli K-12: RecA-independent homologous replacements, with very large (megabase-length) donor patches replacing recipient DNA. A previously uncharacterized gene (yjiP) increases the frequency of RecA-independent replacement recombination. To show this, we used conjugal DNA transfer, combining a classical conjugation donor, HfrH, with modern genome engineering methods and whole genome sequencing analysis to enable interrogation of genetic dependence of integration mechanisms and characterization of recombination products. As in classical experiments, genomic DNA transfer begins at a unique position in the donor, entering the recipient via conjugation; antibiotic resistance markers are then used to select recombinant progeny. Different configurations of this system were used to compare known mechanisms for stable DNA incorporation, including homologous recombination, F’-plasmid formation, and genome duplication. A genome island of interest known as the immigration control region was specifically replaced in a minority of recombinants, at a frequency of 3 X 10-12 CFU/recipient per hour.


July 7, 2019

Complete chloroplast genome sequence of MD-2 pineapple and its comparative analysis among nine other plants from the subclass Commelinidae.

Pineapple (Ananas comosus var. comosus) is known as the king of fruits for its crown and is the third most important tropical fruit after banana and citrus. The plant, which is indigenous to South America, is the most important species in the Bromeliaceae family and is largely traded for fresh fruit consumption. Here, we report the complete chloroplast sequence of the MD-2 pineapple that was sequenced using the PacBio sequencing technology.In this study, the high error rate of PacBio long sequence reads of A. comosus’s total genomic DNA were improved by leveraging on the high accuracy but short Illumina reads for error-correction via the latest error correction module from Novocraft. Error corrected long PacBio reads were assembled by using a single tool to produce a contig representing the pineapple chloroplast genome. The genome of 159,636 bp in length is featured with the conserved quadripartite structure of chloroplast containing a large single copy region (LSC) with a size of 87,482 bp, a small single copy region (SSC) with a size of 18,622 bp and two inverted repeat regions (IRA and IRB) each with the size of 26,766 bp. Overall, the genome contained 117 unique coding regions and 30 were repeated in the IR region with its genes contents, structure and arrangement similar to its sister taxon, Typha latifolia. A total of 35 repeats structure were detected in both the coding and non-coding regions with a majority being tandem repeats. In addition, 205 SSRs were detected in the genome with six protein-coding genes contained more than two SSRs. Comparative chloroplast genomes from the subclass Commelinidae revealed a conservative protein coding gene albeit located in a highly divergence region. Analysis of selection pressure on protein-coding genes using Ka/Ks ratio showed significant positive selection exerted on the rps7 gene of the pineapple chloroplast with P less than 0.05. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the recent taxonomical relation among the member of commelinids which support the monophyly relationship between Arecales and Dasypogonaceae and between Zingiberales to the Poales, which includes the A. comosus.The complete sequence of the chloroplast of pineapple provides insights to the divergence of genic chloroplast sequences from the members of the subclass Commelinidae. The complete pineapple chloroplast will serve as a reference for in-depth taxonomical studies in the Bromeliaceae family when more species under the family are sequenced in the future. The genetic sequence information will also make feasible other molecular applications of the pineapple chloroplast for plant genetic improvement.


July 7, 2019

Complete genome sequence of Achromobacter xylosoxidans MN001, a cystic fibrosis airway isolate.

The genome of Achromobacter xylosoxidans MN001, a strain isolated from sputum derived from an adult cystic fibrosis patient, was sequenced using combined single-molecule real-time and Illumina sequencing. Assembly of the complete genome resulted in a 5,876,039-bp chromosome, representing the smallest A. xylosoxidans genome sequenced to date. Copyright © 2015 Badalamenti and Hunter.


July 7, 2019

Mutation assay using single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing technology

Introduction We present here a simple, phenotype-independent mutation assay using a PacBio RSII DNA sequencer employing single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing technology. Salmonella typhimurium YG7108 was treated with the alkylating agent N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) and grown though several generations to fix the induced mutations, the DNA was extracted and the mutations were analyzed by using the SMRT DNA sequencer. Results The ENU-induced base-substitution frequency was 15.4 per Megabase pair, which is highly consistent with our previous results based on colony isolation and next-generation sequencing. The induced mutation spectrum (95% G:C???A:T, 5% A:T???G:C) is also consistent with the known ENU signature. The base-substitution frequency of the control was calculated to be less than 0.12 per Megabase pair. A current limitation of the approach is the high frequency of artifactual insertion and deletion mutations it detects. Conclusions Ultra-low frequency base-substitution mutations can be detected directly by using the SMRT DNA sequencer, and this technology provides a phenotype-independent mutation assay.


July 7, 2019

Complete genome sequence of the rhizobacterium Pseudomonas trivialis strain IHBB745 with multiple plant growth-promoting activities and tolerance to desiccation and alkalinity

The complete genome sequence of 6.45 Mb is reported here for Pseudomonas trivialis strain IHBB745 (MTCC 5336), which is an efficient, stress-tolerant, and broad-spectrum plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium. The gene-coding clusters predicted the genes for phosphate solubilization, siderophore production, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production, and stress response. Copyright © 2015 Gulati et al.


July 7, 2019

Complete genome sequences of two Bordetella hinzii strains isolated from humans.

Bordetella hinzii is primarily recovered from poultry but can also colonize mammalian hosts and immunocompromised humans. Here, we report the first complete genome sequences of B. hinzii in two isolates recovered from humans. The availability of these sequences will hopefully aid in identifying host-specific determinants variably present within this species. Copyright © 2015 Weigand et al.


July 7, 2019

Complete genome sequence of Streptomyces sp. strain CFMR 7, a natural rubber degrading actinomycete isolated from Penang, Malaysia.

Streptomyces sp. strain CFMR 7, which naturally degrades rubber, was isolated from a rubber plantation. Whole genome sequencing and assembly resulted in 2 contigs with total genome size of 8.248 Mb. Two latex clearing protein (lcp) genes which are responsible for rubber degrading activities were identified. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


July 7, 2019

Complete genome sequence of Arthrobacter sp. ERGS1:01, a putative novel bacterium with prospective cold active industrial enzymes, isolated from East Rathong glacier in India.

We report the complete genome sequence of Arthrobacter sp. ERGS1:01, a novel bacterium which produces industrial enzymes at low temperature. East Rathong glacier in Sikkim Himalayas is untouched and unexplored for microbial diversity though it has a rich source of glaciers, alpine and meadows. Genome sequence has provided the basis for understanding its adaptation under harsh condition of Himalayan glacier, its ability to produce cold active industrial enzymes and has unlocked opportunities for microbial bioprospection from East Rathong glacier. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.


July 7, 2019

Complete genome of the marine bacterium Wenzhouxiangella marina KCTC 42284(T).

Wenzhouxiangella marina is an obligatory aerobic, Gram-negative, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterium that was isolated from the culture broth of marine microalgae, Picochlorum sp. 122. Here we report the 3.67 MB complete genome (65.26 G+C%) of W. marina KCTC 42284(T) encoding 3,016 protein-coding genes, 43 tRNAs and one rRNA operon. The genomic information supports multiple horizontal gene transfer (HGT) events in the history of W. marina, possibly with other marine bacteria co-existing in marine habitats. Evaluation of genomic signatures revealed 19 such HGT-derived genomic islands. Of these, eight were also supported by “genomic context” that refers to the existence of integrases, transposases and tmRNA genes either inside or in near vicinity to the island. The addition of W. marina genome expands the repertoire of marine bacterial genomic diversity, especially because the strain represents the sole genomic resource of a novel taxonomic family in the bacterial order Chromatiales. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


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