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July 7, 2019

Complete genome sequence of Bacillus velezensis YJ11-1-4, a strain with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, isolated from traditional Korean fermented soybean paste.

Bacillus velezensis YJ11-1-4 is a strain that exhibits broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against various pathogens. It was isolated from doenjang, a traditional Korean fermented soybean paste. The genome comprises a single circular chromosome of 4,006,637 bp with 46.42% G+C content without plasmids. Copyright © 2017 Lee et al.


July 7, 2019

The genome of an intranuclear parasite, Paramicrosporidium saccamoebae, reveals alternative adaptations to obligate intracellular parasitism.

Intracellular parasitism often results in gene loss, genome reduction, and dependence upon the host for cellular functioning. Rozellomycota is a clade comprising many such parasites and is related to the diverse, highly reduced, animal parasites, Microsporidia. We sequenced the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes ofParamicrosporidium saccamoebae[Rozellomycota], an intranuclear parasite of amoebae. A canonical fungal mitochondrial genome was recovered fromP. saccamoebaethat encodes genes necessary for the complete oxidative phosphorylation pathway including Complex I, differentiating it from most endoparasites including its sequenced relatives in Rozellomycota and Microsporidia. Comparative analysis revealed thatP. saccamoebaeshares more gene content with distantly related Fungi than with its closest relatives, suggesting that genome evolution in Rozellomycota and Microsporidia has been affected by repeated and independent gene losses, possibly as a result of variation in parasitic strategies (e.g. host and subcellular localization) or due to multiple transitions to parasitism.


July 7, 2019

Post genomics era for orchid research.

Among 300,000 species in angiosperms, Orchidaceae containing 30,000 species is one of the largest families. Almost every habitats on earth have orchid plants successfully colonized, and it indicates that orchids are among the plants with significant ecological and evolutionary importance. So far, four orchid genomes have been sequenced, including Phalaenopsis equestris, Dendrobium catenatum, Dendrobium officinale, and Apostaceae shengen. Here, we review the current progress and the direction of orchid research in the post genomics era. These include the orchid genome evolution, genome mapping (genome-wide association analysis, genetic map, physical map), comparative genomics (especially receptor-like kinase and terpene synthase), secondary metabolomics, and genome editing.


July 7, 2019

Genome-wide epigenetic studies in chicken: A review

Over the years, farmed birds have been selected on various performance traits mainly through genetic selection. However, many studies have shown that genetics may not be the sole contributor to phenotypic plasticity. Gene expression programs can be influenced by environmentally induced epigenetic changes that may alter the phenotypes of the developing animals. Recently, high-throughput sequencing techniques became sufficiently affordable thanks to technological advances to study whole epigenetic landscapes in model plants and animals. In birds, a growing number of studies recently took advantage of these techniques to gain insights into the epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation in processes such as immunity or environmental adaptation. Here, we review the current gain of knowledge on the chicken epigenome made possible by recent advances in high-throughput sequencing techniques by focusing on the two most studied epigenetic modifications, DNA methylation and histone post-translational modifications. We discuss and provide insights about designing and performing analyses to further explore avian epigenomes. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the epigenetic regulation of gene expression in relation to bird phenotypes may provide new knowledge and markers that should undoubtedly contribute to a sustainable poultry production.


July 7, 2019

Bi-level error correction for PacBio long reads.

The latest sequencing technologies such as the Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) and Oxford Nanopore machines can generate long reads at the length of thousands of nucleic bases which is much longer than the reads at the length of hundreds generated by Illumina machines. However, these long reads are prone to much higher error rates, for example 15%, making downstream analysis and applications very difficult. Error correction is a process to improve the quality of sequencing data. Hybrid correction strategies have been recently proposed to combine Illumina reads of low error rates to fix sequencing errors in the noisy long reads with good performance. In this paper, we propose a new method named Bicolor, a bi-level framework of hybrid error correction for further improving the quality of PacBio long reads. At the first level, our method uses a de Bruijn graph-based error correction idea to search paths in pairs of solid -mers iteratively with an increasing length of -mer. At the second level, we combine the processed results under different parameters from the first level. In particular, a multiple sequence alignment algorithm is used to align those similar long reads, followed by a voting algorithm which determines the final base at each position of the reads. We compare the superior performance of Bicolor with three state-of-the-art methods on three real data sets. Results demonstrate that Bicolor always achieves the highest identity ratio. Bicolor also achieves a higher alignment ratio () and a higher number of aligned reads than the current methods on two data sets. On the third data set, our method is closely competitive to the current methods in terms of number of aligned reads and genome coverage. The C++ source codes of our algorithm are freely available at https://github.com/yuansliu/Bicolor.


July 7, 2019

Genome misclassification of Klebsiella variicola and Klebsiella quasipneumoniae isolated from plants, animals and humans

Objective. Due to the fact that K. variicola, K. quasipneumoniae and K. pneumoniae are closely related bacterial species, misclassification can occur due to mistakes either in normal biochemical tests or during submission to public databases. The objective of this work was to identify K. variicola and K. quasipneumoniae genomes misclassified in GenBank database. Materials and methods. Both rpoB phylogenies and average nucleotide identity (ANI) were used to identify a significant number of misclassified Klebsiella spp. genomes. Results. Here we report an update of K. variicola and K. quasipneumoniae genomes correctly classified and a list of isolated genomes obtained from humans, plants, animals and insects, described originally as K. pneumoniae or K. variicola, but known now to be misclassified. Conclusions. This work contributes to recognize the extensive presence of K. variicola and K. quasipneumoniae isolates in diverse sites and samples.


July 7, 2019

Sex-specific influences of mtDNA mitotype and diet on mitochondrial functions and physiological traits in Drosophila melanogaster.

Here we determine the sex-specific influence of mtDNA type (mitotype) and diet on mitochondrial functions and physiology in two Drosophila melanogaster lines. In many species, males and females differ in aspects of their energy production. These sex-specific influences may be caused by differences in evolutionary history and physiological functions. We predicted the influence of mtDNA mutations should be stronger in males than females as a result of the organelle’s maternal mode of inheritance in the majority of metazoans. In contrast, we predicted the influence of diet would be greater in females due to higher metabolic flexibility. We included four diets that differed in their protein: carbohydrate (P:C) ratios as they are the two-major energy-yielding macronutrients in the fly diet. We assayed four mitochondrial function traits (Complex I oxidative phosphorylation, reactive oxygen species production, superoxide dismutase activity, and mtDNA copy number) and four physiological traits (fecundity, longevity, lipid content, and starvation resistance). Traits were assayed at 11 d and 25 d of age. Consistent with predictions we observe that the mitotype influenced males more than females supporting the hypothesis of a sex-specific selective sieve in the mitochondrial genome caused by the maternal inheritance of mitochondria. Also, consistent with predictions, we found that the diet influenced females more than males.


July 7, 2019

De novo design and synthesis of a 30-cistron translation-factor module.

Two of the many goals of synthetic biology are synthesizing large biochemical systems and simplifying their assembly. While several genes have been assembled together by modular idempotent cloning, it is unclear if such simplified strategies scale to very large constructs for expression and purification of whole pathways. Here we synthesize from oligodeoxyribonucleotides a completely de-novo-designed, 58-kb multigene DNA. This BioBrick plasmid insert encodes 30 of the 31 translation factors of the PURE translation system, each His-tagged and in separate transcription cistrons. Dividing the insert between three high-copy expression plasmids enables the bulk purification of the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and translation factors necessary for affordable, scalable reconstitution of an in vitro transcription and translation system, PURE 3.0.© The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.


July 7, 2019

Unlocking the biological potential of Euglena gracilis: evolution, cell biology and significance to parasitism

Photosynthetic euglenids are major components of aquatic ecosystems and relatives of trypanosomes. Euglena gracilis has considerable biotechnological potential and great adaptability, but exploitation remains hampered by the absence of a comprehensive gene catalogue. We address this by genome, RNA and protein sequencing: the E. gracilis genome is >2Gb, with 36,526 predicted proteins. Large lineage-specific paralog families are present, with evidence for flexibility in environmental monitoring, divergent mechanisms for metabolic control, and novel solutions for adaptation to extreme environments. Contributions from photosynthetic eukaryotes to the nuclear genome, consistent with the shopping bag model are found, together with transitions between kinetoplastid and canonical systems. Control of protein expression is almost exclusively post-transcriptional. These data are a major advance in understanding the nuclear genomes of euglenids and provide a platform for investigating the contributions of E. gracilis and its relatives to the biosphere.


July 7, 2019

The plastid genome in Cladophorales green algae is encoded by hairpin chromosomes.

Virtually all plastid (chloroplast) genomes are circular double-stranded DNA molecules, typically between 100 and 200 kb in size and encoding circa 80-250 genes. Exceptions to this universal plastid genome architecture are very few and include the dinoflagellates, where genes are located on DNA minicircles. Here we report on the highly deviant chloroplast genome of Cladophorales green algae, which is entirely fragmented into hairpin chromosomes. Short- and long-read high-throughput sequencing of DNA and RNA demonstrated that the chloroplast genes of Boodlea composita are encoded on 1- to 7-kb DNA contigs with an exceptionally high GC content, each containing a long inverted repeat with one or two protein-coding genes and conserved non-coding regions putatively involved in replication and/or expression. We propose that these contigs correspond to linear single-stranded DNA molecules that fold onto themselves to form hairpin chromosomes. The Boodlea chloroplast genes are highly divergent from their corresponding orthologs, and display an alternative genetic code. The origin of this highly deviant chloroplast genome most likely occurred before the emergence of the Cladophorales, and coincided with an elevated transfer of chloroplast genes to the nucleus. A chloroplast genome that is composed only of linear DNA molecules is unprecedented among eukaryotes, and highlights unexpected variation in plastid genome architecture. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


July 7, 2019

Complete genome sequence of Spirosoma pulveris JSH 5-14 T, a bacterium isolated from a dust sample

Dust particles from the deserts and semiarid lands in northern China cause pollution that increase the burden of allergic disease particularly in the urban population of East Asia. Dust particles that carried with windstorm are associated with microbial populations, which include virus, bacteria, and fungi. Spirosoma pulveris JSH 5-14T isolated from the gamma ray-irradiated dust sample collected at Nonsan, Chungnam province, South Korea and showed resistance against gamma and UV radiation. We carried out the whole genome sequencing to understand insight of radiation resistance and their mechanisms of survival. The whole genome of strain JSH 5-14T is comprised of 7,188,680 bp (G+C content of 50.50%) including 5,896 protein-coding genes and 52 RNA genes. The genome analysis of strain JSH 5-14T showed the presence of several genes involved in DNA repair pathways and defense mechanism against irradiation. In this study, we discuss the implication of such findings concerning other radiation resistant bacteria.


July 7, 2019

Integrating transcriptomic and proteomic data for accurate assembly and annotation of genomes.

Complementing genome sequence with deep transcriptome and proteome data could enable more accurate assembly and annotation of newly sequenced genomes. Here, we provide a proof-of-concept of an integrated approach for analysis of the genome and proteome of Anopheles stephensi, which is one of the most important vectors of the malaria parasite. To achieve broad coverage of genes, we carried out transcriptome sequencing and deep proteome profiling of multiple anatomically distinct sites. Based on transcriptomic data alone, we identified and corrected 535 events of incomplete genome assembly involving 1196 scaffolds and 868 protein-coding gene models. This proteogenomic approach enabled us to add 365 genes that were missed during genome annotation and identify 917 gene correction events through discovery of 151 novel exons, 297 protein extensions, 231 exon extensions, 192 novel protein start sites, 19 novel translational frames, 28 events of joining of exons, and 76 events of joining of adjacent genes as a single gene. Incorporation of proteomic evidence allowed us to change the designation of more than 87 predicted “noncoding RNAs” to conventional mRNAs coded by protein-coding genes. Importantly, extension of the newly corrected genome assemblies and gene models to 15 other newly assembled Anopheline genomes led to the discovery of a large number of apparent discrepancies in assembly and annotation of these genomes. Our data provide a framework for how future genome sequencing efforts should incorporate transcriptomic and proteomic analysis in combination with simultaneous manual curation to achieve near complete assembly and accurate annotation of genomes.© 2017 Prasad et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.


July 7, 2019

Letting go: bacterial genome reduction solves the dilemma of adapting to predation mortality in a substrate-restricted environment.

Resource limitation and predation mortality are major determinants of microbial population dynamics, and optimization for either aspect is considered to imply a trade-off with respect to the other. Adaptation to these selective factors may, moreover, lead to disadvantages at rich growth conditions. We present an example of a concomitant evolutionary optimization to both, substrate limitation and predation in an aggregate-forming freshwater bacterial isolate, and we elucidate an underlying genomic mechanism. Bacteria were propagated in serial batch culture in a nutrient-restricted environment either with or without a bacterivorous flagellate. Strains isolated after 26 growth cycles of the predator-prey co-cultures formed as much total biomass as the ancestor at ancestral growth conditions, albeit largely reallocated to cell aggregates. A ~273?kbp genome fragment was lost in three strains that had independently evolved with predators. These strains had significantly higher growth yield on substrate-restricted media than others that were isolated from the same treatment before the excision event. Under predation pressure, the isolates with the deletion outcompeted both, the ancestor and the strains evolved without predators even at rich growth conditions. At the same time, genome reduction led to a growth disadvantage in the presence of benzoate due to the loss of the respective degradation pathway, suggesting that niche constriction might be the price for the bidirectional optimization.


July 7, 2019

Microbial bioinformatics for food safety and production.

In the production of fermented foods, microbes play an important role. Optimization of fermentation processes or starter culture production traditionally was a trial-and-error approach inspired by expert knowledge of the fermentation process. Current developments in high-throughput ‘omics’ technologies allow developing more rational approaches to improve fermentation processes both from the food functionality as well as from the food safety perspective. Here, the authors thematically review typical bioinformatics techniques and approaches to improve various aspects of the microbial production of fermented food products and food safety. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.


July 7, 2019

High incidence of invasive group A Streptococcus disease caused by strains of uncommon emm types in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.

An outbreak of type emm59 invasive group A Streptococcus (iGAS) disease was declared in 2008 in Thunder Bay District, Northwestern Ontario, two years after a country-wide emm59 epidemic was recognized in Canada. Despite a declining number of emm59 infections since 2010, numerous cases of iGAS disease continue to be reported in the area. We collected clinical information on all iGAS cases recorded in Thunder Bay District from 2008-2013. We also emm typed and sequenced the genomes of all available strains isolated in 2011-2013 from iGAS infections, and from severe cases of soft tissue infections. We used whole-genome data to investigate the population structure of GAS strains of the most frequently isolated emm types. We report increased incidence of iGAS in Thunder Bay compared to the metropolitan area of Toronto/Peel and the province of Ontario. Illicit drug use, alcohol abuse, homelessness and hepatitis C infection were underlying diseases or conditions that might have predisposed patients to iGAS disease. Most cases were caused by clonal strains of “skin” or “generalist” emm types (i.e. emm82, emm87, emm101, emm4, emm83, and emm114), uncommonly seen in other areas of the province. We observed rapid waxing and waning of emm types causing disease and their replacement by other emm types associated with the same tissue tropisms. Thus, iGAS disease in Thunder Bay District predominantly affects a select population of disadvantaged persons and is caused by clonally related strains of a few “skin” and “generalist” emm types less commonly associated with iGAS in other areas of Ontario. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.


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