Search

Gene similarity has been an area of great interest in numerous fields for decades, as it can provide insights into the evolutionary relationships among different species. This knowledge is particularly useful for advancing biotechnologies, discovering new drugs and treatments for various issues and improving the characteristics in breed crops or animals. DNA sequencing enables gene annotation, which facilitates the identification of similarities between genes. Similar genes from different species are interesting candidates for studying gene functional similarity. Gene ontology (GO) provides a standardized vocabulary for gene annotation, which is considered to be the ground truth when describing their properties. Nevertheless, an interesting source for gathering additional information about genes can be the plethora of biomedical articles accessible online. These are the pillars on which is foundered the incentive of this paper - an endeavor to investigate how using graph theory could benefit scientists in transferring knowledge about gene functionalities between different plants. We present an overview of the methodology and the design of the system we used in order to convey to what extent using subgraphs similarity based on annotated data proves to yield results similar to those already established as ground truth for the model plant Arabidopsis Thaliana and its counterpart, Solanum Lycopersicum, as well as our conclusions and discussions regarding the quality of the datasets used throughout this research., Computer Science | Software Technology

SDR (Short-chain Dehydrogenases/Reductases) are one of the oldest and heterogeneous superfamily of proteins, whose classification is problematic because of the low percent identity, even within families. To get clearer insights into SDR molecular evolution, we explored the splicing site organization of the 75 human SDR genes across their vertebrate and invertebrate orthologs. We found anomalous gene structures in members of the human SDR7C and SDR42E families that provide clues of retrogene properties and independent evolutionary trajectories from a common invertebrate ancestor. The same analyses revealed that the identity value between human and invertebrate non-allelic variants is not necessarily associated with the homologous gene structure. Accordingly, a revision of the SDR nomenclature is proposed by including the human SDR40C1 and SDR7C gene in the same family.

BackgroundThe circadian clock drives endogenous 24-h rhythms that allow organisms to adapt and prepare for predictable and repeated changes in their environment throughout the day-night (diurnal) cycle. Many components of the circadian clock in Arabidopsis thaliana have been functionally characterized, but comparatively little is known about circadian clocks in grass species including major crops like maize and sorghum.ResultsComparative research based on protein homology and diurnal gene expression patterns suggests the function of some predicted clock components in grasses is conserved with their Arabidopsis counterparts, while others have diverged in function. Our analysis of diurnal gene expression in three panicoid grasses sorghum, maize, and foxtail millet revealed conserved and divergent evolution of expression for core circadian clock genes and for the overall transcriptome. We find that several classes of core circadian clock genes in these grasses differ in copy number compared to Arabidopsis, but mostly exhibit conservation of both protein sequence and diurnal expression pattern with the notable exception of maize paralogous genes. We predict conserved cis-regulatory motifs shared between maize, sorghum, and foxtail millet through identification of diurnal co-expression clusters for a subset of 27,196 orthologous syntenic genes. In this analysis, a Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel based method to control for background variation identified significant enrichment for both expected and novel 6-8 nucleotide motifs in the promoter regions of genes with shared diurnal regulation predicted to function in common physiological activities.ConclusionsThis study illustrates the divergence and conservation of circadian clocks and diurnal regulatory networks across syntenic orthologous genes in panacoid grass species. Further, conserved local regulatory sequences contribute to the architecture of these diurnal regulatory networks that produce conserved patterns of diurnal gene

Key message We provide novel genomic resources for Taxus baccata in the form of a reference transcriptome, SSR and SNP markers, and orthologous single-copy genes, useful for phylogenomic and population genomic applications. Abstract English yew (T. baccata) is the only European representative of the Taxaceae family, a conifer group originated in the Jurassic period. The wide extent of environmental heterogeneity within the species’ range, together with its long presence in Europe, make English yew an ideal species to investigate adaptive evolution in conifers. To enlarge the genomic resources available for this species, we used Illumina short read sequencing followed by de novo assembly to build the transcriptome of English yew. In addition to a fully annotated transcriptome as well as large sets of new potential SSR and SNP markers for T. baccata, we provide a data set of orthologous single-copy genes across three Taxus species using Picea sitchensis as outgroup, and discuss ortholog uses and limitations for phylogenomic and population genomic applications.

Many important crops have received little attention by the scientific community, either because they are not considered economically important or due to their large and complex genomes. De novo transcriptome assembly, using next-generation sequencing data, is an attractive option for the study of these orphan crops. In spite of the large amount of sequencing data that can be generated, there is currently a lack of tools which can effectively help molecular breeders and biologists to mine this type of information. Our goal was to develop a tool that enables molecular breeders, without extensive bioinformatics knowledge, to efficiently study de novo transcriptome data from any orphan crop (http://www.bioinformatics.nl/denovobrowser/db/species/index). The Orphan Crops Browser has been designed to facilitate the following tasks (1) search and identification of candidate transcripts based on phylogenetic relationships between orthologous sequence data from a set of related species and (2) design specific and degenerate primers for expression studies in the orphan crop of interest. To demonstrate the usability and reliability of the browser, it was used to identify the putative orthologues of 17 known lignin biosynthetic genes from maize and sugarcane in the orphan crop Miscanthus sinensis. Expression studies in miscanthus stem internode tissue differing in maturation were subsequently carried out, to follow the expression of these genes during lignification. Our results showed a negative correlation between lignin content and gene expression. The present data are in agreement with recent findings in maize and other crops, and it is further discussed in this paper.

Background and aimsArachis batizocoi is a wild relative of cultivated peanut (A. hypogaea), an allotetraploid with an AABB genome. Arachis batizocoi was once considered the ancestral donor of the peanut B genome, but cytogenetics and DNA phylogenies have indicated a new genome classification, 'K'. These observations seem inconsistent with genetic studies and breeding that have shown that A. batizocoi can behave as a B genome.MethodsThe genetic behaviour, genome composition and phylogenetic position of A. batizocoi were studied using controlled hybridizations, induced tetraploidy, whole-genome in situ fluorescent hybridization (GISH) and molecular phylogenetics.Key resultsSterile diploid hybrids containing AK genomes were obtained using A. batizocoi and the A genome species A. duranensis, A. stenosperma, A. correntina or A. villosa. From these, three types of AAKK allotetraploids were obtained, each in multiple independent polyploidy events. Induced allotetraploids were vigorous and fertile, and were hybridized to A. hypogaea to produce F1 hybrids. Even with the same parental combination, fertility of these F1 hybrids varied greatly, suggesting the influence of stochastic genetic or epigenetic events. Interestingly, hybrids with A. hypogaea ssp. hypogaea were significantly more fertile than those with the subspecies fastigiata. GISH in cultivated × induced allotetraploids hybrids (harbouring AABK genomes) and a molecular phylogeny using 16 intron sequences showed that the K genome is distinct, but more closely related to the B than to the A genome.ConclusionsThe K genome of A. batizocoi is more related to B than to the A genome, but is distinct. As such, when incorporated in an induced allotetraploid (AAKK) it can behave as a B genome in crosses with peanut. However, the fertility of hybrids and their progeny depends upon the compatibility of the A genome interactions. The genetic distinctness of A. batizocoi makes it an important source of allelic diversity in itsel

Most of the gene regulation pathways data from biochemical and molecular experiments are drawn from humans or from species commonly used as experimental animal models. Accordingly, the software packages to analyse these data on the basis of specific gene identification codes (IDs) or accession numbers (AN) are not easy to apply to other organisms that are less characterized at the genomic level. Here, we have developed the Gene2Path programme which automatically searches pathway databases to analyse microarray data in an independent, species-specific way. We have illustrated the method with data obtained from an immune targeted rainbow trout microarray to search for orthologous pathways defined for other well known biological species, such as zebrafish, although the software can be applied to any other case or species of interest. The scripts and programme are available and free at the “GENE2PATH” web site http://gene2path.no-ip.org/cgi-bin/gene2path/index.cgi. A user guide and examples are provided with the package. The Gene2Path software allows the automated searching of NCBI databases and the straightforward visualization of the data retrieved based on a graphic network environment.

ADP-ribosyltransferases including toxins secreted by Vibrio cholera, Pseudomonas aerurginosa, and other pathogenic bacteria inactivate the function of human target proteins by attaching ADP-ribose onto a critical amino acid residue. Cross-species polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and database mining identified the orthologs of these ADP-ribosylating toxins in humans and the mouse. The human genome contains four functional toxin-related ADP-ribosyltransferase genes (ARTs) and two related intron-containing pseudogenes; the mouse has six functional orthologs. The human and mouse ART genes map to chromosomal regions with conserved linkage synteny. The individual ART genes reveal highly restricted expression patterns, which are largely conserved in humans and the mouse. We confirmed the predicted extracellular location of the ART proteins by expressing recombinant ARTs in insect cells. Two human and four mouse ARTs contain the active site motif (R-S-EXE) typical of arginine-specific ADP-ribosyltransferases and exhibit the predicted enzyme activities. Two other human ARTs and their murine orthologues deviate in the active site motif and lack detectable enzyme activity. Conceivably, these ARTs may have acquired a new specificity or function. The position-sensitive iterative database search program PSI-BLAST connected the mammalian ARTs with most known bacterial ADP-ribosylating toxins. In contrast, no related open reading frames occur in the four completed genomes of lower eucaryotes (yeast, worm, fly, and mustard weed). Interestingly, these organisms also lack genes for ADP-ribosylhydrolases, the enzymes that reverse protein ADP-ribosylation. This suggests that the two enzyme families that catalyze reversible mono-ADP-ribosylation either were lost from the genomes of these nonchordata eucaryotes or were subject to horizontal gene transfer between kingdoms., Depto. de Inmunología, Oftalmología y ORL, Fac. de Medicina, TRUE, pub

A widespread bacterium Serratia marcescens (family Enterobacteriaceae) is an opportunistic pathogen and exhibits multiple drug resistance. Active removal of antibiotics and other antimicrobials from the cells by efflux systems is one of the mechanisms responsible for microbial resistance to these compounds. Among enterobacteria, efflux systems of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium have been studied most extensively. Few efflux systems that belong to different families have been reported for S. marcescens. In this review, we analyzed available literature about S. marcescens efflux systems and carried out the comparative analysis of the genes encoding the RND type systems in different Serratia species and in other enterobacteria. Bioinformatical analysis of the S. marcescens genome allowed us to identify the previously unknown efflux systems based on their homology with the relevant E. coli genes. Identification of additional efflux systems in S. marcescens genome will promote our understanding of the physiology of these bacteria, will detect new molecular mechanisms of resistance, and will reveal their resistance potential. © 2013 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.

A widespread bacterium Serratia marcescens (family Enterobacteriaceae) is an opportunistic pathogen and exhibits multiple drug resistance. Active removal of antibiotics and other antimicrobials from the cells by efflux systems is one of the mechanisms responsible for microbial resistance to these compounds. Among enterobacteria, efflux systems of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium have been studied most extensively. Few efflux systems that belong to different families have been reported for S. marcescens. In this review, we analyzed available literature about S. marcescens efflux systems and carried out the comparative analysis of the genes encoding the RND type systems in different Serratia species and in other enterobacteria. Bioinformatical analysis of the S. marcescens genome allowed us to identify the previously unknown efflux systems based on their homology with the relevant E. coli genes. Identification of additional efflux systems in S. marcescens genome will promote our understanding of the physiology of these bacteria, will detect new molecular mechanisms of resistance, and will reveal their resistance potential. © 2013 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.

Genomová sekvence je důležitým zdrojem informací v oblasti biologie, a proto je neustálým předmětem zájmu vědeckého výzkumu. Na práci s genomem a jeho analýzu nabízí bioinformatika různé výpočetní metody. Tato práce se věnuje bakteriálnímu genomu, jeho organizaci, základním vlastnostem a následně popisuje jeho anotaci. Zaměřuje se hlavně na funkční anotaci (popis biologické funkce predikovaných genů) na základě přiřazení takzvaných klastrů ortologních genů (COG) s využitím sekvenční homologie. Popisuje nejpoužívanější nástroje a databáze, které se využívají pro COG anotaci a poté několik z nich porovnává při anotaci sedmi bakteriálních genomů. Jejím hlavním cílem je navrhnout metodu, která vylepší COG anotaci a zjednoduší její výslednou vizualizaci., The genome sequence is an essential informational resource in the field of biology and it is, therefore, a constant subject of scientific research. Bioinformatics offers computational methods for genome’s automatic analysis and processing. The bachelor thesis is dedicated to the bacterial genome, its organization, and fundamental characteristics, and subsequently description of its annotation. It mainly focuses on functional annotation (description of the biological function of predicted genes) using assignment to clusters of orthologous genes (COG) based on sequential homology. It describes the most commonly used tools and databases that use this type of annotation and then compares some of them by annotating seven bacterial genomes. Its main task is to propose a new method that improves COG annotation and makes it easy to visualize.

Genomová sekvence je důležitým zdrojem informací v oblasti biologie, a proto je neustálým předmětem zájmu vědeckého výzkumu. Na práci s genomem a jeho analýzu nabízí bioinformatika různé výpočetní metody. Tato práce se věnuje bakteriálnímu genomu, jeho organizaci, základním vlastnostem a následně popisuje jeho anotaci. Zaměřuje se hlavně na funkční anotaci (popis biologické funkce predikovaných genů) na základě přiřazení takzvaných klastrů ortologních genů (COG) s využitím sekvenční homologie. Popisuje nejpoužívanější nástroje a databáze, které se využívají pro COG anotaci a poté několik z nich porovnává při anotaci sedmi bakteriálních genomů. Jejím hlavním cílem je navrhnout metodu, která vylepší COG anotaci a zjednoduší její výslednou vizualizaci., The genome sequence is an essential informational resource in the field of biology and it is, therefore, a constant subject of scientific research. Bioinformatics offers computational methods for genome’s automatic analysis and processing. The bachelor thesis is dedicated to the bacterial genome, its organization, and fundamental characteristics, and subsequently description of its annotation. It mainly focuses on functional annotation (description of the biological function of predicted genes) using assignment to clusters of orthologous genes (COG) based on sequential homology. It describes the most commonly used tools and databases that use this type of annotation and then compares some of them by annotating seven bacterial genomes. Its main task is to propose a new method that improves COG annotation and makes it easy to visualize.

Genomová sekvence je důležitým zdrojem informací v oblasti biologie, a proto je neustálým předmětem zájmu vědeckého výzkumu. Na práci s genomem a jeho analýzu nabízí bioinformatika různé výpočetní metody. Tato práce se věnuje bakteriálnímu genomu, jeho organizaci, základním vlastnostem a následně popisuje jeho anotaci. Zaměřuje se hlavně na funkční anotaci (popis biologické funkce predikovaných genů) na základě přiřazení takzvaných klastrů ortologních genů (COG) s využitím sekvenční homologie. Popisuje nejpoužívanější nástroje a databáze, které se využívají pro COG anotaci a poté několik z nich porovnává při anotaci sedmi bakteriálních genomů. Jejím hlavním cílem je navrhnout metodu, která vylepší COG anotaci a zjednoduší její výslednou vizualizaci., The genome sequence is an essential informational resource in the field of biology and it is, therefore, a constant subject of scientific research. Bioinformatics offers computational methods for genome’s automatic analysis and processing. The bachelor thesis is dedicated to the bacterial genome, its organization, and fundamental characteristics, and subsequently description of its annotation. It mainly focuses on functional annotation (description of the biological function of predicted genes) using assignment to clusters of orthologous genes (COG) based on sequential homology. It describes the most commonly used tools and databases that use this type of annotation and then compares some of them by annotating seven bacterial genomes. Its main task is to propose a new method that improves COG annotation and makes it easy to visualize.

Genomová sekvence je důležitým zdrojem informací v oblasti biologie, a proto je neustálým předmětem zájmu vědeckého výzkumu. Na práci s genomem a jeho analýzu nabízí bioinformatika různé výpočetní metody. Tato práce se věnuje bakteriálnímu genomu, jeho organizaci, základním vlastnostem a následně popisuje jeho anotaci. Zaměřuje se hlavně na funkční anotaci (popis biologické funkce predikovaných genů) na základě přiřazení takzvaných klastrů ortologních genů (COG) s využitím sekvenční homologie. Popisuje nejpoužívanější nástroje a databáze, které se využívají pro COG anotaci a poté několik z nich porovnává při anotaci sedmi bakteriálních genomů. Jejím hlavním cílem je navrhnout metodu, která vylepší COG anotaci a zjednoduší její výslednou vizualizaci., The genome sequence is an essential informational resource in the field of biology and it is, therefore, a constant subject of scientific research. Bioinformatics offers computational methods for genome’s automatic analysis and processing. The bachelor thesis is dedicated to the bacterial genome, its organization, and fundamental characteristics, and subsequently description of its annotation. It mainly focuses on functional annotation (description of the biological function of predicted genes) using assignment to clusters of orthologous genes (COG) based on sequential homology. It describes the most commonly used tools and databases that use this type of annotation and then compares some of them by annotating seven bacterial genomes. Its main task is to propose a new method that improves COG annotation and makes it easy to visualize.