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A system based on cyanobacterial split inteins, SICLOPPs (Split Intein Circular Ligation of Proteins and Peptides), has been used to synthesise a small natively cyclic plant protein, kalata B1, and cyclised versions of the natively linear therapeutic peptides ziconotide and leconotide. The cyclic versions of these naturally linear peptides include linker sequences between their native termini to allow the correct tertiary structure to form. The native structure of each includes three disulphide bonds characteristic of knottins. Cyclic permutations of leconotide yielded different proportions of correctly spliced product, identifying an optimal splice site and revealing the influence of residues around the splice junction. The rate of splicing was manipulated to facilitate affinity purification prior to intein-mediated removal of the affinity tag.

Introduction.Pseudomonas syringaepv. actinidiae (Psa) has emerged as a major bacterial pathogen of kiwifruit cultivation throughout the world.Aim.We aim to introduce a CRISPR–Cas9 system, a commonly used genome editing tool, into Psa. The protocols may also be useful in otherPseudomonasspecies.Methodology.Using standard molecular biology techniques, we modified plasmid pCas9, which carries the CRISPR–Cas9 sequences fromStreptococcus pyogenes,for use in Psa. The final plasmid, pJH1, was produced in a series of steps and is maintained with selection in bothEscherichia coliand Psa.Results.We have constructed plasmids carrying a CRISPR–Cas9 system based on that ofS. pyogenes, which can be maintained, under selection, in Psa. We have shown that the gene targeting capacity of the CRISPR–Cas9 system is active and that the Cas9 protein is able to cleave the targeted sites. The Cas9 was directed to several different sites in theP. syringaegenome. Using Cas9 we have generated Psa transformants that no longer carry the native plasmid present in Psa, and other transformants that lack the integrative, conjugative element, Pac_ICE1. Targeting of a specific gene, a chromosomal non-ribosomal peptide synthetase, led to gene knockouts with the transformants having deletions encompassing the target site.Conclusion.We have constructed shuttle plasmids carrying a CRISPR–Cas9 system that are maintained in bothE. coliandP. syringaepv. actinidiae. We have used this gene editing system to eliminate features of the accessory genome (plasmids or ICEs) from Psa and to target a single chromosomal gene.

Introduction. The bacterial pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa), has emerged as a major threat to kiwifruit cultivation throughout the world. One pandemic strain (from the Psa3 group) has occurred in various geographical regions. It is important to understand how this pathogen is being transmitted.Aim. Although Psa has been found in Korea since 1992, the isolates were until recently of a distinct type (Psa2). Recently, the more virulent Psa3 type has been detected. The purpose of this study was to describe the variety of Psa3 now found in Korea.Methodology. Strains were isolated from kiwifruit plants in Korea and from pollen imported into Korea from New Zealand. The genomes of 10 isolates were sequenced using the Illumina platform and compared to the completely assembled genomes of pandemic Psa3 strains from New Zealand and China. Comparisons were also made with pandemic strains from Chile and non-pandemic Psa3 isolates from China.Results. Six of the 10 Psa3 isolates from Korea show a clear relationship with New Zealand isolates. Two isolates show a distinct relationship to isolates from Chile; one further isolate has a sequence that is highly similar to that of M228, a strain previously isolated in China; and the last isolate belongs to the Psa3 group, but is not a member of the pandemic lineage.Conclusion. This analysis establishes that there have been multiple routes of transmission of the Psa3 pandemic strain into Korea. One route has involved the importation of pollen from New Zealand. A second route probably involves importation from Chile.

Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (PSA) strains can be grouped into four major groups, Psa1 (Japan), Psa2 (Korea), Psa3 (China, New Zealand, Chile, Europe, Korea) and Psa5, recently described from Japan. These PSA groups have similar core genomes but have a strikingly diverse repertoire of accessory genomes. For example, great sequence diversity is shown by the integrative conjugative elements (ICEs). Pac_ICE1 is present in strains from China and New Zealand, Pac_ICE2 is found in strains from China and Europe, Pac_ICE3 is found in strains from China and Chile, Pac_ICE4 is present in strain PA459 (Japan), Pac_ICE5, Pac_ICE6 and Pac_ICE8 have been found only in PSA from China, while Pac_ICE7 is present only in recently isolated strains from Korea. These ICEs are about 70,000-100,000 bp, occupy one of two lysine tRNA sites in the genome and carry a diverse array of accessory genes and mobile elements. A large variety of Insertion Sequences (IS) and complex transposons also contribute to the PSA accessory genome. A plasmid of 74,432 bp can be found in the Psa3 strains, while some Psa3 strains from Korea also carry a plasmid of more than 300,000 bp.

Here, we present an updated genome assembly of the diploid chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis strain RTP6. This strain is part of the global panzootic lineage (BdGPL) and was isolated in Dunedin, New Zealand., Here, we present an updated genome assembly of the diploid chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis strain RTP6. This strain is part of the global panzootic lineage (BdGPL) and was isolated in Dunedin, New Zealand. The assembly was generated using PacBio long-read and Illumina short-read data, allowing for the accurate phasing of heterozygosities.

We present here the complete genome sequence of M228, a Chinese biovar 3 strain of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae, a bacterial pathogen of kiwifruit., We present here the complete genome sequence of M228, a Chinese biovar 3 strain of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae, a bacterial pathogen of kiwifruit. A comparison of the insertion sequence (IS) profile of M228 with that of ICMP18708, a New Zealand isolate of P. syringae pv. actinidiae, provided insight into the evolutionary history of IS elements within biovar 3.

We present the first complete genome sequence of a copper-resistant biovar 5 strain of a bacterial pathogen of kiwifruit, Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae. Comparison with the genome sequence of a copper-sensitive biovar 5 isolate indicates that copper resistance is encoded on a plasmid.

The modern pandemic of the bacterial kiwifruit pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae (Psa) is caused by a particular Psa lineage. To better understand the genetic basis of the virulence of this lineage, we compare the completely assembled genome of a pandemic New Zealand strain with that of the Psa type strain first isolated in Japan in 1983. Aligning the two genomes shows numerous translocations, constrained so as to retain the appropriate orientation of the Architecture Imparting Sequences (AIMs). There are several large horizontally acquired regions, some of which include Type I, Type II or Type III restriction systems. The activity of these systems is reflected in the methylation patterns of the two strains. The pandemic strain carries an Integrative Conjugative Element (ICE) located at a tRNA-Lys site. Two other complex elements are also present at tRNA-Lys sites in the genome. These elements are derived from ICE but have now acquired some alternative secretion function. There are numerous types of mobile element in the two genomes. Analysis of these elements reveals no evidence of recombination between the two Psa lineages.

The mobile elements termed inteins have a sporadic distribution in microorganisms. It is unclear how these elements are maintained. Inteins are intervening protein sequences that autocatalytically excise themselves from a precursor. Excision is a post-translational process referred to as 'protein splicing' in which the sequences flanking the intein are ligated, reforming the mature host protein. Some inteins contain a homing endonuclease domain (HEG) that is proposed to facilitate propagation of the intein element within a gene pool. We have previously demonstrated that the HEG of the PRP8 intein is highly active during meiosis in Botrytis cinerea. Here we analysed the Prp8 gene status in 21 additional Botrytis species to obtain insight into the mode of intein inheritance within the Botrytis lineage. Of the 21 species, 15 contained a PRP8 intein whereas six did not. The analysis was extended to closely related (Sclerotiniaceae) and distantly related (Ascomycota) taxa, focussing on evolutionary diversification of the PRP8 intein, including their possible acquisition by horizontal transfer and loss by deletion. Evidence was obtained for the occurrence of genetic footprints of previous intein occupation. There is no compelling evidence of horizontal transfer among species. Three distinct states of the Prp8 allele were identified, distributed over different orders within the Ascomycota: an occupied allele; an empty allele that was never occupied; an empty allele that was presumably previously occupied, from which the intein was precisely deleted. The presence of the genetic footprint identifies 20 species (including Neurospora crassa, Magnaporthe oryzae and Fusarium oxysporum) that previously contained the intein but have lost it entirely, while only 18 species (including Podospora anserina and Fusarium graminearum) appear never to have contained a PRP8 intein. The analysis indicates that inteins may be maintained in an equilibrium state.

Candida dubliniensis is the closest known relative of Candida albicans, the most pathogenic yeast species in humans. However, despite both species sharing many phenotypic characteristics, including the ability to form true hyphae, C. dubliniensis is a significantly less virulent and less versatile pathogen. Therefore, to identify C. albicans-specific genes that may be responsible for an increased capacity to cause disease, we have sequenced the C. dubliniensis genome and compared it with the known C. albicans genome sequence. Although the two genome sequences are highly similar and synteny is conserved throughout, 168 species-specific genes are identified, including some encoding known hyphal-specific virulence factors, such as the aspartyl proteinases Sap4 and Sap5 and the proposed invasin Als3. Among the 115 pseudogenes confirmed in C. dubliniensis are orthologs of several filamentous growth regulator (FGR) genes that also have suspected roles in pathogenesis. However, the principal differences in genomic repertoire concern expansion of the TLO gene family of putative transcription factors and the IFA family of putative transmembrane proteins in C. albicans, which represent novel candidate virulence-associated factors. The results suggest that the recent evolutionary histories of C. albicans and C. dubliniensis are quite different. While gene families instrumental in pathogenesis have been elaborated in C. albicans, C. dubliniensis has lost genomic capacity and key pathogenic functions. This could explain why C. albicans is a more potent pathogen in humans than C. dubliniensis.

Retrotransposons carrying tyrosine recombinases (YR) are widespread in eukaryotes. The first described tyrosine recombinase mobile element, DIRS1, is a retroelement from the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum . The YR elements are bordered by terminal repeats related to their replication via free circular dsDNA intermediates. Site-specific recombination is believed to integrate the circle without creating duplications of the target sites. Recently a large number of YR retrotransposons have been described, including elements from fungi (mucorales and basidiomycetes), plants (green algae) and a wide range of animals including nematodes, insects, sea urchins, fish, amphibia and reptiles. YR retrotransposons can be divided into three major groups: the DIRS elements, PAT-like and the Ngaro elements. The three groups form distinct clades on phylogenetic trees based on alignments of reverse transcriptase/ribonuclease H (RT/RH) and YR sequences, and also having some structural distinctions. A group of eukaryote DNA transposons, cryptons, also carry tyrosine recombinases. These DNA transposons do not encode a reverse transcriptase. They have been detected in several pathogenic fungi and oomycetes. Sequence comparisons suggest that the crypton YRs are related to those of the YR retrotransposons. We suggest that the YR retrotransposons arose from the combination of a crypton-like YR DNA transposon and the RT/RH encoding sequence of a retrotransposon. This acquisition must have occurred at a very early point in the evolution of eukaryotes.

International audience; The bacterial canker of kiwifruit by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae is an emblematic example of a catastrophic disease of fruit crops. In 2008 a new, extremely virulent form of the pathogen emerged and rapidly devastated many Actinidia spp. orchards all over the world. In order to understand differences in populations within this pathovar and to elucidate their diffusion and movements on world scale, it is necessary to be able to quickly and on a routine basis compare new isolates with previous records. In this report a worldwide collection of 142 strains was analyzed by MLVA, chosen as investigative technique for its efficacy, reproducibility, simplicity and low cost. A panel of 13 Variable Number of Tandem Repeats (VNTR) loci was identified and used to describe the pathogen population. The MLVA clustering is highly congruent with the population structure as previously established by other molecular approaches including whole genome sequencing and correlates with geographic origin, time of isolation and virulence. For convenience, we divided the VNTR loci in two panels. Panel 1 assay, using six loci, recognizes 23 different haplotypes, clustered into ten complexes with highest congruence with previous classifications. Panel 2, with seven VNTR loci, provides discriminatory power. Using the total set of 13 VNTR loci, 58 haplotypes can be distinguished. The recent hypervirulent type shows very limited diversity and includes, beside the strains from Europe, New Zealand and Chile, a few strains from Shaanxi, China. A broad genetic variability is observed in China, but different types are also retrievable in Japan and Korea. The low virulent strains cluster together and are very different from the other MLVA genotypes. Data were used to generate a public database in MLVAbank. MLVA represents a very promising first-line assay for large-scale routine genotyping, prior to whole genome sequencing of only the most relevant samples.

DIRS-1 is a retroelement from the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. Until recently only two related retrotransposons had been described: PAT from the nematode Panagrellus redivivus and Prt1 from the zygomycete fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus. Analyses of the reverse transcriptase sequences encoded by these three elements suggested that they were closely related to each other and more distantly related to the Ty3/gypsy Long Terminal Repeat (LTR) retroelements. They have several unusual structural features that distinguish them from typical LTR elements. For instance, they each encode a tyrosine recombinase (YR), but not a DDE-type integrase or an aspartic protease. Although the DIRS-1-related elements are bordered by terminal repeats these differ from typical LTRs in a number of ways. In DIRS-1, for example, the terminal repeats are inverted (complementary), non-identical in sequence, and the outer edges of the terminal sequences are repeated (adjacent to each other) in the internal region. PAT has so-called “split” direct repeats in which the unrelated terminal sequences appear as direct repeats adjacent to each other in the internal region. The only repetition displayed by Prt1 is the presence of short inverted terminal repeats, but the sequenced copy of this element is believed to be a truncated version of an element with a structure resembling DIRS-1. The unusual structure of the terminal repeats of the DIRS1-like elements appears to be related to their replication via free circular intermediates. Site-specific recombination is believed to integrate the circle without creating duplications of the target sites. In recognition of these important distinctions it is proposed that the retrotransposons that encode tyrosine recombinases be called the tyrosine recombinase (or YR) retrotransposons. Recently a large number of additional YR retrotransposons have been described, including elements from fungi (zygomycetes and basidiomycetes), plants (green algae) and a wide range of animals including nematodes, insects, sea urchins, fish and amphibia, while remnants of elements related to DIRS-1 occur in the human genome. The complete set of YR retrotransposons can be divided into two major groups, the DIRS elements and the Ngaro elements, the two groups forming distinct clades on phylogenetic trees based on alignments of RT/RH and recombinase sequences, and also having some structural distinctions. A third group of transposable elements, which we call Cryptons, also carry tyrosine recombinases. These elements do not encode a reverse transcriptase and so are believed to be DNA transposons not retrotransposons. They have been detected in several pathogenic fungi, including the basidiomycete Cryptococcus neoformans, and the ascomycetes Coccidioides posadasii and Histoplasma capsulatum. Sequence comparisons suggest that the Crypton YRs are related to those of the YR retrotransposons. We suggest that the YR retrotransposons arose from the combination of a Crypton-like YR DNA transposon and the RT/RH encoding sequence of a retrotransposon.

A wide variety of novel tyrosine recombinase (YR)-encoding retrotransposons were identified using data emerging from the various eukaryotic genome sequencing projects. Although many of these elements are clearly members of the previously described DIRS group of YR retrotransposons, a substantial number, including elements from a variety of fungi and animals, belong to a distinct and previously unrecognized group. We refer to these latter elements as the Ngaro group after a representative from zebrafish. Like the members of the DIRS group, Ngaro elements encode proteins bearing reverse transcriptase (RT) and ribonuclease H (RH) domains similar to those of long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons. Phylogenetic analyses based on alignments of RT/RH and YR domains, however, indicate that Ngaro and DIRS are anciently diverged groups. Differences in coding capacity also support the distinction between the two groups. For instance, we found that DIRS elements all encode a protein domain which is similar in sequence to the DNA methyltransferases of certain bacteriophages, whereas this domain is absent from all Ngaro elements. Together, the Ngaro and DIRS groups of YR retrotransposons contain elements with an astonishing diversity in structures, with variations in the nature of the associated repeat sequences and in the arrangement and complement of coding regions. In addition they contain elements with some surprising features, such as spliceosomal introns and long overlapping open reading frames.

A new group of transposable elements, which the authors have named cryptons, was detected in several pathogenic fungi, including the basidiomyceteCryptococcus neoformans, and the ascomycetesCoccidioides posadasiiandHistoplasma capsulatum. These elements are unlike any previously described transposons. An archetypal member of the group, cryptonCn1, is 4 kb in length and is present at a low but variable copy number in a variety ofC. neoformansstrains. It displays interstrain variations in its insertion sites, suggesting recent mobility. The internal region contains a long gene, interrupted by several introns. The product of this gene contains a putative tyrosine recombinase near its middle, and a region similar in sequence to the DNA-binding domains of several fungal transcription factors near its C-terminus. The element contains no long repeat sequences, but is bordered by short direct repeats which may have been produced by its insertion into the host genome by recombination. Many of the structural features of cryptonCn1are conserved in the other known cryptons, suggesting that these elements represent the functional forms. The presence of cryptons in ascomycetes and basidiomycetes suggests that this is an ancient group of elements (>400 million years old). Sequence comparisons suggest that cryptons may be related to the DIRS1 andNgaro1groups of tyrosine-recombinase-encoding retrotransposons.

Ty3/gypsy retrotransposons are a widespread group of eukaryote mobile genetic elements. They are similar in structure to, and may be ancestors of, the vertebrate retroviruses. Here we describe the first Ty3/gypsy retrotransposons from the pathogenic yeasts Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis, which we refer to as Tca3 and Tcd3, respectively. Tca3 was first identified in a variety of strains as an element lacking a large part of its coding region. Comparative analyses between C. albicans and C. dubliniensis allowed us to identify the closely related full-length Tcd3 element, and, subsequently, the full-length Tca3 elements. The full-length versions of Tca3 and Tcd3 are broadly similar in structure to other Ty3/gypsy elements, but have several features of special interest, e.g. both elements appear to have a novel mechanism for priming minus-strand DNA synthesis, probably involving conserved secondary structures adjacent to the 5' LTRs. Also, while closely related to each other, the two elements appear to be fairly distantly related to other known Ty3/gypsy-like elements. Finally, the occurrence of the internally deleted forms of Tca3 in many strains raises interesting questions concerning the evolution of these transposable elements in Candida and the evolution of Candida itself. The sequences reported in this paper have been assigned GenBank Accession Nos AF499463, AF499464 and AF510498.

Lathyrus odoratus L. × Lathyrus belinensis L. hybrids were produced using L. belinensis as the pollen parent, with fertile seed produced by the L. odoratus parent. The F1 hybrid plants were completely self-sterile, but produced viable seeds when backcrossed to L. odoratus. The plants produced by backcrossing resembled L. odoratus, the flower colour being purple/magenta, and were self-fertile. Both hybrid plants and those produced by back crossing to L. odoratus were resistant to Erysiphe pisi DC that causes powdery mildew in sweet peas. Continued backcrossing resulted in hybrid plants, that closely resembled the L. odoratus parent, but segregated for complete resistance/susceptibility to E. pisi,with a ratio of 2.46:1 resistant to sensitive plants. This suggests the presence of a single dominant gene that confers resistance. When resistant and sensitive plants were inoculated with E. pisi and their leaf surfaces examined,using a Scanning Electron Microscope, it was found that although spores germinated on the leaves of both resistant and sensitive plants, spores present on resistant plants collapsed shortly after germination. Possible reasons for this are discussed.

Non-LTR retrotransposons (also known as LINEs) have had a major influence on the structure of many eukaryote genomes. They are abundant in many multicellular eukaryotes, including mammals, but appear to be absent from the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe. This absence has, to date, precluded the development of a yeast model system for the study of non-LTR retrotransposons. In this report we describe several families of non-LTR retrotransposons from the yeast Candida albicans. These elements, which we call Zorro elements, are all members of the L1 clade of non-LTR retrotransposons. Some are intact, transcriptionally active and have transposed recently. This finding should allow the development of a yeast model system.

We have begun a characterization of the long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons in the asexual yeast Candida albicans. A database of assembled C. albicans genomic sequence at Stanford University, which represents 14.9 Mb of the 16-Mb haploid genome, was screened and >350 distinct retrotransposon insertions were identified. The majority of these insertions represent previously unrecognized retrotransposons. The various elements were classified into 34 distinct families, each family being similar, in terms of the range of sequences that it represents, to a typical Ty element family of the related yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These C. albicans retrotransposon families are generally of low copy number and vary widely in coding capacity. For only three families, was a full-length and apparently intact retrotransposon identified. For many families, only solo LTRs and LTR fragments remain. Several families of highly degenerate elements appear to be still capable of transposition, presumably via trans-activation. The overall structure of the retrotransposon population in C. albicans differs considerably from that of S. cerevisiae. In that species, retrotransposon insertions can be assigned to just five families. Most of these families still retain functional examples, and they generally appear at higher copy numbers than the C. albicans families. The possibility that these differences between the two species are attributable to the nonstandard genetic code of C. albicans or the asexual nature of its genome is discussed. A region rich in retrotransposon fragments, that lies adjacent to many of theCARE-2/Rel-2 sub-telomeric repeats, and which appears to have arisen through multiple rounds of duplication and recombination, is also described.[The sequence data described in this paper have been submitted to the GenBank data library. Accession numbers are listed in Table 1 and in the Materials and Methods section.]

CARE-2 and Rel-2 are dispersed, repetitive elements of Candida albicans. Hybridisation experiments suggest that they are present at 10–20 copies per genome and appear on most, if not all, of the chromosomes. A high degree of interstrain variation has been demonstrated for CARE-2, making it of use for strain typing. Until now, however, the nature of the repetitive elements within CARE-2 and Rel-2 was unknown. We show here that CARE-2 and Rel-2 contain long terminal repeat (LTR) fragments of a new retrotransposon. These LTRs, which we designate kappa, are partially responsible for the repetitive nature of CARE-2 and Rel-2. Complete copies of the kappa elements are present elsewhere in the genome and adjacent to some are sequences characteristic of the internal regions of retrotransposons. An apparently high degree of scrambling of the kappa elements suggests that they may represent a hotspot for mutation and recombination in C. albicans.

A recently emerged plant disease, bacterial canker of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa and A. chinensis), is caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (PSA). The disease was first reported in China and Japan in the 1980s. A severe outbreak of PSA began in Italy in 2008 and has spread to other European countries. PSA was found in both New Zealand and Chile in 2010. To study the evolution of the pathogen and analyse the transmission of PSA between countries, genomes of strains from China and Japan (where the genus Actinidia is endemic), Italy, New Zealand and Chile were sequenced. The genomes of PSA strains are very similar. However, all strains from New Zealand share several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that distinguish them from all other PSA strains. Similarly, all the PSA strains from the 2008 Italian outbreak form a distinct clonal group and those from Chile form a third group. In addition to the rare SNPs present in the core genomes, there is abundant genetic diversity in a genomic island that is part of the accessory genome. The island from several Chinese strains is almost identical to the island present in the New Zealand strains. The island from a different Chinese strain is identical to the island present in the strains from the recent Italian outbreak. The Chilean strains of PSA carry a third variant of this island. These genomic islands are integrative conjugative elements (ICEs). Sequencing of these ICEs provides evidence of three recent horizontal transmissions of ICE from other strains of Pseudomonas syringae to PSA. The analyses of the core genome SNPs and the ICEs, combined with disease history, all support the hypothesis of an independent Chinese origin for both the Italian and the New Zealand outbreaks and suggest the Chilean strains also originate from China.

The isopentenyl transferase gene was isolated from Agrobacterium tumefaciens AcH5 using polymerase chain reaction and transformed into Petunia and Kalanchoe using both A. tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes transformation systems. Morphological evidence and elevated endogenous cytokinin levels indicated that the PCR product was an active gene. Accurate quantification of the cytokinins was obtained by radioimmunoassay, following purification and separation of the free bases and ribosides by HPLC. Of the six cytokinins quantified, zeatin riboside and its stabilised dihydro-derivative, dihydrozeatin riboside, showed the greatest increases in the transformed Petunia tissue (up to 600-fold). The importance of measuring changes in individual cytokinins is discussed.

Strains of Botrytis cinerea are polymorphic for the presence of an intein in the Prp8 gene (intein +/−). The intein encodes a homing endonuclease (HEG). During meiosis in an intein +/− heterozygote, the homing endonuclease initiates intein ‘homing’ by inducing gene conversion. In such meioses, the homing endonuclease triggers gene conversion of the intein together with its flanking sequences into the empty allele. The efficiency of gene conversion of the intein was found to be 100%. The extent of flanking sequence affected by the gene conversion varied in different meioses. A survey of the inteins and flanking sequences of a group B. cinerea isolates indicates that there are two distinct variants of the intein both of which have active HEGs. The survey also suggests that the intein has been actively homing during the evolution of the species and that the PRP8 intein may have entered the species by horizontal transfer.

The process of decomposition of bodies in the marine environment is poorly understood and almost nothing is currently known about the microorganisms involved. This study aimed to investigate the microbes involved in decomposition in the sea and to evaluate the potential use of marine bacterial succession for postmortem submersion interval (PMSI) estimation, for which there is currently no reliable method. Partial pig remains were completely submerged during autumn and winter and were regularly sampled to document marine bacterial colonisation and the changes in community composition over time. Five stages of decomposition were recognised, some of which exhibited characters specific for partial carrion. Marine bacteria rapidly colonised the submerged remains in a successional manner. Seasonal differences were observed for the rate of decomposition and also for several groups of colonising bacteria. Marine bacteria specific for particular PMSIs were identified. This study provides an insight into the involvement of saprophytic marine bacteria in the decomposition of mammalian remains in the sea and is the first to explore the use of marine bacterial colonisation and succession as a novel tool for PMSI estimation. We propose that with further study, marine bacterial succession will prove useful for determination of the length of time a body may have been immersed in a marine environment.

Archey's frog Leiopelma archeyi is a critically endangered New Zealand endemic species. The discovery of the emerging infectious disease, chytridiomycosis, in wild populations of this frog raised concern that this disease may drive the species to extinction. Twelve wild-caught Archey's frogs naturally infected with the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis were monitored in captivity by observing clinical signs, measuring weight gain, and performing repeated PCR tests. Eight frogs were treated with topical chloramphenicol, without PCR results being available, for B. dendrobatidis at the day of entry of the frog into the trial. Eleven of the 12 frogs (92%) cleared their infection within 3 mo of capture, even though they were held at 15 degrees C and in high humidity, conditions that are ideal for the survival and propagation of B. dendrobatidis. B. dendrobatidis in the remaining frog tested positive for the fungus was eliminated after treatment with topical chloramphenicol. None of the 8 frogs exposed to chloramphenicol showed any acute adverse reactions. Archey's frog appears to have a low level of susceptibility to the clinical effects of chytridiomycosis. Individual frogs can eliminate B. dendrobatidis and Archey's frog can apparently be treated with topical chloramphenicol with no acute adverse reactions. However, the small number of specimens treated here requires that more extensive testing be done to confirm the safety of chloramphenicol. The significance of the amphibian chytrid fungus for wild populations of Archey's frog needs to be determined by a longitudinal study in an infected wild population to correlate the presence of B. dendrobatidis in individual frogs. Such a study should occur over a period of at least 3 yr with clinical assessment and monitoring of survival, growth and body condition parameters.

Over one-third of human genome sequence is a product of non-LTR retrotransposition. The retrotransposon that currently drives this process in humans is the highly abundant LINE-1 (L1) element. Despite the ubiquitous nature of L1's in mammals, we still lack a complete mechanistic understanding of the L1 replication cycle and how it is regulated. To generate a genetically amenable model for non-LTR retrotransposition, we have reengineered the Zorro3 retrotransposon, an L1 homolog from Candida albicans, for use in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We found that S. cerevisiae, which has no endogenous L1 homologs or remnants, can still support Zorro3 retrotransposition. Analysis of Zorro3 mutants and insertion structures suggest that this is authentic L1-like retrotransposition with remarkable resemblance to mammalian L1-mediated events. This suggests that S. cerevisiae has unexpectedly retained the basal host machinery required for L1 retrotransposition. This model will also serve as a powerful system to study the cell biology of L1 elements and for the genetic identification and characterization of cellular factors involved in L1 retrotransposition.

Retrotransposons are mobile genetic elements that spread via the reverse transcription of RNA intermediates. They are abundant constituents of most fungal genomes and can lead to a wide range of genetic and genomic rearrangements. Examples of nearly all the major known types of retrotransposons have been identified in fungi. Several fungal retrotransposons, such as the Ty elements of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, have made excellent models for study of the retrotransposition process. Because survival of an intracellular element, such as a retrotransposon, is dependent on the host's survival, many fungal retrotransposons have mechanisms that limit the damage they cause to the host's genome, such as directing their integration to specific regions that are devoid of functional sequences. In some cases, the host has also developed strategies, such as RIP (repeat-induced point mutation), that act to limit the spread of retrotransposons. These can be extremely effective at eliminating retrotransposons, but can also have profound effects on the rest of the genome. For instance, in Neurospora crassa, RIP appears to have prevented any form of evolution by gene duplication for the past 200 million years. The number and nature of retrotransposons within particular fungal species can vary considerably, probably due to variations in a combination of factors including specific features of the hosts and the elements that they contain, as well as chance.

The dependence of protein splicing on conserved residues of the Cne PRP8 intein was assessed by alanine scanning mutagenesis in a foreign protein context. Corroboration was obtained for the involvement of residues at the splice junctions and of the conserved threonine and histidine of motif B. Five additional residues were identified as absolutely required for splicing. Variant W151A displayed premature C-terminal cleavage, not seen with other Cne PRP8 mutants. We propose a model whereby W151 acts to prevent premature C-terminal cleavage, favoring complete splicing as opposed to two disjointed cleavage events.

As the Cne PRP8 intein is active and exists in an essential gene of an important fungal pathogen, inhibitors of splicing and assays for intein activity are of interest. The self-splicing activity of Cne PRP8, the intein from the Prp8 gene of Cryptococcus neoformans, was assessed in different heterologous fusion proteins expressed in Escherichia coli. Placement of a putatively inactive variant of the intein adjacent to the alpha-complementation peptide abolished the peptide's ability to restore beta-galactosidase activity, while an active variant allowed complementation. This alpha-complementation peptide therefore provides a facile assay of splicing which can be used to test potential inhibitors. When placed between two heterologous protein domains, splicing was impaired by a beta-branched amino acid immediately preceding the intein, while splicing occurred only with a hydroxyl or thiol immediately following the intein. Both these assays sensitively report impairment of splicing and provide information on how context constrains the splicing ability of Cne PRP8.

An intein is a protein sequence embedded within a precursor protein that is excised during protein maturation. Inteins were first found encoded in the VMA gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Subsequently, they have been found in diverse organisms (eukaryotes, archaea, eubacteria and viruses). The VMA intein has been found in various saccharomycete yeasts but not in other fungi. Different inteins have now been found widely in the fungi (ascomycetes, basidiomycetes, zygomycetes and chytrids) and in diverse proteins. A protein distantly related to inteins, but closely related to metazoan hedgehog proteins, has been described from Glomeromycota. Many of the newly described inteins contain homing endonucleases and some of these are apparently active. The enlarged fungal intein data set permits insight into the evolution of inteins, including the role of horizontal transfer in their persistence. The diverse fungal inteins provide a resource for biotechnology using their protein splicing or homing endonuclease capabilities.

Background Inteins are self-splicing protein elements. They are translated as inserts within host proteins that excise themselves and ligate the flanking portions of the host protein (exteins) with a peptide bond. They are encoded as in-frame insertions within the genes for the host proteins. Inteins are found in all three domains of life and in viruses, but have a very sporadic distribution. Only a small number of intein coding sequences have been identified in eukaryotic nuclear genes, and all of these are from ascomycete or basidiomycete fungi. Results We identified seven intein coding sequences within nuclear genes coding for the second largest subunits of RNA polymerase. These sequences were found in diverse eukaryotes: one is in the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase I (RPA2) from the ascomycete fungus Phaeosphaeria nodorum, one is in the RNA polymerase III (RPC2) of the slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum and four intein coding sequences are in RNA polymerase II genes (RPB2), one each from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the zygomycete fungus Spiromyces aspiralis and the chytrid fungi Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and Coelomomyces stegomyiae. The remaining intein coding sequence is in a viral relic embedded within the genome of the oomycete Phytophthora ramorum. The Chlamydomonas and Dictyostelium inteins are the first nuclear-encoded inteins found outside of the fungi. These new inteins represent a unique dataset: they are found in homologous proteins that form a paralogous group. Although these paralogues diverged early in eukaryotic evolution, their sequences can be aligned over most of their length. The inteins are inserted at multiple distinct sites, each of which corresponds to a highly conserved region of RNA polymerase. This dataset supports earlier work suggesting that inteins preferentially occur in highly conserved regions of their host proteins. Conclusion The identification of these new inteins increases the known host range of intein sequences in eukaryotes, and provides fresh insights into their origins and evolution. We conclude that inteins are ancient eukaryote elements once found widely among microbial eukaryotes. They persist as rarities in the genomes of a sporadic array of microorganisms, occupying highly conserved sites in diverse proteins.

Until recently the only intein known to be encoded by the nuclear genome of a eukaryote was the VMA intein in the vacuolar ATPase precursor of several species of saccharomycete yeast. This intein has been intensively studied and much information has been gained about its structure, mode of action and evolutionary history. We recently reported a second nuclear intein, Cne PRP8, encoded within the PRP8 gene of the basidiomycete Cryptococcus neoformans. Subsequent studies have found allelic PRP8 inteins in several species of yeast and filamentous ascomycetes. Here we report two further, non-allelic, inteins from ascomycete species. The yeast Debaryomyces hansenii (which also has a VMA intein) has an intein encoded within the sequence of the glutamate synthase gene (GLT1). There are also inteins encoded in the homologous GLT1 genes of the yeast Candida (Pichia) guilliermondii and the filamentous fungus Podospora anserina. These allelic GLT1 inteins occupy exactly the same site in the glutamate synthase and all contain domains that indicate the presence of a homing endonuclease (HEG). Podospora anserina, in addition, contains a second, non-allelic, intein encoded in the chitin synthase gene (CHS2); this intein also contains a HEG domain. We describe the phylogenetic relationships among the four eukaryote nuclear encoded inteins (VMA, PRP8, GLT1 and CHS2). We also consider this phylogeny in the broader context of eubacterial, archaeal and eukaryote viral and organelle inteins.

Only two nuclear encoded inteins have been described. The first, SceVMA, was found in a vacuolar ATPase gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and related yeasts. The second, CnePRP8, was found in the PRP8 gene of Cryptococcus neoformans. CnePRP8 contains protein sequences associated with intein splicing but no endonuclease domain. We compared allelic mini-inteins in both varieties of C. neoformans (var. neoformans and var. grubii) and in the related primary pathogen C. gattii to study the evolution of both the mini-intein and the host. We also describe a full-length, endonuclease-containing intein in Cryptococcus laurentii, a moderately distant relation of C. neoformans. We did not detect an intein in the PRP8 gene of other species of Cryptococcus including species closely related to the C. neoformans/C. gattii group. It is therefore probable that the C. neoformans/C. gattii mini-intein was derived from horizontal transfer in which C. laurentii or another intein-containing species was the source.

Members of the DIRS family of retrotransposons differ from most other known retrotransposons in that they encode a tyrosine recombinase (YR), a type of enzyme frequently involved in site-specific recombination. This enzyme is believed to insert the extrachromosomal DNA intermediate of DIRS element retrotransposition into the host genome. DIRS elements have been found in plants, a slime mold, fungi, and a variety of animals including vertebrates, echinoderms and nematodes. They have a somewhat patchy distribution, however, apparently being absent from a number of model organisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Arabidopsis thaliana and Drosophila melanogaster. In this report we describe the first DIRS retroelement to be identified in an arthropod. This element, TcDirs1, was found in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera). It is generally similar in sequence and structure to several previously described members of the DIRS group: it is bordered by inverted terminal repeats and it has a similar set of protein-coding domains (Gag, reverse transcriptase/ribonuclease H, and the YR), although these are arranged in a novel fashion. TcDirs1 elements exhibit several features indicative of recent activity, such as intact coding regions, a high level of sequence similarity between distinct elements and polymorphic insertion sites. Given their presence in an experimentally tractable host, these potentially active elements might serve as useful models for the study of DIRS element retrotransposition. An element closely related to TcDirs1 was also detected in sequences from a second arthropod, the honey bee Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera), suggesting that these retrotransposons are long-term residents of arthropod genomes.

Helitrons , a novel class of eukaryote mobile genetic elements, are distinguished from other transposable elements by encoding a ‘rolling circle’ replication (RCR) protein (Rep) and a helicase. Helitrons have recently been described from Arabidopsis , rice and the nematode Caenorhabditis . We now report the discovery of Helitron -like elements in vertebrates, specifically in the genomes of the fish Danio rerio and Sphoeroides nephelus . We also describe Helitrons from the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium and from the Anopheles genome. Many of the fish Helitrons have an uncorrupted open reading frame encoding both the RCR Rep protein and a helicase. These fish elements are of particular interest because they also encode, within the single open reading frame, an apurinic-apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease most closely related to those of certain non-long terminal repeat retrotransposons. As they invariably carry an endonuclease and also form a very distinct clade, we have named these vertebrate elements ‘helentrons’. It is likely that these helentrons are still active.

We have used comparative sequence analysis to identify an intein-like sequence (protein splicing element) present in Cryptococcus neoformans, a fungal pathogen of humans. The sequence encoding this element is present in the C. neoformans PRP8 gene, as an in-frame insertion relative to the PRP8 genes of other organisms. It contains sequences similar to those of the protein-splicing domains of two previously described yeast inteins (in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida tropicalis), although it lacks any recognizable internal endonuclease domain. The Cryptococcus neoformans intein (Cne PRP8) is only the second to be found in a eukaryote nuclear genome; the previously described yeast inteins occur at the same site in the VMA gene homologues of S. cerevisiae and C. tropicalis. The host gene of the Cryptococcus intein, PRP8, encodes a highly conserved mRNA splicing protein found as part of the spliceosome. The Cne PRP8 intein may be a useful drug target in addressing the cryptococcal infections so prevalent in AIDS patients. The Cne PRP8 coding sequence and the flanking sequences of the Cryptococcus neoformans PRP8 gene have been assigned GenBank Accession No. AF349436. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Only three retrotransposons of the DIRS1 group have previously been described: DIRS1 from the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum, PAT from the nematode Panagrellus redivivus, and Prt1 from the zygomycetous fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus. Analyses of the reverse transcriptase sequences encoded by these elements suggest that they are related to the long terminal repeat (LTR) retroelements, such as the Ty3/gypsy retrotransposons and the vertebrate retroviruses. The DIRS1-group elements, however, have several unusual structural features which distinguish them from typical LTR elements: (1) they lack the capacity to encode DDE-type integrases or aspartic proteases; (2) they have open reading frames (ORFs) of unknown function; (3) they integrate without creating duplications of their target sites; and (4) although they are bordered by terminal repeats, these sequences differ from typical LTRs in that they are either inverted repeats or "split" direct repeats. Because of the small number of DIRS1-like elements described, and the unusual structures of these elements, little is known about their evolution, distribution, and replication mechanisms. Here, we report the identification of several new DIRS1-like retrotransposons, including elements from nematodes, sea urchins, fish, and amphibia. We also present evidence for the existence of DIRS1-like sequences in the human genome. In addition, we show that the lack of DDE-type integrase genes from elements of the DIRS1 group is explained by the finding that the previously uncharacterized ORFs of these elements encode proteins related to the site-specific recombinase of bacteriophage lambda. The presence of lambda-recombinase-like genes in DIRS1 elements also accounts for the lack of target-site duplications for these elements and may be related to the unusual structures of their terminal repeats.

Here we report the existence of an unusual group of LTR retrotransposons, termed Gmr1-like elements. The members of this group are most similar in sequence to elements of the Ty3/ gypsy group, yet, unlike typical Ty3/ gypsy elements, they have pol genes in which the integrase domain lies upstream, rather than downstream, of the reverse transcriptase domain. Such an arrangement was formerly believed to be a characteristic peculiar to Ty1/ copia elements. The group includes the previously described retrotransposon Gmr1 from the Atlantic cod Gadus morhua, together with elements from a variety of other vertebrates, such as the zebrafish Danio rerio, the pufferfish Fugu rubripes and the clawed toad Xenopus laevis, as well as elements from non-vertebrate deuterostomes such as the sea squirt Ciona intestinalis. No Gmr1-like elements were found outside of the deuterostomes, nor were any other groups of elements with atypical pol-domain orders identified. Phylogenetic analyses show that the Gmr1-like elements form a monophyletic group within the larger group of Ty3/ gypsy elements. Some of the newly identified elements appear to be structurally intact and may still be active. The identification of this group challenges some previously held beliefs concerning the structure and evolution of LTR retrotransposons.

LTR retrotransposons of the Tf1/sushi group from a diversity of vertebrates, including fish, amphibians, and mammals (humans, mice, and others), are described as full-length or partial elements. These elements are compared, and the mechanisms involved in self-priming of reverse transcriptase and programmed phase shifting are inferred. Evidence is presented that in mammals these elements are still transcriptionally active and are represented as proteins. This suggests that members of the Tf1/sushi group are present as functional elements (or incorporated as partial elements into host genes) in diverse vertebrate lineages.

We have undertaken an analysis of the retrotransposons in the medically important basidiomycetous fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. Using the data generated by a C. neoformans genome sequencing project at the Stanford Genome Technology Center, 15 distinct families of LTR retrotransposons and several families of non-LTR retrotransposons were identified. Members of at least seven families have transposed recently and are probably still active. For several families, only partial elements could be identified and these are quite diverse in sequence, suggesting that they are ancient components of the C. neoformans genome. Most C. neoformans elements are not closely related to previously identified fungal retrotransposons, suggesting that the diversity of fungal retrotransposons has been only sparsely sampled to date. C. neoformans has fewer distinct retrotransposon families than Candida albicans (37 or more), in particular fewer families represented solely by ancient and inactive elements, but it has considerably more families than either Saccharomyces cerevisiae (five) or Schizosaccharomyces pombe (two). The findings suggest that elimination of retrotransposons is faster in C. neoformans than in C. albicans, but perhaps not as rapid as in S. cerevisiae or Sz. pombe. The identification of the retrotransposons of C. neoformans should assist in the molecular characterization of this important pathogen, and also further our understanding of the role played by retroelements in genome evolution.

The BEL group of retroelements is present in greater numbers, variety and taxonomic range than may have been thought previously. In addition to the insects, nematodes and schistosomes, BEL-like elements are present in echinoderms, urochordates, and at least two highly diverged species of fish. We describe one new full-length BEL-like element in Fugu that we call Suzu, another in Drosophila that we call Tinker, and seven new families in C. elegans. Many of the C. elegans elements have an unusual insertion at the 5′ end. The previously known Roo, TRAM and Telemac are also BEL-like retrotransposons. Some BEL-like elements have captured an envelope gene, probably from other retroelements in some cases but from a phlebovirus in one case.

This study describes the consensus sequence of a full-length (4585 bp) non-LTR retrotransposon from the fugu fish, Fugu rubripes . The retrotransposon, termed Maui, is represented by a group of very similar LINE elements found as multiple copies within the fish genome. Two long open reading frames (ORFs) are predicted from the sequence. The first ORF has a domain resembling a novel zinc finger motif recently found in both a turtle and a chicken (CR1) non-LTR retrotransposon. The second ORF includes sequences homologous to the endonuclease, reverse transcriptase and carboxy-terminal domains found in other non-LTR retrotransposons. Sequence comparisons of the predicted translation products of the two ORFs indicate that Maui is most closely related to a class of non-LTR retrotransposons represented by the CR1-like elements (chicken repeat 1 elements) that are present in several avian species and have recently been described in the turtle Platemys spixii . The sequence of the 3′ untranslated region also supports this relationship since Maui resembles the CR1 like elements in not having a poly-A tail.