Identification of novel SINEs from Cyprinidae and their evolutionary significance

Short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) are widespread among eukaryotic genomes. They are repetitive DNA sequences that have been amplified by retrotransposition. In this study, a class of SINEs were isolated from the Opsariichthys bidens genome, and named Opsar. Sequence analysis confirmed that Opsar is a new class of typical SINEs derived from tRNA molecules. With the tRNA-derived region of Opsar and through BLASTN search, we further identified Zb-SINEs from the zebrafish genome, which includes two groups: Zb-SINE-A and Zb-SINE-B. The Zb-SINE-A. group comprises subfamilies of -Al--A5, and the Zb-SINE-B group is a dimer of the tRNA -derived region and shares a similar dimeric composition to Alu. Zb-SINEs are composed of three distinct regions: a 5' end tRNA-derived region, a tRNA-unrelated region and a 3' end AT-rich region. The flanking regions are AT rich. The average length of Zb-SINEs elements is about 340 bp. Zb-SINEs account for as much as 0.1 % of the whole zebrafish genome. About 70% of the Zb-SINEs are on chromosomes 11, 18, and 19. These Zb-SINEs were characterized by PCR and dot hybridization. The distribution pattern of Zb-SINEs in genome strongly supports the master genes model. The tRNA-derived regions of Opsar and Zb-SINEs were compared with the tRNAAla gene, and they showed 76% similarity, indicating that Opsar and Zb-SINEs originated from an inactive tRNA sequence or a tRNA -like sequence. In view of the evolutionary status of zebrafish in the Cyprinidae, we deduced that Zb-SINEs were a very old class of interspersed sequences.     

Identification of novel SINEs from Cyprinidae and their evolutionary significance

Short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) are widespread among eukaryotic genomes. They are repetitive DNA sequences that have been amplified by retrotransposition. In this study, a class of SINEs were isolated from the Opsariichthys bidens genome, and named Opsar. Sequence analysis confirmed that Opsar is a new class of typical SINEs derived from tRNA molecules. With the tRNA-derived region of Opsar and through BLASTN search, we further identified Zb-SINEs from the zebrafish genome, which includes two groups: Zb-SINE-A and Zb-SINE-B. The Zb-SINE-A group comprises subfamilies of -A1—-A5, and the Zb-SINE-B group is a dimer of the tRNA^Ala-derived region and shares a similar dimeric composition to Alu. Zb-SINEs are composed of three distinct regions: a 5′end tRNA-derived region, a tRNA-unrelated region and a 3′end AT-rich region. The flanking regions are AT rich. The average length of Zb-SINEs elements is about 340 bp. Zb-SINEs account for as much as 0.1% of the whole zebrafish genome. About 70% of the Zb-SINEs are on chromosomes 11, 18, and 19. These Zb-SINEs were characterized by PCR and dot hybridization. The distribution pattern of Zb-SINEs in genome strongly supports the master genes model. The tRNA-derived regions of Opsar and Zb-SINEs were compared with the tRNA^Ala gene, and they showed 76% similarity, indicating that Opsar and Zb-SINEs originated from an inactive tRNA^Ala sequence or a tRNA^Ala—like sequence. In view of the evolutionary status of zebrafish in the Cyprinidae, we deduced that Zb-SINEs were a very old class of interspersed sequences.     

The human RNA kinase hClp1 is active on 3' transfer RNA exons and short interfering RNAs

RNA interference allows the analysis of gene function by introducing synthetic, short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) into cells. In contrast to siRNA and microRNA duplexes generated endogenously by the RNaseIII endonuclease Dicer, synthetic siRNAs display a 5' OH group. However, to become incorporated into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) and mediate target RNA cleavage, the guide strand of an siRNA needs to display a phosphate group at the 5' end. The identity of the responsible kinase has so far remained elusive. Monitoring siRNA phosphorylation, we applied a chromatographic approach that resulted in the identification of the protein hClp1 (human Clp1), a known component of both transfer RNA splicing and messenger RNA 3'-end formation machineries. Here we report that the kinase hClp1 phosphorylates and licenses synthetic siRNAs to become assembled into RISC for subsequent target RNA cleavage. More importantly, we reveal the physiological role of hClp1 as the RNA kinase that phosphorylates the 5' end of the 3' exon during human tRNA splicing, allowing the subsequent ligation of both exon halves by an unknown tRNA ligase. The investigation of this novel enzymatic activity of hClp1 in the context of mRNA 3'-end formation, where no RNA phosphorylation event has hitherto been predicted, remains a challenge for the future.     

A complete sequence and comparative analysis of a SARS-associated virus(Isolate BJ01)

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a newly identified infectious disease[1—5]. The global outbreak of SARS has been threatening the health of people worldwide and has killed 353 people and infected more than 5462 in 27 countries, as reported by WHO on April 29, 2003 (http://www.who.int/csr/sarscountry/en). Although it has been recognized that a variant of virus from the family of coronavirus might be the candidate pathogen of SARS[1—5], its identity as the unique pathogen sti…     

Retroviral gag and DNA endonuclease coding sequences in IgE-binding factor gene

Immunoglobulin-binding factors are known to regulate the synthesis of B-cell-derived immunoglobulin heavy-chain isotypes. Cloning and nucleotide sequence determination of complementary DNA encoding rodent IgE-binding factors (IgE-BF) revealed that messenger RNA encodes a glycoprotein of 557 amino acids which is expressed as a precursor of relative molecular mass (Mr) 60,000 (60K) in COS7 monkey cells. We report here that the 3' two-thirds of the IgE-BF coding sequence shows a surprising homology (72%) at the DNA level with coding sequences of the gag and pol (DNA endonuclease) genes of the Syrian hamster intracisternal A particle (IAP H18), an endogenous retrovirus. This marked homology demonstrates that the rodent gene encoding IgE-BF is a hybrid gene which evolved very recently by integrating genes of viral origin, and that the encoded polypeptide comprises three separate domains: an IgE-BF domain and retrovirus-derived gag and DNA endonuclease-like domains. This may represent the first report of a cellular gene containing a virus-derived coding sequence.     

A complete sequence and comparative analysis of a SARS-associated virus （Isolate BJO1）

The genome sequence of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-assoclated virus provides essential information for the identification of pathogen(s), exploration of etiology and evolution, interpretation of transmission and pathogenesis, development of diagnostics, prevention by future vaccination, and treatment by developing new drugs.We report the complete genome sequence and comparative analysis of an isolate (B J01) of the coronavirus that has been recognized as a pathogen for SARS. The genome is 29725 nt in size and has 11 ORFs (Open Reading Frames). It is composed of a stable region encoding an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (composed of 20RFs) and a variable region representing 4 CDSs (coding sequences) for viral structural genes (the S, E, M, N proteins) and 5 PUPs (putative uncharacterized proteins). Its gene order is identical to that of other known coronaviruses. The sequence alignment with all known RNA viruses places this virus as a member in the family of Coronaviridae. Thirty putative substitutions have been identified by comparative analysis of the 5 SARS-associated virus genome sequences in GenBank. Fifteen of them lead to possible amino acid changes (non-synonymous mutations) in the proteins. Three amino acid changes, with predicted alteration of physical and chemical features, have been detected in the S protein that is postulated to be involved in the immunoreactions between the virus and its host.Two amino acid changes have been detected in the M protein,which could be related to viral envelope formation. Phylogenetic analysis suggests the possibility of non-human origin of the SARS-associated viruses but provides no evidence that they are man-made. Further efforts should focus on identifying the etiology of the SARS-associated virus and ruling out conclusively the existence of other possible SARS-related pathogen(s).     

Duplication and remoulding of tRNA genes during the evolutionary rearrangement of mitochondrial genomes

During the evolution of sea urchins, a transfer RNA gene lost its tRNA function and became part of a protein-coding gene. This functional loss of a tRNA with specificity for one group of leucine codons (CUN, where N is any base) was accompanied by the gain of a new tRNA with that specificity. The new tRNA gene for CUN codons appears to have evolved by duplication and divergence from a tRNA gene specific for another group of leucine codons (UUR, where R is a purine). These proposals account for (1) the strong sequence resemblance between the modern tRNA genes for CUN and UUR codons in Paracentrotus, (2) the altered location of the CUN gene in mitochondrial DNA of this urchin, and (3) the persistence of a 72-base pair sequence containing a trace of the old CUN gene at its original location. The old CUN gene now codes for an extra 24 amino acids at the amino end of subunit 5 in NADH dehydrogenase. Besides giving clues about the mechanisms by which tRNA genes move during mitochondrial DNA evolution, this finding leads us to propose a pathway relating the arrangements of other genes in mitochondrial DNAs from four animal phyla.     

A Novel Structural Measure Separating Non-Coding RNAs from Genomic Backgrounds

RNA secondary structure has become the most exploitable feature for ab initio detection of non-coding RNA(nc RNA) genes from genome sequences. Previous work has used Minimum Free Energy(MFE) based methods developed to identify nc RNAs by measuring sequence fold stability and certainty. However, these methods yielded variable performances across different nc RNA species. Designing novel reliable structural measures will help to develop effective nc RNA gene finding tools. This paper introduces a new RNA structural measure based on a novel RNA secondary structure ensemble constrained by characteristics of native RNA tertiary structures. The new method makes it possible to achieve a performance leap from the previous structure-based methods. Test results on standard nc RNA datasets(benchmarks) demonstrate that this method can effectively separate most nc RNAs families from genome backgrounds.     

甜菊钙调蛋白基因的克隆及结构分析

钙调蛋白（Calmodulin）是生物细胞内一种重要的调控蛋白，通过其与靶酶的相互作用控制细胞正常的生长发育及细胞对外界环境变化的反应，我们从甜菊顶芽和花芽中提取总RNA，逆转录合成cDNA第一链，以此为模板，参考GenBank上已发表植物的钙调蛋白基因序列合成5′端和3′端引物，利用多聚酶链式反应（PCR）扩增并克隆得到了甜菊钙调蛋白基因的两个异型基因，序列分析表明，它们均由450个核苷酸组成，编码148个氨基酸，在核苷酸序列上与迄今已知的多种植物钙调蛋白均有很高的同源性，同源率在83％以上，编码的氨基酸序列同源性更同，同源率高达95％以上，这两个基因之间存在差异，其核苷酸序列同源率为85％，编码区的氨基酸序列的同源率为99％，仅在第122个氨基酸由ALA代替了VAL。     

The genome sequence of the food-borne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni reveals hypervariable sequences

Campylobacter jejuni, from the delta-epsilon group of proteobacteria, is a microaerophilic, Gram-negative, flagellate, spiral bacterium-properties it shares with the related gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori. It is the leading cause of bacterial food-borne diarrhoeal disease throughout the world. In addition, infection with C. jejuni is the most frequent antecedent to a form of neuromuscular paralysis known as Guillain-Barré syndrome. Here we report the genome sequence of C. jejuni NCTC11168. C. jejuni has a circular chromosome of 1,641,481 base pairs (30.6% G+C) which is predicted to encode 1,654 proteins and 54 stable RNA species. The genome is unusual in that there are virtually no insertion sequences or phage-associated sequences and very few repeat sequences. One of the most striking findings in the genome was the presence of hypervariable sequences. These short homopolymeric runs of nucleotides were commonly found in genes encoding the biosynthesis or modification of surface structures, or in closely linked genes of unknown function. The apparently high rate of variation of these homopolymeric tracts may be important in the survival strategy of C. jejuni.     

转移RNA结构基因共有序列的统计分析

本文以大肠杆菌、地钱叶绿体和鸡线粒体基因组中:RNA结构基因的全部拷贝数为分析总体,统计出了碱基分布。在大肠杆菌中证实了Pu52-Py62半不变核苷酸对,排除了A21的共有性,确认了24个共有核苷酸,其中半数核苷酸参加三级氢键的形成作用;螺旋区碱基标准配对率平均为95％;在非标准配对中以GU为主而且集中在两个连续双螺旋的缺口处,又发现在第10、27、49位G居多现象,其意义有待阐明。大肠杆菌tRNA序列与地钱叶绿体tRNA序列极为相似,鸡线粒体tRNA由于缺乏典型的D环和TψC环而与大肠杆菌tRNA序列差别较大。本文还计算了大肠杆菌tRNA基因拷贝数与密码子利用率之间相关系数(r=0.976),并讨论了影响细胞内tRNA含量的基因剂量效应,位置效应诸问题。     

兰州鲇线粒体基因组序列结构及系统发育分析

利用GenBank中欧洲鲇的线粒体基因组序列, 设计出6对引物, 通过PCR扩增产物直接测序和引物行走(primer walking)法测定了兰州鲇的线粒体基因组序列, 并对其进行结构分析。兰州鲇线粒体基因组序列全长16524 bp, 包括37个基因(2个rRNA基因、22个tRNA基因和13个蛋白质编码基因)和1个非编码区。用最大似然法对鲇形目11种鲇鱼线粒体基因组的13个蛋白质编码基因的核苷酸序列进行系统发育分析。结果显示, 兰州鲇首先跟其他鲇科鱼类聚为一支, 形成一个单系群, 位于系统发育关系树的中部。     

A role for branchpoints in splicing in vivo

The nucleotides immediately surrounding intron/exon junctions of genes transcribed by RNA polymerase B can be derived from 'consensus' sequences for donor and acceptor splice sites by only a few base changes. Studies in vivo have underlined the importance of these junction nucleotides for splicing. In higher eukaryotes, no evidence has been found for specific internal intron sequences involved in splicing. However, the recent discovery that, in vitro, introns are excised in a lariat form where the 5' end of the intron is joined via a 2'-5'-phosphodiester linkage to an A residue (branchpoint acceptor) close to the 3' end of the intron, suggests that internal intron sequences may nonetheless be important for splicing. Indeed, in yeast nuclear genes, the internal sequence 5'-TACTAAC-3' (or close homologue) is essential for splicing in vivo. A proposed consensus sequence for branchpoints in mammalian introns is 5'-CT(A/G)A(C/T)-3'. This sequence resembles the essential yeast internal sequence. Are branchpoints involved in the splicing of introns of higher eukaryotes in vivo? We show here that a branchpoint sequence from a human globin gene (5'-CTGACTCTCTCTG-3') greatly enhances the efficiency of splicing of a 'synthetic' intron in HeLa cells. A mutated branchpoint sequence, 5'-CTCCTCTCTCTG-3', in which the branchpoint acceptor nucleotide A has been deleted and the neighbouring purine G mutated to a C, does not exhibit this enhancing capability. We conclude that branchpoints have an important function in the splicing process in vivo.     

从EST出发克隆人基因组Xq13区段一个候选基因的初步研究

人类基因组表达序列筛选是寻找候选基因的重要路线之一，外显子陷阱法，ｃＤＮＡ直接筛筛选法，它们可分别根据表达序列的结构及表达特点进行筛选，ＥＳＴ是表达图的位标，它们是一些位点专一的表达序列位标，根据ＥＳＴ的特征，在国内首次建立了一种从ＥＳＴ出发的筛选候选基因的新方法，用睦方法已在人Ｘ染色体Ｘｑ１３区段筛选得到了一个新的ｃＤＮＡ，总测序徇的１３９８ｂｐ包含了完整的３末端。