老鼠基因组盒式外显子和内含子保留型可变剪接位点预测

老鼠和人类基因组的同源性超过90%,老鼠基因组的研究为人类基因组序列研究提供了参考数据.统计分析了老鼠盒式外显子和内含子保留型剪接位点附近的序列保守性特征,并据此分别利用基于多样性指标的支持向量机和二次判别法对老鼠基因组中这两种剪接类型的供体端和受体端可变剪接位点进行了预测.独立检验结果表明,盒式外显子和内含子保留型的供体端和受体端可变剪接位点的预测均能达到较高的识别精度.     

一种基于综合信息的剪接位点识别方法

为提高剪接位点识别的精度,提出一种基于综合信息的剪接位点识别方法.通过分析供体位点与受体位点的剪接信号、剪接序列、位点附近序列的二级结构,以及剪接因子作用过程等特征,分别为供体位点与受体位点建立信号模型和序列模型;应用Vienna软件中的Mfold包预测每个剪接位点附近序列最稳定的二级结构,将传统的四字符核酸表转化为八字符核酸表,每个序列用八字符进行描述,用结合了结构信息的序列对信号模型和序列模型进行训练学习;最后用训练好的模型进行剪接位点的识别.实验结果证明:该方法对剪接位点的识别取得了很好的效果,其识别精度可达95%以上.     

预测竞争性和非竞争性剪接位点对

基于剪接位点竞争机制,剪接位点对分成竞争性剪接位点对和非竞争性剪接位点对.并且竞争性和非竞争性剪接位点对的分类是一个很重要的工作.结合位置权重矩阵、离散量和支持向量机,提出了预测竞争性和非竞争性剪接位点对的新方法.独立检验集中90%以上的剪接位点对能被正确地分类成竞争性和非竞争性剪接位点对.此预测成功率高于其它方法.     

基于序列信息理论预测线虫基因选择性剪切位点

基因的选择性剪切使得在DNA上一段相同的序列翻译成多个不同的蛋白质序列.选择性剪切的出现把剪切位点分为选择性供体位点、组成性供体位点、选择性受体位点和组成性受体位点.基于EBI中的线虫基因选择性剪切位点数据库,选取不同位点的单碱基频率和序列片段的三联体频数作为参数,利用位置权重矩阵和离散增量结合支持向量机,对选择性剪切位点进行了理论预测.对选择性供体位点和选择性受体位点的预测成功率分别为63.78%和72.63%,特异性分别为68.02%和83.96%.     

基于卷积神经网络的基因剪接位点预测

研究剪接位点可以更深入地探索剪接机制和基因预测方法,准确预测剪接位点至关重要。基于深度学习技术提出一种新的预测方法,无需人工提取样本特征,以基因序列的K-MER编码向量作为输入,采用训练后的卷积神经网络(CNN)模型进行预测。基于人类基因HS3D供体数据集,与传统机器学习方法进行预测比较,结果表明预测模型的主要性能指标,包含马修斯相关系数(MCC)、灵敏度(SN)均超过传统的机器学习方法。     

GM12878细胞系CTCF活性结合位点的预测

转录因子的结合能够影响下游目标基因在特定时间、空间的转录和表达.转录因子结合具有细胞特异性,受到染色质开放特征、多种组蛋白修饰以及其他转录因子结合等多种因素影响.以GM12878细胞系为研究对象,构建了CTCF活性结合位点数据集(正集,876个位点)与非活性结合位点数据集(对照组,负集,231130个位点)。根据DNase-seq、H3k4me2、H4k20me1、H3K4me3、H3K27me3、H3K9me3、H3K9ac、RAD21、SMC3这九种特征,分别利用支持向量机(SVM,Jackknife检验)和随机森林(RF,5-fold交叉验证)这两种方法,对CTCF的活性结合位点进行预测,九种特征融合的预测准确度分别达到93.87%和94.46%,平均预测的准确度分别是94.78%和95.40%。结果显示,这九种特征对GM12878细胞系转录因子CTCF的结合具有重要的调控作用,而SMC3的结合对CTCF结合的调控尤为重要。     

人工神经网络和支持向量机在剪接位点识别上的应用

将人工神经网络和支持向量机应用于剪接位点的识别中,并用标准测试数据集进行了5倍率交叉验证,测试结果显示人工神经网络和支持向量机对剪接位点的识别效果优于目前广泛使用的权阵列模型.     

水稻SLU7同源基因RNAi载体的构建及其转化研究

3′端选择性剪接是一种重要的选择性剪接方式.目前的研究表明核内小分子蛋白U5的协同致死因子SLU7广泛存在于酵母、人类及其他哺乳动物中,能精确调节3′端的选择性剪接.利用序列比对找到水稻SLU7同源基因(OsSLU7),并显示其与拟南芥、人、小鼠及酵母的氨基酸同源性分别为81.3%、48.0%、48.3%、21.4%.构建OsSLU7基因RNAi载体,转化日本晴幼胚,利用PCR方法检测出阳性植株.     

真核基因剪接位点二级结构特征

利用RNA二级结构的预测程序,通过对148个人类基因由EST验证的发生剪接的784个供体位点和受体位点以及101个人类基因由EST验证的发生选择性剪接的418个供体位点和受体位点附近的二级结构的预测,寻找真核基因剪接位点及选择性剪接位点的二级结构特征。通过详细研究剪接位点及选择性剪接位点在RNA二级结构中的结构分布,获得了一些剪接位点及选择性剪接位点在RNA二级结构中结构分布的规律性。结果表明,在RNA剪接及选择性剪接过程中,顺式作用元件具有结构特定性。这种结构特定性可以从结构上对真核基因剪接及选择性剪接机制进行一些合理的解释,有利于对真核基因剪接位点的识别及其表达调控机理的进一步理解。     

基于改进关系网络的小样本学习

关系网络是一种端到端的小样本学习框架,可以通过少量标注样本识别新的类别.在关系网络的基础上,融合inception块和感受野块,提出了一种基于改进关系网络的小样本学习方法.用inception块替换嵌入模型的第3个卷积层,并且将感受野块添加在关系模型的起始位置,这两种卷积块分别提升了网络的特征表达能力和度量能力.在Omniglot数据集上,该算法的识别率整体高于关系网络,达到97%以上;在miniImagenet数据集上,采用5-way 1-shot和5-way 5-shot方法,算法识别率分别达到52.89%,67.15%.     

DNA-bound structures and mutants reveal abasic DNA binding by APE1 and DNA repair coordination [corrected

Non-coding apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites in DNA are continually created in cells both spontaneously and by damage-specific DNA glycosylases. The biologically critical human base excision repair enzyme APE1 cleaves the DNA sugar-phosphate backbone at a position 5' of AP sites to prime DNA repair synthesis. Here we report three co-crystal structures of human APE1 bound to abasic DNA which show that APE1 uses a rigid, pre-formed, positively charged surface to kink the DNA helix and engulf the AP-DNA strand. APE1 inserts loops into both the DNA major and minor grooves and binds a flipped-out AP site in a pocket that excludes DNA bases and racemized beta-anomer AP sites. Both the APE1 active-site geometry and a complex with cleaved AP-DNA and Mn2+ support a testable structure-based catalytic mechanism. Alanine substitutions of the residues that penetrate the DNA helix unexpectedly show that human APE1 is structurally optimized to retain the cleaved DNA product. These structural and mutational results show how APE1 probably displaces bound glycosylases and retains the nicked DNA product, suggesting that APE1 acts in vivo to coordinate the orderly transfer of unstable DNA damage intermediates between the excision and synthesis steps of DNA repair.     

脑肿瘤中p53基因突变的研究

应用ＰＣＲＳＳＣＰ技术及ＤＮＡ 测序技术对３７ 例原发性脑肿瘤及相应外周血淋巴细胞中ｐ５３ 基因５ ～８ 外显子的突变情况进行了检测,结果表明,ｐ５３ 基因在原发性脑肿瘤中的突变频率为１９ ％ （７／３７） ．并且突变频率在不同病理类别脑肿瘤中的分布是非随机的,其中星形细胞肿瘤中的突变频率最高,为３６ ％ （５／１４） ．所有突变均为错义点突变,５７ ％ （４／７） 的突变位于ＣｐＧ位点．突变仅发现于脑组织中,外周血淋巴细胞中未检出突变,这些结果提示,ｐ５３ 基因突变在脑肿瘤的发生发展过程中起一定的作用,ｐ５３ 基因在散发性脑肿瘤中的突变为体细胞型的突变     

Conserved modes of recruitment of ATM, ATR and DNA-PKcs to sites of DNA damage

Ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM), ataxia-telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) and DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) are members of the phosphoinositide-3-kinase-related protein kinase (PIKK) family, and are rapidly activated in response to DNA damage. ATM and DNA-PKcs respond mainly to DNA double-strand breaks, whereas ATR is activated by single-stranded DNA and stalled DNA replication forks. In all cases, activation involves their recruitment to the sites of damage. Here we identify related, conserved carboxy-terminal motifs in human Nbs1, ATRIP and Ku80 proteins that are required for their interaction with ATM, ATR and DNA-PKcs, respectively. These motifs are essential not only for efficient recruitment of ATM, ATR and DNA-PKcs to sites of damage, but are also critical for ATM-, ATR- and DNA-PKcs-mediated signalling events that trigger cell cycle checkpoints and DNA repair. Our findings reveal that recruitment of these PIKKs to DNA lesions occurs by common mechanisms through an evolutionarily conserved motif, and provide direct evidence that PIKK recruitment is required for PIKK-dependent DNA-damage signalling.     

Structure of Dnmt3a bound to Dnmt3L suggests a model for de novo DNA methylation

Genetic imprinting, found in flowering plants and placental mammals, uses DNA methylation to yield gene expression that is dependent on the parent of origin. DNA methyltransferase 3a (Dnmt3a) and its regulatory factor, DNA methyltransferase 3-like protein (Dnmt3L), are both required for the de novo DNA methylation of imprinted genes in mammalian germ cells. Dnmt3L interacts specifically with unmethylated lysine 4 of histone H3 through its amino-terminal PHD (plant homeodomain)-like domain. Here we show, with the use of crystallography, that the carboxy-terminal domain of human Dnmt3L interacts with the catalytic domain of Dnmt3a, demonstrating that Dnmt3L has dual functions of binding the unmethylated histone tail and activating DNA methyltransferase. The complexed C-terminal domains of Dnmt3a and Dnmt3L showed further dimerization through Dnmt3a-Dnmt3a interaction, forming a tetrameric complex with two active sites. Substitution of key non-catalytic residues at the Dnmt3a-Dnmt3L interface or the Dnmt3a-Dnmt3a interface eliminated enzymatic activity. Molecular modelling of a DNA-Dnmt3a dimer indicated that the two active sites are separated by about one DNA helical turn. The C-terminal domain of Dnmt3a oligomerizes on DNA to form a nucleoprotein filament. A periodicity in the activity of Dnmt3a on long DNA revealed a correlation of methylated CpG sites at distances of eight to ten base pairs, indicating that oligomerization leads Dnmt3a to methylate DNA in a periodic pattern. A similar periodicity is observed for the frequency of CpG sites in the differentially methylated regions of 12 maternally imprinted mouse genes. These results suggest a basis for the recognition and methylation of differentially methylated regions in imprinted genes, involving the detection of both nucleosome modification and CpG spacing.     

DNA甲基化异常与人类肿瘤

DNA甲基化是表遗传学上研究最深入的一种机制,是一种酶介导的化学修饰过程,在DNA的某些碱基上增加一个甲基.在人类的肿瘤中都可以发现不同程度的DNA异常甲基化现象.介绍DNA甲基化在基因表达中的作用及其抑制基因转录、表达的机理,尤其发生在抑癌基因CpG岛和其他相关基因的甲基化异常与肿瘤发生、演进的关系,甲基化的检测方法以及去甲基化在肿瘤治疗方面的应用前景.     

Crystal structure of the human centromeric nucleosome containing CENP-A

In eukaryotes, accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis and meiosis is coordinated by kinetochores, which are unique chromosomal sites for microtubule attachment. Centromeres specify the kinetochore formation sites on individual chromosomes, and are epigenetically marked by the assembly of nucleosomes containing the centromere-specific histone H3 variant, CENP-A. Although the underlying mechanism is unclear, centromere inheritance is probably dictated by the architecture of the centromeric nucleosome. Here we report the crystal structure of the human centromeric nucleosome containing CENP-A and its cognate α-satellite DNA derivative (147 base pairs). In the human CENP-A nucleosome, the DNA is wrapped around the histone octamer, consisting of two each of histones H2A, H2B, H4 and CENP-A, in a left-handed orientation. However, unlike the canonical H3 nucleosome, only the central 121 base pairs of the DNA are visible. The thirteen base pairs from both ends of the DNA are invisible in the crystal structure, and the αN helix of CENP-A is shorter than that of H3, which is known to be important for the orientation of the DNA ends in the canonical H3 nucleosome. A structural comparison of the CENP-A and H3 nucleosomes revealed that CENP-A contains two extra amino acid residues (Arg?80 and Gly?81) in the loop 1 region, which is completely exposed to the solvent. Mutations of the CENP-A loop 1 residues reduced CENP-A retention at the centromeres in human cells. Therefore, the CENP-A loop 1 may function in stabilizing the centromeric chromatin containing CENP-A, possibly by providing a binding site for trans-acting factors. The structure provides the first atomic-resolution picture of the centromere-specific nucleosome.     

天然香料鱼香草精油的化学成份研究

本文利用GC／MS和GC仪器对天然香料植物鱼香草精油的化学成份进行定性和定量测定，共检出21种化学成份，并确定了其中19种化合物，其含量之和占精油总量的93．8％，主要成份为顺（反）—橙花醇、顺—橙花醛等。并对鱼香草精油及其主要成份反—橙花醛和顺橙花醇的理化常数进行了测定。     

基于知识编码的剪切位点预测

在现有生物统计中，对脱氧核糖核酸中碱基的编码表达主要限于腺嘌呤，鸟嘌呤，胞嘧啶和胸腺嘧啶4种．但这种编码方式的变量太少，同时没有考虑碱基在脱氧核糖核酸中的位置信息，在剪切位点预测中，准确率不会超过90％．据此采用基于知识的编码方式，即真剪切位点与假剪切位点的统计差表，结合支持向量机方法，大大提高了剪切位点识别的准确率，并进一步采用碱基的统计特征的多变量编码方式使真给体位点和假给体位点的预报率分别达到96．4％和93．0％，真受体位点和假受体位点的预报率分别达到94．4％和93．0％．     

Activation of the DNA damage checkpoint and genomic instability in human precancerous lesions

DNA damage checkpoint genes, such as p53, are frequently mutated in human cancer, but the selective pressure for their inactivation remains elusive. We analysed a panel of human lung hyperplasias, all of which retained wild-type p53 genes and had no signs of gross chromosomal instability, and found signs of a DNA damage response, including histone H2AX and Chk2 phosphorylation, p53 accumulation, focal staining of p53 binding protein 1 (53BP1) and apoptosis. Progression to carcinoma was associated with p53 or 53BP1 inactivation and decreased apoptosis. A DNA damage response was also observed in dysplastic nevi and in human skin xenografts, in which hyperplasia was induced by overexpression of growth factors. Both lung and experimentally-induced skin hyperplasias showed allelic imbalance at loci that are prone to DNA double-strand break formation when DNA replication is compromised (common fragile sites). We propose that, from its earliest stages, cancer development is associated with DNA replication stress, which leads to DNA double-strand breaks, genomic instability and selective pressure for p53 mutations.