Sequence and analysis of chromosome 2 of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana

Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) is unique among plant model organisms in having a small genome (130-140 Mb), excellent physical and genetic maps, and little repetitive DNA. Here we report the sequence of chromosome 2 from the Columbia ecotype in two gap-free assemblies (contigs) of 3.6 and 16 megabases (Mb). The latter represents the longest published stretch of uninterrupted DNA sequence assembled from any organism to date. Chromosome 2 represents 15% of the genome and encodes 4,037 genes, 49% of which have no predicted function. Roughly 250 tandem gene duplications were found in addition to large-scale duplications of about 0.5 and 4.5 Mb between chromosomes 2 and 1 and between chromosomes 2 and 4, respectively. Sequencing of nearly 2 Mb within the genetically defined centromere revealed a low density of recognizable genes, and a high density and diverse range of vestigial and presumably inactive mobile elements. More unexpected is what appears to be a recent insertion of a continuous stretch of 75% of the mitochondrial genome into chromosome 2.     

Sequence and analysis of chromosome 1 of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana

The genome of the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana has five chromosomes. Here we report the sequence of the largest, chromosome 1, in two contigs of around 14.2 and 14.6 megabases. The contigs extend from the telomeres to the centromeric borders, regions rich in transposons, retrotransposons and repetitive elements such as the 180-base-pair repeat. The chromosome represents 25% of the genome and contains about 6,850 open reading frames, 236 transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and 12 small nuclear RNAs. There are two clusters of tRNA genes at different places on the chromosome. One consists of 27 tRNA(Pro) genes and the other contains 27 tandem repeats of tRNA(Tyr)-tRNA(Tyr)-tRNA(Ser) genes. Chromosome 1 contains about 300 gene families with clustered duplications. There are also many repeat elements, representing 8% of the sequence.     

Sequence and analysis of chromosome 4 of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana

The higher plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) is an important model for identifying plant genes and determining their function. To assist biological investigations and to define chromosome structure, a coordinated effort to sequence the Arabidopsis genome was initiated in late 1996. Here we report one of the first milestones of this project, the sequence of chromosome 4. Analysis of 17.38 megabases of unique sequence, representing about 17% of the genome, reveals 3,744 protein coding genes, 81 transfer RNAs and numerous repeat elements. Heterochromatic regions surrounding the putative centromere, which has not yet been completely sequenced, are characterized by an increased frequency of a variety of repeats, new repeats, reduced recombination, lowered gene density and lowered gene expression. Roughly 60% of the predicted protein-coding genes have been functionally characterized on the basis of their homology to known genes. Many genes encode predicted proteins that are homologous to human and Caenorhabditis elegans proteins.     

Sequence and analysis of chromosome 5 of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana

The genome of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana has been sequenced by an international collaboration, The Arabidopsis Genome Initiative. Here we report the complete sequence of chromosome 5. This chromosome is 26 megabases long; it is the second largest Arabidopsis chromosome and represents 21% of the sequenced regions of the genome. The sequence of chromosomes 2 and 4 have been reported previously and that of chromosomes 1 and 3, together with an analysis of the complete genome sequence, are reported in this issue. Analysis of the sequence of chromosome 5 yields further insights into centromere structure and the sequence determinants of heterochromatin condensation. The 5,874 genes encoded on chromosome 5 reveal several new functions in plants, and the patterns of gene organization provide insights into the mechanisms and extent of genome evolution in plants.     

The ELF4 gene controls circadian rhythms and flowering time in Arabidopsis thaliana

Many plants use day length as an environmental cue to ensure proper timing of the switch from vegetative to reproductive growth. Day-length sensing involves an interaction between the relative length of day and night, and endogenous rhythms that are controlled by the plant circadian clock. Thus, plants with defects in circadian regulation cannot properly regulate the timing of the floral transition. Here we describe the gene EARLY FLOWERING 4 (ELF4), which is involved in photoperiod perception and circadian regulation. ELF4 promotes clock accuracy and is required for sustained rhythms in the absence of daily light/dark cycles. elf4 mutants show attenuated expression of CIRCADIAN CLOCK ASSOCIATED 1 (CCA1), a gene that is thought to function as a central oscillator component. In addition, elf4 plants transiently show output rhythms with highly variable period lengths before becoming arrhythmic. Mutations in elf4 result in early flowering in non-inductive photoperiods, which is probably caused by elevated amounts of CONSTANS (CO), a gene that promotes floral induction.     

Loss of photosynthetic and chlororespiratory genes from the plastid genome of a parasitic flowering plant

Photosynthesis is the hallmark of plant life and is the only plastid metabolic process known to be controlled by plastid genes. The complete loss of photosynthetic ability, however, has occurred on several independent occasions in parasitic flowering plants. Some of these plants are known to lack chlorophyll and certain photosynthetic enzymes, but it is not known to what extent changes have occurred in the genes encoding the photosynthetic apparatus or whether the plants even maintain a plastid genome. Here we report that the nonphotosynthetic root parasite Epifagus virginiana has a plastid chromosome only 71 kilobases in size, far smaller than any previously characterized land plant plastid genome. The Epifagus plastid genome has lost most, if not all, of the 30 or more chloroplast genes for photosynthesis and most of a large family of plastid genes, the ndh genes, whose products may be involved in a plastid respiratory chain. The extensive changes in Epifagus plastid gene content must have occurred in a relatively short time (5-50 x 10(6) yr), because Striga asiatica, a related photosynthetic parasite, has a typical complement of chloroplast genes for photosynthesis and chlororespiration. The plastid genome of Epifagus has retained transcribed ribosomal RNA and ribosomal protein genes, suggesting that it expresses one or more gene products for plastid functions not related to photosynthesis.     

拟南芥AHA2基因的生物信息学分析

利用生物信息学方法对拟南芥AHA2(H+-ATPase 2)基因编码蛋白的理化性质、保守结构域、疏水性/亲水性、信号肽、跨膜结构域、磷酸化修饰、二级结构和系统进化等进行了预测和分析。结果表明:AHA2属于拟南芥H+-ATPase家族成员;拟南芥AHA2基因编码的蛋白与荠菜的亲缘关系最近,具有较高的相似性。本研究的结果将为进一步研究其生物学功能提供一定的参考依据。     

Defining the core Arabidopsis thaliana root microbiome

Land plants associate with a root microbiota distinct from the complex microbial community present in surrounding soil. The microbiota colonizing the rhizosphere (immediately surrounding the root) and the endophytic compartment (within the root) contribute to plant growth, productivity, carbon sequestration and phytoremediation. Colonization of the root occurs despite a sophisticated plant immune system, suggesting finely tuned discrimination of mutualists and commensals from pathogens. Genetic principles governing the derivation of host-specific endophyte communities from soil communities are poorly understood. Here we report the pyrosequencing of the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene of more than 600 Arabidopsis thaliana plants to test the hypotheses that the root rhizosphere and endophytic compartment microbiota of plants grown under controlled conditions in natural soils are sufficiently dependent on the host to remain consistent across different soil types and developmental stages, and sufficiently dependent on host genotype to vary between inbred Arabidopsis accessions. We describe different bacterial communities in two geochemically distinct bulk soils and in rhizosphere and endophytic compartments prepared from roots grown in these soils. The communities in each compartment are strongly influenced by soil type. Endophytic compartments from both soils feature overlapping, low-complexity communities that are markedly enriched in Actinobacteria and specific families from other phyla, notably Proteobacteria. Some bacteria vary quantitatively between plants of different developmental stage and genotype. Our rigorous definition of an endophytic compartment microbiome should facilitate controlled dissection of plant-microbe interactions derived from complex soil communities.     

拟南芥基因倍增及基因流失分析

基因倍增指基因组中含有基因的DNA片段复制出一个或更多拷贝的过程,是进化出新物种的主要原因。采用新的数据和方法研究拟南芥基因组的基因倍增过程,通过分析串联基因倍增和大规模基因倍增的存在比例和同义置换率分布,并估计大规模倍增后基因流失的比例,揭示了拟南芥基因组一次非常明显的全基因组倍增,采用科学的方法估计这次倍增发生在约8000万年前。比较该结果与之前的研究,提出了一种解释拟南芥基因倍增过程更合理的模型。     

拟南芥菜室内培养技术的改进

报道了室内培养拟南芥过程中的一些改进技术,在培养介质、播种、浇水、湿度、培养密度方面作了详细介绍,为研究工作者在简陋条件下进行拟南芥培养提供了经验。     

拟南芥类结瘤素基因At1g01070的生物信息学分析

类结瘤素基因在非结瘤植物生长发育中承担着重要的功能,但仅少数基因的功能被鉴定.本研究对拟南芥类结瘤素MtN21(Medicago truncatula NODULIN 21)家族成员At1g01070进行了生物信息学分析及亚细胞定位验证.结果表明,At1g01070有两种可变剪切体,编码两种蛋白At1g01070.1和At1g01070.2,前者比后者在N端多47个氨基酸,它们的分子量分别为40KD和35KD,等电点分别为9.2和8.9;均含有2个MtN21蛋白的特征结构域EamA(药物/代谢物转运结构域),At1g01070.1比At1g01070.2多一个PLN00411结构域,且其靠近N端的EamA结构域较后者长;三级结构均由7个α-螺旋和一些不规则卷曲组成,分别含有10个和8个疏水跨膜区,均含13个磷酸化修饰位点,亚细胞定位预测主要定位在质膜;进化上,与琴叶拟南芥(Arabidopsis lyrata)亲缘关系最近;亚细胞定位结果显示At1g01070.1定位在质膜,与预测结果一致.推测At1g01070在植物体内可能参与物质运输.     

拟南芥活性氧响应基因GDI功能初步分析

从拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)T-DNA插入突变体库中筛选分离到活性氧敏感突变体gdi并克隆出相应基因GDI,生物信息学分析发现该基因具有多个ABA及氧化胁迫相关顺式作用元件,定量PCR及GUS染色结果表明该基因主要在花器官中表达,激光共聚焦实验显示GDI蛋白在细胞质中广泛分布.     

The genome sequence of the plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa. The Xylella fastidiosa Consortium of the Organization for Nucleotide Sequencing and Analysis

Xylella fastidiosa is a fastidious, xylem-limited bacterium that causes a range of economically important plant diseases. Here we report the complete genome sequence of X. fastidiosa clone 9a5c, which causes citrus variegated chlorosis--a serious disease of orange trees. The genome comprises a 52.7% GC-rich 2,679,305-base-pair (bp) circular chromosome and two plasmids of 51,158 bp and 1,285 bp. We can assign putative functions to 47% of the 2,904 predicted coding regions. Efficient metabolic functions are predicted, with sugars as the principal energy and carbon source, supporting existence in the nutrient-poor xylem sap. The mechanisms associated with pathogenicity and virulence involve toxins, antibiotics and ion sequestration systems, as well as bacterium-bacterium and bacterium-host interactions mediated by a range of proteins. Orthologues of some of these proteins have only been identified in animal and human pathogens; their presence in X. fastidiosa indicates that the molecular basis for bacterial pathogenicity is both conserved and independent of host. At least 83 genes are bacteriophage-derived and include virulence-associated genes from other bacteria, providing direct evidence of phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer.     

Spontaneous epigenetic variation in the Arabidopsis thaliana methylome

Heritable epigenetic polymorphisms, such as differential cytosine methylation, can underlie phenotypic variation. Moreover, wild strains of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana differ in many epialleles, and these can influence the expression of nearby genes. However, to understand their role in evolution, it is imperative to ascertain the emergence rate and stability of epialleles, including those that are not due to structural variation. We have compared genome-wide DNA methylation among 10 A. thaliana lines, derived 30 generations ago from a common ancestor. Epimutations at individual positions were easily detected, and close to 30,000 cytosines in each strain were differentially methylated. In contrast, larger regions of contiguous methylation were much more stable, and the frequency of changes was in the same low range as that of DNA mutations. Like individual positions, the same regions were often affected by differential methylation in independent lines, with evidence for recurrent cycles of forward and reverse mutations. Transposable elements and short interfering RNAs have been causally linked to DNA methylation. In agreement, differentially methylated sites were farther from transposable elements and showed less association with short interfering RNA expression than invariant positions. The biased distribution and frequent reversion of epimutations have important implications for the potential contribution of sequence-independent epialleles to plant evolution.     

棉花DELLA蛋白GhGAl4a基因在拟南芥中功能初步分析

为了探究棉花DELLA蛋白基因GhGAI4a在拟南芥中的功能,构建植物表达载体pBP35S：GhGAI4a和pBP35S：Ghgai4a,利用农杆菌介导的花滴法将其转入Col野生型拟南芥。结果显示,2个载体各自获得6个独立的转基因拟南芥纯合株系。分别统计48—96h种子萌发率,测量生长7d后幼苗的主根长度,与非转基因植株相比,过量表达GhGAI4a、Ghgai4a对拟南芥种子萌发及主根生长具有明显的抑制作用。1μmol／LGA处理转基因植株,GhGAI4a转基因植株主根长和萌发率均增大,而Ghgai4a转基因植株主根长度和萌发率均无显著变化。     

Initial sequence of the chimpanzee genome and comparison with the human genome

Here we present a draft genome sequence of the common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). Through comparison with the human genome, we have generated a largely complete catalogue of the genetic differences that have accumulated since the human and chimpanzee species diverged from our common ancestor, constituting approximately thirty-five million single-nucleotide changes, five million insertion/deletion events, and various chromosomal rearrangements. We use this catalogue to explore the magnitude and regional variation of mutational forces shaping these two genomes, and the strength of positive and negative selection acting on their genes. In particular, we find that the patterns of evolution in human and chimpanzee protein-coding genes are highly correlated and dominated by the fixation of neutral and slightly deleterious alleles. We also use the chimpanzee genome as an outgroup to investigate human population genetics and identify signatures of selective sweeps in recent human evolution.     

Quality assessment of the human genome sequence

As the final sequencing of the human genome has now been completed, we present the results of the largest examination of the quality of the finished DNA sequence. The completed study covers the major contributing sequencing centres and is based on a rigorous combination of laboratory experiments and computational analysis.