Improved immunogenicity of a peptide epitope after fusion to hepatitis B core protein

Synthetic vaccines for viral diseases can use defined regions of viral proteins as immunogens: the peptide sequence of amino acids 141-160 of the VP1 protein of foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) elicits virus-neutralizing antibodies to protect guinea pigs, cattle and pigs either when coupled to a carrier protein or when administered in liposomes or in incomplete Freund's adjuvant. The immune response to these peptides is much lower than that to complete virus particles and the same sequence fused to the N terminus of beta-galactosidase did not produce a more potent immunogen than synthetic peptide alone. We report here an expression system for immunogenic epitopes linked to a carrier protein, hepatitis B core antigen, to form part of a virus-like complex which can present these epitopes to the immune system at high density. The immunogenicity of these structures approaches that of FMDV particles.     

Requirement of the RNA helicase-like protein PRP22 for release of messenger RNA from spliceosomes

The product of the yeast PRP22 gene acts late in the splicing of yeast pre-messenger RNA, mediating the release of the spliced mRNA from the spliceosome. The predicted PRP22 protein sequence shares extensive homology with that of PRP2 and PRP16 proteins, which are also involved in nuclear pre-mRNA splicing. The homologous region contains sequence elements characteristic of several demonstrated or putative ATP-dependent RNA helicases. A putative RNA-binding motif originally identified in bacterial ribosomal protein S1 and Escherichia coli polynucleotide phosphorylase has also been found in PRP22.     

Genome sequence of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

The parasite Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for hundreds of millions of cases of malaria, and kills more than one million African children annually. Here we report an analysis of the genome sequence of P. falciparum clone 3D7. The 23-megabase nuclear genome consists of 14 chromosomes, encodes about 5,300 genes, and is the most (A + T)-rich genome sequenced to date. Genes involved in antigenic variation are concentrated in the subtelomeric regions of the chromosomes. Compared to the genomes of free-living eukaryotic microbes, the genome of this intracellular parasite encodes fewer enzymes and transporters, but a large proportion of genes are devoted to immune evasion and host-parasite interactions. Many nuclear-encoded proteins are targeted to the apicoplast, an organelle involved in fatty-acid and isoprenoid metabolism. The genome sequence provides the foundation for future studies of this organism, and is being exploited in the search for new drugs and vaccines to fight malaria.     

Analysis of the genome sequence of the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana

The flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana is an important model system for identifying genes and determining their functions. Here we report the analysis of the genomic sequence of Arabidopsis. The sequenced regions cover 115.4 megabases of the 125-megabase genome and extend into centromeric regions. The evolution of Arabidopsis involved a whole-genome duplication, followed by subsequent gene loss and extensive local gene duplications, giving rise to a dynamic genome enriched by lateral gene transfer from a cyanobacterial-like ancestor of the plastid. The genome contains 25,498 genes encoding proteins from 11,000 families, similar to the functional diversity of Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans--the other sequenced multicellular eukaryotes. Arabidopsis has many families of new proteins but also lacks several common protein families, indicating that the sets of common proteins have undergone differential expansion and contraction in the three multicellular eukaryotes. This is the first complete genome sequence of a plant and provides the foundations for more comprehensive comparison of conserved processes in all eukaryotes, identifying a wide range of plant-specific gene functions and establishing rapid systematic ways to identify genes for crop improvement.     

鹅耳枥属树种叶绿体基因组结构及变异分析

【目的】了解鹅耳枥属(Carpinus)树种叶绿体基因组基因组成及结构特征,为鹅耳枥属的系统发育及基因组进化研究提供参考。【方法】获取鹅耳枥属16个树种的叶绿体基因组,对其进行基因注释,利用生物信息学方法比较叶绿体基因组间的结构特征与变异程度,并以麻栎(Quercus acutissima)为外类群分析了鹅耳枥属的系统发育关系。【结果】鹅耳枥属16个树种的叶绿体基因组均为双链环形结构,均包含1个长单拷贝区(LSC)、1个短单拷贝区(SSC)以及2个反向重复区(IRa和IRb)。叶绿体基因组大小差异较小,最大差异仅1 902 bp。基因排列顺序基本一致,各基因数量相对保守,其中核糖体RNA(rRNA)数量最为保守,所有树种均为8个。此外,鹅耳枥属树种叶绿体基因组在序列长度、基因组成以及GC含量等方面相对保守,但4个边界存在明显的多样性。鹅耳枥属叶绿体基因组中非基因编码区存在较大差异,变异程度较高,而基因编码区差异较小,具有较高的保守性。在叶绿体基因组4个部分中,LSC区的变异程度最高,IRa区的变异程度最低。鹅耳枥属叶绿体基因组中psbA、rps16、atpA、rps19、ndhF、ndhI以及ycf1等基因的编码区存在显著差异。此外,ycf3-trnS, trnS-rps4, trnH-psbA, psbZ-trnfM, matK-rps16, rps16-trnQ, trnQ-psbK, ccsA-ndhD, accD-psaI, ndhC-trnV, trnT-trnL, trnF-ndhJ, atpB-rbcL, trnT-psbD, trnE-trnT, trnD-trnY, rpl32-trnl等基因间隔区的非编码区差异较大。绝大部分基因的编码区长度十分保守,含内含子的蛋白编码基因长度变异主要来源于内含子长度或编码区长度。系统发育分析结果将鹅耳枥属划分为鹅耳枥组与千金榆组,此外由于地理隔离导致欧洲鹅耳枥(C. betulus)、美洲鹅耳枥(C. caroliniana)与鹅耳枥属其他树种表现出较远的亲缘关系。【结论】鹅耳枥属树种叶绿体基因组具有较高的保守性,其基因排列顺序基本一致,未检测到大规模的倒位或基因重排,但其IR区与单拷贝区(SC)边界存在明显的多样性。基于叶绿体基因组构建的系统发育树在一定程度上可以揭示鹅耳枥属树种的系统发育关系。     

Sequence and analysis of chromosome 3 of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana

Arabidopsis thaliana is an important model system for plant biologists. In 1996 an international collaboration (the Arabidopsis Genome Initiative) was formed to sequence the whole genome of Arabidopsis and in 1999 the sequence of the first two chromosomes was reported. The sequence of the last three chromosomes and an analysis of the whole genome are reported in this issue. Here we present the sequence of chromosome 3, organized into four sequence segments (contigs). The two largest (13.5 and 9.2 Mb) correspond to the top (long) and the bottom (short) arms of chromosome 3, and the two small contigs are located in the genetically defined centromere. This chromosome encodes 5,220 of the roughly 25,500 predicted protein-coding genes in the genome. About 20% of the predicted proteins have significant homology to proteins in eukaryotic genomes for which the complete sequence is available, pointing to important conserved cellular functions among eukaryotes.     

响叶杨（杨属）叶绿体基因组测序与比较分析

本研究中,我们对响叶杨的叶绿体基因组进行测序和组装,并将其与杨属其他11个叶绿体基因组进行比较分析.结果表明,响叶杨叶绿体基因组全长158,591bp,其中两个反向重复序列区(IR)长度均为27,667bp,长单拷贝序列区(LSC)和短单拷贝序列区(SSC)长度分别为84,634和18,623bp.通过对杨属12个物种的叶绿体基因组进行比较,只发现了6个相对较大的插入缺失,因此整体而言,杨属的叶绿体基因组结构是高度保守的.系统发育分析结果显示,杨属中12个物种组成了3个具有高支持率的进化支,响叶杨与其他白杨组物种聚为一支,并且与银白杨的亲缘关系最近.本研究基于叶绿体基因组数据揭示了杨属的进化历史,将有助于进一步开展杨属植物基于叶绿体DNA序列数据的群体遗传学及其他分子生态学研究.     

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).     

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…     

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.     

The DNA sequence of human chromosome 22

Knowledge of the complete genomic DNA sequence of an organism allows a systematic approach to defining its genetic components. The genomic sequence provides access to the complete structures of all genes, including those without known function, their control elements, and, by inference, the proteins they encode, as well as all other biologically important sequences. Furthermore, the sequence is a rich and permanent source of information for the design of further biological studies of the organism and for the study of evolution through cross-species sequence comparison. The power of this approach has been amply demonstrated by the determination of the sequences of a number of microbial and model organisms. The next step is to obtain the complete sequence of the entire human genome. Here we report the sequence of the euchromatic part of human chromosome 22. The sequence obtained consists of 12 contiguous segments spanning 33.4 megabases, contains at least 545 genes and 134 pseudogenes, and provides the first view of the complex chromosomal landscapes that will be found in the rest of the genome.     

黄土高原黄土地层分区及其地层结构

黄土地层序列同黄土地貌分区有成因上的联系,不同成因的地貌环境其黄土地层结构不同.依据地貌区划结合黄土地层特征可将黄土高原黄土地层划分为以下四个主要分区:1.梁峁地层区.该区又可分为六盘山以西及以东两个亚区;2.源地层区.又可细分为塬亚区.台塬亚区及山麓塬亚区;3.山间盆地地层区;4.河谷地层区。