Genome sequencing and analysis of Aspergillus oryzae

The genome of Aspergillus oryzae, a fungus important for the production of traditional fermented foods and beverages in Japan, has been sequenced. The ability to secrete large amounts of proteins and the development of a transformation system have facilitated the use of A. oryzae in modern biotechnology. Although both A. oryzae and Aspergillus flavus belong to the section Flavi of the subgenus Circumdati of Aspergillus, A. oryzae, unlike A. flavus, does not produce aflatoxin, and its long history of use in the food industry has proved its safety. Here we show that the 37-megabase (Mb) genome of A. oryzae contains 12,074 genes and is expanded by 7-9 Mb in comparison with the genomes of Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus. Comparison of the three aspergilli species revealed the presence of syntenic blocks and A. oryzae-specific blocks (lacking synteny with A. nidulans and A. fumigatus) in a mosaic manner throughout the genome of A. oryzae. The blocks of A. oryzae-specific sequence are enriched for genes involved in metabolism, particularly those for the synthesis of secondary metabolites. Specific expansion of genes for secretory hydrolytic enzymes, amino acid metabolism and amino acid/sugar uptake transporters supports the idea that A. oryzae is an ideal microorganism for fermentation.     

Genome sequencing in microfabricated high-density picolitre reactors

The proliferation of large-scale DNA-sequencing projects in recent years has driven a search for alternative methods to reduce time and cost. Here we describe a scalable, highly parallel sequencing system with raw throughput significantly greater than that of state-of-the-art capillary electrophoresis instruments. The apparatus uses a novel fibre-optic slide of individual wells and is able to sequence 25 million bases, at 99% or better accuracy, in one four-hour run. To achieve an approximately 100-fold increase in throughput over current Sanger sequencing technology, we have developed an emulsion method for DNA amplification and an instrument for sequencing by synthesis using a pyrosequencing protocol optimized for solid support and picolitre-scale volumes. Here we show the utility, throughput, accuracy and robustness of this system by shotgun sequencing and de novo assembly of the Mycoplasma genitalium genome with 96% coverage at 99.96% accuracy in one run of the machine.     

Genome sequencing and characterization analysis of a Beijing isolate of chicken coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus

Avian infectious bronchitis virus (AIBV) is classified as a member of the genus coronavirus in the family coronaviridae. The enveloped virus has a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA genome of approximately 28 kilo-bases,which has a 5‘ cap structure and 3‘ polyadenylation tract.The complete genome sequence of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), Beijing isolate, was determined by cloning sequencing and primer walking. The whole genome is 27733 nucleotides in length, has ten open reading frames:5′-orfla-orflab-s-3a-3b-e-m- 6a-6b-n-3′. Alignments of the genome sequence of IBV Beijing isolate with those of two AIBV strains and one SARS coronavirus were performed respectively. The genome sequence of IBV Beijing isolate compared with that of the IBV strain LX4 (uncompleted, 19440 bp in size) was 91.2% similarity. However, the full-length genome sequence of IBV Beijing isolate was 85.2% identity to that of IBV Strain Beaudette, and was only 50.8% homology to that of SARS coronavirus. The results showed that the genome of IBV has remarkable variation. And IBV Beijing isolate is not closely related to SARS coronavirus. Phylogenetic analyses based on the whole genome sequence, S protein, M protein and N protein, also showed that AIBV Bering isolate is lone virus in group Ⅲ and is distant from SARS coronavirus. In conclusion, this study will contribute to the studies of diagnosis and diseases control on IBV in China.     

The Santa Barbara Basin is a symbiosis oasis

It is generally agreed that the origin and initial diversification of Eucarya occurred in the late Archaean or Proterozoic Eons when atmospheric oxygen levels were low and the risk of DNA damage due to ultraviolet radiation was high. Because deep water provides refuge against ultraviolet radiation and early eukaryotes may have been aerotolerant anaerobes, deep-water dysoxic environments are likely settings for primeval eukaryotic diversification. Fossil evidence shows that deep-sea microbial mats, possibly of sulphur bacteria similar to Beggiatoa, existed during that time. Here we report on the eukaryotic community of a modern analogue, the Santa Barbara Basin (California, USA). The Beggiatoa mats of these severely dysoxic and sulphidic sediments support a surprisingly abundant protistan and metazoan meiofaunal community, most members of which harbour prokaryotic symbionts. Many of these taxa are new to science, and both microaerophilic and anaerobic taxa appear to be represented. Compared with nearby aerated sites, the Santa Barbara Basin is a 'symbiosis oasis' offering a new source of organisms for testing symbiosis hypotheses of eukaryogenesis.     

The C. elegans genome sequencing project: a beginning.

The long-term goal of this project is the elucidation of the complete sequence of the Caenorhabditis elegans genome. During the first year methods have been developed and a strategy implemented that is amenable to large-scale sequencing. The three cosmids sequenced in this initial phase are surprisingly rich in genes, many of which have mammalian homologues.     

麂属动物小麂线粒体DNA文库的建立和序列分析

通过建立麂属动物小麂线粒体DNA文库，鸟枪法测序，我们获得了小麂线粒体基因组全序列的初步信息，这也是国内有关哺乳动物线粒体基因组全序列的首次报道，与其他哺乳动物线粒体基因组全库列的比较研究发现：全长为16354bp的小麂线粒体基因组同样编码13种蛋白、2种rRNA和22种tRNA，除了用于调控线粒体DNA复制和转录的D-Loop区以外，小麂线粒体基因组各基因长度，位置与其他哺乳动物相似，其编码蛋白质区域的rRNA基因与基因他哺乳动物具有很高的同源性，D－Loop区长度和序列的差异是导致各种哺乳动物线粒体差异的主要原因。     

The genome of Laccaria bicolor provides insights into mycorrhizal symbiosis

Mycorrhizal symbioses--the union of roots and soil fungi--are universal in terrestrial ecosystems and may have been fundamental to land colonization by plants. Boreal, temperate and montane forests all depend on ectomycorrhizae. Identification of the primary factors that regulate symbiotic development and metabolic activity will therefore open the door to understanding the role of ectomycorrhizae in plant development and physiology, allowing the full ecological significance of this symbiosis to be explored. Here we report the genome sequence of the ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete Laccaria bicolor (Fig. 1) and highlight gene sets involved in rhizosphere colonization and symbiosis. This 65-megabase genome assembly contains approximately 20,000 predicted protein-encoding genes and a very large number of transposons and repeated sequences. We detected unexpected genomic features, most notably a battery of effector-type small secreted proteins (SSPs) with unknown function, several of which are only expressed in symbiotic tissues. The most highly expressed SSP accumulates in the proliferating hyphae colonizing the host root. The ectomycorrhizae-specific SSPs probably have a decisive role in the establishment of the symbiosis. The unexpected observation that the genome of L. bicolor lacks carbohydrate-active enzymes involved in degradation of plant cell walls, but maintains the ability to degrade non-plant cell wall polysaccharides, reveals the dual saprotrophic and biotrophic lifestyle of the mycorrhizal fungus that enables it to grow within both soil and living plant roots. The predicted gene inventory of the L. bicolor genome, therefore, points to previously unknown mechanisms of symbiosis operating in biotrophic mycorrhizal fungi. The availability of this genome provides an unparalleled opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the processes by which symbionts interact with plants within their ecosystem to perform vital functions in the carbon and nitrogen cycles that are fundamental to sustainable plant productivity.     

人类基因组计划研究进展

综述了“人类基因组计划”的产生与目标、内容、基本策略、技术背景、成果、意义、后基因组学和中国“人类基因组计划”的研究等问题．     

几类特殊图的ABC能量

图G的ABC能量定义为图G的ABC矩阵的n个特征值的绝对值之和,记为EABC(G)＝|(n)λi|.该文利用图的ABC能量的定义和性质,结合几类特殊图的结构,分析了路图、星图、完全图、完全二部图、友谊图以及风车图的ABC特征多项式,给出了ABC能量,并给出了路图、星图、完全图分别删去一条边后其ABC能量的变化趋势.