Chromosomal clustering of muscle-expressed genes in Caenorhabditis elegans

Chromosomes are divided into domains of open chromatin, where genes have the potential to be expressed, and domains of closed chromatin, where genes are not expressed. Classic examples of open chromatin domains include 'puffs' on polytene chromosomes in Drosophila and extended loops from lampbrush chromosomes. If multiple genes were typically expressed together from a single open chromatin domain, the position of co-expressed genes along the chromosomes would appear clustered. To investigate whether co-expressed genes are clustered, we examined the chromosomal positions of the genes expressed in the muscle of Caenorhabditis elegans at the first larval stage. Here we show that co-expressed genes in C. elegans are clustered in groups of 2-5 along the chromosomes, suggesting that expression from a chromatin domain can extend over several genes. These observations reveal a higher-order organization of the structure of the genome, in which the order of the genes along the chromosome id correlated with their expression in specific tissues.     

Size variation in chromosomes from independent cultured isolates of Plasmodium falciparum

The complexity of the life cycle of the protozoan malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum has hindered genetic analysis; even the number of chromosomes in P. falciparum is uncertain. The blood stages of rodent malaria parasites are haploid and hybridization with cloned complementary DNAs similarly suggests a haploid genome in P. falciparum blood stages (ref. 4 and our unpublished results). A novel approach to karyoptic and linkage analysis in P. falciparum has been provided recently by the technique of pulsed-field gradient (PFG) gel electrophoresis, which allows the fractionation of DNA molecules of 30-3,000 kilobases (kb), a range including the sizes of intact chromosomal DNA molecules from eukaryotes such as yeast and trypanosomatids. We describe here the fractionation by PFG electrophoresis of chromosomal DNA molecules from P. falciparum into at least seven discrete species which vary in size by up to 20% between different isolates. Several genes for P. faciparum antigens which contain repetitive sequences are located on different chromosomes. Surprisingly, two of the chromosomes seem to contain the same sequences.     

Genome sequence of the ultrasmall unicellular red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae 10D

Small, compact genomes of ultrasmall unicellular algae provide information on the basic and essential genes that support the lives of photosynthetic eukaryotes, including higher plants. Here we report the 16,520,305-base-pair sequence of the 20 chromosomes of the unicellular red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae 10D as the first complete algal genome. We identified 5,331 genes in total, of which at least 86.3% were expressed. Unique characteristics of this genomic structure include: a lack of introns in all but 26 genes; only three copies of ribosomal DNA units that maintain the nucleolus; and two dynamin genes that are involved only in the division of mitochondria and plastids. The conserved mosaic origin of Calvin cycle enzymes in this red alga and in green plants supports the hypothesis of the existence of single primary plastid endosymbiosis. The lack of a myosin gene, in addition to the unexpressed actin gene, suggests a simpler system of cytokinesis. These results indicate that the C. merolae genome provides a model system with a simple gene composition for studying the origin, evolution and fundamental mechanisms of eukaryotic cells.     

Unexpectedly similar rates of nucleotide substitution found in male and female hominids

In 1947, it was suggested that, in humans, the mutation rate is dramatically higher in the male germ line than in the female germ line. This hypothesis has been supported by the observation that, among primates, Y-linked genes evolved more rapidly than homologous X-linked genes. Based on these evolutionary studies, the ratio (alpha(m)) of male to female mutation rates in primates was estimated to be about 5. However, selection could have skewed sequence evolution in introns and exons. In addition, some of the X-Y gene pairs studied lie within chromosomal regions with substantially divergent nucleotide sequences. Here we directly compare human X and Y sequences within a large region with no known genes. Here the two chromosomes are 99% identical, and X-Y divergence began only three or four million years ago, during hominid evolution. In apes, homologous sequences exist only on the X chromosome. We sequenced and compared 38.6 kb of this region from human X, human Y, chimpanzee X and gorilla X chromosomes. We calculated alpha(m) to be 1.7 (95% confidence interval 1.15-2.87), significantly lower than previous estimates in primates. We infer that, in humans and their immediate ancestors, male and female mutation rates were far more similar than previously supposed.     

DNA sequences of telomeres maintained in yeast

Telomeres, the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, have long been recognized as specialized structures. Their stability compared with broken ends of chromosomes suggested that they have properties which protect them from fusion, degradation or recombination. Furthermore, a linear DNA molecule such as that of a eukaryotic chromosome must have a structure at its ends which allows its complete replication, as no known DNA polymerase can initiate synthesis without a primer. At the ends of the relatively short, multi-copy linear DNA molecules found naturally in the nuclei of several lower eukaryotes, there are simple tandemly repeated sequences with, in the cases analysed, a specific array of single-strand breaks, on both DNA strands, in the distal portion of the block of repeats. In general, however, direct analysis of chromosomal termini presents problems because of their very low abundance in nuclei. To circumvent this problem, we have previously cloned a chromosomal telomere of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae on a linear DNA vector molecule. Here we show that yeast chromosomal telomeres terminate in a DNA sequence consisting of tandem irregular repeats of the general form C1-3A. The same repeat units are added to the ends of Tetrahymena telomeres, in an apparently non-template-directed manner, during their replication on linear plasmids in yeast. Such DNA addition may have a fundamental role in telomere replication.     

基于近邻传播的时间序列基因表达谱聚类算法

聚类是识别基因表达数据蕴含的关键基因调控模块的一种有效方法,基因表达谱的相似性度量是聚类的关键问题.然而,一般的相似性度量方法不能刻画时间序列基因表达谱数据所蕴含的时间延迟、反向相关和局部相关等复杂的基因调控关系.针对时间序列基因表达谱数据,提出一种基于近邻传播和动态规划的相似性度量方法和聚类算法.在大鼠再生肝细胞基因表达谱数据集上的聚类结果与基因功能富集分析结果高度一致,证明算法在时间序列基因表达谱数据聚类上的有效性.     

长期继代小麦培养细胞的染色体结构变异特征

本文对继代培养12．5年的普通小麦济南177愈伤组织染色体的结构变异进行了研究，并与继代时间为1．5－8．6年的进行比较，发现其染色体结构变异的类型发生了改变，除了原有的少数染色体断片和双着丝粒染色体以外，较高频率地出现了近端着丝粒染色体和端着丝粒染色体，分布频率分别为91．11％和84．44％。同工酶和RAPD分析表明，不同继代时期的培养细胞基因的组成和表达存在差异。     

实现输出统一排名的差异共表达双聚类算法

提出了差异共表达框架和一个差异共表达评分函数,以观察到的一个双聚类基因在所属双聚类的条件下共表达和在其他条件下非共表达为基础,客观量化基因双聚类的质量.此外,还提出了一个评分函数把双聚类分层为三种类型的共表达.在实现双聚类输出统一排名中,使用提出的评分函数对这4个公认的双聚类算法在不同区域的6个实际数据集上的性能和行为进行测试.实验结果表明,在鉴别共表达双聚类方面,差异共表达框架能有效提高共表达基因双聚类质量和双聚类算法的性能.