Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the world's most important non-grain food crop and is central to global food security. It is clonally propagated, highly heterozygous, autotetraploid, and suffers ...acute inbreeding depression. Here we use a homozygous doubled-monoploid potato clone to sequence and assemble 86% of the 844-megabase genome. We predict 39,031 protein-coding genes and present evidence for at least two genome duplication events indicative of a palaeopolyploid origin. As the first genome sequence of an asterid, the potato genome reveals 2,642 genes specific to this large angiosperm clade. We also sequenced a heterozygous diploid clone and show that gene presence/absence variants and other potentially deleterious mutations occur frequently and are a likely cause of inbreeding depression. Gene family expansion, tissue-specific expression and recruitment of genes to new pathways contributed to the evolution of tuber development. The potato genome sequence provides a platform for genetic improvement of this vital crop.
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DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The three epidemiologically important Opisthorchiidae liver flukes Opisthorchis felineus, O. viverrini, and Clonorchis sinensis, are believed to harbour similar potencies to provoke hepatobiliary ...diseases in their definitive hosts, although their populations have substantially different ecogeographical aspects including habitat, preferred hosts, population structure. Lack of O. felineus genomic data is an obstacle to the development of comparative molecular biological approaches necessary to obtain new knowledge about the biology of Opisthorchiidae trematodes, to identify essential pathways linked to parasite-host interaction, to predict genes that contribute to liver fluke pathogenesis and for the effective prevention and control of the disease.
Here we present the first draft genome assembly of O. felineus and its gene repertoire accompanied by a comparative analysis with that of O. viverrini and Clonorchis sinensis. We observed both noticeably high heterozygosity of the sequenced individual and substantial genetic diversity in a pooled sample. This indicates that potency of O. felineus population for rapid adaptive response to control and preventive measures of opisthorchiasis is higher than in O. viverrini and C. sinensis. We also have found that all three species are characterized by more intensive involvement of trans-splicing in RNA processing compared to other trematodes.
All revealed peculiarities of structural organization of genomes are of extreme importance for a proper description of genes and their products in these parasitic species. This should be taken into account both in academic and applied research of epidemiologically important liver flukes. Further comparative genomics studies of liver flukes and non-carcinogenic flatworms allow for generation of well-grounded hypotheses on the mechanisms underlying development of cholangiocarcinoma associated with opisthorchiasis and clonorchiasis as well as species-specific mechanisms of these diseases.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Recombinant human follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), produced in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, is widely used for treatment of fertility disorders and is subject to biosimilars development. ...Cell lines with high specific productivities may simplify the FSH production process. Here, we used our previously established expression system based on vector p1.1 to create new cell lines secreting heterodimeric FSH protein. To this end, we linked open reading frames of both FSH subunits by the wild-type internal ribosome entry site from the encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV IRES). Intact and double-negative for the dihydrofolate reductase CHO cells were stably transfected by the FSH-coding plasmids. Stably transfected intact cells showed higher level of the FSH secretion and were utilized for subsequent methotrexate-driven transgene amplification, which doubled their productivity. The excess of the free α-subunit was corrected by transfecting the cells by the additional p1.1-based plasmid encoding the β-subunit of the FSH. Clonal cell lines obtained secreted mostly the heterodimeric FSH and possessed specific productivities up to 12.3±1.7 pg/cell/day. Candidate clonal cell line C-P1.3-FSH-G4 maintained a constant specific productivity for at least 2 months of culturing without the section pressure. The resulting FSH protein conformed to the international pharmaceutical quality criteria as evidenced by the receptor binding kinetics, distribution pattern of hormone isoforms and biological activity. In conclusion, our expression system offers a simple and cost-effective approach to production of FSH.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Matrix 2 protein ectodomain (M2e) is considered a promising candidate for a broadly protective influenza vaccine. M2e-based vaccines against human influenza A provide only partial protection against ...avian influenza viruses because of differences in the M2e sequences. In this work, we evaluated the possibility of obtaining equal protection and immune response by using recombinant protein on the basis of flagellin as a carrier of the M2e peptides of human and avian influenza A viruses. Recombinant protein was generated by the fusion of two tandem copies of consensus M2e sequence from human influenza A and two copies of M2e from avian A/H5N1 viruses to flagellin (Flg-2M2eh2M2ek). Intranasal immunisation of Balb/c mice with recombinant protein significantly elicited anti-M2e IgG in serum, IgG and sIgA in BAL. Antibodies induced by the fusion protein Flg-2M2eh2M2ek bound efficiently to synthetic peptides corresponding to the human consensus M2e sequence as well as to the M2e sequence of A/Chicken/Kurgan/05/05 RG (H5N1) and recognised native M2e epitopes exposed on the surface of the MDCK cells infected with A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) and A/Chicken/Kurgan/05/05 RG (H5N1) to an equal degree. Immunisation led to both anti-M2e IgG1 and IgG2a response with IgG1 prevalence. We observed a significant intracellular production of IL-4, but not IFN-γ, by CD4+ T-cells in spleen of mice following immunisation with Flg-2M2eh2M2ek. Immunisation with the Flg-2M2eh2M2ek fusion protein provided similar protection from lethal challenge with human influenza A viruses (H1N1, H3N2) and avian influenza virus (H5N1). Immunised mice experienced significantly less weight loss and decreased lung viral titres compared to control mice. The data obtained show the potential for the development of an M2e-flagellin candidate influenza vaccine with broad spectrum protection against influenza A viruses of various origins.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Carnivorous plants have the ability to capture and digest small animals as a source of additional nutrients, which allows them to grow in nutrient-poor habitats. Here we report the complete sequences ...of the plastid genomes of two carnivorous plants of the order Caryophyllales,
and
×
. The plastome of
is repeat-rich and highly rearranged. It lacks NAD(P)H dehydrogenase genes, as well as
and
genes, and three essential tRNA genes. Intron losses are observed in some protein-coding and tRNA genes along with a pronounced reduction of RNA editing sites. Only six editing sites were identified by RNA-seq in
plastid genome and at most conserved editing sites the conserved amino acids are already encoded at the DNA level. In contrast, the
×
plastome has a typical structure and gene content, except for pseudogenization of the
gene.
×
and
could represent different stages of evolution of the plastid genomes of carnivorous plants, resembling events observed in parasitic plants in the course of the switch from autotrophy to a heterotrophic lifestyle.
Hansenula polymorpha DL1 is a methylotrophic yeast, widely used in fundamental studies of methanol metabolism, peroxisome biogenesis and function, and also as a microbial cell factory for production ...of recombinant proteins and metabolic engineering towards the goal of high temperature ethanol production.
We have sequenced the 9 Mbp H. polymorpha DL1 genome and performed whole-genome analysis for the H. polymorpha transcriptome obtained from both methanol- and glucose-grown cells. RNA-seq analysis revealed the complex and dynamic character of the H. polymorpha transcriptome under the two studied conditions, identified abundant and highly unregulated expression of 40% of the genome in methanol grown cells, and revealed alternative splicing events. We have identified subtelomerically biased protein families in H. polymorpha, clusters of LTR elements at G + C-poor chromosomal loci in the middle of each of the seven H. polymorpha chromosomes, and established the evolutionary position of H. polymorpha DL1 within a separate yeast clade together with the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris and the non-methylotrophic yeast Dekkera bruxellensis. Intergenome comparisons uncovered extensive gene order reshuffling between the three yeast genomes. Phylogenetic analyses enabled us to reveal patterns of evolution of methylotrophy in yeasts and filamentous fungi.
Our results open new opportunities for in-depth understanding of many aspects of H. polymorpha life cycle, physiology and metabolism as well as genome evolution in methylotrophic yeasts and may lead to novel improvements toward the application of H. polymorpha DL-1 as a microbial cell factory.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Advances in transient expression technologies have allowed the production of milligram quantities of proteins within a matter of days using only small amounts (tens of grams) of plant tissue. Among ...the proteins that have been produced using this approach are the structural proteins of viruses which are capable of forming virus-like particles (VLPs). As such particulate structures are potent stimulators of the immune system, they are excellent vaccine candidates both in their own right and as carriers of additional immunogenic sequences. VLPs of varying complexity derived from a variety of animal viruses have been successfully transiently expressed in plants and their immunological properties assessed. Generally, the plant-produced VLPs were found to have the expected antigenicity and immunogenicity. In several cases, including an M2e-based influenza vaccine candidate, the plant-expressed VLPs have been shown to be capable of stimulating protective immunity. These findings raise the prospect that low-cost plant-produced vaccines could be developed for both veterinary and human use.
Body size reduction, also known as miniaturization, is an important evolutionary process that affects a number of physiological and phenotypic traits and helps animals conquer new ecological niches. ...However, this process is poorly understood at the molecular level. Here, we report genomic and transcriptomic features of arguably the smallest known insect-the parasitoid wasp, Megaphragma amalphitanum (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). In contrast to expectations, we find that the genome and transcriptome sizes of this parasitoid wasp are comparable to other members of the Chalcidoidea superfamily. Moreover, compared to other chalcid wasps the gene content of M. amalphitanum is remarkably conserved. Intriguingly, we observed significant changes in M. amalphitanum transposable element dynamics over time, in which an initial burst was followed by suppression of activity, possibly due to a recent reinforcement of the genome defense machinery. Overall, while the M. amalphitanum genomic data reveal certain features that may be linked to the unusual biological properties of this organism, miniaturization is not associated with a large decrease in genome complexity.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
Gas hydrates in marine sediments have been known for many years but recently hydrates were found in the sediments of Lake Baikal, the largest freshwater basin in the world. Marine gas ...hydrates are associated with complex microbial communities involved in methanogenesis, methane oxidation, sulfate reduction and other biotransformations. However, the contribution of microorganisms to the formation of gas hydrates remains poorly understood. We examined the microbial communities in the hydrate-bearing sediments and water column of Lake Baikal using pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Aerobic methanotrophic bacteria dominated the water sample collected at the lake floor in the hydrate-bearing site. The shallow sediments were dominated by Archaea. Methanogens of the orders Methanomicrobiales and Methanosarcinales were abundant, whereas representatives of archaeal lineages known to perform anaerobic oxidation of methane, as well as sulfate-reducing bacteria, were not found. Affiliation of archaea to methanogenic rather than methane-oxidizing lineages was supported by analysis of the sequences of the methyl coenzyme M reductase gene. The deeper sediments located at 85–90 cm depth close to the hydrate were dominated by Bacteria, mostly assigned to Chloroflexi, candidate division JS1 and Caldiserica. Overall, our results are consistent with the biological origin of methane hydrates in Lake Baikal.
Chloroplasts of most plants are responsible for photosynthesis and contain a conserved set of about 110 genes that encode components of housekeeping gene expression machinery and ...photosynthesis-related functions. Heterotrophic plants obtaining nutrients from other organisms and their plastid genomes represent model systems in which to study the effects of relaxed selective pressure on photosynthetic function. The most evident is a reduction in the size and gene content of the plastome, which correlates with the loss of genes encoding photosynthetic machinery which become unnecessary. Transition to a non-photosynthetic lifestyle is expected also to relax the selective pressure on photosynthetic machinery in the nuclear genome, however, the corresponding changes are less known.
Here we report the complete sequence of the plastid genome of Monotropa hypopitys, an achlorophyllous obligately mycoheterotrophic plant belonging to the family Ericaceae. The plastome of M. hypopitys is greatly reduced in size (35,336 bp) and lacks the typical quadripartite structure with two single-copy regions and an inverted repeat. Only 45 genes remained presumably intact- those encoding ribosomal proteins, ribosomal and transfer RNA and housekeeping genes infA, matK, accD and clpP. The clpP and accD genes probably remain functional, although their sequences are highly diverged. The sets of genes for ribosomal protein and transfer RNA are incomplete relative to chloroplasts of a photosynthetic plant. Comparison of the plastid genomes of two subspecies-level isolates of M. hypopitys revealed major structural rearrangements associated with repeat-driven recombination and the presence of isolate-specific tRNA genes. Analysis of the M. hypopitys transcriptome by RNA-Seq showed the absence of expression of nuclear-encoded components of photosystem I and II reaction center proteins, components of cytochrome b6f complex, ATP synthase, ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase components, as well as chlorophyll from protoporphyrin IX biosynthesis pathway.
With the complete loss of genes related to photosynthesis, NADH dehydrogenase, plastid-encoded RNA polymerase and ATP synthase, the M. hypopitys plastid genome is among the most functionally reduced ones characteristic of obligate non-photosynthetic parasitic species. Analysis of the M. hypopitys transcriptome revealed coordinated evolution of the nuclear and plastome genomes and the loss of photosynthesis-related functions in both genomes.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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