Major Chromosomal Rearrangements Distinguish Willow and Poplar After the Ancestral “Salicoid” Genome Duplication

PubMed Central

Hou, Jing; Ye, Ning; Dong, Zhongyuan; Lu, Mengzhu; Li, Laigeng; Yin, Tongming

2016-01-01

Populus (poplar) and Salix (willow) are sister genera in the Salicaceae family. In both lineages extant species are predominantly diploid. Genome analysis previously revealed that the two lineages originated from a common tetraploid ancestor. In this study, we conducted a syntenic comparison of the corresponding 19 chromosome members of the poplar and willow genomes. Our observations revealed that almost every chromosomal segment had a parallel paralogous segment elsewhere in the genomes, and the two lineages shared a similar syntenic pinwheel pattern for most of the chromosomes, which indicated that the two lineages diverged after the genome reorganization in the common progenitor. The pinwheel patterns showed distinct differences for two chromosome pairs in each lineage. Further analysis detected two major interchromosomal rearrangements that distinguished the karyotypes of willow and poplar. Chromosome I of willow was a conjunction of poplar chromosome XVI and the lower portion of poplar chromosome I, whereas willow chromosome XVI corresponded to the upper portion of poplar chromosome I. Scientists have suggested that Populus is evolutionarily more primitive than Salix. Therefore, we propose that, after the “salicoid” duplication event, fission and fusion of the ancestral chromosomes first give rise to the diploid progenitor of extant Populus species. During the evolutionary process, fission and fusion of poplar chromosomes I and XVI subsequently give rise to the progenitor of extant Salix species. This study contributes to an improved understanding of genome divergence after ancient genome duplication in closely related lineages of higher plants. PMID:27352946

Streamlining and Large Ancestral Genomes in Archaea Inferred with a Phylogenetic Birth-and-Death Model

PubMed Central

Miklós, István

2009-01-01

Homologous genes originate from a common ancestor through vertical inheritance, duplication, or horizontal gene transfer. Entire homolog families spawned by a single ancestral gene can be identified across multiple genomes based on protein sequence similarity. The sequences, however, do not always reveal conclusively the history of large families. To study the evolution of complete gene repertoires, we propose here a mathematical framework that does not rely on resolved gene family histories. We show that so-called phylogenetic profiles, formed by family sizes across multiple genomes, are sufficient to infer principal evolutionary trends. The main novelty in our approach is an efficient algorithm to compute the likelihood of a phylogenetic profile in a model of birth-and-death processes acting on a phylogeny. We examine known gene families in 28 archaeal genomes using a probabilistic model that involves lineage- and family-specific components of gene acquisition, duplication, and loss. The model enables us to consider all possible histories when inferring statistics about archaeal evolution. According to our reconstruction, most lineages are characterized by a net loss of gene families. Major increases in gene repertoire have occurred only a few times. Our reconstruction underlines the importance of persistent streamlining processes in shaping genome composition in Archaea. It also suggests that early archaeal genomes were as complex as typical modern ones, and even show signs, in the case of the methanogenic ancestor, of an extremely large gene repertoire. PMID:19570746

Comparative Genomics of Candidate Phylum TM6 Suggests That Parasitism Is Widespread and Ancestral in This Lineage

PubMed Central

Yeoh, Yun Kit; Sekiguchi, Yuji; Parks, Donovan H.; Hugenholtz, Philip

2016-01-01

Candidate phylum TM6 is a major bacterial lineage recognized through culture-independent rRNA surveys to be low abundance members in a wide range of habitats; however, they are poorly characterized due to a lack of pure culture representatives. Two recent genomic studies of TM6 bacteria revealed small genomes and limited gene repertoire, consistent with known or inferred dependence on eukaryotic hosts for their metabolic needs. Here, we obtained additional near-complete genomes of TM6 populations from agricultural soil and upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor metagenomes which, together with the two publicly available TM6 genomes, represent seven distinct family level lineages in the TM6 phylum. Genome-based phylogenetic analysis confirms that TM6 is an independent phylum level lineage in the bacterial domain, possibly affiliated with the Patescibacteria superphylum. All seven genomes are small (1.0–1.5 Mb) and lack complete biosynthetic pathways for various essential cellular building blocks including amino acids, lipids, and nucleotides. These and other features identified in the TM6 genomes such as a degenerated cell envelope, ATP/ADP translocases for parasitizing host ATP pools, and protein motifs to facilitate eukaryotic host interactions indicate that parasitism is widespread in this phylum. Phylogenetic analysis of ATP/ADP translocase genes suggests that the ancestral TM6 lineage was also parasitic. We propose the name Dependentiae (phyl. nov.) to reflect dependence of TM6 bacteria on host organisms. PMID:26615204

Advances in computer simulation of genome evolution: toward more realistic evolutionary genomics analysis by approximate bayesian computation.

PubMed

Arenas, Miguel

2015-04-01

NGS technologies present a fast and cheap generation of genomic data. Nevertheless, ancestral genome inference is not so straightforward due to complex evolutionary processes acting on this material such as inversions, translocations, and other genome rearrangements that, in addition to their implicit complexity, can co-occur and confound ancestral inferences. Recently, models of genome evolution that accommodate such complex genomic events are emerging. This letter explores these novel evolutionary models and proposes their incorporation into robust statistical approaches based on computer simulations, such as approximate Bayesian computation, that may produce a more realistic evolutionary analysis of genomic data. Advantages and pitfalls in using these analytical methods are discussed. Potential applications of these ancestral genomic inferences are also pointed out.

Clusters of ancestrally related genes that show paralogy in whole or in part are a major feature of the genomes of humans and other species.

PubMed

Walker, Michael B; King, Benjamin L; Paigen, Kenneth

2012-01-01

Arrangements of genes along chromosomes are a product of evolutionary processes, and we can expect that preferable arrangements will prevail over the span of evolutionary time, often being reflected in the non-random clustering of structurally and/or functionally related genes. Such non-random arrangements can arise by two distinct evolutionary processes: duplications of DNA sequences that give rise to clusters of genes sharing both sequence similarity and common sequence features and the migration together of genes related by function, but not by common descent. To provide a background for distinguishing between the two, which is important for future efforts to unravel the evolutionary processes involved, we here provide a description of the extent to which ancestrally related genes are found in proximity.Towards this purpose, we combined information from five genomic datasets, InterPro, SCOP, PANTHER, Ensembl protein families, and Ensembl gene paralogs. The results are provided in publicly available datasets (http://cgd.jax.org/datasets/clustering/paraclustering.shtml) describing the extent to which ancestrally related genes are in proximity beyond what is expected by chance (i.e. form paraclusters) in the human and nine other vertebrate genomes, as well as the D. melanogaster, C. elegans, A. thaliana, and S. cerevisiae genomes. With the exception of Saccharomyces, paraclusters are a common feature of the genomes we examined. In the human genome they are estimated to include at least 22% of all protein coding genes. Paraclusters are far more prevalent among some gene families than others, are highly species or clade specific and can evolve rapidly, sometimes in response to environmental cues. Altogether, they account for a large portion of the functional clustering previously reported in several genomes.

Evidence-based green algal genomics reveals marine diversity and ancestral characteristics of land plants.

PubMed

van Baren, Marijke J; Bachy, Charles; Reistetter, Emily Nahas; Purvine, Samuel O; Grimwood, Jane; Sudek, Sebastian; Yu, Hang; Poirier, Camille; Deerinck, Thomas J; Kuo, Alan; Grigoriev, Igor V; Wong, Chee-Hong; Smith, Richard D; Callister, Stephen J; Wei, Chia-Lin; Schmutz, Jeremy; Worden, Alexandra Z

2016-03-31

Prasinophytes are widespread marine green algae that are related to plants. Cellular abundance of the prasinophyte Micromonas has reportedly increased in the Arctic due to climate-induced changes. Thus, studies of these unicellular eukaryotes are important for marine ecology and for understanding Viridiplantae evolution and diversification. We generated evidence-based Micromonas gene models using proteomics and RNA-Seq to improve prasinophyte genomic resources. First, sequences of four chromosomes in the 22 Mb Micromonas pusilla (CCMP1545) genome were finished. Comparison with the finished 21 Mb genome of Micromonas commoda (RCC299; named herein) shows they share ≤8,141 of ~10,000 protein-encoding genes, depending on the analysis method. Unlike RCC299 and other sequenced eukaryotes, CCMP1545 has two abundant repetitive intron types and a high percent (26 %) GC splice donors. Micromonas has more genus-specific protein families (19 %) than other genome sequenced prasinophytes (11 %). Comparative analyses using predicted proteomes from other prasinophytes reveal proteins likely related to scale formation and ancestral photosynthesis. Our studies also indicate that peptidoglycan (PG) biosynthesis enzymes have been lost in multiple independent events in select prasinophytes and plants. However, CCMP1545, polar Micromonas CCMP2099 and prasinophytes from other classes retain the entire PG pathway, like moss and glaucophyte algae. Surprisingly, multiple vascular plants also have the PG pathway, except the Penicillin-Binding Protein, and share a unique bi-domain protein potentially associated with the pathway. Alongside Micromonas experiments using antibiotics that halt bacterial PG biosynthesis, the findings highlight unrecognized phylogenetic complexity in PG-pathway retention and implicate a role in chloroplast structure or division in several extant Viridiplantae lineages. Extensive differences in gene loss and architecture between related prasinophytes underscore

MADS goes genomic in conifers: towards determining the ancestral set of MADS-box genes in seed plants.

PubMed

Gramzow, Lydia; Weilandt, Lisa; Theißen, Günter

2014-11-01

MADS-box genes comprise a gene family coding for transcription factors. This gene family expanded greatly during land plant evolution such that the number of MADS-box genes ranges from one or two in green algae to around 100 in angiosperms. Given the crucial functions of MADS-box genes for nearly all aspects of plant development, the expansion of this gene family probably contributed to the increasing complexity of plants. However, the expansion of MADS-box genes during one important step of land plant evolution, namely the origin of seed plants, remains poorly understood due to the previous lack of whole-genome data for gymnosperms. The newly available genome sequences of Picea abies, Picea glauca and Pinus taeda were used to identify the complete set of MADS-box genes in these conifers. In addition, MADS-box genes were identified in the growing number of transcriptomes available for gymnosperms. With these datasets, phylogenies were constructed to determine the ancestral set of MADS-box genes of seed plants and to infer the ancestral functions of these genes. Type I MADS-box genes are under-represented in gymnosperms and only a minimum of two Type I MADS-box genes have been present in the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of seed plants. In contrast, a large number of Type II MADS-box genes were found in gymnosperms. The MRCA of extant seed plants probably possessed at least 11-14 Type II MADS-box genes. In gymnosperms two duplications of Type II MADS-box genes were found, such that the MRCA of extant gymnosperms had at least 14-16 Type II MADS-box genes. The implied ancestral set of MADS-box genes for seed plants shows simplicity for Type I MADS-box genes and remarkable complexity for Type II MADS-box genes in terms of phylogeny and putative functions. The analysis of transcriptome data reveals that gymnosperm MADS-box genes are expressed in a great variety of tissues, indicating diverse roles of MADS-box genes for the development of gymnosperms. This study is

MADS goes genomic in conifers: towards determining the ancestral set of MADS-box genes in seed plants

PubMed Central

Gramzow, Lydia; Weilandt, Lisa; Theißen, Günter

2014-01-01

Background and Aims MADS-box genes comprise a gene family coding for transcription factors. This gene family expanded greatly during land plant evolution such that the number of MADS-box genes ranges from one or two in green algae to around 100 in angiosperms. Given the crucial functions of MADS-box genes for nearly all aspects of plant development, the expansion of this gene family probably contributed to the increasing complexity of plants. However, the expansion of MADS-box genes during one important step of land plant evolution, namely the origin of seed plants, remains poorly understood due to the previous lack of whole-genome data for gymnosperms. Methods The newly available genome sequences of Picea abies, Picea glauca and Pinus taeda were used to identify the complete set of MADS-box genes in these conifers. In addition, MADS-box genes were identified in the growing number of transcriptomes available for gymnosperms. With these datasets, phylogenies were constructed to determine the ancestral set of MADS-box genes of seed plants and to infer the ancestral functions of these genes. Key Results Type I MADS-box genes are under-represented in gymnosperms and only a minimum of two Type I MADS-box genes have been present in the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of seed plants. In contrast, a large number of Type II MADS-box genes were found in gymnosperms. The MRCA of extant seed plants probably possessed at least 11–14 Type II MADS-box genes. In gymnosperms two duplications of Type II MADS-box genes were found, such that the MRCA of extant gymnosperms had at least 14–16 Type II MADS-box genes. Conclusions The implied ancestral set of MADS-box genes for seed plants shows simplicity for Type I MADS-box genes and remarkable complexity for Type II MADS-box genes in terms of phylogeny and putative functions. The analysis of transcriptome data reveals that gymnosperm MADS-box genes are expressed in a great variety of tissues, indicating diverse roles of MADS

Ancestral effect on HOMA-IR levels quantitated in an American population of Mexican origin.

PubMed

Qu, Hui-Qi; Li, Quan; Lu, Yang; Hanis, Craig L; Fisher-Hoch, Susan P; McCormick, Joseph B

2012-12-01

An elevated insulin resistance index (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR]) is more commonly seen in the Mexican American population than in European populations. We report quantitative ancestral effects within a Mexican American population, and we correlate ancestral components with HOMA-IR. We performed ancestral analysis in 1,551 participants of the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort by genotyping 103 ancestry-informative markers (AIMs). These AIMs allow determination of the percentage (0-100%) ancestry from three major continental populations, i.e., European, African, and Amerindian. We observed that predominantly Amerindian ancestral components were associated with increased HOMA-IR (β = 0.124, P = 1.64 × 10(-7)). The correlation was more significant in males (Amerindian β = 0.165, P = 5.08 × 10(-7)) than in females (Amerindian β = 0.079, P = 0.019). This unique study design demonstrates how genomic markers for quantitative ancestral information can be used in admixed populations to predict phenotypic traits such as insulin resistance.

Evidence-based green algal genomics reveals marine diversity and ancestral characteristics of land plants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

van Baren, Marijke J.; Bachy, Charles; Reistetter, Emily Nahas

Prasinophytes are widespread marine green algae that are related to plants. Abundance of the genus Micromonas has reportedly increased in the Arctic due to climate-induced changes. Thus, studies of these organisms are important for marine ecology and understanding Virdiplantae evolution and diversification. We generated evidence-based Micromonas gene models using proteomics and RNA-Seq to improve prasinophyte genomic resources. First, sequences of four chromosomes in the 22 Mb Micromonas pusilla (CCMP1545) genome were finished. Comparison with the finished 21 Mb Micromonas commoda (RCC299) shows they share ≤ 8,142 of ~10,000 protein-encoding genes, depending on the analysis method. Unlike RCC299 and other sequencedmore » eukaryotes, CCMP1545 has two abundant repetitive intron types and a high percent (26%) GC splice donors. Micromonas has more genus-specific protein families (19%) than other genome sequenced prasinophytes (11%). Comparative analyses using predicted proteomes from other prasinophytes reveal proteins likely related to scale formation and ancestral photosynthesis. Our studies also indicate that peptidoglycan (PG) biosynthesis enzymes have been lost in multiple independent events in select prasinophytes and most plants. However, CCMP1545, polar Micromonas CCMP2099 and prasinophytes from other claasses retain the entire PG pathway, like moss and glaucophyte algae. Multiple vascular plants that share a unique bi-domain protein also have the pathway, except the Penicillin-Binding-Protein. Alongside Micromonas experiments using antibiotics that halt bacterial PG biosynthesis, the findings highlight unrecognized phylogenetic complexity in the PG-pathway retention and implicate a role in chloroplast structure of division in several extant Vridiplantae lineages. Extensive differences in gene loss and architecture between related prasinophytes underscore their extensive divergence. PG biosynthesis genes from the cyanobacterial endosymbiont that became the

Evidence-based green algal genomics reveals marine diversity and ancestral characteristics of land plants

DOE PAGES

van Baren, Marijke J.; Bachy, Charles; Reistetter, Emily Nahas; ...

2016-03-31

Prasinophytes are widespread marine green algae that are related to plants. Abundance of the genus Micromonas has reportedly increased in the Arctic due to climate-induced changes. Thus, studies of these organisms are important for marine ecology and understanding Virdiplantae evolution and diversification. We generated evidence-based Micromonas gene models using proteomics and RNA-Seq to improve prasinophyte genomic resources. First, sequences of four chromosomes in the 22 Mb Micromonas pusilla (CCMP1545) genome were finished. Comparison with the finished 21 Mb Micromonas commoda (RCC299) shows they share ≤ 8,142 of ~10,000 protein-encoding genes, depending on the analysis method. Unlike RCC299 and other sequencedmore » eukaryotes, CCMP1545 has two abundant repetitive intron types and a high percent (26%) GC splice donors. Micromonas has more genus-specific protein families (19%) than other genome sequenced prasinophytes (11%). Comparative analyses using predicted proteomes from other prasinophytes reveal proteins likely related to scale formation and ancestral photosynthesis. Our studies also indicate that peptidoglycan (PG) biosynthesis enzymes have been lost in multiple independent events in select prasinophytes and most plants. However, CCMP1545, polar Micromonas CCMP2099 and prasinophytes from other claasses retain the entire PG pathway, like moss and glaucophyte algae. Multiple vascular plants that share a unique bi-domain protein also have the pathway, except the Penicillin-Binding-Protein. Alongside Micromonas experiments using antibiotics that halt bacterial PG biosynthesis, the findings highlight unrecognized phylogenetic complexity in the PG-pathway retention and implicate a role in chloroplast structure of division in several extant Vridiplantae lineages. Extensive differences in gene loss and architecture between related prasinophytes underscore their extensive divergence. PG biosynthesis genes from the cyanobacterial endosymbiont that became the

Anchoring genome sequence to chromosomes of the central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) enables reconstruction of ancestral squamate macrochromosomes and identifies sequence content of the Z chromosome.

PubMed

Deakin, Janine E; Edwards, Melanie J; Patel, Hardip; O'Meally, Denis; Lian, Jinmin; Stenhouse, Rachael; Ryan, Sam; Livernois, Alexandra M; Azad, Bhumika; Holleley, Clare E; Li, Qiye; Georges, Arthur

2016-06-10

Squamates (lizards and snakes) are a speciose lineage of reptiles displaying considerable karyotypic diversity, particularly among lizards. Understanding the evolution of this diversity requires comparison of genome organisation between species. Although the genomes of several squamate species have now been sequenced, only the green anole lizard has any sequence anchored to chromosomes. There is only limited gene mapping data available for five other squamates. This makes it difficult to reconstruct the events that have led to extant squamate karyotypic diversity. The purpose of this study was to anchor the recently sequenced central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) genome to chromosomes to trace the evolution of squamate chromosomes. Assigning sequence to sex chromosomes was of particular interest for identifying candidate sex determining genes. By using two different approaches to map conserved blocks of genes, we were able to anchor approximately 42 % of the dragon genome sequence to chromosomes. We constructed detailed comparative maps between dragon, anole and chicken genomes, and where possible, made broader comparisons across Squamata using cytogenetic mapping information for five other species. We show that squamate macrochromosomes are relatively well conserved between species, supporting findings from previous molecular cytogenetic studies. Macrochromosome diversity between members of the Toxicofera clade has been generated by intrachromosomal, and a small number of interchromosomal, rearrangements. We reconstructed the ancestral squamate macrochromosomes by drawing upon comparative cytogenetic mapping data from seven squamate species and propose the events leading to the arrangements observed in representative species. In addition, we assigned over 8 Mbp of sequence containing 219 genes to the Z chromosome, providing a list of genes to begin testing as candidate sex determining genes. Anchoring of the dragon genome has provided substantial insight into

Genomic reconstruction of the history of extant populations of India reveals five distinct ancestral components and a complex structure

PubMed Central

Basu, Analabha; Sarkar-Roy, Neeta; Majumder, Partha P.

2016-01-01

India, occupying the center stage of Paleolithic and Neolithic migrations, has been underrepresented in genome-wide studies of variation. Systematic analysis of genome-wide data, using multiple robust statistical methods, on (i) 367 unrelated individuals drawn from 18 mainland and 2 island (Andaman and Nicobar Islands) populations selected to represent geographic, linguistic, and ethnic diversities, and (ii) individuals from populations represented in the Human Genome Diversity Panel (HGDP), reveal four major ancestries in mainland India. This contrasts with an earlier inference of two ancestries based on limited population sampling. A distinct ancestry of the populations of Andaman archipelago was identified and found to be coancestral to Oceanic populations. Analysis of ancestral haplotype blocks revealed that extant mainland populations (i) admixed widely irrespective of ancestry, although admixtures between populations was not always symmetric, and (ii) this practice was rapidly replaced by endogamy about 70 generations ago, among upper castes and Indo-European speakers predominantly. This estimated time coincides with the historical period of formulation and adoption of sociocultural norms restricting intermarriage in large social strata. A similar replacement observed among tribal populations was temporally less uniform. PMID:26811443

Differential immunosuppression by Campoletis chlorideae eggs and ichnovirus in larvae of Helicoverpa armigera and Spodoptera exigua.

PubMed

Han, Li-Bin; Yin, Li-Hong; Huang, Ling-Qiao; Wang, Chen-Zhu

2015-09-01

The ichneumonid wasp, Campoletis chlorideae Uchida, successfully develops in the cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), but rarely survives in the beet armyworm Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) due to the encapsulation by host immunity. In this study, we investigated the role of C. chlorideae ichnovirus (CcIV) and eggs in the evasion of the host immune system. Washed eggs of different types, immature, mature, newly laid, or pretreated with protease K, were injected alone or with the calyx fluid containing CcIV into the larvae of H. armigera and S. exigua. In H. armigera, when injected with washed eggs alone, only 9.5% of the mature eggs were encapsulated at 24h post-injection. This is much lower than that of the immature eggs (100%), mature eggs pretreated with protease K (100%) and newly laid eggs (54.4%). No encapsulation was observed when the washed eggs were co-injected with calyx fluid at 24h post-injection. Conversely, the eggs in all treatments were encapsulated in S. exigua. Electron microscopic observations of parasitoid eggs showed structural differences between the surfaces of the mature and other kinds of eggs. The injected CcIV decreased the numbers of host hemocytes and suppressed the spreading ability of plasmatocytes and granulocytes in H. armigera, but had little effect on the hemocytes from S. exigua. In conclusion, the C. chlorideae egg provides a passive protection against encapsulation by itself, and CcIV supplies an active protection through disrupting host immune responses. These coordinated protections are host-specific, implying their role in host range determination. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Genomicus update 2015: KaryoView and MatrixView provide a genome-wide perspective to multispecies comparative genomics

PubMed Central

Louis, Alexandra; Nguyen, Nga Thi Thuy; Muffato, Matthieu; Roest Crollius, Hugues

2015-01-01

The Genomicus web server (http://www.genomicus.biologie.ens.fr/genomicus) is a visualization tool allowing comparative genomics in four different phyla (Vertebrate, Fungi, Metazoan and Plants). It provides access to genomic information from extant species, as well as ancestral gene content and gene order for vertebrates and flowering plants. Here we present the new features available for vertebrate genome with a focus on new graphical tools. The interface to enter the database has been improved, two pairwise genome comparison tools are now available (KaryoView and MatrixView) and the multiple genome comparison tools (PhyloView and AlignView) propose three new kinds of representation and a more intuitive menu. These new developments have been implemented for Genomicus portal dedicated to vertebrates. This allows the analysis of 68 extant animal genomes, as well as 58 ancestral reconstructed genomes. The Genomicus server also provides access to ancestral gene orders, to facilitate evolutionary and comparative genomics studies, as well as computationally predicted regulatory interactions, thanks to the representation of conserved non-coding elements with their putative gene targets. PMID:25378326

Analysis of simple sequence repeat (SSR) structure and sequence within Epichloë endophyte genomes reveals impacts on gene structure and insights into ancestral hybridization events.

PubMed

Clayton, William; Eaton, Carla Jane; Dupont, Pierre-Yves; Gillanders, Tim; Cameron, Nick; Saikia, Sanjay; Scott, Barry

2017-01-01

Epichloë grass endophytes comprise a group of filamentous fungi of both sexual and asexual species. Known for the beneficial characteristics they endow upon their grass hosts, the identification of these endophyte species has been of great interest agronomically and scientifically. The use of simple sequence repeat loci and the variation in repeat elements has been used to rapidly identify endophyte species and strains, however, little is known of how the structure of repeat elements changes between species and strains, and where these repeat elements are located in the fungal genome. We report on an in-depth analysis of the structure and genomic location of the simple sequence repeat locus B10, commonly used for Epichloë endophyte species identification. The B10 repeat was found to be located within an exon of a putative bZIP transcription factor, suggesting possible impacts on polypeptide sequence and thus protein function. Analysis of this repeat in the asexual endophyte hybrid Epichloë uncinata revealed that the structure of B10 alleles reflects the ancestral species that hybridized to give rise to this species. Understanding the structure and sequence of these simple sequence repeats provides a useful set of tools for readily distinguishing strains and for gaining insights into the ancestral species that have undergone hybridization events.

Genomicus update 2015: KaryoView and MatrixView provide a genome-wide perspective to multispecies comparative genomics.

PubMed

Louis, Alexandra; Nguyen, Nga Thi Thuy; Muffato, Matthieu; Roest Crollius, Hugues

2015-01-01

The Genomicus web server (http://www.genomicus.biologie.ens.fr/genomicus) is a visualization tool allowing comparative genomics in four different phyla (Vertebrate, Fungi, Metazoan and Plants). It provides access to genomic information from extant species, as well as ancestral gene content and gene order for vertebrates and flowering plants. Here we present the new features available for vertebrate genome with a focus on new graphical tools. The interface to enter the database has been improved, two pairwise genome comparison tools are now available (KaryoView and MatrixView) and the multiple genome comparison tools (PhyloView and AlignView) propose three new kinds of representation and a more intuitive menu. These new developments have been implemented for Genomicus portal dedicated to vertebrates. This allows the analysis of 68 extant animal genomes, as well as 58 ancestral reconstructed genomes. The Genomicus server also provides access to ancestral gene orders, to facilitate evolutionary and comparative genomics studies, as well as computationally predicted regulatory interactions, thanks to the representation of conserved non-coding elements with their putative gene targets. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

What was the ancestral sex-determining mechanism in amniote vertebrates?

PubMed

Johnson Pokorná, Martina; Kratochvíl, Lukáš

2016-02-01

Amniote vertebrates, the group consisting of mammals and reptiles including birds, possess various mechanisms of sex determination. Under environmental sex determination (ESD), the sex of individuals depends on the environmental conditions occurring during their development and therefore there are no sexual differences present in their genotypes. Alternatively, through the mode of genotypic sex determination (GSD), sex is determined by a sex-specific genotype, i.e. by the combination of sex chromosomes at various stages of differentiation at conception. As well as influencing sex determination, sex-specific parts of genomes may, and often do, develop specific reproductive or ecological roles in their bearers. Accordingly, an individual with a mismatch between phenotypic (gonadal) and genotypic sex, for example an individual sex-reversed by environmental effects, should have a lower fitness due to the lack of specialized, sex-specific parts of their genome. In this case, evolutionary transitions from GSD to ESD should be less likely than transitions in the opposite direction. This prediction contrasts with the view that GSD was the ancestral sex-determining mechanism for amniote vertebrates. Ancestral GSD would require several transitions from GSD to ESD associated with an independent dedifferentiation of sex chromosomes, at least in the ancestors of crocodiles, turtles, and lepidosaurs (tuataras and squamate reptiles). In this review, we argue that the alternative theory postulating ESD as ancestral in amniotes is more parsimonious and is largely concordant with the theoretical expectations and current knowledge of the phylogenetic distribution and homology of sex-determining mechanisms. © 2014 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

Origin of amphibian and avian chromosomes by fission, fusion, and retention of ancestral chromosomes

PubMed Central

Voss, Stephen R.; Kump, D. Kevin; Putta, Srikrishna; Pauly, Nathan; Reynolds, Anna; Henry, Rema J.; Basa, Saritha; Walker, John A.; Smith, Jeramiah J.

2011-01-01

Amphibian genomes differ greatly in DNA content and chromosome size, morphology, and number. Investigations of this diversity are needed to identify mechanisms that have shaped the evolution of vertebrate genomes. We used comparative mapping to investigate the organization of genes in the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), a species that presents relatively few chromosomes (n = 14) and a gigantic genome (>20 pg/N). We show extensive conservation of synteny between Ambystoma, chicken, and human, and a positive correlation between the length of conserved segments and genome size. Ambystoma segments are estimated to be four to 51 times longer than homologous human and chicken segments. Strikingly, genes demarking the structures of 28 chicken chromosomes are ordered among linkage groups defining the Ambystoma genome, and we show that these same chromosomal segments are also conserved in a distantly related anuran amphibian (Xenopus tropicalis). Using linkage relationships from the amphibian maps, we predict that three chicken chromosomes originated by fusion, nine to 14 originated by fission, and 12–17 evolved directly from ancestral tetrapod chromosomes. We further show that some ancestral segments were fused prior to the divergence of salamanders and anurans, while others fused independently and randomly as chromosome numbers were reduced in lineages leading to Ambystoma and Xenopus. The maintenance of gene order relationships between chromosomal segments that have greatly expanded and contracted in salamander and chicken genomes, respectively, suggests selection to maintain synteny relationships and/or extremely low rates of chromosomal rearrangement. Overall, the results demonstrate the value of data from diverse, amphibian genomes in studies of vertebrate genome evolution. PMID:21482624

Ancestral and derived protein import pathways in the mitochondrion of Reclinomonas americana.

PubMed

Tong, Janette; Dolezal, Pavel; Selkrig, Joel; Crawford, Simon; Simpson, Alastair G B; Noinaj, Nicholas; Buchanan, Susan K; Gabriel, Kipros; Lithgow, Trevor

2011-05-01

The evolution of mitochondria from ancestral bacteria required that new protein transport machinery be established. Recent controversy over the evolution of these new molecular machines hinges on the degree to which ancestral bacterial transporters contributed during the establishment of the new protein import pathway. Reclinomonas americana is a unicellular eukaryote with the most gene-rich mitochondrial genome known, and the large collection of membrane proteins encoded on the mitochondrial genome of R. americana includes a bacterial-type SecY protein transporter. Analysis of expressed sequence tags shows R. americana also has components of a mitochondrial protein translocase or "translocase in the inner mitochondrial membrane complex." Along with several other membrane proteins encoded on the mitochondrial genome Cox11, an assembly factor for cytochrome c oxidase retains sequence features suggesting that it is assembled by the SecY complex in R. americana. Despite this, protein import studies show that the RaCox11 protein is suited for import into mitochondria and functional complementation if the gene is transferred into the nucleus of yeast. Reclinomonas americana provides direct evidence that bacterial protein transport pathways were retained, alongside the evolving mitochondrial protein import machinery, shedding new light on the process of mitochondrial evolution.

The Mitochondrial Genome of the Guanaco Louse, Microthoracius praelongiceps: Insights into the Ancestral Mitochondrial Karyotype of Sucking Lice (Anoplura, Insecta)

PubMed Central

Li, Hu; Barker, Stephen C.

2017-01-01

Fragmented mitochondrial (mt) genomes have been reported in 11 species of sucking lice (suborder Anoplura) that infest humans, chimpanzees, pigs, horses, and rodents. There is substantial variation among these lice in mt karyotype: the number of minichromosomes of a species ranges from 9 to 20; the number of genes in a minichromosome ranges from 1 to 8; gene arrangement in a minichromosome differs between species, even in the same genus. We sequenced the mt genome of the guanaco louse, Microthoracius praelongiceps, to help establish the ancestral mt karyotype for sucking lice and understand how fragmented mt genomes evolved. The guanaco louse has 12 mt minichromosomes; each minichromosome has 2–5 genes and a non-coding region. The guanaco louse shares many features with rodent lice in mt karyotype, more than with other sucking lice. The guanaco louse, however, is more closely related phylogenetically to human lice, chimpanzee lice, pig lice, and horse lice than to rodent lice. By parsimony analysis of shared features in mt karyotype, we infer that the most recent common ancestor of sucking lice, which lived ∼75 Ma, had 11 minichromosomes; each minichromosome had 1–6 genes and a non-coding region. As sucking lice diverged, split of mt minichromosomes occurred many times in the lineages leading to the lice of humans, chimpanzees, and rodents whereas merger of minichromosomes occurred in the lineage leading to the lice of pigs and horses. Together, splits and mergers of minichromosomes created a very complex and dynamic mt genome organization in the sucking lice. PMID:28164215

Inference of Ancestral Recombination Graphs through Topological Data Analysis

PubMed Central

Cámara, Pablo G.; Levine, Arnold J.; Rabadán, Raúl

2016-01-01

The recent explosion of genomic data has underscored the need for interpretable and comprehensive analyses that can capture complex phylogenetic relationships within and across species. Recombination, reassortment and horizontal gene transfer constitute examples of pervasive biological phenomena that cannot be captured by tree-like representations. Starting from hundreds of genomes, we are interested in the reconstruction of potential evolutionary histories leading to the observed data. Ancestral recombination graphs represent potential histories that explicitly accommodate recombination and mutation events across orthologous genomes. However, they are computationally costly to reconstruct, usually being infeasible for more than few tens of genomes. Recently, Topological Data Analysis (TDA) methods have been proposed as robust and scalable methods that can capture the genetic scale and frequency of recombination. We build upon previous TDA developments for detecting and quantifying recombination, and present a novel framework that can be applied to hundreds of genomes and can be interpreted in terms of minimal histories of mutation and recombination events, quantifying the scales and identifying the genomic locations of recombinations. We implement this framework in a software package, called TARGet, and apply it to several examples, including small migration between different populations, human recombination, and horizontal evolution in finches inhabiting the Galápagos Islands. PMID:27532298

Evolution of domain promiscuity in eukaryotic genomes—a perspective from the inferred ancestral domain architectures†

PubMed Central

Cohen-Gihon, Inbar; Fong, Jessica H.; Sharan, Roded; Nussinov, Ruth

2012-01-01

Most eukaryotic proteins are composed of two or more domains. These assemble in a modular manner to create new proteins usually by the acquisition of one or more domains to an existing protein. Promiscuous domains which are found embedded in a variety of proteins and co-exist with many other domains are of particular interest and were shown to have roles in signaling pathways and mediating network communication. The evolution of domain promiscuity is still an open problem, mostly due to the lack of sequenced ancestral genomes. Here we use inferred domain architectures of ancestral genomes to trace the evolution of domain promiscuity in eukaryotic genomes. We find an increase in average promiscuity along many branches of the eukaryotic tree. Moreover, domain promiscuity can proceed at almost a steady rate over long evolutionary time or exhibit lineage-specific acceleration. We also observe that many signaling and regulatory domains gained domain promiscuity around the Bilateria divergence. In addition we show that those domains that played a role in the creation of two body axes and existed before the divergence of the bilaterians from fungi/metazoan achieve a boost in their promiscuities during the bilaterian evolution. PMID:21127809

Genomic evolution in domestic cattle: ancestral haplotypes and healthy beef.

PubMed

Williamson, Joseph F; Steele, Edward J; Lester, Susan; Kalai, Oscar; Millman, John A; Wolrige, Lindsay; Bayard, Dominic; McLure, Craig; Dawkins, Roger L

2011-05-01

We have identified numerous Ancestral Haplotypes encoding a 14-Mb region of Bota C19. Three are frequent in Simmental, Angus and Wagyu and have been conserved since common progenitor populations. Others are more relevant to the differences between these 3 breeds including fat content and distribution in muscle. SREBF1 and Growth Hormone, which have been implicated in the production of healthy beef, are included within these haplotypes. However, we conclude that alleles at these 2 loci are less important than other sequences within the haplotypes. Identification of breeds and hybrids is improved by using haplotypes rather than individual alleles. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparative Genomics of Facultative Bacterial Symbionts Isolated from European Orius Species Reveals an Ancestral Symbiotic Association

PubMed Central

Chen, Xiaorui; Hitchings, Matthew D.; Mendoza, José E.; Balanza, Virginia; Facey, Paul D.; Dyson, Paul J.; Bielza, Pablo; Del Sol, Ricardo

2017-01-01

Pest control in agriculture employs diverse strategies, among which the use of predatory insects has steadily increased. The use of several species within the genus Orius in pest control is widely spread, particularly in Mediterranean Europe. Commercial mass rearing of predatory insects is costly, and research efforts have concentrated on diet manipulation and selective breeding to reduce costs and improve efficacy. The characterisation and contribution of microbial symbionts to Orius sp. fitness, behaviour, and potential impact on human health has been neglected. This paper provides the first genome sequence level description of the predominant culturable facultative bacterial symbionts associated with five Orius species (O. laevigatus, O. niger, O. pallidicornis, O. majusculus, and O. albidipennis) from several geographical locations. Two types of symbionts were broadly classified as members of the genera Serratia and Leucobacter, while a third constitutes a new genus within the Erwiniaceae. These symbionts were found to colonise all the insect specimens tested, which evidenced an ancestral symbiotic association between these bacteria and the genus Orius. Pangenome analyses of the Serratia sp. isolates offered clues linking Type VI secretion system effector–immunity proteins from the Tai4 sub-family to the symbiotic lifestyle. PMID:29067021

Whole genome comparisons of Fragaria, Prunus and Malus reveal different modes of evolution between Rosaceous subfamilies

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Rosaceae include numerous economically important and morphologically diverse species. Comparative mapping between the member species in Rosaceae have indicated some level of synteny. Recently the whole genome of three crop species, peach, apple and strawberry, which belong to different genera of the Rosaceae family, have been sequenced, allowing in-depth comparison of these genomes. Results Our analysis using the whole genome sequences of peach, apple and strawberry identified 1399 orthologous regions between the three genomes, with a mean length of around 100 kb. Each peach chromosome showed major orthology mostly to one strawberry chromosome, but to more than two apple chromosomes, suggesting that the apple genome went through more chromosomal fissions in addition to the whole genome duplication after the divergence of the three genera. However, the distribution of contiguous ancestral regions, identified using the multiple genome rearrangements and ancestors (MGRA) algorithm, suggested that the Fragaria genome went through a greater number of small scale rearrangements compared to the other genomes since they diverged from a common ancestor. Using the contiguous ancestral regions, we reconstructed a hypothetical ancestral genome for the Rosaceae 7 composed of nine chromosomes and propose the evolutionary steps from the ancestral genome to the extant Fragaria, Prunus and Malus genomes. Conclusion Our analysis shows that different modes of evolution may have played major roles in different subfamilies of Rosaceae. The hypothetical ancestral genome of Rosaceae and the evolutionary steps that lead to three different lineages of Rosaceae will facilitate our understanding of plant genome evolution as well as have a practical impact on knowledge transfer among member species of Rosaceae. PMID:22475018

Evolutionary history of versatile-lipases from Agaricales through reconstruction of ancestral structures.

PubMed

Barriuso, Jorge; Martínez, María Jesús

2017-01-03

Fungal "Versatile carboxylic ester hydrolases" are enzymes with great biotechnological interest. Here we carried out a bioinformatic screening to find these proteins in genomes from Agaricales, by means of searching for conserved motifs, sequence and phylogenetic analysis, and three-dimensional modeling. Moreover, we reconstructed the molecular evolution of these enzymes along the time by inferring and analyzing the sequence of ancestral intermediate forms. The properties of the ancestral candidates are discussed on the basis of their three-dimensional structural models, the hydrophobicity of the lid, and the substrate binding intramolecular tunnel, revealing all of them featured properties of these enzymes. The evolutionary history of the putative lipases revealed an increase on the length and hydrophobicity of the lid region, as well as in the size of the substrate binding pocket, during evolution time. These facts suggest the enzymes' specialization towards certain substrates and their subsequent loss of promiscuity. These results bring to light the presence of different pools of lipases in fungi with different habitats and life styles. Despite the consistency of the data gathered from reconstruction of ancestral sequences, the heterologous expression of some of these candidates would be essential to corroborate enzymes' activities.

Joint assembly and genetic mapping of the Atlantic horseshoe crab genome reveals ancient whole genome duplication

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Horseshoe crabs are marine arthropods with a fossil record extending back approximately 450 million years. They exhibit remarkable morphological stability over their long evolutionary history, retaining a number of ancestral arthropod traits, and are often cited as examples of “living fossils.” As arthropods, they belong to the Ecdysozoa, an ancient super-phylum whose sequenced genomes (including insects and nematodes) have thus far shown more divergence from the ancestral pattern of eumetazoan genome organization than cnidarians, deuterostomes and lophotrochozoans. However, much of ecdysozoan diversity remains unrepresented in comparative genomic analyses. Results Here we apply a new strategy of combined de novo assembly and genetic mapping to examine the chromosome-scale genome organization of the Atlantic horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus. We constructed a genetic linkage map of this 2.7 Gbp genome by sequencing the nuclear DNA of 34 wild-collected, full-sibling embryos and their parents at a mean redundancy of 1.1x per sample. The map includes 84,307 sequence markers grouped into 1,876 distinct genetic intervals and 5,775 candidate conserved protein coding genes. Conclusions Comparison with other metazoan genomes shows that the L. polyphemus genome preserves ancestral bilaterian linkage groups, and that a common ancestor of modern horseshoe crabs underwent one or more ancient whole genome duplications 300 million years ago, followed by extensive chromosome fusion. These results provide a counter-example to the often noted correlation between whole genome duplication and evolutionary radiations. The new, low-cost genetic mapping method for obtaining a chromosome-scale view of non-model organism genomes that we demonstrate here does not require laboratory culture, and is potentially applicable to a broad range of other species. PMID:24987520

Characterisation of monotreme caseins reveals lineage-specific expansion of an ancestral casein locus in mammals.

PubMed

Lefèvre, Christophe M; Sharp, Julie A; Nicholas, Kevin R

2009-01-01

Using a milk-cell cDNA sequencing approach we characterised milk-protein sequences from two monotreme species, platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) and echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) and found a full set of caseins and casein variants. The genomic organisation of the platypus casein locus is compared with other mammalian genomes, including the marsupial opossum and several eutherians. Physical linkage of casein genes has been seen in the casein loci of all mammalian genomes examined and we confirm that this is also observed in platypus. However, we show that a recent duplication of beta-casein occurred in the monotreme lineage, as opposed to more ancient duplications of alpha-casein in the eutherian lineage, while marsupials possess only single copies of alpha- and beta-caseins. Despite this variability, the close proximity of the main alpha- and beta-casein genes in an inverted tail-tail orientation and the relative orientation of the more distant kappa-casein genes are similar in all mammalian genome sequences so far available. Overall, the conservation of the genomic organisation of the caseins indicates the early, pre-monotreme development of the fundamental role of caseins during lactation. In contrast, the lineage-specific gene duplications that have occurred within the casein locus of monotremes and eutherians but not marsupials, which may have lost part of the ancestral casein locus, emphasises the independent selection on milk provision strategies to the young, most likely linked to different developmental strategies. The monotremes therefore provide insight into the ancestral drivers for lactation and how these have adapted in different lineages.

Analyses of charophyte chloroplast genomes help characterize the ancestral chloroplast genome of land plants.

PubMed

Civaň, Peter; Foster, Peter G; Embley, Martin T; Séneca, Ana; Cox, Cymon J

2014-04-01

Despite the significance of the relationships between embryophytes and their charophyte algal ancestors in deciphering the origin and evolutionary success of land plants, few chloroplast genomes of the charophyte algae have been reconstructed to date. Here, we present new data for three chloroplast genomes of the freshwater charophytes Klebsormidium flaccidum (Klebsormidiophyceae), Mesotaenium endlicherianum (Zygnematophyceae), and Roya anglica (Zygnematophyceae). The chloroplast genome of Klebsormidium has a quadripartite organization with exceptionally large inverted repeat (IR) regions and, uniquely among streptophytes, has lost the rrn5 and rrn4.5 genes from the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene cluster operon. The chloroplast genome of Roya differs from other zygnematophycean chloroplasts, including the newly sequenced Mesotaenium, by having a quadripartite structure that is typical of other streptophytes. On the basis of the improbability of the novel gain of IR regions, we infer that the quadripartite structure has likely been lost independently in at least three zygnematophycean lineages, although the absence of the usual rRNA operonic synteny in the IR regions of Roya may indicate their de novo origin. Significantly, all zygnematophycean chloroplast genomes have undergone substantial genomic rearrangement, which may be the result of ancient retroelement activity evidenced by the presence of integrase-like and reverse transcriptase-like elements in the Roya chloroplast genome. Our results corroborate the close phylogenetic relationship between Zygnematophyceae and land plants and identify 89 protein-coding genes and 22 introns present in the chloroplast genome at the time of the evolutionary transition of plants to land, all of which can be found in the chloroplast genomes of extant charophytes.

Analyses of Charophyte Chloroplast Genomes Help Characterize the Ancestral Chloroplast Genome of Land Plants

PubMed Central

Civáň, Peter; Foster, Peter G.; Embley, Martin T.; Séneca, Ana; Cox, Cymon J.

2014-01-01

Despite the significance of the relationships between embryophytes and their charophyte algal ancestors in deciphering the origin and evolutionary success of land plants, few chloroplast genomes of the charophyte algae have been reconstructed to date. Here, we present new data for three chloroplast genomes of the freshwater charophytes Klebsormidium flaccidum (Klebsormidiophyceae), Mesotaenium endlicherianum (Zygnematophyceae), and Roya anglica (Zygnematophyceae). The chloroplast genome of Klebsormidium has a quadripartite organization with exceptionally large inverted repeat (IR) regions and, uniquely among streptophytes, has lost the rrn5 and rrn4.5 genes from the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene cluster operon. The chloroplast genome of Roya differs from other zygnematophycean chloroplasts, including the newly sequenced Mesotaenium, by having a quadripartite structure that is typical of other streptophytes. On the basis of the improbability of the novel gain of IR regions, we infer that the quadripartite structure has likely been lost independently in at least three zygnematophycean lineages, although the absence of the usual rRNA operonic synteny in the IR regions of Roya may indicate their de novo origin. Significantly, all zygnematophycean chloroplast genomes have undergone substantial genomic rearrangement, which may be the result of ancient retroelement activity evidenced by the presence of integrase-like and reverse transcriptase-like elements in the Roya chloroplast genome. Our results corroborate the close phylogenetic relationship between Zygnematophyceae and land plants and identify 89 protein-coding genes and 22 introns present in the chloroplast genome at the time of the evolutionary transition of plants to land, all of which can be found in the chloroplast genomes of extant charophytes. PMID:24682153

Independent evolution of genomic characters during major metazoan transitions.

PubMed

Simakov, Oleg; Kawashima, Takeshi

2017-07-15

Metazoan evolution encompasses a vast evolutionary time scale spanning over 600 million years. Our ability to infer ancestral metazoan characters, both morphological and functional, is limited by our understanding of the nature and evolutionary dynamics of the underlying regulatory networks. Increasing coverage of metazoan genomes enables us to identify the evolutionary changes of the relevant genomic characters such as the loss or gain of coding sequences, gene duplications, micro- and macro-synteny, and non-coding element evolution in different lineages. In this review we describe recent advances in our understanding of ancestral metazoan coding and non-coding features, as deduced from genomic comparisons. Some genomic changes such as innovations in gene and linkage content occur at different rates across metazoan clades, suggesting some level of independence among genomic characters. While their contribution to biological innovation remains largely unclear, we review recent literature about certain genomic changes that do correlate with changes to specific developmental pathways and metazoan innovations. In particular, we discuss the origins of the recently described pharyngeal cluster which is conserved across deuterostome genomes, and highlight different genomic features that have contributed to the evolution of this group. We also assess our current capacity to infer ancestral metazoan states from gene models and comparative genomics tools and elaborate on the future directions of metazoan comparative genomics relevant to evo-devo studies. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Two Rounds of Whole Genome Duplication in the Ancestral Vertebrate

PubMed Central

Dehal, Paramvir; Boore, Jeffrey L

2005-01-01

The hypothesis that the relatively large and complex vertebrate genome was created by two ancient, whole genome duplications has been hotly debated, but remains unresolved. We reconstructed the evolutionary relationships of all gene families from the complete gene sets of a tunicate, fish, mouse, and human, and then determined when each gene duplicated relative to the evolutionary tree of the organisms. We confirmed the results of earlier studies that there remains little signal of these events in numbers of duplicated genes, gene tree topology, or the number of genes per multigene family. However, when we plotted the genomic map positions of only the subset of paralogous genes that were duplicated prior to the fish–tetrapod split, their global physical organization provides unmistakable evidence of two distinct genome duplication events early in vertebrate evolution indicated by clear patterns of four-way paralogous regions covering a large part of the human genome. Our results highlight the potential for these large-scale genomic events to have driven the evolutionary success of the vertebrate lineage. PMID:16128622

Three crocodilian genomes reveal ancestral patterns of evolution among archosaurs

PubMed Central

Green, Richard E; Braun, Edward L; Armstrong, Joel; Earl, Dent; Nguyen, Ngan; Hickey, Glenn; Vandewege, Michael W; St John, John A; Capella-Gutiérrez, Salvador; Castoe, Todd A; Kern, Colin; Fujita, Matthew K; Opazo, Juan C; Jurka, Jerzy; Kojima, Kenji K; Caballero, Juan; Hubley, Robert M; Smit, Arian F; Platt, Roy N; Lavoie, Christine A; Ramakodi, Meganathan P; Finger, John W; Suh, Alexander; Isberg, Sally R; Miles, Lee; Chong, Amanda Y; Jaratlerdsiri, Weerachai; Gongora, Jaime; Moran, Christopher; Iriarte, Andrés; McCormack, John; Burgess, Shane C; Edwards, Scott V; Lyons, Eric; Williams, Christina; Breen, Matthew; Howard, Jason T; Gresham, Cathy R; Peterson, Daniel G; Schmitz, Jürgen; Pollock, David D; Haussler, David; Triplett, Eric W; Zhang, Guojie; Irie, Naoki; Jarvis, Erich D; Brochu, Christopher A; Schmidt, Carl J; McCarthy, Fiona M; Faircloth, Brant C; Hoffmann, Federico G; Glenn, Travis C; Gabaldón, Toni; Paten, Benedict; Ray, David A

2015-01-01

To provide context for the diversifications of archosaurs, the group that includes crocodilians, dinosaurs and birds, we generated draft genomes of three crocodilians, Alligator mississippiensis (the American alligator), Crocodylus porosus (the saltwater crocodile), and Gavialis gangeticus (the Indian gharial). We observed an exceptionally slow rate of genome evolution within crocodilians at all levels, including nucleotide substitutions, indels, transposable element content and movement, gene family evolution, and chromosomal synteny. When placed within the context of related taxa including birds and turtles, this suggests that the common ancestor of all of these taxa also exhibited slow genome evolution and that the relatively rapid evolution of bird genomes represents an autapomorphy within that clade. The data also provided the opportunity to analyze heterozygosity in crocodilians, which indicates a likely reduction in population size for all three taxa through the Pleistocene. Finally, these new data combined with newly published bird genomes allowed us to reconstruct the partial genome of the common ancestor of archosaurs providing a tool to investigate the genetic starting material of crocodilians, birds, and dinosaurs. PMID:25504731

Allo-allo-triploid Sphagnum × falcatulum: single individuals contain most of the Holantarctic diversity for ancestrally indicative markers.

PubMed

Karlin, Eric F; Smouse, Peter E

2017-08-01

Allopolyploids exhibit both different levels and different patterns of genetic variation than are typical of diploids. However, scant attention has been given to the partitioning of allelic information and diversity in allopolyploids, particularly that among homeologous monoploid components of the hologenome. Sphagnum × falcatulum is a double allopolyploid peat moss that spans a considerable portion of the Holantarctic. With monoploid genomes from three ancestral species, this organism exhibits a complex evolutionary history involving serial inter-subgeneric allopolyploidizations. Studying populations from three disjunct regions [South Island (New Zealand); Tierra de Fuego archipelago (Chile, Argentina); Tasmania (Australia)], allelic information for five highly stable microsatellite markers that differed among the three (ancestral) monoploid genomes was examined. Using Shannon information and diversity measures, the holoploid information, as well as the information within and among the three component monoploid genomes, was partitioned into separate components for individuals within and among populations and regions, and those information components were then converted into corresponding diversity measures. The majority (76 %) of alleles detected across these five markers are most likely to have been captured by hybridization, but the information within each of the three monoploid genomes varied, suggesting a history of recurrent allopolyploidization between ancestral species containing different levels of genetic diversity. Information within individuals, equivalent to the information among monoploid genomes (for this dataset), was relatively stable, and represented 83 % of the grand total information across the Holantarctic, with both inter-regional and inter-population diversification each accounting for about 5 % of the total information. Sphagnum × falcatulum probably inherited the great majority of its genetic diversity at these markers by reticulation

Neandertal admixture in Eurasia confirmed by maximum-likelihood analysis of three genomes.

PubMed

Lohse, Konrad; Frantz, Laurent A F

2014-04-01

Although there has been much interest in estimating histories of divergence and admixture from genomic data, it has proved difficult to distinguish recent admixture from long-term structure in the ancestral population. Thus, recent genome-wide analyses based on summary statistics have sparked controversy about the possibility of interbreeding between Neandertals and modern humans in Eurasia. Here we derive the probability of full mutational configurations in nonrecombining sequence blocks under both admixture and ancestral structure scenarios. Dividing the genome into short blocks gives an efficient way to compute maximum-likelihood estimates of parameters. We apply this likelihood scheme to triplets of human and Neandertal genomes and compare the relative support for a model of admixture from Neandertals into Eurasian populations after their expansion out of Africa against a history of persistent structure in their common ancestral population in Africa. Our analysis allows us to conclusively reject a model of ancestral structure in Africa and instead reveals strong support for Neandertal admixture in Eurasia at a higher rate (3.4-7.3%) than suggested previously. Using analysis and simulations we show that our inference is more powerful than previous summary statistics and robust to realistic levels of recombination.

GASP: Gapped Ancestral Sequence Prediction for proteins

PubMed Central

Edwards, Richard J; Shields, Denis C

2004-01-01

Background The prediction of ancestral protein sequences from multiple sequence alignments is useful for many bioinformatics analyses. Predicting ancestral sequences is not a simple procedure and relies on accurate alignments and phylogenies. Several algorithms exist based on Maximum Parsimony or Maximum Likelihood methods but many current implementations are unable to process residues with gaps, which may represent insertion/deletion (indel) events or sequence fragments. Results Here we present a new algorithm, GASP (Gapped Ancestral Sequence Prediction), for predicting ancestral sequences from phylogenetic trees and the corresponding multiple sequence alignments. Alignments may be of any size and contain gaps. GASP first assigns the positions of gaps in the phylogeny before using a likelihood-based approach centred on amino acid substitution matrices to assign ancestral amino acids. Important outgroup information is used by first working down from the tips of the tree to the root, using descendant data only to assign probabilities, and then working back up from the root to the tips using descendant and outgroup data to make predictions. GASP was tested on a number of simulated datasets based on real phylogenies. Prediction accuracy for ungapped data was similar to three alternative algorithms tested, with GASP performing better in some cases and worse in others. Adding simple insertions and deletions to the simulated data did not have a detrimental effect on GASP accuracy. Conclusions GASP (Gapped Ancestral Sequence Prediction) will predict ancestral sequences from multiple protein alignments of any size. Although not as accurate in all cases as some of the more sophisticated maximum likelihood approaches, it can process a wide range of input phylogenies and will predict ancestral sequences for gapped and ungapped residues alike. PMID:15350199

Comparative Bacterial Proteomics: Analysis of the Core Genome Concept

PubMed Central

Callister, Stephen J.; McCue, Lee Ann; Turse, Joshua E.; Monroe, Matthew E.; Auberry, Kenneth J.; Smith, Richard D.; Adkins, Joshua N.; Lipton, Mary S.

2008-01-01

While comparative bacterial genomic studies commonly predict a set of genes indicative of common ancestry, experimental validation of the existence of this core genome requires extensive measurement and is typically not undertaken. Enabled by an extensive proteome database developed over six years, we have experimentally verified the expression of proteins predicted from genomic ortholog comparisons among 17 environmental and pathogenic bacteria. More exclusive relationships were observed among the expressed protein content of phenotypically related bacteria, which is indicative of the specific lifestyles associated with these organisms. Although genomic studies can establish relative orthologous relationships among a set of bacteria and propose a set of ancestral genes, our proteomics study establishes expressed lifestyle differences among conserved genes and proposes a set of expressed ancestral traits. PMID:18253490

Asymptotic Distributions of Coalescence Times and Ancestral Lineage Numbers for Populations with Temporally Varying Size

PubMed Central

Chen, Hua; Chen, Kun

2013-01-01

The distributions of coalescence times and ancestral lineage numbers play an essential role in coalescent modeling and ancestral inference. Both exact distributions of coalescence times and ancestral lineage numbers are expressed as the sum of alternating series, and the terms in the series become numerically intractable for large samples. More computationally attractive are their asymptotic distributions, which were derived in Griffiths (1984) for populations with constant size. In this article, we derive the asymptotic distributions of coalescence times and ancestral lineage numbers for populations with temporally varying size. For a sample of size n, denote by Tm the mth coalescent time, when m + 1 lineages coalesce into m lineages, and An(t) the number of ancestral lineages at time t back from the current generation. Similar to the results in Griffiths (1984), the number of ancestral lineages, An(t), and the coalescence times, Tm, are asymptotically normal, with the mean and variance of these distributions depending on the population size function, N(t). At the very early stage of the coalescent, when t → 0, the number of coalesced lineages n − An(t) follows a Poisson distribution, and as m → n, n(n−1)Tm/2N(0) follows a gamma distribution. We demonstrate the accuracy of the asymptotic approximations by comparing to both exact distributions and coalescent simulations. Several applications of the theoretical results are also shown: deriving statistics related to the properties of gene genealogies, such as the time to the most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) and the total branch length (TBL) of the genealogy, and deriving the allele frequency spectrum for large genealogies. With the advent of genomic-level sequencing data for large samples, the asymptotic distributions are expected to have wide applications in theoretical and methodological development for population genetic inference. PMID:23666939

Asymptotic distributions of coalescence times and ancestral lineage numbers for populations with temporally varying size.

PubMed

Chen, Hua; Chen, Kun

2013-07-01

The distributions of coalescence times and ancestral lineage numbers play an essential role in coalescent modeling and ancestral inference. Both exact distributions of coalescence times and ancestral lineage numbers are expressed as the sum of alternating series, and the terms in the series become numerically intractable for large samples. More computationally attractive are their asymptotic distributions, which were derived in Griffiths (1984) for populations with constant size. In this article, we derive the asymptotic distributions of coalescence times and ancestral lineage numbers for populations with temporally varying size. For a sample of size n, denote by Tm the mth coalescent time, when m + 1 lineages coalesce into m lineages, and An(t) the number of ancestral lineages at time t back from the current generation. Similar to the results in Griffiths (1984), the number of ancestral lineages, An(t), and the coalescence times, Tm, are asymptotically normal, with the mean and variance of these distributions depending on the population size function, N(t). At the very early stage of the coalescent, when t → 0, the number of coalesced lineages n - An(t) follows a Poisson distribution, and as m → n, $$n\\left(n-1\\right){T}_{m}/2N\\left(0\\right)$$ follows a gamma distribution. We demonstrate the accuracy of the asymptotic approximations by comparing to both exact distributions and coalescent simulations. Several applications of the theoretical results are also shown: deriving statistics related to the properties of gene genealogies, such as the time to the most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) and the total branch length (TBL) of the genealogy, and deriving the allele frequency spectrum for large genealogies. With the advent of genomic-level sequencing data for large samples, the asymptotic distributions are expected to have wide applications in theoretical and methodological development for population genetic inference.

Recreating a functional ancestral archosaur visual pigment.

PubMed

Chang, Belinda S W; Jönsson, Karolina; Kazmi, Manija A; Donoghue, Michael J; Sakmar, Thomas P

2002-09-01

The ancestors of the archosaurs, a major branch of the diapsid reptiles, originated more than 240 MYA near the dawn of the Triassic Period. We used maximum likelihood phylogenetic ancestral reconstruction methods and explored different models of evolution for inferring the amino acid sequence of a putative ancestral archosaur visual pigment. Three different types of maximum likelihood models were used: nucleotide-based, amino acid-based, and codon-based models. Where possible, within each type of model, likelihood ratio tests were used to determine which model best fit the data. Ancestral reconstructions of the ancestral archosaur node using the best-fitting models of each type were found to be in agreement, except for three amino acid residues at which one reconstruction differed from the other two. To determine if these ancestral pigments would be functionally active, the corresponding genes were chemically synthesized and then expressed in a mammalian cell line in tissue culture. The expressed artificial genes were all found to bind to 11-cis-retinal to yield stable photoactive pigments with lambda(max) values of about 508 nm, which is slightly redshifted relative to that of extant vertebrate pigments. The ancestral archosaur pigments also activated the retinal G protein transducin, as measured in a fluorescence assay. Our results show that ancestral genes from ancient organisms can be reconstructed de novo and tested for function using a combination of phylogenetic and biochemical methods.

Three crocodilian genomes reveal ancestral patterns of evolution among archosaurs.

PubMed

Green, Richard E; Braun, Edward L; Armstrong, Joel; Earl, Dent; Nguyen, Ngan; Hickey, Glenn; Vandewege, Michael W; St John, John A; Capella-Gutiérrez, Salvador; Castoe, Todd A; Kern, Colin; Fujita, Matthew K; Opazo, Juan C; Jurka, Jerzy; Kojima, Kenji K; Caballero, Juan; Hubley, Robert M; Smit, Arian F; Platt, Roy N; Lavoie, Christine A; Ramakodi, Meganathan P; Finger, John W; Suh, Alexander; Isberg, Sally R; Miles, Lee; Chong, Amanda Y; Jaratlerdsiri, Weerachai; Gongora, Jaime; Moran, Christopher; Iriarte, Andrés; McCormack, John; Burgess, Shane C; Edwards, Scott V; Lyons, Eric; Williams, Christina; Breen, Matthew; Howard, Jason T; Gresham, Cathy R; Peterson, Daniel G; Schmitz, Jürgen; Pollock, David D; Haussler, David; Triplett, Eric W; Zhang, Guojie; Irie, Naoki; Jarvis, Erich D; Brochu, Christopher A; Schmidt, Carl J; McCarthy, Fiona M; Faircloth, Brant C; Hoffmann, Federico G; Glenn, Travis C; Gabaldón, Toni; Paten, Benedict; Ray, David A

2014-12-12

To provide context for the diversification of archosaurs--the group that includes crocodilians, dinosaurs, and birds--we generated draft genomes of three crocodilians: Alligator mississippiensis (the American alligator), Crocodylus porosus (the saltwater crocodile), and Gavialis gangeticus (the Indian gharial). We observed an exceptionally slow rate of genome evolution within crocodilians at all levels, including nucleotide substitutions, indels, transposable element content and movement, gene family evolution, and chromosomal synteny. When placed within the context of related taxa including birds and turtles, this suggests that the common ancestor of all of these taxa also exhibited slow genome evolution and that the comparatively rapid evolution is derived in birds. The data also provided the opportunity to analyze heterozygosity in crocodilians, which indicates a likely reduction in population size for all three taxa through the Pleistocene. Finally, these data combined with newly published bird genomes allowed us to reconstruct the partial genome of the common ancestor of archosaurs, thereby providing a tool to investigate the genetic starting material of crocodilians, birds, and dinosaurs. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Neandertal Admixture in Eurasia Confirmed by Maximum-Likelihood Analysis of Three Genomes

PubMed Central

Lohse, Konrad; Frantz, Laurent A. F.

2014-01-01

Although there has been much interest in estimating histories of divergence and admixture from genomic data, it has proved difficult to distinguish recent admixture from long-term structure in the ancestral population. Thus, recent genome-wide analyses based on summary statistics have sparked controversy about the possibility of interbreeding between Neandertals and modern humans in Eurasia. Here we derive the probability of full mutational configurations in nonrecombining sequence blocks under both admixture and ancestral structure scenarios. Dividing the genome into short blocks gives an efficient way to compute maximum-likelihood estimates of parameters. We apply this likelihood scheme to triplets of human and Neandertal genomes and compare the relative support for a model of admixture from Neandertals into Eurasian populations after their expansion out of Africa against a history of persistent structure in their common ancestral population in Africa. Our analysis allows us to conclusively reject a model of ancestral structure in Africa and instead reveals strong support for Neandertal admixture in Eurasia at a higher rate (3.4−7.3%) than suggested previously. Using analysis and simulations we show that our inference is more powerful than previous summary statistics and robust to realistic levels of recombination. PMID:24532731

Shared Subgenome Dominance Following Polyploidization Explains Grass Genome Evolutionary Plasticity from a Seven Protochromosome Ancestor with 16K Protogenes

PubMed Central

Murat, Florent; Zhang, Rongzhi; Guizard, Sébastien; Flores, Raphael; Armero, Alix; Pont, Caroline; Steinbach, Delphine; Quesneville, Hadi; Cooke, Richard; Salse, Jerome

2013-01-01

Modern plant genomes are diploidized paleopolyploids. We revisited grass genome paleohistory in response to the diploidization process through a detailed investigation of the evolutionary fate of duplicated blocks. Ancestrally duplicated genes can be conserved, deleted, and shuffled, defining dominant (bias toward duplicate retention) and sensitive (bias toward duplicate erosion) chromosomal fragments. We propose a new grass genome paleohistory deriving from an ancestral karyotype structured in seven protochromosomes containing 16,464 protogenes and following evolutionary rules where 1) ancestral shared polyploidizations shaped conserved dominant (D) and sensitive (S) subgenomes, 2) subgenome dominance is revealed by both gene deletion and shuffling from the S blocks, 3) duplicate deletion/movement may have been mediated by single-/double-stranded illegitimate recombination mechanisms, 4) modern genomes arose through centromeric fusion of protochromosomes, leading to functional monocentric neochromosomes, 5) the fusion of two dominant blocks leads to supradominant neochromosomes (D + D = D) with higher ancestral gene retention compared with D + S = D (i.e., fusion of blocks with opposite sensitivity) or even S + S = S (i.e., fusion of two sensitive ancestral blocks). A new user-friendly online tool named “PlantSyntenyViewer,” available at http://urgi.versailles.inra.fr/synteny-cereal, presents the refined comparative genomics data. PMID:24317974

Reconstructed Ancestral Myo-Inositol-3-Phosphate Synthases Indicate That Ancestors of the Thermococcales and Thermotoga Species Were More Thermophilic than Their Descendants

PubMed Central

Butzin, Nicholas C.; Lapierre, Pascal; Green, Anna G.; Swithers, Kristen S.; Gogarten, J. Peter; Noll, Kenneth M.

2013-01-01

The bacterial genomes of Thermotoga species show evidence of significant interdomain horizontal gene transfer from the Archaea. Members of this genus acquired many genes from the Thermococcales, which grow at higher temperatures than Thermotoga species. In order to study the functional history of an interdomain horizontally acquired gene we used ancestral sequence reconstruction to examine the thermal characteristics of reconstructed ancestral proteins of the Thermotoga lineage and its archaeal donors. Several ancestral sequence reconstruction methods were used to determine the possible sequences of the ancestral Thermotoga and Archaea myo-inositol-3-phosphate synthase (MIPS). These sequences were predicted to be more thermostable than the extant proteins using an established sequence composition method. We verified these computational predictions by measuring the activities and thermostabilities of purified proteins from the Thermotoga and the Thermococcales species, and eight ancestral reconstructed proteins. We found that the ancestral proteins from both the archaeal donor and the Thermotoga most recent common ancestor recipient were more thermostable than their descendants. We show that there is a correlation between the thermostability of MIPS protein and the optimal growth temperature (OGT) of its host, which suggests that the OGT of the ancestors of these species of Archaea and the Thermotoga grew at higher OGTs than their descendants. PMID:24391933

Gene order in rosid phylogeny, inferred from pairwise syntenies among extant genomes

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Ancestral gene order reconstruction for flowering plants has lagged behind developments in yeasts, insects and higher animals, because of the recency of widespread plant genome sequencing, sequencers' embargoes on public data use, paralogies due to whole genome duplication (WGD) and fractionation of undeleted duplicates, extensive paralogy from other sources, and the computational cost of existing methods. Results We address these problems, using the gene order of four core eudicot genomes (cacao, castor bean, papaya and grapevine) that have escaped any recent WGD events, and two others (poplar and cucumber) that descend from independent WGDs, in inferring the ancestral gene order of the rosid clade and those of its main subgroups, the fabids and malvids. We improve and adapt techniques including the OMG method for extracting large, paralogy-free, multiple orthologies from conflated pairwise synteny data among the six genomes and the PATHGROUPS approach for ancestral gene order reconstruction in a given phylogeny, where some genomes may be descendants of WGD events. We use the gene order evidence to evaluate the hypothesis that the order Malpighiales belongs to the malvids rather than as traditionally assigned to the fabids. Conclusions Gene orders of ancestral eudicot species, involving 10,000 or more genes can be reconstructed in an efficient, parsimonious and consistent way, despite paralogies due to WGD and other processes. Pairwise genomic syntenies provide appropriate input to a parameter-free procedure of multiple ortholog identification followed by gene-order reconstruction in solving instances of the "small phylogeny" problem. PMID:22759433

Ancestral whole-genome duplication in the marine chelicerate horseshoe crabs

PubMed Central

Kenny, N J; Chan, K W; Nong, W; Qu, Z; Maeso, I; Yip, H Y; Chan, T F; Kwan, H S; Holland, P W H; Chu, K H; Hui, J H L

2016-01-01

Whole-genome duplication (WGD) results in new genomic resources that can be exploited by evolution for rewiring genetic regulatory networks in organisms. In metazoans, WGD occurred before the last common ancestor of vertebrates, and has been postulated as a major evolutionary force that contributed to their speciation and diversification of morphological structures. Here, we have sequenced genomes from three of the four extant species of horseshoe crabs—Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda, Limulus polyphemus and Tachypleus tridentatus. Phylogenetic and sequence analyses of their Hox and other homeobox genes, which encode crucial transcription factors and have been used as indicators of WGD in animals, strongly suggests that WGD happened before the last common ancestor of these marine chelicerates >135 million years ago. Signatures of subfunctionalisation of paralogues of Hox genes are revealed in the appendages of two species of horseshoe crabs. Further, residual homeobox pseudogenes are observed in the three lineages. The existence of WGD in the horseshoe crabs, noted for relative morphological stasis over geological time, suggests that genomic diversity need not always be reflected phenotypically, in contrast to the suggested situation in vertebrates. This study provides evidence of ancient WGD in the ecdysozoan lineage, and reveals new opportunities for studying genomic and regulatory evolution after WGD in the Metazoa. PMID:26419336

Ancestral haplotype-based association mapping with generalized linear mixed models accounting for stratification.

PubMed

Zhang, Z; Guillaume, F; Sartelet, A; Charlier, C; Georges, M; Farnir, F; Druet, T

2012-10-01

In many situations, genome-wide association studies are performed in populations presenting stratification. Mixed models including a kinship matrix accounting for genetic relatedness among individuals have been shown to correct for population and/or family structure. Here we extend this methodology to generalized linear mixed models which properly model data under various distributions. In addition we perform association with ancestral haplotypes inferred using a hidden Markov model. The method was shown to properly account for stratification under various simulated scenari presenting population and/or family structure. Use of ancestral haplotypes resulted in higher power than SNPs on simulated datasets. Application to real data demonstrates the usefulness of the developed model. Full analysis of a dataset with 4600 individuals and 500 000 SNPs was performed in 2 h 36 min and required 2.28 Gb of RAM. The software GLASCOW can be freely downloaded from www.giga.ulg.ac.be/jcms/prod_381171/software. francois.guillaume@jouy.inra.fr Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Insights into Land Plant Evolution Garnered from the Marchantia polymorpha Genome.

PubMed

Bowman, John L; Kohchi, Takayuki; Yamato, Katsuyuki T; Jenkins, Jerry; Shu, Shengqiang; Ishizaki, Kimitsune; Yamaoka, Shohei; Nishihama, Ryuichi; Nakamura, Yasukazu; Berger, Frédéric; Adam, Catherine; Aki, Shiori Sugamata; Althoff, Felix; Araki, Takashi; Arteaga-Vazquez, Mario A; Balasubrmanian, Sureshkumar; Barry, Kerrie; Bauer, Diane; Boehm, Christian R; Briginshaw, Liam; Caballero-Perez, Juan; Catarino, Bruno; Chen, Feng; Chiyoda, Shota; Chovatia, Mansi; Davies, Kevin M; Delmans, Mihails; Demura, Taku; Dierschke, Tom; Dolan, Liam; Dorantes-Acosta, Ana E; Eklund, D Magnus; Florent, Stevie N; Flores-Sandoval, Eduardo; Fujiyama, Asao; Fukuzawa, Hideya; Galik, Bence; Grimanelli, Daniel; Grimwood, Jane; Grossniklaus, Ueli; Hamada, Takahiro; Haseloff, Jim; Hetherington, Alexander J; Higo, Asuka; Hirakawa, Yuki; Hundley, Hope N; Ikeda, Yoko; Inoue, Keisuke; Inoue, Shin-Ichiro; Ishida, Sakiko; Jia, Qidong; Kakita, Mitsuru; Kanazawa, Takehiko; Kawai, Yosuke; Kawashima, Tomokazu; Kennedy, Megan; Kinose, Keita; Kinoshita, Toshinori; Kohara, Yuji; Koide, Eri; Komatsu, Kenji; Kopischke, Sarah; Kubo, Minoru; Kyozuka, Junko; Lagercrantz, Ulf; Lin, Shih-Shun; Lindquist, Erika; Lipzen, Anna M; Lu, Chia-Wei; De Luna, Efraín; Martienssen, Robert A; Minamino, Naoki; Mizutani, Masaharu; Mizutani, Miya; Mochizuki, Nobuyoshi; Monte, Isabel; Mosher, Rebecca; Nagasaki, Hideki; Nakagami, Hirofumi; Naramoto, Satoshi; Nishitani, Kazuhiko; Ohtani, Misato; Okamoto, Takashi; Okumura, Masaki; Phillips, Jeremy; Pollak, Bernardo; Reinders, Anke; Rövekamp, Moritz; Sano, Ryosuke; Sawa, Shinichiro; Schmid, Marc W; Shirakawa, Makoto; Solano, Roberto; Spunde, Alexander; Suetsugu, Noriyuki; Sugano, Sumio; Sugiyama, Akifumi; Sun, Rui; Suzuki, Yutaka; Takenaka, Mizuki; Takezawa, Daisuke; Tomogane, Hirokazu; Tsuzuki, Masayuki; Ueda, Takashi; Umeda, Masaaki; Ward, John M; Watanabe, Yuichiro; Yazaki, Kazufumi; Yokoyama, Ryusuke; Yoshitake, Yoshihiro; Yotsui, Izumi; Zachgo, Sabine; Schmutz, Jeremy

2017-10-05

The evolution of land flora transformed the terrestrial environment. Land plants evolved from an ancestral charophycean alga from which they inherited developmental, biochemical, and cell biological attributes. Additional biochemical and physiological adaptations to land, and a life cycle with an alternation between multicellular haploid and diploid generations that facilitated efficient dispersal of desiccation tolerant spores, evolved in the ancestral land plant. We analyzed the genome of the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, a member of a basal land plant lineage. Relative to charophycean algae, land plant genomes are characterized by genes encoding novel biochemical pathways, new phytohormone signaling pathways (notably auxin), expanded repertoires of signaling pathways, and increased diversity in some transcription factor families. Compared with other sequenced land plants, M. polymorpha exhibits low genetic redundancy in most regulatory pathways, with this portion of its genome resembling that predicted for the ancestral land plant. PAPERCLIP. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DNA methylation in amphioxus: from ancestral functions to new roles in vertebrates.

PubMed

Albalat, Ricard; Martí-Solans, Josep; Cañestro, Cristian

2012-03-01

In vertebrates, DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism that modulates gene transcription, and plays crucial roles during development, cell fate maintenance, germ cell pluripotency and inheritable genome imprinting. DNA methylation might also play a role as a genome defense mechanism against the mutational activity derived from transposon mobility. In contrast to the heavily methylated genomes in vertebrates, most genomes in invertebrates are poorly or just moderately methylated, and the function of DNA methylation remains unclear. Here, we review the DNA methylation system in the cephalochordate amphioxus, which belongs to the most basally divergent group of our own phylum, the chordates. First, surveys of the amphioxus genome database reveal the presence of the DNA methylation machinery, DNA methyltransferases and methyl-CpG-binding domain proteins. Second, comparative genomics and analyses of conserved synteny between amphioxus and vertebrates provide robust evidence that the DNA methylation machinery of amphioxus represents the ancestral toolkit of chordates, and that its expansion in vertebrates was originated by the two rounds of whole-genome duplication that occurred in stem vertebrates. Third, in silico analysis of CpGo/e ratios throughout the amphioxus genome suggests a bimodal distribution of DNA methylation, consistent with a mosaic pattern comprising domains of methylated DNA interspersed with domains of unmethylated DNA, similar to the situation described in ascidians, but radically different to the globally methylated vertebrate genomes. Finally, we discuss potential roles of the DNA methylation system in amphioxus in the context of chordate genome evolution and the origin of vertebrates.

A consensus map in cultivated hexaploid oat reveals conserved grass synteny with substantial sub-genome rearrangement

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Hexaploid oat (Avena sativa, 2n = 6x = 42) is a member of the Poaceae family with a very large genome (~13 Gb) containing 21 chromosome pairs: seven from each of two similar ancestral diploids (A and D) and seven from a more diverged ancestral diploid (C). Physical rearrangements among ancestral oat...

Human Genetic Ancestral Composition Correlates with the Origin of Mycobacterium leprae Strains in a Leprosy Endemic Population.

PubMed

Cardona-Castro, Nora; Cortés, Edwin; Beltrán, Camilo; Romero, Marcela; Badel-Mogollón, Jaime E; Bedoya, Gabriel

2015-01-01

Recent reports have suggested that leprosy originated in Africa, extended to Asia and Europe, and arrived in the Americas during European colonization and the African slave trade. Due to colonization, the contemporary Colombian population is an admixture of Native-American, European and African ancestries. Because microorganisms are known to accompany humans during migrations, patterns of human migration can be traced by examining genomic changes in associated microbes. The current study analyzed 118 leprosy cases and 116 unrelated controls from two Colombian regions endemic for leprosy (Atlantic and Andean) in order to determine possible associations of leprosy with patient ancestral background (determined using 36 ancestry informative markers), Mycobacterium leprae genotype and/or patient geographical origin. We found significant differences between ancestral genetic composition. European components were predominant in Andean populations. In contrast, African components were higher in the Atlantic region. M. leprae genotypes were then analyzed for cluster associations and compared with the ancestral composition of leprosy patients. Two M. leprae principal clusters were found: haplotypes C54 and T45. Haplotype C54 associated with African origin and was more frequent in patients from the Atlantic region with a high African component. In contrast, haplotype T45 associated with European origin and was more frequent in Andean patients with a higher European component. These results suggest that the human and M. leprae genomes have co-existed since the African and European origins of the disease, with leprosy ultimately arriving in Colombia during colonization. Distinct M. leprae strains followed European and African settlement in the country and can be detected in contemporary Colombian populations.

Population Stratification and Underrepresentation of Indian Subcontinent Genetic Diversity in the 1000 Genomes Project Dataset

PubMed Central

Sengupta, Dhriti; Choudhury, Ananyo; Basu, Analabha; Ramsay, Michèle

2016-01-01

Genomic variation in Indian populations is of great interest due to the diversity of ancestral components, social stratification, endogamy and complex admixture patterns. With an expanding population of 1.2 billion, India is also a treasure trove to catalogue innocuous as well as clinically relevant rare mutations. Recent studies have revealed four dominant ancestries in populations from mainland India: Ancestral North-Indian (ANI), Ancestral South-Indian (ASI), Ancestral Tibeto–Burman (ATB) and Ancestral Austro-Asiatic (AAA). The 1000 Genomes Project (KGP) Phase-3 data include about 500 genomes from five linguistically defined Indian-Subcontinent (IS) populations (Punjabi, Gujrati, Bengali, Telugu and Tamil) some of whom are recent migrants to USA or UK. Comparative analyses show that despite the distinct geographic origins of the KGP-IS populations, the ANI component is predominantly represented in this dataset. Previous studies demonstrated population substructure in the HapMap Gujrati population, and we found evidence for additional substructure in the Punjabi and Telugu populations. These substructured populations have characteristic/significant differences in heterozygosity and inbreeding coefficients. Moreover, we demonstrate that the substructure is better explained by factors like differences in proportion of ancestral components, and endogamy driven social structure rather than invoking a novel ancestral component to explain it. Therefore, using language and/or geography as a proxy for an ethnic unit is inadequate for many of the IS populations. This highlights the necessity for more nuanced sampling strategies or corrective statistical approaches, particularly for biomedical and population genetics research in India. PMID:27797945

Pan-arthropod analysis reveals somatic piRNAs as an ancestral defence against transposable elements.

PubMed

Lewis, Samuel H; Quarles, Kaycee A; Yang, Yujing; Tanguy, Melanie; Frézal, Lise; Smith, Stephen A; Sharma, Prashant P; Cordaux, Richard; Gilbert, Clément; Giraud, Isabelle; Collins, David H; Zamore, Phillip D; Miska, Eric A; Sarkies, Peter; Jiggins, Francis M

2018-01-01

In animals, small RNA molecules termed PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) silence transposable elements (TEs), protecting the germline from genomic instability and mutation. piRNAs have been detected in the soma in a few animals, but these are believed to be specific adaptations of individual species. Here, we report that somatic piRNAs were probably present in the ancestral arthropod more than 500 million years ago. Analysis of 20 species across the arthropod phylum suggests that somatic piRNAs targeting TEs and messenger RNAs are common among arthropods. The presence of an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase in chelicerates (horseshoe crabs, spiders and scorpions) suggests that arthropods originally used a plant-like RNA interference mechanism to silence TEs. Our results call into question the view that the ancestral role of the piRNA pathway was to protect the germline and demonstrate that small RNA silencing pathways have been repurposed for both somatic and germline functions throughout arthropod evolution.

Pathgroups, a dynamic data structure for genome reconstruction problems.

PubMed

Zheng, Chunfang

2010-07-01

Ancestral gene order reconstruction problems, including the median problem, quartet construction, small phylogeny, guided genome halving and genome aliquoting, are NP hard. Available heuristics dedicated to each of these problems are computationally costly for even small instances. We present a data structure enabling rapid heuristic solution to all these ancestral genome reconstruction problems. A generic greedy algorithm with look-ahead based on an automatically generated priority system suffices for all the problems using this data structure. The efficiency of the algorithm is due to fast updating of the structure during run time and to the simplicity of the priority scheme. We illustrate with the first rapid algorithm for quartet construction and apply this to a set of yeast genomes to corroborate a recent gene sequence-based phylogeny. http://albuquerque.bioinformatics.uottawa.ca/pathgroup/Quartet.html chunfang313@gmail.com Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Chætognath transcriptome reveals ancestral and unique features among bilaterians

PubMed Central

Marlétaz, Ferdinand; Gilles, André; Caubit, Xavier; Perez, Yvan; Dossat, Carole; Samain, Sylvie; Gyapay, Gabor; Wincker, Patrick; Le Parco, Yannick

2008-01-01

Background The chætognaths (arrow worms) have puzzled zoologists for years because of their astonishing morphological and developmental characteristics. Despite their deuterostome-like development, phylogenomic studies recently positioned the chætognath phylum in protostomes, most likely in an early branching. This key phylogenetic position and the peculiar characteristics of chætognaths prompted further investigation of their genomic features. Results Transcriptomic and genomic data were collected from the chætognath Spadella cephaloptera through the sequencing of expressed sequence tags and genomic bacterial artificial chromosome clones. Transcript comparisons at various taxonomic scales emphasized the conservation of a core gene set and phylogenomic analysis confirmed the basal position of chætognaths among protostomes. A detailed survey of transcript diversity and individual genotyping revealed a past genome duplication event in the chætognath lineage, which was, surprisingly, followed by a high retention rate of duplicated genes. Moreover, striking genetic heterogeneity was detected within the sampled population at the nuclear and mitochondrial levels but cannot be explained by cryptic speciation. Finally, we found evidence for trans-splicing maturation of transcripts through splice-leader addition in the chætognath phylum and we further report that this processing is associated with operonic transcription. Conclusion These findings reveal both shared ancestral and unique derived characteristics of the chætognath genome, which suggests that this genome is likely the product of a very original evolutionary history. These features promote chætognaths as a pivotal model for comparative genomics, which could provide new clues for the investigation of the evolution of animal genomes. PMID:18533022

An experimental phylogeny to benchmark ancestral sequence reconstruction

PubMed Central

Randall, Ryan N.; Radford, Caelan E.; Roof, Kelsey A.; Natarajan, Divya K.; Gaucher, Eric A.

2016-01-01

Ancestral sequence reconstruction (ASR) is a still-burgeoning method that has revealed many key mechanisms of molecular evolution. One criticism of the approach is an inability to validate its algorithms within a biological context as opposed to a computer simulation. Here we build an experimental phylogeny using the gene of a single red fluorescent protein to address this criticism. The evolved phylogeny consists of 19 operational taxonomic units (leaves) and 17 ancestral bifurcations (nodes) that display a wide variety of fluorescent phenotypes. The 19 leaves then serve as ‘modern' sequences that we subject to ASR analyses using various algorithms and to benchmark against the known ancestral genotypes and ancestral phenotypes. We confirm computer simulations that show all algorithms infer ancient sequences with high accuracy, yet we also reveal wide variation in the phenotypes encoded by incorrectly inferred sequences. Specifically, Bayesian methods incorporating rate variation significantly outperform the maximum parsimony criterion in phenotypic accuracy. Subsampling of extant sequences had minor effect on the inference of ancestral sequences. PMID:27628687

Vertebrate codon bias indicates a highly GC-rich ancestral genome.

PubMed

Nabiyouni, Maryam; Prakash, Ashwin; Fedorov, Alexei

2013-04-25

Two factors are thought to have contributed to the origin of codon usage bias in eukaryotes: 1) genome-wide mutational forces that shape overall GC-content and create context-dependent nucleotide bias, and 2) positive selection for codons that maximize efficient and accurate translation. Particularly in vertebrates, these two explanations contradict each other and cloud the origin of codon bias in the taxon. On the one hand, mutational forces fail to explain GC-richness (~60%) of third codon positions, given the GC-poor overall genomic composition among vertebrates (~40%). On the other hand, positive selection cannot easily explain strict regularities in codon preferences. Large-scale bioinformatic assessment, of nucleotide composition of coding and non-coding sequences in vertebrates and other taxa, suggests a simple possible resolution for this contradiction. Specifically, we propose that the last common vertebrate ancestor had a GC-rich genome (~65% GC). The data suggest that whole-genome mutational bias is the major driving force for generating codon bias. As the bias becomes prominent, it begins to affect translation and can result in positive selection for optimal codons. The positive selection can, in turn, significantly modulate codon preferences. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative genomic de-convolution of the cotton genome revealed a decaploid ancestor and widespread chromosomal fractionation.

PubMed

Wang, Xiyin; Guo, Hui; Wang, Jinpeng; Lei, Tianyu; Liu, Tao; Wang, Zhenyi; Li, Yuxian; Lee, Tae-Ho; Li, Jingping; Tang, Haibao; Jin, Dianchuan; Paterson, Andrew H

2016-02-01

The 'apparently' simple genomes of many angiosperms mask complex evolutionary histories. The reference genome sequence for cotton (Gossypium spp.) revealed a ploidy change of a complexity unprecedented to date, indeed that could not be distinguished as to its exact dosage. Herein, by developing several comparative, computational and statistical approaches, we revealed a 5× multiplication in the cotton lineage of an ancestral genome common to cotton and cacao, and proposed evolutionary models to show how such a decaploid ancestor formed. The c. 70% gene loss necessary to bring the ancestral decaploid to its current gene count appears to fit an approximate geometrical model; that is, although many genes may be lost by single-gene deletion events, some may be lost in groups of consecutive genes. Gene loss following cotton decaploidy has largely just reduced gene copy numbers of some homologous groups. We designed a novel approach to deconvolute layers of chromosome homology, providing definitive information on gene orthology and paralogy across broad evolutionary distances, both of fundamental value and serving as an important platform to support further studies in and beyond cotton and genomics communities. No claim to original US government works. New Phytologist © 2015 New Phytologist Trust.

The presence of the ancestral insect telomeric motif in kissing bugs (Triatominae) rules out the hypothesis of its loss in evolutionarily advanced Heteroptera (Cimicomorpha)

PubMed Central

Pita, Sebastián; Panzera, Francisco; Mora, Pablo; Vela, Jesús; Palomeque, Teresa; Lorite, Pedro

2016-01-01

Abstract Next-generation sequencing data analysis on Triatoma infestans Klug, 1834 (Heteroptera, Cimicomorpha, Reduviidae) revealed the presence of the ancestral insect (TTAGG)n telomeric motif in its genome. Fluorescence in situ hybridization confirms that chromosomes bear this telomeric sequence in their chromosomal ends. Furthermore, motif amount estimation was about 0.03% of the total genome, so that the average telomere length in each chromosomal end is almost 18 kb long. We also detected the presence of (TTAGG)n telomeric repeat in mitotic and meiotic chromosomes in other three species of Triatominae: Triatoma dimidiata Latreille, 1811, Dipetalogaster maxima Uhler, 1894, and Rhodnius prolixus Ståhl, 1859. This is the first report of the (TTAGG)n telomeric repeat in the infraorder Cimicomorpha, contradicting the currently accepted hypothesis that evolutionarily recent heteropterans lack this ancestral insect telomeric sequence. PMID:27830050

Increased genetic diversity of ADME genes in African Americans compared with their putative ancestral source populations and implications for Pharmacogenomics

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background African Americans have been treated as a representative population for African ancestry for many purposes, including pharmacogenomic studies. However, the contribution of European ancestry is expected to result in considerable differences in the genetic architecture of African American individuals compared with an African genome. In particular, the genetic admixture influences the genomic diversity of drug metabolism-related genes, and may cause high heterogeneity of drug responses in admixed populations such as African Americans. Results The genomic ancestry information of African-American (ASW) samples was obtained from data of the 1000 Genomes Project, and local ancestral components were also extracted for 32 core genes and 252 extended genes, which are associated with drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) genes. As expected, the global genetic diversity pattern in ASW was determined by the contributions of its putative ancestral source populations, and the whole profiles of ADME genes in ASW are much closer to those in YRI than in CEU. However, we observed much higher diversity in some functionally important ADME genes in ASW than either CEU or YRI, which could be a result of either genetic drift or natural selection, and we identified some signatures of the latter. We analyzed the clinically relevant polymorphic alleles and haplotypes, and found that 28 functional mutations (including 3 missense, 3 splice, and 22 regulator sites) exhibited significantly higher differentiation between the three populations. Conclusions Analysis of the genetic diversity of ADME genes showed differentiation between admixed population and its ancestral source populations. In particular, the different genetic diversity between ASW and YRI indicated that the ethnic differences in pharmacogenomic studies are broadly existed despite that African ancestry is dominant in Africans Americans. This study should advance our understanding of the genetic

An allele of an ancestral transcription factor dependent on a horizontally acquired gene product.

PubMed

Chen, H Deborah; Jewett, Mollie W; Groisman, Eduardo A

2012-01-01

Changes in gene regulatory circuits often give rise to phenotypic differences among closely related organisms. In bacteria, these changes can result from alterations in the ancestral genome and/or be brought about by genes acquired by horizontal transfer. Here, we identify an allele of the ancestral transcription factor PmrA that requires the horizontally acquired pmrD gene product to promote gene expression. We determined that a single amino acid difference between the PmrA proteins from the human adapted Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi B and the broad host range S. enterica serovar Typhimurium rendered transcription of PmrA-activated genes dependent on the PmrD protein in the former but not the latter serovar. Bacteria harboring the serovar Typhimurium allele exhibited polymyxin B resistance under PmrA- or under PmrA- and PmrD-inducing conditions. By contrast, isogenic strains with the serovar Paratyphi B allele displayed PmrA-regulated polymyxin B resistance only when experiencing activating conditions for both PmrA and PmrD. We establish that the two PmrA orthologs display quantitative differences in several biochemical properties. Strains harboring the serovar Paratyphi B allele showed enhanced biofilm formation, a property that might promote serovar Paratyphi B's chronic infection of the gallbladder. Our findings illustrate how subtle differences in ancestral genes can impact the ability of horizontally acquired genes to confer new properties.

Mitochondrial introgression suggests extensive ancestral hybridization events among Saccharomyces species.

PubMed

Peris, David; Arias, Armando; Orlić, Sandi; Belloch, Carmela; Pérez-Través, Laura; Querol, Amparo; Barrio, Eladio

2017-03-01

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in eukaryotic plastids and mitochondrial genomes is common, and plays an important role in organism evolution. In yeasts, recent mitochondrial HGT has been suggested between S. cerevisiae and S. paradoxus. However, few strains have been explored given the lack of accurate mitochondrial genome annotations. Mitochondrial genome sequences are important to understand how frequent these introgressions occur, and their role in cytonuclear incompatibilities and fitness. Indeed, most of the Bateson-Dobzhansky-Muller genetic incompatibilities described in yeasts are driven by cytonuclear incompatibilities. We herein explored the mitochondrial inheritance of several worldwide distributed wild Saccharomyces species and their hybrids isolated from different sources and geographic origins. We demonstrated the existence of several recombination points in mitochondrial region COX2-ORF1, likely mediated by either the activity of the protein encoded by the ORF1 (F-SceIII) gene, a free-standing homing endonuclease, or mostly facilitated by A+T tandem repeats and regions of integration of GC clusters. These introgressions were shown to occur among strains of the same species and among strains of different species, which suggests a complex model of Saccharomyces evolution that involves several ancestral hybridization events in wild environments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Population Stratification and Underrepresentation of Indian Subcontinent Genetic Diversity in the 1000 Genomes Project Dataset.

PubMed

Sengupta, Dhriti; Choudhury, Ananyo; Basu, Analabha; Ramsay, Michèle

2016-12-31

Genomic variation in Indian populations is of great interest due to the diversity of ancestral components, social stratification, endogamy and complex admixture patterns. With an expanding population of 1.2 billion, India is also a treasure trove to catalogue innocuous as well as clinically relevant rare mutations. Recent studies have revealed four dominant ancestries in populations from mainland India: Ancestral North-Indian (ANI), Ancestral South-Indian (ASI), Ancestral Tibeto-Burman (ATB) and Ancestral Austro-Asiatic (AAA). The 1000 Genomes Project (KGP) Phase-3 data include about 500 genomes from five linguistically defined Indian-Subcontinent (IS) populations (Punjabi, Gujrati, Bengali, Telugu and Tamil) some of whom are recent migrants to USA or UK. Comparative analyses show that despite the distinct geographic origins of the KGP-IS populations, the ANI component is predominantly represented in this dataset. Previous studies demonstrated population substructure in the HapMap Gujrati population, and we found evidence for additional substructure in the Punjabi and Telugu populations. These substructured populations have characteristic/significant differences in heterozygosity and inbreeding coefficients. Moreover, we demonstrate that the substructure is better explained by factors like differences in proportion of ancestral components, and endogamy driven social structure rather than invoking a novel ancestral component to explain it. Therefore, using language and/or geography as a proxy for an ethnic unit is inadequate for many of the IS populations. This highlights the necessity for more nuanced sampling strategies or corrective statistical approaches, particularly for biomedical and population genetics research in India. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Sequencing of Australian wild rice genomes reveals ancestral relationships with domesticated rice.

PubMed

Brozynska, Marta; Copetti, Dario; Furtado, Agnelo; Wing, Rod A; Crayn, Darren; Fox, Glen; Ishikawa, Ryuji; Henry, Robert J

2017-06-01

The related A genome species of the Oryza genus are the effective gene pool for rice. Here, we report draft genomes for two Australian wild A genome taxa: O. rufipogon-like population, referred to as Taxon A, and O. meridionalis-like population, referred to as Taxon B. These two taxa were sequenced and assembled by integration of short- and long-read next-generation sequencing (NGS) data to create a genomic platform for a wider rice gene pool. Here, we report that, despite the distinct chloroplast genome, the nuclear genome of the Australian Taxon A has a sequence that is much closer to that of domesticated rice (O. sativa) than to the other Australian wild populations. Analysis of 4643 genes in the A genome clade showed that the Australian annual, O. meridionalis, and related perennial taxa have the most divergent (around 3 million years) genome sequences relative to domesticated rice. A test for admixture showed possible introgression into the Australian Taxon A (diverged around 1.6 million years ago) especially from the wild indica/O. nivara clade in Asia. These results demonstrate that northern Australia may be the centre of diversity of the A genome Oryza and suggest the possibility that this might also be the centre of origin of this group and represent an important resource for rice improvement. © 2016 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Human Genetic Ancestral Composition Correlates with the Origin of Mycobacterium leprae Strains in a Leprosy Endemic Population

PubMed Central

Cardona-Castro, Nora; Cortés, Edwin; Beltrán, Camilo; Romero, Marcela; Badel-Mogollón, Jaime E.; Bedoya, Gabriel

2015-01-01

Recent reports have suggested that leprosy originated in Africa, extended to Asia and Europe, and arrived in the Americas during European colonization and the African slave trade. Due to colonization, the contemporary Colombian population is an admixture of Native-American, European and African ancestries. Because microorganisms are known to accompany humans during migrations, patterns of human migration can be traced by examining genomic changes in associated microbes. The current study analyzed 118 leprosy cases and 116 unrelated controls from two Colombian regions endemic for leprosy (Atlantic and Andean) in order to determine possible associations of leprosy with patient ancestral background (determined using 36 ancestry informative markers), Mycobacterium leprae genotype and/or patient geographical origin. We found significant differences between ancestral genetic composition. European components were predominant in Andean populations. In contrast, African components were higher in the Atlantic region. M. leprae genotypes were then analyzed for cluster associations and compared with the ancestral composition of leprosy patients. Two M. leprae principal clusters were found: haplotypes C54 and T45. Haplotype C54 associated with African origin and was more frequent in patients from the Atlantic region with a high African component. In contrast, haplotype T45 associated with European origin and was more frequent in Andean patients with a higher European component. These results suggest that the human and M. leprae genomes have co-existed since the African and European origins of the disease, with leprosy ultimately arriving in Colombia during colonization. Distinct M. leprae strains followed European and African settlement in the country and can be detected in contemporary Colombian populations. PMID:26360617

Genome-wide association study and ancestral origins of the slick-hair coat in tropically adapted cattle

PubMed Central

Huson, Heather J.; Kim, Eui-Soo; Godfrey, Robert W.; Olson, Timothy A.; McClure, Matthew C.; Chase, Chad C.; Rizzi, Rita; O'Brien, Ana M. P.; Van Tassell, Curt P.; Garcia, José F.; Sonstegard, Tad S.

2014-01-01

The slick hair coat (SLICK) is a dominantly inherited trait typically associated with tropically adapted cattle that are from Criollo descent through Spanish colonization of cattle into the New World. The trait is of interest relative to climate change, due to its association with improved thermo-tolerance and subsequent increased productivity. Previous studies localized the SLICK locus to a 4 cM region on chromosome (BTA) 20 and identified signatures of selection in this region derived from Senepol cattle. The current study compares three slick-haired Criollo-derived breeds including Senepol, Carora, and Romosinuano and three additional slick-haired cross-bred lineages to non-slick ancestral breeds. Genome-wide association (GWA), haplotype analysis, signatures of selection, runs of homozygosity (ROH), and identity by state (IBS) calculations were used to identify a 0.8 Mb (37.7–38.5 Mb) consensus region for the SLICK locus on BTA20 in which contains SKP2 and SPEF2 as possible candidate genes. Three specific haplotype patterns are identified in slick individuals, all with zero frequency in non-slick individuals. Admixture analysis identified common genetic patterns between the three slick breeds at the SLICK locus. Principal component analysis (PCA) and admixture results show Senepol and Romosinuano sharing a higher degree of genetic similarity to one another with a much lesser degree of similarity to Carora. Variation in GWA, haplotype analysis, and IBS calculations with accompanying population structure information supports potentially two mutations, one common to Senepol and Romosinuano and another in Carora, effecting genes contained within our refined location for the SLICK locus. PMID:24808908

Genome-wide association study and ancestral origins of the slick-hair coat in tropically adapted cattle.

PubMed

Huson, Heather J; Kim, Eui-Soo; Godfrey, Robert W; Olson, Timothy A; McClure, Matthew C; Chase, Chad C; Rizzi, Rita; O'Brien, Ana M P; Van Tassell, Curt P; Garcia, José F; Sonstegard, Tad S

2014-01-01

The slick hair coat (SLICK) is a dominantly inherited trait typically associated with tropically adapted cattle that are from Criollo descent through Spanish colonization of cattle into the New World. The trait is of interest relative to climate change, due to its association with improved thermo-tolerance and subsequent increased productivity. Previous studies localized the SLICK locus to a 4 cM region on chromosome (BTA) 20 and identified signatures of selection in this region derived from Senepol cattle. The current study compares three slick-haired Criollo-derived breeds including Senepol, Carora, and Romosinuano and three additional slick-haired cross-bred lineages to non-slick ancestral breeds. Genome-wide association (GWA), haplotype analysis, signatures of selection, runs of homozygosity (ROH), and identity by state (IBS) calculations were used to identify a 0.8 Mb (37.7-38.5 Mb) consensus region for the SLICK locus on BTA20 in which contains SKP2 and SPEF2 as possible candidate genes. Three specific haplotype patterns are identified in slick individuals, all with zero frequency in non-slick individuals. Admixture analysis identified common genetic patterns between the three slick breeds at the SLICK locus. Principal component analysis (PCA) and admixture results show Senepol and Romosinuano sharing a higher degree of genetic similarity to one another with a much lesser degree of similarity to Carora. Variation in GWA, haplotype analysis, and IBS calculations with accompanying population structure information supports potentially two mutations, one common to Senepol and Romosinuano and another in Carora, effecting genes contained within our refined location for the SLICK locus.

The complete mitochondrial genome of a stonefly species, Togoperla sp. (Plecoptera: Perlidae).

PubMed

Wang, Kai; Wang, Yuyu; Yang, Ding

2016-05-01

The complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of a stonefly species, Togoperla sp. (Plecoptera: Perlidae), was sequenced. The 15,723 bp long genome has the standard metazoan complement of 37 genes and an A+T-rich region, which is the same as the insect ancestral genome arrangement.

Ancestral and more recently acquired syntenic relationships of MADS-box genes uncovered by the Physcomitrella patens pseudochromosomal genome assembly.

PubMed

Barker, Elizabeth I; Ashton, Neil W

2016-03-01

The Physcomitrella pseudochromosomal genome assembly revealed previously invisible synteny enabling realisation of the full potential of shared synteny as a tool for probing evolution of this plant's MADS-box gene family. Assembly of the sequenced genome of Physcomitrella patens into 27 mega-scaffolds (pseudochromosomes) has confirmed the major predictions of our earlier model of expansion of the MADS-box gene family in the Physcomitrella lineage. Additionally, microsynteny has been conserved in the immediate vicinity of some recent duplicates of MADS-box genes. However, comparison of non-syntenic MIKC MADS-box genes and neighbouring genes indicates that chromosomal rearrangements and/or sequence degeneration have destroyed shared synteny over longer distances (macrosynteny) around MADS-box genes despite subsets comprising two or three MIKC genes having remained syntenic. In contrast, half of the type I MADS-box genes have been transposed creating new syntenic relations with MIKC genes. This implies that conservation of ancient ancestral synteny of MIKC genes and of more recently acquired synteny of type I and MIKC genes may be selectively advantageous. Our revised model predicts the birth rate of MIKC genes in Physcomitrella is higher than that of type I genes. However, this difference is attributable to an early tandem duplication and an early segmental duplication of MIKC genes prior to the two polyploidisations that account for most of the expansion of the MADS-box gene family in Physcomitrella. Furthermore, this early segmental duplication spawned two chromosomal lineages: one with a MIKC (C) gene, belonging to the PPM2 clade, in close proximity to one or a pair of MIKC* genes and another with a MIKC (C) gene, belonging to the PpMADS-S clade, characterised by greater separation from syntenic MIKC* genes. Our model has evolutionary implications for the Physcomitrella karyotype.

Phylogenomics of nonavian reptiles and the structure of the ancestral amniote genome

PubMed Central

Shedlock, Andrew M.; Botka, Christopher W.; Zhao, Shaying; Shetty, Jyoti; Zhang, Tingting; Liu, Jun S.; Deschavanne, Patrick J.; Edwards, Scott V.

2007-01-01

We report results of a megabase-scale phylogenomic analysis of the Reptilia, the sister group of mammals. Large-scale end-sequence scanning of genomic clones of a turtle, alligator, and lizard reveals diverse, mammal-like landscapes of retroelements and simple sequence repeats (SSRs) not found in the chicken. Several global genomic traits, including distinctive phylogenetic lineages of CR1-like long interspersed elements (LINEs) and a paucity of A-T rich SSRs, characterize turtles and archosaur genomes, whereas higher frequencies of tandem repeats and a lower global GC content reveal mammal-like features in Anolis. Nonavian reptile genomes also possess a high frequency of diverse and novel 50-bp unit tandem duplications not found in chicken or mammals. The frequency distributions of ≈65,000 8-mer oligonucleotides suggest that rates of DNA-word frequency change are an order of magnitude slower in reptiles than in mammals. These results suggest a diverse array of interspersed and SSRs in the common ancestor of amniotes and a genomic conservatism and gradual loss of retroelements in reptiles that culminated in the minimalist chicken genome. PMID:17307883

Ancestral genomic duplication of the insulin gene in tilapia: An analysis of possible implications for clinical islet xenotransplantation using donor islets from transgenic tilapia expressing a humanized insulin gene.

PubMed

Hrytsenko, Olga; Pohajdak, Bill; Wright, James R

2016-07-03

Tilapia, a teleost fish, have multiple large anatomically discrete islets which are easy to harvest, and when transplanted into diabetic murine recipients, provide normoglycemia and mammalian-like glucose tolerance profiles. Tilapia insulin differs structurally from human insulin which could preclude their use as islet donors for xenotransplantation. Therefore, we produced transgenic tilapia with islets expressing a humanized insulin gene. It is now known that fish genomes may possess an ancestral duplication and so tilapia may have a second insulin gene. Therefore, we cloned, sequenced, and characterized the tilapia insulin 2 transcript and found that its expression is negligible in islets, is not islet-specific, and would not likely need to be silenced in our transgenic fish.

Ancestral genomic duplication of the insulin gene in tilapia: An analysis of possible implications for clinical islet xenotransplantation using donor islets from transgenic tilapia expressing a humanized insulin gene

PubMed Central

Hrytsenko, Olga; Pohajdak, Bill; Wright, James R.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Tilapia, a teleost fish, have multiple large anatomically discrete islets which are easy to harvest, and when transplanted into diabetic murine recipients, provide normoglycemia and mammalian-like glucose tolerance profiles. Tilapia insulin differs structurally from human insulin which could preclude their use as islet donors for xenotransplantation. Therefore, we produced transgenic tilapia with islets expressing a humanized insulin gene. It is now known that fish genomes may possess an ancestral duplication and so tilapia may have a second insulin gene. Therefore, we cloned, sequenced, and characterized the tilapia insulin 2 transcript and found that its expression is negligible in islets, is not islet-specific, and would not likely need to be silenced in our transgenic fish. PMID:27222321

Mitogenomics and phylogenomics reveal priapulid worms as extant models of the ancestral Ecdysozoan.

PubMed

Webster, Bonnie L; Copley, Richard R; Jenner, Ronald A; Mackenzie-Dodds, Jacqueline A; Bourlat, Sarah J; Rota-Stabelli, Omar; Littlewood, D T J; Telford, Maximilian J

2006-01-01

Research into arthropod evolution is hampered by the derived nature and rapid evolution of the best-studied out-group: the nematodes. We consider priapulids as an alternative out-group. Priapulids are a small phylum of bottom-dwelling marine worms; their tubular body with spiny proboscis or introvert has changed little over 520 million years and recognizable priapulids are common among exceptionally preserved Cambrian fossils. Using the complete mitochondrial genome and 42 nuclear genes from Priapulus caudatus, we show that priapulids are slowly evolving ecdysozoans; almost all these priapulid genes have evolved more slowly than nematode orthologs and the priapulid mitochondrial gene order may be unchanged since the Cambrian. Considering their primitive bodyplan and embryology and the great conservation of both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, priapulids may deserve the popular epithet of "living fossil." Their study is likely to yield significant new insights into the early evolution of the Ecdysozoa and the origins of the arthropods and their kin as well as aiding inference of the morphology of ancestral Ecdysozoa and Bilateria and their genomes.

Ancestral hierarchy and conflict.

PubMed

Boehm, Christopher

2012-05-18

Ancestral Pan, the shared predecessor of humans, bonobos, and chimpanzees, lived in social dominance hierarchies that created conflict through individual and coalitional competition. This ancestor had male and female mediators, but individuals often reconciled independently. An evolutionary trajectory is traced from this ancestor to extant hunter-gatherers, whose coalitional behavior results in suppressed dominance and competition, except in mate competition. A territorial ancestral Pan would not have engaged in intensive warfare if we consider bonobo behavior, but modern human foragers have the potential for full-scale war. Although hunter-gatherers are able to resolve conflicts preemptively, they also use mechanisms, such as truces and peace pacts, to mitigate conflict when the costs become too high. Today, humans retain the genetic underpinnings of both conflict and conflict management; thus, we retain the potential for both war and peace.

Comparative genomics meets topology: a novel view on genome median and halving problems.

PubMed

Alexeev, Nikita; Avdeyev, Pavel; Alekseyev, Max A

2016-11-11

Genome median and genome halving are combinatorial optimization problems that aim at reconstruction of ancestral genomes by minimizing the number of evolutionary events between them and genomes of the extant species. While these problems have been widely studied in past decades, their solutions are often either not efficient or not biologically adequate. These shortcomings have been recently addressed by restricting the problems solution space. We show that the restricted variants of genome median and halving problems are, in fact, closely related. We demonstrate that these problems have a neat topological interpretation in terms of embedded graphs and polygon gluings. We illustrate how such interpretation can lead to solutions to these problems in particular cases. This study provides an unexpected link between comparative genomics and topology, and demonstrates advantages of solving genome median and halving problems within the topological framework.

Reconstructed ancestral enzymes suggest long-term cooling of Earth's photic zone since the Archean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, Amanda K.; Schopf, J. William; Yokobori, Shin-ichi; Akanuma, Satoshi; Yamagishi, Akihiko

2017-05-01

Paleotemperatures inferred from the isotopic compositions (δ18O and δ30Si) of marine cherts suggest that Earth’s oceans cooled from 70 ± 15 °C in the Archean to the present ˜15 °C. This interpretation, however, has been subject to question due to uncertainties regarding oceanic isotopic compositions, diagenetic or metamorphic resetting of the isotopic record, and depositional environments. Analyses of the thermostability of reconstructed ancestral enzymes provide an independent method by which to assess the temperature history inferred from the isotopic evidence. Although previous studies have demonstrated extreme thermostability in reconstructed archaeal and bacterial proteins compatible with a hot early Earth, taxa investigated may have inhabited local thermal environments that differed significantly from average surface conditions. We here present thermostability measurements of reconstructed ancestral enzymatically active nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDKs) derived from light-requiring prokaryotic and eukaryotic phototrophs having widely separated fossil-based divergence ages. The ancestral environmental temperatures thereby determined for these photic-zone organisms--shown in modern taxa to correlate strongly with NDK thermostability--are inferred to reflect ancient surface-environment paleotemperatures. Our results suggest that Earth's surface temperature decreased over geological time from ˜65-80 °C in the Archean, a finding consistent both with previous isotope-based and protein reconstruction-based interpretations. Interdisciplinary studies such as those reported here integrating genomic, geologic, and paleontologic data hold promise for providing new insight into the coevolution of life and environment over Earth history.

Reconstructed ancestral enzymes suggest long-term cooling of Earth's photic zone since the Archean.

PubMed

Garcia, Amanda K; Schopf, J William; Yokobori, Shin-Ichi; Akanuma, Satoshi; Yamagishi, Akihiko

2017-05-02

Paleotemperatures inferred from the isotopic compositions (δ 18 O and δ 30 Si) of marine cherts suggest that Earth's oceans cooled from 70 ± 15 °C in the Archean to the present ∼15 °C. This interpretation, however, has been subject to question due to uncertainties regarding oceanic isotopic compositions, diagenetic or metamorphic resetting of the isotopic record, and depositional environments. Analyses of the thermostability of reconstructed ancestral enzymes provide an independent method by which to assess the temperature history inferred from the isotopic evidence. Although previous studies have demonstrated extreme thermostability in reconstructed archaeal and bacterial proteins compatible with a hot early Earth, taxa investigated may have inhabited local thermal environments that differed significantly from average surface conditions. We here present thermostability measurements of reconstructed ancestral enzymatically active nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDKs) derived from light-requiring prokaryotic and eukaryotic phototrophs having widely separated fossil-based divergence ages. The ancestral environmental temperatures thereby determined for these photic-zone organisms--shown in modern taxa to correlate strongly with NDK thermostability--are inferred to reflect ancient surface-environment paleotemperatures. Our results suggest that Earth's surface temperature decreased over geological time from ∼65-80 °C in the Archean, a finding consistent both with previous isotope-based and protein reconstruction-based interpretations. Interdisciplinary studies such as those reported here integrating genomic, geologic, and paleontologic data hold promise for providing new insight into the coevolution of life and environment over Earth history.

Derived Immune and Ancestral Pigmentation Alleles in a 7,000-Year-old Mesolithic European

PubMed Central

Olalde, Iñigo; Allentoft, Morten E.; Sánchez-Quinto, Federico; Santpere, Gabriel; Chiang, Charleston W. K.; DeGiorgio, Michael; Prado-Martínez, Javier; Rodríguez, Juan Antonio; Rasmussen, Simon; Quilez, Javier; Ramírez, Oscar; Marigorta, Urko M.; Fernández-Callejo, Marcos; Prada, María Encina; Encinas, Julio Manuel Vidal; Nielsen, Rasmus; Netea, Mihai G.; Novembre, John; Sturm, Richard A.; Sabeti, Pardis; Marquès-Bonet, Tomàs; Navarro, Arcadi; Willerslev, Eske; Lalueza-Fox, Carles

2014-01-01

Ancient genomic sequences have started revealing the origin and the demographic impact of Neolithic farmers spreading into Europe1–3. The adoption of farming, stock breeding and sedentary societies during the Neolithic may have resulted in adaptive changes in genes associated with immunity and diet4. However, the limited data available from earlier hunter-gatherers precludes an understanding of the selective processes associated with this crucial transition to agriculture in recent human evolution. By sequencing a ~7,000-year-old Mesolithic skeleton discovered at the La Braña-Arintero site in León (Spain), we retrieved the first complete pre-agricultural European human genome. Analysis of this genome in the context of other ancient samples suggests the existence of a common ancient genomic signature across Western and Central Eurasia from the Upper Paleolithic to the Mesolithic. The La Braña individual carries ancestral alleles in several skin pigmentation genes, suggesting that the light skin of modern Europeans was not yet ubiquitous in Mesolithic times. Moreover, we provide evidence that a significant number of derived, putatively adaptive variants associated with pathogen resistance in modern Europeans were already present in this hunter-gatherer. Hence, these genomic variants cannot represent novel mutations that occurred during the adaptation to the farming lifestyle. PMID:24463515

Derived immune and ancestral pigmentation alleles in a 7,000-year-old Mesolithic European.

PubMed

Olalde, Iñigo; Allentoft, Morten E; Sánchez-Quinto, Federico; Santpere, Gabriel; Chiang, Charleston W K; DeGiorgio, Michael; Prado-Martinez, Javier; Rodríguez, Juan Antonio; Rasmussen, Simon; Quilez, Javier; Ramírez, Oscar; Marigorta, Urko M; Fernández-Callejo, Marcos; Prada, María Encina; Encinas, Julio Manuel Vidal; Nielsen, Rasmus; Netea, Mihai G; Novembre, John; Sturm, Richard A; Sabeti, Pardis; Marquès-Bonet, Tomàs; Navarro, Arcadi; Willerslev, Eske; Lalueza-Fox, Carles

2014-03-13

Ancient genomic sequences have started to reveal the origin and the demographic impact of farmers from the Neolithic period spreading into Europe. The adoption of farming, stock breeding and sedentary societies during the Neolithic may have resulted in adaptive changes in genes associated with immunity and diet. However, the limited data available from earlier hunter-gatherers preclude an understanding of the selective processes associated with this crucial transition to agriculture in recent human evolution. Here we sequence an approximately 7,000-year-old Mesolithic skeleton discovered at the La Braña-Arintero site in León, Spain, to retrieve a complete pre-agricultural European human genome. Analysis of this genome in the context of other ancient samples suggests the existence of a common ancient genomic signature across western and central Eurasia from the Upper Paleolithic to the Mesolithic. The La Braña individual carries ancestral alleles in several skin pigmentation genes, suggesting that the light skin of modern Europeans was not yet ubiquitous in Mesolithic times. Moreover, we provide evidence that a significant number of derived, putatively adaptive variants associated with pathogen resistance in modern Europeans were already present in this hunter-gatherer.

A global perspective on Campanulaceae: Biogeographic, genomic, and floral evolution.

PubMed

Crowl, Andrew A; Miles, Nicholas W; Visger, Clayton J; Hansen, Kimberly; Ayers, Tina; Haberle, Rosemarie; Cellinese, Nico

2016-02-01

The Campanulaceae are a diverse clade of flowering plants encompassing more than 2300 species in myriad habitats from tropical rainforests to arctic tundra. A robust, multigene phylogeny, including all major lineages, is presented to provide a broad, evolutionary perspective of this cosmopolitan clade. We used a phylogenetic framework, in combination with divergence dating, ancestral range estimation, chromosome modeling, and morphological character reconstruction analyses to infer phylogenetic placement and timing of major biogeographic, genomic, and morphological changes in the history of the group and provide insights into the diversification of this clade across six continents. Ancestral range estimation supports an out-of-Africa diversification following the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event. Chromosomal modeling, with corroboration from the distribution of synonymous substitutions among gene duplicates, provides evidence for as many as 20 genome-wide duplication events before large radiations. Morphological reconstructions support the hypothesis that switches in floral symmetry and anther dehiscence were important in the evolution of secondary pollen presentation mechanisms. This study provides a broad, phylogenetic perspective on the evolution of the Campanulaceae clade. The remarkable habitat diversity and cosmopolitan distribution of this lineage appears to be the result of a complex history of genome duplications and numerous long-distance dispersal events. We failed to find evidence for an ancestral polyploidy event for this clade, and our analyses indicate an ancestral base number of nine for the group. This study will serve as a framework for future studies in diverse areas of research in Campanulaceae. © 2016 Botanical Society of America.

Comparative genomics and evolution of eukaryotic phospholipidbiosynthesis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lykidis, Athanasios

2006-12-01

Phospholipid biosynthetic enzymes produce diverse molecular structures and are often present in multiple forms encoded by different genes. This work utilizes comparative genomics and phylogenetics for exploring the distribution, structure and evolution of phospholipid biosynthetic genes and pathways in 26 eukaryotic genomes. Although the basic structure of the pathways was formed early in eukaryotic evolution, the emerging picture indicates that individual enzyme families followed unique evolutionary courses. For example, choline and ethanolamine kinases and cytidylyltransferases emerged in ancestral eukaryotes, whereas, multiple forms of the corresponding phosphatidyltransferases evolved mainly in a lineage specific manner. Furthermore, several unicellular eukaryotes maintain bacterial-type enzymesmore » and reactions for the synthesis of phosphatidylglycerol and cardiolipin. Also, base-exchange phosphatidylserine synthases are widespread and ancestral enzymes. The multiplicity of phospholipid biosynthetic enzymes has been largely generated by gene expansion in a lineage specific manner. Thus, these observations suggest that phospholipid biosynthesis has been an actively evolving system. Finally, comparative genomic analysis indicates the existence of novel phosphatidyltransferases and provides a candidate for the uncharacterized eukaryotic phosphatidylglycerol phosphate phosphatase.« less

Genome-wide association study identifies HLA 8.1 ancestral haplotype alleles as major genetic risk factors for myositis phenotypes.

PubMed

Miller, F W; Chen, W; O'Hanlon, T P; Cooper, R G; Vencovsky, J; Rider, L G; Danko, K; Wedderburn, L R; Lundberg, I E; Pachman, L M; Reed, A M; Ytterberg, S R; Padyukov, L; Selva-O'Callaghan, A; Radstake, T R; Isenberg, D A; Chinoy, H; Ollier, W E R; Scheet, P; Peng, B; Lee, A; Byun, J; Lamb, J A; Gregersen, P K; Amos, C I

2015-10-01

Autoimmune muscle diseases (myositis) comprise a group of complex phenotypes influenced by genetic and environmental factors. To identify genetic risk factors in patients of European ancestry, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the major myositis phenotypes in a total of 1710 cases, which included 705 adult dermatomyositis, 473 juvenile dermatomyositis, 532 polymyositis and 202 adult dermatomyositis, juvenile dermatomyositis or polymyositis patients with anti-histidyl-tRNA synthetase (anti-Jo-1) autoantibodies, and compared them with 4724 controls. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms showing strong associations (P<5×10(-8)) in GWAS were identified in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region for all myositis phenotypes together, as well as for the four clinical and autoantibody phenotypes studied separately. Imputation and regression analyses found that alleles comprising the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) 8.1 ancestral haplotype (AH8.1) defined essentially all the genetic risk in the phenotypes studied. Although the HLA DRB1*03:01 allele showed slightly stronger associations with adult and juvenile dermatomyositis, and HLA B*08:01 with polymyositis and anti-Jo-1 autoantibody-positive myositis, multiple alleles of AH8.1 were required for the full risk effects. Our findings establish that alleles of the AH8.1 comprise the primary genetic risk factors associated with the major myositis phenotypes in geographically diverse Caucasian populations.

Genome-wide Association Study Identifies HLA 8.1 Ancestral Haplotype Alleles as Major Genetic Risk Factors for Myositis Phenotypes

PubMed Central

Miller, Frederick W.; Chen, Wei; O’Hanlon, Terrance P.; Cooper, Robert G.; Vencovsky, Jiri; Rider, Lisa G.; Danko, Katalin; Wedderburn, Lucy R.; Lundberg, Ingrid E.; Pachman, Lauren M.; Reed, Ann M.; Ytterberg, Steven R.; Padyukov, Leonid; Selva-O’Callaghan, Albert; Radstake, Timothy R.; Isenberg, David A.; Chinoy, Hector; Ollier, William E.R.; Scheet, Paul; Peng, Bo; Lee, Annette; Byun, Jinyoung; Lamb, Janine A.; Gregersen, Peter K.; Amos, Christopher I.

2016-01-01

Autoimmune muscle diseases (myositis) comprise a group of complex phenotypes influenced by genetic and environmental factors. To identify genetic risk factors in patients of European ancestry, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the major myositis phenotypes in a total of 1710 cases, which included 705 adult dermatomyositis; 473 juvenile dermatomyositis; 532 polymyositis; and 202 adult dermatomyositis, juvenile dermatomyositis or polymyositis patients with anti-histidyl tRNA synthetase (anti-Jo-1) autoantibodies, and compared them with 4724 controls. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms showing strong associations (P < 5 × 10−8) in GWAS were identified in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region for all myositis phenotypes together, as well as for the four clinical and autoantibody phenotypes studied separately. Imputation and regression analyses found that alleles comprising the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) 8.1 ancestral haplotype (AH8.1) defined essentially all the genetic risk in the phenotypes studied. Although the HLA DRB1*03:01 allele showed slightly stronger associations with adult and juvenile dermatomyositis, and HLA B*08:01 with polymyositis and anti-Jo-1 autoantibody-positive myositis, multiple alleles of AH8.1 were required for the full risk effects. Our findings establish that alleles of the AH8.1haplotype comprise the primary genetic risk factors associated with the major myositis phenotypes in geographically diverse Caucasian populations. PMID:26291516

Empirical estimation of genome-wide significance thresholds based on the 1000 Genomes Project data set.

PubMed

Kanai, Masahiro; Tanaka, Toshihiro; Okada, Yukinori

2016-10-01

To assess the statistical significance of associations between variants and traits, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) should employ an appropriate threshold that accounts for the massive burden of multiple testing in the study. Although most studies in the current literature commonly set a genome-wide significance threshold at the level of P=5.0 × 10 -8 , the adequacy of this value for respective populations has not been fully investigated. To empirically estimate thresholds for different ancestral populations, we conducted GWAS simulations using the 1000 Genomes Phase 3 data set for Africans (AFR), Europeans (EUR), Admixed Americans (AMR), East Asians (EAS) and South Asians (SAS). The estimated empirical genome-wide significance thresholds were P sig =3.24 × 10 -8 (AFR), 9.26 × 10 -8 (EUR), 1.83 × 10 -7 (AMR), 1.61 × 10 -7 (EAS) and 9.46 × 10 -8 (SAS). We additionally conducted trans-ethnic meta-analyses across all populations (ALL) and all populations except for AFR (ΔAFR), which yielded P sig =3.25 × 10 -8 (ALL) and 4.20 × 10 -8 (ΔAFR). Our results indicate that the current threshold (P=5.0 × 10 -8 ) is overly stringent for all ancestral populations except for Africans; however, we should employ a more stringent threshold when conducting a meta-analysis, regardless of the presence of African samples.

Genome Sequence of Azospirillum brasilense CBG497 and Comparative Analyses of Azospirillum Core and Accessory Genomes provide Insight into Niche Adaptation

PubMed Central

Wisniewski-Dyé, Florence; Lozano, Luis; Acosta-Cruz, Erika; Borland, Stéphanie; Drogue, Benoît; Prigent-Combaret, Claire; Rouy, Zoé; Barbe, Valérie; Mendoza Herrera, Alberto; González, Victor; Mavingui, Patrick

2012-01-01

Bacteria of the genus Azospirillum colonize roots of important cereals and grasses, and promote plant growth by several mechanisms, notably phytohormone synthesis. The genomes of several Azospirillum strains belonging to different species, isolated from various host plants and locations, were recently sequenced and published. In this study, an additional genome of an A. brasilense strain, isolated from maize grown on an alkaline soil in the northeast of Mexico, strain CBG497, was obtained. Comparative genomic analyses were performed on this new genome and three other genomes (A. brasilense Sp245, A. lipoferum 4B and Azospirillum sp. B510). The Azospirillum core genome was established and consists of 2,328 proteins, representing between 30% to 38% of the total encoded proteins within a genome. It is mainly chromosomally-encoded and contains 74% of genes of ancestral origin shared with some aquatic relatives. The non-ancestral part of the core genome is enriched in genes involved in signal transduction, in transport and in metabolism of carbohydrates and amino-acids, and in surface properties features linked to adaptation in fluctuating environments, such as soil and rhizosphere. Many genes involved in colonization of plant roots, plant-growth promotion (such as those involved in phytohormone biosynthesis), and properties involved in rhizosphere adaptation (such as catabolism of phenolic compounds, uptake of iron) are restricted to a particular strain and/or species, strongly suggesting niche-specific adaptation. PMID:24705077

GenomicusPlants: a web resource to study genome evolution in flowering plants.

PubMed

Louis, Alexandra; Murat, Florent; Salse, Jérôme; Crollius, Hugues Roest

2015-01-01

Comparative genomics combined with phylogenetic reconstructions are powerful approaches to study the evolution of genes and genomes. However, the current rapid expansion of the volume of genomic information makes it increasingly difficult to interrogate, integrate and synthesize comparative genome data while taking into account the maximum breadth of information available. GenomicusPlants (http://www.genomicus.biologie.ens.fr/genomicus-plants) is an extension of the Genomicus webserver that addresses this issue by allowing users to explore flowering plant genomes in an intuitive way, across the broadest evolutionary scales. Extant genomes of 26 flowering plants can be analyzed, as well as 23 ancestral reconstructed genomes. Ancestral gene order provides a long-term chronological view of gene order evolution, greatly facilitating comparative genomics and evolutionary studies. Four main interfaces ('views') are available where: (i) PhyloView combines phylogenetic trees with comparisons of genomic loci across any number of genomes; (ii) AlignView projects loci of interest against all other genomes to visualize its topological conservation; (iii) MatrixView compares two genomes in a classical dotplot representation; and (iv) Karyoview visualizes chromosome karyotypes 'painted' with colours of another genome of interest. All four views are interconnected and benefit from many customizable features. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists.

Extensive Chromosomal Reorganization in the Evolution of New World Muroid Rodents (Cricetidae, Sigmodontinae): Searching for Ancestral Phylogenetic Traits

PubMed Central

Pereira, Adenilson Leão; Malcher, Stella Miranda; Nagamachi, Cleusa Yoshiko; O’Brien, Patricia Caroline Mary; Ferguson-Smith, Malcolm Andrew; Mendes-Oliveira, Ana Cristina; Pieczarka, Julio Cesar

2016-01-01

Sigmodontinae rodents show great diversity and complexity in morphology and ecology. This diversity is accompanied by extensive chromosome variation challenging attempts to reconstruct their ancestral genome. The species Hylaeamys megacephalus–HME (Oryzomyini, 2n = 54), Necromys lasiurus—NLA (Akodontini, 2n = 34) and Akodon sp.–ASP (Akodontini, 2n = 10) have extreme diploid numbers that make it difficult to understand the rearrangements that are responsible for such differences. In this study we analyzed these changes using whole chromosome probes of HME in cross-species painting of NLA and ASP to construct chromosome homology maps that reveal the rearrangements between species. We include data from the literature for other Sigmodontinae previously studied with probes from HME and Mus musculus (MMU) probes. We also use the HME probes on MMU chromosomes for the comparative analysis of NLA with other species already mapped by MMU probes. Our results show that NLA and ASP have highly rearranged karyotypes when compared to HME. Eleven HME syntenic blocks are shared among the species studied here. Four syntenies may be ancestral to Akodontini (HME2/18, 3/25, 18/25 and 4/11/16) and eight to Sigmodontinae (HME26, 1/12, 6/21, 7/9, 5/17, 11/16, 20/13 and 19/14/19). Using MMU data we identified six associations shared among rodents from seven subfamilies, where MMU3/18 and MMU8/13 are phylogenetic signatures of Sigmodontinae. We suggest that the associations MMU2entire, MMU6proximal/12entire, MMU3/18, MMU8/13, MMU1/17, MMU10/17, MMU12/17, MMU5/16, MMU5/6 and MMU7/19 are part of the ancestral Sigmodontinae genome. PMID:26800516

Mitochondrial Genome Sequences of Nematocera (Lower Diptera): Evidence of Rearrangement following a Complete Genome Duplication in a Winter Crane Fly

PubMed Central

Beckenbach, Andrew T.

2012-01-01

The complete mitochondrial DNA sequences of eight representatives of lower Diptera, suborder Nematocera, along with nearly complete sequences from two other species, are presented. These taxa represent eight families not previously represented by complete mitochondrial DNA sequences. Most of the sequences retain the ancestral dipteran mitochondrial gene arrangement, while one sequence, that of the midge Arachnocampa flava (family Keroplatidae), has an inversion of the trnE gene. The most unusual result is the extensive rearrangement of the mitochondrial genome of a winter crane fly, Paracladura trichoptera (family Trichocera). The pattern of rearrangement indicates that the mechanism of rearrangement involved a tandem duplication of the entire mitochondrial genome, followed by random and nonrandom loss of one copy of each gene. Another winter crane fly retains the ancestral diperan gene arrangement. A preliminary mitochondrial phylogeny of the Diptera is also presented. PMID:22155689

FveGD: an online resource for diploid strawberry (fragaria vesca) genomics data

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fragaria vesca, a diploid strawberry species commonly known as the alpine or woodland strawberry, is a versatile experimental plant system that is an emerging model for the Rosaceae family. An ancestral F. vesca genome contributed to the genome of the octoploid dessert strawberry (F. xananassa) and...

Ancestral European roots of Helicobacter pylori in India

PubMed Central

Devi, S Manjulata; Ahmed, Irshad; Francalacci, Paolo; Hussain, M Abid; Akhter, Yusuf; Alvi, Ayesha; Sechi, Leonardo A; Mégraud, Francis; Ahmed, Niyaz

2007-01-01

Background The human gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori is co-evolved with its host and therefore, origins and expansion of multiple populations and sub populations of H. pylori mirror ancient human migrations. Ancestral origins of H. pylori in the vast Indian subcontinent are debatable. It is not clear how different waves of human migrations in South Asia shaped the population structure of H. pylori. We tried to address these issues through mapping genetic origins of present day H. pylori in India and their genomic comparison with hundreds of isolates from different geographic regions. Results We attempted to dissect genetic identity of strains by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of the 7 housekeeping genes (atpA, efp, ureI, ppa, mutY, trpC, yphC) and phylogeographic analysis of haplotypes using MEGA and NETWORK software while incorporating DNA sequences and genotyping data of whole cag pathogenicity-islands (cagPAI). The distribution of cagPAI genes within these strains was analyzed by using PCR and the geographic type of cagA phosphorylation motif EPIYA was determined by gene sequencing. All the isolates analyzed revealed European ancestry and belonged to H. pylori sub-population, hpEurope. The cagPAI harbored by Indian strains revealed European features upon PCR based analysis and whole PAI sequencing. Conclusion These observations suggest that H. pylori strains in India share ancestral origins with their European counterparts. Further, non-existence of other sub-populations such as hpAfrica and hpEastAsia, at least in our collection of isolates, suggest that the hpEurope strains enjoyed a special fitness advantage in Indian stomachs to out-compete any endogenous strains. These results also might support hypotheses related to gene flow in India through Indo-Aryans and arrival of Neolithic practices and languages from the Fertile Crescent. PMID:17584914

Robustness of Reconstructed Ancestral Protein Functions to Statistical Uncertainty.

PubMed

Eick, Geeta N; Bridgham, Jamie T; Anderson, Douglas P; Harms, Michael J; Thornton, Joseph W

2017-02-01

Hypotheses about the functions of ancient proteins and the effects of historical mutations on them are often tested using ancestral protein reconstruction (APR)-phylogenetic inference of ancestral sequences followed by synthesis and experimental characterization. Usually, some sequence sites are ambiguously reconstructed, with two or more statistically plausible states. The extent to which the inferred functions and mutational effects are robust to uncertainty about the ancestral sequence has not been studied systematically. To address this issue, we reconstructed ancestral proteins in three domain families that have different functions, architectures, and degrees of uncertainty; we then experimentally characterized the functional robustness of these proteins when uncertainty was incorporated using several approaches, including sampling amino acid states from the posterior distribution at each site and incorporating the alternative amino acid state at every ambiguous site in the sequence into a single "worst plausible case" protein. In every case, qualitative conclusions about the ancestral proteins' functions and the effects of key historical mutations were robust to sequence uncertainty, with similar functions observed even when scores of alternate amino acids were incorporated. There was some variation in quantitative descriptors of function among plausible sequences, suggesting that experimentally characterizing robustness is particularly important when quantitative estimates of ancient biochemical parameters are desired. The worst plausible case method appears to provide an efficient strategy for characterizing the functional robustness of ancestral proteins to large amounts of sequence uncertainty. Sampling from the posterior distribution sometimes produced artifactually nonfunctional proteins for sequences reconstructed with substantial ambiguity. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and

The draft genome of Ciona intestinalis: insights into chordate and vertebrate origins.

PubMed

Dehal, Paramvir; Satou, Yutaka; Campbell, Robert K; Chapman, Jarrod; Degnan, Bernard; De Tomaso, Anthony; Davidson, Brad; Di Gregorio, Anna; Gelpke, Maarten; Goodstein, David M; Harafuji, Naoe; Hastings, Kenneth E M; Ho, Isaac; Hotta, Kohji; Huang, Wayne; Kawashima, Takeshi; Lemaire, Patrick; Martinez, Diego; Meinertzhagen, Ian A; Necula, Simona; Nonaka, Masaru; Putnam, Nik; Rash, Sam; Saiga, Hidetoshi; Satake, Masanobu; Terry, Astrid; Yamada, Lixy; Wang, Hong-Gang; Awazu, Satoko; Azumi, Kaoru; Boore, Jeffrey; Branno, Margherita; Chin-Bow, Stephen; DeSantis, Rosaria; Doyle, Sharon; Francino, Pilar; Keys, David N; Haga, Shinobu; Hayashi, Hiroko; Hino, Kyosuke; Imai, Kaoru S; Inaba, Kazuo; Kano, Shungo; Kobayashi, Kenji; Kobayashi, Mari; Lee, Byung-In; Makabe, Kazuhiro W; Manohar, Chitra; Matassi, Giorgio; Medina, Monica; Mochizuki, Yasuaki; Mount, Steve; Morishita, Tomomi; Miura, Sachiko; Nakayama, Akie; Nishizaka, Satoko; Nomoto, Hisayo; Ohta, Fumiko; Oishi, Kazuko; Rigoutsos, Isidore; Sano, Masako; Sasaki, Akane; Sasakura, Yasunori; Shoguchi, Eiichi; Shin-i, Tadasu; Spagnuolo, Antoinetta; Stainier, Didier; Suzuki, Miho M; Tassy, Olivier; Takatori, Naohito; Tokuoka, Miki; Yagi, Kasumi; Yoshizaki, Fumiko; Wada, Shuichi; Zhang, Cindy; Hyatt, P Douglas; Larimer, Frank; Detter, Chris; Doggett, Norman; Glavina, Tijana; Hawkins, Trevor; Richardson, Paul; Lucas, Susan; Kohara, Yuji; Levine, Michael; Satoh, Nori; Rokhsar, Daniel S

2002-12-13

The first chordates appear in the fossil record at the time of the Cambrian explosion, nearly 550 million years ago. The modern ascidian tadpole represents a plausible approximation to these ancestral chordates. To illuminate the origins of chordate and vertebrates, we generated a draft of the protein-coding portion of the genome of the most studied ascidian, Ciona intestinalis. The Ciona genome contains approximately 16,000 protein-coding genes, similar to the number in other invertebrates, but only half that found in vertebrates. Vertebrate gene families are typically found in simplified form in Ciona, suggesting that ascidians contain the basic ancestral complement of genes involved in cell signaling and development. The ascidian genome has also acquired a number of lineage-specific innovations, including a group of genes engaged in cellulose metabolism that are related to those in bacteria and fungi.

Ancestrality and evolution of trait syndromes in finches (Fringillidae).

PubMed

Ponge, Jean-François; Zuccon, Dario; Elias, Marianne; Pavoine, Sandrine; Henry, Pierre-Yves; Théry, Marc; Guilbert, Éric

2017-12-01

Species traits have been hypothesized by one of us (Ponge, 2013) to evolve in a correlated manner as species colonize stable, undisturbed habitats, shifting from "ancestral" to "derived" strategies. We predicted that generalism, r-selection, sexual monomorphism, and migration/gregariousness are the ancestral states (collectively called strategy A) and evolved correlatively toward specialism, K-selection, sexual dimorphism, and residence/territoriality as habitat stabilized (collectively called B strategy). We analyzed the correlated evolution of four syndromes, summarizing the covariation between 53 traits, respectively, involved in ecological specialization, r-K gradient, sexual selection, and dispersal/social behaviors in 81 species representative of Fringillidae, a bird family with available natural history information and that shows variability for all these traits. The ancestrality of strategy A was supported for three of the four syndromes, the ancestrality of generalism having a weaker support, except for the core group Carduelinae (69 species). It appeared that two different B-strategies evolved from the ancestral state A, both associated with highly predictable environments: one in poorly seasonal environments, called B1, with species living permanently in lowland tropics, with "slow pace of life" and weak sexual dimorphism, and one in highly seasonal environments, called B2, with species breeding out-of-the-tropics, migratory, with a "fast pace of life" and high sexual dimorphism.

Sexually Dimorphic Effects of Ancestral Exposure to Vinclozolin on Stress Reactivity in Rats

PubMed Central

Gillette, Ross; Miller-Crews, Isaac; Nilsson, Eric E.; Skinner, Michael K.; Gore, Andrea C.

2014-01-01

How an individual responds to the environment depends upon both personal life history as well as inherited genetic and epigenetic factors from ancestors. Using a 2-hit, 3 generations apart model, we tested how F3 descendants of rats given in utero exposure to the environmental endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) vinclozolin reacted to stress during adolescence in their own lives, focusing on sexually dimorphic phenotypic outcomes. In adulthood, male and female F3 vinclozolin- or vehicle-lineage rats, stressed or nonstressed, were behaviorally characterized on a battery of tests and then euthanized. Serum was used for hormone assays, and brains were used for quantitative PCR and transcriptome analyses. Results showed that the effects of ancestral exposure to vinclozolin converged with stress experienced during adolescence in a sexually dimorphic manner. Debilitating effects were seen at all levels of the phenotype, including physiology, behavior, brain metabolism, gene expression, and genome-wide transcriptome modifications in specific brain nuclei. Additionally, females were significantly more vulnerable than males to transgenerational effects of vinclozolin on anxiety but not sociality tests. This fundamental transformation occurs in a manner not predicted by the ancestral exposure or the proximate effects of stress during adolescence, an interaction we refer to as synchronicity. PMID:25051444

Sexually dimorphic effects of ancestral exposure to vinclozolin on stress reactivity in rats.

PubMed

Gillette, Ross; Miller-Crews, Isaac; Nilsson, Eric E; Skinner, Michael K; Gore, Andrea C; Crews, David

2014-10-01

How an individual responds to the environment depends upon both personal life history as well as inherited genetic and epigenetic factors from ancestors. Using a 2-hit, 3 generations apart model, we tested how F3 descendants of rats given in utero exposure to the environmental endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) vinclozolin reacted to stress during adolescence in their own lives, focusing on sexually dimorphic phenotypic outcomes. In adulthood, male and female F3 vinclozolin- or vehicle-lineage rats, stressed or nonstressed, were behaviorally characterized on a battery of tests and then euthanized. Serum was used for hormone assays, and brains were used for quantitative PCR and transcriptome analyses. Results showed that the effects of ancestral exposure to vinclozolin converged with stress experienced during adolescence in a sexually dimorphic manner. Debilitating effects were seen at all levels of the phenotype, including physiology, behavior, brain metabolism, gene expression, and genome-wide transcriptome modifications in specific brain nuclei. Additionally, females were significantly more vulnerable than males to transgenerational effects of vinclozolin on anxiety but not sociality tests. This fundamental transformation occurs in a manner not predicted by the ancestral exposure or the proximate effects of stress during adolescence, an interaction we refer to as synchronicity.

Ancestral gene reconstruction and synthesis of ancient rhodopsins in the laboratory.

PubMed

Chang, Belinda S W

2003-08-01

Laboratory synthesis of ancestral proteins offers an intriguing opportunity to study the past directly. The development of Bayesian methods to infer ancestral sequences, combined with advances in models of molecular evolution, and synthetic gene technology make this an increasingly promising approach in evolutionary studies of molecular function. Visual pigments form the first step in the biochemical cascade of events in the retina in all animals known to possess visual capabilities. In vertebrates, the necessity of spanning a dynamic range of light intensities of many orders of magnitude has given rise to two different types of photoreceptors, rods specialized for dim-light conditions, and cones for daylight and color vision. These photoreceptors contain different types of visual pigment genes. Reviewed here are methods of inferring ancestral sequences, chemical synthesis of artificial ancestral genes in the laboratory, and applications to the evolution of vertebrate visual systems and the experimental recreation of an archosaur rod visual pigment. The ancestral archosaurs gave rise to several notable lineages of diapsid reptiles, including the birds and the dinosaurs, and would have existed over 200 MYA. What little is known of their physiology comes from fossil remains, and inference based on the biology of their living descendants. Despite its age, an ancestral archosaur pigment was successfully recreated in the lab, and showed interesting properties of its wavelength sensitivity that may have implications for the visual capabilities of the ancestral archosaurs in dim light.

A phylogenetic Kalman filter for ancestral trait reconstruction using molecular data.

PubMed

Lartillot, Nicolas

2014-02-15

Correlation between life history or ecological traits and genomic features such as nucleotide or amino acid composition can be used for reconstructing the evolutionary history of the traits of interest along phylogenies. Thus far, however, such ancestral reconstructions have been done using simple linear regression approaches that do not account for phylogenetic inertia. These reconstructions could instead be seen as a genuine comparative regression problem, such as formalized by classical generalized least-square comparative methods, in which the trait of interest and the molecular predictor are represented as correlated Brownian characters coevolving along the phylogeny. Here, a Bayesian sampler is introduced, representing an alternative and more efficient algorithmic solution to this comparative regression problem, compared with currently existing generalized least-square approaches. Technically, ancestral trait reconstruction based on a molecular predictor is shown to be formally equivalent to a phylogenetic Kalman filter problem, for which backward and forward recursions are developed and implemented in the context of a Markov chain Monte Carlo sampler. The comparative regression method results in more accurate reconstructions and a more faithful representation of uncertainty, compared with simple linear regression. Application to the reconstruction of the evolution of optimal growth temperature in Archaea, using GC composition in ribosomal RNA stems and amino acid composition of a sample of protein-coding genes, confirms previous findings, in particular, pointing to a hyperthermophilic ancestor for the kingdom. The program is freely available at www.phylobayes.org.

Y chromosome of D. pseudoobscura is not homologous to the ancestral Drosophila Y.

PubMed

Carvalho, Antonio Bernardo; Clark, Andrew G

2005-01-07

We report a genome-wide search of Y-linked genes in Drosophila pseudoobscura. All six identifiable orthologs of the D. melanogaster Y-linked genes have autosomal inheritance in D. pseudoobscura. Four orthologs were investigated in detail and proved to be Y-linked in D. guanche and D. bifasciata, which shows that less than 18 million years ago the ancestral Drosophila Y chromosome was translocated to an autosome in the D. pseudoobscura lineage. We found 15 genes and pseudogenes in the current Y of D. pseudoobscura, and none are shared with the D. melanogaster Y. Hence, the Y chromosome in the D. pseudoobscura lineage appears to have arisen de novo and is not homologous to the D. melanogaster Y.

A universe of dwarfs and giants: genome size and chromosome evolution in the monocot family Melanthiaceae.

PubMed

Pellicer, Jaume; Kelly, Laura J; Leitch, Ilia J; Zomlefer, Wendy B; Fay, Michael F

2014-03-01

• Since the occurrence of giant genomes in angiosperms is restricted to just a few lineages, identifying where shifts towards genome obesity have occurred is essential for understanding the evolutionary mechanisms triggering this process. • Genome sizes were assessed using flow cytometry in 79 species and new chromosome numbers were obtained. Phylogenetically based statistical methods were applied to infer ancestral character reconstructions of chromosome numbers and nuclear DNA contents. • Melanthiaceae are the most diverse family in terms of genome size, with C-values ranging more than 230-fold. Our data confirmed that giant genomes are restricted to tribe Parideae, with most extant species in the family characterized by small genomes. Ancestral genome size reconstruction revealed that the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) for the family had a relatively small genome (1C = 5.37 pg). Chromosome losses and polyploidy are recovered as the main evolutionary mechanisms generating chromosome number change. • Genome evolution in Melanthiaceae has been characterized by a trend towards genome size reduction, with just one episode of dramatic DNA accumulation in Parideae. Such extreme contrasting profiles of genome size evolution illustrate the key role of transposable elements and chromosome rearrangements in driving the evolution of plant genomes. © 2013 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2013 New Phytologist Trust.

Enzyme functional evolution through improved catalysis of ancestrally nonpreferred substrates

PubMed Central

Huang, Ruiqi; Hippauf, Frank; Rohrbeck, Diana; Haustein, Maria; Wenke, Katrin; Feike, Janie; Sorrelle, Noah; Piechulla, Birgit; Barkman, Todd J.

2012-01-01

In this study, we investigated the role for ancestral functional variation that may be selected upon to generate protein functional shifts using ancestral protein resurrection, statistical tests for positive selection, forward and reverse evolutionary genetics, and enzyme functional assays. Data are presented for three instances of protein functional change in the salicylic acid/benzoic acid/theobromine (SABATH) lineage of plant secondary metabolite-producing enzymes. In each case, we demonstrate that ancestral nonpreferred activities were improved upon in a daughter enzyme after gene duplication, and that these functional shifts were likely coincident with positive selection. Both forward and reverse mutagenesis studies validate the impact of one or a few sites toward increasing activity with ancestrally nonpreferred substrates. In one case, we document the occurrence of an evolutionary reversal of an active site residue that reversed enzyme properties. Furthermore, these studies show that functionally important amino acid replacements result in substrate discrimination as reflected in evolutionary changes in the specificity constant (kcat/KM) for competing substrates, even though adaptive substitutions may affect KM and kcat separately. In total, these results indicate that nonpreferred, or even latent, ancestral protein activities may be coopted at later times to become the primary or preferred protein activities. PMID:22315396

Enzyme functional evolution through improved catalysis of ancestrally nonpreferred substrates.

PubMed

Huang, Ruiqi; Hippauf, Frank; Rohrbeck, Diana; Haustein, Maria; Wenke, Katrin; Feike, Janie; Sorrelle, Noah; Piechulla, Birgit; Barkman, Todd J

2012-02-21

In this study, we investigated the role for ancestral functional variation that may be selected upon to generate protein functional shifts using ancestral protein resurrection, statistical tests for positive selection, forward and reverse evolutionary genetics, and enzyme functional assays. Data are presented for three instances of protein functional change in the salicylic acid/benzoic acid/theobromine (SABATH) lineage of plant secondary metabolite-producing enzymes. In each case, we demonstrate that ancestral nonpreferred activities were improved upon in a daughter enzyme after gene duplication, and that these functional shifts were likely coincident with positive selection. Both forward and reverse mutagenesis studies validate the impact of one or a few sites toward increasing activity with ancestrally nonpreferred substrates. In one case, we document the occurrence of an evolutionary reversal of an active site residue that reversed enzyme properties. Furthermore, these studies show that functionally important amino acid replacements result in substrate discrimination as reflected in evolutionary changes in the specificity constant (k(cat)/K(M)) for competing substrates, even though adaptive substitutions may affect K(M) and k(cat) separately. In total, these results indicate that nonpreferred, or even latent, ancestral protein activities may be coopted at later times to become the primary or preferred protein activities.

Molecular evolution of the betagamma lens crystallin superfamily: evidence for a retained ancestral function in gamma N crystallins?

PubMed

Weadick, Cameron J; Chang, Belinda S W

2009-05-01

Within the vertebrate eye, betagamma crystallins are extremely stable lens proteins that are uniquely adapted to increase refractory power while maintaining transparency. Unlike alpha crystallins, which are well-characterized, multifunctional proteins that have important functions both in and out of the lens, betagamma lens crystallins are a diverse group of proteins with no clear ancestral or contemporary nonlens role. We carried out phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary analyses of the betagamma-crystallin superfamily in order to study the evolutionary history of the gamma N crystallins, a recently discovered, biochemically atypical family suggested to possess a divergent or ancestral function. By including nonlens, betagamma-motif-containing sequences in our analysis as outgroups, we confirmed the phylogenetic position of the gamma N family as sister to other gamma crystallins. Using maximum likelihood codon models to estimate lineage-specific nonsynonymous-to-synonymous rate ratios revealed strong positive selection in all of the early lineages within the betagamma family, with the striking exception of the lineage leading to the gamma N crystallins which was characterized by strong purifying selection. Branch-site analysis, used to identify candidate sites involved in functional divergence between gamma N crystallins and its sister clade containing all other gamma crystallins, identified several positively selected changes at sites of known functional importance in the betagamma crystallin protein structure. Further analyses of a fish-specific gamma N crystallin gene duplication revealed a more recent episode of positive selection in only one of the two descendant lineages (gamma N2). Finally, from the guppy, Poecilia reticulata, we isolated complete gamma N1 and gamma N2 coding sequence data from cDNA and partial coding sequence data from genomic DNA in order to confirm the presence of a novel gamma N2 intron, discovered through data mining of two

Karyotype and gene order evolution from reconstructed extinct ancestors highlight contrasts in genome plasticity of modern rosid crops.

PubMed

Murat, Florent; Zhang, Rongzhi; Guizard, Sébastien; Gavranović, Haris; Flores, Raphael; Steinbach, Delphine; Quesneville, Hadi; Tannier, Eric; Salse, Jérôme

2015-01-29

We used nine complete genome sequences, from grape, poplar, Arabidopsis, soybean, lotus, apple, strawberry, cacao, and papaya, to investigate the paleohistory of rosid crops. We characterized an ancestral rosid karyotype, structured into 7/21 protochomosomes, with a minimal set of 6,250 ordered protogenes and a minimum physical coding gene space of 50 megabases. We also proposed ancestral karyotypes for the Caricaceae, Brassicaceae, Malvaceae, Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Salicaceae, and Vitaceae families with 9, 8, 10, 6, 12, 9, 12, and 19 protochromosomes, respectively. On the basis of these ancestral karyotypes and present-day species comparisons, we proposed a two-step evolutionary scenario based on allohexaploidization involving the newly characterized A, B, and C diploid progenitors leading to dominant (stable) and sensitive (plastic) genomic compartments in any modern rosid crops. Finally, a new user-friendly online tool, "DicotSyntenyViewer" (available from http://urgi.versailles.inra.fr/synteny-dicot), has been made available for accurate translational genomics in rosids. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Animal regeneration: ancestral character or evolutionary novelty?

PubMed

Slack, Jonathan Mw

2017-09-01

An old question about regeneration is whether it is an ancestral character which is a general property of living matter, or whether it represents a set of specific adaptations to the different circumstances faced by different types of animal. In this review, some recent results on regeneration are assessed to see if they can throw any new light on this question. Evidence in favour of an ancestral character comes from the role of Wnt and bone morphogenetic protein signalling in controlling the pattern of whole-body regeneration in acoels, which are a basal group of bilaterian animals. On the other hand, there is some evidence for adaptive acquisition or maintenance of the regeneration of appendages based on the occurrence of severe non-lethal predation, the existence of some novel genes in regenerating organisms, and differences at the molecular level between apparently similar forms of regeneration. It is tentatively concluded that whole-body regeneration is an ancestral character although has been lost from most animal lineages. Appendage regeneration is more likely to represent a derived character resulting from many specific adaptations. © 2017 The Author.

Decelerated genome evolution in modern vertebrates revealed by analysis of multiple lancelet genomes.

PubMed

Huang, Shengfeng; Chen, Zelin; Yan, Xinyu; Yu, Ting; Huang, Guangrui; Yan, Qingyu; Pontarotti, Pierre Antoine; Zhao, Hongchen; Li, Jie; Yang, Ping; Wang, Ruihua; Li, Rui; Tao, Xin; Deng, Ting; Wang, Yiquan; Li, Guang; Zhang, Qiujin; Zhou, Sisi; You, Leiming; Yuan, Shaochun; Fu, Yonggui; Wu, Fenfang; Dong, Meiling; Chen, Shangwu; Xu, Anlong

2014-12-19

Vertebrates diverged from other chordates ~500 Myr ago and experienced successful innovations and adaptations, but the genomic basis underlying vertebrate origins are not fully understood. Here we suggest, through comparison with multiple lancelet (amphioxus) genomes, that ancient vertebrates experienced high rates of protein evolution, genome rearrangement and domain shuffling and that these rates greatly slowed down after the divergence of jawed and jawless vertebrates. Compared with lancelets, modern vertebrates retain, at least relatively, less protein diversity, fewer nucleotide polymorphisms, domain combinations and conserved non-coding elements (CNE). Modern vertebrates also lost substantial transposable element (TE) diversity, whereas lancelets preserve high TE diversity that includes even the long-sought RAG transposon. Lancelets also exhibit rapid gene turnover, pervasive transcription, fastest exon shuffling in metazoans and substantial TE methylation not observed in other invertebrates. These new lancelet genome sequences provide new insights into the chordate ancestral state and the vertebrate evolution.

GE-17ALTERATION OF THE p53 PATHWAY AND ANCESTRAL PROGENITORS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH TUMOR RECURRENCE IN GLIOBLASTOMA

PubMed Central

Kim, Hoon; Zheng, Siyuan; Amini, Seyed; Virk, Selene; Mikkelsen, Tom; Brat, Daniel; Sougnez, Carrie; Muller, Florian; Hu, Jian; Sloan, Andrew; Cohen, Mark; Van Meir, Erwin; Scarpace, Lisa; Lander, Eric; Gabriel, Stacey; Getz, Gad; Meyerson, Matthew; Chin, Lynda; Barnholtz-Sloan, Jill; Verhaak, Roel

2014-01-01

To evaluate evolutionary patterns of GBM recurrence, we analyzed whole genome sequencing (WGS) and multi-sector exome sequencing data from pairs of primary and posttreatment GBM. WGS on ten primary-recurrent pairs detected a median number of 12,214 mutations which we utilized to uncover clonal structures, by analyzing the distribution of mutation cellular frequencies (the fraction of tumor cells harboring a mutation). On average, 41 % of the mutations were shared by primary and recurrence. The majority of shared mutations were clonal in both primary and recurrence, but we also observed many clonal mutations that were uniquely detected in either the primary or the recurrence. This raises the intriguing possibility that major tumor clones in the primary tumor and disease relapse both evolved from a shared ancestral tumor cell population. At least one subclone was identified in the majority of WGS samples, and we observed groups of mutations that were at low cancer cell fractions in both primary and recurrence, suggesting that both subclones evolved from the same ancestral tumor cells separate from the major clone ancestral cells. To address the possibility that the lack of overlap between subsequent tumors was due to intratumoral heterogeneity, we analyzed exome sequencing from a second tumor sector of seven primary and six recurrent tumors. We found that the majority of "second biopsy" mutations were not conserved between time points, suggesting that intratumoral heterogeneity did not explain the large number of mutations uniquely detected in primary and recurrence. The limited overlap of mutations in primary and recurrence provides evidence for ancestral tumor cell populations that could not be eradicated by therapy, while offspring cell populations contained unique mutations, were selectively killed by treatment and could therefore no longer be detected after disease relapse. This study has provided new insights into patterns and dynamics of tumor evolution.

HAL: a hierarchical format for storing and analyzing multiple genome alignments.

PubMed

Hickey, Glenn; Paten, Benedict; Earl, Dent; Zerbino, Daniel; Haussler, David

2013-05-15

Large multiple genome alignments and inferred ancestral genomes are ideal resources for comparative studies of molecular evolution, and advances in sequencing and computing technology are making them increasingly obtainable. These structures can provide a rich understanding of the genetic relationships between all subsets of species they contain. Current formats for storing genomic alignments, such as XMFA and MAF, are all indexed or ordered using a single reference genome, however, which limits the information that can be queried with respect to other species and clades. This loss of information grows with the number of species under comparison, as well as their phylogenetic distance. We present HAL, a compressed, graph-based hierarchical alignment format for storing multiple genome alignments and ancestral reconstructions. HAL graphs are indexed on all genomes they contain. Furthermore, they are organized phylogenetically, which allows for modular and parallel access to arbitrary subclades without fragmentation because of rearrangements that have occurred in other lineages. HAL graphs can be created or read with a comprehensive C++ API. A set of tools is also provided to perform basic operations, such as importing and exporting data, identifying mutations and coordinate mapping (liftover). All documentation and source code for the HAL API and tools are freely available at http://github.com/glennhickey/hal. hickey@soe.ucsc.edu or haussler@soe.ucsc.edu Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Ancient human genomes suggest three ancestral populations for present-day Europeans

PubMed Central

Lazaridis, Iosif; Patterson, Nick; Mittnik, Alissa; Renaud, Gabriel; Mallick, Swapan; Kirsanow, Karola; Sudmant, Peter H.; Schraiber, Joshua G.; Castellano, Sergi; Lipson, Mark; Berger, Bonnie; Economou, Christos; Bollongino, Ruth; Fu, Qiaomei; Bos, Kirsten I.; Nordenfelt, Susanne; Li, Heng; de Filippo, Cesare; Prüfer, Kay; Sawyer, Susanna; Posth, Cosimo; Haak, Wolfgang; Hallgren, Fredrik; Fornander, Elin; Rohland, Nadin; Delsate, Dominique; Francken, Michael; Guinet, Jean-Michel; Wahl, Joachim; Ayodo, George; Babiker, Hamza A.; Bailliet, Graciela; Balanovska, Elena; Balanovsky, Oleg; Barrantes, Ramiro; Bedoya, Gabriel; Ben-Ami, Haim; Bene, Judit; Berrada, Fouad; Bravi, Claudio M.; Brisighelli, Francesca; Busby, George B. J.; Cali, Francesco; Churnosov, Mikhail; Cole, David E. C.; Corach, Daniel; Damba, Larissa; van Driem, George; Dryomov, Stanislav; Dugoujon, Jean-Michel; Fedorova, Sardana A.; Romero, Irene Gallego; Gubina, Marina; Hammer, Michael; Henn, Brenna M.; Hervig, Tor; Hodoglugil, Ugur; Jha, Aashish R.; Karachanak-Yankova, Sena; Khusainova, Rita; Khusnutdinova, Elza; Kittles, Rick; Kivisild, Toomas; Klitz, William; Kučinskas, Vaidutis; Kushniarevich, Alena; Laredj, Leila; Litvinov, Sergey; Loukidis, Theologos; Mahley, Robert W.; Melegh, Béla; Metspalu, Ene; Molina, Julio; Mountain, Joanna; Näkkäläjärvi, Klemetti; Nesheva, Desislava; Nyambo, Thomas; Osipova, Ludmila; Parik, Jüri; Platonov, Fedor; Posukh, Olga; Romano, Valentino; Rothhammer, Francisco; Rudan, Igor; Ruizbakiev, Ruslan; Sahakyan, Hovhannes; Sajantila, Antti; Salas, Antonio; Starikovskaya, Elena B.; Tarekegn, Ayele; Toncheva, Draga; Turdikulova, Shahlo; Uktveryte, Ingrida; Utevska, Olga; Vasquez, René; Villena, Mercedes; Voevoda, Mikhail; Winkler, Cheryl; Yepiskoposyan, Levon; Zalloua, Pierre; Zemunik, Tatijana; Cooper, Alan; Capelli, Cristian; Thomas, Mark G.; Ruiz-Linares, Andres; Tishkoff, Sarah A.; Singh, Lalji; Thangaraj, Kumarasamy; Villems, Richard; Comas, David; Sukernik, Rem; Metspalu, Mait; Meyer, Matthias; Eichler, Evan E.; Burger, Joachim; Slatkin, Montgomery; Pääbo, Svante; Kelso, Janet; Reich, David; Krause, Johannes

2014-01-01

We sequenced the genomes of a ~7,000 year old farmer from Germany and eight ~8,000 year old hunter-gatherers from Luxembourg and Sweden. We analyzed these and other ancient genomes1–4 with 2,345 contemporary humans to show that most present Europeans derive from at least three highly differentiated populations: West European Hunter-Gatherers (WHG), who contributed ancestry to all Europeans but not to Near Easterners; Ancient North Eurasians (ANE) related to Upper Paleolithic Siberians3, who contributed to both Europeans and Near Easterners; and Early European Farmers (EEF), who were mainly of Near Eastern origin but also harbored WHG-related ancestry. We model these populations’ deep relationships and show that EEF had ~44% ancestry from a “Basal Eurasian” population that split prior to the diversification of other non-African lineages. PMID:25230663

Ancient human genomes suggest three ancestral populations for present-day Europeans.

PubMed

Lazaridis, Iosif; Patterson, Nick; Mittnik, Alissa; Renaud, Gabriel; Mallick, Swapan; Kirsanow, Karola; Sudmant, Peter H; Schraiber, Joshua G; Castellano, Sergi; Lipson, Mark; Berger, Bonnie; Economou, Christos; Bollongino, Ruth; Fu, Qiaomei; Bos, Kirsten I; Nordenfelt, Susanne; Li, Heng; de Filippo, Cesare; Prüfer, Kay; Sawyer, Susanna; Posth, Cosimo; Haak, Wolfgang; Hallgren, Fredrik; Fornander, Elin; Rohland, Nadin; Delsate, Dominique; Francken, Michael; Guinet, Jean-Michel; Wahl, Joachim; Ayodo, George; Babiker, Hamza A; Bailliet, Graciela; Balanovska, Elena; Balanovsky, Oleg; Barrantes, Ramiro; Bedoya, Gabriel; Ben-Ami, Haim; Bene, Judit; Berrada, Fouad; Bravi, Claudio M; Brisighelli, Francesca; Busby, George B J; Cali, Francesco; Churnosov, Mikhail; Cole, David E C; Corach, Daniel; Damba, Larissa; van Driem, George; Dryomov, Stanislav; Dugoujon, Jean-Michel; Fedorova, Sardana A; Gallego Romero, Irene; Gubina, Marina; Hammer, Michael; Henn, Brenna M; Hervig, Tor; Hodoglugil, Ugur; Jha, Aashish R; Karachanak-Yankova, Sena; Khusainova, Rita; Khusnutdinova, Elza; Kittles, Rick; Kivisild, Toomas; Klitz, William; Kučinskas, Vaidutis; Kushniarevich, Alena; Laredj, Leila; Litvinov, Sergey; Loukidis, Theologos; Mahley, Robert W; Melegh, Béla; Metspalu, Ene; Molina, Julio; Mountain, Joanna; Näkkäläjärvi, Klemetti; Nesheva, Desislava; Nyambo, Thomas; Osipova, Ludmila; Parik, Jüri; Platonov, Fedor; Posukh, Olga; Romano, Valentino; Rothhammer, Francisco; Rudan, Igor; Ruizbakiev, Ruslan; Sahakyan, Hovhannes; Sajantila, Antti; Salas, Antonio; Starikovskaya, Elena B; Tarekegn, Ayele; Toncheva, Draga; Turdikulova, Shahlo; Uktveryte, Ingrida; Utevska, Olga; Vasquez, René; Villena, Mercedes; Voevoda, Mikhail; Winkler, Cheryl A; Yepiskoposyan, Levon; Zalloua, Pierre; Zemunik, Tatijana; Cooper, Alan; Capelli, Cristian; Thomas, Mark G; Ruiz-Linares, Andres; Tishkoff, Sarah A; Singh, Lalji; Thangaraj, Kumarasamy; Villems, Richard; Comas, David; Sukernik, Rem; Metspalu, Mait; Meyer, Matthias; Eichler, Evan E; Burger, Joachim; Slatkin, Montgomery; Pääbo, Svante; Kelso, Janet; Reich, David; Krause, Johannes

2014-09-18

We sequenced the genomes of a ∼7,000-year-old farmer from Germany and eight ∼8,000-year-old hunter-gatherers from Luxembourg and Sweden. We analysed these and other ancient genomes with 2,345 contemporary humans to show that most present-day Europeans derive from at least three highly differentiated populations: west European hunter-gatherers, who contributed ancestry to all Europeans but not to Near Easterners; ancient north Eurasians related to Upper Palaeolithic Siberians, who contributed to both Europeans and Near Easterners; and early European farmers, who were mainly of Near Eastern origin but also harboured west European hunter-gatherer related ancestry. We model these populations' deep relationships and show that early European farmers had ∼44% ancestry from a 'basal Eurasian' population that split before the diversification of other non-African lineages.

Microeconomic principles explain an optimal genome size in bacteria.

PubMed

Ranea, Juan A G; Grant, Alastair; Thornton, Janet M; Orengo, Christine A

2005-01-01

Bacteria can clearly enhance their survival by expanding their genetic repertoire. However, the tight packing of the bacterial genome and the fact that the most evolved species do not necessarily have the biggest genomes suggest there are other evolutionary factors limiting their genome expansion. To clarify these restrictions on size, we studied those protein families contributing most significantly to bacterial-genome complexity. We found that all bacteria apply the same basic and ancestral 'molecular technology' to optimize their reproductive efficiency. The same microeconomics principles that define the optimum size in a factory can also explain the existence of a statistical optimum in bacterial genome size. This optimum is reached when the bacterial genome obtains the maximum metabolic complexity (revenue) for minimal regulatory genes (logistic cost).

Gene Space Dynamics during the Evolution of Aegilops tauschii, Brachypodium distachyon, Oryza sativa, and Sorghum bicolor Genomes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Nine different regions totaling 9.7 Mb of the 4.02 Gb Aegilops tauschii genome were sequenced using the Sanger sequencing technology and compared with orthologous Brachypodium distachyon, Oryza sativa (rice) and Sorghum bicolor (sorghum) genomic sequences. The ancestral gene content in these regio...

Characterization of Reconstructed Ancestral Proteins Suggests a Change in Temperature of the Ancient Biosphere.

PubMed

Akanuma, Satoshi

2017-08-06

Understanding the evolution of ancestral life, and especially the ability of some organisms to flourish in the variable environments experienced in Earth's early biosphere, requires knowledge of the characteristics and the environment of these ancestral organisms. Information about early life and environmental conditions has been obtained from fossil records and geological surveys. Recent advances in phylogenetic analysis, and an increasing number of protein sequences available in public databases, have made it possible to infer ancestral protein sequences possessed by ancient organisms. However, the in silico studies that assess the ancestral base content of ribosomal RNAs, the frequency of each amino acid in ancestral proteins, and estimate the environmental temperatures of ancient organisms, show conflicting results. The characterization of ancestral proteins reconstructed in vitro suggests that ancient organisms had very thermally stable proteins, and therefore were thermophilic or hyperthermophilic. Experimental data supports the idea that only thermophilic ancestors survived the catastrophic increase in temperature of the biosphere that was likely associated with meteorite impacts during the early history of Earth. In addition, by expanding the timescale and including more ancestral proteins for reconstruction, it appears as though the Earth's surface temperature gradually decreased over time, from Archean to present.

Genome evolution in Reptilia, the sister group of mammals.

PubMed

Janes, Daniel E; Organ, Christopher L; Fujita, Matthew K; Shedlock, Andrew M; Edwards, Scott V

2010-01-01

The genomes of birds and nonavian reptiles (Reptilia) are critical for understanding genome evolution in mammals and amniotes generally. Despite decades of study at the chromosomal and single-gene levels, and the evidence for great diversity in genome size, karyotype, and sex chromosome diversity, reptile genomes are virtually unknown in the comparative genomics era. The recent sequencing of the chicken and zebra finch genomes, in conjunction with genome scans and the online publication of the Anolis lizard genome, has begun to clarify the events leading from an ancestral amniote genome--predicted to be large and to possess a diverse repeat landscape on par with mammals and a birdlike sex chromosome system--to the small and highly streamlined genomes of birds. Reptilia exhibit a wide range of evolutionary rates of different subgenomes and, from isochores to mitochondrial DNA, provide a critical contrast to the genomic paradigms established in mammals.

Genome Sequences of Marine Shrimp Exopalaemon carinicauda Holthuis Provide Insights into Genome Size Evolution of Caridea.

PubMed

Yuan, Jianbo; Gao, Yi; Zhang, Xiaojun; Wei, Jiankai; Liu, Chengzhang; Li, Fuhua; Xiang, Jianhai

2017-07-05

Crustacea, particularly Decapoda, contains many economically important species, such as shrimps and crabs. Crustaceans exhibit enormous (nearly 500-fold) variability in genome size. However, limited genome resources are available for investigating these species. Exopalaemon carinicauda Holthuis, an economical caridean shrimp, is a potential ideal experimental animal for research on crustaceans. In this study, we performed low-coverage sequencing and de novo assembly of the E. carinicauda genome. The assembly covers more than 95% of coding regions. E. carinicauda possesses a large complex genome (5.73 Gb), with size twice higher than those of many decapod shrimps. As such, comparative genomic analyses were implied to investigate factors affecting genome size evolution of decapods. However, clues associated with genome duplication were not identified, and few horizontally transferred sequences were detected. Ultimately, the burst of transposable elements, especially retrotransposons, was determined as the major factor influencing genome expansion. A total of 2 Gb repeats were identified, and RTE-BovB, Jockey, Gypsy, and DIRS were the four major retrotransposons that significantly expanded. Both recent (Jockey and Gypsy) and ancestral (DIRS) originated retrotransposons responsible for the genome evolution. The E. carinicauda genome also exhibited potential for the genomic and experimental research of shrimps.

Musculature in sipunculan worms: ontogeny and ancestral states.

PubMed

Schulze, Anja; Rice, Mary E

2009-01-01

Molecular phylogenetics suggests that the Sipuncula fall into the Annelida, although they are morphologically very distinct and lack segmentation. To understand the evolutionary transformations from the annelid to the sipunculan body plan, it is important to reconstruct the ancestral states within the respective clades at all life history stages. Here we reconstruct the ancestral states for the head/introvert retractor muscles and the body wall musculature in the Sipuncula using Bayesian statistics. In addition, we describe the ontogenetic transformations of the two muscle systems in four sipunculan species with different developmental modes, using F-actin staining with fluorescent-labeled phalloidin in conjunction with confocal laser scanning microscopy. All four species, which have smooth body wall musculature and less than the full set of four introvert retractor muscles as adults, go through developmental stages with four retractor muscles that are eventually reduced to a lower number in the adult. The circular and sometimes the longitudinal body wall musculature are split into bands that later transform into a smooth sheath. Our ancestral state reconstructions suggest with nearly 100% probability that the ancestral sipunculan had four introvert retractor muscles, longitudinal body wall musculature in bands and circular body wall musculature arranged as a smooth sheath. Species with crawling larvae have more strongly developed body wall musculature than those with swimming larvae. To interpret our findings in the context of annelid evolution, a more solid phylogenetic framework is needed for the entire group and more data on ontogenetic transformations of annelid musculature are desirable.

Adaptive Memory: Ancestral Priorities and the Mnemonic Value of Survival Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nairne, James S.; Pandeirada, Josefa N. S.

2010-01-01

Evolutionary psychologists often propose that humans carry around "stone-age" brains, along with a toolkit of cognitive adaptations designed originally to solve hunter-gatherer problems. This perspective predicts that optimal cognitive performance might sometimes be induced by ancestrally-based problems, those present in ancestral environments,…

Decelerated genome evolution in modern vertebrates revealed by analysis of multiple lancelet genomes

PubMed Central

Huang, Shengfeng; Chen, Zelin; Yan, Xinyu; Yu, Ting; Huang, Guangrui; Yan, Qingyu; Pontarotti, Pierre Antoine; Zhao, Hongchen; Li, Jie; Yang, Ping; Wang, Ruihua; Li, Rui; Tao, Xin; Deng, Ting; Wang, Yiquan; Li, Guang; Zhang, Qiujin; Zhou, Sisi; You, Leiming; Yuan, Shaochun; Fu, Yonggui; Wu, Fenfang; Dong, Meiling; Chen, Shangwu; Xu, Anlong

2014-01-01

Vertebrates diverged from other chordates ~500 Myr ago and experienced successful innovations and adaptations, but the genomic basis underlying vertebrate origins are not fully understood. Here we suggest, through comparison with multiple lancelet (amphioxus) genomes, that ancient vertebrates experienced high rates of protein evolution, genome rearrangement and domain shuffling and that these rates greatly slowed down after the divergence of jawed and jawless vertebrates. Compared with lancelets, modern vertebrates retain, at least relatively, less protein diversity, fewer nucleotide polymorphisms, domain combinations and conserved non-coding elements (CNE). Modern vertebrates also lost substantial transposable element (TE) diversity, whereas lancelets preserve high TE diversity that includes even the long-sought RAG transposon. Lancelets also exhibit rapid gene turnover, pervasive transcription, fastest exon shuffling in metazoans and substantial TE methylation not observed in other invertebrates. These new lancelet genome sequences provide new insights into the chordate ancestral state and the vertebrate evolution. PMID:25523484

Reconstruction of chromosome rearrangements between the two most ancestral duckweed species Spirodela polyrhiza and S. intermedia.

PubMed

Hoang, Phuong T N; Schubert, Ingo

2017-12-01

The monophyletic duckweeds comprising five genera within the monocot order Alismatales are neotenic, free-floating, aquatic organisms with fast vegetative propagation. Some species are considered for efficient biomass production, for life stock feeding, and for (simultaneous) wastewater phytoremediation. The ancestral genus Spirodela consists of only two species, Spirodela polyrhiza and Spirodela intermedia, both with a similar small genome (~160 Mbp/1C). Reference genome drafts and a physical map of 96 BACs on the 20 chromosome pairs of S. polyrhiza strain 7498 are available and provide useful tools for further evolutionary studies within and between duckweed genera. Here we applied sequential comparative multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization (mcFISH) to address homeologous chromosomes in S. intermedia (2n = 36), to detect chromosome rearrangements between both species and to elucidate the mechanisms which may have led to the chromosome number alteration after their evolutionary separation. Ten chromosome pairs proved to be conserved between S. polyrhiza and S. intermedia, the remaining ones experienced, depending on the assumed direction of evolution, translocations, inversion, and fissions, respectively. These results represent a first step to unravel karyotype evolution among duckweeds and are anchor points for future genome assembly of S. intermedia.

Development of a panel of genome-wide ancestry informative markers to study admixture throughout the Americas.

PubMed

Galanter, Joshua Mark; Fernandez-Lopez, Juan Carlos; Gignoux, Christopher R; Barnholtz-Sloan, Jill; Fernandez-Rozadilla, Ceres; Via, Marc; Hidalgo-Miranda, Alfredo; Contreras, Alejandra V; Figueroa, Laura Uribe; Raska, Paola; Jimenez-Sanchez, Gerardo; Zolezzi, Irma Silva; Torres, Maria; Ponte, Clara Ruiz; Ruiz, Yarimar; Salas, Antonio; Nguyen, Elizabeth; Eng, Celeste; Borjas, Lisbeth; Zabala, William; Barreto, Guillermo; González, Fernando Rondón; Ibarra, Adriana; Taboada, Patricia; Porras, Liliana; Moreno, Fabián; Bigham, Abigail; Gutierrez, Gerardo; Brutsaert, Tom; León-Velarde, Fabiola; Moore, Lorna G; Vargas, Enrique; Cruz, Miguel; Escobedo, Jorge; Rodriguez-Santana, José; Rodriguez-Cintrón, William; Chapela, Rocio; Ford, Jean G; Bustamante, Carlos; Seminara, Daniela; Shriver, Mark; Ziv, Elad; Burchard, Esteban Gonzalez; Haile, Robert; Parra, Esteban; Carracedo, Angel

2012-01-01

Most individuals throughout the Americas are admixed descendants of Native American, European, and African ancestors. Complex historical factors have resulted in varying proportions of ancestral contributions between individuals within and among ethnic groups. We developed a panel of 446 ancestry informative markers (AIMs) optimized to estimate ancestral proportions in individuals and populations throughout Latin America. We used genome-wide data from 953 individuals from diverse African, European, and Native American populations to select AIMs optimized for each of the three main continental populations that form the basis of modern Latin American populations. We selected markers on the basis of locus-specific branch length to be informative, well distributed throughout the genome, capable of being genotyped on widely available commercial platforms, and applicable throughout the Americas by minimizing within-continent heterogeneity. We then validated the panel in samples from four admixed populations by comparing ancestry estimates based on the AIMs panel to estimates based on genome-wide association study (GWAS) data. The panel provided balanced discriminatory power among the three ancestral populations and accurate estimates of individual ancestry proportions (R² > 0.9 for ancestral components with significant between-subject variance). Finally, we genotyped samples from 18 populations from Latin America using the AIMs panel and estimated variability in ancestry within and between these populations. This panel and its reference genotype information will be useful resources to explore population history of admixture in Latin America and to correct for the potential effects of population stratification in admixed samples in the region.

Development of a Panel of Genome-Wide Ancestry Informative Markers to Study Admixture Throughout the Americas

PubMed Central

Galanter, Joshua Mark; Fernandez-Lopez, Juan Carlos; Gignoux, Christopher R.; Barnholtz-Sloan, Jill; Fernandez-Rozadilla, Ceres; Via, Marc; Hidalgo-Miranda, Alfredo; Contreras, Alejandra V.; Figueroa, Laura Uribe; Raska, Paola; Jimenez-Sanchez, Gerardo; Silva Zolezzi, Irma; Torres, Maria; Ponte, Clara Ruiz; Ruiz, Yarimar; Salas, Antonio; Nguyen, Elizabeth; Eng, Celeste; Borjas, Lisbeth; Zabala, William; Barreto, Guillermo; Rondón González, Fernando; Ibarra, Adriana; Taboada, Patricia; Porras, Liliana; Moreno, Fabián; Bigham, Abigail; Gutierrez, Gerardo; Brutsaert, Tom; León-Velarde, Fabiola; Moore, Lorna G.; Vargas, Enrique; Cruz, Miguel; Escobedo, Jorge; Rodriguez-Santana, José; Rodriguez-Cintrón, William; Chapela, Rocio; Ford, Jean G.; Bustamante, Carlos; Seminara, Daniela; Shriver, Mark; Ziv, Elad; Gonzalez Burchard, Esteban; Haile, Robert

2012-01-01

Most individuals throughout the Americas are admixed descendants of Native American, European, and African ancestors. Complex historical factors have resulted in varying proportions of ancestral contributions between individuals within and among ethnic groups. We developed a panel of 446 ancestry informative markers (AIMs) optimized to estimate ancestral proportions in individuals and populations throughout Latin America. We used genome-wide data from 953 individuals from diverse African, European, and Native American populations to select AIMs optimized for each of the three main continental populations that form the basis of modern Latin American populations. We selected markers on the basis of locus-specific branch length to be informative, well distributed throughout the genome, capable of being genotyped on widely available commercial platforms, and applicable throughout the Americas by minimizing within-continent heterogeneity. We then validated the panel in samples from four admixed populations by comparing ancestry estimates based on the AIMs panel to estimates based on genome-wide association study (GWAS) data. The panel provided balanced discriminatory power among the three ancestral populations and accurate estimates of individual ancestry proportions (R2>0.9 for ancestral components with significant between-subject variance). Finally, we genotyped samples from 18 populations from Latin America using the AIMs panel and estimated variability in ancestry within and between these populations. This panel and its reference genotype information will be useful resources to explore population history of admixture in Latin America and to correct for the potential effects of population stratification in admixed samples in the region. PMID:22412386

The ancestral flower of angiosperms and its early diversification

PubMed Central

Sauquet, Hervé; von Balthazar, Maria; Magallón, Susana; Doyle, James A.; Endress, Peter K.; Bailes, Emily J.; Barroso de Morais, Erica; Bull-Hereñu, Kester; Carrive, Laetitia; Chartier, Marion; Chomicki, Guillaume; Coiro, Mario; Cornette, Raphaël; El Ottra, Juliana H. L.; Epicoco, Cyril; Foster, Charles S. P.; Jabbour, Florian; Haevermans, Agathe; Haevermans, Thomas; Hernández, Rebeca; Little, Stefan A.; Löfstrand, Stefan; Luna, Javier A.; Massoni, Julien; Nadot, Sophie; Pamperl, Susanne; Prieu, Charlotte; Reyes, Elisabeth; dos Santos, Patrícia; Schoonderwoerd, Kristel M.; Sontag, Susanne; Soulebeau, Anaëlle; Staedler, Yannick; Tschan, Georg F.; Wing-Sze Leung, Amy; Schönenberger, Jürg

2017-01-01

Recent advances in molecular phylogenetics and a series of important palaeobotanical discoveries have revolutionized our understanding of angiosperm diversification. Yet, the origin and early evolution of their most characteristic feature, the flower, remains poorly understood. In particular, the structure of the ancestral flower of all living angiosperms is still uncertain. Here we report model-based reconstructions for ancestral flowers at the deepest nodes in the phylogeny of angiosperms, using the largest data set of floral traits ever assembled. We reconstruct the ancestral angiosperm flower as bisexual and radially symmetric, with more than two whorls of three separate perianth organs each (undifferentiated tepals), more than two whorls of three separate stamens each, and more than five spirally arranged separate carpels. Although uncertainty remains for some of the characters, our reconstruction allows us to propose a new plausible scenario for the early diversification of flowers, leading to new testable hypotheses for future research on angiosperms. PMID:28763051

Hierarchically Aligning 10 Legume Genomes Establishes a Family-Level Genomics Platform.

PubMed

Wang, Jinpeng; Sun, Pengchuan; Li, Yuxian; Liu, Yinzhe; Yu, Jigao; Ma, Xuelian; Sun, Sangrong; Yang, Nanshan; Xia, Ruiyan; Lei, Tianyu; Liu, Xiaojian; Jiao, Beibei; Xing, Yue; Ge, Weina; Wang, Li; Wang, Zhenyi; Song, Xiaoming; Yuan, Min; Guo, Di; Zhang, Lan; Zhang, Jiaqi; Jin, Dianchuan; Chen, Wei; Pan, Yuxin; Liu, Tao; Jin, Ling; Sun, Jinshuai; Yu, Jiaxiang; Cheng, Rui; Duan, Xueqian; Shen, Shaoqi; Qin, Jun; Zhang, Meng-Chen; Paterson, Andrew H; Wang, Xiyin

2017-05-01

Mainly due to their economic importance, genomes of 10 legumes, including soybean ( Glycine max ), wild peanut ( Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaensis ), and barrel medic ( Medicago truncatula ), have been sequenced. However, a family-level comparative genomics analysis has been unavailable. With grape ( Vitis vinifera ) and selected legume genomes as outgroups, we managed to perform a hierarchical and event-related alignment of these genomes and deconvoluted layers of homologous regions produced by ancestral polyploidizations or speciations. Consequently, we illustrated genomic fractionation characterized by widespread gene losses after the polyploidizations. Notably, high similarity in gene retention between recently duplicated chromosomes in soybean supported the likely autopolyploidy nature of its tetraploid ancestor. Moreover, although most gene losses were nearly random, largely but not fully described by geometric distribution, we showed that polyploidization contributed divergently to the copy number variation of important gene families. Besides, we showed significantly divergent evolutionary levels among legumes and, by performing synonymous nucleotide substitutions at synonymous sites correction, redated major evolutionary events during their expansion. This effort laid a solid foundation for further genomics exploration in the legume research community and beyond. We describe only a tiny fraction of legume comparative genomics analysis that we performed; more information was stored in the newly constructed Legume Comparative Genomics Research Platform (www.legumegrp.org). © 2017 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Phylogenetic implications of the 38 putative ancestral chromosome segments for four canid species.

PubMed

Graphodatsky, A S; Yang, F; O'Brien, P C; Perelman, P; Milne, B S; Serdukova, N; Kawada, S I; Ferguson-Smith, M A

2001-01-01

Chromosome homologies between the Japanese raccoon dog (Nectereutes procyonoides viverrinus, 2n = 39 + 2-4 B chromosomes) and domestic dog (Canis familiaris, 2n = 78) have been established by hybridizing a complete set of canine paint probes onto high-resolution G-banded chromosomes of the raccoon dog. Dog chromosomes 1, 13, and 19 each correspond to two raccoon dog chromosome segments, while the remaining 35 dog autosomes each correspond to a single segment. In total, 38 dog autosome paints revealed 41 conserved segments in the raccoon dog. The use of dog painting probes has enabled integration of the raccoon dog chromosomes into the previously established comparative map for the domestic dog, Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus), and red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Extensive chromosome arm homologies were found among chromosomes of the red fox, Arctic fox, and raccoon dog. Contradicting previous findings, our results show that the raccoon dog does not share a single biarmed autosome in common with the Arctic fox, red fox, or domestic cat. Comparative analysis of the distribution patterns of conserved chromosome segments revealed by dog paints in the genomes of the canids, cats, and human reveals 38 ancestral autosome segments. These segments could represent the ancestral chromosome arms in the karyotype of the most recent ancestor of the Canidae family, which we suggest could have had a low diploid number, based on comparisons with outgroup species. Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Virtual Genomes in Flux: An Interplay of Neutrality and Adaptability Explains Genome Expansion and Streamlining

PubMed Central

Cuypers, Thomas D.; Hogeweg, Paulien

2012-01-01

The picture that emerges from phylogenetic gene content reconstructions is that genomes evolve in a dynamic pattern of rapid expansion and gradual streamlining. Ancestral organisms have been estimated to possess remarkably rich gene complements, although gene loss is a driving force in subsequent lineage adaptation and diversification. Here, we study genome dynamics in a model of virtual cells evolving to maintain homeostasis. We observe a pattern of an initial rapid expansion of the genome and a prolonged phase of mutational load reduction. Generally, load reduction is achieved by the deletion of redundant genes, generating a streamlining pattern. Load reduction can also occur as a result of the generation of highly neutral genomic regions. These regions can expand and contract in a neutral fashion. Our study suggests that genome expansion and streamlining are generic patterns of evolving systems. We propose that the complex genotype to phenotype mapping in virtual cells as well as in their biological counterparts drives genome size dynamics, due to an emerging interplay between adaptation, neutrality, and evolvability. PMID:22234601

Polyploidy: adaptation to the genomic environment.

PubMed

Hollister, Jesse D

2015-02-01

Genomic evidence of ancestral whole genome duplication (WGD) and polyploidy is widespread among eukaryotic species, and especially among plants. WGD is thought to provide the raw material for adaptation in the form of duplicated genes, and polyploids are thought to benefit from both physiological and genetic buffering. Comparatively little attention has focused on the genomic challenge of polyploidy, however, although much evidence exists that polyploidy severely perturbs important cellular functions. Here, I review recent progress in the study of the re-establishment of stable meiosis in recently evolved polyploids, focusing on four plant species. This work has yielded an insight into the mechanisms underlying stabilization of genome transmission in polyploids, and is revealing remarkable parallels among diverse taxa. Importantly, these studies also provide a road map for investigating how polyploids respond to the challenge of WGD.

Hierarchically Aligning 10 Legume Genomes Establishes a Family-Level Genomics Platform1[OPEN

PubMed Central

Sun, Pengchuan; Li, Yuxian; Liu, Yinzhe; Yu, Jigao; Ma, Xuelian; Sun, Sangrong; Yang, Nanshan; Xia, Ruiyan; Lei, Tianyu; Liu, Xiaojian; Jiao, Beibei; Xing, Yue; Ge, Weina; Wang, Li; Song, Xiaoming; Yuan, Min; Guo, Di; Zhang, Lan; Zhang, Jiaqi; Chen, Wei; Pan, Yuxin; Liu, Tao; Jin, Ling; Sun, Jinshuai; Yu, Jiaxiang; Duan, Xueqian; Shen, Shaoqi; Qin, Jun; Zhang, Meng-chen; Paterson, Andrew H.

2017-01-01

Mainly due to their economic importance, genomes of 10 legumes, including soybean (Glycine max), wild peanut (Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaensis), and barrel medic (Medicago truncatula), have been sequenced. However, a family-level comparative genomics analysis has been unavailable. With grape (Vitis vinifera) and selected legume genomes as outgroups, we managed to perform a hierarchical and event-related alignment of these genomes and deconvoluted layers of homologous regions produced by ancestral polyploidizations or speciations. Consequently, we illustrated genomic fractionation characterized by widespread gene losses after the polyploidizations. Notably, high similarity in gene retention between recently duplicated chromosomes in soybean supported the likely autopolyploidy nature of its tetraploid ancestor. Moreover, although most gene losses were nearly random, largely but not fully described by geometric distribution, we showed that polyploidization contributed divergently to the copy number variation of important gene families. Besides, we showed significantly divergent evolutionary levels among legumes and, by performing synonymous nucleotide substitutions at synonymous sites correction, redated major evolutionary events during their expansion. This effort laid a solid foundation for further genomics exploration in the legume research community and beyond. We describe only a tiny fraction of legume comparative genomics analysis that we performed; more information was stored in the newly constructed Legume Comparative Genomics Research Platform (www.legumegrp.org). PMID:28325848

Adaptive genomic evolution of opsins reveals that early mammals flourished in nocturnal environments.

PubMed

Borges, Rui; Johnson, Warren E; O'Brien, Stephen J; Gomes, Cidália; Heesy, Christopher P; Antunes, Agostinho

2018-02-05

Based on evolutionary patterns of the vertebrate eye, Walls (1942) hypothesized that early placental mammals evolved primarily in nocturnal habitats. However, not only Eutheria, but all mammals show photic characteristics (i.e. dichromatic vision, rod-dominated retina) suggestive of a scotopic eye design. Here, we used integrative comparative genomic and phylogenetic methodologies employing the photoreceptive opsin gene family in 154 mammals to test the likelihood of a nocturnal period in the emergence of all mammals. We showed that mammals possess genomic patterns concordant with a nocturnal ancestry. The loss of the RH2, VA, PARA, PARIE and OPN4x opsins in all mammals led us to advance a probable and most-parsimonious hypothesis of a global nocturnal bottleneck that explains the loss of these genes in the emerging lineage (> > 215.5 million years ago). In addition, ancestral character reconstruction analyses provided strong evidence that ancestral mammals possessed a nocturnal lifestyle, ultra-violet-sensitive vision, low visual acuity and low orbit convergence (i.e. panoramic vision). Overall, this study provides insight into the evolutionary history of the mammalian eye while discussing important ecological aspects of the photic paleo-environments ancestral mammals have occupied.

The genome of the domesticated apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.).

PubMed

Velasco, Riccardo; Zharkikh, Andrey; Affourtit, Jason; Dhingra, Amit; Cestaro, Alessandro; Kalyanaraman, Ananth; Fontana, Paolo; Bhatnagar, Satish K; Troggio, Michela; Pruss, Dmitry; Salvi, Silvio; Pindo, Massimo; Baldi, Paolo; Castelletti, Sara; Cavaiuolo, Marina; Coppola, Giuseppina; Costa, Fabrizio; Cova, Valentina; Dal Ri, Antonio; Goremykin, Vadim; Komjanc, Matteo; Longhi, Sara; Magnago, Pierluigi; Malacarne, Giulia; Malnoy, Mickael; Micheletti, Diego; Moretto, Marco; Perazzolli, Michele; Si-Ammour, Azeddine; Vezzulli, Silvia; Zini, Elena; Eldredge, Glenn; Fitzgerald, Lisa M; Gutin, Natalia; Lanchbury, Jerry; Macalma, Teresita; Mitchell, Jeff T; Reid, Julia; Wardell, Bryan; Kodira, Chinnappa; Chen, Zhoutao; Desany, Brian; Niazi, Faheem; Palmer, Melinda; Koepke, Tyson; Jiwan, Derick; Schaeffer, Scott; Krishnan, Vandhana; Wu, Changjun; Chu, Vu T; King, Stephen T; Vick, Jessica; Tao, Quanzhou; Mraz, Amy; Stormo, Aimee; Stormo, Keith; Bogden, Robert; Ederle, Davide; Stella, Alessandra; Vecchietti, Alberto; Kater, Martin M; Masiero, Simona; Lasserre, Pauline; Lespinasse, Yves; Allan, Andrew C; Bus, Vincent; Chagné, David; Crowhurst, Ross N; Gleave, Andrew P; Lavezzo, Enrico; Fawcett, Jeffrey A; Proost, Sebastian; Rouzé, Pierre; Sterck, Lieven; Toppo, Stefano; Lazzari, Barbara; Hellens, Roger P; Durel, Charles-Eric; Gutin, Alexander; Bumgarner, Roger E; Gardiner, Susan E; Skolnick, Mark; Egholm, Michael; Van de Peer, Yves; Salamini, Francesco; Viola, Roberto

2010-10-01

We report a high-quality draft genome sequence of the domesticated apple (Malus × domestica). We show that a relatively recent (>50 million years ago) genome-wide duplication (GWD) has resulted in the transition from nine ancestral chromosomes to 17 chromosomes in the Pyreae. Traces of older GWDs partly support the monophyly of the ancestral paleohexaploidy of eudicots. Phylogenetic reconstruction of Pyreae and the genus Malus, relative to major Rosaceae taxa, identified the progenitor of the cultivated apple as M. sieversii. Expansion of gene families reported to be involved in fruit development may explain formation of the pome, a Pyreae-specific false fruit that develops by proliferation of the basal part of the sepals, the receptacle. In apple, a subclade of MADS-box genes, normally involved in flower and fruit development, is expanded to include 15 members, as are other gene families involved in Rosaceae-specific metabolism, such as transport and assimilation of sorbitol.

Invasion of Ancestral Mammals into Dim-light Environments Inferred from Adaptive Evolution of the Phototransduction Genes.

PubMed

Wu, Yonghua; Wang, Haifeng; Hadly, Elizabeth A

2017-04-20

Nocturnality is a key evolutionary innovation of mammals that enables mammals to occupy relatively empty nocturnal niches. Invasion of ancestral mammals into nocturnality has long been inferred from the phylogenetic relationships of crown Mammalia, which is primarily nocturnal, and crown Reptilia, which is primarily diurnal, although molecular evidence for this is lacking. Here we used phylogenetic analyses of the vision genes involved in the phototransduction pathway to predict the diel activity patterns of ancestral mammals and reptiles. Our results demonstrated that the common ancestor of the extant Mammalia was dominated by positive selection for dim-light vision, supporting the predominate nocturnality of the ancestral mammals. Further analyses showed that the nocturnality of the ancestral mammals was probably derived from the predominate diurnality of the ancestral amniotes, which featured strong positive selection for bright-light vision. Like the ancestral amniotes, the common ancestor of the extant reptiles and various taxa in Squamata, one of the main competitors of the temporal niches of the ancestral mammals, were found to be predominate diurnality as well. Despite this relatively apparent temporal niche partitioning between ancestral mammals and the relevant reptiles, our results suggested partial overlap of their temporal niches during crepuscular periods.

The high-quality draft genome of peach (Prunus persica) identifies unique patterns of genetic diversity, domestication and genome evolution.

PubMed

Verde, Ignazio; Abbott, Albert G; Scalabrin, Simone; Jung, Sook; Shu, Shengqiang; Marroni, Fabio; Zhebentyayeva, Tatyana; Dettori, Maria Teresa; Grimwood, Jane; Cattonaro, Federica; Zuccolo, Andrea; Rossini, Laura; Jenkins, Jerry; Vendramin, Elisa; Meisel, Lee A; Decroocq, Veronique; Sosinski, Bryon; Prochnik, Simon; Mitros, Therese; Policriti, Alberto; Cipriani, Guido; Dondini, Luca; Ficklin, Stephen; Goodstein, David M; Xuan, Pengfei; Del Fabbro, Cristian; Aramini, Valeria; Copetti, Dario; Gonzalez, Susana; Horner, David S; Falchi, Rachele; Lucas, Susan; Mica, Erica; Maldonado, Jonathan; Lazzari, Barbara; Bielenberg, Douglas; Pirona, Raul; Miculan, Mara; Barakat, Abdelali; Testolin, Raffaele; Stella, Alessandra; Tartarini, Stefano; Tonutti, Pietro; Arús, Pere; Orellana, Ariel; Wells, Christina; Main, Dorrie; Vizzotto, Giannina; Silva, Herman; Salamini, Francesco; Schmutz, Jeremy; Morgante, Michele; Rokhsar, Daniel S

2013-05-01

Rosaceae is the most important fruit-producing clade, and its key commercially relevant genera (Fragaria, Rosa, Rubus and Prunus) show broadly diverse growth habits, fruit types and compact diploid genomes. Peach, a diploid Prunus species, is one of the best genetically characterized deciduous trees. Here we describe the high-quality genome sequence of peach obtained from a completely homozygous genotype. We obtained a complete chromosome-scale assembly using Sanger whole-genome shotgun methods. We predicted 27,852 protein-coding genes, as well as noncoding RNAs. We investigated the path of peach domestication through whole-genome resequencing of 14 Prunus accessions. The analyses suggest major genetic bottlenecks that have substantially shaped peach genome diversity. Furthermore, comparative analyses showed that peach has not undergone recent whole-genome duplication, and even though the ancestral triplicated blocks in peach are fragmentary compared to those in grape, all seven paleosets of paralogs from the putative paleoancestor are detectable.

Invasion of Ancestral Mammals into Dim-light Environments Inferred from Adaptive Evolution of the Phototransduction Genes

PubMed Central

Wu, Yonghua; Wang, Haifeng; Hadly, Elizabeth A.

2017-01-01

Nocturnality is a key evolutionary innovation of mammals that enables mammals to occupy relatively empty nocturnal niches. Invasion of ancestral mammals into nocturnality has long been inferred from the phylogenetic relationships of crown Mammalia, which is primarily nocturnal, and crown Reptilia, which is primarily diurnal, although molecular evidence for this is lacking. Here we used phylogenetic analyses of the vision genes involved in the phototransduction pathway to predict the diel activity patterns of ancestral mammals and reptiles. Our results demonstrated that the common ancestor of the extant Mammalia was dominated by positive selection for dim-light vision, supporting the predominate nocturnality of the ancestral mammals. Further analyses showed that the nocturnality of the ancestral mammals was probably derived from the predominate diurnality of the ancestral amniotes, which featured strong positive selection for bright-light vision. Like the ancestral amniotes, the common ancestor of the extant reptiles and various taxa in Squamata, one of the main competitors of the temporal niches of the ancestral mammals, were found to be predominate diurnality as well. Despite this relatively apparent temporal niche partitioning between ancestral mammals and the relevant reptiles, our results suggested partial overlap of their temporal niches during crepuscular periods. PMID:28425474

On the Number of Non-equivalent Ancestral Configurations for Matching Gene Trees and Species Trees.

PubMed

Disanto, Filippo; Rosenberg, Noah A

2017-09-14

An ancestral configuration is one of the combinatorially distinct sets of gene lineages that, for a given gene tree, can reach a given node of a specified species tree. Ancestral configurations have appeared in recursive algebraic computations of the conditional probability that a gene tree topology is produced under the multispecies coalescent model for a given species tree. For matching gene trees and species trees, we study the number of ancestral configurations, considered up to an equivalence relation introduced by Wu (Evolution 66:763-775, 2012) to reduce the complexity of the recursive probability computation. We examine the largest number of non-equivalent ancestral configurations possible for a given tree size n. Whereas the smallest number of non-equivalent ancestral configurations increases polynomially with n, we show that the largest number increases with [Formula: see text], where k is a constant that satisfies [Formula: see text]. Under a uniform distribution on the set of binary labeled trees with a given size n, the mean number of non-equivalent ancestral configurations grows exponentially with n. The results refine an earlier analysis of the number of ancestral configurations considered without applying the equivalence relation, showing that use of the equivalence relation does not alter the exponential nature of the increase with tree size.

The structured ancestral selection graph and the many-demes limit.

PubMed

Slade, Paul F; Wakeley, John

2005-02-01

We show that the unstructured ancestral selection graph applies to part of the history of a sample from a population structured by restricted migration among subpopulations, or demes. The result holds in the limit as the number of demes tends to infinity with proportionately weak selection, and we have also made the assumptions of island-type migration and that demes are equivalent in size. After an instantaneous sample-size adjustment, this structured ancestral selection graph converges to an unstructured ancestral selection graph with a mutation parameter that depends inversely on the migration rate. In contrast, the selection parameter for the population is independent of the migration rate and is identical to the selection parameter in an unstructured population. We show analytically that estimators of the migration rate, based on pairwise sequence differences, derived under the assumption of neutrality should perform equally well in the presence of weak selection. We also modify an algorithm for simulating genealogies conditional on the frequencies of two selected alleles in a sample. This permits efficient simulation of stronger selection than was previously possible. Using this new algorithm, we simulate gene genealogies under the many-demes ancestral selection graph and identify some situations in which migration has a strong effect on the time to the most recent common ancestor of the sample. We find that a similar effect also increases the sensitivity of the genealogy to selection.

A Draft Sequence of the Neandertal Genome

PubMed Central

Green, Richard E.; Li, Heng; Zhai, Weiwei; Fritz, Markus Hsi-Yang; Hansen, Nancy F.; Durand, Eric Y.; Malaspinas, Anna-Sapfo; Jensen, Jeffrey D.; Marques-Bonet, Tomas; Alkan, Can; Prüfer, Kay; Meyer, Matthias; Burbano, Hernán A.; Good, Jeffrey M.; Schultz, Rigo; Aximu-Petri, Ayinuer; Butthof, Anne; Höber, Barbara; Höffner, Barbara; Siegemund, Madlen; Weihmann, Antje; Nusbaum, Chad; Lander, Eric S.; Russ, Carsten; Novod, Nathaniel; Affourtit, Jason; Egholm, Michael; Verna, Christine; Rudan, Pavao; Brajkovic, Dejana; Kucan, Željko; Gušic, Ivan; Doronichev, Vladimir B.; Golovanova, Liubov V.; Lalueza-Fox, Carles; de la Rasilla, Marco; Fortea, Javier; Rosas, Antonio; Schmitz, Ralf W.; Johnson, Philip L. F.; Eichler, Evan E.; Falush, Daniel; Birney, Ewan; Mullikin, James C.; Slatkin, Montgomery; Nielsen, Rasmus; Kelso, Janet; Lachmann, Michael; Reich, David; Pääbo, Svante

2016-01-01

Neandertals, the closest evolutionary relatives of present-day humans, lived in large parts of Europe and western Asia before disappearing 30,000 years ago. We present a draft sequence of the Neandertal genome composed of more than 4 billion nucleotides from three individuals. Comparisons of the Neandertal genome to the genomes of five present-day humans from different parts of the world identify a number of genomic regions that may have been affected by positive selection in ancestral modern humans, including genes involved in metabolism and in cognitive and skeletal development. We show that Neandertals shared more genetic variants with present-day humans in Eurasia than with present-day humans in sub-Saharan Africa, suggesting that gene flow from Neandertals into the ancestors of non-Africans occurred before the divergence of Eurasian groups from each other. PMID:20448178

Genome-wide association study of red blood cell traits in Hispanics/Latinos: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos

PubMed Central

Morrison, Jean V.; Brown, Lisa; Schurmann, Claudia; Chen, Diane D.; Liu, Yong Mei; Auer, Paul L.; Taylor, Kent D.; Papanicolaou, George; Kurita, Ryo; Nakamura, Yukio; Loos, Ruth J. F.; North, Kari E.; Thornton, Timothy A.; Pankratz, Nathan; Bauer, Daniel E.

2017-01-01

Prior GWAS have identified loci associated with red blood cell (RBC) traits in populations of European, African, and Asian ancestry. These studies have not included individuals with an Amerindian ancestral background, such as Hispanics/Latinos, nor evaluated the full spectrum of genomic variation beyond single nucleotide variants. Using a custom genotyping array enriched for Amerindian ancestral content and 1000 Genomes imputation, we performed GWAS in 12,502 participants of Hispanic Community Health Study and Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) for hematocrit, hemoglobin, RBC count, RBC distribution width (RDW), and RBC indices. Approximately 60% of previously reported RBC trait loci generalized to HCHS/SOL Hispanics/Latinos, including African ancestral alpha- and beta-globin gene variants. In addition to the known 3.8kb alpha-globin copy number variant, we identified an Amerindian ancestral association in an alpha-globin regulatory region on chromosome 16p13.3 for mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin. We also discovered and replicated three genome-wide significant variants in previously unreported loci for RDW (SLC12A2 rs17764730, PSMB5 rs941718), and hematocrit (PROX1 rs3754140). Among the proxy variants at the SLC12A2 locus we identified rs3812049, located in a bi-directional promoter between SLC12A2 (which encodes a red cell membrane ion-transport protein) and an upstream anti-sense long-noncoding RNA, LINC01184, as the likely causal variant. We further demonstrate that disruption of the regulatory element harboring rs3812049 affects transcription of SLC12A2 and LINC01184 in human erythroid progenitor cells. Together, these results reinforce the importance of genetic study of diverse ancestral populations, in particular Hispanics/Latinos. PMID:28453575

The chloroplast genome sequence of the green alga Leptosira terrestris: multiple losses of the inverted repeat and extensive genome rearrangements within the Trebouxiophyceae

PubMed Central

de Cambiaire, Jean-Charles; Otis, Christian; Turmel, Monique; Lemieux, Claude

2007-01-01

Background In the Chlorophyta – the green algal phylum comprising the classes Prasinophyceae, Ulvophyceae, Trebouxiophyceae and Chlorophyceae – the chloroplast genome displays a highly variable architecture. While chlorophycean chloroplast DNAs (cpDNAs) deviate considerably from the ancestral pattern described for the prasinophyte Nephroselmis olivacea, the degree of remodelling sustained by the two ulvophyte cpDNAs completely sequenced to date is intermediate relative to those observed for chlorophycean and trebouxiophyte cpDNAs. Chlorella vulgaris (Chlorellales) is currently the only photosynthetic trebouxiophyte whose complete cpDNA sequence has been reported. To gain insights into the evolutionary trends of the chloroplast genome in the Trebouxiophyceae, we sequenced cpDNA from the filamentous alga Leptosira terrestris (Ctenocladales). Results The 195,081-bp Leptosira chloroplast genome resembles the 150,613-bp Chlorella genome in lacking a large inverted repeat (IR) but differs greatly in gene order. Six of the conserved genes present in Chlorella cpDNA are missing from the Leptosira gene repertoire. The 106 conserved genes, four introns and 11 free standing open reading frames (ORFs) account for 48.3% of the genome sequence. This is the lowest gene density yet observed among chlorophyte cpDNAs. Contrary to the situation in Chlorella but similar to that in the chlorophycean Scenedesmus obliquus, the gene distribution is highly biased over the two DNA strands in Leptosira. Nine genes, compared to only three in Chlorella, have significantly expanded coding regions relative to their homologues in ancestral-type green algal cpDNAs. As observed in chlorophycean genomes, the rpoB gene is fragmented into two ORFs. Short repeats account for 5.1% of the Leptosira genome sequence and are present mainly in intergenic regions. Conclusion Our results highlight the great plasticity of the chloroplast genome in the Trebouxiophyceae and indicate that the IR was lost on at

Positional orthology: putting genomic evolutionary relationships into context.

PubMed

Dewey, Colin N

2011-09-01

Orthology is a powerful refinement of homology that allows us to describe more precisely the evolution of genomes and understand the function of the genes they contain. However, because orthology is not concerned with genomic position, it is limited in its ability to describe genes that are likely to have equivalent roles in different genomes. Because of this limitation, the concept of 'positional orthology' has emerged, which describes the relation between orthologous genes that retain their ancestral genomic positions. In this review, we formally define this concept, for which we introduce the shorter term 'toporthology', with respect to the evolutionary events experienced by a gene's ancestors. Through a discussion of recent studies on the role of genomic context in gene evolution, we show that the distinction between orthology and toporthology is biologically significant. We then review a number of orthology prediction methods that take genomic context into account and thus that may be used to infer the important relation of toporthology.

Positional orthology: putting genomic evolutionary relationships into context

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Orthology is a powerful refinement of homology that allows us to describe more precisely the evolution of genomes and understand the function of the genes they contain. However, because orthology is not concerned with genomic position, it is limited in its ability to describe genes that are likely to have equivalent roles in different genomes. Because of this limitation, the concept of ‘positional orthology’ has emerged, which describes the relation between orthologous genes that retain their ancestral genomic positions. In this review, we formally define this concept, for which we introduce the shorter term ‘toporthology’, with respect to the evolutionary events experienced by a gene’s ancestors. Through a discussion of recent studies on the role of genomic context in gene evolution, we show that the distinction between orthology and toporthology is biologically significant. We then review a number of orthology prediction methods that take genomic context into account and thus that may be used to infer the important relation of toporthology. PMID:21705766

Ancestral sequence reconstruction in primate mitochondrial DNA: compositional bias and effect on functional inference.

PubMed

Krishnan, Neeraja M; Seligmann, Hervé; Stewart, Caro-Beth; De Koning, A P Jason; Pollock, David D

2004-10-01

Reconstruction of ancestral DNA and amino acid sequences is an important means of inferring information about past evolutionary events. Such reconstructions suggest changes in molecular function and evolutionary processes over the course of evolution and are used to infer adaptation and convergence. Maximum likelihood (ML) is generally thought to provide relatively accurate reconstructed sequences compared to parsimony, but both methods lead to the inference of multiple directional changes in nucleotide frequencies in primate mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). To better understand this surprising result, as well as to better understand how parsimony and ML differ, we constructed a series of computationally simple "conditional pathway" methods that differed in the number of substitutions allowed per site along each branch, and we also evaluated the entire Bayesian posterior frequency distribution of reconstructed ancestral states. We analyzed primate mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cyt-b) and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) genes and found that ML reconstructs ancestral frequencies that are often more different from tip sequences than are parsimony reconstructions. In contrast, frequency reconstructions based on the posterior ensemble more closely resemble extant nucleotide frequencies. Simulations indicate that these differences in ancestral sequence inference are probably due to deterministic bias caused by high uncertainty in the optimization-based ancestral reconstruction methods (parsimony, ML, Bayesian maximum a posteriori). In contrast, ancestral nucleotide frequencies based on an average of the Bayesian set of credible ancestral sequences are much less biased. The methods involving simpler conditional pathway calculations have slightly reduced likelihood values compared to full likelihood calculations, but they can provide fairly unbiased nucleotide reconstructions and may be useful in more complex phylogenetic analyses than considered here due to their speed and

Ancestry, admixture and fitness in Colombian genomes

PubMed Central

Rishishwar, Lavanya; Conley, Andrew B.; Wigington, Charles H.; Wang, Lu; Valderrama-Aguirre, Augusto; King Jordan, I.

2015-01-01

The human dimension of the Columbian Exchange entailed substantial genetic admixture between ancestral source populations from Africa, the Americas and Europe, which had evolved separately for many thousands of years. We sought to address the implications of the creation of admixed American genomes, containing novel allelic combinations, for human health and fitness via analysis of an admixed Colombian population from Medellin. Colombian genomes from Medellin show a wide range of three-way admixture contributions from ancestral source populations. The primary ancestry component for the population is European (average = 74.6%, range = 45.0%–96.7%), followed by Native American (average = 18.1%, range = 2.1%–33.3%) and African (average = 7.3%, range = 0.2%–38.6%). Locus-specific patterns of ancestry were evaluated to search for genomic regions that are enriched across the population for particular ancestry contributions. Adaptive and innate immune system related genes and pathways are particularly over-represented among ancestry-enriched segments, including genes (HLA-B and MAPK10) that are involved in defense against endemic pathogens such as malaria. Genes that encode functions related to skin pigmentation (SCL4A5) and cutaneous glands (EDAR) are also found in regions with anomalous ancestry patterns. These results suggest the possibility that ancestry-specific loci were differentially retained in the modern admixed Colombian population based on their utility in the New World environment. PMID:26197429

Effects of number of training generations on genomic prediction for various traits in a layer chicken population.

PubMed

Weng, Ziqing; Wolc, Anna; Shen, Xia; Fernando, Rohan L; Dekkers, Jack C M; Arango, Jesus; Settar, Petek; Fulton, Janet E; O'Sullivan, Neil P; Garrick, Dorian J

2016-03-19

Genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes are widely used in animal improvement programs. It is typically assumed that the larger the number of animals is in the training set, the higher is the prediction accuracy of GEBV. The aim of this study was to quantify genomic prediction accuracy depending on the number of ancestral generations included in the training set, and to determine the optimal number of training generations for different traits in an elite layer breeding line. Phenotypic records for 16 traits on 17,793 birds were used. All parents and some selection candidates from nine non-overlapping generations were genotyped for 23,098 segregating SNPs. An animal model with pedigree relationships (PBLUP) and the BayesB genomic prediction model were applied to predict EBV or GEBV at each validation generation (progeny of the most recent training generation) based on varying numbers of immediately preceding ancestral generations. Prediction accuracy of EBV or GEBV was assessed as the correlation between EBV and phenotypes adjusted for fixed effects, divided by the square root of trait heritability. The optimal number of training generations that resulted in the greatest prediction accuracy of GEBV was determined for each trait. The relationship between optimal number of training generations and heritability was investigated. On average, accuracies were higher with the BayesB model than with PBLUP. Prediction accuracies of GEBV increased as the number of closely-related ancestral generations included in the training set increased, but reached an asymptote or slightly decreased when distant ancestral generations were used in the training set. The optimal number of training generations was 4 or more for high heritability traits but less than that for low heritability traits. For less heritable traits, limiting the training datasets to individuals closely related to the validation population resulted in the best

Reference genome sequence of the model plant Setaria

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bennetzen, Jeffrey L; Schmutz, Jeremy; Wang, Hao

We generated a high-quality reference genome sequence for foxtail millet (Setaria italica). The ~400-Mb assembly covers ~80% of the genome and >95% of the gene space. The assembly was anchored to a 992-locus genetic map and was annotated by comparison with >1.3 million expressed sequence tag reads. We produced more than 580 million RNA-Seq reads to facilitate expression analyses. We also sequenced Setaria viridis, the ancestral wild relative of S. italica, and identified regions of differential single-nucleotide polymorphism density, distribution of transposable elements, small RNA content, chromosomal rearrangement and segregation distortion. The genus Setaria includes natural and cultivated species thatmore » demonstrate a wide capacity for adaptation. The genetic basis of this adaptation was investigated by comparing five sequenced grass genomes. We also used the diploid Setaria genome to evaluate the ongoing genome assembly of a related polyploid, switchgrass (Panicum virgatum).« less

Reference genome sequence of the model plant Setaria.

PubMed

Bennetzen, Jeffrey L; Schmutz, Jeremy; Wang, Hao; Percifield, Ryan; Hawkins, Jennifer; Pontaroli, Ana C; Estep, Matt; Feng, Liang; Vaughn, Justin N; Grimwood, Jane; Jenkins, Jerry; Barry, Kerrie; Lindquist, Erika; Hellsten, Uffe; Deshpande, Shweta; Wang, Xuewen; Wu, Xiaomei; Mitros, Therese; Triplett, Jimmy; Yang, Xiaohan; Ye, Chu-Yu; Mauro-Herrera, Margarita; Wang, Lin; Li, Pinghua; Sharma, Manoj; Sharma, Rita; Ronald, Pamela C; Panaud, Olivier; Kellogg, Elizabeth A; Brutnell, Thomas P; Doust, Andrew N; Tuskan, Gerald A; Rokhsar, Daniel; Devos, Katrien M

2012-05-13

We generated a high-quality reference genome sequence for foxtail millet (Setaria italica). The ∼400-Mb assembly covers ∼80% of the genome and >95% of the gene space. The assembly was anchored to a 992-locus genetic map and was annotated by comparison with >1.3 million expressed sequence tag reads. We produced more than 580 million RNA-Seq reads to facilitate expression analyses. We also sequenced Setaria viridis, the ancestral wild relative of S. italica, and identified regions of differential single-nucleotide polymorphism density, distribution of transposable elements, small RNA content, chromosomal rearrangement and segregation distortion. The genus Setaria includes natural and cultivated species that demonstrate a wide capacity for adaptation. The genetic basis of this adaptation was investigated by comparing five sequenced grass genomes. We also used the diploid Setaria genome to evaluate the ongoing genome assembly of a related polyploid, switchgrass (Panicum virgatum).

Evolution of Prdm Genes in Animals: Insights from Comparative Genomics

PubMed Central

Vervoort, Michel; Meulemeester, David; Béhague, Julien; Kerner, Pierre

2016-01-01

Prdm genes encode transcription factors with a subtype of SET domain known as the PRDF1-RIZ (PR) homology domain and a variable number of zinc finger motifs. These genes are involved in a wide variety of functions during animal development. As most Prdm genes have been studied in vertebrates, especially in mice, little is known about the evolution of this gene family. We searched for Prdm genes in the fully sequenced genomes of 93 different species representative of all the main metazoan lineages. A total of 976 Prdm genes were identified in these species. The number of Prdm genes per species ranges from 2 to 19. To better understand how the Prdm gene family has evolved in metazoans, we performed phylogenetic analyses using this large set of identified Prdm genes. These analyses allowed us to define 14 different subfamilies of Prdm genes and to establish, through ancestral state reconstruction, that 11 of them are ancestral to bilaterian animals. Three additional subfamilies were acquired during early vertebrate evolution (Prdm5, Prdm11, and Prdm17). Several gene duplication and gene loss events were identified and mapped onto the metazoan phylogenetic tree. By studying a large number of nonmetazoan genomes, we confirmed that Prdm genes likely constitute a metazoan-specific gene family. Our data also suggest that Prdm genes originated before the diversification of animals through the association of a single ancestral SET domain encoding gene with one or several zinc finger encoding genes. PMID:26560352

The mitochondrial genome of Frankliniella intonsa: insights into the evolution of mitochondrial genomes at lower taxonomic levels in Thysanoptera.

PubMed

Yan, Dankan; Tang, Yunxia; Hu, Min; Liu, Fengquan; Zhang, Dongfang; Fan, Jiaqin

2014-10-01

Thrips is an ideal group for studying the evolution of mitochondrial (mt) genomes in the genus and family due to independent rearrangements within this order. The complete sequence of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of the flower thrips Frankliniella intonsa has been completed and annotated in this study. The circular genome is 15,215bp in length with an A+T content of 75.9% and contains the typical 37 genes and it has triplicate putative control regions. Nucleotide composition is A+T biased, and the majority of the protein-coding genes present opposite CG skew which is reflected by the nucleotide composition, codon and amino acid usage. Although the known thrips have massive gene rearrangements, it showed no reversal of strand asymmetry. Gene rearrangements have been found in the lower taxonomic levels of thrips. Three tRNA genes were translocated in the genus Frankliniella and eight tRNA genes in the family Thripidae. Although the gene arrangements of mt genomes of all three thrips species differ massively from the ancestral insect, they are all very similar to each other, indicating that there was a large rearrangement somewhere before the most recent common ancestor of these three species and very little genomic evolution or rearrangements after then. The extremely similar sequences among the CRs suggest that they are ongoing concerted evolution. Analyses of the up and downstream sequence of CRs reveal that the CR2 is actually the ancestral CR. The three CRs are in the same spot in each of the three thrips mt genomes which have the identical inverted genes. These characteristics might be obtained from the most recent common ancestor of this three thrips. Above observations suggest that the mt genomes of the three thrips keep a single massive rearrangement from the common ancestor and have low evolutionary rates among them. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The ancestral selection graph under strong directional selection.

PubMed

Pokalyuk, Cornelia; Pfaffelhuber, Peter

2013-08-01

The ancestral selection graph (ASG) was introduced by  Neuhauser and Krone (1997) in order to study populations of constant size which evolve under selection. Coalescence events, which occur at rate 1 for every pair of lines, lead to joint ancestry. In addition, splitting events in the ASG at rate α, the scaled selection coefficient, produce possible ancestors, such that the real ancestor depends on the ancestral alleles. Here, we use the ASG in the case without mutation in order to study fixation of a beneficial mutant. Using our main tool, a reversibility property of the ASG, we provide a new proof of the fact that a beneficial allele fixes roughly in time (2logα)/α if α is large. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Petrologic, tectonic, and metallogenic evolution of the Ancestral Cascades magmatic arc, Washington, Oregon, and northern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

du Bray, Edward A.; John, David A.

2011-01-01

Present-day High Cascades arc magmatism was preceded by ~40 m.y. of nearly cospatial magmatism represented by the ancestral Cascades arc in Washington, Oregon, and northernmost California (United States). Time-space-composition relations for the ancestral Cascades arc have been synthesized from a recent compilation of more than 4000 geochemical analyses and associated age data. Neither the composition nor distribution of ancestral Cascades magmatism was uniform along the length of the ancestral arc through time. Initial (>40 to 36 Ma) ancestral Cascades magmatism (mostly basalt and basaltic andesite) was focused at the north end of the arc between the present-day locations of Mount Rainier and the Columbia River. From 35 to 18 Ma, initial basaltic andesite and andesite magmatism evolved to include dacite and rhyolite; magmatic activity became more voluminous and extended along most of the arc. Between 17 and 8 Ma, magmatism was focused along the part of the arc coincident with the northern two-thirds of Oregon and returned to more mafic compositions. Subsequent ancestral Cascades magmatism was dominated by basaltic andesite to basalt prior to the post–4 Ma onset of High Cascades magmatism. Transitional tholeiitic to calc-alkaline compositions dominated early (before 40 to ca. 25 Ma) ancestral Cascades eruptive products, whereas the majority of the younger arc rocks have a calc-alkaline affinity. Tholeiitic compositions characteristic of the oldest ancestral arc magmas suggest development associated with thin, immature crust and slab window processes, whereas the younger, calc-alkaline magmas suggest interaction with thicker, more evolved crust and more conventional subduction-related magmatic processes. Presumed changes in subducted slab dip through time also correlate with fundamental magma composition variation. The predominance of mafic compositions during latest ancestral arc magmatism and throughout the history of modern High Cascades magmatism probably

An Ancestral Recombination Graph for Diploid Populations with Skewed Offspring Distribution

PubMed Central

Birkner, Matthias; Blath, Jochen; Eldon, Bjarki

2013-01-01

A large offspring-number diploid biparental multilocus population model of Moran type is our object of study. At each time step, a pair of diploid individuals drawn uniformly at random contributes offspring to the population. The number of offspring can be large relative to the total population size. Similar “heavily skewed” reproduction mechanisms have been recently considered by various authors (cf. e.g., Eldon and Wakeley 2006, 2008) and reviewed by Hedgecock and Pudovkin (2011). Each diploid parental individual contributes exactly one chromosome to each diploid offspring, and hence ancestral lineages can coalesce only when in distinct individuals. A separation-of-timescales phenomenon is thus observed. A result of Möhle (1998) is extended to obtain convergence of the ancestral process to an ancestral recombination graph necessarily admitting simultaneous multiple mergers of ancestral lineages. The usual ancestral recombination graph is obtained as a special case of our model when the parents contribute only one offspring to the population each time. Due to diploidy and large offspring numbers, novel effects appear. For example, the marginal genealogy at each locus admits simultaneous multiple mergers in up to four groups, and different loci remain substantially correlated even as the recombination rate grows large. Thus, genealogies for loci far apart on the same chromosome remain correlated. Correlation in coalescence times for two loci is derived and shown to be a function of the coalescence parameters of our model. Extending the observations by Eldon and Wakeley (2008), predictions of linkage disequilibrium are shown to be functions of the reproduction parameters of our model, in addition to the recombination rate. Correlations in ratios of coalescence times between loci can be high, even when the recombination rate is high and sample size is large, in large offspring-number populations, as suggested by simulations, hinting at how to distinguish between

Octocoral Mitochondrial Genomes Provide Insights into the Phylogenetic History of Gene Order Rearrangements, Order Reversals, and Cnidarian Phylogenetics

PubMed Central

Figueroa, Diego F.; Baco, Amy R.

2015-01-01

We use full mitochondrial genomes to test the robustness of the phylogeny of the Octocorallia, to determine the evolutionary pathway for the five known mitochondrial gene rearrangements in octocorals, and to test the suitability of using mitochondrial genomes for higher taxonomic-level phylogenetic reconstructions. Our phylogeny supports three major divisions within the Octocorallia and show that Paragorgiidae is paraphyletic, with Sibogagorgia forming a sister branch to the Coralliidae. Furthermore, Sibogagorgia cauliflora has what is presumed to be the ancestral gene order in octocorals, but the presence of a pair of inverted repeat sequences suggest that this gene order was not conserved but rather evolved back to this apparent ancestral state. Based on this we recommend the resurrection of the family Sibogagorgiidae to fix the paraphyly of the Paragorgiidae. This is the first study to show that in the Octocorallia, mitochondrial gene orders have evolved back to an ancestral state after going through a gene rearrangement, with at least one of the gene orders evolving independently in different lineages. A number of studies have used gene boundaries to determine the type of mitochondrial gene arrangement present. However, our findings suggest that this method known as gene junction screening may miss evolutionary reversals. Additionally, substitution saturation analysis demonstrates that while whole mitochondrial genomes can be used effectively for phylogenetic analyses within Octocorallia, their utility at higher taxonomic levels within Cnidaria is inadequate. Therefore for phylogenetic reconstruction at taxonomic levels higher than subclass within the Cnidaria, nuclear genes will be required, even when whole mitochondrial genomes are available. PMID:25539723

Infant and juvenile growth in ancestral Pueblo Indians.

PubMed

Schillaci, Michael A; Nikitovic, Dejana; Akins, Nancy J; Tripp, Lianne; Palkovich, Ann M

2011-06-01

The present study examines patterns of infant and juvenile growth in a diachronic sample of ancestral Pueblo Indians (AD 1300-1680) from the American Southwest. An assessment of growth patterns is accompanied by an evaluation of pathological conditions often considered to be indicators of nutritional deficiencies and/or gastrointestinal infections. Growth patterns and the distribution of pathological conditions are interpreted relative to culturally relevant age categories defined by Puebloan rites of passage described in the ethnographic literature. A visual comparison of growth distance curves revealed that relative to a modern comparative group our sample of ancestral Pueblo infant and juveniles exhibited faltering growth beginning soon after birth to about 5 years of age. A comparison of curves describing growth relative to adult femoral length, however, indicated reduced growth occurring later, by around 2 years of age. Similar to previous studies, we observed a high proportion of nonsurvivors exhibiting porotic cranial lesions during the first 2 years of life. Contrary to expectations, infants and juveniles without evidence of porotic cranial lesions exhibited a higher degree of stunting. Our study is generally consistent with previous research reporting poor health and high mortality for ancestral Pueblo Indian infants and juveniles. Through use of a culturally relevant context defining childhood, we argue that the observed poor health and high mortality in our sample occur before the important transition from young to older child and the concomitant initial incorporation into tribal ritual organization. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Dynamics of genomic innovation in the unicellular ancestry of animals

PubMed Central

Grau-Bové, Xavier; Torruella, Guifré; Donachie, Stuart; Suga, Hiroshi; Leonard, Guy; Richards, Thomas A; Ruiz-Trillo, Iñaki

2017-01-01

Which genomic innovations underpinned the origin of multicellular animals is still an open debate. Here, we investigate this question by reconstructing the genome architecture and gene family diversity of ancestral premetazoans, aiming to date the emergence of animal-like traits. Our comparative analysis involves genomes from animals and their closest unicellular relatives (the Holozoa), including four new genomes: three Ichthyosporea and Corallochytrium limacisporum. Here, we show that the earliest animals were shaped by dynamic changes in genome architecture before the emergence of multicellularity: an early burst of gene diversity in the ancestor of Holozoa, enriched in transcription factors and cell adhesion machinery, was followed by multiple and differently-timed episodes of synteny disruption, intron gain and genome expansions. Thus, the foundations of animal genome architecture were laid before the origin of complex multicellularity – highlighting the necessity of a unicellular perspective to understand early animal evolution. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.26036.001 PMID:28726632

Genome Content and Phylogenomics Reveal both Ancestral and Lateral Evolutionary Pathways in Plant-Pathogenic Streptomyces Species

PubMed Central

Huguet-Tapia, Jose C.; Lefebure, Tristan; Badger, Jonathan H.; Guan, Dongli; Stanhope, Michael J.

2016-01-01

Streptomyces spp. are highly differentiated actinomycetes with large, linear chromosomes that encode an arsenal of biologically active molecules and catabolic enzymes. Members of this genus are well equipped for life in nutrient-limited environments and are common soil saprophytes. Out of the hundreds of species in the genus Streptomyces, a small group has evolved the ability to infect plants. The recent availability of Streptomyces genome sequences, including four genomes of pathogenic species, provided an opportunity to characterize the gene content specific to these pathogens and to study phylogenetic relationships among them. Genome sequencing, comparative genomics, and phylogenetic analysis enabled us to discriminate pathogenic from saprophytic Streptomyces strains; moreover, we calculated that the pathogen-specific genome contains 4,662 orthologs. Phylogenetic reconstruction suggested that Streptomyces scabies and S. ipomoeae share an ancestor but that their biosynthetic clusters encoding the required virulence factor thaxtomin have diverged. In contrast, S. turgidiscabies and S. acidiscabies, two relatively unrelated pathogens, possess highly similar thaxtomin biosynthesis clusters, which suggests that the acquisition of these genes was through lateral gene transfer. PMID:26826232

Characterization of polyploid wheat genomic diversity using a high-density 90 000 single nucleotide polymorphism array

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

High-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping chips are a powerful tool for studying genomic patterns of diversity, inferring ancestral relationships among individuals in populations and studying marker-trait associations in mapping experiments. We developed a genotyping array includ...

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of WRKY Gene Family in Peanut.

PubMed

Song, Hui; Wang, Pengfei; Lin, Jer-Young; Zhao, Chuanzhi; Bi, Yuping; Wang, Xingjun

2016-01-01

WRKY, an important transcription factor family, is widely distributed in the plant kingdom. Many reports focused on analysis of phylogenetic relationship and biological function of WRKY protein at the whole genome level in different plant species. However, little is known about WRKY proteins in the genome of Arachis species and their response to salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) treatment. In this study, we identified 77 and 75 WRKY proteins from the two wild ancestral diploid genomes of cultivated tetraploid peanut, Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaënsis, using bioinformatics approaches. Most peanut WRKY coding genes were located on A. duranensis chromosome A6 and A. ipaënsis chromosome B3, while the least number of WRKY genes was found in chromosome 9. The WRKY orthologous gene pairs in A. duranensis and A. ipaënsis chromosomes were highly syntenic. Our analysis indicated that segmental duplication events played a major role in AdWRKY and AiWRKY genes, and strong purifying selection was observed in gene duplication pairs. Furthermore, we translate the knowledge gained from the genome-wide analysis result of wild ancestral peanut to cultivated peanut to reveal that gene activities of specific cultivated peanut WRKY gene were changed due to SA and JA treatment. Peanut WRKY7, 8 and 13 genes were down-regulated, whereas WRKY1 and 12 genes were up-regulated with SA and JA treatment. These results could provide valuable information for peanut improvement.

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of WRKY Gene Family in Peanut

PubMed Central

Song, Hui; Wang, Pengfei; Lin, Jer-Young; Zhao, Chuanzhi; Bi, Yuping; Wang, Xingjun

2016-01-01

WRKY, an important transcription factor family, is widely distributed in the plant kingdom. Many reports focused on analysis of phylogenetic relationship and biological function of WRKY protein at the whole genome level in different plant species. However, little is known about WRKY proteins in the genome of Arachis species and their response to salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) treatment. In this study, we identified 77 and 75 WRKY proteins from the two wild ancestral diploid genomes of cultivated tetraploid peanut, Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaënsis, using bioinformatics approaches. Most peanut WRKY coding genes were located on A. duranensis chromosome A6 and A. ipaënsis chromosome B3, while the least number of WRKY genes was found in chromosome 9. The WRKY orthologous gene pairs in A. duranensis and A. ipaënsis chromosomes were highly syntenic. Our analysis indicated that segmental duplication events played a major role in AdWRKY and AiWRKY genes, and strong purifying selection was observed in gene duplication pairs. Furthermore, we translate the knowledge gained from the genome-wide analysis result of wild ancestral peanut to cultivated peanut to reveal that gene activities of specific cultivated peanut WRKY gene were changed due to SA and JA treatment. Peanut WRKY7, 8 and 13 genes were down-regulated, whereas WRKY1 and 12 genes were up-regulated with SA and JA treatment. These results could provide valuable information for peanut improvement. PMID:27200012

The genome of woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca)

PubMed Central

Shulaev, Vladimir; Sargent, Daniel J; Crowhurst, Ross N; Mockler, Todd C; Folkerts, Otto; Delcher, Arthur L; Jaiswal, Pankaj; Mockaitis, Keithanne; Liston, Aaron; Mane, Shrinivasrao P; Burns, Paul; Davis, Thomas M; Slovin, Janet P; Bassil, Nahla; Hellens, Roger P; Evans, Clive; Harkins, Tim; Kodira, Chinnappa; Desany, Brian; Crasta, Oswald R; Jensen, Roderick V; Allan, Andrew C; Michael, Todd P; Setubal, Joao Carlos; Celton, Jean-Marc; Rees, D Jasper G; Williams, Kelly P; Holt, Sarah H; Ruiz Rojas, Juan Jairo; Chatterjee, Mithu; Liu, Bo; Silva, Herman; Meisel, Lee; Adato, Avital; Filichkin, Sergei A; Troggio, Michela; Viola, Roberto; Ashman, Tia-Lynn; Wang, Hao; Dharmawardhana, Palitha; Elser, Justin; Raja, Rajani; Priest, Henry D; Bryant, Douglas W; Fox, Samuel E; Givan, Scott A; Wilhelm, Larry J; Naithani, Sushma; Christoffels, Alan; Salama, David Y; Carter, Jade; Girona, Elena Lopez; Zdepski, Anna; Wang, Wenqin; Kerstetter, Randall A; Schwab, Wilfried; Korban, Schuyler S; Davik, Jahn; Monfort, Amparo; Denoyes-Rothan, Beatrice; Arus, Pere; Mittler, Ron; Flinn, Barry; Aharoni, Asaph; Bennetzen, Jeffrey L; Salzberg, Steven L; Dickerman, Allan W; Velasco, Riccardo; Borodovsky, Mark; Veilleux, Richard E; Folta, Kevin M

2012-01-01

The woodland strawberry, Fragaria vesca (2n = 2x = 14), is a versatile experimental plant system. This diminutive herbaceous perennial has a small genome (240 Mb), is amenable to genetic transformation and shares substantial sequence identity with the cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) and other economically important rosaceous plants. Here we report the draft F. vesca genome, which was sequenced to ×39 coverage using second-generation technology, assembled de novo and then anchored to the genetic linkage map into seven pseudochromosomes. This diploid strawberry sequence lacks the large genome duplications seen in other rosids. Gene prediction modeling identified 34,809 genes, with most being supported by transcriptome mapping. Genes critical to valuable horticultural traits including flavor, nutritional value and flowering time were identified. Macrosyntenic relationships between Fragaria and Prunus predict a hypothetical ancestral Rosaceae genome that had nine chromosomes. New phylogenetic analysis of 154 protein-coding genes suggests that assignment of Populus to Malvidae, rather than Fabidae, is warranted. PMID:21186353

The Early ANTP Gene Repertoire: Insights from the Placozoan Genome

PubMed Central

Schierwater, Bernd; Kamm, Kai; Srivastava, Mansi; Rokhsar, Daniel; Rosengarten, Rafael D.; Dellaporta, Stephen L.

2008-01-01

The evolution of ANTP genes in the Metazoa has been the subject of conflicting hypotheses derived from full or partial gene sequences and genomic organization in higher animals. Whole genome sequences have recently filled in some crucial gaps for the basal metazoan phyla Cnidaria and Porifera. Here we analyze the complete genome of Trichoplax adhaerens, representing the basal metazoan phylum Placozoa, for its set of ANTP class genes. The Trichoplax genome encodes representatives of Hox/ParaHox-like, NKL, and extended Hox genes. This repertoire possibly mirrors the condition of a hypothetical cnidarian-bilaterian ancestor. The evolution of the cnidarian and bilaterian ANTP gene repertoires can be deduced by a limited number of cis-duplications of NKL and “extended Hox” genes and the presence of a single ancestral “ProtoHox” gene. PMID:18716659

Mitochondrial genome evolution and tRNA truncation in Acariformes mites: new evidence from eriophyoid mites

PubMed Central

Xue, Xiao-Feng; Guo, Jing-Feng; Dong, Yan; Hong, Xiao-Yue; Shao, Renfu

2016-01-01

The subclass Acari (mites and ticks) comprises two super-orders: Acariformes and Parasitiformes. Most species of the Parasitiformes known retained the ancestral pattern of mitochondrial (mt) gene arrangement of arthropods, and their mt tRNAs have the typical cloverleaf structure. All of the species of the Acariformes known, however, have rearranged mt genomes and truncated mt tRNAs. We sequenced the mt genomes of two species of Eriophyoidea: Phyllocoptes taishanensis and Epitrimerus sabinae. The mt genomes of P. taishanensis and E. sabinae are 13,475 bp and 13,531 bp, respectively, are circular and contain the 37 genes typical of animals; most mt tRNAs are highly truncated in both mites. On the other hand, these two eriophyoid mites have the least rearranged mt genomes seen in the Acariformes. Comparison between eriophyoid mites and other Aacariformes mites showed that: 1) the most recent common ancestor of Acariformes mites retained the ancestral pattern of mt gene arrangement of arthropods with slight modifications; 2) truncation of tRNAs for cysteine, phenylalanine and histidine occurred once in the most recent common ancestor of Acariformes mites whereas truncation of other tRNAs occurred multiple times; and 3) the placement of eriophyoid mites in the order Trombidiformes needs to be reviewed. PMID:26732998

Telomere maintenance through recruitment of internal genomic regions.

PubMed

Seo, Beomseok; Kim, Chuna; Hills, Mark; Sung, Sanghyun; Kim, Hyesook; Kim, Eunkyeong; Lim, Daisy S; Oh, Hyun-Seok; Choi, Rachael Mi Jung; Chun, Jongsik; Shim, Jaegal; Lee, Junho

2015-09-18

Cells surviving crisis are often tumorigenic and their telomeres are commonly maintained through the reactivation of telomerase. However, surviving cells occasionally activate a recombination-based mechanism called alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). Here we establish stably maintained survivors in telomerase-deleted Caenorhabditis elegans that escape from sterility by activating ALT. ALT survivors trans-duplicate an internal genomic region, which is already cis-duplicated to chromosome ends, across the telomeres of all chromosomes. These 'Template for ALT' (TALT) regions consist of a block of genomic DNA flanked by telomere-like sequences, and are different between two genetic background. We establish a model that an ancestral duplication of a donor TALT region to a proximal telomere region forms a genomic reservoir ready to be incorporated into telomeres on ALT activation.

Indigenous ancestral sayings contribute to modern conservation partnerships: examples using Phormium tenax.

PubMed

Wehi, Priscilla M

2009-01-01

Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is central to indigenous worldviews and practices and is one of the most important contributions that indigenous people can bring to conservation management partnerships. However, researchers and managers may have difficulty accessing such knowledge, particularly where knowledge transmission has been damaged. A new methodological approach analyzes ancestral sayings from Maori oral traditions for ecological information about Phormium tenax, a plant with high cultural value that is a dominant component in many threatened wetland systems, and frequently used in restoration plantings in New Zealand. Maori ancestral sayings record an association with nectar-feeding native parrots that has only rarely been reported, as well as indications of important environmental parameters (rainfall and drought) for this species. These sayings provide evidence of indigenous management that has not been reported from interviews with elders, including evidence of fire use to create Phormium cultivations. TEK in Maori ancestral sayings imply landscape-scale processes in comparison to intensive, small-scale management methods often reported in interviews. TEK in ancestral sayings can be used to generate new scientific hypotheses, negotiate collaborative pathways, and identify ecological management strategies that support biodiversity retention. TEK can inform restoration ecology, historical ecology, and conservation management of species and ecosystems, especially where data from pollen records and archaeological artifacts are incomplete.

Indeterminate Growth: Could It Represent the Ancestral Condition?

PubMed Central

Hariharan, Iswar K.; Wake, David B.; Wake, Marvalee H.

2016-01-01

Although we are used to the idea that many organisms stop growing when they reach a predictable size, in many taxa, growth occurs throughout the life of an organism, a phenomenon referred to as indeterminate growth. Our comparative analysis suggests that indeterminate growth may indeed represent the ancestral condition, whereas the permanent arrest of growth may be a more derived state. Consistent with this idea, in diverse taxa, the basal branches show indeterminate growth, whereas more derived branches arrest their growth. Importantly, in some closely related taxa, the termination of growth has evolved in mechanistically distinct ways. Also, even within a single organism, different organs can differ with respect to whether they terminate their growth or not. Finally, the study of tooth development indicates that, even at the level of a single tissue, multiple determinate patterns of growth can evolve from an ancestral one that is indeterminate. PMID:26216720

Coral comparative genomics reveal expanded Hox cluster in the cnidarian-bilaterian ancestor.

PubMed

DuBuc, Timothy Q; Ryan, Joseph F; Shinzato, Chuya; Satoh, Nori; Martindale, Mark Q

2012-12-01

The key developmental role of the Hox cluster of genes was established prior to the last common ancestor of protostomes and deuterostomes and the subsequent evolution of this cluster has played a major role in the morphological diversity exhibited in extant bilaterians. Despite 20 years of research into cnidarian Hox genes, the nature of the cnidarian-bilaterian ancestral Hox cluster remains unclear. In an attempt to further elucidate this critical phylogenetic node, we have characterized the Hox cluster of the recently sequenced Acropora digitifera genome. The A. digitifera genome contains two anterior Hox genes (PG1 and PG2) linked to an Eve homeobox gene and an Anthox1A gene, which is thought to be either a posterior or posterior/central Hox gene. These data show that the Hox cluster of the cnidarian-bilaterian ancestor was more extensive than previously thought. The results are congruent with the existence of an ancient set of constraints on the Hox cluster and reinforce the importance of incorporating a wide range of animal species to reconstruct critical ancestral nodes.

A draft genome of Yersinia pestis from victims of the Black Death.

PubMed

Bos, Kirsten I; Schuenemann, Verena J; Golding, G Brian; Burbano, Hernán A; Waglechner, Nicholas; Coombes, Brian K; McPhee, Joseph B; DeWitte, Sharon N; Meyer, Matthias; Schmedes, Sarah; Wood, James; Earn, David J D; Herring, D Ann; Bauer, Peter; Poinar, Hendrik N; Krause, Johannes

2011-10-12

Technological advances in DNA recovery and sequencing have drastically expanded the scope of genetic analyses of ancient specimens to the extent that full genomic investigations are now feasible and are quickly becoming standard. This trend has important implications for infectious disease research because genomic data from ancient microbes may help to elucidate mechanisms of pathogen evolution and adaptation for emerging and re-emerging infections. Here we report a reconstructed ancient genome of Yersinia pestis at 30-fold average coverage from Black Death victims securely dated to episodes of pestilence-associated mortality in London, England, 1348-1350. Genetic architecture and phylogenetic analysis indicate that the ancient organism is ancestral to most extant strains and sits very close to the ancestral node of all Y. pestis commonly associated with human infection. Temporal estimates suggest that the Black Death of 1347-1351 was the main historical event responsible for the introduction and widespread dissemination of the ancestor to all currently circulating Y. pestis strains pathogenic to humans, and further indicates that contemporary Y. pestis epidemics have their origins in the medieval era. Comparisons against modern genomes reveal no unique derived positions in the medieval organism, indicating that the perceived increased virulence of the disease during the Black Death may not have been due to bacterial phenotype. These findings support the notion that factors other than microbial genetics, such as environment, vector dynamics and host susceptibility, should be at the forefront of epidemiological discussions regarding emerging Y. pestis infections.

Octocoral mitochondrial genomes provide insights into the phylogenetic history of gene order rearrangements, order reversals, and cnidarian phylogenetics.

PubMed

Figueroa, Diego F; Baco, Amy R

2014-12-24

We use full mitochondrial genomes to test the robustness of the phylogeny of the Octocorallia, to determine the evolutionary pathway for the five known mitochondrial gene rearrangements in octocorals, and to test the suitability of using mitochondrial genomes for higher taxonomic-level phylogenetic reconstructions. Our phylogeny supports three major divisions within the Octocorallia and show that Paragorgiidae is paraphyletic, with Sibogagorgia forming a sister branch to the Coralliidae. Furthermore, Sibogagorgia cauliflora has what is presumed to be the ancestral gene order in octocorals, but the presence of a pair of inverted repeat sequences suggest that this gene order was not conserved but rather evolved back to this apparent ancestral state. Based on this we recommend the resurrection of the family Sibogagorgiidae to fix the paraphyly of the Paragorgiidae. This is the first study to show that in the Octocorallia, mitochondrial gene orders have evolved back to an ancestral state after going through a gene rearrangement, with at least one of the gene orders evolving independently in different lineages. A number of studies have used gene boundaries to determine the type of mitochondrial gene arrangement present. However, our findings suggest that this method known as gene junction screening may miss evolutionary reversals. Additionally, substitution saturation analysis demonstrates that while whole mitochondrial genomes can be used effectively for phylogenetic analyses within Octocorallia, their utility at higher taxonomic levels within Cnidaria is inadequate. Therefore for phylogenetic reconstruction at taxonomic levels higher than subclass within the Cnidaria, nuclear genes will be required, even when whole mitochondrial genomes are available. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

SINEs, evolution and genome structure in the opossum.

PubMed

Gu, Wanjun; Ray, David A; Walker, Jerilyn A; Barnes, Erin W; Gentles, Andrew J; Samollow, Paul B; Jurka, Jerzy; Batzer, Mark A; Pollock, David D

2007-07-01

Short INterspersed Elements (SINEs) are non-autonomous retrotransposons, usually between 100 and 500 base pairs (bp) in length, which are ubiquitous components of eukaryotic genomes. Their activity, distribution, and evolution can be highly informative on genomic structure and evolutionary processes. To determine recent activity, we amplified more than one hundred SINE1 loci in a panel of 43 M. domestica individuals derived from five diverse geographic locations. The SINE1 family has expanded recently enough that many loci were polymorphic, and the SINE1 insertion-based genetic distances among populations reflected geographic distance. Genome-wide comparisons of SINE1 densities and GC content revealed that high SINE1 density is associated with high GC content in a few long and many short spans. Young SINE1s, whether fixed or polymorphic, showed an unbiased GC content preference for insertion, indicating that the GC preference accumulates over long time periods, possibly in periodic bursts. SINE1 evolution is thus broadly similar to human Alu evolution, although it has an independent origin. High GC content adjacent to SINE1s is strongly correlated with bias towards higher AT to GC substitutions and lower GC to AT substitutions. This is consistent with biased gene conversion, and also indicates that like chickens, but unlike eutherian mammals, GC content heterogeneity (isochore structure) is reinforced by substitution processes in the M. domestica genome. Nevertheless, both high and low GC content regions are apparently headed towards lower GC content equilibria, possibly due to a relative shift to lower recombination rates in the recent Monodelphis ancestral lineage. Like eutherians, metatherian (marsupial) mammals have evolved high CpG substitution rates, but this is apparently a convergence in process rather than a shared ancestral state.

Population Genomics of Sub-Saharan Drosophila melanogaster: African Diversity and Non-African Admixture

PubMed Central

Pool, John E.; Corbett-Detig, Russell B.; Sugino, Ryuichi P.; Stevens, Kristian A.; Cardeno, Charis M.; Crepeau, Marc W.; Duchen, Pablo; Emerson, J. J.; Saelao, Perot; Begun, David J.; Langley, Charles H.

2012-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster has played a pivotal role in the development of modern population genetics. However, many basic questions regarding the demographic and adaptive history of this species remain unresolved. We report the genome sequencing of 139 wild-derived strains of D. melanogaster, representing 22 population samples from the sub-Saharan ancestral range of this species, along with one European population. Most genomes were sequenced above 25X depth from haploid embryos. Results indicated a pervasive influence of non-African admixture in many African populations, motivating the development and application of a novel admixture detection method. Admixture proportions varied among populations, with greater admixture in urban locations. Admixture levels also varied across the genome, with localized peaks and valleys suggestive of a non-neutral introgression process. Genomes from the same location differed starkly in ancestry, suggesting that isolation mechanisms may exist within African populations. After removing putatively admixed genomic segments, the greatest genetic diversity was observed in southern Africa (e.g. Zambia), while diversity in other populations was largely consistent with a geographic expansion from this potentially ancestral region. The European population showed different levels of diversity reduction on each chromosome arm, and some African populations displayed chromosome arm-specific diversity reductions. Inversions in the European sample were associated with strong elevations in diversity across chromosome arms. Genomic scans were conducted to identify loci that may represent targets of positive selection within an African population, between African populations, and between European and African populations. A disproportionate number of candidate selective sweep regions were located near genes with varied roles in gene regulation. Outliers for Europe-Africa FST were found to be enriched in genomic regions of locally elevated cosmopolitan

MANTIS: a phylogenetic framework for multi-species genome comparisons.

PubMed

Tzika, Athanasia C; Helaers, Raphaël; Van de Peer, Yves; Milinkovitch, Michel C

2008-01-15

Practitioners of comparative genomics face huge analytical challenges as whole genome sequences and functional/expression data accumulate. Furthermore, the field would greatly benefit from a better integration of this wealth of data with evolutionary concepts. Here, we present MANTIS, a relational database for the analysis of (i) gains and losses of genes on specific branches of the metazoan phylogeny, (ii) reconstructed genome content of ancestral species and (iii) over- or under-representation of functions/processes and tissue specificity of gained, duplicated and lost genes. MANTIS estimates the most likely positions of gene losses on the true phylogeny using a maximum-likelihood function. A user-friendly interface and an extensive query system allow to investigate questions pertaining to gene identity, phylogenetic mapping and function/expression parameters. MANTIS is freely available at http://www.mantisdb.org and constitutes the missing link between multi-species genome comparisons and functional analyses.

Ancient Duplications and Expression Divergence in the Globin Gene Superfamily of Vertebrates: Insights from the Elephant Shark Genome and Transcriptome

PubMed Central

Opazo, Juan C.; Toloza-Villalobos, Jessica; Burmester, Thorsten; Venkatesh, Byrappa; Storz, Jay F.

2015-01-01

Comparative analyses of vertebrate genomes continue to uncover a surprising diversity of genes in the globin gene superfamily, some of which have very restricted phyletic distributions despite their antiquity. Genomic analysis of the globin gene repertoire of cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes) should be especially informative about the duplicative origins and ancestral functions of vertebrate globins, as divergence between Chondrichthyes and bony vertebrates represents the most basal split within the jawed vertebrates. Here, we report a comparative genomic analysis of the vertebrate globin gene family that includes the complete globin gene repertoire of the elephant shark (Callorhinchus milii). Using genomic sequence data from representatives of all major vertebrate classes, integrated analyses of conserved synteny and phylogenetic relationships revealed that the last common ancestor of vertebrates possessed a repertoire of at least seven globin genes: single copies of androglobin and neuroglobin, four paralogous copies of globin X, and the single-copy progenitor of the entire set of vertebrate-specific globins. Combined with expression data, the genomic inventory of elephant shark globins yielded four especially surprising findings: 1) there is no trace of the neuroglobin gene (a highly conserved gene that is present in all other jawed vertebrates that have been examined to date), 2) myoglobin is highly expressed in heart, but not in skeletal muscle (reflecting a possible ancestral condition in vertebrates with single-circuit circulatory systems), 3) elephant shark possesses two highly divergent globin X paralogs, one of which is preferentially expressed in gonads, and 4) elephant shark possesses two structurally distinct α-globin paralogs, one of which is preferentially expressed in the brain. Expression profiles of elephant shark globin genes reveal distinct specializations of function relative to orthologs in bony vertebrates and suggest hypotheses about

Environmental enrichment mitigates the impact of ancestral stress on motor skill and corticospinal tract plasticity.

PubMed

McCreary, J Keiko; Erickson, Zachary T; Metz, Gerlinde A S

2016-10-06

An adverse fetal environment in utero has been associated with long-term alterations in brain structure and function, and a higher risk of neurological disorders in later life. A common consequence of early adverse experience is impaired motor system function. A causal relationship for stress-associated impairments and a suitable therapy, however, have not been determined yet. To investigate the impact of ancestral stress on corticospinal tract (CST) morphology and fine motor performance in rats, and to determine if adverse programming by ancestral stress can be mitigated by environmental enrichment therapy in rats. The study examined F3 offspring generated by three lineages; one with prenatal stress only in the F1 generation, one with compounding effects of multigenerational prenatal stress, and a non-stress control lineage. F3 offspring from each lineage were injected with biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) into the motor cortex for anterograde tracing of the CST. Examination of the CST revealed reduced axonal density in the ancestrally stressed lineages. These anatomical changes were associated with significant impairments in skilled walking, as indicated by reduced foot placement accuracy and disturbed inter-limb coordination. Therapeutic intervention by environmental enrichment reduced the neuromorphological consequences of ancestral stress and restored skilled walking ability. The data suggest a causal relationship between stress-induced abnormal CST function and loss of fine motor performance. Thus, ancestral stress may be a determinant of motor system development and motor skill. Environmental enrichment may represent an effective intervention for the adverse programming by ancestral stress and trauma. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multichromosomal median and halving problems under different genomic distances

PubMed Central

Tannier, Eric; Zheng, Chunfang; Sankoff, David

2009-01-01

Background Genome median and genome halving are combinatorial optimization problems that aim at reconstructing ancestral genomes as well as the evolutionary events leading from the ancestor to extant species. Exploring complexity issues is a first step towards devising efficient algorithms. The complexity of the median problem for unichromosomal genomes (permutations) has been settled for both the breakpoint distance and the reversal distance. Although the multichromosomal case has often been assumed to be a simple generalization of the unichromosomal case, it is also a relaxation so that complexity in this context does not follow from existing results, and is open for all distances. Results We settle here the complexity of several genome median and halving problems, including a surprising polynomial result for the breakpoint median and guided halving problems in genomes with circular and linear chromosomes, showing that the multichromosomal problem is actually easier than the unichromosomal problem. Still other variants of these problems are NP-complete, including the DCJ double distance problem, previously mentioned as an open question. We list the remaining open problems. Conclusion This theoretical study clears up a wide swathe of the algorithmical study of genome rearrangements with multiple multichromosomal genomes. PMID:19386099

A korarchaeal genome reveals insights into the evolution of the Archaea

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anderson, Iain J; Elkins, James G.; Podar, Mircea

2008-06-05

The candidate division Korarchaeota comprises a group of uncultivated microorganisms that, by their small subunit rRNA phylogeny, may have diverged early from the major archaeal phyla Crenarchaeota and Euryarchaeota. Here, we report the initial characterization of a member of the Korarchaeota with the proposed name,"Candidatus Korarchaeum cryptofilum," which exhibits an ultrathin filamentous morphology. To investigate possible ancestral relationships between deep-branching Korarchaeota and other phyla, we used whole-genome shotgun sequencing to construct a complete composite korarchaeal genome from enriched cells. The genome was assembled into a single contig 1.59 Mb in length with a G + C content of 49percent. Ofmore » the 1,617 predicted protein-coding genes, 1,382 (85percent) could be assigned to a revised set of archaeal Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COGs). The predicted gene functions suggest that the organism relies on a simple mode of peptide fermentation for carbon and energy and lacks the ability to synthesize de novo purines, CoA, and several other cofactors. Phylogenetic analyses based on conserved single genes and concatenated protein sequences positioned the korarchaeote as a deep archaeal lineage with an apparent affinity to the Crenarchaeota. However, the predicted gene content revealed that several conserved cellular systems, such as cell division, DNA replication, and tRNA maturation, resemble the counterparts in the Euryarchaeota. In light of the known composition of archaeal genomes, the Korarchaeota might have retained a set of cellular features that represents the ancestral archaeal form.« less

A Korarchael Genome Reveals Insights into the Evolution of the Archaea

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lapidus, Alla; Elkins, James G.; Podar, Mircea

2008-01-07

The candidate division Korarchaeota comprises a group of uncultivated microorganisms that, by their small subunit rRNA phylogeny, may have diverged early from the major archaeal phyla Crenarchaeota and Euryarchaeota. Here, we report the initial characterization of a member of the Korarchaeota with the proposed name, ?Candidatus Korarchaeum cryptofilum,? which exhibits an ultrathin filamentous morphology. To investigate possible ancestral relationships between deep-branching Korarchaeota and other phyla, we used whole-genome shotgun sequencing to construct a complete composite korarchaeal genome from enriched cells. The genome was assembled into a single contig 1.59 Mb in length with a G + C content of 49percent.more » Of the 1,617 predicted protein-coding genes, 1,382 (85percent) could be assigned to a revised set of archaeal Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COGs). The predicted gene functions suggest that the organism relies on a simple mode of peptide fermentation for carbon and energy and lacks the ability to synthesize de novo purines, CoA, and several other cofactors. Phylogenetic analyses based on conserved single genes and concatenated protein sequences positioned the korarchaeote as a deep archaeal lineage with an apparent affinity to the Crenarchaeota. However, the predicted gene content revealed that several conserved cellular systems, such as cell division, DNA replication, and tRNA maturation, resemble the counterparts in the Euryarchaeota. In light of the known composition of archaeal genomes, the Korarchaeota might have retained a set of cellular features that represents the ancestral archaeal form.« less

Comparative genomics of the lactic acid bacteria

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Makarova, K.; Slesarev, A.; Wolf, Y.

Lactic acid-producing bacteria are associated with various plant and animal niches and play a key role in the production of fermented foods and beverages. We report nine genome sequences representing the phylogenetic and functional diversity of these bacteria. The small genomes of lactic acid bacteria encode a broad repertoire of transporters for efficient carbon and nitrogen acquisition from the nutritionally rich environments they inhabit and reflect a limited range of biosynthetic capabilities that indicate both prototrophic and auxotrophic strains. Phylogenetic analyses, comparison of gene content across the group, and reconstruction of ancestral gene sets indicate a combination of extensive genemore » loss and key gene acquisitions via horizontal gene transfer during the coevolution of lactic acid bacteria with their habitats.« less

Historian: accurate reconstruction of ancestral sequences and evolutionary rates.

PubMed

Holmes, Ian H

2017-04-15

Reconstruction of ancestral sequence histories, and estimation of parameters like indel rates, are improved by using explicit evolutionary models and summing over uncertain alignments. The previous best tool for this purpose (according to simulation benchmarks) was ProtPal, but this tool was too slow for practical use. Historian combines an efficient reimplementation of the ProtPal algorithm with performance-improving heuristics from other alignment tools. Simulation results on fidelity of rate estimation via ancestral reconstruction, along with evaluations on the structurally informed alignment dataset BAliBase 3.0, recommend Historian over other alignment tools for evolutionary applications. Historian is available at https://github.com/evoldoers/historian under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 US license. ihholmes+historian@gmail.com. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

A Common Ancestral Mutation in CRYBB3 Identified in Multiple Consanguineous Families with Congenital Cataracts

PubMed Central

Irum, Bushra; Khan, Arif O.; Wang, Qiwei; Li, David; Khan, Asma A.; Husnain, Tayyab; Akram, Javed; Riazuddin, Sheikh

2016-01-01

Purpose This study was performed to investigate the genetic determinants of autosomal recessive congenital cataracts in large consanguineous families. Methods Affected individuals underwent a detailed ophthalmological examination and slit-lamp photographs of the cataractous lenses were obtained. An aliquot of blood was collected from all participating family members and genomic DNA was extracted from white blood cells. Initially, a genome-wide scan was performed with genomic DNAs of family PKCC025 followed by exclusion analysis of our familial cohort of congenital cataracts. Protein-coding exons of CRYBB1, CRYBB2, CRYBB3, and CRYBA4 were sequenced bidirectionally. A haplotype was constructed with SNPs flanking the causal mutation for affected individuals in all four families, while the probability that the four familial cases have a common founder was estimated using EM and CHM-based algorithms. The expression of Crybb3 in the developing murine lens was investigated using TaqMan assays. Results The clinical and ophthalmological examinations suggested that all affected individuals had nuclear cataracts. Genome-wide linkage analysis localized the causal phenotype in family PKCC025 to chromosome 22q with statistically significant two-point logarithm of odds (LOD) scores. Subsequently, we localized three additional families, PKCC063, PKCC131, and PKCC168 to chromosome 22q. Bidirectional Sanger sequencing identified a missense variation: c.493G>C (p.Gly165Arg) in CRYBB3 that segregated with the disease phenotype in all four familial cases. This variation was not found in ethnically matched control chromosomes, the NHLBI exome variant server, or the 1000 Genomes or dbSNP databases. Interestingly, all four families harbor a unique disease haplotype that strongly suggests a common founder of the causal mutation (p<1.64E-10). We observed expression of Crybb3 in the mouse lens as early as embryonic day 15 (E15), and expression remained relatively steady throughout

Mitochondrial genome analysis of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis and a revisit of the Metaseiulus occidentalis mitochondrial genome.

PubMed

Dermauw, Wannes; Vanholme, Bartel; Tirry, Luc; Van Leeuwen, Thomas

2010-04-01

In this study we sequenced and analysed the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of the Chilean predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Chelicerata: Acari: Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae: Amblyseiinae). The 16 199 bp genome (79.8% AT) contains the standard set of 13 protein-coding and 24 RNA genes. Compared with the ancestral arthropod mtDNA pattern, the gene order is extremely reshuffled (35 genes changed position) and represents a novel arrangement within the arthropods. This is probably related to the presence of several large noncoding regions in the genome. In contrast with the mt genome of the closely related species Metaseiulus occidentalis (Phytoseiidae: Typhlodrominae) - which was reported to be unusually large (24 961 bp), to lack nad6 and nad3 protein-coding genes, and to contain 22 tRNAs without T-arms - the genome of P. persimilis has all the features of a standard metazoan mt genome. Consequently, we performed additional experiments on the M. occidentalis mt genome. Our preliminary restriction digests and Southern hybridization data revealed that this genome is smaller than previously reported. In addition, we cloned nad3 in M. occidentalis and positioned this gene between nad4L and 12S-rRNA on the mt genome. Finally, we report that at least 15 of the 22 tRNAs in the M. occidentalis mt genome can be folded into canonical cloverleaf structures similar to their counterparts in P. persimilis.

Reconstructed Ancestral Enzymes Impose a Fitness Cost upon Modern Bacteria Despite Exhibiting Favourable Biochemical Properties.

PubMed

Hobbs, Joanne K; Prentice, Erica J; Groussin, Mathieu; Arcus, Vickery L

2015-10-01

Ancestral sequence reconstruction has been widely used to study historical enzyme evolution, both from biochemical and cellular perspectives. Two properties of reconstructed ancestral proteins/enzymes are commonly reported--high thermostability and high catalytic activity--compared with their contemporaries. Increased protein stability is associated with lower aggregation rates, higher soluble protein abundance and a greater capacity to evolve, and therefore, these proteins could be considered "superior" to their contemporary counterparts. In this study, we investigate the relationship between the favourable in vitro biochemical properties of reconstructed ancestral enzymes and the organismal fitness they confer in vivo. We have previously reconstructed several ancestors of the enzyme LeuB, which is essential for leucine biosynthesis. Our initial fitness experiments revealed that overexpression of ANC4, a reconstructed LeuB that exhibits high stability and activity, was only able to partially rescue the growth of a ΔleuB strain, and that a strain complemented with this enzyme was outcompeted by strains carrying one of its descendants. When we expanded our study to include five reconstructed LeuBs and one contemporary, we found that neither in vitro protein stability nor the catalytic rate was correlated with fitness. Instead, fitness showed a strong, negative correlation with estimated evolutionary age (based on phylogenetic relationships). Our findings suggest that, for reconstructed ancestral enzymes, superior in vitro properties do not translate into organismal fitness in vivo. The molecular basis of the relationship between fitness and the inferred age of ancestral LeuB enzymes is unknown, but may be related to the reconstruction process. We also hypothesise that the ancestral enzymes may be incompatible with the other, contemporary enzymes of the metabolic network.

Ancestral Rocky Mountian Tectonics: A Sedimentary Record of Ancestral Front Range and Uncompahgre Exhumation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, T. M.; Saylor, J. E.; Lapen, T. J.

2015-12-01

The Ancestral Rocky Mountains (ARM) encompass multiple crustal provinces with characteristic crystallization ages across the central and western US. Two driving mechanisms have been proposed to explain ARM deformation. (1) Ouachita-Marathon collision SE of the ARM uplifts has been linked to an E-to-W sequence of uplift and is consistent with proposed disruption of a larger Paradox-Central Colorado Trough Basin by exhumation of the Uncompahgre Uplift. Initial exhumation of the Amarillo-Wichita Uplift to the east would provide a unique ~530 Ma signal absent from source areas to the SW, and result in initial exhumation of the Ancestral Front Range. (2) Alternatively, deformation due to flat slab subduction along a hypothesized plate boundary to the SW suggests a SW-to-NE younging of exhumation. This hypothesis suggests a SW-derived Grenville signature, and would trigger uplift of the Uncompahgre first. We analyzed depositional environments, sediment dispersal patterns, and sediment and basement zircon U-Pb and (U-Th)/He ages in 3 locations in the Paradox Basin and Central Colorado Trough (CCT). The Paradox Basin exhibits an up-section transition in fluvial style that suggests a decrease in overbank stability and increased lateral migration. Similarly, the CCT records a long-term progradation of depositional environments from marginal marine to fluvial, indicating that sediment supply in both basins outpaced accommodation. Preliminary provenance results indicate little to no input from the Amarillo-Wichita uplift in either basin despite uniformly westward sediment dispersal systems in both basins. Results also show that the Uncompahgre Uplift was the source for sediment throughout Paradox Basin deposition. These observations are inconsistent with the predictions of scenario 1 above. Rather, they suggest either a synchronous response to tectonic stress across the ARM provinces or an SW-to-NE pattern of deformation.

"I Ulu No Ka Lala I Ke Kumu", The Branches Grow Because of the Trunk: Ancestral Knowledge as Refusal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chandler, Kapua L.

2018-01-01

This paper will discuss the ways that Native Hawaiian scholars are engaging in innovative strategies that incorporate ancestral knowledges into the academy. Ancestral knowledges are highly valued as Indigenous communities strive to pass on such wisdom and lessons from generation to generation. Ancestral knowledges are all around us no matter where…

The Genome of Naegleria gruberi Illuminates Early Eukaryotic Versatility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fritz-Laylin, Lillian K.; Prochnik, Simon E.; Ginger, Michael L.

2010-03-01

Genome sequences of diverse free-living protists are essential for understanding eukaryotic evolution and molecular and cell biology. The free-living amoeboflagellate Naegleria gruberi belongs to a varied and ubiquitous protist clade (Heterolobosea) that diverged from other eukaryotic lineages over a billion years ago. Analysis of the 15,727 protein-coding genes encoded by Naegleria's 41 Mb nuclear genome indicates a capacity for both aerobic respiration and anaerobic metabolism with concomitant hydrogen production, with fundamental implications for the evolution of organelle metabolism. The Naegleria genome facilitates substantially broader phylogenomic comparisons of free-living eukaryotes than previously possible, allowing us to identify thousands of genes likelymore » present in the pan-eukaryotic ancestor, with 40% likely eukaryotic inventions. Moreover, we construct a comprehensive catalog of amoeboid-motility genes. The Naegleria genome, analyzed in the context of other protists, reveals a remarkably complex ancestral eukaryote with a rich repertoire of cytoskeletal, sexual, signaling, and metabolic modules.« less

Genome-culture coevolution promotes rapid divergence of killer whale ecotypes.

PubMed

Foote, Andrew D; Vijay, Nagarjun; Ávila-Arcos, María C; Baird, Robin W; Durban, John W; Fumagalli, Matteo; Gibbs, Richard A; Hanson, M Bradley; Korneliussen, Thorfinn S; Martin, Michael D; Robertson, Kelly M; Sousa, Vitor C; Vieira, Filipe G; Vinař, Tomáš; Wade, Paul; Worley, Kim C; Excoffier, Laurent; Morin, Phillip A; Gilbert, M Thomas P; Wolf, Jochen B W

2016-05-31

Analysing population genomic data from killer whale ecotypes, which we estimate have globally radiated within less than 250,000 years, we show that genetic structuring including the segregation of potentially functional alleles is associated with socially inherited ecological niche. Reconstruction of ancestral demographic history revealed bottlenecks during founder events, likely promoting ecological divergence and genetic drift resulting in a wide range of genome-wide differentiation between pairs of allopatric and sympatric ecotypes. Functional enrichment analyses provided evidence for regional genomic divergence associated with habitat, dietary preferences and post-zygotic reproductive isolation. Our findings are consistent with expansion of small founder groups into novel niches by an initial plastic behavioural response, perpetuated by social learning imposing an altered natural selection regime. The study constitutes an important step towards an understanding of the complex interaction between demographic history, culture, ecological adaptation and evolution at the genomic level.

Genome-culture coevolution promotes rapid divergence of killer whale ecotypes

PubMed Central

Foote, Andrew D.; Vijay, Nagarjun; Ávila-Arcos, María C.; Baird, Robin W.; Durban, John W.; Fumagalli, Matteo; Gibbs, Richard A.; Hanson, M. Bradley; Korneliussen, Thorfinn S.; Martin, Michael D.; Robertson, Kelly M.; Sousa, Vitor C.; Vieira, Filipe G.; Vinař, Tomáš; Wade, Paul; Worley, Kim C.; Excoffier, Laurent; Morin, Phillip A.; Gilbert, M. Thomas P.; Wolf, Jochen B.W.

2016-01-01

Analysing population genomic data from killer whale ecotypes, which we estimate have globally radiated within less than 250,000 years, we show that genetic structuring including the segregation of potentially functional alleles is associated with socially inherited ecological niche. Reconstruction of ancestral demographic history revealed bottlenecks during founder events, likely promoting ecological divergence and genetic drift resulting in a wide range of genome-wide differentiation between pairs of allopatric and sympatric ecotypes. Functional enrichment analyses provided evidence for regional genomic divergence associated with habitat, dietary preferences and post-zygotic reproductive isolation. Our findings are consistent with expansion of small founder groups into novel niches by an initial plastic behavioural response, perpetuated by social learning imposing an altered natural selection regime. The study constitutes an important step towards an understanding of the complex interaction between demographic history, culture, ecological adaptation and evolution at the genomic level. PMID:27243207

Comparative scaffolding and gap filling of ancient bacterial genomes applied to two ancient Yersinia pestis genomes

PubMed Central

Doerr, Daniel; Chauve, Cedric

2017-01-01

Yersinia pestis is the causative agent of the bubonic plague, a disease responsible for several dramatic historical pandemics. Progress in ancient DNA (aDNA) sequencing rendered possible the sequencing of whole genomes of important human pathogens, including the ancient Y. pestis strains responsible for outbreaks of the bubonic plague in London in the 14th century and in Marseille in the 18th century, among others. However, aDNA sequencing data are still characterized by short reads and non-uniform coverage, so assembling ancient pathogen genomes remains challenging and often prevents a detailed study of genome rearrangements. It has recently been shown that comparative scaffolding approaches can improve the assembly of ancient Y. pestis genomes at a chromosome level. In the present work, we address the last step of genome assembly, the gap-filling stage. We describe an optimization-based method AGapEs (ancestral gap estimation) to fill in inter-contig gaps using a combination of a template obtained from related extant genomes and aDNA reads. We show how this approach can be used to refine comparative scaffolding by selecting contig adjacencies supported by a mix of unassembled aDNA reads and comparative signal. We applied our method to two Y. pestis data sets from the London and Marseilles outbreaks, for which we obtained highly improved genome assemblies for both genomes, comprised of, respectively, five and six scaffolds with 95 % of the assemblies supported by ancient reads. We analysed the genome evolution between both ancient genomes in terms of genome rearrangements, and observed a high level of synteny conservation between these strains. PMID:29114402

A draft genome of Yersinia pestis from victims of the Black Death

PubMed Central

Bos, Kirsten I.; Schuenemann, Verena J.; Golding, G. Brian; Burbano, Hernán A.; Waglechner, Nicholas; Coombes, Brian K.; McPhee, Joseph B.; DeWitte, Sharon N.; Meyer, Matthias; Schmedes, Sarah; Wood, James; Earn, David J. D.; Herring, D. Ann; Bauer, Peter; Poinar, Hendrik N.; Krause, Johannes

2013-01-01

Technological advances in DNA recovery and sequencing have drastically expanded the scope of genetic analyses of ancient specimens to the extent that full genomic investigations are now feasible and are quickly becoming standard1. This trend has important implications for infectious disease research because genomic data from ancient microbes may help to elucidate mechanisms of pathogen evolution and adaptation for emerging and re-emerging infections. Here we report a reconstructed ancient genome of Yersinia pestis at 30-fold average coverage from Black Death victims securely dated to episodes of pestilence-associated mortality in London, England, 1348–1350. Genetic architecture and phylogenetic analysis indicate that the ancient organism is ancestral to most extant strains and sits very close to the ancestral node of all Y. pestis commonly associated with human infection. Temporal estimates suggest that the Black Death of 1347–1351 was the main historical event responsible for the introduction and widespread dissemination of the ancestor to all currently circulating Y. pestis strains pathogenic to humans, and further indicates that contemporary Y. pestis epidemics have their origins in the medieval era. Comparisons against modern genomes reveal no unique derived positions in the medieval organism, indicating that the perceived increased virulence of the disease during the Black Death may not have been due to bacterial phenotype. These findings support the notion that factors other than microbial genetics, such as environment, vector dynamics and host susceptibility, should be at the forefront of epidemiological discussions regarding emerging Y. pestis infections. PMID:21993626

Population genomics of intrapatient HIV-1 evolution

PubMed Central

Zanini, Fabio; Brodin, Johanna; Thebo, Lina; Lanz, Christa; Bratt, Göran; Albert, Jan; Neher, Richard A

2015-01-01

Many microbial populations rapidly adapt to changing environments with multiple variants competing for survival. To quantify such complex evolutionary dynamics in vivo, time resolved and genome wide data including rare variants are essential. We performed whole-genome deep sequencing of HIV-1 populations in 9 untreated patients, with 6-12 longitudinal samples per patient spanning 5-8 years of infection. The data can be accessed and explored via an interactive web application. We show that patterns of minor diversity are reproducible between patients and mirror global HIV-1 diversity, suggesting a universal landscape of fitness costs that control diversity. Reversions towards the ancestral HIV-1 sequence are observed throughout infection and account for almost one third of all sequence changes. Reversion rates depend strongly on conservation. Frequent recombination limits linkage disequilibrium to about 100bp in most of the genome, but strong hitch-hiking due to short range linkage limits diversity. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.11282.001 PMID:26652000

Ancestral Mutations Acquired in Refrex-1, a Restriction Factor against Feline Retroviruses, during its Cooption and Domestication

PubMed Central

Ito, Jumpei; Baba, Takuya; Kawasaki, Junna

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are remnants of ancestral retroviral infections of germ cells. Retroviral endogenization is an adaptation process for the host genome, and ERVs are gradually attenuated or inactivated by mutation. However, some ERVs that have been “domesticated” by their hosts eventually gain physiological functions, such as placentation or viral resistance. We previously reported the discovery of Refrex-1, a soluble antiretroviral factor in domestic cats that specifically inhibits infection by feline leukemia virus subgroup D (FeLV-D), a chimeric virus of FeLV, and a feline ERV, ERV-DC. Refrex-1 is a truncated envelope protein (Env) encoded by both ERV-DC7 and ERV-DC16 proviral loci. Here, we reconstituted ancestral and functional Env from ERV-DC7 and ERV-DC16 envelope genes (env) by inducing reverse mutations. Unexpectedly, ERV-DC7 and ERV-DC16 full-length Env (ERV-DC7 fl and ERV-DC16 fl), reconstructed by removing stop codons, did not produce infectious viral particles. ERV-DC7 fl and ERV-DC16 fl were highly expressed in cells but were not cleaved into surface subunits (SU) and transmembrane subunits, nor were they incorporated into virions. G407R/N427I-A429T and Y431D substitutions within the SU C-terminal domain of ERV-DC7 fl and ERV-DC16 fl, respectively, caused these dysfunctions. The residues glycine 407 and tyrosine 431 are relatively conserved among infectious gammaretroviruses, and their substitution causes the same dysfunctions as the tested retroviruses. Our results reveal that specific mutations within the SU C-terminal domain suppressed Env cleavage and incorporation into virions and indicate that these mutations contributed to the domestication of Refrex-1 through multistep events that occurred in the postintegration period. IMPORTANCE Domestic cats are colonized with various exogenous retroviruses (exRVs), such as feline leukemia virus (FeLV), and their genomes contain numerous ERVs, some of which are replication

Comparative genome sequence analysis underscores mycoparasitism as the ancestral life style of Trichoderma

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Mycoparasitism, a lifestyle where one fungus is parasitic on another fungus, has special relevance when the prey is a plant pathogen, providing a strategy for biological control of pests for plant protection. Probably, the most studied biocontrol agents are species of the genus Hypocrea/Trichoderma. Results Here we report an analysis of the genome sequences of the two biocontrol species Trichoderma atroviride (teleomorph Hypocrea atroviridis) and Trichoderma virens (formerly Gliocladium virens, teleomorph Hypocrea virens), and a comparison with Trichoderma reesei (teleomorph Hypocrea jecorina). These three Trichoderma species display a remarkable conservation of gene order (78 to 96%), and a lack of active mobile elements probably due to repeat-induced point mutation. Several gene families are expanded in the two mycoparasitic species relative to T. reesei or other ascomycetes, and are overrepresented in non-syntenic genome regions. A phylogenetic analysis shows that T. reesei and T. virens are derived relative to T. atroviride. The mycoparasitism-specific genes thus arose in a common Trichoderma ancestor but were subsequently lost in T. reesei. Conclusions The data offer a better understanding of mycoparasitism, and thus enforce the development of improved biocontrol strains for efficient and environmentally friendly protection of plants. PMID:21501500

Evolutionary insights from Erwinia amylovora genomics.

PubMed

Smits, Theo H M; Rezzonico, Fabio; Duffy, Brion

2011-08-20

Evolutionary genomics is coming into focus with the recent availability of complete sequences for many bacterial species. A hypothesis on the evolution of virulence factors in the plant pathogen Erwinia amylovora, the causative agent of fire blight, was generated using comparative genomics with the genomes E. amylovora, Erwinia pyrifoliae and Erwinia tasmaniensis. Putative virulence factors were mapped to the proposed genealogy of the genus Erwinia that is based on phylogenetic and genomic data. Ancestral origin of several virulence factors was identified, including levan biosynthesis, sorbitol metabolism, three T3SS and two T6SS. Other factors appeared to have been acquired after divergence of pathogenic species, including a second flagellar gene and two glycosyltransferases involved in amylovoran biosynthesis. E. amylovora singletons include 3 unique T3SS effectors that may explain differential virulence/host ranges. E. amylovora also has a unique T1SS export system, and a unique third T6SS gene cluster. Genetic analysis revealed signatures of foreign DNA suggesting that horizontal gene transfer is responsible for some of these differential features between the three species. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Co-invading symbiotic mutualists of Medicago polymorpha retain high ancestral diversity and contain diverse accessory genomes.

PubMed

Porter, Stephanie S; Faber-Hammond, Joshua J; Friesen, Maren L

2018-01-01

Exotic, invasive plants and animals can wreak havoc on ecosystems by displacing natives and altering environmental conditions. However, much less is known about the identities or evolutionary dynamics of the symbiotic microbes that accompany invasive species. Most leguminous plants rely upon symbiotic rhizobium bacteria to fix nitrogen and are incapable of colonizing areas devoid of compatible rhizobia. We compare the genomes of symbiotic rhizobia in a portion of the legume's invaded range with those of the rhizobium symbionts from across the legume's native range. We show that in an area of California the legume Medicago polymorpha has invaded, its Ensifer medicae symbionts: (i) exhibit genome-wide patterns of relatedness that together with historical evidence support host-symbiont co-invasion from Europe into California, (ii) exhibit population genomic patterns consistent with the introduction of the majority of deep diversity from the native range, rather than a genetic bottleneck during colonization of California and (iii) harbor a large set of accessory genes uniquely enriched in binding functions, which could play a role in habitat invasion. Examining microbial symbiont genome dynamics during biological invasions is critical for assessing host-symbiont co-invasions whereby microbial symbiont range expansion underlies plant and animal invasions. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Genome flux and stasis in a five millennium transect of European prehistory.

PubMed

Gamba, Cristina; Jones, Eppie R; Teasdale, Matthew D; McLaughlin, Russell L; Gonzalez-Fortes, Gloria; Mattiangeli, Valeria; Domboróczki, László; Kővári, Ivett; Pap, Ildikó; Anders, Alexandra; Whittle, Alasdair; Dani, János; Raczky, Pál; Higham, Thomas F G; Hofreiter, Michael; Bradley, Daniel G; Pinhasi, Ron

2014-10-21

The Great Hungarian Plain was a crossroads of cultural transformations that have shaped European prehistory. Here we analyse a 5,000-year transect of human genomes, sampled from petrous bones giving consistently excellent endogenous DNA yields, from 13 Hungarian Neolithic, Copper, Bronze and Iron Age burials including two to high (~22 × ) and seven to ~1 × coverage, to investigate the impact of these on Europe's genetic landscape. These data suggest genomic shifts with the advent of the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages, with interleaved periods of genome stability. The earliest Neolithic context genome shows a European hunter-gatherer genetic signature and a restricted ancestral population size, suggesting direct contact between cultures after the arrival of the first farmers into Europe. The latest, Iron Age, sample reveals an eastern genomic influence concordant with introduced Steppe burial rites. We observe transition towards lighter pigmentation and surprisingly, no Neolithic presence of lactase persistence.

Social capital and health: evidence that ancestral trust promotes health among children of immigrants.

PubMed

Ljunge, Martin

2014-12-01

This paper presents evidence that generalized trust promotes health. Children of immigrants in a broad set of European countries with ancestry from across the world are studied. Individuals are examined within country of residence using variation in trust across countries of ancestry. The approach addresses reverse causality and concerns that the trust measure picks up institutional factors in the individual's contextual setting. There is a significant positive estimate of ancestral trust in explaining self-assessed health. The finding is robust to accounting for individual, parental, and extensive ancestral country characteristics. Individuals with higher ancestral trust are also less likely to be hampered by health problems in their daily life, providing evidence of trust influencing real life outcomes. Individuals with high trust feel and act healthier, enabling a more productive life.

In search of ancestral Kilauea volcano

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lipman, P.W.; Sisson, T.W.; Ui, T.; Naka, J.

2000-01-01

Submersible observations and samples show that the lower south flank of Hawaii, offshore from Kilauea volcano and the active Hilina slump system, consists entirely of compositionally diverse volcaniclastic rocks; pillow lavas are confined to shallow slopes. Submarine-erupted basalt clasts have strongly variable alkalic and transitional basalt compositions (to 41% SiO2, 10.8% alkalies), contrasting with present-day Kilauea tholeiites. The volcaniclastic rocks provide a unique record of ancestral alkalic growth of an archetypal hotspot volcano, including transition to its tholeiitic shield stage, and associated slope-failure events.

Predominance of Ancestral Lineages of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in India

PubMed Central

Gutierrez, M. Cristina; Ahmed, Niyaz; Willery, Eve; Narayanan, Sujatha; Hasnain, Seyed E.; Chauhan, Devendra S.; Katoch, Vishwa M.; Vincent, Véronique; Locht, Camille

2006-01-01

Although India has the highest prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) worldwide, the genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in India is largely unknown. A collection of 91 isolates originating from 12 different regions spread across the country were analyzed by genotyping using 21 loci with variable-number tandem repeats (VNTRs), by spoligotyping, by principal genetic grouping (PGG), and by deletion analysis of M. tuberculosis–specific deletion region 1. The isolates showed highly diverse VNTR genotypes. Nevertheless, highly congruent groupings identified by using the 4 independent sets of markers permitted a clear definition of 3 prevalent PGG1 lineages, which corresponded to the "ancestral" East African–Indian, the Delhi, and the Beijing/W genogroups. A few isolates from PGG2 lineages and a single representative of the presumably most recent PGG3 were identified. These observations suggest a predominance of ancestral M. tuberculosis genotypes in the Indian subcontinent, which supports the hypothesis that India is an ancient endemic focus of TB. PMID:17073085

Presence of a Shared 5'-Leader Sequence in Ancestral Human and Mammalian Retroviruses and Its Transduction into Feline Leukemia Virus.

PubMed

Kawasaki, Junna; Kawamura, Maki; Ohsato, Yoshiharu; Ito, Jumpei; Nishigaki, Kazuo

2017-10-15

Recombination events induce significant genetic changes, and this process can result in virus genetic diversity or in the generation of novel pathogenicity. We discovered a new recombinant feline leukemia virus (FeLV) gag gene harboring an unrelated insertion, termed the X region, which was derived from Felis catus endogenous gammaretrovirus 4 (FcERV-gamma4). The identified FcERV-gamma4 proviruses have lost their coding capabilities, but some can express their viral RNA in feline tissues. Although the X-region-carrying recombinant FeLVs appeared to be replication-defective viruses, they were detected in 6.4% of tested FeLV-infected cats. All isolated recombinant FeLV clones commonly incorporated a middle part of the FcERV-gamma4 5'-leader region as an X region. Surprisingly, a sequence corresponding to the portion contained in all X regions is also present in at least 13 endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) observed in the cat, human, primate, and pig genomes. We termed this shared genetic feature the commonly shared (CS) sequence. Despite our phylogenetic analysis indicating that all CS-sequence-carrying ERVs are classified as gammaretroviruses, no obvious closeness was revealed among these ERVs. However, the Shannon entropy in the CS sequence was lower than that in other parts of the provirus genome. Notably, the CS sequence of human endogenous retrovirus T had 73.8% similarity with that of FcERV-gamma4, and specific signals were detected in the human genome by Southern blot analysis using a probe for the FcERV-gamma4 CS sequence. Our results provide an interesting evolutionary history for CS-sequence circulation among several distinct ancestral viruses and a novel recombined virus over a prolonged period. IMPORTANCE Recombination among ERVs or modern viral genomes causes a rapid evolution of retroviruses, and this phenomenon can result in the serious situation of viral disease reemergence. We identified a novel recombinant FeLV gag gene that contains an unrelated

Trans-ancestral studies fine map the SLE-susceptibility locus TNFSF4.

PubMed

Manku, Harinder; Langefeld, Carl D; Guerra, Sandra G; Malik, Talat H; Alarcon-Riquelme, Marta; Anaya, Juan-Manuel; Bae, Sang-Cheol; Boackle, Susan A; Brown, Elizabeth E; Criswell, Lindsey A; Freedman, Barry I; Gaffney, Patrick M; Gregersen, Peter A; Guthridge, Joel M; Han, Sang-Hoon; Harley, John B; Jacob, Chaim O; James, Judith A; Kamen, Diane L; Kaufman, Kenneth M; Kelly, Jennifer A; Martin, Javier; Merrill, Joan T; Moser, Kathy L; Niewold, Timothy B; Park, So-Yeon; Pons-Estel, Bernardo A; Sawalha, Amr H; Scofield, R Hal; Shen, Nan; Stevens, Anne M; Sun, Celi; Gilkeson, Gary S; Edberg, Jeff C; Kimberly, Robert P; Nath, Swapan K; Tsao, Betty P; Vyse, Tim J

2013-01-01

We previously established an 80 kb haplotype upstream of TNFSF4 as a susceptibility locus in the autoimmune disease SLE. SLE-associated alleles at this locus are associated with inflammatory disorders, including atherosclerosis and ischaemic stroke. In Europeans, the TNFSF4 causal variants have remained elusive due to strong linkage disequilibrium exhibited by alleles spanning the region. Using a trans-ancestral approach to fine-map the locus, utilising 17,900 SLE and control subjects including Amerindian/Hispanics (1348 cases, 717 controls), African-Americans (AA) (1529, 2048) and better powered cohorts of Europeans and East Asians, we find strong association of risk alleles in all ethnicities; the AA association replicates in African-American Gullah (152,122). The best evidence of association comes from two adjacent markers: rs2205960-T (P=1.71 × 10(-34) , OR=1.43[1.26-1.60]) and rs1234317-T (P=1.16 × 10(-28) , OR=1.38[1.24-1.54]). Inference of fine-scale recombination rates for all populations tested finds the 80 kb risk and non-risk haplotypes in all except African-Americans. In this population the decay of recombination equates to an 11 kb risk haplotype, anchored in the 5' region proximal to TNFSF4 and tagged by rs2205960-T after 1000 Genomes phase 1 (v3) imputation. Conditional regression analyses delineate the 5' risk signal to rs2205960-T and the independent non-risk signal to rs1234314-C. Our case-only and SLE-control cohorts demonstrate robust association of rs2205960-T with autoantibody production. The rs2205960-T is predicted to form part of a decameric motif which binds NF-κBp65 with increased affinity compared to rs2205960-G. ChIP-seq data also indicate NF-κB interaction with the DNA sequence at this position in LCL cells. Our research suggests association of rs2205960-T with SLE across multiple groups and an independent non-risk signal at rs1234314-C. rs2205960-T is associated with autoantibody production and lymphopenia. Our data confirm a

Comparative genome sequence analysis underscores mycoparasitism as the ancestral life style of Trichoderma.

PubMed

Kubicek, Christian P; Herrera-Estrella, Alfredo; Seidl-Seiboth, Verena; Martinez, Diego A; Druzhinina, Irina S; Thon, Michael; Zeilinger, Susanne; Casas-Flores, Sergio; Horwitz, Benjamin A; Mukherjee, Prasun K; Mukherjee, Mala; Kredics, László; Alcaraz, Luis D; Aerts, Andrea; Antal, Zsuzsanna; Atanasova, Lea; Cervantes-Badillo, Mayte G; Challacombe, Jean; Chertkov, Olga; McCluskey, Kevin; Coulpier, Fanny; Deshpande, Nandan; von Döhren, Hans; Ebbole, Daniel J; Esquivel-Naranjo, Edgardo U; Fekete, Erzsébet; Flipphi, Michel; Glaser, Fabian; Gómez-Rodríguez, Elida Y; Gruber, Sabine; Han, Cliff; Henrissat, Bernard; Hermosa, Rosa; Hernández-Oñate, Miguel; Karaffa, Levente; Kosti, Idit; Le Crom, Stéphane; Lindquist, Erika; Lucas, Susan; Lübeck, Mette; Lübeck, Peter S; Margeot, Antoine; Metz, Benjamin; Misra, Monica; Nevalainen, Helena; Omann, Markus; Packer, Nicolle; Perrone, Giancarlo; Uresti-Rivera, Edith E; Salamov, Asaf; Schmoll, Monika; Seiboth, Bernhard; Shapiro, Harris; Sukno, Serenella; Tamayo-Ramos, Juan Antonio; Tisch, Doris; Wiest, Aric; Wilkinson, Heather H; Zhang, Michael; Coutinho, Pedro M; Kenerley, Charles M; Monte, Enrique; Baker, Scott E; Grigoriev, Igor V

2011-01-01

Mycoparasitism, a lifestyle where one fungus is parasitic on another fungus, has special relevance when the prey is a plant pathogen, providing a strategy for biological control of pests for plant protection. Probably, the most studied biocontrol agents are species of the genus Hypocrea/Trichoderma. Here we report an analysis of the genome sequences of the two biocontrol species Trichoderma atroviride (teleomorph Hypocrea atroviridis) and Trichoderma virens (formerly Gliocladium virens, teleomorph Hypocrea virens), and a comparison with Trichoderma reesei (teleomorph Hypocrea jecorina). These three Trichoderma species display a remarkable conservation of gene order (78 to 96%), and a lack of active mobile elements probably due to repeat-induced point mutation. Several gene families are expanded in the two mycoparasitic species relative to T. reesei or other ascomycetes, and are overrepresented in non-syntenic genome regions. A phylogenetic analysis shows that T. reesei and T. virens are derived relative to T. atroviride. The mycoparasitism-specific genes thus arose in a common Trichoderma ancestor but were subsequently lost in T. reesei. The data offer a better understanding of mycoparasitism, and thus enforce the development of improved biocontrol strains for efficient and environmentally friendly protection of plants. © 2011 Kubicek et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Ancestral TCDD exposure promotes epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of imprinted gene Igf2: Methylation status and DNMTs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ma, Jing; Chen, Xi; Liu, Yanan

2015-12-01

Ancestral TCDD exposure could induce epigenetic transgenerational phenotypes, which may be mediated in part by imprinted gene inheritance. The aim of our study was to evaluate the transgenerational effects of ancestral TCDD exposure on the imprinted gene insulin-like growth factor-2 (Igf2) in rat somatic tissue. TCDD was administered daily by oral gavage to groups of F0 pregnant SD rats at dose levels of 0 (control), 200 or 800 ng/kg bw during gestation day 8–14. Animal transgenerational model of ancestral exposure to TCDD was carefully built, avoiding sibling inbreeding. Hepatic Igf2 expression of the TCDD male progeny was decreased concomitantly withmore » hepatic damage and increased activities of serum hepatic enzymes both in the F1 and F3 generation. Imprinted Control Region (ICR) of Igf2 manifested a hypermethylated pattern, whereas methylation status in the Differentially Methylated Region 2 (DMR2) showed a hypomethylated manner in the F1 generation. These epigenetic alterations in these two regions maintained similar trends in the F3 generation. Meanwhile, the expressions of DNA methyltransferases (DNMT1, DNMT3A and DNMT3B) changed in a non-monotonic manner both in the F1 and F3 generation. This study provides evidence that ancestral TCDD exposure may promote epigenetic transgenerational alterations of imprinted gene Igf2 in adult somatic tissue. - Highlights: • Ancestral TCDD exposure induces epigenetic transgenerational inheritance. • Ancestral TCDD exposure affects methylation status in ICR and DMR2 region of Igf2. • DNMTs play a role in TCDD induced epigenetic transgenerational changes of Igf2.« less

Towards the delineation of the ancestral eutherian genome organization: comparative genome maps of human and the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) generated by chromosome painting.

PubMed Central

Frönicke, Lutz; Wienberg, Johannes; Stone, Gary; Adams, Lisa; Stanyon, Roscoe

2003-01-01

This study presents a whole-genome comparison of human and a representative of the Afrotherian clade, the African elephant, generated by reciprocal Zoo-FISH. An analysis of Afrotheria genomes is of special interest, because recent DNA sequence comparisons identify them as the oldest placental mammalian clade. Complete sets of whole-chromosome specific painting probes for the African elephant and human were constructed by degenerate oligonucleotide-primed PCR amplification of flow-sorted chromosomes. Comparative genome maps are presented based on their hybridization patterns. These maps show that the elephant has a moderately rearranged chromosome complement when compared to humans. The human paint probes identified 53 evolutionary conserved segments on the 27 autosomal elephant chromosomes and the X chromosome. Reciprocal experiments with elephant probes delineated 68 conserved segments in the human genome. The comparison with a recent aardvark and elephant Zoo-FISH study delineates new chromosomal traits which link the two Afrotherian species phylogenetically. In the absence of any morphological evidence the chromosome painting data offer the first non-DNA sequence support for an Afrotherian clade. The comparative human and elephant genome maps provide new insights into the karyotype organization of the proto-afrotherian, the ancestor of extant placental mammals, which most probably consisted of 2n=46 chromosomes. PMID:12965023

Sequencing of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) genome provides insights into vertebrate evolution

PubMed Central

Smith, Jeramiah J; Kuraku, Shigehiro; Holt, Carson; Sauka-Spengler, Tatjana; Jiang, Ning; Campbell, Michael S; Yandell, Mark D; Manousaki, Tereza; Meyer, Axel; Bloom, Ona E; Morgan, Jennifer R; Buxbaum, Joseph D; Sachidanandam, Ravi; Sims, Carrie; Garruss, Alexander S; Cook, Malcolm; Krumlauf, Robb; Wiedemann, Leanne M; Sower, Stacia A; Decatur, Wayne A; Hall, Jeffrey A; Amemiya, Chris T; Saha, Nil R; Buckley, Katherine M; Rast, Jonathan P; Das, Sabyasachi; Hirano, Masayuki; McCurley, Nathanael; Guo, Peng; Rohner, Nicolas; Tabin, Clifford J; Piccinelli, Paul; Elgar, Greg; Ruffier, Magali; Aken, Bronwen L; Searle, Stephen MJ; Muffato, Matthieu; Pignatelli, Miguel; Herrero, Javier; Jones, Matthew; Brown, C Titus; Chung-Davidson, Yu-Wen; Nanlohy, Kaben G; Libants, Scot V; Yeh, Chu-Yin; McCauley, David W; Langeland, James A; Pancer, Zeev; Fritzsch, Bernd; de Jong, Pieter J; Zhu, Baoli; Fulton, Lucinda L; Theising, Brenda; Flicek, Paul; Bronner, Marianne E; Warren, Wesley C; Clifton, Sandra W; Wilson, Richard K; Li, Weiming

2013-01-01

Lampreys are representatives of an ancient vertebrate lineage that diverged from our own ~500 million years ago. By virtue of this deeply shared ancestry, the sea lamprey (P. marinus) genome is uniquely poised to provide insight into the ancestry of vertebrate genomes and the underlying principles of vertebrate biology. Here, we present the first lamprey whole-genome sequence and assembly. We note challenges faced owing to its high content of repetitive elements and GC bases, as well as the absence of broad-scale sequence information from closely related species. Analyses of the assembly indicate that two whole-genome duplications likely occurred before the divergence of ancestral lamprey and gnathostome lineages. Moreover, the results help define key evolutionary events within vertebrate lineages, including the origin of myelin-associated proteins and the development of appendages. The lamprey genome provides an important resource for reconstructing vertebrate origins and the evolutionary events that have shaped the genomes of extant organisms. PMID:23435085

Identification of a precursor genomic segment that provided a sequence unique to glycophorin B and E genes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Onda, M.; Kudo, S.; Fukuda, M.

Human glycophorin A, B, and E (GPA, GPB, and GPE) genes belong to a gene family located at the long arm of chromosome 4. These three genes are homologous from the 5'-flanking sequence to the Alu sequence, which is 1 kb downstream from the exon encoding the transmembrane domain. Analysis of the Alu sequence and flanking direct repeat sequences suggested that the GPA gene most closely resembles the ancestral gene, whereas the GPB and GPE gene arose by homologous recombination within the Alu sequence, acquiring 3' sequences from an unrelated precursor genomic segment. Here the authors describe the identification ofmore » this putative precursor genomic segment. A human genomic library was screened by using the sequence of the 3' region of the GPB gene as a probe. The genomic clones isolated were found to contain an Alu sequence that appeared to be involved in the recombination. Downstream from the Alu sequence, the nucleotide sequence of the precursor genomic segment is almost identical to that of the GPB or GPE gene. In contrast, the upstream sequence of the genomic segment differs entirely from that of the GPA, GPB, and GPE genes. Conservation of the direct repeats flanking the Alu sequence of the genomic segment strongly suggests that the sequence of this genomic segment has been maintained during evolution. This identified genomic segment was found to reside downstream from the GPA gene by both gene mapping and in situ chromosomal localization. The precursor genomic segment was also identified in the orangutan genome, which is known to lack GPB and GPE genes. These results indicate that one of the duplicated ancestral glycophorin genes acquired a unique 3' sequence by unequal crossing-over through its Alu sequence and the further downstream Alu sequence present in the duplicated gene. Further duplication and divergence of this gene yielded the GPB and GPE genes. 37 refs., 5 figs.« less

Calibration and analysis of genome-based models for microbial ecology.

PubMed

Louca, Stilianos; Doebeli, Michael

2015-10-16

Microbial ecosystem modeling is complicated by the large number of unknown parameters and the lack of appropriate calibration tools. Here we present a novel computational framework for modeling microbial ecosystems, which combines genome-based model construction with statistical analysis and calibration to experimental data. Using this framework, we examined the dynamics of a community of Escherichia coli strains that emerged in laboratory evolution experiments, during which an ancestral strain diversified into two coexisting ecotypes. We constructed a microbial community model comprising the ancestral and the evolved strains, which we calibrated using separate monoculture experiments. Simulations reproduced the successional dynamics in the evolution experiments, and pathway activation patterns observed in microarray transcript profiles. Our approach yielded detailed insights into the metabolic processes that drove bacterial diversification, involving acetate cross-feeding and competition for organic carbon and oxygen. Our framework provides a missing link towards a data-driven mechanistic microbial ecology.

The genome of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum

PubMed Central

Eichinger, L.; Pachebat, J.A.; Glöckner, G.; Rajandream, M.-A.; Sucgang, R.; Berriman, M.; Song, J.; Olsen, R.; Szafranski, K.; Xu, Q.; Tunggal, B.; Kummerfeld, S.; Madera, M.; Konfortov, B. A.; Rivero, F.; Bankier, A. T.; Lehmann, R.; Hamlin, N.; Davies, R.; Gaudet, P.; Fey, P.; Pilcher, K.; Chen, G.; Saunders, D.; Sodergren, E.; Davis, P.; Kerhornou, A.; Nie, X.; Hall, N.; Anjard, C.; Hemphill, L.; Bason, N.; Farbrother, P.; Desany, B.; Just, E.; Morio, T.; Rost, R.; Churcher, C.; Cooper, J.; Haydock, S.; van Driessche, N.; Cronin, A.; Goodhead, I.; Muzny, D.; Mourier, T.; Pain, A.; Lu, M.; Harper, D.; Lindsay, R.; Hauser, H.; James, K.; Quiles, M.; Babu, M. Madan; Saito, T.; Buchrieser, C.; Wardroper, A.; Felder, M.; Thangavelu, M.; Johnson, D.; Knights, A.; Loulseged, H.; Mungall, K.; Oliver, K.; Price, C.; Quail, M.A.; Urushihara, H.; Hernandez, J.; Rabbinowitsch, E.; Steffen, D.; Sanders, M.; Ma, J.; Kohara, Y.; Sharp, S.; Simmonds, M.; Spiegler, S.; Tivey, A.; Sugano, S.; White, B.; Walker, D.; Woodward, J.; Winckler, T.; Tanaka, Y.; Shaulsky, G.; Schleicher, M.; Weinstock, G.; Rosenthal, A.; Cox, E.C.; Chisholm, R. L.; Gibbs, R.; Loomis, W. F.; Platzer, M.; Kay, R. R.; Williams, J.; Dear, P. H.; Noegel, A. A.; Barrell, B.; Kuspa, A.

2005-01-01

The social amoebae are exceptional in their ability to alternate between unicellular and multicellular forms. Here we describe the genome of the best-studied member of this group, Dictyostelium discoideum. The gene-dense chromosomes encode ~12,500 predicted proteins, a high proportion of which have long repetitive amino acid tracts. There are many genes for polyketide synthases and ABC transporters, suggesting an extensive secondary metabolism for producing and exporting small molecules. The genome is rich in complex repeats, one class of which is clustered and may serve as centromeres. Partial copies of the extrachromosomal rDNA element are found at the ends of each chromosome, suggesting a novel telomere structure and the use of a common mechanism to maintain both the rDNA and chromosomal termini. A proteome-based phylogeny shows that the amoebozoa diverged from the animal/fungal lineage after the plant/animal split, but Dictyostelium appears to have retained more of the diversity of the ancestral genome than either of these two groups. PMID:15875012

Genome flux and stasis in a five millennium transect of European prehistory

PubMed Central

Gamba, Cristina; Jones, Eppie R.; Teasdale, Matthew D.; McLaughlin, Russell L.; Gonzalez-Fortes, Gloria; Mattiangeli, Valeria; Domboróczki, László; Kővári, Ivett; Pap, Ildikó; Anders, Alexandra; Whittle, Alasdair; Dani, János; Raczky, Pál; Higham, Thomas F. G.; Hofreiter, Michael; Bradley, Daniel G; Pinhasi, Ron

2014-01-01

The Great Hungarian Plain was a crossroads of cultural transformations that have shaped European prehistory. Here we analyse a 5,000-year transect of human genomes, sampled from petrous bones giving consistently excellent endogenous DNA yields, from 13 Hungarian Neolithic, Copper, Bronze and Iron Age burials including two to high (~22 × ) and seven to ~1 × coverage, to investigate the impact of these on Europe’s genetic landscape. These data suggest genomic shifts with the advent of the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages, with interleaved periods of genome stability. The earliest Neolithic context genome shows a European hunter-gatherer genetic signature and a restricted ancestral population size, suggesting direct contact between cultures after the arrival of the first farmers into Europe. The latest, Iron Age, sample reveals an eastern genomic influence concordant with introduced Steppe burial rites. We observe transition towards lighter pigmentation and surprisingly, no Neolithic presence of lactase persistence. PMID:25334030

The Naegleria genome: a free-living microbial eukaryote lends unique insights into core eukaryotic cell biology

PubMed Central

Fritz-Laylin, Lillian K.; Ginger, Michael L.; Walsh, Charles; Dawson, Scott C.; Fulton, Chandler

2016-01-01

Naegleria gruberi, a free-living protist, has long been treasured as a model for basal body and flagellar assembly due to its ability to differentiate from crawling amoebae into swimming flagellates. The full genome sequence of Naegleria gruberi has recently been used to estimate gene families ancestral to all eukaryotes and to identify novel aspects of Naegleria biology, including likely facultative anaerobic metabolism, extensive signaling cascades, and evidence for sexuality. Distinctive features of the Naegleria genome and nuclear biology provide unique perspectives for comparative cell biology, including cell division, RNA processing and nucleolar assembly. We highlight here exciting new and novel aspects of Naegleria biology identified through genomic analysis. PMID:21392573

Ancient Duplications and Expression Divergence in the Globin Gene Superfamily of Vertebrates: Insights from the Elephant Shark Genome and Transcriptome.

PubMed

Opazo, Juan C; Lee, Alison P; Hoffmann, Federico G; Toloza-Villalobos, Jessica; Burmester, Thorsten; Venkatesh, Byrappa; Storz, Jay F

2015-07-01

Comparative analyses of vertebrate genomes continue to uncover a surprising diversity of genes in the globin gene superfamily, some of which have very restricted phyletic distributions despite their antiquity. Genomic analysis of the globin gene repertoire of cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes) should be especially informative about the duplicative origins and ancestral functions of vertebrate globins, as divergence between Chondrichthyes and bony vertebrates represents the most basal split within the jawed vertebrates. Here, we report a comparative genomic analysis of the vertebrate globin gene family that includes the complete globin gene repertoire of the elephant shark (Callorhinchus milii). Using genomic sequence data from representatives of all major vertebrate classes, integrated analyses of conserved synteny and phylogenetic relationships revealed that the last common ancestor of vertebrates possessed a repertoire of at least seven globin genes: single copies of androglobin and neuroglobin, four paralogous copies of globin X, and the single-copy progenitor of the entire set of vertebrate-specific globins. Combined with expression data, the genomic inventory of elephant shark globins yielded four especially surprising findings: 1) there is no trace of the neuroglobin gene (a highly conserved gene that is present in all other jawed vertebrates that have been examined to date), 2) myoglobin is highly expressed in heart, but not in skeletal muscle (reflecting a possible ancestral condition in vertebrates with single-circuit circulatory systems), 3) elephant shark possesses two highly divergent globin X paralogs, one of which is preferentially expressed in gonads, and 4) elephant shark possesses two structurally distinct α-globin paralogs, one of which is preferentially expressed in the brain. Expression profiles of elephant shark globin genes reveal distinct specializations of function relative to orthologs in bony vertebrates and suggest hypotheses about

Ancestral Polymorphisms and Sex-Biased Migration Shaped the Demographic History of Brown Bears and Polar Bears

PubMed Central

Nakagome, Shigeki; Mano, Shuhei; Hasegawa, Masami

2013-01-01

Recent studies have reported discordant gene trees in the evolution of brown bears and polar bears. Genealogical histories are different among independent nuclear loci and between biparentally inherited autosomal DNA (aDNA) and matrilineal mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Based on multi-locus genomic sequences from aDNA and mtDNA, we inferred the population demography of brown and polar bears and found that brown bears have 6 times (aDNA) or more than 14 times (mtDNA) larger population sizes than polar bears and that polar bear lineage is derived from within brown bear diversity. In brown bears, the effective population size ratio of mtDNA to aDNA was at least 0.62, which deviated from the expected value of 0.25, suggesting matriarchal population due to female philopatry and male-biased migration. These results emphasize that ancestral polymorphisms and sex-biased migration may have contributed to conflicting branching patterns in brown and polar bears across aDNA genes and mtDNA. PMID:24236053

Ancestral polymorphisms and sex-biased migration shaped the demographic history of brown bears and polar bears.

PubMed

Nakagome, Shigeki; Mano, Shuhei; Hasegawa, Masami

2013-01-01

Recent studies have reported discordant gene trees in the evolution of brown bears and polar bears. Genealogical histories are different among independent nuclear loci and between biparentally inherited autosomal DNA (aDNA) and matrilineal mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Based on multi-locus genomic sequences from aDNA and mtDNA, we inferred the population demography of brown and polar bears and found that brown bears have 6 times (aDNA) or more than 14 times (mtDNA) larger population sizes than polar bears and that polar bear lineage is derived from within brown bear diversity. In brown bears, the effective population size ratio of mtDNA to aDNA was at least 0.62, which deviated from the expected value of 0.25, suggesting matriarchal population due to female philopatry and male-biased migration. These results emphasize that ancestral polymorphisms and sex-biased migration may have contributed to conflicting branching patterns in brown and polar bears across aDNA genes and mtDNA.

X. couchianus and X. hellerii genome models provide genomic variation insight among Xiphophorus species.

PubMed

Shen, Yingjia; Chalopin, Domitille; Garcia, Tzintzuni; Boswell, Mikki; Boswell, William; Shiryev, Sergey A; Agarwala, Richa; Volff, Jean-Nicolas; Postlethwait, John H; Schartl, Manfred; Minx, Patrick; Warren, Wesley C; Walter, Ronald B

2016-01-07

Xiphophorus fishes are represented by 26 live-bearing species of tropical fish that express many attributes (e.g., viviparity, genetic and phenotypic variation, ecological adaptation, varied sexual developmental mechanisms, ability to produce fertile interspecies hybrids) that have made attractive research models for over 85 years. Use of various interspecies hybrids to investigate the genetics underlying spontaneous and induced tumorigenesis has resulted in the development and maintenance of pedigreed Xiphophorus lines specifically bred for research. The recent availability of the X. maculatus reference genome assembly now provides unprecedented opportunities for novel and exciting comparative research studies among Xiphophorus species. We present sequencing, assembly and annotation of two new genomes representing Xiphophorus couchianus and Xiphophorus hellerii. The final X. couchianus and X. hellerii assemblies have total sizes of 708 Mb and 734 Mb and correspond to 98 % and 102 % of the X. maculatus Jp 163 A genome size, respectively. The rates of single nucleotide change range from 1 per 52 bp to 1 per 69 bp among the three genomes and the impact of putatively damaging variants are presented. In addition, a survey of transposable elements allowed us to deduce an ancestral TE landscape, uncovered potential active TEs and document a recent burst of TEs during evolution of this genus. Two new Xiphophorus genomes and their corresponding transcriptomes were efficiently assembled, the former using a novel guided assembly approach. Three assembled genome sequences within this single vertebrate order of new world live-bearing fishes will accelerate our understanding of relationship between environmental adaptation and genome evolution. In addition, these genome resources provide capability to determine allele specific gene regulation among interspecies hybrids produced by crossing any of the three species that are known to produce progeny predisposed to tumor

Ancestral state reconstruction, rate heterogeneity, and the evolution of reptile viviparity.

PubMed

King, Benedict; Lee, Michael S Y

2015-05-01

Virtually all models for reconstructing ancestral states for discrete characters make the crucial assumption that the trait of interest evolves at a uniform rate across the entire tree. However, this assumption is unlikely to hold in many situations, particularly as ancestral state reconstructions are being performed on increasingly large phylogenies. Here, we show how failure to account for such variable evolutionary rates can cause highly anomalous (and likely incorrect) results, while three methods that accommodate rate variability yield the opposite, more plausible, and more robust reconstructions. The random local clock method, implemented in BEAST, estimates the position and magnitude of rate changes on the tree; split BiSSE estimates separate rate parameters for pre-specified clades; and the hidden rates model partitions each character state into a number of rate categories. Simulations show the inadequacy of traditional models when characters evolve with both asymmetry (different rates of change between states within a character) and heterotachy (different rates of character evolution across different clades). The importance of accounting for rate heterogeneity in ancestral state reconstruction is highlighted empirically with a new analysis of the evolution of viviparity in squamate reptiles, which reveal a predominance of forward (oviparous-viviparous) transitions and very few reversals. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Society and personal genome data

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Abstract Genomic data offer a goldmine of information for understanding the contribution of genetic variation makes to health and disease. The potential of genomic medicine, to predict, diagnose, manage and treat genetic disease, is underpinned by accurate variant interpretation. This in itself hinges on the ability to access large and varied genomic databases. There is now recognition that international collaboration between research and healthcare systems are paramount to delivering the scale of genomic data required. No single research group, institute or country will liberate our understanding, it is only through global cooperation, together with super computing power, will we truly make sense of how genotype and phenotype correlate. Whilst it is logistically possible to create computing systems that talk to each other and aggregate datasets ready to reveal novel correlations, the bottom line is that this will only happen if people (whether they be scientists, clinicians, patients, research participants, policy makers, politicians, law makers) support the principle that we should be donating, accessing and sharing our DNA data in this way. And in order to make the most sense of genomics, given the geographical and ancestral variation between us, such people are likely to be the majority of society. Within this review, a perspective is proffered on the human story that underpins genomic ‘big data’ access and how we are at a tipping point as a society—we need to decide collectively, are we in? and if so, what needs to be in place to protect us? or are we out? PMID:29522190

Isolation of Ancestral Sylvatic Dengue Virus Type 1, Malaysia

PubMed Central

Teoh, Boon-Teong; Sam, Sing-Sin; Abd-Jamil, Juraina

2010-01-01

Ancestral sylvatic dengue virus type 1, which was isolated from a monkey in 1972, was isolated from a patient with dengue fever in Malaysia. The virus is neutralized by serum of patients with endemic DENV-1 infection. Rare isolation of this virus suggests a limited spillover infection from an otherwise restricted sylvatic cycle. PMID:21029545

Ancestral Variations in the Shape and Size of the Zygoma.

PubMed

Oettlé, Anna C; Demeter, Fabrice P; L'abbé, Ericka N

2017-01-01

The variable development of the zygoma, dictating its shape and size variations among ancestral groups, has important clinical implications and valuable anthropological and evolutionary inferences. The purpose of the study was to review the literature regarding the variations in the zygoma with ancestry. Ancestral variation in the zygoma reflects genetic variations because of genetic drift as well as natural selection and epigenetic changes to adapt to diet and climate variations with possible intensification by isolation. Prominence of the zygoma, zygomaxillary tuberosity, and malar tubercle have been associated with Eastern Asian populations in whom these features intensified. Prominence of the zygoma is also associated with groups from Eastern Europe and the rest of Asia. Diffusion of these traits occurred across the Behring Sea to the Arctic areas and to North and South America. The greatest zygomatic projections are exhibited in Arctic groups as an adaptation to extreme cold conditions, while Native South American groups also present with other features of facial robusticity. Groups from Australia, Malaysia, and Oceania show prominence of the zygoma to a certain extent, possibly because of archaic occupations by undifferentiated Southeast Asian populations. More recent interactions with Chinese groups might explain the prominent cheekbones noted in certain South African groups. Many deductions regarding evolutionary processes and diversifications of early groups have been made. Cognisance of these ancestral variations also have implications for forensic anthropological assessments as well as plastic and reconstructive surgery. More studies are needed to improve accuracy of forensic anthropological identification techniques. Anat Rec, 300:196-208, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Genomic Characterisation of the Indigenous Irish Kerry Cattle Breed

PubMed Central

Browett, Sam; McHugo, Gillian; Richardson, Ian W.; Magee, David A.; Park, Stephen D. E.; Fahey, Alan G.; Kearney, John F.; Correia, Carolina N.; Randhawa, Imtiaz A. S.; MacHugh, David E.

2018-01-01

Kerry cattle are an endangered landrace heritage breed of cultural importance to Ireland. In the present study we have used genome-wide SNP array data to evaluate genomic diversity within the Kerry population and between Kerry cattle and other European breeds. Patterns of genetic differentiation and gene flow among breeds using phylogenetic trees with ancestry graphs highlighted historical gene flow from the British Shorthorn breed into the ancestral population of modern Kerry cattle. Principal component analysis (PCA) and genetic clustering emphasised the genetic distinctiveness of Kerry cattle relative to comparator British and European cattle breeds. Modelling of genetic effective population size (Ne) revealed a demographic trend of diminishing Ne over time and that recent estimated Ne values for the Kerry breed may be less than the threshold for sustainable genetic conservation. In addition, analysis of genome-wide autozygosity (FROH) showed that genomic inbreeding has increased significantly during the 20 years between 1992 and 2012. Finally, signatures of selection revealed genomic regions subject to natural and artificial selection as Kerry cattle adapted to the climate, physical geography and agro-ecology of southwest Ireland. PMID:29520297

Globally diverse Toxoplasma gondii isolates comprise six major clades originating from a small number of distinct ancestral lineages

PubMed Central

Su, Chunlei; Khan, Asis; Zhou, Peng; Majumdar, Debashree; Ajzenberg, Daniel; Dardé, Marie-Laure; Zhu, Xing-Quan; Ajioka, James W.; Rosenthal, Benjamin M.; Dubey, Jitender P.; Sibley, L. David

2012-01-01

Marked phenotypic variation characterizes isolates of Toxoplasma gondii, a ubiquitous zoonotic parasite that serves as an important experimental model for studying apicomplexan parasites. Progress in identifying the heritable basis for clinically and epidemiologically significant differences requires a robust system for describing and interpreting evolutionary subdivisions in this prevalent pathogen. To develop such a system, we have examined more than 950 isolates collected from around the world and genotyped them using three independent sets of polymorphic DNA markers, sampling 30 loci distributed across all nuclear chromosomes as well as the plastid genome. Our studies reveal a biphasic pattern consisting of regions in the Northern Hemisphere where a few, highly clonal and abundant lineages predominate; elsewhere, and especially in portions of South America are characterized by a diverse assemblage of less common genotypes that show greater evidence of recombination. Clustering methods were used to organize the marked genetic diversity of 138 unique genotypes into 15 haplogroups that collectively define six major clades. Analysis of gene flow indicates that a small number of ancestral lineages gave rise to the existing diversity through a process of limited admixture. Identification of reference strains for these major groups should facilitate future studies on comparative genomics and identification of genes that control important biological phenotypes including pathogenesis and transmission. PMID:22431627

Magmatism and Epithermal Gold-Silver Deposits of the Southern Ancestral Cascade Arc, Western Nevada and Eastern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

John, David A.; du Bray, Edward A.; Henry, Christopher D.; Vikre, Peter

2015-01-01

Many epithermal gold-silver deposits are temporally and spatially associated with late Oligocene to Pliocene magmatism of the southern ancestral Cascade arc in western Nevada and eastern California. These deposits, which include both quartz-adularia (low- and intermediate-sulfidation; Comstock Lode, Tonopah, Bodie) and quartz-alunite (high-sulfidation; Goldfield, Paradise Peak) types, were major producers of gold and silver. Ancestral Cascade arc magmatism preceded that of the modern High Cascades arc and reflects subduction of the Farallon plate beneath North America. Ancestral arc magmatism began about 45 Ma, continued until about 3 Ma, and extended from near the Canada-United States border in Washington southward to about 250 km southeast of Reno, Nevada. The ancestral arc was split into northern and southern segments across an inferred tear in the subducting slab between Mount Shasta and Lassen Peak in northern California. The southern segment extends between 42°N in northern California and 37°N in western Nevada and was active from about 30 to 3 Ma. It is bounded on the east by the northeast edge of the Walker Lane. Ancestral arc volcanism represents an abrupt change in composition and style of magmatism relative to that in central Nevada. Large volume, caldera-forming, silicic ignimbrites associated with the 37 to 19 Ma ignimbrite flareup are dominant in central Nevada, whereas volcanic centers of the ancestral arc in western Nevada consist of andesitic stratovolcanoes and dacitic to rhyolitic lava domes that mostly formed between 25 and 4 Ma. Both ancestral arc and ignimbrite flareup magmatism resulted from rollback of the shallowly dipping slab that began about 45 Ma in northeast Nevada and migrated south-southwest with time. Most southern segment ancestral arc rocks have oxidized, high potassium, calc-alkaline compositions with silica contents ranging continuously from about 55 to 77 wt%. Most lavas are porphyritic and contain coarse plagioclase �

Social and Ethical Implications of Genomics, Race, Ethnicity and Health Inequities

PubMed Central

Knerr, Sarah

2010-01-01

Objectives To review ethical, ethnic/ancestral, and societal issues of genetic and genomic information and technologies in the context of racial and ethnic health disparities. Data sources Research and journal articles, government reports, web sites. Conclusion As knowledge of human genetic variation and its link to diseases continues to grow, some see race and ethnicity well poised to serve as genetic surrogates in predicting disease etiology and treatment response. However, stereotyping and bias, in clinical interactions can be barriers to effective treatment for racial and ethnic minority patients. Implications for nursing practice The nursing profession has a key role in assuring that genomic healthcare does not enhance racial and ethnic health inequities. This will require utilization of new genomic knowledge and caring for each patient as an individual in a culturally and clinically appropriate manner. PMID:19000599

Genome-Wide Analysis in Brazilians Reveals Highly Differentiated Native American Genome Regions

PubMed Central

Havt, Alexandre; Nayak, Uma; Pinkerton, Relana; Farber, Emily; Concannon, Patrick; Lima, Aldo A.; Guerrant, Richard L.

2017-01-01

Despite its population, geographic size, and emerging economic importance, disproportionately little genome-scale research exists into genetic factors that predispose Brazilians to disease, or the population genetics of risk. After identification of suitable proxy populations and careful analysis of tri-continental admixture in 1,538 North-Eastern Brazilians to estimate individual ancestry and ancestral allele frequencies, we computed 400,000 genome-wide locus-specific branch length (LSBL) Fst statistics of Brazilian Amerindian ancestry compared to European and African; and a similar set of differentiation statistics for their Amerindian component compared with the closest Asian 1000 Genomes population (surprisingly, Bengalis in Bangladesh). After ranking SNPs by these statistics, we identified the top 10 highly differentiated SNPs in five genome regions in the LSBL tests of Brazilian Amerindian ancestry compared to European and African; and the top 10 SNPs in eight regions comparing their Amerindian component to the closest Asian 1000 Genomes population. We found SNPs within or proximal to the genes CIITA (rs6498115), SMC6 (rs1834619), and KLHL29 (rs2288697) were most differentiated in the Amerindian-specific branch, while SNPs in the genes ADAMTS9 (rs7631391), DOCK2 (rs77594147), SLC28A1 (rs28649017), ARHGAP5 (rs7151991), and CIITA (rs45601437) were most highly differentiated in the Asian comparison. These genes are known to influence immune function, metabolic and anthropometry traits, and embryonic development. These analyses have identified candidate genes for selection within Amerindian ancestry, and by comparison of the two analyses, those for which the differentiation may have arisen during the migration from Asia to the Americas. PMID:28100790

A High-Resolution Gene Map of the Chloroplast Genome of the Red Alga Porphyra purpurea.

PubMed Central

Reith, M; Munholland, J

1993-01-01

Extensive DNA sequencing of the chloroplast genome of the red alga Porphyra purpurea has resulted in the detection of more than 125 genes. Fifty-eight (approximately 46%) of these genes are not found on the chloroplast genomes of land plants. These include genes encoding 17 photosynthetic proteins, three tRNAs, and nine ribosomal proteins. In addition, nine genes encoding proteins related to biosynthetic functions, six genes encoding proteins involved in gene expression, and at least five genes encoding miscellaneous proteins are among those not known to be located on land plant chloroplast genomes. The increased coding capacity of the P. purpurea chloroplast genome, along with other characteristics such as the absence of introns and the conservation of ancestral operons, demonstrate the primitive nature of the P. purpurea chloroplast genome. In addition, evidence for a monophyletic origin of chloroplasts is suggested by the identification of two groups of genes that are clustered in chloroplast genomes but not in cyanobacteria. PMID:12271072

Understanding the differences between genome sequences of Escherichia coli B strains REL606 and BL21(DE3), and comparison of the closely related E. coli B and K-12 genomes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Studier, F.W.; Daegelen, P.; Lenski, R. E.

2009-12-01

Each difference between the genome sequences of Escherichia coli B strains REL606 and BL21(DE3) can be interpreted in light of known laboratory manipulations plus a gene conversion between ribosomal RNA operons. Two treatments with 1-methyl-3-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine in the REL606 lineage produced at least 93 single-base-pair mutations ({approx} 90% GC-to-AT transitions) and 3 single-base-pair GC deletions. Two UV treatments in the BL21(DE3) lineage produced only 4 single-base-pair mutations but 16 large deletions. P1 transductions from K-12 into the two B lineages produced 317 single-base-pair differences and 9 insertions or deletions, reflecting differences between B DNA in BL21(DE3) and integrated restriction fragments ofmore » K-12 DNA inherited by REL606. Two sites showed selective enrichment of spontaneous mutations. No unselected spontaneous single-base-pair mutations were evident. The genome sequences revealed that a progenitor of REL606 had been misidentified, explaining initially perplexing differences. Limited sequencing of other B strains defined characteristic properties of B and allowed assembly of the inferred genome of the ancestral B of Delbrueck and Luria. Comparison of the B and K-12 genomes shows that more than half of the 3793 proteins of their basic genomes are predicted to be identical, although {approx} 310 appear to be functional in either B or K-12 but not in both. The ancestral basic genome appears to have had {approx} 4039 coding sequences occupying {approx} 4.0 Mbp. Repeated horizontal transfer from diverged Escherichia coli genomes and homologous recombination may explain the observed variable distribution of single-base-pair differences. Fifteen sites are occupied by phage-related elements, but only six by comparable elements at the same site. More than 50 sites are occupied by IS elements in both B and K, 16 in common, and likely founding IS elements are identified. A signature of widespread cryptic phage P4-type mobile elements

The complete chloroplast DNA sequence of the green alga Oltmannsiellopsis viridis reveals a distinctive quadripartite architecture in the chloroplast genome of early diverging ulvophytes

PubMed Central

Pombert, Jean-François; Lemieux, Claude; Turmel, Monique

2006-01-01

Background The phylum Chlorophyta contains the majority of the green algae and is divided into four classes. The basal position of the Prasinophyceae has been well documented, but the divergence order of the Ulvophyceae, Trebouxiophyceae and Chlorophyceae is currently debated. The four complete chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) sequences presently available for representatives of these classes have revealed extensive variability in overall structure, gene content, intron composition and gene order. The chloroplast genome of Pseudendoclonium (Ulvophyceae), in particular, is characterized by an atypical quadripartite architecture that deviates from the ancestral type by a large inverted repeat (IR) featuring an inverted rRNA operon and a small single-copy (SSC) region containing 14 genes normally found in the large single-copy (LSC) region. To gain insights into the nature of the events that led to the reorganization of the chloroplast genome in the Ulvophyceae, we have determined the complete cpDNA sequence of Oltmannsiellopsis viridis, a representative of a distinct, early diverging lineage. Results The 151,933 bp IR-containing genome of Oltmannsiellopsis differs considerably from Pseudendoclonium and other chlorophyte cpDNAs in intron content and gene order, but shares close similarities with its ulvophyte homologue at the levels of quadripartite architecture, gene content and gene density. Oltmannsiellopsis cpDNA encodes 105 genes, contains five group I introns, and features many short dispersed repeats. As in Pseudendoclonium cpDNA, the rRNA genes in the IR are transcribed toward the single copy region featuring the genes typically found in the ancestral LSC region, and the opposite single copy region harbours genes characteristic of both the ancestral SSC and LSC regions. The 52 genes that were transferred from the ancestral LSC to SSC region include 12 of those observed in Pseudendoclonium cpDNA. Surprisingly, the overall gene organization of Oltmannsiellopsis cp

Experimental evidence needed to demonstrate inter- and trans-generational effects of ancestral experiences in mammals.

PubMed

Dias, Brian G; Ressler, Kerry J

2014-10-01

Environmental factors routinely influence an organism's biology. The inheritance or transmission of such influences to descendant generations would be an efficient mode of information transfer across generations. The developmental stage at which a specific environment is encountered by the ancestral generation, and the number of generations over which information about that environment is registered, determines an inter- vs. trans-generational effect of ancestral influence. This commentary will outline the distinction between these influences. While seductive in principle, inter- and trans-generational inheritance in mammals is a hotly debated area of research inquiry. We present constructive criticism of such inheritance, and suggest potential experimental avenues for reconciliation. Finally, epigenetic mechanisms present an avenue for gene regulation that is dynamic. We briefly discuss how such malleability affords the potential for a reversal of any detrimental environmental influences that might have adversely impacted ancestral or descendant generations. © 2014 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

Genomic legacy of the African cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus.

PubMed

Dobrynin, Pavel; Liu, Shiping; Tamazian, Gaik; Xiong, Zijun; Yurchenko, Andrey A; Krasheninnikova, Ksenia; Kliver, Sergey; Schmidt-Küntzel, Anne; Koepfli, Klaus-Peter; Johnson, Warren; Kuderna, Lukas F K; García-Pérez, Raquel; Manuel, Marc de; Godinez, Ricardo; Komissarov, Aleksey; Makunin, Alexey; Brukhin, Vladimir; Qiu, Weilin; Zhou, Long; Li, Fang; Yi, Jian; Driscoll, Carlos; Antunes, Agostinho; Oleksyk, Taras K; Eizirik, Eduardo; Perelman, Polina; Roelke, Melody; Wildt, David; Diekhans, Mark; Marques-Bonet, Tomas; Marker, Laurie; Bhak, Jong; Wang, Jun; Zhang, Guojie; O'Brien, Stephen J

2015-12-10

Patterns of genetic and genomic variance are informative in inferring population history for human, model species and endangered populations. Here the genome sequence of wild-born African cheetahs reveals extreme genomic depletion in SNV incidence, SNV density, SNVs of coding genes, MHC class I and II genes, and mitochondrial DNA SNVs. Cheetah genomes are on average 95 % homozygous compared to the genomes of the outbred domestic cat (24.08 % homozygous), Virunga Mountain Gorilla (78.12 %), inbred Abyssinian cat (62.63 %), Tasmanian devil, domestic dog and other mammalian species. Demographic estimators impute two ancestral population bottlenecks: one >100,000 years ago coincident with cheetah migrations out of the Americas and into Eurasia and Africa, and a second 11,084-12,589 years ago in Africa coincident with late Pleistocene large mammal extinctions. MHC class I gene loss and dramatic reduction in functional diversity of MHC genes would explain why cheetahs ablate skin graft rejection among unrelated individuals. Significant excess of non-synonymous mutations in AKAP4 (p<0.02), a gene mediating spermatozoon development, indicates cheetah fixation of five function-damaging amino acid variants distinct from AKAP4 homologues of other Felidae or mammals; AKAP4 dysfunction may cause the cheetah's extremely high (>80 %) pleiomorphic sperm. The study provides an unprecedented genomic perspective for the rare cheetah, with potential relevance to the species' natural history, physiological adaptations and unique reproductive disposition.

Ancient genomic architecture for mammalian olfactory receptor clusters

PubMed Central

Aloni, Ronny; Olender, Tsviya; Lancet, Doron

2006-01-01

Background Mammalian olfactory receptor (OR) genes reside in numerous genomic clusters of up to several dozen genes. Whole-genome sequence alignment nets of five mammals allow their comprehensive comparison, aimed at reconstructing the ancestral olfactory subgenome. Results We developed a new and general tool for genome-wide definition of genomic gene clusters conserved in multiple species. Syntenic orthologs, defined as gene pairs showing conservation of both genomic location and coding sequence, were subjected to a graph theory algorithm for discovering CLICs (clusters in conservation). When applied to ORs in five mammals, including the marsupial opossum, more than 90% of the OR genes were found within a framework of 48 multi-species CLICs, invoking a general conservation of gene order and composition. A detailed analysis of individual CLICs revealed multiple differences among species, interpretable through species-specific genomic rearrangements and reflecting complex mammalian evolutionary dynamics. One significant instance involves CLIC #1, which lacks a human member, implying the human-specific deletion of an OR cluster, whose mouse counterpart has been tentatively associated with isovaleric acid odorant detection. Conclusion The identified multi-species CLICs demonstrate that most of the mammalian OR clusters have a common ancestry, preceding the split between marsupials and placental mammals. However, only two of these CLICs were capable of incorporating chicken OR genes, parsimoniously implying that all other CLICs emerged subsequent to the avian-mammalian divergence. PMID:17010214

An Expanded Genomic Representation of the Phylum Cyanobacteria

PubMed Central

Soo, Rochelle M.; Skennerton, Connor T.; Sekiguchi, Yuji; Imelfort, Michael; Paech, Samuel J.; Dennis, Paul G.; Steen, Jason A.; Parks, Donovan H.; Tyson, Gene W.; Hugenholtz, Philip

2014-01-01

Molecular surveys of aphotic habitats have indicated the presence of major uncultured lineages phylogenetically classified as members of the Cyanobacteria. One of these lineages has recently been proposed as a nonphotosynthetic sister phylum to the Cyanobacteria, the Melainabacteria, based on recovery of population genomes from human gut and groundwater samples. Here, we expand the phylogenomic representation of the Melainabacteria through sequencing of six diverse population genomes from gut and bioreactor samples supporting the inference that this lineage is nonphotosynthetic, but not the assertion that they are strictly fermentative. We propose that the Melainabacteria is a class within the phylogenetically defined Cyanobacteria based on robust monophyly and shared ancestral traits with photosynthetic representatives. Our findings are consistent with theories that photosynthesis occurred late in the Cyanobacteria and involved extensive lateral gene transfer and extends the recognized functionality of members of this phylum. PMID:24709563

A draft physical map of a D-genome cotton species (Gossypium raimondii)

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Genetically anchored physical maps of large eukaryotic genomes have proven useful both for their intrinsic merit and as an adjunct to genome sequencing. Cultivated tetraploid cottons, Gossypium hirsutum and G. barbadense, share a common ancestor formed by a merger of the A and D genomes about 1-2 million years ago. Toward the long-term goal of characterizing the spectrum of diversity among cotton genomes, the worldwide cotton community has prioritized the D genome progenitor Gossypium raimondii for complete sequencing. Results A whole genome physical map of G. raimondii, the putative D genome ancestral species of tetraploid cottons was assembled, integrating genetically-anchored overgo hybridization probes, agarose based fingerprints and 'high information content fingerprinting' (HICF). A total of 13,662 BAC-end sequences and 2,828 DNA probes were used in genetically anchoring 1585 contigs to a cotton consensus genetic map, and 370 and 438 contigs, respectively to Arabidopsis thaliana (AT) and Vitis vinifera (VV) whole genome sequences. Conclusion Several lines of evidence suggest that the G. raimondii genome is comprised of two qualitatively different components. Much of the gene rich component is aligned to the Arabidopsis and Vitis vinifera genomes and shows promise for utilizing translational genomic approaches in understanding this important genome and its resident genes. The integrated genetic-physical map is of value both in assembling and validating a planned reference sequence. PMID:20569427

Evidence for an Ancestral Association of Human Coronavirus 229E with Bats

PubMed Central

Corman, Victor Max; Baldwin, Heather J.; Tateno, Adriana Fumie; Zerbinati, Rodrigo Melim; Annan, Augustina; Owusu, Michael; Nkrumah, Evans Ewald; Maganga, Gael Darren; Oppong, Samuel; Adu-Sarkodie, Yaw; Vallo, Peter; da Silva Filho, Luiz Vicente Ribeiro Ferreira; Leroy, Eric M.; Thiel, Volker; van der Hoek, Lia; Poon, Leo L. M.; Tschapka, Marco

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT We previously showed that close relatives of human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E) exist in African bats. The small sample and limited genomic characterizations have prevented further analyses so far. Here, we tested 2,087 fecal specimens from 11 bat species sampled in Ghana for HCoV-229E-related viruses by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). Only hipposiderid bats tested positive. To compare the genetic diversity of bat viruses and HCoV-229E, we tested historical isolates and diagnostic specimens sampled globally over 10 years. Bat viruses were 5- and 6-fold more diversified than HCoV-229E in the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and spike genes. In phylogenetic analyses, HCoV-229E strains were monophyletic and not intermixed with animal viruses. Bat viruses formed three large clades in close and more distant sister relationships. A recently described 229E-related alpaca virus occupied an intermediate phylogenetic position between bat and human viruses. According to taxonomic criteria, human, alpaca, and bat viruses form a single CoV species showing evidence for multiple recombination events. HCoV-229E and the alpaca virus showed a major deletion in the spike S1 region compared to all bat viruses. Analyses of four full genomes from 229E-related bat CoVs revealed an eighth open reading frame (ORF8) located at the genomic 3′ end. ORF8 also existed in the 229E-related alpaca virus. Reanalysis of HCoV-229E sequences showed a conserved transcription regulatory sequence preceding remnants of this ORF, suggesting its loss after acquisition of a 229E-related CoV by humans. These data suggested an evolutionary origin of 229E-related CoVs in hipposiderid bats, hypothetically with camelids as intermediate hosts preceding the establishment of HCoV-229E. IMPORTANCE The ancestral origins of major human coronaviruses (HCoVs) likely involve bat hosts. Here, we provide conclusive genetic evidence for an evolutionary origin of the common cold virus HCoV-229E in

Lateral gene transfers have polished animal genomes: lessons from nematodes

PubMed Central

Danchin, Etienne G. J.; Rosso, Marie-Noëlle

2012-01-01

It is now accepted that lateral gene transfers (LGT), have significantly contributed to the composition of bacterial genomes. The amplitude of the phenomenon is considered so high in prokaryotes that it challenges the traditional view of a binary hierarchical tree of life to correctly represent the evolutionary history of species. Given the plethora of transfers between prokaryotes, it is currently impossible to infer the last common ancestral gene set for any extant species. For this ensemble of reasons, it has been proposed that the Darwinian binary tree of life may be inappropriate to correctly reflect the actual relations between species, at least in prokaryotes. In contrast, the contribution of LGT to the composition of animal genomes is less documented. In the light of recent analyses that reported series of LGT events in nematodes, we discuss the importance of this phenomenon in the evolutionary history and in the current composition of an animal genome. Far from being neutral, it appears that besides having contributed to nematode genome contents, LGT have favored the emergence of important traits such as plant-parasitism. PMID:22919619

Trans-Ancestral Studies Fine Map the SLE-Susceptibility Locus TNFSF4

PubMed Central

Manku, Harinder; Langefeld, Carl D.; Guerra, Sandra G.; Malik, Talat H.; Alarcon-Riquelme, Marta; Anaya, Juan-Manuel; Bae, Sang-Cheol; Boackle, Susan A.; Brown, Elizabeth E.; Criswell, Lindsey A.; Freedman, Barry I.; Gaffney, Patrick M.; Gregersen, Peter A.; Guthridge, Joel M.; Han, Sang-Hoon; Harley, John B.; Jacob, Chaim O.; James, Judith A.; Kamen, Diane L.; Kaufman, Kenneth M.; Kelly, Jennifer A.; Martin, Javier; Merrill, Joan T.; Moser, Kathy L.; Niewold, Timothy B.; Park, So-Yeon; Pons-Estel, Bernardo A.; Sawalha, Amr H.; Scofield, R. Hal; Shen, Nan; Stevens, Anne M.; Sun, Celi; Gilkeson, Gary S.; Edberg, Jeff C.; Kimberly, Robert P.; Nath, Swapan K.; Tsao, Betty P.; Vyse, Tim J.

2013-01-01

We previously established an 80 kb haplotype upstream of TNFSF4 as a susceptibility locus in the autoimmune disease SLE. SLE-associated alleles at this locus are associated with inflammatory disorders, including atherosclerosis and ischaemic stroke. In Europeans, the TNFSF4 causal variants have remained elusive due to strong linkage disequilibrium exhibited by alleles spanning the region. Using a trans-ancestral approach to fine-map the locus, utilising 17,900 SLE and control subjects including Amerindian/Hispanics (1348 cases, 717 controls), African-Americans (AA) (1529, 2048) and better powered cohorts of Europeans and East Asians, we find strong association of risk alleles in all ethnicities; the AA association replicates in African-American Gullah (152,122). The best evidence of association comes from two adjacent markers: rs2205960-T (P = 1.71×10−34, OR = 1.43[1.26–1.60]) and rs1234317-T (P = 1.16×10−28, OR = 1.38[1.24–1.54]). Inference of fine-scale recombination rates for all populations tested finds the 80 kb risk and non-risk haplotypes in all except African-Americans. In this population the decay of recombination equates to an 11 kb risk haplotype, anchored in the 5′ region proximal to TNFSF4 and tagged by rs2205960-T after 1000 Genomes phase 1 (v3) imputation. Conditional regression analyses delineate the 5′ risk signal to rs2205960-T and the independent non-risk signal to rs1234314-C. Our case-only and SLE-control cohorts demonstrate robust association of rs2205960-T with autoantibody production. The rs2205960-T is predicted to form part of a decameric motif which binds NF-κBp65 with increased affinity compared to rs2205960-G. ChIP-seq data also indicate NF-κB interaction with the DNA sequence at this position in LCL cells. Our research suggests association of rs2205960-T with SLE across multiple groups and an independent non-risk signal at rs1234314-C. rs2205960-T is associated with autoantibody production and

Saccharomyces pastorianus: genomic insights inspiring innovation for industry.

PubMed

Gibson, Brian; Liti, Gianni

2015-01-01

A combination of biological and non-biological factors has led to the interspecific hybrid yeast species Saccharomyces pastorianus becoming one of the world's most important industrial organisms. This yeast is used in the production of lager-style beers, the fermentation of which requires very low temperatures compared to other industrial fermentation processes. This group of organisms has benefited from both the whole-genome duplication in its ancestral lineage and the subsequent hybridization event between S. cerevisiae and S. eubayanus, resulting in strong fermentative ability. The hybrid has key traits, such as cold tolerance and good maltose- and maltotriose-utilizing ability, inherited either from the parental species or originating from genetic interactions between the parent genomes. Instability in the nascent allopolyploid hybrid genome may have contributed to rapid evolution of the yeast to tolerate conditions prevalent in the brewing environment. The recent discovery of S. eubayanus has provided new insights into the evolutionary history of S. pastorianus and may offer new opportunities for generating novel industrially-beneficial lager yeast strains. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Repeat associated mechanisms of genome evolution and function revealed by the Mus caroli and Mus pahari genomes

PubMed Central

Thybert, David; Roller, Maša; Navarro, Fábio C.P.; Fiddes, Ian; Streeter, Ian; Feig, Christine; Martin-Galvez, David; Kolmogorov, Mikhail; Janoušek, Václav; Akanni, Wasiu; Aken, Bronwen; Aldridge, Sarah; Chakrapani, Varshith; Chow, William; Clarke, Laura; Cummins, Carla; Doran, Anthony; Dunn, Matthew; Goodstadt, Leo; Howe, Kerstin; Howell, Matthew; Josselin, Ambre-Aurore; Karn, Robert C.; Laukaitis, Christina M.; Jingtao, Lilue; Martin, Fergal; Muffato, Matthieu; Nachtweide, Stefanie; Quail, Michael A.; Sisu, Cristina; Stanke, Mario; Stefflova, Klara; Van Oosterhout, Cock; Veyrunes, Frederic; Ward, Ben; Yang, Fengtang; Yazdanifar, Golbahar; Zadissa, Amonida; Adams, David J.; Brazma, Alvis; Gerstein, Mark; Paten, Benedict; Pham, Son; Keane, Thomas M.; Odom, Duncan T.; Flicek, Paul

2018-01-01

Understanding the mechanisms driving lineage-specific evolution in both primates and rodents has been hindered by the lack of sister clades with a similar phylogenetic structure having high-quality genome assemblies. Here, we have created chromosome-level assemblies of the Mus caroli and Mus pahari genomes. Together with the Mus musculus and Rattus norvegicus genomes, this set of rodent genomes is similar in divergence times to the Hominidae (human-chimpanzee-gorilla-orangutan). By comparing the evolutionary dynamics between the Muridae and Hominidae, we identified punctate events of chromosome reshuffling that shaped the ancestral karyotype of Mus musculus and Mus caroli between 3 and 6 million yr ago, but that are absent in the Hominidae. Hominidae show between four- and sevenfold lower rates of nucleotide change and feature turnover in both neutral and functional sequences, suggesting an underlying coherence to the Muridae acceleration. Our system of matched, high-quality genome assemblies revealed how specific classes of repeats can play lineage-specific roles in related species. Recent LINE activity has remodeled protein-coding loci to a greater extent across the Muridae than the Hominidae, with functional consequences at the species level such as reproductive isolation. Furthermore, we charted a Muridae-specific retrotransposon expansion at unprecedented resolution, revealing how a single nucleotide mutation transformed a specific SINE element into an active CTCF binding site carrier specifically in Mus caroli, which resulted in thousands of novel, species-specific CTCF binding sites. Our results show that the comparison of matched phylogenetic sets of genomes will be an increasingly powerful strategy for understanding mammalian biology. PMID:29563166

The Complete Mitochondrial DNA Sequence of Scenedesmus obliquus Reflects an Intermediate Stage in the Evolution of the Green Algal Mitochondrial Genome

PubMed Central

Nedelcu, Aurora M.; Lee, Robert W.; Lemieux, Claude; Gray, Michael W.; Burger, Gertraud

2000-01-01

Two distinct mitochondrial genome types have been described among the green algal lineages investigated to date: a reduced–derived, Chlamydomonas-like type and an ancestral, Prototheca-like type. To determine if this unexpected dichotomy is real or is due to insufficient or biased sampling and to define trends in the evolution of the green algal mitochondrial genome, we sequenced and analyzed the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Scenedesmus obliquus. This genome is 42,919 bp in size and encodes 42 conserved genes (i.e., large and small subunit rRNA genes, 27 tRNA and 13 respiratory protein-coding genes), four additional free-standing open reading frames with no known homologs, and an intronic reading frame with endonuclease/maturase similarity. No 5S rRNA or ribosomal protein-coding genes have been identified in Scenedesmus mtDNA. The standard protein-coding genes feature a deviant genetic code characterized by the use of UAG (normally a stop codon) to specify leucine, and the unprecedented use of UCA (normally a serine codon) as a signal for termination of translation. The mitochondrial genome of Scenedesmus combines features of both green algal mitochondrial genome types: the presence of a more complex set of protein-coding and tRNA genes is shared with the ancestral type, whereas the lack of 5S rRNA and ribosomal protein-coding genes as well as the presence of fragmented and scrambled rRNA genes are shared with the reduced–derived type of mitochondrial genome organization. Furthermore, the gene content and the fragmentation pattern of the rRNA genes suggest that this genome represents an intermediate stage in the evolutionary process of mitochondrial genome streamlining in green algae. [The sequence data described in this paper have been submitted to the GenBank data library under accession no. AF204057.] PMID:10854413

Guided genome halving: hardness, heuristics and the history of the Hemiascomycetes.

PubMed

Zheng, Chunfang; Zhu, Qian; Adam, Zaky; Sankoff, David

2008-07-01

Some present day species have incurred a whole genome doubling event in their evolutionary history, and this is reflected today in patterns of duplicated segments scattered throughout their chromosomes. These duplications may be used as data to 'halve' the genome, i.e. to reconstruct the ancestral genome at the moment of doubling, but the solution is often highly nonunique. To resolve this problem, we take account of outgroups, external reference genomes, to guide and narrow down the search. We improve on a previous, computationally costly, 'brute force' method by adapting the genome halving algorithm of El-Mabrouk and Sankoff so that it rapidly and accurately constructs an ancestor close the outgroups, prior to a local optimization heuristic. We apply this to reconstruct the predoubling ancestor of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida glabrata, guided by the genomes of three other yeasts that diverged before the genome doubling event. We analyze the results in terms (1) of the minimum evolution criterion, (2) how close the genome halving result is to the final (local) minimum and (3) how close the final result is to an ancestor manually constructed by an expert with access to additional information. We also visualize the set of reconstructed ancestors using classic multidimensional scaling to see what aspects of the two doubled and three unduplicated genomes influence the differences among the reconstructions. The experimental software is available on request.

Resurrecting ancestral genes in bacteria to interpret ancient biosignatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kacar, Betul; Guy, Lionel; Smith, Eric; Baross, John

2017-11-01

Two datasets, the geologic record and the genetic content of extant organisms, provide complementary insights into the history of how key molecular components have shaped or driven global environmental and macroevolutionary trends. Changes in global physico-chemical modes over time are thought to be a consistent feature of this relationship between Earth and life, as life is thought to have been optimizing protein functions for the entirety of its approximately 3.8 billion years of history on the Earth. Organismal survival depends on how well critical genetic and metabolic components can adapt to their environments, reflecting an ability to optimize efficiently to changing conditions. The geologic record provides an array of biologically independent indicators of macroscale atmospheric and oceanic composition, but provides little in the way of the exact behaviour of the molecular components that influenced the compositions of these reservoirs. By reconstructing sequences of proteins that might have been present in ancient organisms, we can downselect to a subset of possible sequences that may have been optimized to these ancient environmental conditions. How can one use modern life to reconstruct ancestral behaviours? Configurations of ancient sequences can be inferred from the diversity of extant sequences, and then resurrected in the laboratory to ascertain their biochemical attributes. One way to augment sequence-based, single-gene methods to obtain a richer and more reliable picture of the deep past, is to resurrect inferred ancestral protein sequences in living organisms, where their phenotypes can be exposed in a complex molecular-systems context, and then to link consequences of those phenotypes to biosignatures that were preserved in the independent historical repository of the geological record. As a first step beyond single-molecule reconstruction to the study of functional molecular systems, we present here the ancestral sequence reconstruction of the

Mechanisms for the Evolution of a Derived Function in the Ancestral Glucocorticoid Receptor

PubMed Central

Carroll, Sean Michael; Ortlund, Eric A.; Thornton, Joseph W.

2011-01-01

Understanding the genetic, structural, and biophysical mechanisms that caused protein functions to evolve is a central goal of molecular evolutionary studies. Ancestral sequence reconstruction (ASR) offers an experimental approach to these questions. Here we use ASR to shed light on the earliest functions and evolution of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), a steroid-activated transcription factor that plays a key role in the regulation of vertebrate physiology. Prior work showed that GR and its paralog, the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), duplicated from a common ancestor roughly 450 million years ago; the ancestral functions were largely conserved in the MR lineage, but the functions of GRs—reduced sensitivity to all hormones and increased selectivity for glucocorticoids—are derived. Although the mechanisms for the evolution of glucocorticoid specificity have been identified, how reduced sensitivity evolved has not yet been studied. Here we report on the reconstruction of the deepest ancestor in the GR lineage (AncGR1) and demonstrate that GR's reduced sensitivity evolved before the acquisition of restricted hormone specificity, shortly after the GR–MR split. Using site-directed mutagenesis, X-ray crystallography, and computational analyses of protein stability to recapitulate and determine the effects of historical mutations, we show that AncGR1's reduced ligand sensitivity evolved primarily due to three key substitutions. Two large-effect mutations weakened hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions within the ancestral protein, reducing its stability. The degenerative effect of these two mutations is extremely strong, but a third permissive substitution, which has no apparent effect on function in the ancestral background and is likely to have occurred first, buffered the effects of the destabilizing mutations. Taken together, our results highlight the potentially creative role of substitutions that partially degrade protein structure and function and

Mechanisms for the Evolution of a Derived Function in the Ancestral Glucocorticoid Receptor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carroll, Sean Michael; Ortlund, Eric A; Thornton, Joseph W.

2012-03-16

Understanding the genetic, structural, and biophysical mechanisms that caused protein functions to evolve is a central goal of molecular evolutionary studies. Ancestral sequence reconstruction (ASR) offers an experimental approach to these questions. Here we use ASR to shed light on the earliest functions and evolution of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), a steroid-activated transcription factor that plays a key role in the regulation of vertebrate physiology. Prior work showed that GR and its paralog, the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), duplicated from a common ancestor roughly 450 million years ago; the ancestral functions were largely conserved in the MR lineage, but the functionsmore » of GRs - reduced sensitivity to all hormones and increased selectivity for glucocorticoids - are derived. Although the mechanisms for the evolution of glucocorticoid specificity have been identified, how reduced sensitivity evolved has not yet been studied. Here we report on the reconstruction of the deepest ancestor in the GR lineage (AncGR1) and demonstrate that GR's reduced sensitivity evolved before the acquisition of restricted hormone specificity, shortly after the GR-MR split. Using site-directed mutagenesis, X-ray crystallography, and computational analyses of protein stability to recapitulate and determine the effects of historical mutations, we show that AncGR1's reduced ligand sensitivity evolved primarily due to three key substitutions. Two large-effect mutations weakened hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions within the ancestral protein, reducing its stability. The degenerative effect of these two mutations is extremely strong, but a third permissive substitution, which has no apparent effect on function in the ancestral background and is likely to have occurred first, buffered the effects of the destabilizing mutations. Taken together, our results highlight the potentially creative role of substitutions that partially degrade protein structure and

Visual system evolution and the nature of the ancestral snake.

PubMed

Simões, B F; Sampaio, F L; Jared, C; Antoniazzi, M M; Loew, E R; Bowmaker, J K; Rodriguez, A; Hart, N S; Hunt, D M; Partridge, J C; Gower, D J

2015-07-01

The dominant hypothesis for the evolutionary origin of snakes from 'lizards' (non-snake squamates) is that stem snakes acquired many snake features while passing through a profound burrowing (fossorial) phase. To investigate this, we examined the visual pigments and their encoding opsin genes in a range of squamate reptiles, focusing on fossorial lizards and snakes. We sequenced opsin transcripts isolated from retinal cDNA and used microspectrophotometry to measure directly the spectral absorbance of the photoreceptor visual pigments in a subset of samples. In snakes, but not lizards, dedicated fossoriality (as in Scolecophidia and the alethinophidian Anilius scytale) corresponds with loss of all visual opsins other than RH1 (λmax 490-497 nm); all other snakes (including less dedicated burrowers) also have functional sws1 and lws opsin genes. In contrast, the retinas of all lizards sampled, even highly fossorial amphisbaenians with reduced eyes, express functional lws, sws1, sws2 and rh1 genes, and most also express rh2 (i.e. they express all five of the visual opsin genes present in the ancestral vertebrate). Our evidence of visual pigment complements suggests that the visual system of stem snakes was partly reduced, with two (RH2 and SWS2) of the ancestral vertebrate visual pigments being eliminated, but that this did not extend to the extreme additional loss of SWS1 and LWS that subsequently occurred (probably independently) in highly fossorial extant scolecophidians and A. scytale. We therefore consider it unlikely that the ancestral snake was as fossorial as extant scolecophidians, whether or not the latter are para- or monophyletic. © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Centromere Destiny in Dicentric Chromosomes: New Insights from the Evolution of Human Chromosome 2 Ancestral Centromeric Region.

PubMed

Chiatante, Giorgia; Giannuzzi, Giuliana; Calabrese, Francesco Maria; Eichler, Evan E; Ventura, Mario

2017-07-01

Dicentric chromosomes are products of genomic rearrangements that place two centromeres on the same chromosome. Due to the presence of two primary constrictions, they are inherently unstable and overcome their instability by epigenetically inactivating and/or deleting one of the two centromeres, thus resulting in functionally monocentric chromosomes that segregate normally during cell division. Our understanding to date of dicentric chromosome formation, behavior and fate has been largely inferred from observational studies in plants and humans as well as artificially produced de novo dicentrics in yeast and in human cells. We investigate the most recent product of a chromosome fusion event fixed in the human lineage, human chromosome 2, whose stability was acquired by the suppression of one centromere, resulting in a unique difference in chromosome number between humans (46 chromosomes) and our most closely related ape relatives (48 chromosomes). Using molecular cytogenetics, sequencing, and comparative sequence data, we deeply characterize the relicts of the chromosome 2q ancestral centromere and its flanking regions, gaining insight into the ancestral organization that can be easily broadened to all acrocentric chromosome centromeres. Moreover, our analyses offered the opportunity to trace the evolutionary history of rDNA and satellite III sequences among great apes, thus suggesting a new hypothesis for the preferential inactivation of some human centromeres, including IIq. Our results suggest two possible centromere inactivation models to explain the evolutionarily stabilization of human chromosome 2 over the last 5-6 million years. Our results strongly favor centromere excision through a one-step process. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Hemipteran Mitochondrial Genomes: Features, Structures and Implications for Phylogeny

PubMed Central

Wang, Yuan; Chen, Jing; Jiang, Li-Yun; Qiao, Ge-Xia

2015-01-01

The study of Hemipteran mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) began with the Chagas disease vector, Triatoma dimidiata, in 2001. At present, 90 complete Hemipteran mitogenomes have been sequenced and annotated. This review examines the history of Hemipteran mitogenomes research and summarizes the main features of them including genome organization, nucleotide composition, protein-coding genes, tRNAs and rRNAs, and non-coding regions. Special attention is given to the comparative analysis of repeat regions. Gene rearrangements are an additional data type for a few families, and most mitogenomes are arranged in the same order to the proposed ancestral insect. We also discuss and provide insights on the phylogenetic analyses of a variety of taxonomic levels. This review is expected to further expand our understanding of research in this field and serve as a valuable reference resource. PMID:26039239

Investigation of common, low-frequency and rare genome-wide variation in anorexia nervosa.

PubMed

Huckins, L M; Hatzikotoulas, K; Southam, L; Thornton, L M; Steinberg, J; Aguilera-McKay, F; Treasure, J; Schmidt, U; Gunasinghe, C; Romero, A; Curtis, C; Rhodes, D; Moens, J; Kalsi, G; Dempster, D; Leung, R; Keohane, A; Burghardt, R; Ehrlich, S; Hebebrand, J; Hinney, A; Ludolph, A; Walton, E; Deloukas, P; Hofman, A; Palotie, A; Palta, P; van Rooij, F J A; Stirrups, K; Adan, R; Boni, C; Cone, R; Dedoussis, G; van Furth, E; Gonidakis, F; Gorwood, P; Hudson, J; Kaprio, J; Kas, M; Keski-Rahonen, A; Kiezebrink, K; Knudsen, G-P; Slof-Op 't Landt, M C T; Maj, M; Monteleone, A M; Monteleone, P; Raevuori, A H; Reichborn-Kjennerud, T; Tozzi, F; Tsitsika, A; van Elburg, A; Collier, D A; Sullivan, P F; Breen, G; Bulik, C M; Zeggini, E

2018-05-01

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder presenting with dangerously low body weight, and a deep and persistent fear of gaining weight. To date, only one genome-wide significant locus associated with AN has been identified. We performed an exome-chip based genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in 2158 cases from nine populations of European origin and 15 485 ancestrally matched controls. Unlike previous studies, this GWAS also probed association in low-frequency and rare variants. Sixteen independent variants were taken forward for in silico and de novo replication (11 common and 5 rare). No findings reached genome-wide significance. Two notable common variants were identified: rs10791286, an intronic variant in OPCML (P=9.89 × 10 -6 ), and rs7700147, an intergenic variant (P=2.93 × 10 -5 ). No low-frequency variant associations were identified at genome-wide significance, although the study was well-powered to detect low-frequency variants with large effect sizes, suggesting that there may be no AN loci in this genomic search space with large effect sizes.

Investigation of common, low-frequency and rare genome-wide variation in anorexia nervosa

PubMed Central

Huckins, L M; Hatzikotoulas, K; Southam, L; Thornton, L M; Steinberg, J; Aguilera-McKay, F; Treasure, J; Schmidt, U; Gunasinghe, C; Romero, A; Curtis, C; Rhodes, D; Moens, J; Kalsi, G; Dempster, D; Leung, R; Keohane, A; Burghardt, R; Ehrlich, S; Hebebrand, J; Hinney, A; Ludolph, A; Walton, E; Deloukas, P; Hofman, A; Palotie, A; Palta, P; van Rooij, F J A; Stirrups, K; Adan, R; Boni, C; Cone, R; Dedoussis, G; van Furth, E; Gonidakis, F; Gorwood, P; Hudson, J; Kaprio, J; Kas, M; Keski-Rahonen, A; Kiezebrink, K; Knudsen, G-P; Slof-Op 't Landt, M C T; Maj, M; Monteleone, A M; Monteleone, P; Raevuori, A H; Reichborn-Kjennerud, T; Tozzi, F; Tsitsika, A; van Elburg, A; Adan, R A H; Alfredsson, L; Ando, T; Andreassen, O A; Aschauer, H; Baker, J H; Barrett, J C; Bencko, V; Bergen, A W; Berrettini, W H; Birgegard, A; Boni, C; Boraska Perica, V; Brandt, H; Breen, G; Bulik, C M; Carlberg, L; Cassina, M; Cichon, S; Clementi, M; Cohen-Woods, S; Coleman, J; Cone, R D; Courtet, P; Crawford, S; Crow, S; Crowley, J; Danner, U N; Davis, O S P; de Zwaan, M; Dedoussis, G; Degortes, D; DeSocio, J E; Dick, D M; Dikeos, D; Dina, C; Ding, B; Dmitrzak-Weglarz, M; Docampo, E; Duncan, L; Egberts, K; Ehrlich, S; Escaramís, G; Esko, T; Espeseth, T; Estivill, X; Favaro, A; Fernández-Aranda, F; Fichter, M M; Finan, C; Fischer, K; Floyd, J A B; Foretova, L; Forzan, M; Franklin, C S; Gallinger, S; Gambaro, G; Gaspar, H A; Giegling, I; Gonidakis, F; Gorwood, P; Gratacos, M; Guillaume, S; Guo, Y; Hakonarson, H; Halmi, K A; Hatzikotoulas, K; Hauser, J; Hebebrand, J; Helder, S; Herms, S; Herpertz-Dahlmann, B; Herzog, W; Hilliard, C E; Hinney, A; Hübel, C; Huckins, L M; Hudson, J I; Huemer, J; Inoko, H; Janout, V; Jiménez-Murcia, S; Johnson, C; Julià, A; Juréus, A; Kalsi, G; Kaminska, D; Kaplan, A S; Kaprio, J; Karhunen, L; Karwautz, A; Kas, M J H; Kaye, W; Kennedy, J L; Keski-Rahkonen, A; Kiezebrink, K; Klareskog, L; Klump, K L; Knudsen, G P S; Koeleman, B P C; Koubek, D; La Via, M C; Landén, M; Le Hellard, S; Levitan, R D; Li, D; Lichtenstein, P; Lilenfeld, L; Lissowska, J; Lundervold, A; Magistretti, P; Maj, M; Mannik, K; Marsal, S; Martin, N; Mattingsdal, M; McDevitt, S; McGuffin, P; Merl, E; Metspalu, A; Meulenbelt, I; Micali, N; Mitchell, J; Mitchell, K; Monteleone, P; Monteleone, A M; Mortensen, P; Munn-Chernoff, M A; Navratilova, M; Nilsson, I; Norring, C; Ntalla, I; Ophoff, R A; O'Toole, J K; Palotie, A; Pante, J; Papezova, H; Pinto, D; Rabionet, R; Raevuori, A; Rajewski, A; Ramoz, N; Rayner, N W; Reichborn-Kjennerud, T; Ripatti, S; Roberts, M; Rotondo, A; Rujescu, D; Rybakowski, F; Santonastaso, P; Scherag, A; Scherer, S W; Schmidt, U; Schork, N J; Schosser, A; Slachtova, L; Sladek, R; Slagboom, P E; Slof-Op 't Landt, M C T; Slopien, A; Soranzo, N; Southam, L; Steen, V M; Strengman, E; Strober, M; Sullivan, P F; Szatkiewicz, J P; Szeszenia-Dabrowska, N; Tachmazidou, I; Tenconi, E; Thornton, L M; Tortorella, A; Tozzi, F; Treasure, J; Tsitsika, A; Tziouvas, K; van Elburg, A A; van Furth, E F; Wagner, G; Walton, E; Watson, H; Wichmann, H-E; Widen, E; Woodside, D B; Yanovski, J; Yao, S; Yilmaz, Z; Zeggini, E; Zerwas, S; Zipfel, S; Collier, D A; Sullivan, P F; Breen, G; Bulik, C M; Zeggini, E

2018-01-01

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder presenting with dangerously low body weight, and a deep and persistent fear of gaining weight. To date, only one genome-wide significant locus associated with AN has been identified. We performed an exome-chip based genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in 2158 cases from nine populations of European origin and 15 485 ancestrally matched controls. Unlike previous studies, this GWAS also probed association in low-frequency and rare variants. Sixteen independent variants were taken forward for in silico and de novo replication (11 common and 5 rare). No findings reached genome-wide significance. Two notable common variants were identified: rs10791286, an intronic variant in OPCML (P=9.89 × 10−6), and rs7700147, an intergenic variant (P=2.93 × 10−5). No low-frequency variant associations were identified at genome-wide significance, although the study was well-powered to detect low-frequency variants with large effect sizes, suggesting that there may be no AN loci in this genomic search space with large effect sizes. PMID:29155802

Intersection of opposing pedagogical frameworks: Native Hawaiian ancestral stories and scientific inquiry in a high school science class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanahele-Mossman, Huihui

Inquiry is defined as "an examination into facts and principles." In science education science inquiry is a process through which important discoveries are made by students through scientific methodology. The most important step in this process is forming the right question. The questions formed by students are usually the wrong questions which deem the remainder of the inquiry process impotent. This research will look at the pedagogy of ancestral stories for a solution. For the researcher, ancestral stories were a source of wonderment and learning not only from the lessons the stories revealed but mainly from the questions that still remained after the stories were told. Questions such as "why does the eel only swim near that part?", or "why does the story only talk about the uhu?" are examples of questions that remained after experiencing an ancestral narrative. The research questions were composed for the purpose of finding compatibility between the two pedagogies. The first research question which reads "how can Native Hawaiian ancestral stories encourage an increased level of student driven interactions at all levels of feedback from Native Hawaiian students in science classroom" focuses the research on the level of student feedback that initiate questions. Question two which reads "how can teachers of Native Hawaiian students facilitate the construction of science inquiry projects from ancestral stories" addresses the skill of the teacher and imbeds the concept of pedagogical knowledge into the literature. The last research question "how do analysis and discussion of the stories connect Native Hawaiian students to their ancestral intelligence" examines the role of identity and identity to ancestral intelligence. The method intended for this research was Grounded theory which allows the researcher to develop principles, concepts and theories based on the data presented. Another method utilized in this research is an undocumented but culturally imbedded method

Genomics Research: World Survey of Public Funding

PubMed Central

Pohlhaus, Jennifer Reineke; Cook-Deegan, Robert M

2008-01-01

Background Over the past two decades, genomics has evolved as a scientific research discipline. Genomics research was fueled initially by government and nonprofit funding sources, later augmented by private research and development (R&D) funding. Citizens and taxpayers of many countries have funded much of the research, and have expectations about access to the resulting information and knowledge. While access to knowledge gained from all publicly funded research is desired, access is especially important for fields that have broad social impact and stimulate public dialogue. Genomics is one such field, where public concerns are raised for reasons such as health care and insurance implications, as well as personal and ancestral identification. Thus, genomics has grown rapidly as a field, and attracts considerable interest. Results One way to study the growth of a field of research is to examine its funding. This study focuses on public funding of genomics research, identifying and collecting data from major government and nonprofit organizations around the world, and updating previous estimates of world genomics research funding, including information about geographical origins. We initially identified 89 publicly funded organizations; we requested information about each organization's funding of genomics research. Of these organizations, 48 responded and 34 reported genomics research expenditures (of those that responded but did not supply information, some did not fund such research, others could not quantify it). The figures reported here include all the largest funders and we estimate that we have accounted for most of the genomics research funding from government and nonprofit sources. Conclusion Aggregate spending on genomics research from 34 funding sources averaged around $2.9 billion in 2003 – 2006. The United States spent more than any other country on genomics research, corresponding to 35% of the overall worldwide public funding (compared to 49% US

The Korarchaeota: Archaeal orphans representing an ancestral lineage of life

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Elkins, James G.; Kunin, Victor; Anderson, Iain

Based on conserved cellular properties, all life on Earth can be grouped into different phyla which belong to the primary domains Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. However, tracing back their evolutionary relationships has been impeded by horizontal gene transfer and gene loss. Within the Archaea, the kingdoms Crenarchaeota and Euryarchaeota exhibit a profound divergence. In order to elucidate the evolution of these two major kingdoms, representatives of more deeply diverged lineages would be required. Based on their environmental small subunit ribosomal (ss RNA) sequences, the Korarchaeota had been originally suggested to have an ancestral relationship to all known Archaea although thismore » assessment has been refuted. Here we describe the cultivation and initial characterization of the first member of the Korarchaeota, highly unusual, ultrathin filamentous cells about 0.16 {micro}m in diameter. A complete genome sequence obtained from enrichment cultures revealed an unprecedented combination of signature genes which were thought to be characteristic of either the Crenarchaeota, Euryarchaeota, or Eukarya. Cell division appears to be mediated through a FtsZ-dependent mechanism which is highly conserved throughout the Bacteria and Euryarchaeota. An rpb8 subunit of the DNA-dependent RNA polymerase was identified which is absent from other Archaea and has been described as a eukaryotic signature gene. In addition, the representative organism possesses a ribosome structure typical for members of the Crenarchaeota. Based on its gene complement, this lineage likely diverged near the separation of the two major kingdoms of Archaea. Further investigations of these unique organisms may shed additional light onto the evolution of extant life.« less

Evolution of bacterial-like phosphoprotein phosphatases in photosynthetic eukaryotes features ancestral mitochondrial or archaeal origin and possible lateral gene transfer.

PubMed

Uhrig, R Glen; Kerk, David; Moorhead, Greg B

2013-12-01

Protein phosphorylation is a reversible regulatory process catalyzed by the opposing reactions of protein kinases and phosphatases, which are central to the proper functioning of the cell. Dysfunction of members in either the protein kinase or phosphatase family can have wide-ranging deleterious effects in both metazoans and plants alike. Previously, three bacterial-like phosphoprotein phosphatase classes were uncovered in eukaryotes and named according to the bacterial sequences with which they have the greatest similarity: Shewanella-like (SLP), Rhizobiales-like (RLPH), and ApaH-like (ALPH) phosphatases. Utilizing the wealth of data resulting from recently sequenced complete eukaryotic genomes, we conducted database searching by hidden Markov models, multiple sequence alignment, and phylogenetic tree inference with Bayesian and maximum likelihood methods to elucidate the pattern of evolution of eukaryotic bacterial-like phosphoprotein phosphatase sequences, which are predominantly distributed in photosynthetic eukaryotes. We uncovered a pattern of ancestral mitochondrial (SLP and RLPH) or archaeal (ALPH) gene entry into eukaryotes, supplemented by possible instances of lateral gene transfer between bacteria and eukaryotes. In addition to the previously known green algal and plant SLP1 and SLP2 protein forms, a more ancestral third form (SLP3) was found in green algae. Data from in silico subcellular localization predictions revealed class-specific differences in plants likely to result in distinct functions, and for SLP sequences, distinctive and possibly functionally significant differences between plants and nonphotosynthetic eukaryotes. Conserved carboxyl-terminal sequence motifs with class-specific patterns of residue substitutions, most prominent in photosynthetic organisms, raise the possibility of complex interactions with regulatory proteins.

The Genome of the Obligate Intracellular Parasite Trachipleistophora hominis: New Insights into Microsporidian Genome Dynamics and Reductive Evolution

PubMed Central

Heinz, Eva; Williams, Tom A.; Nakjang, Sirintra; Noël, Christophe J.; Swan, Daniel C.; Goldberg, Alina V.; Harris, Simon R.; Weinmaier, Thomas; Markert, Stephanie; Becher, Dörte; Bernhardt, Jörg; Dagan, Tal; Hacker, Christian; Lucocq, John M.; Schweder, Thomas; Rattei, Thomas; Hall, Neil; Hirt, Robert P.; Embley, T. Martin

2012-01-01

The dynamics of reductive genome evolution for eukaryotes living inside other eukaryotic cells are poorly understood compared to well-studied model systems involving obligate intracellular bacteria. Here we present 8.5 Mb of sequence from the genome of the microsporidian Trachipleistophora hominis, isolated from an HIV/AIDS patient, which is an outgroup to the smaller compacted-genome species that primarily inform ideas of evolutionary mode for these enormously successful obligate intracellular parasites. Our data provide detailed information on the gene content, genome architecture and intergenic regions of a larger microsporidian genome, while comparative analyses allowed us to infer genomic features and metabolism of the common ancestor of the species investigated. Gene length reduction and massive loss of metabolic capacity in the common ancestor was accompanied by the evolution of novel microsporidian-specific protein families, whose conservation among microsporidians, against a background of reductive evolution, suggests they may have important functions in their parasitic lifestyle. The ancestor had already lost many metabolic pathways but retained glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway to provide cytosolic ATP and reduced coenzymes, and it had a minimal mitochondrion (mitosome) making Fe-S clusters but not ATP. It possessed bacterial-like nucleotide transport proteins as a key innovation for stealing host-generated ATP, the machinery for RNAi, key elements of the early secretory pathway, canonical eukaryotic as well as microsporidian-specific regulatory elements, a diversity of repetitive and transposable elements, and relatively low average gene density. Microsporidian genome evolution thus appears to have proceeded in at least two major steps: an ancestral remodelling of the proteome upon transition to intracellular parasitism that involved reduction but also selective expansion, followed by a secondary compaction of genome architecture in some, but

Modern and ancestral genotypes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from Andhra Pradesh, India.

PubMed

Thomas, Shirly K; Iravatham, Chitra C; Moni, Bottu Heleena; Kumar, Ashutosh; Archana, Bandaru V; Majid, Mohammad; Priyadarshini, Yerra; Rani, Pittu Sandhya; Valluri, Vijayalakshmi; Hasnain, Seyed E; Ahmed, Niyaz

2011-01-01

Traditionally, the distribution of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotypes in India has been characterized by widespread prevalence of ancestral lineages (TbD1+ strains and variants) in the south and the modern forms (TbD1(-) CAS and variants) predominating in the north of India. The pattern was, however, not clearly known in the south-central region such as Hyderabad and the rest of the state of Andhra Pradesh where the prevalence of both tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is one of the highest in the country; this area has been the hotspot of TB vaccine trials. Spoligotyping of 101 clinical isolates obtained from Hyderabad and rural Andhra Pradesh confirmed the occurrence of major genogroups such as the ancestral (or the TbD1+ type or the East African Indian (EAI) type), the Central Asian (CAS) or Delhi type and the Beijing lineage in Andhra Pradesh. Sixty five different spoligotype patterns were observed for the isolates included in this study; these were further analyzed based on specific genetic signatures/mutations. It was found that the major genogroups, CAS and "ancestral," were almost equally prevalent in our collection but followed a north-south compartmentalization as was also reported previously. However, we observed a significant presence of MANU lineage in south Andhra Pradesh, which was earlier reported to be overwhelmingly present in Mumbai. This study portrays genotypic diversity of M. tuberculosis from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and provides a much needed snapshot of the strain diversity that will be helpful in devising effective TB control programs in this part of the world.

The Chlamydomonas Genome Reveals the Evolution of Key Animal and Plant Functions

PubMed Central

Merchant, Sabeeha S.; Prochnik, Simon E.; Vallon, Olivier; Harris, Elizabeth H.; Karpowicz, Steven J.; Witman, George B.; Terry, Astrid; Salamov, Asaf; Fritz-Laylin, Lillian K.; Maréchal-Drouard, Laurence; Marshall, Wallace F.; Qu, Liang-Hu; Nelson, David R.; Sanderfoot, Anton A.; Spalding, Martin H.; Kapitonov, Vladimir V.; Ren, Qinghu; Ferris, Patrick; Lindquist, Erika; Shapiro, Harris; Lucas, Susan M.; Grimwood, Jane; Schmutz, Jeremy; Cardol, Pierre; Cerutti, Heriberto; Chanfreau, Guillaume; Chen, Chun-Long; Cognat, Valérie; Croft, Martin T.; Dent, Rachel; Dutcher, Susan; Fernández, Emilio; Ferris, Patrick; Fukuzawa, Hideya; González-Ballester, David; González-Halphen, Diego; Hallmann, Armin; Hanikenne, Marc; Hippler, Michael; Inwood, William; Jabbari, Kamel; Kalanon, Ming; Kuras, Richard; Lefebvre, Paul A.; Lemaire, Stéphane D.; Lobanov, Alexey V.; Lohr, Martin; Manuell, Andrea; Meier, Iris; Mets, Laurens; Mittag, Maria; Mittelmeier, Telsa; Moroney, James V.; Moseley, Jeffrey; Napoli, Carolyn; Nedelcu, Aurora M.; Niyogi, Krishna; Novoselov, Sergey V.; Paulsen, Ian T.; Pazour, Greg; Purton, Saul; Ral, Jean-Philippe; Riaño-Pachón, Diego Mauricio; Riekhof, Wayne; Rymarquis, Linda; Schroda, Michael; Stern, David; Umen, James; Willows, Robert; Wilson, Nedra; Zimmer, Sara Lana; Allmer, Jens; Balk, Janneke; Bisova, Katerina; Chen, Chong-Jian; Elias, Marek; Gendler, Karla; Hauser, Charles; Lamb, Mary Rose; Ledford, Heidi; Long, Joanne C.; Minagawa, Jun; Page, M. Dudley; Pan, Junmin; Pootakham, Wirulda; Roje, Sanja; Rose, Annkatrin; Stahlberg, Eric; Terauchi, Aimee M.; Yang, Pinfen; Ball, Steven; Bowler, Chris; Dieckmann, Carol L.; Gladyshev, Vadim N.; Green, Pamela; Jorgensen, Richard; Mayfield, Stephen; Mueller-Roeber, Bernd; Rajamani, Sathish; Sayre, Richard T.; Brokstein, Peter; Dubchak, Inna; Goodstein, David; Hornick, Leila; Huang, Y. Wayne; Jhaveri, Jinal; Luo, Yigong; Martínez, Diego; Ngau, Wing Chi Abby; Otillar, Bobby; Poliakov, Alexander; Porter, Aaron; Szajkowski, Lukasz; Werner, Gregory; Zhou, Kemin; Grigoriev, Igor V.; Rokhsar, Daniel S.; Grossman, Arthur R.

2010-01-01

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a unicellular green alga whose lineage diverged from land plants over 1 billion years ago. It is a model system for studying chloroplast-based photosynthesis, as well as the structure, assembly, and function of eukaryotic flagella (cilia), which were inherited from the common ancestor of plants and animals, but lost in land plants. We sequenced the ∼120-megabase nuclear genome of Chlamydomonas and performed comparative phylogenomic analyses, identifying genes encoding uncharacterized proteins that are likely associated with the function and biogenesis of chloroplasts or eukaryotic flagella. Analyses of the Chlamydomonas genome advance our understanding of the ancestral eukaryotic cell, reveal previously unknown genes associated with photosynthetic and flagellar functions, and establish links between ciliopathy and the composition and function of flagella. PMID:17932292

Temperature-dependent respiration-growth relations in ancestral maize cultivars

Treesearch

Bruce N. Smith; Jillian L. Walker; Rebekka L. Stone; Angela R. Jones; Lee D. Hansen

2001-01-01

Shoots from 4- to 6-day old seedlings of seven ancestral or old cultivars of Zea mays L. were placed in a calorimeter. Dark metabolic heat rate (q) and CO2 production rate (RCO2) were measured at nine temperatures (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45 °C). Temperature dependencies of q and RCO2 were used to model response of both growth and substrate carbon conversion...

Genome-Wide Identification of the Mutation Underlying Fleece Variation and Discriminating Ancestral Hairy Species from Modern Woolly Sheep

PubMed Central

Cano, Margarita; Drouilhet, Laurence; Plisson-Petit, Florence; Bardou, Philippe; Fabre, Stéphane; Servin, Bertrand; Sarry, Julien; Woloszyn, Florent; Mulsant, Philippe; Foulquier, Didier; Carrière, Fabien; Aletru, Mathias; Rodde, Nathalie; Cauet, Stéphane; Bouchez, Olivier; Pirson, Maarten; Tosser-Klopp, Gwenola; Allain, Daniel

2017-01-01

Abstract The composition and structure of fleece variation observed in mammals is a consequence of a strong selective pressure for fiber production after domestication. In sheep, fleece variation discriminates ancestral species carrying a long and hairy fleece from modern domestic sheep (Ovis aries) owning a short and woolly fleece. Here, we report that the “woolly” allele results from the insertion of an antisense EIF2S2 retrogene (called asEIF2S2) into the 3′ UTR of the IRF2BP2 gene leading to an abnormal IRF2BP2 transcript. We provide evidence that this chimeric IRF2BP2/asEIF2S2 messenger 1) targets the genuine sense EIF2S2 RNA and 2) creates a long endogenous double-stranded RNA which alters the expression of both EIF2S2 and IRF2BP2 mRNA. This represents a unique example of a phenotype arising via a RNA-RNA hybrid, itself generated through a retroposition mechanism. Our results bring new insights on the sheep population history thanks to the identification of the molecular origin of an evolutionary phenotypic variation. PMID:28379502

Repeat associated mechanisms of genome evolution and function revealed by the Mus caroli and Mus pahari genomes.

PubMed

Thybert, David; Roller, Maša; Navarro, Fábio C P; Fiddes, Ian; Streeter, Ian; Feig, Christine; Martin-Galvez, David; Kolmogorov, Mikhail; Janoušek, Václav; Akanni, Wasiu; Aken, Bronwen; Aldridge, Sarah; Chakrapani, Varshith; Chow, William; Clarke, Laura; Cummins, Carla; Doran, Anthony; Dunn, Matthew; Goodstadt, Leo; Howe, Kerstin; Howell, Matthew; Josselin, Ambre-Aurore; Karn, Robert C; Laukaitis, Christina M; Jingtao, Lilue; Martin, Fergal; Muffato, Matthieu; Nachtweide, Stefanie; Quail, Michael A; Sisu, Cristina; Stanke, Mario; Stefflova, Klara; Van Oosterhout, Cock; Veyrunes, Frederic; Ward, Ben; Yang, Fengtang; Yazdanifar, Golbahar; Zadissa, Amonida; Adams, David J; Brazma, Alvis; Gerstein, Mark; Paten, Benedict; Pham, Son; Keane, Thomas M; Odom, Duncan T; Flicek, Paul

2018-04-01

Understanding the mechanisms driving lineage-specific evolution in both primates and rodents has been hindered by the lack of sister clades with a similar phylogenetic structure having high-quality genome assemblies. Here, we have created chromosome-level assemblies of the Mus caroli and Mus pahari genomes. Together with the Mus musculus and Rattus norvegicus genomes, this set of rodent genomes is similar in divergence times to the Hominidae (human-chimpanzee-gorilla-orangutan). By comparing the evolutionary dynamics between the Muridae and Hominidae, we identified punctate events of chromosome reshuffling that shaped the ancestral karyotype of Mus musculus and Mus caroli between 3 and 6 million yr ago, but that are absent in the Hominidae. Hominidae show between four- and sevenfold lower rates of nucleotide change and feature turnover in both neutral and functional sequences, suggesting an underlying coherence to the Muridae acceleration. Our system of matched, high-quality genome assemblies revealed how specific classes of repeats can play lineage-specific roles in related species. Recent LINE activity has remodeled protein-coding loci to a greater extent across the Muridae than the Hominidae, with functional consequences at the species level such as reproductive isolation. Furthermore, we charted a Muridae-specific retrotransposon expansion at unprecedented resolution, revealing how a single nucleotide mutation transformed a specific SINE element into an active CTCF binding site carrier specifically in Mus caroli , which resulted in thousands of novel, species-specific CTCF binding sites. Our results show that the comparison of matched phylogenetic sets of genomes will be an increasingly powerful strategy for understanding mammalian biology. © 2018 Thybert et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Comparative and demographic analysis of orangutan genomes

PubMed Central

Locke, Devin P.; Hillier, LaDeana W.; Warren, Wesley C.; Worley, Kim C.; Nazareth, Lynne V.; Muzny, Donna M.; Yang, Shiaw-Pyng; Wang, Zhengyuan; Chinwalla, Asif T.; Minx, Pat; Mitreva, Makedonka; Cook, Lisa; Delehaunty, Kim D.; Fronick, Catrina; Schmidt, Heather; Fulton, Lucinda A.; Fulton, Robert S.; Nelson, Joanne O.; Magrini, Vincent; Pohl, Craig; Graves, Tina A.; Markovic, Chris; Cree, Andy; Dinh, Huyen H.; Hume, Jennifer; Kovar, Christie L.; Fowler, Gerald R.; Lunter, Gerton; Meader, Stephen; Heger, Andreas; Ponting, Chris P.; Marques-Bonet, Tomas; Alkan, Can; Chen, Lin; Cheng, Ze; Kidd, Jeffrey M.; Eichler, Evan E.; White, Simon; Searle, Stephen; Vilella, Albert J.; Chen, Yuan; Flicek, Paul; Ma, Jian; Raney, Brian; Suh, Bernard; Burhans, Richard; Herrero, Javier; Haussler, David; Faria, Rui; Fernando, Olga; Darré, Fleur; Farré, Domènec; Gazave, Elodie; Oliva, Meritxell; Navarro, Arcadi; Roberto, Roberta; Capozzi, Oronzo; Archidiacono, Nicoletta; Valle, Giuliano Della; Purgato, Stefania; Rocchi, Mariano; Konkel, Miriam K.; Walker, Jerilyn A.; Ullmer, Brygg; Batzer, Mark A.; Smit, Arian F. A.; Hubley, Robert; Casola, Claudio; Schrider, Daniel R.; Hahn, Matthew W.; Quesada, Victor; Puente, Xose S.; Ordoñez, Gonzalo R.; López-Otín, Carlos; Vinar, Tomas; Brejova, Brona; Ratan, Aakrosh; Harris, Robert S.; Miller, Webb; Kosiol, Carolin; Lawson, Heather A.; Taliwal, Vikas; Martins, André L.; Siepel, Adam; RoyChoudhury, Arindam; Ma, Xin; Degenhardt, Jeremiah; Bustamante, Carlos D.; Gutenkunst, Ryan N.; Mailund, Thomas; Dutheil, Julien Y.; Hobolth, Asger; Schierup, Mikkel H.; Chemnick, Leona; Ryder, Oliver A.; Yoshinaga, Yuko; de Jong, Pieter J.; Weinstock, George M.; Rogers, Jeffrey; Mardis, Elaine R.; Gibbs, Richard A.; Wilson, Richard K.

2011-01-01

“Orangutan” is derived from the Malay term “man of the forest” and aptly describes the Southeast Asian great apes native to Sumatra and Borneo. The orangutan species, Pongo abelii (Sumatran) and Pongo pygmaeus (Bornean), are the most phylogenetically distant great apes from humans, thereby providing an informative perspective on hominid evolution. Here we present a Sumatran orangutan draft genome assembly and short read sequence data from five Sumatran and five Bornean orangutan genomes. Our analyses reveal that, compared to other primates, the orangutan genome has many unique features. Structural evolution of the orangutan genome has proceeded much more slowly than other great apes, evidenced by fewer rearrangements, less segmental duplication, a lower rate of gene family turnover and surprisingly quiescent Alu repeats, which have played a major role in restructuring other primate genomes. We also describe the first primate polymorphic neocentromere, found in both Pongo species, emphasizing the gradual evolution of orangutan genome structure. Orangutans have extremely low energy usage for a eutherian mammal1, far lower than their hominid relatives. Adding their genome to the repertoire of sequenced primates illuminates new signals of positive selection in several pathways including glycolipid metabolism. From the population perspective, both Pongo species are deeply diverse; however, Sumatran individuals possess greater diversity than their Bornean counterparts, and more species-specific variation. Our estimate of Bornean/Sumatran speciation time, 400k years ago (ya), is more recent than most previous studies and underscores the complexity of the orangutan speciation process. Despite a smaller modern census population size, the Sumatran effective population size (Ne) expanded exponentially relative to the ancestral Ne after the split, while Bornean Ne declined over the same period. Overall, the resources and analyses presented here offer new opportunities

HLA Diversity in the 1000 Genomes Dataset

PubMed Central

Gourraud, Pierre-Antoine; Khankhanian, Pouya; Cereb, Nezih; Yang, Soo Young; Feolo, Michael; Maiers, Martin; D. Rioux, John; Hauser, Stephen; Oksenberg, Jorge

2014-01-01

The 1000 Genomes Project aims to provide a deep characterization of human genome sequence variation by sequencing at a level that should allow the genome-wide detection of most variants with frequencies as low as 1%. However, in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), only the top 10 most frequent haplotypes are in the 1% frequency range whereas thousands of haplotypes are present at lower frequencies. Given the limitation of both the coverage and the read length of the sequences generated by the 1000 Genomes Project, the highly variable positions that define HLA alleles may be difficult to identify. We used classical Sanger sequencing techniques to type the HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 genes in the available 1000 Genomes samples and combined the results with the 103,310 variants in the MHC region genotyped by the 1000 Genomes Project. Using pairwise identity-by-descent distances between individuals and principal component analysis, we established the relationship between ancestry and genetic diversity in the MHC region. As expected, both the MHC variants and the HLA phenotype can identify the major ancestry lineage, informed mainly by the most frequent HLA haplotypes. To some extent, regions of the genome with similar genetic or similar recombination rate have similar properties. An MHC-centric analysis underlines departures between the ancestral background of the MHC and the genome-wide picture. Our analysis of linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay in these samples suggests that overestimation of pairwise LD occurs due to a limited sampling of the MHC diversity. This collection of HLA-specific MHC variants, available on the dbMHC portal, is a valuable resource for future analyses of the role of MHC in population and disease studies. PMID:24988075

HLA diversity in the 1000 genomes dataset.

PubMed

Gourraud, Pierre-Antoine; Khankhanian, Pouya; Cereb, Nezih; Yang, Soo Young; Feolo, Michael; Maiers, Martin; Rioux, John D; Hauser, Stephen; Oksenberg, Jorge

2014-01-01

The 1000 Genomes Project aims to provide a deep characterization of human genome sequence variation by sequencing at a level that should allow the genome-wide detection of most variants with frequencies as low as 1%. However, in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), only the top 10 most frequent haplotypes are in the 1% frequency range whereas thousands of haplotypes are present at lower frequencies. Given the limitation of both the coverage and the read length of the sequences generated by the 1000 Genomes Project, the highly variable positions that define HLA alleles may be difficult to identify. We used classical Sanger sequencing techniques to type the HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 genes in the available 1000 Genomes samples and combined the results with the 103,310 variants in the MHC region genotyped by the 1000 Genomes Project. Using pairwise identity-by-descent distances between individuals and principal component analysis, we established the relationship between ancestry and genetic diversity in the MHC region. As expected, both the MHC variants and the HLA phenotype can identify the major ancestry lineage, informed mainly by the most frequent HLA haplotypes. To some extent, regions of the genome with similar genetic or similar recombination rate have similar properties. An MHC-centric analysis underlines departures between the ancestral background of the MHC and the genome-wide picture. Our analysis of linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay in these samples suggests that overestimation of pairwise LD occurs due to a limited sampling of the MHC diversity. This collection of HLA-specific MHC variants, available on the dbMHC portal, is a valuable resource for future analyses of the role of MHC in population and disease studies.

Next generation haplotyping to decipher nuclear genomic interspecific admixture in Citrus species: analysis of chromosome 2.

PubMed

Curk, Franck; Ancillo, Gema; Garcia-Lor, Andres; Luro, François; Perrier, Xavier; Jacquemoud-Collet, Jean-Pierre; Navarro, Luis; Ollitrault, Patrick

2014-12-29

The most economically important Citrus species originated by natural interspecific hybridization between four ancestral taxa (Citrus reticulata, Citrus maxima, Citrus medica, and Citrus micrantha) and from limited subsequent interspecific recombination as a result of apomixis and vegetative propagation. Such reticulate evolution coupled with vegetative propagation results in mosaic genomes with large chromosome fragments from the basic taxa in frequent interspecific heterozygosity. Modern breeding of these species is hampered by their complex heterozygous genomic structures that determine species phenotype and are broken by sexual hybridisation. Nevertheless, a large amount of diversity is present in the citrus gene pool, and breeding to allow inclusion of desirable traits is of paramount importance. However, the efficient mobilization of citrus biodiversity in innovative breeding schemes requires previous understanding of Citrus origins and genomic structures. Haplotyping of multiple gene fragments along the whole genome is a powerful approach to reveal the admixture genomic structure of current species and to resolve the evolutionary history of the gene pools. In this study, the efficiency of parallel sequencing with 454 methodology to decipher the hybrid structure of modern citrus species was assessed by analysis of 16 gene fragments on chromosome 2. 454 amplicon libraries were established using the Fluidigm array system for 48 genotypes and 16 gene fragments from chromosome 2. Haplotypes were established from the reads of each accession and phylogenetic analyses were performed using the haplotypic data for each gene fragment. The length of 454 reads and the level of differentiation between the ancestral taxa of modern citrus allowed efficient haplotype phylogenetic assignations for 12 of the 16 gene fragments. The analysis of the mixed genomic structure of modern species and cultivars (i) revealed C. maxima introgressions in modern mandarins, (ii) was

Genomic Inbreeding and Relatedness in Wild Panda Populations.

PubMed

Garbe, John R; Prakapenka, Dzianis; Tan, Cheng; Da, Yang

2016-01-01

Inbreeding and relatedness in wild panda populations are important parameters for panda conservation. Habitat loss and fragmentation are expected to increase inbreeding but the actual inbreeding levels in natural panda habitats were unknown. Using 150,025 SNPs and 14,926 SNPs selected from published whole-genome sequences, we estimated genomic inbreeding coefficients and relatedness of 49 pandas including 34 wild pandas sampled from six habitats. Qinling and Liangshan pandas had the highest levels of inbreeding and relatedness measured by genomic inbreeding and coancestry coefficients, whereas the inbreeding levels in Qionglai and Minshan were 28-45% of those in Qinling and Liangshan. Genomic coancestry coefficients between pandas from different habitats showed that panda populations from the four largest habitats, Minshan, Qionglai, Qinling and Liangshan, were genetically unrelated. Pandas between these four habitats on average shared 66.0-69.1% common alleles and 45.6-48.6% common genotypes, whereas pandas within each habitat shared 71.8-77.0% common alleles and 51.7-60.4% common genotypes. Pandas in the smaller populations of Qinling and Liangshan were more similarly to each other than pandas in the larger populations of Qionglai and Minshan according to three genomic similarity measures. Panda genetic differentiation between these habitats was positively related to their geographical distances. Most pandas separated by 200 kilometers or more shared no common ancestral alleles. The results provided a genomic quantification of the actual levels of inbreeding and relatedness among pandas in their natural habitats, provided genomic confirmation of the relationship between genetic diversity and geographical distances, and provided genomic evidence to the urgency of habitat protection.

Genomic Inbreeding and Relatedness in Wild Panda Populations

PubMed Central

Da, Yang

2016-01-01

Inbreeding and relatedness in wild panda populations are important parameters for panda conservation. Habitat loss and fragmentation are expected to increase inbreeding but the actual inbreeding levels in natural panda habitats were unknown. Using 150,025 SNPs and 14,926 SNPs selected from published whole-genome sequences, we estimated genomic inbreeding coefficients and relatedness of 49 pandas including 34 wild pandas sampled from six habitats. Qinling and Liangshan pandas had the highest levels of inbreeding and relatedness measured by genomic inbreeding and coancestry coefficients, whereas the inbreeding levels in Qionglai and Minshan were 28–45% of those in Qinling and Liangshan. Genomic coancestry coefficients between pandas from different habitats showed that panda populations from the four largest habitats, Minshan, Qionglai, Qinling and Liangshan, were genetically unrelated. Pandas between these four habitats on average shared 66.0–69.1% common alleles and 45.6–48.6% common genotypes, whereas pandas within each habitat shared 71.8–77.0% common alleles and 51.7–60.4% common genotypes. Pandas in the smaller populations of Qinling and Liangshan were more similarly to each other than pandas in the larger populations of Qionglai and Minshan according to three genomic similarity measures. Panda genetic differentiation between these habitats was positively related to their geographical distances. Most pandas separated by 200 kilometers or more shared no common ancestral alleles. The results provided a genomic quantification of the actual levels of inbreeding and relatedness among pandas in their natural habitats, provided genomic confirmation of the relationship between genetic diversity and geographical distances, and provided genomic evidence to the urgency of habitat protection. PMID:27494031

Reconstructing Native American Migrations from Whole-Genome and Whole-Exome Data

PubMed Central

Gravel, Simon; Muzzio, Marina; Rodriguez-Flores, Juan L.; Kenny, Eimear E.; Gignoux, Christopher R.; Maples, Brian K.; Guiblet, Wilfried; Dutil, Julie; Via, Marc; Sandoval, Karla; Bedoya, Gabriel; Oleksyk, Taras K.; Ruiz-Linares, Andres; Burchard, Esteban G.; Martinez-Cruzado, Juan Carlos; Bustamante, Carlos D.

2013-01-01

There is great scientific and popular interest in understanding the genetic history of populations in the Americas. We wish to understand when different regions of the continent were inhabited, where settlers came from, and how current inhabitants relate genetically to earlier populations. Recent studies unraveled parts of the genetic history of the continent using genotyping arrays and uniparental markers. The 1000 Genomes Project provides a unique opportunity for improving our understanding of population genetic history by providing over a hundred sequenced low coverage genomes and exomes from Colombian (CLM), Mexican-American (MXL), and Puerto Rican (PUR) populations. Here, we explore the genomic contributions of African, European, and especially Native American ancestry to these populations. Estimated Native American ancestry is in MXL, in CLM, and in PUR. Native American ancestry in PUR is most closely related to populations surrounding the Orinoco River basin, confirming the Southern America ancestry of the Taíno people of the Caribbean. We present new methods to estimate the allele frequencies in the Native American fraction of the populations, and model their distribution using a demographic model for three ancestral Native American populations. These ancestral populations likely split in close succession: the most likely scenario, based on a peopling of the Americas thousand years ago (kya), supports that the MXL Ancestors split kya, with a subsequent split of the ancestors to CLM and PUR kya. The model also features effective populations of in Mexico, in Colombia, and in Puerto Rico. Modeling Identity-by-descent (IBD) and ancestry tract length, we show that post-contact populations also differ markedly in their effective sizes and migration patterns, with Puerto Rico showing the smallest effective size and the earlier migration from Europe. Finally, we compare IBD and ancestry assignments to find evidence for relatedness among European founders to the

Interest in genomic SNP testing for prostate cancer risk: a pilot survey.

PubMed

Hall, Michael J; Ruth, Karen J; Chen, David Yt; Gross, Laura M; Giri, Veda N

2015-01-01

Advancements in genomic testing have led to the identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with prostate cancer. The clinical utility of SNP tests to evaluate prostate cancer risk is unclear. Studies have not examined predictors of interest in novel genomic SNP tests for prostate cancer risk in a diverse population. Consecutive participants in the Fox Chase Prostate Cancer Risk Assessment Program (PRAP) (n = 40) and unselected men from surgical urology clinics (n = 40) completed a one-time survey. Items examined interest in genomic SNP testing for prostate cancer risk, knowledge, impact of unsolicited findings, and psychosocial factors including health literacy. Knowledge of genomic SNP tests was low in both groups, but interest was higher among PRAP men (p < 0.001). The prospect of receiving unsolicited results about ancestral genomic markers increased interest in testing in both groups. Multivariable modeling identified several predictors of higher interest in a genomic SNP test including higher perceived risk (p = 0.025), indicating zero reasons for not wanting testing (vs ≥1 reason) (p = 0.013), and higher health literacy (p = 0.016). Knowledge of genomic SNP testing was low in this sample, but higher among high-risk men. High-risk status may increase interest in novel genomic tests, while low literacy may lessen interest.

Dynamics of Genome Rearrangement in Bacterial Populations

PubMed Central

Darling, Aaron E.; Miklós, István; Ragan, Mark A.

2008-01-01

Genome structure variation has profound impacts on phenotype in organisms ranging from microbes to humans, yet little is known about how natural selection acts on genome arrangement. Pathogenic bacteria such as Yersinia pestis, which causes bubonic and pneumonic plague, often exhibit a high degree of genomic rearrangement. The recent availability of several Yersinia genomes offers an unprecedented opportunity to study the evolution of genome structure and arrangement. We introduce a set of statistical methods to study patterns of rearrangement in circular chromosomes and apply them to the Yersinia. We constructed a multiple alignment of eight Yersinia genomes using Mauve software to identify 78 conserved segments that are internally free from genome rearrangement. Based on the alignment, we applied Bayesian statistical methods to infer the phylogenetic inversion history of Yersinia. The sampling of genome arrangement reconstructions contains seven parsimonious tree topologies, each having different histories of 79 inversions. Topologies with a greater number of inversions also exist, but were sampled less frequently. The inversion phylogenies agree with results suggested by SNP patterns. We then analyzed reconstructed inversion histories to identify patterns of rearrangement. We confirm an over-representation of “symmetric inversions”—inversions with endpoints that are equally distant from the origin of chromosomal replication. Ancestral genome arrangements demonstrate moderate preference for replichore balance in Yersinia. We found that all inversions are shorter than expected under a neutral model, whereas inversions acting within a single replichore are much shorter than expected. We also found evidence for a canonical configuration of the origin and terminus of replication. Finally, breakpoint reuse analysis reveals that inversions with endpoints proximal to the origin of DNA replication are nearly three times more frequent. Our findings represent the

Hidden Markov models for evolution and comparative genomics analysis.

PubMed

Bykova, Nadezda A; Favorov, Alexander V; Mironov, Andrey A

2013-01-01

The problem of reconstruction of ancestral states given a phylogeny and data from extant species arises in a wide range of biological studies. The continuous-time Markov model for the discrete states evolution is generally used for the reconstruction of ancestral states. We modify this model to account for a case when the states of the extant species are uncertain. This situation appears, for example, if the states for extant species are predicted by some program and thus are known only with some level of reliability; it is common for bioinformatics field. The main idea is formulation of the problem as a hidden Markov model on a tree (tree HMM, tHMM), where the basic continuous-time Markov model is expanded with the introduction of emission probabilities of observed data (e.g. prediction scores) for each underlying discrete state. Our tHMM decoding algorithm allows us to predict states at the ancestral nodes as well as to refine states at the leaves on the basis of quantitative comparative genomics. The test on the simulated data shows that the tHMM approach applied to the continuous variable reflecting the probabilities of the states (i.e. prediction score) appears to be more accurate then the reconstruction from the discrete states assignment defined by the best score threshold. We provide examples of applying our model to the evolutionary analysis of N-terminal signal peptides and transcription factor binding sites in bacteria. The program is freely available at http://bioinf.fbb.msu.ru/~nadya/tHMM and via web-service at http://bioinf.fbb.msu.ru/treehmmweb.

Mechanistically Distinct Pathways of Divergent Regulatory DNA Creation Contribute to Evolution of Human-Specific Genomic Regulatory Networks Driving Phenotypic Divergence of Homo sapiens.

PubMed

Glinsky, Gennadi V

2016-09-19

Thousands of candidate human-specific regulatory sequences (HSRS) have been identified, supporting the hypothesis that unique to human phenotypes result from human-specific alterations of genomic regulatory networks. Collectively, a compendium of multiple diverse families of HSRS that are functionally and structurally divergent from Great Apes could be defined as the backbone of human-specific genomic regulatory networks. Here, the conservation patterns analysis of 18,364 candidate HSRS was carried out requiring that 100% of bases must remap during the alignments of human, chimpanzee, and bonobo sequences. A total of 5,535 candidate HSRS were identified that are: (i) highly conserved in Great Apes; (ii) evolved by the exaptation of highly conserved ancestral DNA; (iii) defined by either the acceleration of mutation rates on the human lineage or the functional divergence from non-human primates. The exaptation of highly conserved ancestral DNA pathway seems mechanistically distinct from the evolution of regulatory DNA segments driven by the species-specific expansion of transposable elements. Genome-wide proximity placement analysis of HSRS revealed that a small fraction of topologically associating domains (TADs) contain more than half of HSRS from four distinct families. TADs that are enriched for HSRS and termed rapidly evolving in humans TADs (revTADs) comprise 0.8-10.3% of 3,127 TADs in the hESC genome. RevTADs manifest distinct correlation patterns between placements of human accelerated regions, human-specific transcription factor-binding sites, and recombination rates. There is a significant enrichment within revTAD boundaries of hESC-enhancers, primate-specific CTCF-binding sites, human-specific RNAPII-binding sites, hCONDELs, and H3K4me3 peaks with human-specific enrichment at TSS in prefrontal cortex neurons (P < 0.0001 in all instances). Present analysis supports the idea that phenotypic divergence of Homo sapiens is driven by the evolution of human

Mechanistically Distinct Pathways of Divergent Regulatory DNA Creation Contribute to Evolution of Human-Specific Genomic Regulatory Networks Driving Phenotypic Divergence of Homo sapiens

PubMed Central

Glinsky, Gennadi V.

2016-01-01

Abstract Thousands of candidate human-specific regulatory sequences (HSRS) have been identified, supporting the hypothesis that unique to human phenotypes result from human-specific alterations of genomic regulatory networks. Collectively, a compendium of multiple diverse families of HSRS that are functionally and structurally divergent from Great Apes could be defined as the backbone of human-specific genomic regulatory networks. Here, the conservation patterns analysis of 18,364 candidate HSRS was carried out requiring that 100% of bases must remap during the alignments of human, chimpanzee, and bonobo sequences. A total of 5,535 candidate HSRS were identified that are: (i) highly conserved in Great Apes; (ii) evolved by the exaptation of highly conserved ancestral DNA; (iii) defined by either the acceleration of mutation rates on the human lineage or the functional divergence from non-human primates. The exaptation of highly conserved ancestral DNA pathway seems mechanistically distinct from the evolution of regulatory DNA segments driven by the species-specific expansion of transposable elements. Genome-wide proximity placement analysis of HSRS revealed that a small fraction of topologically associating domains (TADs) contain more than half of HSRS from four distinct families. TADs that are enriched for HSRS and termed rapidly evolving in humans TADs (revTADs) comprise 0.8–10.3% of 3,127 TADs in the hESC genome. RevTADs manifest distinct correlation patterns between placements of human accelerated regions, human-specific transcription factor-binding sites, and recombination rates. There is a significant enrichment within revTAD boundaries of hESC-enhancers, primate-specific CTCF-binding sites, human-specific RNAPII-binding sites, hCONDELs, and H3K4me3 peaks with human-specific enrichment at TSS in prefrontal cortex neurons (P < 0.0001 in all instances). Present analysis supports the idea that phenotypic divergence of Homo sapiens is driven by the evolution of

A reverse genetic approach identifies an ancestral frameshift mutation in RP1 causing recessive progressive retinal degeneration in European cattle breeds.

PubMed

Michot, Pauline; Chahory, Sabine; Marete, Andrew; Grohs, Cécile; Dagios, Dimitri; Donzel, Elise; Aboukadiri, Abdelhak; Deloche, Marie-Christine; Allais-Bonnet, Aurélie; Chambrial, Matthieu; Barbey, Sarah; Genestout, Lucie; Boussaha, Mekki; Danchin-Burge, Coralie; Fritz, Sébastien; Boichard, Didier; Capitan, Aurélien

2016-08-10

Domestication and artificial selection have resulted in strong genetic drift, relaxation of purifying selection and accumulation of deleterious mutations. As a consequence, bovine breeds experience regular outbreaks of recessive genetic defects which might represent only the tip of the iceberg since their detection depends on the observation of affected animals with distinctive symptoms. Thus, recessive mutations resulting in embryonic mortality or in non-specific symptoms are likely to be missed. The increasing availability of whole-genome sequences has opened new research avenues such as reverse genetics for their investigation. Our aim was to characterize the genetic load of 15 European breeds using data from the 1000 bull genomes consortium and prove that widespread harmful mutations remain to be detected. We listed 2489 putative deleterious variants (in 1923 genes) segregating at a minimal frequency of 5 % in at least one of the breeds studied. Gene enrichment analysis showed major enrichment for genes related to nervous, visual and auditory systems, and moderate enrichment for genes related to cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems. For verification purposes, we investigated the phenotypic consequences of a frameshift variant in the retinitis pigmentosa-1 gene segregating in several breeds and at a high frequency (27 %) in Normande cattle. As described in certain human patients, clinical and histological examination revealed that this mutation causes progressive degeneration of photoreceptors leading to complete blindness in homozygotes. We established that the deleterious allele was even more frequent in the Normande breed before 1975 (>40 %) and has been progressively counter-selected likely because of its associated negative effect on udder morphology. Finally, using identity-by-descent analysis we demonstrated that this mutation resulted from a unique ancestral event that dates back to ~2800 to 4000 years. We provide a list of mutations that

A bicontinental origin of polyploid Australian/New Zealand Lepidium species (Brassicaceae)? Evidence from genomic in situ hybridization.

PubMed

Dierschke, Tom; Mandáková, Terezie; Lysak, Martin A; Mummenhoff, Klaus

2009-09-01

Incongruence between chloroplast and nuclear DNA phylogenies, and single additive nucleotide positions in internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of polyploid Australian/New Zealand (NZ) Lepidium species have been used to suggest a bicontinental hybrid origin. This pattern was explained by two trans-oceanic dispersals of Lepidium species from California and Africa and subsequent hybridization followed by homogenization of the ribosomal DNA sequence either to the Californian (C-clade) or to the African ITS-type (A-clade) in two different ITS-lineages of Australian/NZ Lepidium polyploids. Genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) was used to unravel the genomic origin of polyploid Australian/NZ Lepidium species. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with ribosomal DNA (rDNA) probes was applied to test the purported ITS evolution, and to facilitate chromosome counting in high-numbered polyploids. In Australian/NZ A-clade Lepidium polyploids, GISH identified African and Australian/NZ C-clade species as putative ancestral genomes. Neither the African nor the Californian genome were detected in Australian/NZ C-clade species and the Californian genome was not detected in Australian/NZ A-clade species. Five of the eight polyploid species (from 7x to 11x) displayed a diploid-like set of rDNA loci. Even the undecaploid species Lepidium muelleriferdinandi (2n = 11x = 88) showed only one pair of each rDNA repeat. In A-clade allopolyploids, in situ rDNA localization combined with GISH corroborated the presence of the African ITS-type. The nuclear genomes of African and Australian/NZ C-clade species were detected by GISH in allopolyploid Australian/NZ Lepidium species of the A-clade, supporting their hybrid origin. The presumed hybrid origin of Australian/NZ C-clade taxa could not be confirmed. Hence, it is assumed that Californian ancestral taxa experienced rapid radiation in Australia/NZ into extant C-clade polyploid taxa followed by hybridization with African species. As a

Pollination and reproduction of an invasive plant inside and outside its ancestral range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petanidou, Theodora; Price, Mary V.; Bronstein, Judith L.; Kantsa, Aphrodite; Tscheulin, Thomas; Kariyat, Rupesh; Krigas, Nikos; Mescher, Mark C.; De Moraes, Consuelo M.; Waser, Nickolas M.

2018-05-01

Comparing traits of invasive species within and beyond their ancestral range may improve our understanding of processes that promote aggressive spread. Solanum elaeagnifolium (silverleaf nightshade) is a noxious weed in its ancestral range in North America and is invasive on other continents. We compared investment in flowers and ovules, pollination success, and fruit and seed set in populations from Arizona, USA ("AZ") and Greece ("GR"). In both countries, the populations we sampled varied in size and types of present-day disturbance. Stature of plants increased with population size in AZ samples whereas GR plants were uniformly tall. Taller plants produced more flowers, and GR plants produced more flowers for a given stature and allocated more ovules per flower. Similar functional groups of native bees pollinated in AZ and GR populations, but visits to flowers decreased with population size and we observed no visits in the largest GR populations. As a result, plants in large GR populations were pollen-limited, and estimates of fecundity were lower on average in GR populations despite the larger allocation to flowers and ovules. These differences between plants in our AZ and GR populations suggest promising directions for further study. It would be useful to sample S. elaeagnifolium in Mediterranean climates within the ancestral range (e.g., in California, USA), to study asexual spread via rhizomes, and to use common gardens and genetic studies to explore the basis of variation in allocation patterns and of relationships between visitation and fruit set.

Evolution of gastropod mitochondrial genome arrangements

PubMed Central

2008-01-01

Background Gastropod mitochondrial genomes exhibit an unusually great variety of gene orders compared to other metazoan mitochondrial genome such as e.g those of vertebrates. Hence, gastropod mitochondrial genomes constitute a good model system to study patterns, rates, and mechanisms of mitochondrial genome rearrangement. However, this kind of evolutionary comparative analysis requires a robust phylogenetic framework of the group under study, which has been elusive so far for gastropods in spite of the efforts carried out during the last two decades. Here, we report the complete nucleotide sequence of five mitochondrial genomes of gastropods (Pyramidella dolabrata, Ascobulla fragilis, Siphonaria pectinata, Onchidella celtica, and Myosotella myosotis), and we analyze them together with another ten complete mitochondrial genomes of gastropods currently available in molecular databases in order to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships among the main lineages of gastropods. Results Comparative analyses with other mollusk mitochondrial genomes allowed us to describe molecular features and general trends in the evolution of mitochondrial genome organization in gastropods. Phylogenetic reconstruction with commonly used methods of phylogenetic inference (ME, MP, ML, BI) arrived at a single topology, which was used to reconstruct the evolution of mitochondrial gene rearrangements in the group. Conclusion Four main lineages were identified within gastropods: Caenogastropoda, Vetigastropoda, Patellogastropoda, and Heterobranchia. Caenogastropoda and Vetigastropoda are sister taxa, as well as, Patellogastropoda and Heterobranchia. This result rejects the validity of the derived clade Apogastropoda (Caenogastropoda + Heterobranchia). The position of Patellogastropoda remains unclear likely due to long-branch attraction biases. Within Heterobranchia, the most heterogeneous group of gastropods, neither Euthyneura (because of the inclusion of P. dolabrata) nor Pulmonata

Deep sequencing-based transcriptome analysis of Plutella xylostella larvae parasitized by Diadegma semiclausum

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Parasitoid insects manipulate their hosts' physiology by injecting various factors into their host upon parasitization. Transcriptomic approaches provide a powerful approach to study insect host-parasitoid interactions at the molecular level. In order to investigate the effects of parasitization by an ichneumonid wasp (Diadegma semiclausum) on the host (Plutella xylostella), the larval transcriptome profile was analyzed using a short-read deep sequencing method (Illumina). Symbiotic polydnaviruses (PDVs) associated with ichneumonid parasitoids, known as ichnoviruses, play significant roles in host immune suppression and developmental regulation. In the current study, D. semiclausum ichnovirus (DsIV) genes expressed in P. xylostella were identified and their sequences compared with other reported PDVs. Five of these genes encode proteins of unknown identity, that have not previously been reported. Results De novo assembly of cDNA sequence data generated 172,660 contigs between 100 and 10000 bp in length; with 35% of > 200 bp in length. Parasitization had significant impacts on expression levels of 928 identified insect host transcripts. Gene ontology data illustrated that the majority of the differentially expressed genes are involved in binding, catalytic activity, and metabolic and cellular processes. In addition, the results show that transcription levels of antimicrobial peptides, such as gloverin, cecropin E and lysozyme, were up-regulated after parasitism. Expression of ichnovirus genes were detected in parasitized larvae with 19 unique sequences identified from five PDV gene families including vankyrin, viral innexin, repeat elements, a cysteine-rich motif, and polar residue rich protein. Vankyrin 1 and repeat element 1 genes showed the highest transcription levels among the DsIV genes. Conclusion This study provides detailed information on differential expression of P. xylostella larval genes following parasitization, DsIV genes expressed in the

Horizontal transfer of a ß-1,6-glucanase gene from an ancestral species of fungal endophyte to a cool-season grass host.

PubMed

Shinozuka, Hiroshi; Hettiarachchige, Inoka K; Shinozuka, Maiko; Cogan, Noel O I; Spangenberg, German C; Cocks, Benjamin G; Forster, John W; Sawbridge, Timothy I

2017-08-22

Molecular characterisation has convincingly demonstrated some types of horizontal gene transfer in eukaryotes, but nuclear gene transfer between distantly related eukaryotic groups appears to have been rare. For angiosperms (flowering plants), nuclear gene transfer events identified to date have been confined to genes originating from prokaryotes or other plant species. In this report, evidence for ancient horizontal transfer of a fungal nuclear gene, encoding a ß-1,6-glucanase enzyme for fungal cell wall degradation, into an angiosperm lineage is presented for the first time. The gene was identified from de novo sequencing and assembly of the genome and transcriptome of perennial ryegrass, a cool-season grass species. Molecular analysis confirmed the presence of the complete gene in the genome of perennial ryegrass. No corresponding sequence was found in other plant species, apart from members of the Poeae sub-tribes Loliinae and Dactylidinae. Evidence suggests that a common ancestor of the two sub-tribes acquired the gene from a species ancestral to contemporary grass-associated fungal endophytes around 9-13 million years ago. This first report of horizontal transfer of a nuclear gene from a taxonomically distant eukaryote to modern flowering plants provides evidence for a novel adaptation mechanism in angiosperms.

The Methanosarcina barkeri genome: comparative analysis withMethanosarcina acetivorans and Methanosarcina mazei reveals extensiverearrangement within methanosarcinal genomes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maeder, Dennis L.; Anderson, Iain; Brettin, Thomas S.

2006-05-19

We report here a comparative analysis of the genome sequence of Methanosarcina barkeri with those of Methanosarcina acetivorans and Methanosarcina mazei. All three genomes share a conserved double origin of replication and many gene clusters. M. barkeri is distinguished by having an organization that is well conserved with respect to the other Methanosarcinae in the region proximal to the origin of replication with interspecies gene similarities as high as 95%. However it is disordered and marked by increased transposase frequency and decreased gene synteny and gene density in the proximal semi-genome. Of the 3680 open reading frames in M. barkeri,more » 678 had paralogs with better than 80% similarity to both M. acetivorans and M. mazei while 128 nonhypothetical orfs were unique (non-paralogous) amongst these species including a complete formate dehydrogenase operon, two genes required for N-acetylmuramic acid synthesis, a 14 gene gas vesicle cluster and a bacterial P450-specific ferredoxin reductase cluster not previously observed or characterized in this genus. A cryptic 36 kbp plasmid sequence was detected in M. barkeri that contains an orc1 gene flanked by a presumptive origin of replication consisting of 38 tandem repeats of a 143 nt motif. Three-way comparison of these genomes reveals differing mechanisms for the accrual of changes. Elongation of the large M. acetivorans is the result of multiple gene-scale insertions and duplications uniformly distributed in that genome, while M. barkeri is characterized by localized inversions associated with the loss of gene content. In contrast, the relatively short M. mazei most closely approximates the ancestral organizational state.« less

Genome Size, Molecular Phylogeny, and Evolutionary History of the Tribe Aquilarieae (Thymelaeaceae), the Natural Source of Agarwood

PubMed Central

Farah, Azman H.; Lee, Shiou Yih; Gao, Zhihui; Yao, Tze Leong; Madon, Maria; Mohamed, Rozi

2018-01-01

The tribe Aquilarieae of the family Thymelaeaceae consists of two genera, Aquilaria and Gyrinops, with a total of 30 species, distributed from northeast India, through southeast Asia and the south of China, to Papua New Guinea. They are an important botanical resource for fragrant agarwood, a prized product derived from injured or infected stems of these species. The aim of this study was to estimate the genome size of selected Aquilaria species and comprehend the evolutionary history of Aquilarieae speciation through molecular phylogeny. Five non-coding chloroplast DNA regions and a nuclear region were sequenced from 12 Aquilaria and three Gyrinops species. Phylogenetic trees constructed using combined chloroplast DNA sequences revealed relationships of the studied 15 members in Aquilarieae, while nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences showed a paraphyletic relationship between Aquilaria species from Indochina and Malesian. We exposed, for the first time, the estimated divergence time for Aquilarieae speciation, which was speculated to happen during the Miocene Epoch. The ancestral split and biogeographic pattern of studied species were discussed. Results showed no large variation in the 2C-values for the five Aquilaria species (1.35–2.23 pg). Further investigation into the genome size may provide additional information regarding ancestral traits and its evolution history. PMID:29896211

Genome content analysis yields new insights into the relationship between the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and its anopheline vectors.

PubMed

Oppenheim, Sara J; Rosenfeld, Jeffrey A; DeSalle, Rob

2017-02-27

The persistent and growing gap between the availability of sequenced genomes and the ability to assign functions to sequenced genes led us to explore ways to maximize the information content of automated annotation for studies of anopheline mosquitos. Specifically, we use genome content analysis of a large number of previously sequenced anopheline mosquitos to follow the loss and gain of protein families over the evolutionary history of this group. The importance of this endeavor lies in the potential for comparative genomic studies between Anopheles and closely related non-vector species to reveal ancestral genome content dynamics involved in vector competence. In addition, comparisons within Anopheles could identify genome content changes responsible for variation in the vectorial capacity of this family of important parasite vectors. The competence and capacity of P. falciparum vectors do not appear to be phylogenetically constrained within the Anophelinae. Instead, using ancestral reconstruction methods, we suggest that a previously unexamined component of vector biology, anopheline nucleotide metabolism, may contribute to the unique status of anophelines as P. falciparum vectors. While the fitness effects of nucleotide co-option by P. falciparum parasites on their anopheline hosts are not yet known, our results suggest that anopheline genome content may be responding to selection pressure from P. falciparum. Whether this response is defensive, in an attempt to redress improper nucleotide balance resulting from P. falciparum infection, or perhaps symbiotic, resulting from an as-yet-unknown mutualism between anophelines and P. falciparum, is an open question that deserves further study. Clearly, there is a wealth of functional information to be gained from detailed manual genome annotation, yet the rapid increase in the number of available sequences means that most researchers will not have the time or resources to manually annotate all the sequence data they

Clusters of orthologous genes for 41 archaeal genomes and implications for evolutionary genomics of archaea.

PubMed

Makarova, Kira S; Sorokin, Alexander V; Novichkov, Pavel S; Wolf, Yuri I; Koonin, Eugene V

2007-11-27

An evolutionary classification of genes from sequenced genomes that distinguishes between orthologs and paralogs is indispensable for genome annotation and evolutionary reconstruction. Shortly after multiple genome sequences of bacteria, archaea, and unicellular eukaryotes became available, an attempt on such a classification was implemented in Clusters of Orthologous Groups of proteins (COGs). Rapid accumulation of genome sequences creates opportunities for refining COGs but also represents a challenge because of error amplification. One of the practical strategies involves construction of refined COGs for phylogenetically compact subsets of genomes. New Archaeal Clusters of Orthologous Genes (arCOGs) were constructed for 41 archaeal genomes (13 Crenarchaeota, 27 Euryarchaeota and one Nanoarchaeon) using an improved procedure that employs a similarity tree between smaller, group-specific clusters, semi-automatically partitions orthology domains in multidomain proteins, and uses profile searches for identification of remote orthologs. The annotation of arCOGs is a consensus between three assignments based on the COGs, the CDD database, and the annotations of homologs in the NR database. The 7538 arCOGs, on average, cover approximately 88% of the genes in a genome compared to a approximately 76% coverage in COGs. The finer granularity of ortholog identification in the arCOGs is apparent from the fact that 4538 arCOGs correspond to 2362 COGs; approximately 40% of the arCOGs are new. The archaeal gene core (protein-coding genes found in all 41 genome) consists of 166 arCOGs. The arCOGs were used to reconstruct gene loss and gene gain events during archaeal evolution and gene sets of ancestral forms. The Last Archaeal Common Ancestor (LACA) is conservatively estimated to possess 996 genes compared to 1245 and 1335 genes for the last common ancestors of Crenarchaeota and Euryarchaeota, respectively. It is inferred that LACA was a chemoautotrophic hyperthermophile that

Global MLST of Salmonella Typhi Revisited in Post-genomic Era: Genetic Conservation, Population Structure, and Comparative Genomics of Rare Sequence Types.

PubMed

Yap, Kien-Pong; Ho, Wing S; Gan, Han M; Chai, Lay C; Thong, Kwai L

2016-01-01

Typhoid fever, caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, remains an important public health burden in Southeast Asia and other endemic countries. Various genotyping methods have been applied to study the genetic variations of this human-restricted pathogen. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) is one of the widely accepted methods, and recently, there is a growing interest in the re-application of MLST in the post-genomic era. In this study, we provide the global MLST distribution of S. Typhi utilizing both publicly available 1,826 S. Typhi genome sequences in addition to performing conventional MLST on S. Typhi strains isolated from various endemic regions spanning over a century. Our global MLST analysis confirms the predominance of two sequence types (ST1 and ST2) co-existing in the endemic regions. Interestingly, S. Typhi strains with ST8 are currently confined within the African continent. Comparative genomic analyses of ST8 and other rare STs with genomes of ST1/ST2 revealed unique mutations in important virulence genes such as flhB, sipC, and tviD that may explain the variations that differentiate between seemingly successful (widespread) and unsuccessful (poor dissemination) S. Typhi populations. Large scale whole-genome phylogeny demonstrated evidence of phylogeographical structuring and showed that ST8 may have diverged from the earlier ancestral population of ST1 and ST2, which later lost some of its fitness advantages, leading to poor worldwide dissemination. In response to the unprecedented increase in genomic data, this study demonstrates and highlights the utility of large-scale genome-based MLST as a quick and effective approach to narrow the scope of in-depth comparative genomic analysis and consequently provide new insights into the fine scale of pathogen evolution and population structure.

Complete sequences of organelle genomes from the medicinal plant Rhazya stricta (Apocynaceae) and contrasting patterns of mitochondrial genome evolution across asterids.

PubMed

Park, Seongjun; Ruhlman, Tracey A; Sabir, Jamal S M; Mutwakil, Mohammed H Z; Baeshen, Mohammed N; Sabir, Meshaal J; Baeshen, Nabih A; Jansen, Robert K

2014-05-28

Rhazya stricta is native to arid regions in South Asia and the Middle East and is used extensively in folk medicine to treat a wide range of diseases. In addition to generating genomic resources for this medicinally important plant, analyses of the complete plastid and mitochondrial genomes and a nuclear transcriptome from Rhazya provide insights into inter-compartmental transfers between genomes and the patterns of evolution among eight asterid mitochondrial genomes. The 154,841 bp plastid genome is highly conserved with gene content and order identical to the ancestral organization of angiosperms. The 548,608 bp mitochondrial genome exhibits a number of phenomena including the presence of recombinogenic repeats that generate a multipartite organization, transferred DNA from the plastid and nuclear genomes, and bidirectional DNA transfers between the mitochondrion and the nucleus. The mitochondrial genes sdh3 and rps14 have been transferred to the nucleus and have acquired targeting presequences. In the case of rps14, two copies are present in the nucleus; only one has a mitochondrial targeting presequence and may be functional. Phylogenetic analyses of both nuclear and mitochondrial copies of rps14 across angiosperms suggests Rhazya has experienced a single transfer of this gene to the nucleus, followed by a duplication event. Furthermore, the phylogenetic distribution of gene losses and the high level of sequence divergence in targeting presequences suggest multiple, independent transfers of both sdh3 and rps14 across asterids. Comparative analyses of mitochondrial genomes of eight sequenced asterids indicates a complicated evolutionary history in this large angiosperm clade with considerable diversity in genome organization and size, repeat, gene and intron content, and amount of foreign DNA from the plastid and nuclear genomes. Organelle genomes of Rhazya stricta provide valuable information for improving the understanding of mitochondrial genome evolution

Genome-wide SNP data suggest complex ancestry of sympatric North Pacific killer whale ecotypes.

PubMed

Foote, A D; Morin, P A

2016-11-01

Three ecotypes of killer whale occur in partial sympatry in the North Pacific. Individuals assortatively mate within the same ecotype, resulting in correlated ecological and genetic differentiation. A key question is whether this pattern of evolutionary divergence is an example of incipient sympatric speciation from a single panmictic ancestral population, or whether sympatry could have resulted from multiple colonisations of the North Pacific and secondary contact between ecotypes. Here, we infer multilocus coalescent trees from >1000 nuclear single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and find evidence of incomplete lineage sorting so that the genealogies of SNPs do not all conform to a single topology. To disentangle whether uncertainty in the phylogenetic inference of the relationships among ecotypes could also result from ancestral admixture events we reconstructed the relationship among the ecotypes as an admixture graph and estimated f 4 -statistics using TreeMix. The results were consistent with episodes of admixture between two of the North Pacific ecotypes and the two outgroups (populations from the Southern Ocean and the North Atlantic). Gene flow may have occurred via unsampled 'ghost' populations rather than directly between the populations sampled here. Our results indicate that because of ancestral admixture events and incomplete lineage sorting, a single bifurcating tree does not fully describe the relationship among these populations. The data are therefore most consistent with the genomic variation among North Pacific killer whale ecotypes resulting from multiple colonisation events, and secondary contact may have facilitated evolutionary divergence. Thus, the present-day populations of North Pacific killer whale ecotypes have a complex ancestry, confounding the tree-based inference of ancestral geography.

Genome-wide SNP data suggest complex ancestry of sympatric North Pacific killer whale ecotypes

PubMed Central

Foote, A D; Morin, P A

2016-01-01

Three ecotypes of killer whale occur in partial sympatry in the North Pacific. Individuals assortatively mate within the same ecotype, resulting in correlated ecological and genetic differentiation. A key question is whether this pattern of evolutionary divergence is an example of incipient sympatric speciation from a single panmictic ancestral population, or whether sympatry could have resulted from multiple colonisations of the North Pacific and secondary contact between ecotypes. Here, we infer multilocus coalescent trees from >1000 nuclear single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and find evidence of incomplete lineage sorting so that the genealogies of SNPs do not all conform to a single topology. To disentangle whether uncertainty in the phylogenetic inference of the relationships among ecotypes could also result from ancestral admixture events we reconstructed the relationship among the ecotypes as an admixture graph and estimated f4-statistics using TreeMix. The results were consistent with episodes of admixture between two of the North Pacific ecotypes and the two outgroups (populations from the Southern Ocean and the North Atlantic). Gene flow may have occurred via unsampled ‘ghost' populations rather than directly between the populations sampled here. Our results indicate that because of ancestral admixture events and incomplete lineage sorting, a single bifurcating tree does not fully describe the relationship among these populations. The data are therefore most consistent with the genomic variation among North Pacific killer whale ecotypes resulting from multiple colonisation events, and secondary contact may have facilitated evolutionary divergence. Thus, the present-day populations of North Pacific killer whale ecotypes have a complex ancestry, confounding the tree-based inference of ancestral geography. PMID:27485668

Transitions in Sexuality: Recapitulation of an Ancestral Tri- and Tetrapolar Mating System in Cryptococcus neoformans▿ †

PubMed Central

Hsueh, Yen-Ping; Fraser, James A.; Heitman, Joseph

2008-01-01

Sex is orchestrated by the mating-type locus (MAT) in fungi and by sex chromosomes in plants and animals. In fungi, two patterns of sexuality occur: bipolar with a single, typically biallelic sex determinant that promotes inbreeding, and tetrapolar with two unlinked, often multiallelic sex determinants that restrict inbreeding. Multiallelism in either bipolar or tetrapolar mating systems promotes outcrossing. Cryptococcus neoformans is a pathogenic bipolar yeast with two unusually large MAT alleles (a/α) spanning >100 kb, ∼100-fold larger than many other fungal MAT loci. Based on comparative genomic analysis, this unusual MAT locus is hypothesized to have evolved from an ancestral tetrapolar system. In this model, the unlinked homeodomain (HD) transcription factor and pheromone/receptor tetrapolar loci acquired additional sex-related genes and then fused via chromosomal translocation, forming an intermediate transitional mating system (which we term tripolar), which then underwent recombination and gene conversion to fashion the extant bipolar MAT alleles. To experimentally validate this model, C. neoformans was engineered to have a tetrapolar mating system by relocating the MAT SXI1α and SXI2a HD genes to an unlinked genomic locale. Genetic and molecular analyses revealed that this modified organism could complete a tetrapolar sexual cycle. Analysis of progeny generated from bipolar, tripolar, and tetrapolar crosses provides direct experimental evidence that the tripolar state confers decreased fertility and therefore may represent an unstable evolutionary intermediate. These findings illustrate how transitions between outcrossing and inbreeding preference occur by involving sex determinant linkage and collapse from multiallelic to biallelic sex determination, providing insights into both fungal sex evolution and early steps in sex chromosome evolution. PMID:18723606

COGNAT: a web server for comparative analysis of genomic neighborhoods.

PubMed

Klimchuk, Olesya I; Konovalov, Kirill A; Perekhvatov, Vadim V; Skulachev, Konstantin V; Dibrova, Daria V; Mulkidjanian, Armen Y

2017-11-22

In prokaryotic genomes, functionally coupled genes can be organized in conserved gene clusters enabling their coordinated regulation. Such clusters could contain one or several operons, which are groups of co-transcribed genes. Those genes that evolved from a common ancestral gene by speciation (i.e. orthologs) are expected to have similar genomic neighborhoods in different organisms, whereas those copies of the gene that are responsible for dissimilar functions (i.e. paralogs) could be found in dissimilar genomic contexts. Comparative analysis of genomic neighborhoods facilitates the prediction of co-regulated genes and helps to discern different functions in large protein families. We intended, building on the attribution of gene sequences to the clusters of orthologous groups of proteins (COGs), to provide a method for visualization and comparative analysis of genomic neighborhoods of evolutionary related genes, as well as a respective web server. Here we introduce the COmparative Gene Neighborhoods Analysis Tool (COGNAT), a web server for comparative analysis of genomic neighborhoods. The tool is based on the COG database, as well as the Pfam protein families database. As an example, we show the utility of COGNAT in identifying a new type of membrane protein complex that is formed by paralog(s) of one of the membrane subunits of the NADH:quinone oxidoreductase of type 1 (COG1009) and a cytoplasmic protein of unknown function (COG3002). This article was reviewed by Drs. Igor Zhulin, Uri Gophna and Igor Rogozin.

A novel genome-wide microsatellite resource for species of Eucalyptus with linkage-to-physical correspondence on the reference genome sequence.

PubMed

Grattapaglia, Dario; Mamani, Eva M C; Silva-Junior, Orzenil B; Faria, Danielle A

2015-03-01

Keystone species in their native ranges, eucalypts, are ecologically and genetically very diverse, growing naturally along extensive latitudinal and altitudinal ranges and variable environments. Besides their ecological importance, eucalypts are also the most widely planted trees for sustainable forestry in the world. We report the development of a novel collection of 535 microsatellites for species of Eucalyptus, 494 designed from ESTs and 41 from genomic libraries. A selected subset of 223 was evaluated for individual identification, parentage testing, and ancestral information content in the two most extensively studied species, Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus globulus. Microsatellites showed high transferability and overlapping allele size range, suggesting they have arisen still in their common ancestor and confirming the extensive genome conservation between these two species. A consensus linkage map with 437 microsatellites, the most comprehensive microsatellite-only genetic map for Eucalyptus, was built by assembling segregation data from three mapping populations and anchored to the Eucalyptus genome. An overall colinearity between recombination-based and physical positioning of 84% of the mapped microsatellites was observed, with some ordering discrepancies and sporadic locus duplications, consistent with the recently described whole genome duplication events in Eucalyptus. The linkage map covered 95.2% of the 605.8-Mbp assembled genome sequence, placing one microsatellite every 1.55 Mbp on average, and an overall estimate of physical to recombination distance of 618 kbp/cM. The genetic parameters estimates together with linkage and physical position data for this large set of microsatellites should assist marker choice for genome-wide population genetics and comparative mapping in Eucalyptus. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

When ancestral heritage is a source of discomfort: culture, pre-object relatedness, and self-alienation.

PubMed

Kradin, Richard L

2012-04-01

The ancestral claims on an individual can evoke mental conflict when they involve separating from an ethnic group whose beliefs and customs are devalued by the dominant culture. However, these claims are engraved on the psyche early in development by caretakers to the level of pre-object relatedness, where contents and affect tones are implicit and may be unavailable for later psychoanalytical interventions. In addition, as the anthropologist Clifford Geertz notes, one's culture of origin precedes the development of psyche and creates its own set of claims that must be renegotiated when one encounters a different domain of cultural symbols, a confrontation that can produce psychological dissonance and self-alienation. In this paper, three cases are examined in which mental conflicts were evoked by attempts at divesting ancestral claims in response to conscious efforts to assimilate into the dominant culture. These patients suffered from separation guilt and unstable self-esteem and reported dream imagery suggesting psychological imbalance. The requirement to carefully delineate the ancestral claims on psyche as well as those contents and affects that may not be accessible to therapeutic intervention is emphasized, and the importance of compromise and acceptance with respect to the psychological demands of the unconscious are considered. 2012, The Society of Analytical Psychology.

Subcomplexes of Ancestral Respiratory Complex I Subunits Rapidly Turn Over in Vivo as Productive Assembly Intermediates in Arabidopsis*

PubMed Central

Li, Lei; Nelson, Clark J.; Carrie, Chris; Gawryluk, Ryan M. R.; Solheim, Cory; Gray, Michael W.; Whelan, James; Millar, A. Harvey

2013-01-01

Subcomplexes of mitochondrial respiratory complex I (CI; EC 1.6.5.3) are shown to turn over in vivo, and we propose a role in an ancestral assembly pathway. By progressively labeling Arabidopsis cell cultures with 15N and isolating mitochondria, we have identified CI subcomplexes through differences in 15N incorporation into their protein subunits. The 200-kDa subcomplex, containing the ancestral γ-carbonic anhydrase (γ-CA), γ-carbonic anhydrase-like, and 20.9-kDa subunits, had a significantly higher turnover rate than intact CI or CI+CIII2. In vitro import of precursors for these CI subunits demonstrated rapid generation of subcomplexes and revealed that their specific abundance varied when different ancestral subunits were imported. Time course studies of precursor import showed the further assembly of these subcomplexes into CI and CI+CIII2, indicating that the subcomplexes are productive intermediates of assembly. The strong transient incorporation of new subunits into the 200-kDa subcomplex in a γ-CA mutant is consistent with this subcomplex being a key initiator of CI assembly in plants. This evidence alongside the pattern of coincident occurrence of genes encoding these particular proteins broadly in eukaryotes, except for opisthokonts, provides a framework for the evolutionary conservation of these accessory subunits and evidence of their function in ancestral CI assembly. PMID:23271729

The Fusarium Graminearum Genome Reveals a Link Between Localized Polymorphism and Pathogen Specialization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cuomo, Christina A.; Guldener, Ulrich; Xu, Jin Rong

2007-09-07

We sequenced and annotated the genome of the filamentous fungus Fusarium graminearum, a major pathogen of cultivated cereals. Very few repetitive sequences were detected, and the process of repeat-induced point mutation, in which duplicated sequences are subject to extensive mutation, may partially account for the reduced repeat content and apparent low number of paralogous (ancestrally duplicated) genes. A second strain of F. graminearum contained more than 10,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, which were frequently located near telomeres and within other discrete chromosomal segments. Many highly polymorphic regions contained sets of genes implicated in plant-fungus interactions and were unusually divergent, with higher ratesmore » of recombination. These regions of genome innovation may result from selection due to interactions of F. graminearum with its plant hosts.« less

A Method for Inferring an Individual’s Genetic Ancestry and Degree of Admixture Associated with Six Major Continental Populations

PubMed Central

Libiger, Ondrej; Schork, Nicholas J.

2013-01-01

The determination of the ancestry and genetic backgrounds of the subjects in genetic and general epidemiology studies is a crucial component in the analysis of relevant outcomes or associations. Although there are many methods for differentiating ancestral subgroups among individuals based on genetic markers only a few of these methods provide actual estimates of the fraction of an individual’s genome that is likely to be associated with different ancestral populations. We propose a method for assigning ancestry that works in stages to refine estimates of ancestral population contributions to individual genomes. The method leverages genotype data in the public domain obtained from individuals with known ancestries. Although we showcase the method in the assessment of ancestral genome proportions leveraging largely continental populations, the strategy can be used for assessing within-continent or more subtle ancestral origins with the appropriate data. PMID:23335941

Cambrian cinctan echinoderms shed light on feeding in the ancestral deuterostome

PubMed Central

Rahman, Imran A.; Zamora, Samuel; Falkingham, Peter L.; Phillips, Jeremy C.

2015-01-01

Reconstructing the feeding mode of the latest common ancestor of deuterostomes is key to elucidating the early evolution of feeding in chordates and allied phyla; however, it is debated whether the ancestral deuterostome was a tentaculate feeder or a pharyngeal filter feeder. To address this, we evaluated the hydrodynamics of feeding in a group of fossil stem-group echinoderms (cinctans) using computational fluid dynamics. We simulated water flow past three-dimensional digital models of a Cambrian fossil cinctan in a range of possible life positions, adopting both passive tentacular feeding and active pharyngeal filter feeding. The results demonstrate that an orientation with the mouth facing downstream of the current was optimal for drag and lift reduction. Moreover, they show that there was almost no flow to the mouth and associated marginal groove under simulations of passive feeding, whereas considerable flow towards the animal was observed for active feeding, which would have enhanced the transport of suspended particles to the mouth. This strongly suggests that cinctans were active pharyngeal filter feeders, like modern enteropneust hemichordates and urochordates, indicating that the ancestral deuterostome employed a similar feeding strategy. PMID:26511049

Genetic variation in the chloroplast genome suggests multiple domestication of cultivated Asian rice (Oryza sativa L.).

PubMed

Kawakami, Shin-ichi; Ebana, Kaworu; Nishikawa, Tomotaro; Sato, Yo-ichiro; Vaughan, Duncan A; Kadowaki, Koh-ichi

2007-02-01

Two hundred and seventy-five accessions of cultivated Asian rice and 44 accessions of AA genome Oryza species were classified into 8 chloroplast (cp) genome types (A-H) based on insertion-deletion events at 3 regions (8K, 57K, and 76K) of the cp genome. The ancestral cp genome type was determined according to the frequency of occurrence in Oryza species and the likely evolution of the variable 57K region of the cp genome. When 2 nucleotide substitutions (AA or TT) were taken into account, these 8 cp types were subdivided into 11 cp types. Most indica cultivars had 1 of 3 cp genome types that were also identified in the wild relatives of rice, O. nivara and O. rufipogon, suggesting that the 3 indica cp types had evolved from distinct gene pools of the O. rufipogon - O. nivara complex. The majority of japonica cultivars had 1 of 3 different cp genome types. One of these 3 was identified in O. rufipogon, suggesting that at least 1 japonica type is derived from O. rufipogon with the same cp genome type. These results provide evidence to support a polyphyletic origin of cultivated Asian rice from at least 4 principal lineages in the O. rufipogon - O. nivara complex.

Chromosome evolution in kangaroos (Marsupialia: Macropodidae): cross species chromosome painting between the tammar wallaby and rock wallaby spp. with the 2n = 22 ancestral macropodid karyotype.

PubMed

O'Neill, R J; Eldridge, M D; Toder, R; Ferguson-Smith, M A; O'Brien, P C; Graves, J A

1999-06-01

Marsupial mammals show extraordinary karyotype stability, with 2n = 14 considered ancestral. However, macropodid marsupials (kangaroos and wallabies) exhibit a considerable variety of karyotypes, with a hypothesised ancestral karyotype of 2n = 22. Speciation and karyotypic diversity in rock wallabies (Petrogale) is exceptional. We used cross species chromosome painting to examine the chromosome evolution between the tammar wallaby (2n = 16) and three 2n = 22 rock wallaby species groups with the putative ancestral karyotype. Hybridization of chromosome paints prepared from flow sorted chromosomes of the tammar wallaby to Petrogale spp., showed that this ancestral karyotype is largely conserved among 2n = 22 rock wallaby species, and confirmed the identity of ancestral chromosomes which fused to produce the bi-armed chromosomes of the 2n = 16 tammar wallaby. These results illustrate the fission-fusion process of karyotype evolution characteristic of the kangaroo group.

Genome of Horsepox Virus

PubMed Central

Tulman, E. R.; Delhon, G.; Afonso, C. L.; Lu, Z.; Zsak, L.; Sandybaev, N. T.; Kerembekova, U. Z.; Zaitsev, V. L.; Kutish, G. F.; Rock, D. L.

2006-01-01

Here we present the genomic sequence of horsepox virus (HSPV) isolate MNR-76, an orthopoxvirus (OPV) isolated in 1976 from diseased Mongolian horses. The 212-kbp genome contained 7.5-kbp inverted terminal repeats and lacked extensive terminal tandem repetition. HSPV contained 236 open reading frames (ORFs) with similarity to those in other OPVs, with those in the central 100-kbp region most conserved relative to other OPVs. Phylogenetic analysis of the conserved region indicated that HSPV is closely related to sequenced isolates of vaccinia virus (VACV) and rabbitpox virus, clearly grouping together these VACV-like viruses. Fifty-four HSPV ORFs likely represented fragments of 25 orthologous OPV genes, including in the central region the only known fragmented form of an OPV ribonucleotide reductase large subunit gene. In terminal genomic regions, HSPV lacked full-length homologues of genes variably fragmented in other VACV-like viruses but was unique in fragmentation of the homologue of VACV strain Copenhagen B6R, a gene intact in other known VACV-like viruses. Notably, HSPV contained in terminal genomic regions 17 kbp of OPV-like sequence absent in known VACV-like viruses, including fragments of genes intact in other OPVs and approximately 1.4 kb of sequence present only in cowpox virus (CPXV). HSPV also contained seven full-length genes fragmented or missing in other VACV-like viruses, including intact homologues of the CPXV strain GRI-90 D2L/I4R CrmB and D13L CD30-like tumor necrosis factor receptors, D3L/I3R and C1L ankyrin repeat proteins, B19R kelch-like protein, D7L BTB/POZ domain protein, and B22R variola virus B22R-like protein. These results indicated that HSPV contains unique genomic features likely contributing to a unique virulence/host range phenotype. They also indicated that while closely related to known VACV-like viruses, HSPV contains additional, potentially ancestral sequences absent in other VACV-like viruses. PMID:16940536

Testing the impact of morphological rate heterogeneity on ancestral state reconstruction of five floral traits in angiosperms.

PubMed

Reyes, Elisabeth; Nadot, Sophie; von Balthazar, Maria; Schönenberger, Jürg; Sauquet, Hervé

2018-06-21

Ancestral state reconstruction is an important tool to study morphological evolution and often involves estimating transition rates among character states. However, various factors, including taxonomic scale and sampling density, may impact transition rate estimation and indirectly also the probability of the state at a given node. Here, we test the influence of rate heterogeneity using maximum likelihood methods on five binary perianth characters, optimized on a phylogenetic tree of angiosperms including 1230 species sampled from all families. We compare the states reconstructed by an equal-rate (Mk1) and a two-rate model (Mk2) fitted either with a single set of rates for the whole tree or as a partitioned model, allowing for different rates on five partitions of the tree. We find strong signal for rate heterogeneity among the five subdivisions for all five characters, but little overall impact of the choice of model on reconstructed ancestral states, which indicates that most of our inferred ancestral states are the same whether heterogeneity is accounted for or not.

Inferring ancestral distribution area and survival vegetation of Caragana (Fabaceae) in Tertiary

Treesearch

Mingli Zhang; Juanjuan Xue; Qiang Zhang; Stewart C. Sanderson

2015-01-01

Caragana, a leguminous genus mainly restricted to temperate Central and East Asia, occurs in arid, semiarid, and humid belts, and has forest, grassland, and desert ecotypes. Based on the previous molecular phylogenetic tree and dating, biogeographical analyses of extant species area and ecotype were conducted by means of four ancestral optimization approaches: S-DIVA,...

Genomic insights into the evolution and ecology of botulinum neurotoxins.

PubMed

Mansfield, Michael J; Doxey, Andrew C

2018-06-01

Clostridial neurotoxins, which include botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) and tetanus neurotoxins, have evolved a remarkably sophisticated structure and molecular mechanism fine-tuned for the targeting and cleavage of vertebrate neuron substrates leading to muscular paralysis. How and why did this toxin evolve? From which ancestral proteins are BoNTs derived? And what is, or was, the primary ecological role of BoNTs in the environment? In this article, we examine these questions in light of recent studies identifying homologs of BoNTs in the genomes of non-clostridial bacteria, including Weissella, Enterococcus and Chryseobacterium. Genomic and phylogenetic analysis of these more distantly related toxins suggests that they are derived from ancient toxin lineages that predate the evolution of BoNTs and are not limited to the Clostridium genus. We propose that BoNTs have therefore evolved from a precursor family of BoNT-like toxins, and ultimately from non-neurospecific toxins that cleaved different substrates (possibly non-neuronal SNAREs). Comparison of BoNTs with these related toxins reveals several unique molecular features that underlie the evolution of BoNT's unique function, including functional shifts involving all four domains, and gain of the BoNT gene cluster associated proteins. BoNTs then diversified to produce the existing serotypes, including TeNT, and underwent repeated substrate shifts from ancestral VAMP2 specificity to SNAP25 specificity at least three times in their history. Finally, similar to previous proposals, we suggest that one ecological role of BoNTs could be to create a paralytic phase in vertebrate decomposition, which provides a competitive advantage for necrophagous scavengers that in turn facilitate the spread of Clostridium botulinum and its toxin.

The evolution of sex: A new hypothesis based on mitochondrial mutational erosion: Mitochondrial mutational erosion in ancestral eukaryotes would favor the evolution of sex, harnessing nuclear recombination to optimize compensatory nuclear coadaptation.

PubMed

Havird, Justin C; Hall, Matthew D; Dowling, Damian K

2015-09-01

The evolution of sex in eukaryotes represents a paradox, given the "twofold" fitness cost it incurs. We hypothesize that the mutational dynamics of the mitochondrial genome would have favored the evolution of sexual reproduction. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) exhibits a high-mutation rate across most eukaryote taxa, and several lines of evidence suggest that this high rate is an ancestral character. This seems inexplicable given that mtDNA-encoded genes underlie the expression of life's most salient functions, including energy conversion. We propose that negative metabolic effects linked to mitochondrial mutation accumulation would have invoked selection for sexual recombination between divergent host nuclear genomes in early eukaryote lineages. This would provide a mechanism by which recombinant host genotypes could be rapidly shuffled and screened for the presence of compensatory modifiers that offset mtDNA-induced harm. Under this hypothesis, recombination provides the genetic variation necessary for compensatory nuclear coadaptation to keep pace with mitochondrial mutation accumulation. © 2015 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

Are palaeoscolecids ancestral ecdysozoans?

PubMed

Harvey, Thomas H P; Dong, Xiping; Donoghue, Philip C J

2010-01-01

The reconstruction of ancestors is a central aim of comparative anatomy and evolutionary developmental biology, not least in attempts to understand the relationship between developmental and organismal evolution. Inferences based on living taxa can and should be tested against the fossil record, which provides an independent and direct view onto historical character combinations. Here, we consider the nature of the last common ancestor of living ecdysozoans through a detailed analysis of palaeoscolecids, an early and extinct group of introvert-bearing worms that have been proposed to be ancestral ecdysozoans. In a review of palaeoscolecid anatomy, including newly resolved details of the internal and external cuticle structure, we identify specific characters shared with various living nematoid and scalidophoran worms, but not with panarthropods. Considered within a formal cladistic context, these characters provide most overall support for a stem-priapulid affinity, meaning that palaeoscolecids are far-removed from the ecdysozoan ancestor. We conclude that previous interpretations in which palaeoscolecids occupy a deeper position in the ecdysozoan tree lack particular morphological support and rely instead on a paucity of preserved characters. This bears out a more general point that fossil taxa may appear plesiomorphic merely because they preserve only plesiomorphies, rather than the mélange of primitive and derived characters anticipated of organisms properly allocated to a position deep within animal phylogeny.

The Spatiotemporal Program of Replication in the Genome of Lachancea kluyveri

PubMed Central

Agier, Nicolas; Romano, Orso Maria; Touzain, Fabrice; Cosentino Lagomarsino, Marco; Fischer, Gilles

2013-01-01

We generated a genome-wide replication profile in the genome of Lachancea kluyveri and assessed the relationship between replication and base composition. This species diverged from Saccharomyces cerevisiae before the ancestral whole genome duplication. The genome comprises eight chromosomes among which a chromosomal arm of 1 Mb has a G + C-content much higher than the rest of the genome. We identified 252 active replication origins in L. kluyveri and found considerable divergence in origin location with S. cerevisiae and with Lachancea waltii. Although some global features of S. cerevisiae replication are conserved: Centromeres replicate early, whereas telomeres replicate late, we found that replication origins both in L. kluyveri and L. waltii do not behave as evolutionary fragile sites. In L. kluyveri, replication timing along chromosomes alternates between regions of early and late activating origins, except for the 1 Mb GC-rich chromosomal arm. This chromosomal arm contains an origin consensus motif different from other chromosomes and is replicated early during S-phase. We showed that precocious replication results from the specific absence of late firing origins in this chromosomal arm. In addition, we found a correlation between GC-content and distance from replication origins as well as a lack of replication-associated compositional skew between leading and lagging strands specifically in this GC-rich chromosomal arm. These findings suggest that the unusual base composition in the genome of L. kluyveri could be linked to replication. PMID:23355306

Evolution of pathogenicity and sexual reproduction in eight Candida genomes

PubMed Central

Butler, Geraldine; Rasmussen, Matthew D.; Lin, Michael F.; Santos, Manuel A.S.; Sakthikumar, Sharadha; Munro, Carol A.; Rheinbay, Esther; Grabherr, Manfred; Forche, Anja; Reedy, Jennifer L.; Agrafioti, Ino; Arnaud, Martha B.; Bates, Steven; Brown, Alistair J.P.; Brunke, Sascha; Costanzo, Maria C.; Fitzpatrick, David A.; de Groot, Piet W. J.; Harris, David; Hoyer, Lois L.; Hube, Bernhard; Klis, Frans M.; Kodira, Chinnappa; Lennard, Nicola; Logue, Mary E.; Martin, Ronny; Neiman, Aaron M.; Nikolaou, Elissavet; Quail, Michael A.; Quinn, Janet; Santos, Maria C.; Schmitzberger, Florian F.; Sherlock, Gavin; Shah, Prachi; Silverstein, Kevin; Skrzypek, Marek S.; Soll, David; Staggs, Rodney; Stansfield, Ian; Stumpf, Michael P H; Sudbery, Peter E.; Thyagarajan, Srikantha; Zeng, Qiandong; Berman, Judith; Berriman, Matthew; Heitman, Joseph; Gow, Neil A. R.; Lorenz, Michael C.; Birren, Bruce W.; Kellis, Manolis; Cuomo, Christina A.

2009-01-01

Candida species are the most common cause of opportunistic fungal infection worldwide. We report the genome sequences of six Candida species and compare these and related pathogens and nonpathogens. There are significant expansions of cell wall, secreted, and transporter gene families in pathogenic species, suggesting adaptations associated with virulence. Large genomic tracts are homozygous in three diploid species, possibly resulting from recent recombination events. Surprisingly, key components of the mating and meiosis pathways are missing from several species. These include major differences at the Mating-type loci (MTL); Lodderomyces elongisporus lacks MTL, and components of the a1/alpha2 cell identity determinant were lost in other species, raising questions about how mating and cell types are controlled. Analysis of the CUG leucine to serine genetic code change reveals that 99% of ancestral CUG codons were erased and new ones arose elsewhere. Lastly, we revise the C. albicans gene catalog, identifying many new genes. PMID:19465905

The genomic substrate for adaptive radiation in African cichlid fish.

PubMed

Brawand, David; Wagner, Catherine E; Li, Yang I; Malinsky, Milan; Keller, Irene; Fan, Shaohua; Simakov, Oleg; Ng, Alvin Y; Lim, Zhi Wei; Bezault, Etienne; Turner-Maier, Jason; Johnson, Jeremy; Alcazar, Rosa; Noh, Hyun Ji; Russell, Pamela; Aken, Bronwen; Alföldi, Jessica; Amemiya, Chris; Azzouzi, Naoual; Baroiller, Jean-François; Barloy-Hubler, Frederique; Berlin, Aaron; Bloomquist, Ryan; Carleton, Karen L; Conte, Matthew A; D'Cotta, Helena; Eshel, Orly; Gaffney, Leslie; Galibert, Francis; Gante, Hugo F; Gnerre, Sante; Greuter, Lucie; Guyon, Richard; Haddad, Natalie S; Haerty, Wilfried; Harris, Rayna M; Hofmann, Hans A; Hourlier, Thibaut; Hulata, Gideon; Jaffe, David B; Lara, Marcia; Lee, Alison P; MacCallum, Iain; Mwaiko, Salome; Nikaido, Masato; Nishihara, Hidenori; Ozouf-Costaz, Catherine; Penman, David J; Przybylski, Dariusz; Rakotomanga, Michaelle; Renn, Suzy C P; Ribeiro, Filipe J; Ron, Micha; Salzburger, Walter; Sanchez-Pulido, Luis; Santos, M Emilia; Searle, Steve; Sharpe, Ted; Swofford, Ross; Tan, Frederick J; Williams, Louise; Young, Sarah; Yin, Shuangye; Okada, Norihiro; Kocher, Thomas D; Miska, Eric A; Lander, Eric S; Venkatesh, Byrappa; Fernald, Russell D; Meyer, Axel; Ponting, Chris P; Streelman, J Todd; Lindblad-Toh, Kerstin; Seehausen, Ole; Di Palma, Federica

2014-09-18

Cichlid fishes are famous for large, diverse and replicated adaptive radiations in the Great Lakes of East Africa. To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying cichlid phenotypic diversity, we sequenced the genomes and transcriptomes of five lineages of African cichlids: the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), an ancestral lineage with low diversity; and four members of the East African lineage: Neolamprologus brichardi/pulcher (older radiation, Lake Tanganyika), Metriaclima zebra (recent radiation, Lake Malawi), Pundamilia nyererei (very recent radiation, Lake Victoria), and Astatotilapia burtoni (riverine species around Lake Tanganyika). We found an excess of gene duplications in the East African lineage compared to tilapia and other teleosts, an abundance of non-coding element divergence, accelerated coding sequence evolution, expression divergence associated with transposable element insertions, and regulation by novel microRNAs. In addition, we analysed sequence data from sixty individuals representing six closely related species from Lake Victoria, and show genome-wide diversifying selection on coding and regulatory variants, some of which were recruited from ancient polymorphisms. We conclude that a number of molecular mechanisms shaped East African cichlid genomes, and that amassing of standing variation during periods of relaxed purifying selection may have been important in facilitating subsequent evolutionary diversification.

The Complete Multipartite Genome Sequence of Cupriavidus necator JMP134, a Versatile Pollutant Degrader

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lykidis, Athanasios; Perez-Pantoja, Danilo; Ledger, Thomas

Cupriavidus necator JMP134 (formerly Ralstonia eutropha JMP134) is a Gram-negative {beta}-proteobacterium able to degrade a variety of chloroaromatic compounds and chemically-related pollutants. It was originally isolated based on its ability to use 2,4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) as a sole carbon and energy source [1]. In addition to 2,4-D, this strain can also grow on a variety of aromatic substrates, such as 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetate (MCPA), 3-chlorobenzoic acid (3-CB) [2], 2,4,6-trichlorophenol [3], and 4-fluorobenzoate [4]. The genes necessary for 2,4-D utilization have been identified. They are located in two clusters on plasmid pPJ4: tfd{sub I} and tfd{sub II} [5,6,7,8]. The sequence and analysismore » of plasmid pJP4 was reported and a congruent model for bacterial adaptation to chloroaromatic pollutants was proposed [9]. According to this model, catabolic gene clusters assemble in a modular manner into broad-host-range plasmid backbones by means of repeated chromosomal capture events. Cupriavidus and related Burkholderia genomes are typically multipartite, composed of two large replicons (chromosomes) accompanied by classical plasmids. Previous work with Burkholderia xenovorans LB400 revealed a differential gene distribution with core functions preferentially encoded by the larger chromosome and secondary functions by the smaller [10]. It has been proposed that the secondary chromosomes in many bacteria originated from ancestral plasmids which, in turn, had been the recipient of genes transferred earlier from ancestral primary chromosomes [11]. The existence of multiple Cupriavidus and Burkholderia genomes provides the opportunity for comparative studies that will lead to a better understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms for the formation of multipartite genomes and the relation with biodegradation abilities.« less

The complete chloroplast DNA sequence of the green alga Nephroselmis olivacea: Insights into the architecture of ancestral chloroplast genomes

PubMed Central

Turmel, Monique; Otis, Christian; Lemieux, Claude

1999-01-01

Green plants seem to form two sister lineages: Chlorophyta, comprising the green algal classes Prasinophyceae, Ulvophyceae, Trebouxiophyceae, and Chlorophyceae, and Streptophyta, comprising the Charophyceae and land plants. We have determined the complete chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) sequence (200,799 bp) of Nephroselmis olivacea, a member of the class (Prasinophyceae) thought to include descendants of the earliest-diverging green algae. The 127 genes identified in this genome represent the largest gene repertoire among the green algal and land plant cpDNAs completely sequenced to date. Of the Nephroselmis genes, 2 (ycf81 and ftsI, a gene involved in peptidoglycan synthesis) have not been identified in any previously investigated cpDNA; 5 genes [ftsW, rnE, ycf62, rnpB, and trnS(cga)] have been found only in cpDNAs of nongreen algae; and 10 others (ndh genes) have been described only in land plant cpDNAs. Nephroselmis and land plant cpDNAs share the same quadripartite structure—which is characterized by the presence of a large rRNA-encoding inverted repeat and two unequal single-copy regions—and very similar sets of genes in corresponding genomic regions. Given that our phylogenetic analyses place Nephroselmis within the Chlorophyta, these structural characteristics were most likely present in the cpDNA of the common ancestor of chlorophytes and streptophytes. Comparative analyses of chloroplast genomes indicate that the typical quadripartite architecture and gene-partitioning pattern of land plant cpDNAs are ancient features that may have been derived from the genome of the cyanobacterial progenitor of chloroplasts. Our phylogenetic data also offer insight into the chlorophyte ancestor of euglenophyte chloroplasts. PMID:10468594

Comparative Analysis of Genome Diversity in Bullmastiff Dogs

PubMed Central

Mortlock, Sally-Anne; Khatkar, Mehar S.; Williamson, Peter

2016-01-01

Management and preservation of genomic diversity in dog breeds is a major objective for maintaining health. The present study was undertaken to characterise genomic diversity in Bullmastiff dogs using both genealogical and molecular analysis. Genealogical analysis of diversity was conducted using a database consisting of 16,378 Bullmastiff pedigrees from year 1980 to 2013. Additionally, a total of 188 Bullmastiff dogs were genotyped using the 170,000 SNP Illumina CanineHD Beadchip. Genealogical parameters revealed a mean inbreeding coefficient of 0.047; 142 total founders (f); an effective number of founders (fe) of 79; an effective number of ancestors (fa) of 62; and an effective population size of the reference population of 41. Genetic diversity and the degree of genome-wide homogeneity within the breed were also investigated using molecular data. Multiple-locus heterozygosity (MLH) was equal to 0.206; runs of homozygosity (ROH) as proportion of the genome, averaged 16.44%; effective population size was 29.1, with an average inbreeding coefficient of 0.035, all estimated using SNP Data. Fine-scale population structure was analysed using NETVIEW, a population analysis pipeline. Visualisation of the high definition network captured relationships among individuals within and between subpopulations. Effects of unequal founder use, and ancestral inbreeding and selection, were evident. While current levels of Bullmastiff heterozygosity, inbreeding and homozygosity are not unusual, a relatively small effective population size indicates that a breeding strategy to reduce the inbreeding rate may be beneficial. PMID:26824579

The Apostasia genome and the evolution of orchids.

PubMed

Zhang, Guo-Qiang; Liu, Ke-Wei; Li, Zhen; Lohaus, Rolf; Hsiao, Yu-Yun; Niu, Shan-Ce; Wang, Jie-Yu; Lin, Yao-Cheng; Xu, Qing; Chen, Li-Jun; Yoshida, Kouki; Fujiwara, Sumire; Wang, Zhi-Wen; Zhang, Yong-Qiang; Mitsuda, Nobutaka; Wang, Meina; Liu, Guo-Hui; Pecoraro, Lorenzo; Huang, Hui-Xia; Xiao, Xin-Ju; Lin, Min; Wu, Xin-Yi; Wu, Wan-Lin; Chen, You-Yi; Chang, Song-Bin; Sakamoto, Shingo; Ohme-Takagi, Masaru; Yagi, Masafumi; Zeng, Si-Jin; Shen, Ching-Yu; Yeh, Chuan-Ming; Luo, Yi-Bo; Tsai, Wen-Chieh; Van de Peer, Yves; Liu, Zhong-Jian

2017-09-21

Constituting approximately 10% of flowering plant species, orchids (Orchidaceae) display unique flower morphologies, possess an extraordinary diversity in lifestyle, and have successfully colonized almost every habitat on Earth. Here we report the draft genome sequence of Apostasia shenzhenica, a representative of one of two genera that form a sister lineage to the rest of the Orchidaceae, providing a reference for inferring the genome content and structure of the most recent common ancestor of all extant orchids and improving our understanding of their origins and evolution. In addition, we present transcriptome data for representatives of Vanilloideae, Cypripedioideae and Orchidoideae, and novel third-generation genome data for two species of Epidendroideae, covering all five orchid subfamilies. A. shenzhenica shows clear evidence of a whole-genome duplication, which is shared by all orchids and occurred shortly before their divergence. Comparisons between A. shenzhenica and other orchids and angiosperms also permitted the reconstruction of an ancestral orchid gene toolkit. We identify new gene families, gene family expansions and contractions, and changes within MADS-box gene classes, which control a diverse suite of developmental processes, during orchid evolution. This study sheds new light on the genetic mechanisms underpinning key orchid innovations, including the development of the labellum and gynostemium, pollinia, and seeds without endosperm, as well as the evolution of epiphytism; reveals relationships between the Orchidaceae subfamilies; and helps clarify the evolutionary history of orchids within the angiosperms.

Reconstructing Native American migrations from whole-genome and whole-exome data.

PubMed

Gravel, Simon; Zakharia, Fouad; Moreno-Estrada, Andres; Byrnes, Jake K; Muzzio, Marina; Rodriguez-Flores, Juan L; Kenny, Eimear E; Gignoux, Christopher R; Maples, Brian K; Guiblet, Wilfried; Dutil, Julie; Via, Marc; Sandoval, Karla; Bedoya, Gabriel; Oleksyk, Taras K; Ruiz-Linares, Andres; Burchard, Esteban G; Martinez-Cruzado, Juan Carlos; Bustamante, Carlos D

2013-01-01

There is great scientific and popular interest in understanding the genetic history of populations in the Americas. We wish to understand when different regions of the continent were inhabited, where settlers came from, and how current inhabitants relate genetically to earlier populations. Recent studies unraveled parts of the genetic history of the continent using genotyping arrays and uniparental markers. The 1000 Genomes Project provides a unique opportunity for improving our understanding of population genetic history by providing over a hundred sequenced low coverage genomes and exomes from Colombian (CLM), Mexican-American (MXL), and Puerto Rican (PUR) populations. Here, we explore the genomic contributions of African, European, and especially Native American ancestry to these populations. Estimated Native American ancestry is 48% in MXL, 25% in CLM, and 13% in PUR. Native American ancestry in PUR is most closely related to populations surrounding the Orinoco River basin, confirming the Southern American ancestry of the Taíno people of the Caribbean. We present new methods to estimate the allele frequencies in the Native American fraction of the populations, and model their distribution using a demographic model for three ancestral Native American populations. These ancestral populations likely split in close succession: the most likely scenario, based on a peopling of the Americas 16 thousand years ago (kya), supports that the MXL Ancestors split 12.2kya, with a subsequent split of the ancestors to CLM and PUR 11.7kya. The model also features effective populations of 62,000 in Mexico, 8,700 in Colombia, and 1,900 in Puerto Rico. Modeling Identity-by-descent (IBD) and ancestry tract length, we show that post-contact populations also differ markedly in their effective sizes and migration patterns, with Puerto Rico showing the smallest effective size and the earlier migration from Europe. Finally, we compare IBD and ancestry assignments to find evidence for

Characterization of the genome of the dairy Lactobacillus helveticus bacteriophage {Phi}AQ113.

PubMed

Zago, Miriam; Scaltriti, Erika; Rossetti, Lia; Guffanti, Alessandro; Armiento, Angelarita; Fornasari, Maria Emanuela; Grolli, Stefano; Carminati, Domenico; Brini, Elena; Pavan, Paolo; Felsani, Armando; D'Urzo, Annalisa; Moles, Anna; Claude, Jean-Baptiste; Grandori, Rita; Ramoni, Roberto; Giraffa, Giorgio

2013-08-01

The complete genomic sequence of the dairy Lactobacillus helveticus bacteriophage ΦAQ113 was determined. Phage ΦAQ113 is a Myoviridae bacteriophage with an isometric capsid and a contractile tail. The final assembled consensus sequence revealed a linear, circularly permuted, double-stranded DNA genome with a size of 36,566 bp and a G+C content of 37%. Fifty-six open reading frames (ORFs) were predicted, and a putative function was assigned to approximately 90% of them. The ΦAQ113 genome shows functionally related genes clustered together in a genome structure composed of modules for DNA replication/regulation, DNA packaging, head and tail morphogenesis, cell lysis, and lysogeny. The identification of genes involved in the establishment of lysogeny indicates that it may have originated as a temperate phage, even if it was isolated from natural cheese whey starters as a virulent phage, because it is able to propagate in a sensitive host strain. Additionally, we discovered that the ΦAQ113 phage genome is closely related to Lactobacillus gasseri phage KC5a and Lactobacillus johnsonii phage Lj771 genomes. The phylogenetic similarities between L. helveticus phage ΦAQ113 and two phages that belong to gut species confirm a possible common ancestral origin and support the increasing consideration of L. helveticus as a health-promoting organism.

Characterization of the Genome of the Dairy Lactobacillus helveticus Bacteriophage ΦAQ113

PubMed Central

Scaltriti, Erika; Rossetti, Lia; Guffanti, Alessandro; Armiento, Angelarita; Fornasari, Maria Emanuela; Grolli, Stefano; Carminati, Domenico; Brini, Elena; Pavan, Paolo; Felsani, Armando; D'Urzo, Annalisa; Moles, Anna; Claude, Jean-Baptiste; Grandori, Rita; Ramoni, Roberto; Giraffa, Giorgio

2013-01-01

The complete genomic sequence of the dairy Lactobacillus helveticus bacteriophage ΦAQ113 was determined. Phage ΦAQ113 is a Myoviridae bacteriophage with an isometric capsid and a contractile tail. The final assembled consensus sequence revealed a linear, circularly permuted, double-stranded DNA genome with a size of 36,566 bp and a G+C content of 37%. Fifty-six open reading frames (ORFs) were predicted, and a putative function was assigned to approximately 90% of them. The ΦAQ113 genome shows functionally related genes clustered together in a genome structure composed of modules for DNA replication/regulation, DNA packaging, head and tail morphogenesis, cell lysis, and lysogeny. The identification of genes involved in the establishment of lysogeny indicates that it may have originated as a temperate phage, even if it was isolated from natural cheese whey starters as a virulent phage, because it is able to propagate in a sensitive host strain. Additionally, we discovered that the ΦAQ113 phage genome is closely related to Lactobacillus gasseri phage KC5a and Lactobacillus johnsonii phage Lj771 genomes. The phylogenetic similarities between L. helveticus phage ΦAQ113 and two phages that belong to gut species confirm a possible common ancestral origin and support the increasing consideration of L. helveticus as a health-promoting organism. PMID:23728811

Conserved intron positions in FGFR genes reflect the modular structure of FGFR and reveal stepwise addition of domains to an already complex ancestral FGFR.

PubMed

Rebscher, Nicole; Deichmann, Christina; Sudhop, Stefanie; Fritzenwanker, Jens Holger; Green, Stephen; Hassel, Monika

2009-10-01

We have analyzed the evolution of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) tyrosine kinase genes throughout a wide range of animal phyla. No evidence for an FGFR gene was found in Porifera, but we tentatively identified an FGFR gene in the placozoan Trichoplax adhaerens. The gene encodes a protein with three immunoglobulin-like domains, a single-pass transmembrane, and a split tyrosine kinase domain. By superimposing intron positions of 20 FGFR genes from Placozoa, Cnidaria, Protostomia, and Deuterostomia over the respective protein domain structure, we identified ten ancestral introns and three conserved intron groups. Our analysis shows (1) that the position of ancestral introns correlates to the modular structure of FGFRs, (2) that the acidic domain very likely evolved in the last common ancestor of triploblasts, (3) that splicing of IgIII was enabled by a triploblast-specific insertion, and (4) that IgI is subject to substantial loss or duplication particularly in quickly evolving genomes. Moreover, intron positions in the catalytic domain of FGFRs map to the borders of protein subdomains highly conserved in other serine/threonine kinases. Nevertheless, these introns were introduced in metazoan receptor tyrosine kinases exclusively. Our data support the view that protein evolution dating back to the Cambrian explosion took place in such a short time window that only subtle changes in the domain structure are detectable in extant representatives of animal phyla. We propose that the first multidomain FGFR originated in the last common ancestor of Placozoa, Cnidaria, and Bilateria. Additional domains were introduced mainly in the ancestor of triploblasts and in the Ecdysozoa.

Distinct actions of ancestral vinclozolin and juvenile stress on neural gene expression in the male rat.

PubMed

Gillette, Ross; Miller-Crews, Isaac; Skinner, Michael K; Crews, David

2015-01-01

Exposure to the endocrine disrupting chemical vinclozolin during gestation of an F0 generation and/or chronic restraint stress during adolescence of the F3 descendants affects behavior, physiology, and gene expression in the brain. Genes related to the networks of growth factors, signaling peptides, and receptors, steroid hormone receptors and enzymes, and epigenetic related factors were measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction via Taqman low density arrays targeting 48 genes in the central amygdaloid nucleus, medial amygdaloid nucleus, medial preoptic area (mPOA), lateral hypothalamus (LH), and the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus. We found that growth factors are particularly vulnerable to ancestral exposure in the central and medial amygdala; restraint stress during adolescence affected neural growth factors in the medial amygdala. Signaling peptides were affected by both ancestral exposure and stress during adolescence primarily in hypothalamic nuclei. Steroid hormone receptors and enzymes were strongly affected by restraint stress in the mPOA. Epigenetic related genes were affected by stress in the ventromedial nucleus and by both ancestral exposure and stress during adolescence independently in the central amygdala. It is noteworthy that the LH showed no effects of either manipulation. Gene expression is discussed in the context of behavioral and physiological measures previously published.

Comparative genomics reveals conservative evolution of the xylem transcriptome in vascular plants.

PubMed

Li, Xinguo; Wu, Harry X; Southerton, Simon G

2010-06-21

Wood is a valuable natural resource and a major carbon sink. Wood formation is an important developmental process in vascular plants which played a crucial role in plant evolution. Although genes involved in xylem formation have been investigated, the molecular mechanisms of xylem evolution are not well understood. We use comparative genomics to examine evolution of the xylem transcriptome to gain insights into xylem evolution. The xylem transcriptome is highly conserved in conifers, but considerably divergent in angiosperms. The functional domains of genes in the xylem transcriptome are moderately to highly conserved in vascular plants, suggesting the existence of a common ancestral xylem transcriptome. Compared to the total transcriptome derived from a range of tissues, the xylem transcriptome is relatively conserved in vascular plants. Of the xylem transcriptome, cell wall genes, ancestral xylem genes, known proteins and transcription factors are relatively more conserved in vascular plants. A total of 527 putative xylem orthologs were identified, which are unevenly distributed across the Arabidopsis chromosomes with eight hot spots observed. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that evolution of the xylem transcriptome has paralleled plant evolution. We also identified 274 conifer-specific xylem unigenes, all of which are of unknown function. These xylem orthologs and conifer-specific unigenes are likely to have played a crucial role in xylem evolution. Conifers have highly conserved xylem transcriptomes, while angiosperm xylem transcriptomes are relatively diversified. Vascular plants share a common ancestral xylem transcriptome. The xylem transcriptomes of vascular plants are more conserved than the total transcriptomes. Evolution of the xylem transcriptome has largely followed the trend of plant evolution.

Sequencing an Ashkenazi reference panel supports population-targeted personal genomics and illuminates Jewish and European origins

PubMed Central

Carmi, Shai; Hui, Ken Y.; Kochav, Ethan; Liu, Xinmin; Xue, James; Grady, Fillan; Guha, Saurav; Upadhyay, Kinnari; Ben-Avraham, Dan; Mukherjee, Semanti; Bowen, B. Monica; Thomas, Tinu; Vijai, Joseph; Cruts, Marc; Froyen, Guy; Lambrechts, Diether; Plaisance, Stéphane; Van Broeckhoven, Christine; Van Damme, Philip; Van Marck, Herwig; Barzilai, Nir; Darvasi, Ariel; Offit, Kenneth; Bressman, Susan; Ozelius, Laurie J.; Peter, Inga; Cho, Judy H.; Ostrer, Harry; Atzmon, Gil; Clark, Lorraine N.; Lencz, Todd; Pe’er, Itsik

2014-01-01

The Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ) population is a genetic isolate close to European and Middle Eastern groups, with genetic diversity patterns conducive to disease mapping. Here we report high-depth sequencing of 128 complete genomes of AJ controls. Compared with European samples, our AJ panel has 47% more novel variants per genome and is eightfold more effective at filtering benign variants out of AJ clinical genomes. Our panel improves imputation accuracy for AJ SNP arrays by 28%, and covers at least one haplotype in ≈67% of any AJ genome with long, identical-by-descent segments. Reconstruction of recent AJ history from such segments confirms a recent bottleneck of merely ≈350 individuals. Modelling of ancient histories for AJ and European populations using their joint allele frequency spectrum determines AJ to be an even admixture of European and likely Middle Eastern origins. We date the split between the two ancestral populations to ≈12–25 Kyr, suggesting a predominantly Near Eastern source for the repopulation of Europe after the Last Glacial Maximum. PMID:25203624

Early Neolithic genomes from the eastern Fertile Crescent

PubMed Central

Broushaki, Farnaz; Thomas, Mark G; Link, Vivian; López, Saioa; van Dorp, Lucy; Kirsanow, Karola; Hofmanová, Zuzana; Diekmann, Yoan; Cassidy, Lara M.; Díez-del-Molino, David; Kousathanas, Athanasios; Sell, Christian; Robson, Harry K.; Martiniano, Rui; Blöcher, Jens; Scheu, Amelie; Kreutzer, Susanne; Bollongino, Ruth; Bobo, Dean; Davudi, Hossein; Munoz, Olivia; Currat, Mathias; Abdi, Kamyar; Biglari, Fereidoun; Craig, Oliver E.; Bradley, Daniel G; Shennan, Stephen; Veeramah, Krishna; Mashkour, Marjan

2016-01-01

We sequenced Early Neolithic genomes from the Zagros region of Iran (eastern Fertile Crescent), where some of the earliest evidence for farming is found, and identify a previously uncharacterized population that is neither ancestral to the first European farmers nor has contributed significantly to the ancestry of modern Europeans. These people are estimated to have separated from Early Neolithic farmers in Anatolia some 46-77,000 years ago and show affinities to modern day Pakistani and Afghan populations, but particularly to Iranian Zoroastrians. We conclude that multiple, genetically differentiated hunter-gatherer populations adopted farming in SW-Asia, that components of pre-Neolithic population structure were preserved as farming spread into neighboring regions, and that the Zagros region was the cradle of eastward expansion. PMID:27417496

The first myriapod genome sequence reveals conservative arthropod gene content and genome organisation in the centipede Strigamia maritima.

PubMed

Chipman, Ariel D; Ferrier, David E K; Brena, Carlo; Qu, Jiaxin; Hughes, Daniel S T; Schröder, Reinhard; Torres-Oliva, Montserrat; Znassi, Nadia; Jiang, Huaiyang; Almeida, Francisca C; Alonso, Claudio R; Apostolou, Zivkos; Aqrawi, Peshtewani; Arthur, Wallace; Barna, Jennifer C J; Blankenburg, Kerstin P; Brites, Daniela; Capella-Gutiérrez, Salvador; Coyle, Marcus; Dearden, Peter K; Du Pasquier, Louis; Duncan, Elizabeth J; Ebert, Dieter; Eibner, Cornelius; Erikson, Galina; Evans, Peter D; Extavour, Cassandra G; Francisco, Liezl; Gabaldón, Toni; Gillis, William J; Goodwin-Horn, Elizabeth A; Green, Jack E; Griffiths-Jones, Sam; Grimmelikhuijzen, Cornelis J P; Gubbala, Sai; Guigó, Roderic; Han, Yi; Hauser, Frank; Havlak, Paul; Hayden, Luke; Helbing, Sophie; Holder, Michael; Hui, Jerome H L; Hunn, Julia P; Hunnekuhl, Vera S; Jackson, LaRonda; Javaid, Mehwish; Jhangiani, Shalini N; Jiggins, Francis M; Jones, Tamsin E; Kaiser, Tobias S; Kalra, Divya; Kenny, Nathan J; Korchina, Viktoriya; Kovar, Christie L; Kraus, F Bernhard; Lapraz, François; Lee, Sandra L; Lv, Jie; Mandapat, Christigale; Manning, Gerard; Mariotti, Marco; Mata, Robert; Mathew, Tittu; Neumann, Tobias; Newsham, Irene; Ngo, Dinh N; Ninova, Maria; Okwuonu, Geoffrey; Ongeri, Fiona; Palmer, William J; Patil, Shobha; Patraquim, Pedro; Pham, Christopher; Pu, Ling-Ling; Putman, Nicholas H; Rabouille, Catherine; Ramos, Olivia Mendivil; Rhodes, Adelaide C; Robertson, Helen E; Robertson, Hugh M; Ronshaugen, Matthew; Rozas, Julio; Saada, Nehad; Sánchez-Gracia, Alejandro; Scherer, Steven E; Schurko, Andrew M; Siggens, Kenneth W; Simmons, DeNard; Stief, Anna; Stolle, Eckart; Telford, Maximilian J; Tessmar-Raible, Kristin; Thornton, Rebecca; van der Zee, Maurijn; von Haeseler, Arndt; Williams, James M; Willis, Judith H; Wu, Yuanqing; Zou, Xiaoyan; Lawson, Daniel; Muzny, Donna M; Worley, Kim C; Gibbs, Richard A; Akam, Michael; Richards, Stephen

2014-11-01

Myriapods (e.g., centipedes and millipedes) display a simple homonomous body plan relative to other arthropods. All members of the class are terrestrial, but they attained terrestriality independently of insects. Myriapoda is the only arthropod class not represented by a sequenced genome. We present an analysis of the genome of the centipede Strigamia maritima. It retains a compact genome that has undergone less gene loss and shuffling than previously sequenced arthropods, and many orthologues of genes conserved from the bilaterian ancestor that have been lost in insects. Our analysis locates many genes in conserved macro-synteny contexts, and many small-scale examples of gene clustering. We describe several examples where S. maritima shows different solutions from insects to similar problems. The insect olfactory receptor gene family is absent from S. maritima, and olfaction in air is likely effected by expansion of other receptor gene families. For some genes S. maritima has evolved paralogues to generate coding sequence diversity, where insects use alternate splicing. This is most striking for the Dscam gene, which in Drosophila generates more than 100,000 alternate splice forms, but in S. maritima is encoded by over 100 paralogues. We see an intriguing linkage between the absence of any known photosensory proteins in a blind organism and the additional absence of canonical circadian clock genes. The phylogenetic position of myriapods allows us to identify where in arthropod phylogeny several particular molecular mechanisms and traits emerged. For example, we conclude that juvenile hormone signalling evolved with the emergence of the exoskeleton in the arthropods and that RR-1 containing cuticle proteins evolved in the lineage leading to Mandibulata. We also identify when various gene expansions and losses occurred. The genome of S. maritima offers us a unique glimpse into the ancestral arthropod genome, while also displaying many adaptations to its specific

The First Myriapod Genome Sequence Reveals Conservative Arthropod Gene Content and Genome Organisation in the Centipede Strigamia maritima

PubMed Central

Chipman, Ariel D.; Ferrier, David E. K.; Brena, Carlo; Qu, Jiaxin; Hughes, Daniel S. T.; Schröder, Reinhard; Torres-Oliva, Montserrat; Znassi, Nadia; Jiang, Huaiyang; Almeida, Francisca C.; Alonso, Claudio R.; Apostolou, Zivkos; Aqrawi, Peshtewani; Arthur, Wallace; Barna, Jennifer C. J.; Blankenburg, Kerstin P.; Brites, Daniela; Capella-Gutiérrez, Salvador; Coyle, Marcus; Dearden, Peter K.; Du Pasquier, Louis; Duncan, Elizabeth J.; Ebert, Dieter; Eibner, Cornelius; Erikson, Galina; Evans, Peter D.; Extavour, Cassandra G.; Francisco, Liezl; Gabaldón, Toni; Gillis, William J.; Goodwin-Horn, Elizabeth A.; Green, Jack E.; Griffiths-Jones, Sam; Grimmelikhuijzen, Cornelis J. P.; Gubbala, Sai; Guigó, Roderic; Han, Yi; Hauser, Frank; Havlak, Paul; Hayden, Luke; Helbing, Sophie; Holder, Michael; Hui, Jerome H. L.; Hunn, Julia P.; Hunnekuhl, Vera S.; Jackson, LaRonda; Javaid, Mehwish; Jhangiani, Shalini N.; Jiggins, Francis M.; Jones, Tamsin E.; Kaiser, Tobias S.; Kalra, Divya; Kenny, Nathan J.; Korchina, Viktoriya; Kovar, Christie L.; Kraus, F. Bernhard; Lapraz, François; Lee, Sandra L.; Lv, Jie; Mandapat, Christigale; Manning, Gerard; Mariotti, Marco; Mata, Robert; Mathew, Tittu; Neumann, Tobias; Newsham, Irene; Ngo, Dinh N.; Ninova, Maria; Okwuonu, Geoffrey; Ongeri, Fiona; Palmer, William J.; Patil, Shobha; Patraquim, Pedro; Pham, Christopher; Pu, Ling-Ling; Putman, Nicholas H.; Rabouille, Catherine; Ramos, Olivia Mendivil; Rhodes, Adelaide C.; Robertson, Helen E.; Robertson, Hugh M.; Ronshaugen, Matthew; Rozas, Julio; Saada, Nehad; Sánchez-Gracia, Alejandro; Scherer, Steven E.; Schurko, Andrew M.; Siggens, Kenneth W.; Simmons, DeNard; Stief, Anna; Stolle, Eckart; Telford, Maximilian J.; Tessmar-Raible, Kristin; Thornton, Rebecca; van der Zee, Maurijn; von Haeseler, Arndt; Williams, James M.; Willis, Judith H.; Wu, Yuanqing; Zou, Xiaoyan; Lawson, Daniel; Muzny, Donna M.; Worley, Kim C.; Gibbs, Richard A.; Akam, Michael; Richards, Stephen

2014-01-01

Myriapods (e.g., centipedes and millipedes) display a simple homonomous body plan relative to other arthropods. All members of the class are terrestrial, but they attained terrestriality independently of insects. Myriapoda is the only arthropod class not represented by a sequenced genome. We present an analysis of the genome of the centipede Strigamia maritima. It retains a compact genome that has undergone less gene loss and shuffling than previously sequenced arthropods, and many orthologues of genes conserved from the bilaterian ancestor that have been lost in insects. Our analysis locates many genes in conserved macro-synteny contexts, and many small-scale examples of gene clustering. We describe several examples where S. maritima shows different solutions from insects to similar problems. The insect olfactory receptor gene family is absent from S. maritima, and olfaction in air is likely effected by expansion of other receptor gene families. For some genes S. maritima has evolved paralogues to generate coding sequence diversity, where insects use alternate splicing. This is most striking for the Dscam gene, which in Drosophila generates more than 100,000 alternate splice forms, but in S. maritima is encoded by over 100 paralogues. We see an intriguing linkage between the absence of any known photosensory proteins in a blind organism and the additional absence of canonical circadian clock genes. The phylogenetic position of myriapods allows us to identify where in arthropod phylogeny several particular molecular mechanisms and traits emerged. For example, we conclude that juvenile hormone signalling evolved with the emergence of the exoskeleton in the arthropods and that RR-1 containing cuticle proteins evolved in the lineage leading to Mandibulata. We also identify when various gene expansions and losses occurred. The genome of S. maritima offers us a unique glimpse into the ancestral arthropod genome, while also displaying many adaptations to its specific

Multispeed genome diploidization and diversification after an ancient allopolyploidization.

PubMed

Mandáková, Terezie; Pouch, Milan; Harmanová, Klára; Zhan, Shing Hei; Mayrose, Itay; Lysak, Martin A

2017-11-01

Hybridization and genome doubling (allopolyploidy) have led to evolutionary novelties as well as to the origin of new clades and species. Despite the importance of allopolyploidization, the dynamics of postpolyploid diploidization (PPD) at the genome level has been only sparsely studied. The Microlepidieae (MICR) is a crucifer tribe of 17 genera and c. 56 species endemic to Australia and New Zealand. Our phylogenetic and cytogenomic analyses revealed that MICR originated via an intertribal hybridization between ancestors of Crucihimalayeae (n = 8; maternal genome) and Smelowskieae (n = 7; paternal genome), both native to the Northern Hemisphere. The reconstructed ancestral allopolyploid genome (n = 15) originated probably in northeastern Asia or western North America during the Late Miocene (c. 10.6-7 million years ago) and reached the Australian mainland via long-distance dispersal. In Australia, the allotetraploid genome diverged into at least three main subclades exhibiting different levels of PPD and diversity: 1.25-fold descending dysploidy (DD) of n = 15 → n = 12 (autopolyploidy → 24) in perennial Arabidella (3 species), 1.5-fold DD of n = 15 → n = 10 in the perennial Pachycladon (11 spp.) and 2.1-3.75-fold DD of n = 15 → n = 7-4 in the largely annual crown-group genera (42 spp. in 15 genera). These results are among the first to demonstrate multispeed genome evolution in taxa descending from a common allopolyploid ancestor. It is suggested that clade-specific PPD can operate at different rates and efficacies and can be tentatively linked to life histories and the extent of taxonomic diversity. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Genomic investigations of evolutionary dynamics and epistasis in microbial evolution experiments.

PubMed

Jerison, Elizabeth R; Desai, Michael M

2015-12-01

Microbial evolution experiments enable us to watch adaptation in real time, and to quantify the repeatability and predictability of evolution by comparing identical replicate populations. Further, we can resurrect ancestral types to examine changes over evolutionary time. Until recently, experimental evolution has been limited to measuring phenotypic changes, or to tracking a few genetic markers over time. However, recent advances in sequencing technology now make it possible to extensively sequence clones or whole-population samples from microbial evolution experiments. Here, we review recent work exploiting these techniques to understand the genomic basis of evolutionary change in experimental systems. We first focus on studies that analyze the dynamics of genome evolution in microbial systems. We then survey work that uses observations of sequence evolution to infer aspects of the underlying fitness landscape, concentrating on the epistatic interactions between mutations and the constraints these interactions impose on adaptation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inferring human population size and separation history from multiple genome sequences.

PubMed

Schiffels, Stephan; Durbin, Richard

2014-08-01

The availability of complete human genome sequences from populations across the world has given rise to new population genetic inference methods that explicitly model ancestral relationships under recombination and mutation. So far, application of these methods to evolutionary history more recent than 20,000-30,000 years ago and to population separations has been limited. Here we present a new method that overcomes these shortcomings. The multiple sequentially Markovian coalescent (MSMC) analyzes the observed pattern of mutations in multiple individuals, focusing on the first coalescence between any two individuals. Results from applying MSMC to genome sequences from nine populations across the world suggest that the genetic separation of non-African ancestors from African Yoruban ancestors started long before 50,000 years ago and give information about human population history as recent as 2,000 years ago, including the bottleneck in the peopling of the Americas and separations within Africa, East Asia and Europe.

Unprecedented genomic diversity of RNA viruses in arthropods reveals the ancestry of negative-sense RNA viruses

PubMed Central

Li, Ci-Xiu; Shi, Mang; Tian, Jun-Hua; Lin, Xian-Dan; Kang, Yan-Jun; Chen, Liang-Jun; Qin, Xin-Cheng; Xu, Jianguo; Holmes, Edward C; Zhang, Yong-Zhen

2015-01-01

Although arthropods are important viral vectors, the biodiversity of arthropod viruses, as well as the role that arthropods have played in viral origins and evolution, is unclear. Through RNA sequencing of 70 arthropod species we discovered 112 novel viruses that appear to be ancestral to much of the documented genetic diversity of negative-sense RNA viruses, a number of which are also present as endogenous genomic copies. With this greatly enriched diversity we revealed that arthropods contain viruses that fall basal to major virus groups, including the vertebrate-specific arenaviruses, filoviruses, hantaviruses, influenza viruses, lyssaviruses, and paramyxoviruses. We similarly documented a remarkable diversity of genome structures in arthropod viruses, including a putative circular form, that sheds new light on the evolution of genome organization. Hence, arthropods are a major reservoir of viral genetic diversity and have likely been central to viral evolution. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05378.001 PMID:25633976

Genomic Ancestry of North Africans Supports Back-to-Africa Migrations

PubMed Central

Gravel, Simon; Wang, Wei; Brisbin, Abra; Byrnes, Jake K.; Fadhlaoui-Zid, Karima; Zalloua, Pierre A.; Moreno-Estrada, Andres; Bertranpetit, Jaume; Bustamante, Carlos D.; Comas, David

2012-01-01

North African populations are distinct from sub-Saharan Africans based on cultural, linguistic, and phenotypic attributes; however, the time and the extent of genetic divergence between populations north and south of the Sahara remain poorly understood. Here, we interrogate the multilayered history of North Africa by characterizing the effect of hypothesized migrations from the Near East, Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa on current genetic diversity. We present dense, genome-wide SNP genotyping array data (730,000 sites) from seven North African populations, spanning from Egypt to Morocco, and one Spanish population. We identify a gradient of likely autochthonous Maghrebi ancestry that increases from east to west across northern Africa; this ancestry is likely derived from “back-to-Africa” gene flow more than 12,000 years ago (ya), prior to the Holocene. The indigenous North African ancestry is more frequent in populations with historical Berber ethnicity. In most North African populations we also see substantial shared ancestry with the Near East, and to a lesser extent sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. To estimate the time of migration from sub-Saharan populations into North Africa, we implement a maximum likelihood dating method based on the distribution of migrant tracts. In order to first identify migrant tracts, we assign local ancestry to haplotypes using a novel, principal component-based analysis of three ancestral populations. We estimate that a migration of western African origin into Morocco began about 40 generations ago (approximately 1,200 ya); a migration of individuals with Nilotic ancestry into Egypt occurred about 25 generations ago (approximately 750 ya). Our genomic data reveal an extraordinarily complex history of migrations, involving at least five ancestral populations, into North Africa. PMID:22253600

Long-read sequencing uncovers the adaptive topography of a carnivorous plant genome

PubMed Central

Lan, Tianying; Renner, Tanya; Ibarra-Laclette, Enrique; Farr, Kimberly M.; Chang, Tien-Hao; Cervantes-Pérez, Sergio Alan; Zheng, Chunfang; Sankoff, David; Tang, Haibao; Purbojati, Rikky W.; Putra, Alexander; Drautz-Moses, Daniela I.; Schuster, Stephan C.; Herrera-Estrella, Luis; Albert, Victor A.

2017-01-01

Utricularia gibba, the humped bladderwort, is a carnivorous plant that retains a tiny nuclear genome despite at least two rounds of whole genome duplication (WGD) since common ancestry with grapevine and other species. We used a third-generation genome assembly with several complete chromosomes to reconstruct the two most recent lineage-specific ancestral genomes that led to the modern U. gibba genome structure. Patterns of subgenome dominance in the most recent WGD, both architectural and transcriptional, are suggestive of allopolyploidization, which may have generated genomic novelty and led to instantaneous speciation. Syntenic duplicates retained in polyploid blocks are enriched for transcription factor functions, whereas gene copies derived from ongoing tandem duplication events are enriched in metabolic functions potentially important for a carnivorous plant. Among these are tandem arrays of cysteine protease genes with trap-specific expression that evolved within a protein family known to be useful in the digestion of animal prey. Further enriched functions among tandem duplicates (also with trap-enhanced expression) include peptide transport (intercellular movement of broken-down prey proteins), ATPase activities (bladder-trap acidification and transmembrane nutrient transport), hydrolase and chitinase activities (breakdown of prey polysaccharides), and cell-wall dynamic components possibly associated with active bladder movements. Whereas independently polyploid Arabidopsis syntenic gene duplicates are similarly enriched for transcriptional regulatory activities, Arabidopsis tandems are distinct from those of U. gibba, while still metabolic and likely reflecting unique adaptations of that species. Taken together, these findings highlight the special importance of tandem duplications in the adaptive landscapes of a carnivorous plant genome. PMID:28507139

Inference of Gorilla Demographic and Selective History from Whole-Genome Sequence Data

PubMed Central

McManus, Kimberly F.; Kelley, Joanna L.; Song, Shiya; Veeramah, Krishna R.; Woerner, August E.; Stevison, Laurie S.; Ryder, Oliver A.; Ape Genome Project, Great; Kidd, Jeffrey M.; Wall, Jeffrey D.; Bustamante, Carlos D.; Hammer, Michael F.

2015-01-01

Although population-level genomic sequence data have been gathered extensively for humans, similar data from our closest living relatives are just beginning to emerge. Examination of genomic variation within great apes offers many opportunities to increase our understanding of the forces that have differentially shaped the evolutionary history of hominid taxa. Here, we expand upon the work of the Great Ape Genome Project by analyzing medium to high coverage whole-genome sequences from 14 western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), 2 eastern lowland gorillas (G. beringei graueri), and a single Cross River individual (G. gorilla diehli). We infer that the ancestors of western and eastern lowland gorillas diverged from a common ancestor approximately 261 ka, and that the ancestors of the Cross River population diverged from the western lowland gorilla lineage approximately 68 ka. Using a diffusion approximation approach to model the genome-wide site frequency spectrum, we infer a history of western lowland gorillas that includes an ancestral population expansion of 1.4-fold around 970 ka and a recent 5.6-fold contraction in population size 23 ka. The latter may correspond to a major reduction in African equatorial forests around the Last Glacial Maximum. We also analyze patterns of variation among western lowland gorillas to identify several genomic regions with strong signatures of recent selective sweeps. We find that processes related to taste, pancreatic and saliva secretion, sodium ion transmembrane transport, and cardiac muscle function are overrepresented in genomic regions predicted to have experienced recent positive selection. PMID:25534031

The genome phylogeny of domestic cat, red panda and five mustelid species revealed by comparative chromosome painting and G-banding.

PubMed

Nie, Wenhui; Wang, Jinhuan; O'Brien, Patricia C M; Fu, Beiyuan; Ying, Tian; Ferguson-Smith, Malcolm A; Yang, Fengtang

2002-01-01

Genome-wide homology maps among stone marten (Martes foina, 2n = 38), domestic cat (Felis catus, 2n = 38), American mink (Mustela vison, 2n = 30), yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula, 2n = 40), Old World badger (Meles meles, 2n = 44), ferret badger (Melogale moschata, 2n = 38) and red panda (Ailurus fulgens, 2n = 36) have been established by cross-species chromosome painting with a complete set of stone marten probes. In total, 18 stone marten autosomal probes reveal 20, 19, 21, 18 and 21 pairs of homologous chromosomal segments in the respective genomes of American mink, yellow-throated marten. Old World badger, ferret badger and red panda. Reciprocal painting between stone marten and cat delineated 21 pairs of homologous segments shared in both stone marten and cat genomes. The chromosomal painting results indicate that most chromosomes of these species are highly conserved and show one-to-one correspondence with stone marten and cat chromosomes or chromosomal arms, and that only a few interchromosomal rearrangements (Robertsonian fusions and fissions) have occurred during species radiation. By comparing the distribution patterns of conserved chromosomal segments in both these species and the putative ancestral carnivore karyotype, we have reconstructed the pathway of karyotype evolution of these species from the putative 2n = 42 ancestral carnivore karyotype. Our results support a close phylogenetic relationship between the red panda and mustelids. The homology data presented in these maps will allow us to transfer the cat gene mapping data to other unmapped carnivore species.

Transcriptome and methylome profiling reveals relics of genome dominance in the mesopolyploid Brassica oleracea

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Brassica oleracea is a valuable vegetable species that has contributed to human health and nutrition for hundreds of years and comprises multiple distinct cultivar groups with diverse morphological and phytochemical attributes. In addition to this phenotypic wealth, B. oleracea offers unique insights into polyploid evolution, as it results from multiple ancestral polyploidy events and a final Brassiceae-specific triplication event. Further, B. oleracea represents one of the diploid genomes that formed the economically important allopolyploid oilseed, Brassica napus. A deeper understanding of B. oleracea genome architecture provides a foundation for crop improvement strategies throughout the Brassica genus. Results We generate an assembly representing 75% of the predicted B. oleracea genome using a hybrid Illumina/Roche 454 approach. Two dense genetic maps are generated to anchor almost 92% of the assembled scaffolds to nine pseudo-chromosomes. Over 50,000 genes are annotated and 40% of the genome predicted to be repetitive, thus contributing to the increased genome size of B. oleracea compared to its close relative B. rapa. A snapshot of both the leaf transcriptome and methylome allows comparisons to be made across the triplicated sub-genomes, which resulted from the most recent Brassiceae-specific polyploidy event. Conclusions Differential expression of the triplicated syntelogs and cytosine methylation levels across the sub-genomes suggest residual marks of the genome dominance that led to the current genome architecture. Although cytosine methylation does not correlate with individual gene dominance, the independent methylation patterns of triplicated copies suggest epigenetic mechanisms play a role in the functional diversification of duplicate genes. PMID:24916971

Cross-species chromosome painting in bats from Madagascar: the contribution of Myzopodidae to revealing ancestral syntenies in Chiroptera.

PubMed

Richards, Leigh R; Rambau, Ramugondo V; Lamb, Jennifer M; Taylor, Peter J; Yang, Fengtang; Schoeman, M Corrie; Goodman, Steven M

2010-09-01

The chiropteran fauna of Madagascar comprises eight of the 19 recognized families of bats, including the endemic Myzopodidae. While recent systematic studies of Malagasy bats have contributed to our understanding of the morphological and genetic diversity of the island's fauna, little is known about their cytosystematics. Here we investigate karyotypic relationships among four species, representing four families of Chiroptera endemic to the Malagasy region using cross-species chromosome painting with painting probes of Myotis myotis: Myzopodidae (Myzopoda aurita, 2n = 26), Molossidae (Mormopterus jugularis, 2n = 48), Miniopteridae (Miniopterus griveaudi, 2n = 46), and Vespertilionidae (Myotis goudoti, 2n = 44). This study represents the first time a member of the family Myzopodidae has been investigated using chromosome painting. Painting probes of M. myotis were used to delimit 29, 24, 23, and 22 homologous chromosomal segments in the genomes of M. aurita, M. jugularis, M. griveaudi, and M. goudoti, respectively. Comparison of GTG-banded homologous chromosomes/chromosomal segments among the four species revealed the genome of M. aurita has been structured through 14 fusions of chromosomes and chromosomal segments of M. myotis chromosomes leading to a karyotype consisting solely of bi-armed chromosomes. In addition, chromosome painting revealed a novel X-autosome translocation in M. aurita. Comparison of our results with published chromosome maps provided further evidence for karyotypic conservatism within the genera Mormopterus, Miniopterus, and Myotis. Mapping of chromosomal rearrangements onto a molecular consensus phylogeny revealed ancestral syntenies shared between Myzopoda and other bat species of the infraorders Pteropodiformes and Vespertilioniformes. Our study provides further evidence for the involvement of Robertsonian (Rb) translocations and fusions/fissions in chromosomal evolution within Chiroptera.

Language Shift and Maintenance in Multilingual Mauritius: The Case of Indian Ancestral Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bissoonauth, Anu

2011-01-01

This paper reports on a research study conducted in Mauritius between June and July 2009. The aim of this research was to investigate the use of Indian ancestral languages in the domestic domain by the younger generations. The data were collected in the field by means of a questionnaire and interviews from a quota sample of secondary school…

Conserved Gene Order and Expanded Inverted Repeats Characterize Plastid Genomes of Thalassiosirales

PubMed Central

Ashworth, Matt P.; Baeshen, Nabih A.; Baeshen, Mohammad N.; Bahieldin, Ahmed; Theriot, Edward C.; Jansen, Robert K.

2014-01-01

Diatoms are mostly photosynthetic eukaryotes within the heterokont lineage. Variable plastid genome sizes and extensive genome rearrangements have been observed across the diatom phylogeny, but little is known about plastid genome evolution within order- or family-level clades. The Thalassiosirales is one of the more comprehensively studied orders in terms of both genetics and morphology. Seven complete diatom plastid genomes are reported here including four Thalassiosirales: Thalassiosira weissflogii, Roundia cardiophora, Cyclotella sp. WC03_2, Cyclotella sp. L04_2, and three additional non-Thalassiosirales species Chaetoceros simplex, Cerataulina daemon, and Rhizosolenia imbricata. The sizes of the seven genomes vary from 116,459 to 129,498 bp, and their genomes are compact and lack introns. The larger size of the plastid genomes of Thalassiosirales compared to other diatoms is due primarily to expansion of the inverted repeat. Gene content within Thalassiosirales is more conserved compared to other diatom lineages. Gene order within Thalassiosirales is highly conserved except for the extensive genome rearrangement in Thalassiosira oceanica. Cyclotella nana, Thalassiosira weissflogii and Roundia cardiophora share an identical gene order, which is inferred to be the ancestral order for the Thalassiosirales, differing from that of the other two Cyclotella species by a single inversion. The genes ilvB and ilvH are missing in all six diatom plastid genomes except for Cerataulina daemon, suggesting an independent gain of these genes in this species. The acpP1 gene is missing in all Thalassiosirales, suggesting that its loss may be a synapomorphy for the order and this gene may have been functionally transferred to the nucleus. Three genes involved in photosynthesis, psaE, psaI, psaM, are missing in Rhizosolenia imbricata, which represents the first documented instance of the loss of photosynthetic genes in diatom plastid genomes. PMID:25233465

Genome fluctuations in cyanobacteria reflect evolutionary, developmental and adaptive traits.

PubMed

Larsson, John; Nylander, Johan Aa; Bergman, Birgitta

2011-06-30

Cyanobacteria belong to an ancient group of photosynthetic prokaryotes with pronounced variations in their cellular differentiation strategies, physiological capacities and choice of habitat. Sequencing efforts have shown that genomes within this phylum are equally diverse in terms of size and protein-coding capacity. To increase our understanding of genomic changes in the lineage, the genomes of 58 contemporary cyanobacteria were analysed for shared and unique orthologs. A total of 404 protein families, present in all cyanobacterial genomes, were identified. Two of these are unique to the phylum, corresponding to an AbrB family transcriptional regulator and a gene that escapes functional annotation although its genomic neighbourhood is conserved among the organisms examined. The evolution of cyanobacterial genome sizes involves a mix of gains and losses in the clade encompassing complex cyanobacteria, while a single event of reduction is evident in a clade dominated by unicellular cyanobacteria. Genome sizes and gene family copy numbers evolve at a higher rate in the former clade, and multi-copy genes were predominant in large genomes. Orthologs unique to cyanobacteria exhibiting specific characteristics, such as filament formation, heterocyst differentiation, diazotrophy and symbiotic competence, were also identified. An ancestral character reconstruction suggests that the most recent common ancestor of cyanobacteria had a genome size of approx. 4.5 Mbp and 1678 to 3291 protein-coding genes, 4%-6% of which are unique to cyanobacteria today. The different rates of genome-size evolution and multi-copy gene abundance suggest two routes of genome development in the history of cyanobacteria. The expansion strategy is driven by gene-family enlargment and generates a broad adaptive potential; while the genome streamlining strategy imposes adaptations to highly specific niches, also reflected in their different functional capacities. A few genomes display extreme

Comparative genomics of bdelloid rotifers: Insights from desiccating and nondesiccating species

PubMed Central

Almeida, Pedro; Wilson, Christopher G.; Smith, Thomas P.; Fontaneto, Diego; Crisp, Alastair; Micklem, Gos; Tunnacliffe, Alan

2018-01-01

Bdelloid rotifers are a class of microscopic invertebrates that have existed for millions of years apparently without sex or meiosis. They inhabit a variety of temporary and permanent freshwater habitats globally, and many species are remarkably tolerant of desiccation. Bdelloids offer an opportunity to better understand the evolution of sex and recombination, but previous work has emphasised desiccation as the cause of several unusual genomic features in this group. Here, we present high-quality whole-genome sequences of 3 bdelloid species: Rotaria macrura and R. magnacalcarata, which are both desiccation intolerant, and Adineta ricciae, which is desiccation tolerant. In combination with the published assembly of A. vaga, which is also desiccation tolerant, we apply a comparative genomics approach to evaluate the potential effects of desiccation tolerance and asexuality on genome evolution in bdelloids. We find that ancestral tetraploidy is conserved among all 4 bdelloid species, but homologous divergence in obligately aquatic Rotaria genomes is unexpectedly low. This finding is contrary to current models regarding the role of desiccation in shaping bdelloid genomes. In addition, we find that homologous regions in A. ricciae are largely collinear and do not form palindromic repeats as observed in the published A. vaga assembly. Consequently, several features interpreted as genomic evidence for long-term ameiotic evolution are not general to all bdelloid species, even within the same genus. Finally, we substantiate previous findings of high levels of horizontally transferred nonmetazoan genes in both desiccating and nondesiccating bdelloid species and show that this unusual feature is not shared by other animal phyla, even those with desiccation-tolerant representatives. These comparisons call into question the proposed role of desiccation in mediating horizontal genetic transfer. PMID:29689044

Chromosome painting in three-toed sloths: a cytogenetic signature and ancestral karyotype for Xenarthra

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Xenarthra (sloths, armadillos and anteaters) represent one of four currently recognized Eutherian mammal supraorders. Some phylogenomic studies point to the possibility of Xenarthra being at the base of the Eutherian tree, together or not with the supraorder Afrotheria. We performed painting with human autosomes and X-chromosome specific probes on metaphases of two three-toed sloths: Bradypus torquatus and B. variegatus. These species represent the fourth of the five extant Xenarthra families to be studied with this approach. Results Eleven human chromosomes were conserved as one block in both B. torquatus and B. variegatus: (HSA 5, 6, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21 and the X chromosome). B. torquatus, three additional human chromosomes were conserved intact (HSA 1, 3 and 4). The remaining human chromosomes were represented by two or three segments on each sloth. Seven associations between human chromosomes were detected in the karyotypes of both B. torquatus and B. variegatus: HSA 3/21, 4/8, 7/10, 7/16, 12/22, 14/15 and 17/19. The ancestral Eutherian association 16/19 was not detected in the Bradypus species. Conclusions Our results together with previous reports enabled us to propose a hypothetical ancestral Xenarthran karyotype with 48 chromosomes that would differ from the proposed ancestral Eutherian karyotype by the presence of the association HSA 7/10 and by the split of HSA 8 into three blocks, instead of the two found in the Eutherian ancestor. These same chromosome features point to the monophyly of Xenarthra, making this the second supraorder of placental mammals to have a chromosome signature supporting its monophyly. PMID:22429690

Identification of the ancestral haplotype for apolipoprotein B suggests an African origin of Homo sapiens sapiens and traces their subsequent migration to Europe and the Pacific

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rapacz, J.; Hasler-Rapacz, J.O.; Chen, L.

1991-02-15

The probable ancestral haplotype for human apolipoprotein B (apoB) has been identified through immunological analysis of chimpanzee and gorilla serum and sequence analysis of their DNA. Moreover, the frequency of this ancestral apoB haplotype among different human populations provides strong support for the African origin of Homo sapiens sapiens and their subsequent migration from Africa to Europe and to the Pacific. The approach used here for the identification of the ancestral human apoB haplotype is likely to be applicable to many other genes.

Genomic evidence for large, long-lived ancestors to placental mammals.

PubMed

Romiguier, J; Ranwez, V; Douzery, E J P; Galtier, N

2013-01-01

It is widely assumed that our mammalian ancestors, which lived in the Cretaceous era, were tiny animals that survived massive asteroid impacts in shelters and evolved into modern forms after dinosaurs went extinct, 65 Ma. The small size of most Mesozoic mammalian fossils essentially supports this view. Paleontology, however, is not conclusive regarding the ancestry of extant mammals, because Cretaceous and Paleocene fossils are not easily linked to modern lineages. Here, we use full-genome data to estimate the longevity and body mass of early placental mammals. Analyzing 36 fully sequenced mammalian genomes, we reconstruct two aspects of the ancestral genome dynamics, namely GC-content evolution and nonsynonymous over synonymous rate ratio. Linking these molecular evolutionary processes to life-history traits in modern species, we estimate that early placental mammals had a life span above 25 years and a body mass above 1 kg. This is similar to current primates, cetartiodactyls, or carnivores, but markedly different from mice or shrews, challenging the dominant view about mammalian origin and evolution. Our results imply that long-lived mammals existed in the Cretaceous era and were the most successful in evolution, opening new perspectives about the conditions for survival to the Cretaceous-Tertiary crisis.

Genome-Wide Convergence during Evolution of Mangroves from Woody Plants.

PubMed

Xu, Shaohua; He, Ziwen; Guo, Zixiao; Zhang, Zhang; Wyckoff, Gerald J; Greenberg, Anthony; Wu, Chung-I; Shi, Suhua

2017-04-01

When living organisms independently invade a new environment, the evolution of similar phenotypic traits is often observed. An interesting but contentious issue is whether the underlying molecular biology also converges in the new habitat. Independent invasions of tropical intertidal zones by woody plants, collectively referred to as mangrove trees, represent some dramatic examples. The high salinity, hypoxia, and other stressors in the new habitat might have affected both genomic features and protein structures. Here, we developed a new method for detecting convergence at conservative Sites (CCS) and applied it to the genomic sequences of mangroves. In simulations, the CCS method drastically reduces random convergence at rapidly evolving sites as well as falsely inferred convergence caused by the misinferences of the ancestral character. In mangrove genomes, we estimated ∼400 genes that have experienced convergence over the background level of convergence in the nonmangrove relatives. The convergent genes are enriched in pathways related to stress response and embryo development, which could be important for mangroves' adaptation to the new habitat. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The genomic substrate for adaptive radiation in African cichlid fish

PubMed Central

Malinsky, Milan; Keller, Irene; Fan, Shaohua; Simakov, Oleg; Ng, Alvin Y.; Lim, Zhi Wei; Bezault, Etienne; Turner-Maier, Jason; Johnson, Jeremy; Alcazar, Rosa; Noh, Hyun Ji; Russell, Pamela; Aken, Bronwen; Alföldi, Jessica; Amemiya, Chris; Azzouzi, Naoual; Baroiller, Jean-François; Barloy-Hubler, Frederique; Berlin, Aaron; Bloomquist, Ryan; Carleton, Karen L.; Conte, Matthew A.; D'Cotta, Helena; Eshel, Orly; Gaffney, Leslie; Galibert, Francis; Gante, Hugo F.; Gnerre, Sante; Greuter, Lucie; Guyon, Richard; Haddad, Natalie S.; Haerty, Wilfried; Harris, Rayna M.; Hofmann, Hans A.; Hourlier, Thibaut; Hulata, Gideon; Jaffe, David B.; Lara, Marcia; Lee, Alison P.; MacCallum, Iain; Mwaiko, Salome; Nikaido, Masato; Nishihara, Hidenori; Ozouf-Costaz, Catherine; Penman, David J.; Przybylski, Dariusz; Rakotomanga, Michaelle; Renn, Suzy C. P.; Ribeiro, Filipe J.; Ron, Micha; Salzburger, Walter; Sanchez-Pulido, Luis; Santos, M. Emilia; Searle, Steve; Sharpe, Ted; Swofford, Ross; Tan, Frederick J.; Williams, Louise; Young, Sarah; Yin, Shuangye; Okada, Norihiro; Kocher, Thomas D.; Miska, Eric A.; Lander, Eric S.; Venkatesh, Byrappa; Fernald, Russell D.; Meyer, Axel; Ponting, Chris P.; Streelman, J. Todd; Lindblad-Toh, Kerstin; Seehausen, Ole; Di Palma, Federica

2015-01-01

Cichlid fishes are famous for large, diverse and replicated adaptive radiations in the Great Lakes of East Africa. To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying cichlid phenotypic diversity, we sequenced the genomes and transcriptomes of five lineages of African cichlids: the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), an ancestral lineage with low diversity; and four members of the East African lineage: Neolamprologus brichardi/pulcher (older radiation, Lake Tanganyika), Metriaclima zebra (recent radiation, Lake Malawi), Pundamilia nyererei (very recent radiation, Lake Victoria), and Astatotilapia burtoni (riverine species around Lake Tanganyika). We found an excess of gene duplications in the East African lineage compared to tilapia and other teleosts, an abundance of non-coding element divergence, accelerated coding sequence evolution, expression divergence associated with transposable element insertions, and regulation by novel microRNAs. In addition, we analysed sequence data from sixty individuals representing six closely related species from Lake Victoria, and show genome-wide diversifying selection on coding and regulatory variants, some of which were recruited from ancient polymorphisms. We conclude that a number of molecular mechanisms shaped East African cichlid genomes, and that amassing of standing variation during periods of relaxed purifying selection may have been important in facilitating subsequent evolutionary diversification. PMID:25186727

Identification of the ancestral haplotype for apolipoprotein B suggests an African origin of Homo sapiens sapiens and traces their subsequent migration to Europe and the Pacific.

PubMed Central

Rapacz, J; Chen, L; Butler-Brunner, E; Wu, M J; Hasler-Rapacz, J O; Butler, R; Schumaker, V N

1991-01-01

The probable ancestral haplotype for human apolipoprotein B (apoB) has been identified through immunological analysis of chimpanzee and gorilla serum and sequence analysis of their DNA. Moreover, the frequency of this ancestral apoB haplotype among different human populations provides strong support for the African origin of Homo sapiens sapiens and their subsequent migration from Africa to Europe and to the Pacific. The approach used here for the identification of the ancestral human apoB haplotype is likely to be applicable to many other genes. PMID:1996341

Palaeohistological Evidence for Ancestral High Metabolic Rate in Archosaurs.

PubMed

Legendre, Lucas J; Guénard, Guillaume; Botha-Brink, Jennifer; Cubo, Jorge

2016-11-01

Metabolic heat production in archosaurs has played an important role in their evolutionary radiation during the Mesozoic, and their ancestral metabolic condition has long been a matter of debate in systematics and palaeontology. The study of fossil bone histology provides crucial information on bone growth rate, which has been used to indirectly investigate the evolution of thermometabolism in archosaurs. However, no quantitative estimation of metabolic rate has ever been performed on fossils using bone histological features. Moreover, to date, no inference model has included phylogenetic information in the form of predictive variables. Here we performed statistical predictive modeling using the new method of phylogenetic eigenvector maps on a set of bone histological features for a sample of extant and extinct vertebrates, to estimate metabolic rates of fossil archosauromorphs. This modeling procedure serves as a case study for eigenvector-based predictive modeling in a phylogenetic context, as well as an investigation of the poorly known evolutionary patterns of metabolic rate in archosaurs. Our results show that Mesozoic theropod dinosaurs exhibit metabolic rates very close to those found in modern birds, that archosaurs share a higher ancestral metabolic rate than that of extant ectotherms, and that this derived high metabolic rate was acquired at a much more inclusive level of the phylogenetic tree, among non-archosaurian archosauromorphs. These results also highlight the difficulties of assigning a given heat production strategy (i.e., endothermy, ectothermy) to an estimated metabolic rate value, and confirm findings of previous studies that the definition of the endotherm/ectotherm dichotomy may be ambiguous. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Independent and combined analyses of sequences from all three genomic compartments converge on the root of flowering plant phylogeny

PubMed Central

Barkman, Todd J.; Chenery, Gordon; McNeal, Joel R.; Lyons-Weiler, James; Ellisens, Wayne J.; Moore, Gerry; Wolfe, Andrea D.; dePamphilis, Claude W.

2000-01-01

Plant phylogenetic estimates are most likely to be reliable when congruent evidence is obtained independently from the mitochondrial, plastid, and nuclear genomes with all methods of analysis. Here, results are presented from separate and combined genomic analyses of new and previously published data, including six and nine genes (8,911 bp and 12,010 bp, respectively) for different subsets of taxa that suggest Amborella + Nymphaeales (water lilies) are the first-branching angiosperm lineage. Before and after tree-independent noise reduction, most individual genomic compartments and methods of analysis estimated the Amborella + Nymphaeales basal topology with high support. Previous phylogenetic estimates placing Amborella alone as the first extant angiosperm branch may have been misled because of a series of specific problems with paralogy, suboptimal outgroups, long-branch taxa, and method dependence. Ancestral character state reconstructions differ between the two topologies and affect inferences about the features of early angiosperms. PMID:11069280

Genome analysis of smooth tubercle bacilli provides insights into ancestry and pathoadaptation of the etiologic agent of tuberculosis

PubMed Central

Supply, Philip; Marceau, Michael; Mangenot, Sophie; Roche, David; Rouanet, Carine; Khanna, Varun; Majlessi, Laleh; Criscuolo, Alexis; Tap, Julien; Pawlik, Alexandre; Fiette, Laurence; Orgeur, Mickael; Fabre, Michel; Parmentier, Cécile; Frigui, Wafa; Simeone, Roxane; Boritsch, Eva C.; Debrie, Anne-Sophie; Willery, Eve; Walker, Danielle; Quail, Michael A.; Ma, Laurence; Bouchier, Christiane; Salvignol, Grégory; Sayes, Fadel; Cascioferro, Alessandro; Seemann, Torsten; Barbe, Valérie; Locht, Camille; Gutierrez, Maria-Cristina; Leclerc, Claude; Bentley, Stephen; Stinear, Timothy P.; Brisse, Sylvain; Médigue, Claudine; Parkhill, Julian; Cruveiller, Stéphane; Brosch, Roland

2013-01-01

Global spread and genetic monomorphism are hallmarks of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the agent of human tuberculosis. In contrast, Mycobacterium canettii, and related tubercle bacilli that also cause human tuberculosis and exhibit unusual smooth colony morphology, are restricted to East-Africa. Here, we sequenced and analyzed the genomes of five representative strains of smooth tubercle bacilli (STB) using Sanger (4-5x coverage), 454/Roche (13-18x coverage) and/or Illumina DNA sequencing (45-105x coverage). We show that STB are highly recombinogenic and evolutionary early-branching, with larger genome sizes, 25-fold more SNPs, fewer molecular scars and distinct CRISPR-Cas systems relative to M. tuberculosis. Despite the differences, all tuberculosis-causing mycobacteria share a highly conserved core genome. Mouse-infection experiments revealed that STB are less persistent and virulent than M. tuberculosis. We conclude that M. tuberculosis emerged from an ancestral, STB-like pool of mycobacteria by gain of persistence and virulence mechanisms and we provide genome-wide insights into the molecular events involved. PMID:23291586

Comparative genomics reveals conservative evolution of the xylem transcriptome in vascular plants

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Wood is a valuable natural resource and a major carbon sink. Wood formation is an important developmental process in vascular plants which played a crucial role in plant evolution. Although genes involved in xylem formation have been investigated, the molecular mechanisms of xylem evolution are not well understood. We use comparative genomics to examine evolution of the xylem transcriptome to gain insights into xylem evolution. Results The xylem transcriptome is highly conserved in conifers, but considerably divergent in angiosperms. The functional domains of genes in the xylem transcriptome are moderately to highly conserved in vascular plants, suggesting the existence of a common ancestral xylem transcriptome. Compared to the total transcriptome derived from a range of tissues, the xylem transcriptome is relatively conserved in vascular plants. Of the xylem transcriptome, cell wall genes, ancestral xylem genes, known proteins and transcription factors are relatively more conserved in vascular plants. A total of 527 putative xylem orthologs were identified, which are unevenly distributed across the Arabidopsis chromosomes with eight hot spots observed. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that evolution of the xylem transcriptome has paralleled plant evolution. We also identified 274 conifer-specific xylem unigenes, all of which are of unknown function. These xylem orthologs and conifer-specific unigenes are likely to have played a crucial role in xylem evolution. Conclusions Conifers have highly conserved xylem transcriptomes, while angiosperm xylem transcriptomes are relatively diversified. Vascular plants share a common ancestral xylem transcriptome. The xylem transcriptomes of vascular plants are more conserved than the total transcriptomes. Evolution of the xylem transcriptome has largely followed the trend of plant evolution. PMID:20565927

The pineapple genome and the evolution of CAM photosynthesis

PubMed Central

Ming, Ray; VanBuren, Robert; Wai, Ching Man; Tang, Haibao; Schatz, Michael C.; Bowers, John E.; Lyons, Eric; Wang, Ming-Li; Chen, Jung; Biggers, Eric; Zhang, Jisen; Huang, Lixian; Zhang, Lingmao; Miao, Wenjing; Zhang, Jian; Ye, Zhangyao; Miao, Chenyong; Lin, Zhicong; Wang, Hao; Zhou, Hongye; Yim, Won C.; Priest, Henry D.; Zheng, Chunfang; Woodhouse, Margaret; Edger, Patrick P.; Guyot, Romain; Guo, Hao-Bo; Guo, Hong; Zheng, Guangyong; Singh, Ratnesh; Sharma, Anupma; Min, Xiangjia; Zheng, Yun; Lee, Hayan; Gurtowski, James; Sedlazeck, Fritz J.; Harkess, Alex; McKain, Michael R.; Liao, Zhenyang; Fang, Jingping; Liu, Juan; Zhang, Xiaodan; Zhang, Qing; Hu, Weichang; Qin, Yuan; Wang, Kai; Chen, Li-Yu; Shirley, Neil; Lin, Yann-Rong; Liu, Li-Yu; Hernandez, Alvaro G.; Wright, Chris L.; Bulone, Vincent; Tuskan, Gerald A.; Heath, Katy; Zee, Francis; Moore, Paul H.; Sunkar, Ramanjulu; Leebens-Mack, James H.; Mockler, Todd; Bennetzen, Jeffrey L.; Freeling, Michael; Sankoff, David; Paterson, Andrew H.; Zhu, Xinguang; Yang, Xiaohan; Smith, J. Andrew C.; Cushman, John C.; Paull, Robert E.; Yu, Qingyi

2016-01-01

Pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.) is the most economically valuable crop possessing crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), a photosynthetic carbon assimilation pathway with high water use efficiency, and the second most important tropical fruit after banana in terms of international trade. We sequenced the genomes of pineapple varieties ‘F153’ and ‘MD2’, and a wild pineapple relative A. bracteatus accession CB5. The pineapple genome has one fewer ancient whole genome duplications than sequenced grass genomes and, therefore, provides an important reference for elucidating gene content and structure in the last common ancestor of extant members of the grass family (Poaceae). Pineapple has a conserved karyotype with seven pre rho duplication chromosomes that are ancestral to extant grass karyotypes. The pineapple lineage has transitioned from C3 photosynthesis to CAM with CAM-related genes exhibiting a diel expression pattern in photosynthetic tissues using beta-carbonic anhydrase (βCA) for initial capture of CO2. Promoter regions of all three βCA genes contain a CCA1 binding site that can bind circadian core oscillators. CAM pathway genes were enriched with cis-regulatory elements including the morning (CCACAC) and evening (AAAATATC) elements associated with regulation of circadian-clock genes, providing the first link between CAM and the circadian clock regulation. Gene-interaction network analysis revealed both activation and repression of regulatory elements that control key enzymes in CAM photosynthesis, indicating that CAM evolved by reconfiguration of pathways preexisting in C3 plants. Pineapple CAM photosynthesis is the result of regulatory neofunctionalization of preexisting gene copies and not acquisition of neofunctionalized genes via whole genome or tandem gene duplication. PMID:26523774

Centers of control: Revealing elites among the Ancestral Pueblo during the "Chaco Phenomenon".

PubMed

Harrod, Ryan P

The use of violence as a means of social control among higher status members of the Ancestral Pueblo is explored by using data derived from the burials and the burial context of several sites between AD 850 and 1300. High-status burials, while relatively rare in the archeological record, are of interest because of the role the individuals are assumed to have played in the culture. It has been suggested that there were "elites" among the Ancestral Pueblo during a particularly volatile period that corresponds with the growth, development, and decline of Chacon Canyon and to a lesser extent Aztec Ruins, two major political and ritual centers. Using a bioarchaeological approach that integrates the human remains with the archeological context, burials from Chaco Canyon were compared with burials from other sites in the region based on demographic (age and sex), nutritional (stature), activity (robusticity and entheses), health (pathological conditions), violence (cranial trauma), and cultural (mortuary pattern) patterns. Crucial for expanding our understanding of the role of hierarchy and social control in the Pueblo world, these data suggest that there were high-status individuals who functioned as political and ceremonial leaders. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Repeated polyploidization of Gossypium genomes and the evolution of spinnable cotton fibres.

PubMed

Paterson, Andrew H; Wendel, Jonathan F; Gundlach, Heidrun; Guo, Hui; Jenkins, Jerry; Jin, Dianchuan; Llewellyn, Danny; Showmaker, Kurtis C; Shu, Shengqiang; Udall, Joshua; Yoo, Mi-jeong; Byers, Robert; Chen, Wei; Doron-Faigenboim, Adi; Duke, Mary V; Gong, Lei; Grimwood, Jane; Grover, Corrinne; Grupp, Kara; Hu, Guanjing; Lee, Tae-ho; Li, Jingping; Lin, Lifeng; Liu, Tao; Marler, Barry S; Page, Justin T; Roberts, Alison W; Romanel, Elisson; Sanders, William S; Szadkowski, Emmanuel; Tan, Xu; Tang, Haibao; Xu, Chunming; Wang, Jinpeng; Wang, Zining; Zhang, Dong; Zhang, Lan; Ashrafi, Hamid; Bedon, Frank; Bowers, John E; Brubaker, Curt L; Chee, Peng W; Das, Sayan; Gingle, Alan R; Haigler, Candace H; Harker, David; Hoffmann, Lucia V; Hovav, Ran; Jones, Donald C; Lemke, Cornelia; Mansoor, Shahid; ur Rahman, Mehboob; Rainville, Lisa N; Rambani, Aditi; Reddy, Umesh K; Rong, Jun-kang; Saranga, Yehoshua; Scheffler, Brian E; Scheffler, Jodi A; Stelly, David M; Triplett, Barbara A; Van Deynze, Allen; Vaslin, Maite F S; Waghmare, Vijay N; Walford, Sally A; Wright, Robert J; Zaki, Essam A; Zhang, Tianzhen; Dennis, Elizabeth S; Mayer, Klaus F X; Peterson, Daniel G; Rokhsar, Daniel S; Wang, Xiyin; Schmutz, Jeremy

2012-12-20

Polyploidy often confers emergent properties, such as the higher fibre productivity and quality of tetraploid cottons than diploid cottons bred for the same environments. Here we show that an abrupt five- to sixfold ploidy increase approximately 60 million years (Myr) ago, and allopolyploidy reuniting divergent Gossypium genomes approximately 1-2 Myr ago, conferred about 30-36-fold duplication of ancestral angiosperm (flowering plant) genes in elite cottons (Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense), genetic complexity equalled only by Brassica among sequenced angiosperms. Nascent fibre evolution, before allopolyploidy, is elucidated by comparison of spinnable-fibred Gossypium herbaceum A and non-spinnable Gossypium longicalyx F genomes to one another and the outgroup D genome of non-spinnable Gossypium raimondii. The sequence of a G. hirsutum A(t)D(t) (in which 't' indicates tetraploid) cultivar reveals many non-reciprocal DNA exchanges between subgenomes that may have contributed to phenotypic innovation and/or other emergent properties such as ecological adaptation by polyploids. Most DNA-level novelty in G. hirsutum recombines alleles from the D-genome progenitor native to its New World habitat and the Old World A-genome progenitor in which spinnable fibre evolved. Coordinated expression changes in proximal groups of functionally distinct genes, including a nuclear mitochondrial DNA block, may account for clusters of cotton-fibre quantitative trait loci affecting diverse traits. Opportunities abound for dissecting emergent properties of other polyploids, particularly angiosperms, by comparison to diploid progenitors and outgroups.

Draft genome of the Antarctic dragonfish, Parachaenichthys charcoti.

PubMed

Ahn, Do-Hwan; Shin, Seung Chul; Kim, Bo-Mi; Kang, Seunghyun; Kim, Jin-Hyoung; Ahn, Inhye; Park, Joonho; Park, Hyun

2017-08-01

The Antarctic bathydraconid dragonfish, Parachaenichthys charcoti, is an Antarctic notothenioid teleost endemic to the Southern Ocean. The Southern Ocean has cooled to -1.8ºC over the past 30 million years, and the seawater had retained this cold temperature and isolated oceanic environment because of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Notothenioids dominate Antarctic fish, making up 90% of the biomass, and all notothenioids have undergone molecular and ecological diversification to survive in this cold environment. Therefore, they are considered an attractive Antarctic fish model for evolutionary and ancestral genomic studies. Bathydraconidae is a speciose family of the Notothenioidei, the dominant taxonomic component of Antarctic teleosts. To understand the process of evolution of Antarctic fish, we select a typical Antarctic bathydraconid dragonfish, P. charcoti. Here, we have sequenced, de novo assembled, and annotated a comprehensive genome from P. charcoti. The draft genome of P. charcoti is 709 Mb in size. The N50 contig length is 6145 bp, and its N50 scaffold length 178 362 kb. The genome of P. charcoti is predicted to contain 32 712 genes, 18 455 of which have been assigned preliminary functions. A total of 8951 orthologous groups common to 7 species of fish were identified, while 333 genes were identified in P. charcoti only; 2519 orthologous groups were also identified in both P. charcoti and N. coriiceps, another Antarctic fish. Four gene ontology terms were statistically overrepresented among the 333 genes unique to P. charcoti, according to gene ontology enrichment analysis. The draft P. charcoti genome will broaden our understanding of the evolution of Antarctic fish in their extreme environment. It will provide a basis for further investigating the unusual characteristics of Antarctic fishes. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the stomatopod crustacean Squilla mantis

PubMed Central

Cook, Charles E

2005-01-01

Background Animal mitochondrial genomes are physically separate from the much larger nuclear genomes and have proven useful both for phylogenetic studies and for understanding genome evolution. Within the phylum Arthropoda the subphylum Crustacea includes over 50,000 named species with immense variation in body plans and habitats, yet only 23 complete mitochondrial genomes are available from this subphylum. Results I describe here the complete mitochondrial genome of the crustacean Squilla mantis (Crustacea: Malacostraca: Stomatopoda). This 15994-nucleotide genome, the first described from a hoplocarid, contains the standard complement of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and a non-coding AT-rich region that is found in most other metazoans. The gene order is identical to that considered ancestral for hexapods and crustaceans. The 70% AT base composition is within the range described for other arthropods. A single unusual feature of the genome is a 230 nucleotide non-coding region between a serine transfer RNA and the nad1 gene, which has no apparent function. I also compare gene order, nucleotide composition, and codon usage of the S. mantis genome and eight other malacostracan crustaceans. A translocation of the histidine transfer RNA gene is shared by three taxa in the order Decapoda, infraorder Brachyura; Callinectes sapidus, Portunus trituberculatus and Pseudocarcinus gigas. This translocation may be diagnostic for the Brachyura. For all nine taxa nucleotide composition is biased towards AT-richness, as expected for arthropods, and is within the range reported for other arthropods. Codon usage is biased, and much of this bias is probably due to the skew in nucleotide composition towards AT-richness. Conclusion The mitochondrial genome of Squilla mantis contains one unusual feature, a 230 base pair non-coding region has so far not been described in any other malacostracan. Comparisons with other Malacostraca show that all

Contrasting determinants of abundance in ancestral and colonized ranges of an invasive brood parasite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hahn, D.C.; O'Connor, R.J.; Scott, J. Michael; Heglund, Patricia J.; Morrison, Michael L.; Haufler, Jonathan B.; Wall, William A.

2002-01-01

Avian species distributions are typically regarded as constrained by spatially extensive variables such as climate, habitat, spatial patchiness, and microhabitat attributes. We hypothesized that the distribution of a brood parasite depends as strongly on host distribution patterns as on biophysical factors and examined this hypothesis with respect to the national distribution of the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater). We applied a classification and regression (CART) analysis to data from the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) and derived hierarchically organized statistical models of the influence of climate and weather, cropping and land use, and host abundance and distribution on the distribution of the Brown-headed Cowbird within the conterminous United States. The model accounted for 47.2% of the variation in cowbird incidence, and host abundance was the top predictor with an R2 of 18.9%. The other predictors identified by the model (crops 15.7%, weather and climate 14.3%, and region 9.6%) fit the ecological profile of this cowbird. We showed that host abundance was independent of these environmental predictors of cowbird distribution. At the regional scale host abundance played a very strong role in determining cowbird abundance in the cowbird?s colonized range east and west of their ancestral range in the Great Plains (26.6%). Crops were not a major predictor for cowbirds in their ancestral range, although they are the most important predictive factor (33%) for the grassland passerines that are the cowbird?s ancestral hosts. Consequently our findings suggest that the distribution of hosts does indeed take precedence over habitat attributes in shaping the cowbird?s distribution at a national scale, within an envelope of constraint set by biophysical factors.

Inference of gorilla demographic and selective history from whole-genome sequence data.

PubMed

McManus, Kimberly F; Kelley, Joanna L; Song, Shiya; Veeramah, Krishna R; Woerner, August E; Stevison, Laurie S; Ryder, Oliver A; Ape Genome Project, Great; Kidd, Jeffrey M; Wall, Jeffrey D; Bustamante, Carlos D; Hammer, Michael F

2015-03-01

Although population-level genomic sequence data have been gathered extensively for humans, similar data from our closest living relatives are just beginning to emerge. Examination of genomic variation within great apes offers many opportunities to increase our understanding of the forces that have differentially shaped the evolutionary history of hominid taxa. Here, we expand upon the work of the Great Ape Genome Project by analyzing medium to high coverage whole-genome sequences from 14 western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), 2 eastern lowland gorillas (G. beringei graueri), and a single Cross River individual (G. gorilla diehli). We infer that the ancestors of western and eastern lowland gorillas diverged from a common ancestor approximately 261 ka, and that the ancestors of the Cross River population diverged from the western lowland gorilla lineage approximately 68 ka. Using a diffusion approximation approach to model the genome-wide site frequency spectrum, we infer a history of western lowland gorillas that includes an ancestral population expansion of 1.4-fold around 970 ka and a recent 5.6-fold contraction in population size 23 ka. The latter may correspond to a major reduction in African equatorial forests around the Last Glacial Maximum. We also analyze patterns of variation among western lowland gorillas to identify several genomic regions with strong signatures of recent selective sweeps. We find that processes related to taste, pancreatic and saliva secretion, sodium ion transmembrane transport, and cardiac muscle function are overrepresented in genomic regions predicted to have experienced recent positive selection. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

The Complete Genome Sequence of Hyperthermophile Dictyoglomus turgidum DSM 6724™ Reveals a Specialized Carbohydrate Fermentor

PubMed Central

Brumm, Phillip J.; Gowda, Krishne; Robb, Frank T.; Mead, David A.

2016-01-01

Here we report the complete genome sequence of the chemoorganotrophic, extremely thermophilic bacterium, Dictyoglomus turgidum, which is a Gram negative, strictly anaerobic bacterium. D. turgidum and D. thermophilum together form the Dictyoglomi phylum. The two Dictyoglomus genomes are highly syntenic, and both are distantly related to Caldicellulosiruptor spp. D. turgidum is able to grow on a wide variety of polysaccharide substrates due to significant genomic commitment to glycosyl hydrolases, 16 of which were cloned and expressed in our study. The GH5, GH10, and GH42 enzymes characterized in this study suggest that D. turgidum can utilize most plant-based polysaccharides except crystalline cellulose. The DNA polymerase I enzyme was also expressed and characterized. The pure enzyme showed improved amplification of long PCR targets compared to Taq polymerase. The genome contains a full complement of DNA modifying enzymes, and an unusually high copy number (4) of a new, ancestral family of polB type nucleotidyltransferases designated as MNT (minimal nucleotidyltransferases). Considering its optimal growth at 72°C, D. turgidum has an anomalously low G+C content of 39.9% that may account for the presence of reverse gyrase, usually associated with hyperthermophiles. PMID:28066333

Rapid genome-wide evolution in Brassica rapa populations following drought revealed by sequencing of ancestral and descendant gene pools.

PubMed

Franks, Steven J; Kane, Nolan C; O'Hara, Niamh B; Tittes, Silas; Rest, Joshua S

2016-08-01

There is increasing evidence that evolution can occur rapidly in response to selection. Recent advances in sequencing suggest the possibility of documenting genetic changes as they occur in populations, thus uncovering the genetic basis of evolution, particularly if samples are available from both before and after selection. Here, we had a unique opportunity to directly assess genetic changes in natural populations following an evolutionary response to a fluctuation in climate. We analysed genome-wide differences between ancestors and descendants of natural populations of Brassica rapa plants from two locations that rapidly evolved changes in multiple phenotypic traits, including flowering time, following a multiyear late-season drought in California. These ancestor-descendant comparisons revealed evolutionary shifts in allele frequencies in many genes. Some genes showing evolutionary shifts have functions related to drought stress and flowering time, consistent with an adaptive response to selection. Loci differentiated between ancestors and descendants (FST outliers) were generally different from those showing signatures of selection based on site frequency spectrum analysis (Tajima's D), indicating that the loci that evolved in response to the recent drought and those under historical selection were generally distinct. Very few genes showed similar evolutionary responses between two geographically distinct populations, suggesting independent genetic trajectories of evolution yielding parallel phenotypic changes. The results show that selection can result in rapid genome-wide evolutionary shifts in allele frequencies in natural populations, and highlight the usefulness of combining resurrection experiments in natural populations with genomics for studying the genetic basis of adaptive evolution. © 2016 The Authors. Molecular Ecology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Plastome Sequences of Lygodium japonicum and Marsilea crenata Reveal the Genome Organization Transformation from Basal Ferns to Core Leptosporangiates

PubMed Central

Gao, Lei; Wang, Bo; Wang, Zhi-Wei; Zhou, Yuan; Su, Ying-Juan; Wang, Ting

2013-01-01

Previous studies have shown that core leptosporangiates, the most species-rich group of extant ferns (monilophytes), have a distinct plastid genome (plastome) organization pattern from basal fern lineages. However, the details of genome structure transformation from ancestral ferns to core leptosporangiates remain unclear because of limited plastome data available. Here, we have determined the complete chloroplast genome sequences of Lygodium japonicum (Lygodiaceae), a member of schizaeoid ferns (Schizaeales), and Marsilea crenata (Marsileaceae), a representative of heterosporous ferns (Salviniales). The two species represent the sister and the basal lineages of core leptosporangiates, respectively, for which the plastome sequences are currently unavailable. Comparative genomic analysis of all sequenced fern plastomes reveals that the gene order of L. japonicum plastome occupies an intermediate position between that of basal ferns and core leptosporangiates. The two exons of the fern ndhB gene have a unique pattern of intragenic copy number variances. Specifically, the substitution rate heterogeneity between the two exons is congruent with their copy number changes, confirming the constraint role that inverted repeats may play on the substitution rate of chloroplast gene sequences. PMID:23821521

Whole genome sequencing of Turkish genomes reveals functional private alleles and impact of genetic interactions with Europe, Asia and Africa.

PubMed

Alkan, Can; Kavak, Pinar; Somel, Mehmet; Gokcumen, Omer; Ugurlu, Serkan; Saygi, Ceren; Dal, Elif; Bugra, Kuyas; Güngör, Tunga; Sahinalp, S Cenk; Özören, Nesrin; Bekpen, Cemalettin

2014-11-07

Turkey is a crossroads of major population movements throughout history and has been a hotspot of cultural interactions. Several studies have investigated the complex population history of Turkey through a limited set of genetic markers. However, to date, there have been no studies to assess the genetic variation at the whole genome level using whole genome sequencing. Here, we present whole genome sequences of 16 Turkish individuals resequenced at high coverage (32×-48×). We show that the genetic variation of the contemporary Turkish population clusters with South European populations, as expected, but also shows signatures of relatively recent contribution from ancestral East Asian populations. In addition, we document a significant enrichment of non-synonymous private alleles, consistent with recent observations in European populations. A number of variants associated with skin color and total cholesterol levels show frequency differentiation between the Turkish populations and European populations. Furthermore, we have analyzed the 17q21.31 inversion polymorphism region (MAPT locus) and found increased allele frequency of 31.25% for H1/H2 inversion polymorphism when compared to European populations that show about 25% of allele frequency. This study provides the first map of common genetic variation from 16 western Asian individuals and thus helps fill an important geographical gap in analyzing natural human variation and human migration. Our data will help develop population-specific experimental designs for studies investigating disease associations and demographic history in Turkey.

Discovery, genotyping and characterization of structural variation and novel sequence at single nucleotide resolution from de novo genome assemblies on a population scale.

PubMed

Liu, Siyang; Huang, Shujia; Rao, Junhua; Ye, Weijian; Krogh, Anders; Wang, Jun

2015-01-01

Comprehensive recognition of genomic variation in one individual is important for understanding disease and developing personalized medication and treatment. Many tools based on DNA re-sequencing exist for identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms, small insertions and deletions (indels) as well as large deletions. However, these approaches consistently display a substantial bias against the recovery of complex structural variants and novel sequence in individual genomes and do not provide interpretation information such as the annotation of ancestral state and formation mechanism. We present a novel approach implemented in a single software package, AsmVar, to discover, genotype and characterize different forms of structural variation and novel sequence from population-scale de novo genome assemblies up to nucleotide resolution. Application of AsmVar to several human de novo genome assemblies captures a wide spectrum of structural variants and novel sequences present in the human population in high sensitivity and specificity. Our method provides a direct solution for investigating structural variants and novel sequences from de novo genome assemblies, facilitating the construction of population-scale pan-genomes. Our study also highlights the usefulness of the de novo assembly strategy for definition of genome structure.

Diversification of Genes Encoding Granule-Bound Starch Synthase in Monocots and Dicots Is Marked by Multiple Genome-Wide Duplication Events

PubMed Central

Qiu, Wen-Ming; Li, Jing; Zhou, Hui; Zhang, Qiong; Guo, Wenwu; Zhu, Tingting; Peng, Junhua; Sun, Fengjie; Li, Shaohua; Korban, Schuyler S.; Han, Yuepeng

2012-01-01

Starch is one of the major components of cereals, tubers, and fruits. Genes encoding granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS), which is responsible for amylose synthesis, have been extensively studied in cereals but little is known about them in fruits. Due to their low copy gene number, GBSS genes have been used to study plant phylogenetic and evolutionary relationships. In this study, GBSS genes have been isolated and characterized in three fruit trees, including apple, peach, and orange. Moreover, a comprehensive evolutionary study of GBSS genes has also been conducted between both monocots and eudicots. Results have revealed that genomic structures of GBSS genes in plants are conserved, suggesting they all have evolved from a common ancestor. In addition, the GBSS gene in an ancestral angiosperm must have undergone genome duplication ∼251 million years ago (MYA) to generate two families, GBSSI and GBSSII. Both GBSSI and GBSSII are found in monocots; however, GBSSI is absent in eudicots. The ancestral GBSSII must have undergone further divergence when monocots and eudicots split ∼165 MYA. This is consistent with expression profiles of GBSS genes, wherein these profiles are more similar to those of GBSSII in eudicots than to those of GBSSI genes in monocots. In dicots, GBSSII must have undergone further divergence when rosids and asterids split from each other ∼126 MYA. Taken together, these findings suggest that it is GBSSII rather than GBSSI of monocots that have orthologous relationships with GBSS genes of eudicots. Moreover, diversification of GBSS genes is mainly associated with genome-wide duplication events throughout the evolutionary course of history of monocots and eudicots. PMID:22291904

The sea cucumber genome provides insights into morphological evolution and visceral regeneration

PubMed Central

Dai, Hui; Hamel, Jean-François; Liu, Chengzhang; Yu, Yang; Liu, Shilin; Lin, Wenchao; Guo, Kaimin; Jin, Songjun; Xu, Peng; Storey, Kenneth B.; Huan, Pin; Zhang, Tao; Zhou, Yi; Zhang, Jiquan; Lin, Chenggang; Li, Xiaoni; Xing, Lili; Huo, Da; Sun, Mingzhe; Wang, Lei; Mercier, Annie; Li, Fuhua; Yang, Hongsheng

2017-01-01

Apart from sharing common ancestry with chordates, sea cucumbers exhibit a unique morphology and exceptional regenerative capacity. Here we present the complete genome sequence of an economically important sea cucumber, A. japonicus, generated using Illumina and PacBio platforms, to achieve an assembly of approximately 805 Mb (contig N50 of 190 Kb and scaffold N50 of 486 Kb), with 30,350 protein-coding genes and high continuity. We used this resource to explore key genetic mechanisms behind the unique biological characters of sea cucumbers. Phylogenetic and comparative genomic analyses revealed the presence of marker genes associated with notochord and gill slits, suggesting that these chordate features were present in ancestral echinoderms. The unique shape and weak mineralization of the sea cucumber adult body were also preliminarily explained by the contraction of biomineralization genes. Genome, transcriptome, and proteome analyses of organ regrowth after induced evisceration provided insight into the molecular underpinnings of visceral regeneration, including a specific tandem-duplicated prostatic secretory protein of 94 amino acids (PSP94)-like gene family and a significantly expanded fibrinogen-related protein (FREP) gene family. This high-quality genome resource will provide a useful framework for future research into biological processes and evolution in deuterostomes, including remarkable regenerative abilities that could have medical applications. Moreover, the multiomics data will be of prime value for commercial sea cucumber breeding programs. PMID:29023486

The sea cucumber genome provides insights into morphological evolution and visceral regeneration.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaojun; Sun, Lina; Yuan, Jianbo; Sun, Yamin; Gao, Yi; Zhang, Libin; Li, Shihao; Dai, Hui; Hamel, Jean-François; Liu, Chengzhang; Yu, Yang; Liu, Shilin; Lin, Wenchao; Guo, Kaimin; Jin, Songjun; Xu, Peng; Storey, Kenneth B; Huan, Pin; Zhang, Tao; Zhou, Yi; Zhang, Jiquan; Lin, Chenggang; Li, Xiaoni; Xing, Lili; Huo, Da; Sun, Mingzhe; Wang, Lei; Mercier, Annie; Li, Fuhua; Yang, Hongsheng; Xiang, Jianhai

2017-10-01

Apart from sharing common ancestry with chordates, sea cucumbers exhibit a unique morphology and exceptional regenerative capacity. Here we present the complete genome sequence of an economically important sea cucumber, A. japonicus, generated using Illumina and PacBio platforms, to achieve an assembly of approximately 805 Mb (contig N50 of 190 Kb and scaffold N50 of 486 Kb), with 30,350 protein-coding genes and high continuity. We used this resource to explore key genetic mechanisms behind the unique biological characters of sea cucumbers. Phylogenetic and comparative genomic analyses revealed the presence of marker genes associated with notochord and gill slits, suggesting that these chordate features were present in ancestral echinoderms. The unique shape and weak mineralization of the sea cucumber adult body were also preliminarily explained by the contraction of biomineralization genes. Genome, transcriptome, and proteome analyses of organ regrowth after induced evisceration provided insight into the molecular underpinnings of visceral regeneration, including a specific tandem-duplicated prostatic secretory protein of 94 amino acids (PSP94)-like gene family and a significantly expanded fibrinogen-related protein (FREP) gene family. This high-quality genome resource will provide a useful framework for future research into biological processes and evolution in deuterostomes, including remarkable regenerative abilities that could have medical applications. Moreover, the multiomics data will be of prime value for commercial sea cucumber breeding programs.

Hox Proteins Display a Common and Ancestral Ability to Diversify Their Interaction Mode with the PBC Class Cofactors

PubMed Central

Hudry, Bruno; Remacle, Sophie; Delfini, Marie-Claire; Rezsohazy, René; Graba, Yacine; Merabet, Samir

2012-01-01

Hox transcription factors control a number of developmental processes with the help of the PBC class proteins. In vitro analyses have established that the formation of Hox/PBC complexes relies on a short conserved Hox protein motif called the hexapeptide (HX). This paradigm is at the basis of the vast majority of experimental approaches dedicated to the study of Hox protein function. Here we questioned the unique and general use of the HX for PBC recruitment by using the Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (BiFC) assay. This method allows analyzing Hox-PBC interactions in vivo and at a genome-wide scale. We found that the HX is dispensable for PBC recruitment in the majority of investigated Drosophila and mouse Hox proteins. We showed that HX-independent interaction modes are uncovered by the presence of Meis class cofactors, a property which was also observed with Hox proteins of the cnidarian sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Finally, we revealed that paralog-specific motifs convey major PBC-recruiting functions in Drosophila Hox proteins. Altogether, our results highlight that flexibility in Hox-PBC interactions is an ancestral and evolutionary conserved character, which has strong implications for the understanding of Hox protein functions during normal development and pathologic processes. PMID:22745600

The emergence of human-evolutionary medical genomics

PubMed Central

Crespi, Bernard J

2011-01-01

In this review, I describe how evolutionary genomics is uniquely suited to spearhead advances in understanding human disease risk, owing to the privileged position of genes as fundamental causes of phenotypic variation, and the ability of population genetic and phylogenetic methods to robustly infer processes of natural selection, drift, and mutation from genetic variation at the levels of family, population, species, and clade. I first provide an overview of models for the origins and maintenance of genetically based disease risk in humans. I then discuss how analyses of genetic disease risk can be dovetailed with studies of positive and balancing selection, to evaluate the degree to which the ‘genes that make us human’ also represent the genes that mediate risk of polygenic disease. Finally, I present four basic principles for the nascent field of human evolutionary medical genomics, each of which represents a process that is nonintuitive from a proximate perspective. Joint consideration of these principles compels novel forms of interdisciplinary analyses, most notably studies that (i) analyze tradeoffs at the level of molecular genetics, and (ii) identify genetic variants that are derived in the human lineage or in specific populations, and then compare individuals with derived versus ancestral alleles. PMID:25567974

The Evolution and Functional Impact of Human Deletion Variants Shared with Archaic Hominin Genomes

PubMed Central

Lin, Yen-Lung; Pavlidis, Pavlos; Karakoc, Emre; Ajay, Jerry; Gokcumen, Omer

2015-01-01

Allele sharing between modern and archaic hominin genomes has been variously interpreted to have originated from ancestral genetic structure or through non-African introgression from archaic hominins. However, evolution of polymorphic human deletions that are shared with archaic hominin genomes has yet to be studied. We identified 427 polymorphic human deletions that are shared with archaic hominin genomes, approximately 87% of which originated before the Human–Neandertal divergence (ancient) and only approximately 9% of which have been introgressed from Neandertals (introgressed). Recurrence, incomplete lineage sorting between human and chimp lineages, and hominid-specific insertions constitute the remaining approximately 4% of allele sharing between humans and archaic hominins. We observed that ancient deletions correspond to more than 13% of all common (>5% allele frequency) deletion variation among modern humans. Our analyses indicate that the genomic landscapes of both ancient and introgressed deletion variants were primarily shaped by purifying selection, eliminating large and exonic variants. We found 17 exonic deletions that are shared with archaic hominin genomes, including those leading to three fusion transcripts. The affected genes are involved in metabolism of external and internal compounds, growth and sperm formation, as well as susceptibility to psoriasis and Crohn’s disease. Our analyses suggest that these “exonic” deletion variants have evolved through different adaptive forces, including balancing and population-specific positive selection. Our findings reveal that genomic structural variants that are shared between humans and archaic hominin genomes are common among modern humans and can influence biomedically and evolutionarily important phenotypes. PMID:25556237

Comparative Genomics of a Bacterivorous Green Alga Reveals Evolutionary Causalities and Consequences of Phago-Mixotrophic Mode of Nutrition

PubMed Central

Burns, John A.; Paasch, Amber; Narechania, Apurva; Kim, Eunsoo

2015-01-01

Abstract Cymbomonas tetramitiformis—a marine prasinophyte—is one of only a few green algae that still retain an ancestral particulate-feeding mechanism while harvesting energy through photosynthesis. The genome of the alga is estimated to be 850 Mb–1.2 Gb in size—the bulk of which is filled with repetitive sequences—and is annotated with 37,366 protein-coding gene models. A number of unusual metabolic pathways (for the Chloroplastida) are predicted for C. tetramitiformis, including pathways for Lipid-A and peptidoglycan metabolism. Comparative analyses of the predicted peptides of C. tetramitiformis to sets of other eukaryotes revealed that nonphagocytes are depleted in a number of genes, a proportion of which have known function in feeding. In addition, our analysis suggests that obligatory phagotrophy is associated with the loss of genes that function in biosynthesis of small molecules (e.g., amino acids). Further, C. tetramitiformis and at least one other phago-mixotrophic alga are thus unique, compared with obligatory heterotrophs and nonphagocytes, in that both feeding and small molecule synthesis-related genes are retained in their genomes. These results suggest that early, ancestral host eukaryotes that gave rise to phototrophs had the capacity to assimilate building block molecules from inorganic substances (i.e., prototrophy). The loss of biosynthesis genes, thus, may at least partially explain the apparent lack of instances of permanent incorporation of photosynthetic endosymbionts in later-divergent, auxotrophic eukaryotic lineages, such as metazoans and ciliates. PMID:26224703

Genome Alignment Spanning Major Poaceae Lineages Reveals Heterogeneous Evolutionary Rates and Alters Inferred Dates for Key Evolutionary Events.

PubMed

Wang, Xiyin; Wang, Jingpeng; Jin, Dianchuan; Guo, Hui; Lee, Tae-Ho; Liu, Tao; Paterson, Andrew H

2015-06-01

Multiple comparisons among genomes can clarify their evolution, speciation, and functional innovations. To date, the genome sequences of eight grasses representing the most economically important Poaceae (grass) clades have been published, and their genomic-level comparison is an essential foundation for evolutionary, functional, and translational research. Using a formal and conservative approach, we aligned these genomes. Direct comparison of paralogous gene pairs all duplicated simultaneously reveal striking variation in evolutionary rates among whole genomes, with nucleotide substitution slowest in rice and up to 48% faster in other grasses, adding a new dimension to the value of rice as a grass model. We reconstructed ancestral genome contents for major evolutionary nodes, potentially contributing to understanding the divergence and speciation of grasses. Recent fossil evidence suggests revisions of the estimated dates of key evolutionary events, implying that the pan-grass polyploidization occurred ∼96 million years ago and could not be related to the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction as previously inferred. Adjusted dating to reflect both updated fossil evidence and lineage-specific evolutionary rates suggested that maize subgenome divergence and maize-sorghum divergence were virtually simultaneous, a coincidence that would be explained if polyploidization directly contributed to speciation. This work lays a solid foundation for Poaceae translational genomics. Copyright © 2015 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Whole genome sequencing reveals mycobacterial microevolution among concurrent isolates from sputum and blood in HIV infected TB patients.

PubMed

Ssengooba, Willy; de Jong, Bouke C; Joloba, Moses L; Cobelens, Frank G; Meehan, Conor J

2016-08-05

In the context of advanced immunosuppression, M. tuberculosis is known to cause detectable mycobacteremia. However, little is known about the intra-patient mycobacterial microevolution and the direction of seeding between the sputum and blood compartments. From a diagnostic study of HIV-infected TB patients, 51 pairs of concurrent blood and sputum M. tuberculosis isolates from the same patient were available. In a previous analysis, we identified a subset with genotypic concordance, based on spoligotyping and 24 locus MIRU-VNTR. These paired isolates with identical genotypes were analyzed by whole genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Of the 25 concordant pairs (49 % of the 51 paired isolates), 15 (60 %) remained viable for extraction of high quality DNA for whole genome sequencing. Two patient pairs were excluded due to poor quality sequence reads. The median CD4 cell count was 32 (IQR; 16-101)/mm(3) and ten (77 %) patients were on ART. No drug resistance mutations were identified in any of the sequences analyzed. Three (23.1 %) of 13 patients had SNPs separating paired isolates from blood and sputum compartments, indicating evidence of microevolution. Using a phylogenetic approach to identify the ancestral compartment, in two (15 %) patients the blood isolate was ancestral to the sputum isolate, in one (8 %) it was the opposite, and ten (77 %) of the pairs were identical. Among HIV-infected patients with poor cellular immunity, infection with multiple strains of M. tuberculosis was found in half of the patients. In those patients with identical strains, whole genome sequencing indicated that M. tuberculosis intra-patient microevolution does occur in a few patients, yet did not reveal a consistent direction of spread between sputum and blood. This suggests that these compartments are highly connected and potentially seed each other repeatedly.

The population genomics of archaeological transition in west Iberia: Investigation of ancient substructure using imputation and haplotype-based methods

PubMed Central

Martiniano, Rui; McLaughlin, Russell; Silva, Nuno M.; Manco, Licinio; Pereira, Tania; Coelho, Maria J.; Serra, Miguel; Burger, Joachim; Parreira, Rui; Moran, Elena; Valera, Antonio C.; Silva, Ana M.

2017-01-01

We analyse new genomic data (0.05–2.95x) from 14 ancient individuals from Portugal distributed from the Middle Neolithic (4200–3500 BC) to the Middle Bronze Age (1740–1430 BC) and impute genomewide diploid genotypes in these together with published ancient Eurasians. While discontinuity is evident in the transition to agriculture across the region, sensitive haplotype-based analyses suggest a significant degree of local hunter-gatherer contribution to later Iberian Neolithic populations. A more subtle genetic influx is also apparent in the Bronze Age, detectable from analyses including haplotype sharing with both ancient and modern genomes, D-statistics and Y-chromosome lineages. However, the limited nature of this introgression contrasts with the major Steppe migration turnovers within third Millennium northern Europe and echoes the survival of non-Indo-European language in Iberia. Changes in genomic estimates of individual height across Europe are also associated with these major cultural transitions, and ancestral components continue to correlate with modern differences in stature. PMID:28749934

The complete mitochondrial genome of the bag-shelter moth Ochrogaster lunifer (Lepidoptera, Notodontidae)

PubMed Central

Salvato, Paola; Simonato, Mauro; Battisti, Andrea; Negrisolo, Enrico

2008-01-01

Background Knowledge of animal mitochondrial genomes is very important to understand their molecular evolution as well as for phylogenetic and population genetic studies. The Lepidoptera encompasses more than 160,000 described species and is one of the largest insect orders. To date only nine lepidopteran mitochondrial DNAs have been fully and two others partly sequenced. Furthermore the taxon sampling is very scant. Thus advance of lepidopteran mitogenomics deeply requires new genomes derived from a broad taxon sampling. In present work we describe the mitochondrial genome of the moth Ochrogaster lunifer. Results The mitochondrial genome of O. lunifer is a circular molecule 15593 bp long. It includes the entire set of 37 genes usually present in animal mitochondrial genomes. It contains also 7 intergenic spacers. The gene order of the newly sequenced genome is that typical for Lepidoptera and differs from the insect ancestral type for the placement of trnM. The 77.84% A+T content of its α strand is the lowest among known lepidopteran genomes. The mitochondrial genome of O. lunifer exhibits one of the most marked C-skew among available insect Pterygota genomes. The protein-coding genes have typical mitochondrial start codons except for cox1 that present an unusual CGA. The O. lunifer genome exhibits the less biased synonymous codon usage among lepidopterans. Comparative genomics analysis study identified atp6, cox1, cox2 as cox3, cob, nad1, nad2, nad4, and nad5 as potential markers for population genetics/phylogenetics studies. A peculiar feature of O. lunifer mitochondrial genome it that the intergenic spacers are mostly made by repetitive sequences. Conclusion The mitochondrial genome of O. lunifer is the first representative of superfamily Noctuoidea that account for about 40% of all described Lepidoptera. New genome shares many features with other known lepidopteran genomes. It differs however for its low A+T content and marked C-skew. Compared to other

The genome of the vervet (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus)

PubMed Central

Warren, Wesley C.; Jasinska, Anna J.; García-Pérez, Raquel; Svardal, Hannes; Tomlinson, Chad; Rocchi, Mariano; Archidiacono, Nicoletta; Capozzi, Oronzo; Minx, Patrick; Montague, Michael J.; Kyung, Kim; Hillier, LaDeana W.; Kremitzki, Milinn; Graves, Tina; Chiang, Colby; Hughes, Jennifer; Tran, Nam; Huang, Yu; Ramensky, Vasily; Choi, Oi-wa; Jung, Yoon J.; Schmitt, Christopher A.; Juretic, Nikoleta; Wasserscheid, Jessica; Turner, Trudy R.; Wiseman, Roger W.; Tuscher, Jennifer J.; Karl, Julie A.; Schmitz, Jörn E.; Zahn, Roland; O'Connor, David H.; Redmond, Eugene; Nisbett, Alex; Jacquelin, Béatrice; Müller-Trutwin, Michaela C.; Brenchley, Jason M.; Dione, Michel; Antonio, Martin; Schroth, Gary P.; Kaplan, Jay R.; Jorgensen, Matthew J.; Thomas, Gregg W.C.; Hahn, Matthew W.; Raney, Brian J.; Aken, Bronwen; Nag, Rishi; Schmitz, Juergen; Churakov, Gennady; Noll, Angela; Stanyon, Roscoe; Webb, David; Thibaud-Nissen, Francoise; Nordborg, Magnus; Marques-Bonet, Tomas; Dewar, Ken; Weinstock, George M.; Wilson, Richard K.; Freimer, Nelson B.

2015-01-01

We describe a genome reference of the African green monkey or vervet (Chlorocebus aethiops). This member of the Old World monkey (OWM) superfamily is uniquely valuable for genetic investigations of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), for which it is the most abundant natural host species, and of a wide range of health-related phenotypes assessed in Caribbean vervets (C. a. sabaeus), whose numbers have expanded dramatically since Europeans introduced small numbers of their ancestors from West Africa during the colonial era. We use the reference to characterize the genomic relationship between vervets and other primates, the intra-generic phylogeny of vervet subspecies, and genome-wide structural variations of a pedigreed C. a. sabaeus population. Through comparative analyses with human and rhesus macaque, we characterize at high resolution the unique chromosomal fission events that differentiate the vervets and their close relatives from most other catarrhine primates, in whom karyotype is highly conserved. We also provide a summary of transposable elements and contrast these with the rhesus macaque and human. Analysis of sequenced genomes representing each of the main vervet subspecies supports previously hypothesized relationships between these populations, which range across most of sub-Saharan Africa, while uncovering high levels of genetic diversity within each. Sequence-based analyses of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) polymorphisms reveal extremely low diversity in Caribbean C. a. sabaeus vervets, compared to vervets from putatively ancestral West African regions. In the C. a. sabaeus research population, we discover the first structural variations that are, in some cases, predicted to have a deleterious effect; future studies will determine the phenotypic impact of these variations. PMID:26377836

Genome fluctuations in cyanobacteria reflect evolutionary, developmental and adaptive traits

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Cyanobacteria belong to an ancient group of photosynthetic prokaryotes with pronounced variations in their cellular differentiation strategies, physiological capacities and choice of habitat. Sequencing efforts have shown that genomes within this phylum are equally diverse in terms of size and protein-coding capacity. To increase our understanding of genomic changes in the lineage, the genomes of 58 contemporary cyanobacteria were analysed for shared and unique orthologs. Results A total of 404 protein families, present in all cyanobacterial genomes, were identified. Two of these are unique to the phylum, corresponding to an AbrB family transcriptional regulator and a gene that escapes functional annotation although its genomic neighbourhood is conserved among the organisms examined. The evolution of cyanobacterial genome sizes involves a mix of gains and losses in the clade encompassing complex cyanobacteria, while a single event of reduction is evident in a clade dominated by unicellular cyanobacteria. Genome sizes and gene family copy numbers evolve at a higher rate in the former clade, and multi-copy genes were predominant in large genomes. Orthologs unique to cyanobacteria exhibiting specific characteristics, such as filament formation, heterocyst differentiation, diazotrophy and symbiotic competence, were also identified. An ancestral character reconstruction suggests that the most recent common ancestor of cyanobacteria had a genome size of approx. 4.5 Mbp and 1678 to 3291 protein-coding genes, 4%-6% of which are unique to cyanobacteria today. Conclusions The different rates of genome-size evolution and multi-copy gene abundance suggest two routes of genome development in the history of cyanobacteria. The expansion strategy is driven by gene-family enlargment and generates a broad adaptive potential; while the genome streamlining strategy imposes adaptations to highly specific niches, also reflected in their different functional capacities. A few

The invasive MED/Q Bemisia tabaci genome: a tale of gene loss and gene gain.

PubMed

Xie, Wen; Yang, Xin; Chen, Chunhai; Yang, Zezhong; Guo, Litao; Wang, Dan; Huang, Jinqun; Zhang, Hailin; Wen, Yanan; Zhao, Jinyang; Wu, Qingjun; Wang, Shaoli; Coates, Brad S; Zhou, Xuguo; Zhang, Youjun

2018-01-22

Sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci MED/Q and MEAM1/B, are two economically important invasive species that cause considerable damages to agriculture crops through direct feeding and indirect vectoring of plant pathogens. Recently, a draft genome of B. tabaci MED/Q has been assembled. In this study, we focus on the genomic comparison between MED/Q and MEAM1/B, with a special interest in MED/Q's genomic signatures that may contribute to the highly invasive nature of this emerging insect pest. The genomes of both species share similarity in syntenic blocks, but have significant divergence in the gene coding sequence. Expansion of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases and UDP glycosyltransferases in MED/Q and MEAM1/B genome is functionally validated for mediating insecticide resistance in MED/Q using in vivo RNAi. The amino acid biosynthesis pathways in MED/Q genome are partitioned among the host and endosymbiont genomes in a manner distinct from other hemipterans. Evidence of horizontal gene transfer to the host genome may explain their obligate relationship. Putative loss-of-function in the immune deficiency-signaling pathway due to the gene loss is a shared ancestral trait among hemipteran insects. The expansion of detoxification genes families, such as P450s, may contribute to the development of insecticide resistance traits and a broad host range in MED/Q and MEAM1/B, and facilitate species' invasions into intensively managed cropping systems. Numerical and compositional changes in multiple gene families (gene loss and gene gain) in the MED/Q genome sets a foundation for future hypothesis testing that will advance our understanding of adaptation, viral transmission, symbiosis, and plant-insect-pathogen tritrophic interactions.

The mitochondrial genome of the lycophyte Huperzia squarrosa: the most archaic form in vascular plants.

PubMed

Liu, Yang; Wang, Bin; Cui, Peng; Li, Libo; Xue, Jia-Yu; Yu, Jun; Qiu, Yin-Long

2012-01-01

Mitochondrial genomes have maintained some bacterial features despite their residence within eukaryotic cells for approximately two billion years. One of these features is the frequent presence of polycistronic operons. In land plants, however, it has been shown that all sequenced vascular plant chondromes lack large polycistronic operons while bryophyte chondromes have many of them. In this study, we provide the completely sequenced mitochondrial genome of a lycophyte, from Huperzia squarrosa, which is a member of the sister group to all other vascular plants. The genome, at a size of 413,530 base pairs, contains 66 genes and 32 group II introns. In addition, it has 69 pseudogene fragments for 24 of the 40 protein- and rRNA-coding genes. It represents the most archaic form of mitochondrial genomes of all vascular plants. In particular, it has one large conserved gene cluster containing up to 10 ribosomal protein genes, which likely represents a polycistronic operon but has been disrupted and greatly reduced in the chondromes of other vascular plants. It also has the least rearranged gene order in comparison to the chondromes of other vascular plants. The genome is ancestral in vascular plants in several other aspects: the gene content resembling those of charophytes and most bryophytes, all introns being cis-spliced, a low level of RNA editing, and lack of foreign DNA of chloroplast or nuclear origin.

The map-based genome sequence of Spirodela polyrhiza aligned with its chromosomes, a reference for karyotype evolution.

PubMed

Cao, Hieu Xuan; Vu, Giang Thi Ha; Wang, Wenqin; Appenroth, Klaus J; Messing, Joachim; Schubert, Ingo

2016-01-01

Duckweeds are aquatic monocotyledonous plants of potential economic interest with fast vegetative propagation, comprising 37 species with variable genome sizes (0.158-1.88 Gbp). The genomic sequence of Spirodela polyrhiza, the smallest and the most ancient duckweed genome, needs to be aligned to its chromosomes as a reference and prerequisite to study the genome and karyotype evolution of other duckweed species. We selected physically mapped bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) containing Spirodela DNA inserts with little or no repetitive elements as probes for multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization (mcFISH), using an optimized BAC pooling strategy, to validate its physical map and correlate it with its chromosome complement. By consecutive mcFISH analyses, we assigned the originally assembled 32 pseudomolecules (supercontigs) of the genomic sequences to the 20 chromosomes of S. polyrhiza. A Spirodela cytogenetic map containing 96 BAC markers with an average distance of 0.89 Mbp was constructed. Using a cocktail of 41 BACs in three colors, all chromosome pairs could be individualized simultaneously. Seven ancestral blocks emerged from duplicated chromosome segments of 19 Spirodela chromosomes. The chromosomally integrated genome of S. polyrhiza and the established prerequisites for comparative chromosome painting enable future studies on the chromosome homoeology and karyotype evolution of duckweed species. © 2015 IPK Gatersleben. New Phytologist © 2015 New Phytologist Trust.

Emergence and Evolution of Hominidae-Specific Coding and Noncoding Genomic Sequences

PubMed Central

Saber, Morteza Mahmoudi; Adeyemi Babarinde, Isaac; Hettiarachchi, Nilmini; Saitou, Naruya

2016-01-01

Family Hominidae, which includes humans and great apes, is recognized for unique complex social behavior and intellectual abilities. Despite the increasing genome data, however, the genomic origin of its phenotypic uniqueness has remained elusive. Clade-specific genes and highly conserved noncoding sequences (HCNSs) are among the high-potential evolutionary candidates involved in driving clade-specific characters and phenotypes. On this premise, we analyzed whole genome sequences along with gene orthology data retrieved from major DNA databases to find Hominidae-specific (HS) genes and HCNSs. We discovered that Down syndrome critical region 4 (DSCR4) is the only experimentally verified gene uniquely present in Hominidae. DSCR4 has no structural homology to any known protein and was inferred to have emerged in several steps through LTR/ERV1, LTR/ERVL retrotransposition, and transversion. Using the genomic distance as neutral evolution threshold, we identified 1,658 HS HCNSs. Polymorphism coverage and derived allele frequency analysis of HS HCNSs showed that these HCNSs are under purifying selection, indicating that they may harbor important functions. They are overrepresented in promoters/untranslated regions, in close proximity of genes involved in sensory perception of sound and developmental process, and also showed a significantly lower nucleosome occupancy probability. Interestingly, many ancestral sequences of the HS HCNSs showed very high evolutionary rates. This suggests that new functions emerged through some kind of positive selection, and then purifying selection started to operate to keep these functions. PMID:27289096

Retroviral envelope syncytin capture in an ancestrally diverged mammalian clade for placentation in the primitive Afrotherian tenrecs

PubMed Central

Cornelis, Guillaume; Vernochet, Cécile; Malicorne, Sébastien; Souquere, Sylvie; Tzika, Athanasia C.; Goodman, Steven M.; Catzeflis, François; Robinson, Terence J.; Milinkovitch, Michel C.; Pierron, Gérard; Heidmann, Odile; Dupressoir, Anne; Heidmann, Thierry

2014-01-01

Syncytins are fusogenic envelope (env) genes of retroviral origin that have been captured for a function in placentation. Syncytins have been identified in Euarchontoglires (primates, rodents, Leporidae) and Laurasiatheria (Carnivora, ruminants) placental mammals. Here, we searched for similar genes in species that retained characteristic features of primitive mammals, namely the Malagasy and mainland African Tenrecidae. They belong to the superorder Afrotheria, an early lineage that diverged from Euarchotonglires and Laurasiatheria 100 Mya, during the Cretaceous terrestrial revolution. An in silico search for env genes with full coding capacity within a Tenrecidae genome identified several candidates, with one displaying placenta-specific expression as revealed by RT-PCR analysis of a large panel of Setifer setosus tissues. Cloning of this endogenous retroviral env gene demonstrated fusogenicity in an ex vivo cell–cell fusion assay on a panel of mammalian cells. Refined analysis of placental architecture and ultrastructure combined with in situ hybridization demonstrated specific expression of the gene in multinucleate cellular masses and layers at the materno–fetal interface, consistent with a role in syncytium formation. This gene, which we named “syncytin-Ten1,” is conserved among Tenrecidae, with evidence of purifying selection and conservation of fusogenic activity. To our knowledge, it is the first syncytin identified to date within the ancestrally diverged Afrotheria superorder. PMID:25267646

Female song is widespread and ancestral in songbirds.

PubMed

Odom, Karan J; Hall, Michelle L; Riebel, Katharina; Omland, Kevin E; Langmore, Naomi E

2014-03-04

Bird song has historically been considered an almost exclusively male trait, an observation fundamental to the formulation of Darwin's theory of sexual selection. Like other male ornaments, song is used by male songbirds to attract females and compete with rivals. Thus, bird song has become a textbook example of the power of sexual selection to lead to extreme neurological and behavioural sex differences. Here we present an extensive survey and ancestral state reconstruction of female song across songbirds showing that female song is present in 71% of surveyed species including 32 families, and that females sang in the common ancestor of modern songbirds. Our results reverse classical assumptions about the evolution of song and sex differences in birds. The challenge now is to identify whether sexual selection alone or broader processes, such as social or natural selection, best explain the evolution of elaborate traits in both sexes.

Evolution of the mitochondrial genome in snakes: Gene rearrangements and phylogenetic relationships

PubMed Central

Yan, Jie; Li, Hongdan; Zhou, Kaiya

2008-01-01

Background Snakes as a major reptile group display a variety of morphological characteristics pertaining to their diverse behaviours. Despite abundant analyses of morphological characters, molecular studies using mitochondrial and nuclear genes are limited. As a result, the phylogeny of snakes remains controversial. Previous studies on mitochondrial genomes of snakes have demonstrated duplication of the control region and translocation of trnL to be two notable features of the alethinophidian (all serpents except blindsnakes and threadsnakes) mtDNAs. Our purpose is to further investigate the gene organizations, evolution of the snake mitochondrial genome, and phylogenetic relationships among several major snake families. Results The mitochondrial genomes were sequenced for four taxa representing four different families, and each had a different gene arrangement. Comparative analyses with other snake mitochondrial genomes allowed us to summarize six types of mitochondrial gene arrangement in snakes. Phylogenetic reconstruction with commonly used methods of phylogenetic inference (BI, ML, MP, NJ) arrived at a similar topology, which was used to reconstruct the evolution of mitochondrial gene arrangements in snakes. Conclusion The phylogenetic relationships among the major families of snakes are in accordance with the mitochondrial genomes in terms of gene arrangements. The gene arrangement in Ramphotyphlops braminus mtDNA is inferred to be ancestral for snakes. After the divergence of the early Ramphotyphlops lineage, three types of rearrangements occurred. These changes involve translocations within the IQM tRNA gene cluster and the duplication of the CR. All phylogenetic methods support the placement of Enhydris plumbea outside of the (Colubridae + Elapidae) cluster, providing mitochondrial genomic evidence for the familial rank of Homalopsidae. PMID:19038056

Whole genome sequencing of a banana wild relative Musa itinerans provides insights into lineage-specific diversification of the Musa genus

PubMed Central

Wu, Wei; Yang, Yu-Lan; He, Wei-Ming; Rouard, Mathieu; Li, Wei-Ming; Xu, Meng; Roux, Nicolas; Ge, Xue-Jun

2016-01-01

Crop wild relatives are valuable resources for future genetic improvement. Here, we report the de novo genome assembly of Musa itinerans, a disease-resistant wild banana relative in subtropical China. The assembled genome size was 462.1 Mb, covering 75.2% of the genome (615.2Mb) and containing 32, 456 predicted protein-coding genes. Since the approximate divergence around 5.8 million years ago, the genomes of Musa itinerans and Musa acuminata have shown conserved collinearity. Gene family expansions and contractions enrichment analysis revealed that some pathways were associated with phenotypic or physiological innovations. These include a transition from wood to herbaceous in the ancestral Musaceae, intensification of cold and drought tolerances, and reduced diseases resistance genes for subtropical marginally distributed Musa species. Prevalent purifying selection and transposed duplications were found to facilitate the diversification of NBS-encoding gene families for two Musa species. The population genome history analysis of M. itinerans revealed that the fluctuated population sizes were caused by the Pleistocene climate oscillations, and that the formation of Qiongzhou Strait might facilitate the population downsizing on the isolated Hainan Island about 10.3 Kya. The qualified assembly of the M. itinerans genome provides deep insights into the lineage-specific diversification and also valuable resources for future banana breeding. PMID:27531320

Whole genome sequencing of a banana wild relative Musa itinerans provides insights into lineage-specific diversification of the Musa genus.

PubMed

Wu, Wei; Yang, Yu-Lan; He, Wei-Ming; Rouard, Mathieu; Li, Wei-Ming; Xu, Meng; Roux, Nicolas; Ge, Xue-Jun

2016-08-17

Crop wild relatives are valuable resources for future genetic improvement. Here, we report the de novo genome assembly of Musa itinerans, a disease-resistant wild banana relative in subtropical China. The assembled genome size was 462.1 Mb, covering 75.2% of the genome (615.2Mb) and containing 32, 456 predicted protein-coding genes. Since the approximate divergence around 5.8 million years ago, the genomes of Musa itinerans and Musa acuminata have shown conserved collinearity. Gene family expansions and contractions enrichment analysis revealed that some pathways were associated with phenotypic or physiological innovations. These include a transition from wood to herbaceous in the ancestral Musaceae, intensification of cold and drought tolerances, and reduced diseases resistance genes for subtropical marginally distributed Musa species. Prevalent purifying selection and transposed duplications were found to facilitate the diversification of NBS-encoding gene families for two Musa species. The population genome history analysis of M. itinerans revealed that the fluctuated population sizes were caused by the Pleistocene climate oscillations, and that the formation of Qiongzhou Strait might facilitate the population downsizing on the isolated Hainan Island about 10.3 Kya. The qualified assembly of the M. itinerans genome provides deep insights into the lineage-specific diversification and also valuable resources for future banana breeding.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Cephalotaxus oliveri (Cephalotaxaceae): evolutionary comparison of cephalotaxus chloroplast DNAs and insights into the loss of inverted repeat copies in gymnosperms.

PubMed

Yi, Xuan; Gao, Lei; Wang, Bo; Su, Ying-Juan; Wang, Ting

2013-01-01

We have determined the complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of Cephalotaxus oliveri. The genome is 134,337 bp in length, encodes 113 genes, and lacks inverted repeat (IR) regions. Genome-wide mutational dynamics have been investigated through comparative analysis of the cp genomes of C. oliveri and C. wilsoniana. Gene order transformation analyses indicate that when distinct isomers are considered as alternative structures for the ancestral cp genome of cupressophyte and Pinaceae lineages, it is not possible to distinguish between hypotheses favoring retention of the same IR region in cupressophyte and Pinaceae cp genomes from a hypothesis proposing independent loss of IRA and IRB. Furthermore, in cupressophyte cp genomes, the highly reduced IRs are replaced by short repeats that have the potential to mediate homologous recombination, analogous to the situation in Pinaceae. The importance of repeats in the mutational dynamics of cupressophyte cp genomes is also illustrated by the accD reading frame, which has undergone extreme length expansion in cupressophytes. This has been caused by a large insertion comprising multiple repeat sequences. Overall, we find that the distribution of repeats, indels, and substitutions is significantly correlated in Cephalotaxus cp genomes, consistent with a hypothesis that repeats play a role in inducing substitutions and indels in conifer cp genomes.

Bearing the unbearable: ancestral transmission through dreams and moving metaphors in the analtyic field.

PubMed

Pickering, Judith

2012-11-01

This paper explores how untold and unresolved intergenerational trauma may be transmitted through unconscious channels of communication, manifesting in the dreams of descendants. Unwitting carriers for that which was too horrific for their ancestors to bear, descendants may enter analysis through an unconscious need to uncover past secrets, piece together ancestral histories before the keys to comprehending their terrible inheritance die with their forebears. They seek the relational containment of the analytic relationship to provide psychological conditions to bear the unbearable, know the unknowable, speak the unspeakable and redeem the unredeemable. In the case of 'Rachael', initial dreams gave rise to what Hobson (1984) called 'moving metaphors of self' in the analytic field. Dream imagery, projective and introjective processes in the transference-countertransference dynamics gradually revealed an unknown ancestral history. I clarify the back and forth process from dream to waking dream thoughts to moving metaphors and differentiate the moving metaphor from a living symbol. I argue that the containment of the analytic relationship nested within the security of the analytic space is a necessary precondition for such healing processes to occur. © 2012, The Society of Analytical Psychology.

Ancestral state reconstruction infers phytopathogenic origins of sooty blotch and flyspeck fungi on apple.

PubMed

Ismail, Siti Izera; Batzer, Jean Carlson; Harrington, Thomas C; Crous, Pedro W; Lavrov, Dennis V; Li, Huanyu; Gleason, Mark L

2016-01-01

Members of the sooty blotch and flyspeck (SBFS) complex are epiphytic fungi in the Ascomycota that cause economically damaging blemishes of apples worldwide. SBFS fungi are polyphyletic, but approx. 96% of SBFS species are in the Capnodiales. Evolutionary origins of SBFS fungi remain unclear, so we attempted to infer their origins by means of ancestral state reconstruction on a phylogenetic tree built utilizing genes for the nuc 28S rDNA (approx. 830 bp from near the 59 end) and the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2). The analyzed taxa included the well-known genera of SBFS as well as non-SBFS fungi from seven families within the Capnodiales. The non-SBFS taxa were selected based on their distinct ecological niches, including plant-parasitic and saprophytic species. The phylogenetic analyses revealed that most SBFS species in the Capnodiales are closely related to plant-parasitic fungi. Ancestral state reconstruction provided strong evidence that plant-parasitic fungi were the ancestors of the major SBFS lineages. Knowledge gained from this study may help to better understand the ecology and evolution of epiphytic fungi. © 2016 by The Mycological Society of America.

The evolution of virulence in primate malaria parasites based on Bayesian reconstructions of ancestral states.

PubMed

Garamszegi, László Zsolt

2011-02-01

Plasmodium parasites, the causative agents of malaria, are generally considered as harmful parasites, but many of them cause mild symptoms. Little is known about the evolutionary history and phylogenetic constraints that generate this interspecific variation in virulence due to uncertainties about the phylogenetic associations of parasites. Here, to account for such phylogenetic uncertainty, phylogenetic methods based on Bayesian statistics were followed in combination with sequence data from five genes to estimate the ancestral state of virulence in primate Plasmodium parasites. When recent parasites were categorised according to the damage caused to the host, Bayesian estimates of ancestral states indicated that the acquisition of a harmful host exploitation strategy is more likely to be a recent evolutionary event than a result of an ancient change in a character state altering virulence. On the contrary, there was more evidence for moderate host exploitation having a deep origin along the phylogenetic tree. Moreover, the evolution of host severity is determined by the phylogenetic relationships of parasites, as severity gains did not appear randomly on the evolutionary tree. Such phylogenetic constraints can be mediated by the acquisition of virulence genes. As the impact of a parasite on a host is the result of both the parasite's investment in reproduction and host sensitivity, virulence was also estimated by calculating peak parasitemia after eliminating host effects. A directional random-walk evolutionary model showed that the ancestral primate malarias reproduced at very low parasitemia in their hosts. Consequently, the extreme variation in the outcome of malaria infection in different host species can be better understood in light of the phylogeny of parasites. Copyright © 2010 Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ancestral dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) exposure promotes epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of obesity

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Ancestral environmental exposures to a variety of environmental factors and toxicants have been shown to promote the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of adult onset disease. The present work examined the potential transgenerational actions of the insecticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) on obesity and associated disease. Methods Outbred gestating female rats were transiently exposed to a vehicle control or DDT and the F1 generation offspring bred to generate the F2 generation and F2 generation bred to generate the F3 generation. The F1 and F3 generation control and DDT lineage rats were aged and various pathologies investigated. The F3 generation male sperm were collected to investigate methylation between the control and DDT lineage male sperm. Results The F1 generation offspring (directly exposed as a fetus) derived from the F0 generation exposed gestating female rats were not found to develop obesity. The F1 generation DDT lineage animals did develop kidney disease, prostate disease, ovary disease and tumor development as adults. Interestingly, the F3 generation (great grand-offspring) had over 50% of males and females develop obesity. Several transgenerational diseases previously shown to be associated with metabolic syndrome and obesity were observed in the testis, ovary and kidney. The transgenerational transmission of disease was through both female (egg) and male (sperm) germlines. F3 generation sperm epimutations, differential DNA methylation regions (DMR), induced by DDT were identified. A number of the genes associated with the DMR have previously been shown to be associated with obesity. Conclusions Observations indicate ancestral exposure to DDT can promote obesity and associated disease transgenerationally. The etiology of disease such as obesity may be in part due to environmentally induced epigenetic transgenerational inheritance. PMID:24228800

The mitochondrial genome of the multicolored Asian lady beetle Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) and a phylogenetic analysis of the Polyphaga (Insecta: Coleoptera).

PubMed

Niu, Fang-Fang; Zhu, Liang; Wang, Su; Wei, Shu-Jun

2016-07-01

Here, we report the mitochondrial genome sequence of the multicolored Asian lady beetle Harmonia axyridis (Pallas, 1773) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) (GenBank accession No. KR108208). This is the first species with sequenced mitochondrial genome from the genus Harmonia. The current length with partitial A + T-rich region of this mitochondrial genome is 16,387 bp. All the typical genes were sequenced except the trnI and trnQ. As in most other sequenced mitochondrial genomes of Coleoptera, there is no re-arrangement in the sequenced region compared with the pupative ancestral arrangement of insects. All protein-coding genes start with ATN codons. Five, five and three protein-coding genes stop with termination codon TAA, TA and T, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis using Bayesian method based on the first and second codon positions of the protein-coding genes supported that the Scirtidae is a basal lineage of Polyphaga. The Harmonia and the Coccinella form a sister lineage. The monophyly of Staphyliniformia, Scarabaeiformia and Cucujiformia was supported. The Buprestidae was found to be a sister group to the Bostrichiformia.

Genome of Leptomonas pyrrhocoris: a high-quality reference for monoxenous trypanosomatids and new insights into evolution of Leishmania

PubMed Central

Flegontov, Pavel; Butenko, Anzhelika; Firsov, Sergei; Kraeva, Natalya; Eliáš, Marek; Field, Mark C.; Filatov, Dmitry; Flegontova, Olga; Gerasimov, Evgeny S.; Hlaváčová, Jana; Ishemgulova, Aygul; Jackson, Andrew P.; Kelly, Steve; Kostygov, Alexei Y.; Logacheva, Maria D.; Maslov, Dmitri A.; Opperdoes, Fred R.; O’Reilly, Amanda; Sádlová, Jovana; Ševčíková, Tereza; Venkatesh, Divya; Vlček, Čestmír; Volf, Petr; Jan Votýpka; Záhonová, Kristína; Yurchenko, Vyacheslav; Lukeš, Julius

2016-01-01

Many high-quality genomes are available for dixenous (two hosts) trypanosomatid species of the genera Trypanosoma, Leishmania, and Phytomonas, but only fragmentary information is available for monoxenous (single-host) trypanosomatids. In trypanosomatids, monoxeny is ancestral to dixeny, thus it is anticipated that the genome sequences of the key monoxenous parasites will be instrumental for both understanding the origin of parasitism and the evolution of dixeny. Here, we present a high-quality genome for Leptomonas pyrrhocoris, which is closely related to the dixenous genus Leishmania. The L. pyrrhocoris genome (30.4 Mbp in 60 scaffolds) encodes 10,148 genes. Using the L. pyrrhocoris genome, we pinpointed genes gained in Leishmania. Among those genes, 20 genes with unknown function had expression patterns in the Leishmania mexicana life cycle suggesting their involvement in virulence. By combining differential expression data for L. mexicana, L. major and Leptomonas seymouri, we have identified several additional proteins potentially involved in virulence, including SpoU methylase and U3 small nucleolar ribonucleoprotein IMP3. The population genetics of L. pyrrhocoris was also addressed by sequencing thirteen strains of different geographic origin, allowing the identification of 1,318 genes under positive selection. This set of genes was significantly enriched in components of the cytoskeleton and the flagellum. PMID:27021793

Divergent sorting of a balanced ancestral polymorphism underlies the establishment of gene-flow barriers in Capsella

PubMed Central

Sicard, Adrien; Kappel, Christian; Josephs, Emily B.; Lee, Young Wha; Marona, Cindy; Stinchcombe, John R.; Wright, Stephen I.; Lenhard, Michael

2015-01-01

In the Bateson–Dobzhansky–Muller model of genetic incompatibilities post-zygotic gene-flow barriers arise by fixation of novel alleles at interacting loci in separated populations. Many such incompatibilities are polymorphic in plants, implying an important role for genetic drift or balancing selection in their origin and evolution. Here we show that NPR1 and RPP5 loci cause a genetic incompatibility between the incipient species Capsella grandiflora and C. rubella, and the more distantly related C. rubella and C. orientalis. The incompatible RPP5 allele results from a mutation in C. rubella, while the incompatible NPR1 allele is frequent in the ancestral C. grandiflora. Compatible and incompatible NPR1 haplotypes are maintained by balancing selection in C. grandiflora, and were divergently sorted into the derived C. rubella and C. orientalis. Thus, by maintaining differentiated alleles at high frequencies, balancing selection on ancestral polymorphisms can facilitate establishing gene-flow barriers between derived populations through lineage sorting of the alternative alleles. PMID:26268845

Transgenerational Actions of Environmental Compounds on Reproductive Disease and Identification of Epigenetic Biomarkers of Ancestral Exposures

PubMed Central

Tracey, Rebecca; Haque, Md. M.; Skinner, Michael K.

2012-01-01

Environmental factors during fetal development can induce a permanent epigenetic change in the germ line (sperm) that then transmits epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of adult-onset disease in the absence of any subsequent exposure. The epigenetic transgenerational actions of various environmental compounds and relevant mixtures were investigated with the use of a pesticide mixture (permethrin and insect repellant DEET), a plastic mixture (bisphenol A and phthalates), dioxin (TCDD) and a hydrocarbon mixture (jet fuel, JP8). After transient exposure of F0 gestating female rats during the period of embryonic gonadal sex determination, the subsequent F1–F3 generations were obtained in the absence of any environmental exposure. The effects on the F1, F2 and F3 generations pubertal onset and gonadal function were assessed. The plastics, dioxin and jet fuel were found to promote early-onset female puberty transgenerationally (F3 generation). Spermatogenic cell apoptosis was affected transgenerationally. Ovarian primordial follicle pool size was significantly decreased with all treatments transgenerationally. Differential DNA methylation of the F3 generation sperm promoter epigenome was examined. Differential DNA methylation regions (DMR) were identified in the sperm of all exposure lineage males and found to be consistent within a specific exposure lineage, but different between the exposures. Several genomic features of the DMR, such as low density CpG content, were identified. Exposure-specific epigenetic biomarkers were identified that may allow for the assessment of ancestral environmental exposures associated with adult onset disease. PMID:22389676

Encouraging Usage of an Endangered Ancestral Language: A Supportive Role for Caregivers' Deictic Gestures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuksel, Peri; Brooks, Patricia J.

2017-01-01

Many ancestral languages (AL) are at imminent risk of extinction due to societal changes that pressure minority communities to assimilate with dominant cultures and forego usage of their AL. This study aimed to encourage caregiver-child dyads to converse in Lazuri, an endangered AL in Rize, Turkey. Dyads (N = 59; child age M = 30.7 months, range…

Evidence for Ancestral Programming of Resilience in a Two-Hit Stress Model

PubMed Central

Faraji, Jamshid; Soltanpour, Nabiollah; Ambeskovic, Mirela; Zucchi, Fabiola C. R.; Beaumier, Pierre; Kovalchuk, Igor; Metz, Gerlinde A. S.

2017-01-01

In a continuously stressful environment, the effects of recurrent prenatal stress (PS) may accumulate across generations and alter stress vulnerability and resilience. Here, we report in female rats that a family history of recurrent ancestral PS facilitates certain aspects of movement performance, and that these benefits are abolished by the experience of a second hit, induced by a silent ischemia during adulthood. Female F4-generation rats with and without a family history of cumulative multigenerational PS (MPS) were tested for skilled motor function before and after the induction of a minor ischemic insult by endothelin-1 infusion into the primary motor cortex. MPS resulted in improved skilled motor abilities and blunted hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function compared to non-stressed rats. Deep sequencing revealed downregulation of miR-708 in MPS rats along with upregulation of its predicted target genes Mapk10 and Rasd2. Through miR-708 stress may regulate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway activity. Hair trace elemental analysis revealed an increased Na/K ratio, which suggests a chronic shift in adrenal gland function. The ischemic lesion activated the HPA axis in MPS rats only; the lesion, however, abolished the advantage of MPS in skilled reaching. The findings indicate that MPS generates adaptive flexibility in movement, which is challenged by a second stressor, such as a neuropathological condition. Thus, a second “hit” by a stressor may limit behavioral flexibility and neural plasticity associated with ancestral stress. PMID:28553212

Evidence for Ancestral Programming of Resilience in a Two-Hit Stress Model.

PubMed

Faraji, Jamshid; Soltanpour, Nabiollah; Ambeskovic, Mirela; Zucchi, Fabiola C R; Beaumier, Pierre; Kovalchuk, Igor; Metz, Gerlinde A S

2017-01-01

In a continuously stressful environment, the effects of recurrent prenatal stress (PS) may accumulate across generations and alter stress vulnerability and resilience. Here, we report in female rats that a family history of recurrent ancestral PS facilitates certain aspects of movement performance, and that these benefits are abolished by the experience of a second hit, induced by a silent ischemia during adulthood. Female F4-generation rats with and without a family history of cumulative multigenerational PS (MPS) were tested for skilled motor function before and after the induction of a minor ischemic insult by endothelin-1 infusion into the primary motor cortex. MPS resulted in improved skilled motor abilities and blunted hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function compared to non-stressed rats. Deep sequencing revealed downregulation of miR-708 in MPS rats along with upregulation of its predicted target genes Mapk10 and Rasd2 . Through miR-708 stress may regulate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway activity. Hair trace elemental analysis revealed an increased Na/K ratio, which suggests a chronic shift in adrenal gland function. The ischemic lesion activated the HPA axis in MPS rats only; the lesion, however, abolished the advantage of MPS in skilled reaching. The findings indicate that MPS generates adaptive flexibility in movement, which is challenged by a second stressor, such as a neuropathological condition. Thus, a second "hit" by a stressor may limit behavioral flexibility and neural plasticity associated with ancestral stress.

Degenerative minimalism in the genome of a psyllid endosymbiont.

PubMed

Clark, M A; Baumann, L; Thao, M L; Moran, N A; Baumann, P

2001-03-01

Psyllids, like aphids, feed on plant phloem sap and are obligately associated with prokaryotic endosymbionts acquired through vertical transmission from an ancestral infection. We have sequenced 37 kb of DNA of the genome of Carsonella ruddii, the endosymbiont of psyllids, and found that it has a number of unusual properties revealing a more extreme case of degeneration than was previously reported from studies of eubacterial genomes, including that of the aphid endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola. Among the unusual properties are an exceptionally low guanine-plus-cytosine content (19.9%), almost complete absence of intergenic spaces, operon fusion, and lack of the usual promoter sequences upstream of 16S rDNA. These features suggest the synthesis of long mRNAs and translational coupling. The most extreme instances of base compositional bias occur in the genes encoding proteins that have less highly conserved amino acid sequences; the guanine-plus-cytosine content of some protein-coding sequences is as low as 10%. The shift in base composition has a large effect on proteins: in polypeptides of C. ruddii, half of the residues consist of five amino acids with codons low in guanine plus cytosine. Furthermore, the proteins of C. ruddii are reduced in size, with an average of about 9% fewer amino acids than in homologous proteins of related bacteria. These observations suggest that the C. ruddii genome is not subject to constraints that limit the evolution of other known eubacteria.

Degenerative Minimalism in the Genome of a Psyllid Endosymbiont

PubMed Central

Clark, Marta A.; Baumann, Linda; Thao, MyLo Ly; Moran, Nancy A.; Baumann, Paul

2001-01-01

Psyllids, like aphids, feed on plant phloem sap and are obligately associated with prokaryotic endosymbionts acquired through vertical transmission from an ancestral infection. We have sequenced 37 kb of DNA of the genome of Carsonella ruddii, the endosymbiont of psyllids, and found that it has a number of unusual properties revealing a more extreme case of degeneration than was previously reported from studies of eubacterial genomes, including that of the aphid endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola. Among the unusual properties are an exceptionally low guanine-plus-cytosine content (19.9%), almost complete absence of intergenic spaces, operon fusion, and lack of the usual promoter sequences upstream of 16S rDNA. These features suggest the synthesis of long mRNAs and translational coupling. The most extreme instances of base compositional bias occur in the genes encoding proteins that have less highly conserved amino acid sequences; the guanine-plus-cytosine content of some protein-coding sequences is as low as 10%. The shift in base composition has a large effect on proteins: in polypeptides of C. ruddii, half of the residues consist of five amino acids with codons low in guanine plus cytosine. Furthermore, the proteins of C. ruddii are reduced in size, with an average of about 9% fewer amino acids than in homologous proteins of related bacteria. These observations suggest that the C. ruddii genome is not subject to constraints that limit the evolution of other known eubacteria. PMID:11222582

Pan-genome analysis of the emerging foodborne pathogen Cronobacter spp. suggests a species-level bidirectional divergence driven by niche adaptation

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Members of the genus Cronobacter are causes of rare but severe illness in neonates and preterm infants following the ingestion of contaminated infant formula. Seven species have been described and two of the species genomes were subsequently published. In this study, we performed comparative genomics on eight strains of Cronobacter, including six that we sequenced (representing six of the seven species) and two previously published, closed genomes. Results We identified and characterized the features associated with the core and pan genome of the genus Cronobacter in an attempt to understand the evolution of these bacteria and the genetic content of each species. We identified 84 genomic regions that are present in two or more Cronobacter genomes, along with 45 unique genomic regions. Many potentially horizontally transferred genes, such as lysogenic prophages, were also identified. Most notable among these were several type six secretion system gene clusters, transposons that carried tellurium, copper and/or silver resistance genes, and a novel integrative conjugative element. Conclusions Cronobacter have diverged into two clusters, one consisting of C. dublinensis and C. muytjensii (Cdub-Cmuy) and the other comprised of C. sakazakii, C. malonaticus, C. universalis, and C. turicensis, (Csak-Cmal-Cuni-Ctur) from the most recent common ancestral species. While several genetic determinants for plant-association and human virulence could be found in the core genome of Cronobacter, the four Cdub-Cmuy clade genomes contained several accessory genomic regions important for survival in a plant-associated environmental niche, while the Csak-Cmal-Cuni-Ctur clade genomes harbored numerous virulence-related genetic traits. PMID:23724777

The Complete Genome Sequence of Hyperthermophile Dictyoglomus turgidum DSM 6724™ Reveals a Specialized Carbohydrate Fermentor

DOE PAGES

Brumm, Phillip J.; Gowda, Krishne; Robb, Frank T.; ...

2016-12-20

In this study we report the complete genome sequence of the chemoorganotrophic, extremely thermophilic bacterium, Dictyoglomus turgidum, which is a Gram negative, strictly anaerobic bacterium. D. turgidum and D. thermophilum together form the Dictyoglomi phylum. The two Dictyoglomus genomes are highly syntenic, and both are distantly related to Caldicellulosiruptor spp. D. turgidum is able to grow on a wide variety of polysaccharide substrates due to significant genomic commitment to glycosyl hydrolases, 16 of which were cloned and expressed in our study. The GH5, GH10, and GH42 enzymes characterized in this study suggest that D. turgidum can utilize most plant-based polysaccharidesmore » except crystalline cellulose. The DNA polymerase I enzyme was also expressed and characterized. The pure enzyme showed improved amplification of long PCR targets compared to Taq polymerase. The genome contains a full complement of DNA modifying enzymes, and an unusually high copy number (4) of a new, ancestral family of polB type nucleotidyltransferases designated as MNT (minimal nucleotidyltransferases). Considering its optimal growth at 72°C, D. turgidum has an anomalously low G+C content of 39.9% that may account for the presence of reverse gyrase, usually associated with hyperthermophiles.« less

The Complete Genome Sequence of Hyperthermophile Dictyoglomus turgidum DSM 6724™ Reveals a Specialized Carbohydrate Fermentor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brumm, Phillip J.; Gowda, Krishne; Robb, Frank T.

In this study we report the complete genome sequence of the chemoorganotrophic, extremely thermophilic bacterium, Dictyoglomus turgidum, which is a Gram negative, strictly anaerobic bacterium. D. turgidum and D. thermophilum together form the Dictyoglomi phylum. The two Dictyoglomus genomes are highly syntenic, and both are distantly related to Caldicellulosiruptor spp. D. turgidum is able to grow on a wide variety of polysaccharide substrates due to significant genomic commitment to glycosyl hydrolases, 16 of which were cloned and expressed in our study. The GH5, GH10, and GH42 enzymes characterized in this study suggest that D. turgidum can utilize most plant-based polysaccharidesmore » except crystalline cellulose. The DNA polymerase I enzyme was also expressed and characterized. The pure enzyme showed improved amplification of long PCR targets compared to Taq polymerase. The genome contains a full complement of DNA modifying enzymes, and an unusually high copy number (4) of a new, ancestral family of polB type nucleotidyltransferases designated as MNT (minimal nucleotidyltransferases). Considering its optimal growth at 72°C, D. turgidum has an anomalously low G+C content of 39.9% that may account for the presence of reverse gyrase, usually associated with hyperthermophiles.« less

Nucleotide diversity maps reveal variation in diversity among wheat genomes and chromosomes

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background A genome-wide assessment of nucleotide diversity in a polyploid species must minimize the inclusion of homoeologous sequences into diversity estimates and reliably allocate individual haplotypes into their respective genomes. The same requirements complicate the development and deployment of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers in polyploid species. We report here a strategy that satisfies these requirements and deploy it in the sequencing of genes in cultivated hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum, genomes AABBDD) and wild tetraploid wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides, genomes AABB) from the putative site of wheat domestication in Turkey. Data are used to assess the distribution of diversity among and within wheat genomes and to develop a panel of SNP markers for polyploid wheat. Results Nucleotide diversity was estimated in 2114 wheat genes and was similar between the A and B genomes and reduced in the D genome. Within a genome, diversity was diminished on some chromosomes. Low diversity was always accompanied by an excess of rare alleles. A total of 5,471 SNPs was discovered in 1791 wheat genes. Totals of 1,271, 1,218, and 2,203 SNPs were discovered in 488, 463, and 641 genes of wheat putative diploid ancestors, T. urartu, Aegilops speltoides, and Ae. tauschii, respectively. A public database containing genome-specific primers, SNPs, and other information was constructed. A total of 987 genes with nucleotide diversity estimated in one or more of the wheat genomes was placed on an Ae. tauschii genetic map, and the map was superimposed on wheat deletion-bin maps. The agreement between the maps was assessed. Conclusions In a young polyploid, exemplified by T. aestivum, ancestral species are the primary source of genetic diversity. Low effective recombination due to self-pollination and a genetic mechanism precluding homoeologous chromosome pairing during polyploid meiosis can lead to the loss of diversity from large chromosomal regions. The

Distant Mimivirus relative with a larger genome highlights the fundamental features of Megaviridae

PubMed Central

Arslan, Defne; Legendre, Matthieu; Seltzer, Virginie; Abergel, Chantal; Claverie, Jean-Michel

2011-01-01

Mimivirus, a DNA virus infecting acanthamoeba, was for a long time the largest known virus both in terms of particle size and gene content. Its genome encodes 979 proteins, including the first four aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (ArgRS, CysRS, MetRS, and TyrRS) ever found outside of cellular organisms. The discovery that Mimivirus encoded trademark cellular functions prompted a wealth of theoretical studies revisiting the concept of virus and associated large DNA viruses with the emergence of early eukaryotes. However, the evolutionary significance of these unique features remained impossible to assess in absence of a Mimivirus relative exhibiting a suitable evolutionary divergence. Here, we present Megavirus chilensis, a giant virus isolated off the coast of Chile, but capable of replicating in fresh water acanthamoeba. Its 1,259,197-bp genome is the largest viral genome fully sequenced so far. It encodes 1,120 putative proteins, of which 258 (23%) have no Mimivirus homologs. The 594 Megavirus/Mimivirus orthologs share an average of 50% of identical residues. Despite this divergence, Megavirus retained all of the genomic features characteristic of Mimivirus, including its cellular-like genes. Moreover, Megavirus exhibits three additional aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase genes (IleRS, TrpRS, and AsnRS) adding strong support to the previous suggestion that the Mimivirus/Megavirus lineage evolved from an ancestral cellular genome by reductive evolution. The main differences in gene content between Mimivirus and Megavirus genomes are due to (i) lineages specific gains or losses of genes, (ii) lineage specific gene family expansion or deletion, and (iii) the insertion/migration of mobile elements (intron, intein). PMID:21987820

Statistical Evaluation of the Rodin–Ohno Hypothesis: Sense/Antisense Coding of Ancestral Class I and II Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases

PubMed Central

Chandrasekaran, Srinivas Niranj; Yardimci, Galip Gürkan; Erdogan, Ozgün; Roach, Jeffrey; Carter, Charles W.

2013-01-01

We tested the idea that ancestral class I and II aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases arose on opposite strands of the same gene. We assembled excerpted 94-residue Urgenes for class I tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (TrpRS) and class II Histidyl-tRNA synthetase (HisRS) from a diverse group of species, by identifying and catenating three blocks coding for secondary structures that position the most highly conserved, active-site residues. The codon middle-base pairing frequency was 0.35 ± 0.0002 in all-by-all sense/antisense alignments for 211 TrpRS and 207 HisRS sequences, compared with frequencies between 0.22 ± 0.0009 and 0.27 ± 0.0005 for eight different representations of the null hypothesis. Clustering algorithms demonstrate further that profiles of middle-base pairing in the synthetase antisense alignments are correlated along the sequences from one species-pair to another, whereas this is not the case for similar operations on sets representing the null hypothesis. Most probable reconstructed sequences for ancestral nodes of maximum likelihood trees show that middle-base pairing frequency increases to approximately 0.42 ± 0.002 as bacterial trees approach their roots; ancestral nodes from trees including archaeal sequences show a less pronounced increase. Thus, contemporary and reconstructed sequences all validate important bioinformatic predictions based on descent from opposite strands of the same ancestral gene. They further provide novel evidence for the hypothesis that bacteria lie closer than archaea to the origin of translation. Moreover, the inverse polarity of genetic coding, together with a priori α-helix propensities suggest that in-frame coding on opposite strands leads to similar secondary structures with opposite polarity, as observed in TrpRS and HisRS crystal structures. PMID:23576570

Evolution of genome size and chromosome number in the carnivorous plant genus Genlisea (Lentibulariaceae), with a new estimate of the minimum genome size in angiosperms

PubMed Central

Fleischmann, Andreas; Michael, Todd P.; Rivadavia, Fernando; Sousa, Aretuza; Wang, Wenqin; Temsch, Eva M.; Greilhuber, Johann; Müller, Kai F.; Heubl, Günther

2014-01-01

Background and Aims Some species of Genlisea possess ultrasmall nuclear genomes, the smallest known among angiosperms, and some have been found to have chromosomes of diminutive size, which may explain why chromosome numbers and karyotypes are not known for the majority of species of the genus. However, other members of the genus do not possess ultrasmall genomes, nor do most taxa studied in related genera of the family or order. This study therefore examined the evolution of genome sizes and chromosome numbers in Genlisea in a phylogenetic context. The correlations of genome size with chromosome number and size, with the phylogeny of the group and with growth forms and habitats were also examined. Methods Nuclear genome sizes were measured from cultivated plant material for a comprehensive sampling of taxa, including nearly half of all species of Genlisea and representing all major lineages. Flow cytometric measurements were conducted in parallel in two laboratories in order to compare the consistency of different methods and controls. Chromosome counts were performed for the majority of taxa, comparing different staining techniques for the ultrasmall chromosomes. Key Results Genome sizes of 15 taxa of Genlisea are presented and interpreted in a phylogenetic context. A high degree of congruence was found between genome size distribution and the major phylogenetic lineages. Ultrasmall genomes with 1C values of <100 Mbp were almost exclusively found in a derived lineage of South American species. The ancestral haploid chromosome number was inferred to be n = 8. Chromosome numbers in Genlisea ranged from 2n = 2x = 16 to 2n = 4x = 32. Ascendant dysploid series (2n = 36, 38) are documented for three derived taxa. The different ploidy levels corresponded to the two subgenera, but were not directly correlated to differences in genome size; the three different karyotype ranges mirrored the different sections of the genus. The smallest known plant genomes were not found in

Mitochondrial Genomes of Kinorhyncha: trnM Duplication and New Gene Orders within Animals.

PubMed

Popova, Olga V; Mikhailov, Kirill V; Nikitin, Mikhail A; Logacheva, Maria D; Penin, Aleksey A; Muntyan, Maria S; Kedrova, Olga S; Petrov, Nikolai B; Panchin, Yuri V; Aleoshin, Vladimir V

2016-01-01

Many features of mitochondrial genomes of animals, such as patterns of gene arrangement, nucleotide content and substitution rate variation are extensively used in evolutionary and phylogenetic studies. Nearly 6,000 mitochondrial genomes of animals have already been sequenced, covering the majority of animal phyla. One of the groups that escaped mitogenome sequencing is phylum Kinorhyncha-an isolated taxon of microscopic worm-like ecdysozoans. The kinorhynchs are thought to be one of the early-branching lineages of Ecdysozoa, and their mitochondrial genomes may be important for resolving evolutionary relations between major animal taxa. Here we present the results of sequencing and analysis of mitochondrial genomes from two members of Kinorhyncha, Echinoderes svetlanae (Cyclorhagida) and Pycnophyes kielensis (Allomalorhagida). Their mitochondrial genomes are circular molecules approximately 15 Kbp in size. The kinorhynch mitochondrial gene sequences are highly divergent, which precludes accurate phylogenetic inference. The mitogenomes of both species encode a typical metazoan complement of 37 genes, which are all positioned on the major strand, but the gene order is distinct and unique among Ecdysozoa or animals as a whole. We predict four types of start codons for protein-coding genes in E. svetlanae and five in P. kielensis with a consensus DTD in single letter code. The mitochondrial genomes of E. svetlanae and P. kielensis encode duplicated methionine tRNA genes that display compensatory nucleotide substitutions. Two distant species of Kinorhyncha demonstrate similar patterns of gene arrangements in their mitogenomes. Both genomes have duplicated methionine tRNA genes; the duplication predates the divergence of two species. The kinorhynchs share a few features pertaining to gene order that align them with Priapulida. Gene order analysis reveals that gene arrangement specific of Priapulida may be ancestral for Scalidophora, Ecdysozoa, and even Protostomia.

Mitochondrial Genomes of Kinorhyncha: trnM Duplication and New Gene Orders within Animals

PubMed Central

Popova, Olga V.; Mikhailov, Kirill V.; Nikitin, Mikhail A.; Logacheva, Maria D.; Penin, Aleksey A.; Muntyan, Maria S.; Kedrova, Olga S.; Petrov, Nikolai B.; Panchin, Yuri V.

2016-01-01

Many features of mitochondrial genomes of animals, such as patterns of gene arrangement, nucleotide content and substitution rate variation are extensively used in evolutionary and phylogenetic studies. Nearly 6,000 mitochondrial genomes of animals have already been sequenced, covering the majority of animal phyla. One of the groups that escaped mitogenome sequencing is phylum Kinorhyncha—an isolated taxon of microscopic worm-like ecdysozoans. The kinorhynchs are thought to be one of the early-branching lineages of Ecdysozoa, and their mitochondrial genomes may be important for resolving evolutionary relations between major animal taxa. Here we present the results of sequencing and analysis of mitochondrial genomes from two members of Kinorhyncha, Echinoderes svetlanae (Cyclorhagida) and Pycnophyes kielensis (Allomalorhagida). Their mitochondrial genomes are circular molecules approximately 15 Kbp in size. The kinorhynch mitochondrial gene sequences are highly divergent, which precludes accurate phylogenetic inference. The mitogenomes of both species encode a typical metazoan complement of 37 genes, which are all positioned on the major strand, but the gene order is distinct and unique among Ecdysozoa or animals as a whole. We predict four types of start codons for protein-coding genes in E. svetlanae and five in P. kielensis with a consensus DTD in single letter code. The mitochondrial genomes of E. svetlanae and P. kielensis encode duplicated methionine tRNA genes that display compensatory nucleotide substitutions. Two distant species of Kinorhyncha demonstrate similar patterns of gene arrangements in their mitogenomes. Both genomes have duplicated methionine tRNA genes; the duplication predates the divergence of two species. The kinorhynchs share a few features pertaining to gene order that align them with Priapulida. Gene order analysis reveals that gene arrangement specific of Priapulida may be ancestral for Scalidophora, Ecdysozoa, and even Protostomia

Deep Whole-Genome Sequencing to Detect Mixed Infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

PubMed Central

Gan, Mingyu; Liu, Qingyun; Yang, Chongguang; Gao, Qian; Luo, Tao

2016-01-01

Mixed infection by multiple Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) strains is associated with poor treatment outcome of tuberculosis (TB). Traditional genotyping methods have been used to detect mixed infections of MTB, however, their sensitivity and resolution are limited. Deep whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has been proved highly sensitive and discriminative for studying population heterogeneity of MTB. Here, we developed a phylogenetic-based method to detect MTB mixed infections using WGS data. We collected published WGS data of 782 global MTB strains from public database. We called homogeneous and heterogeneous single nucleotide variations (SNVs) of individual strains by mapping short reads to the ancestral MTB reference genome. We constructed a phylogenomic database based on 68,639 homogeneous SNVs of 652 MTB strains. Mixed infections were determined if multiple evolutionary paths were identified by mapping the SNVs of individual samples to the phylogenomic database. By simulation, our method could specifically detect mixed infections when the sequencing depth of minor strains was as low as 1× coverage, and when the genomic distance of two mixed strains was as small as 16 SNVs. By applying our methods to all 782 samples, we detected 47 mixed infections and 45 of them were caused by locally endemic strains. The results indicate that our method is highly sensitive and discriminative for identifying mixed infections from deep WGS data of MTB isolates. PMID:27391214

Ancestral origins and invasion pathways in a globally invasive bird correlate with climate and influences from bird trade

PubMed Central

Jackson, Hazel; Strubbe, Diederik; Tollington, Simon; Prys-Jones, Robert; Matthysen, Erik; Groombridge, Jim J

2015-01-01

Invasive species present a major threat to global biodiversity. Understanding genetic patterns and evolutionary processes that reinforce successful establishment is paramount for elucidating mechanisms underlying biological invasions. Among birds, the ring-necked parakeet (Psittacula krameri) is one of the most successful invasive species, established in over 35 countries. However, little is known about the evolutionary genetic origins of this species and what population genetic signatures tell us about patterns of invasion. We reveal the ancestral origins of populations across the invasive range and explore the potential influence of climate and propagule pressure from the pet trade on observed genetic patterns. Ring-necked parakeet samples representing the ancestral native range (n = 96) were collected from museum specimens, and modern samples from the invasive range (n = 855) were gathered from across Europe, Mauritius and Seychelles, and sequenced for two mitochondrial DNA markers comprising 868 bp of cytochrome b and control region, and genotyped at 10 microsatellite loci. Invasive populations comprise birds that originate predominantly from Pakistan and northern areas of India. Haplotypes associated with more northerly distribution limits in the ancestral native range were more prevalent in invasive populations in Europe, and the predominance of Asian haplotypes in Europe is consistent with the higher number of Asian birds transported by the pet trade outside the native range. Successful establishment of invasive species is likely to be underpinned by a combination of environmental and anthropogenic influences. PMID:26172573

Ancestral origins and invasion pathways in a globally invasive bird correlate with climate and influences from bird trade.

PubMed

Jackson, Hazel; Strubbe, Diederik; Tollington, Simon; Prys-Jones, Robert; Matthysen, Erik; Groombridge, Jim J

2015-08-01

Invasive species present a major threat to global biodiversity. Understanding genetic patterns and evolutionary processes that reinforce successful establishment is paramount for elucidating mechanisms underlying biological invasions. Among birds, the ring-necked parakeet (Psittacula krameri) is one of the most successful invasive species, established in over 35 countries. However, little is known about the evolutionary genetic origins of this species and what population genetic signatures tell us about patterns of invasion. We reveal the ancestral origins of populations across the invasive range and explore the potential influence of climate and propagule pressure from the pet trade on observed genetic patterns. Ring-necked parakeet samples representing the ancestral native range (n = 96) were collected from museum specimens, and modern samples from the invasive range (n = 855) were gathered from across Europe, Mauritius and Seychelles, and sequenced for two mitochondrial DNA markers comprising 868 bp of cytochrome b and control region, and genotyped at 10 microsatellite loci. Invasive populations comprise birds that originate predominantly from Pakistan and northern areas of India. Haplotypes associated with more northerly distribution limits in the ancestral native range were more prevalent in invasive populations in Europe, and the predominance of Asian haplotypes in Europe is consistent with the higher number of Asian birds transported by the pet trade outside the native range. Successful establishment of invasive species is likely to be underpinned by a combination of environmental and anthropogenic influences. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the longhorn beetle Xylotrechus grayii (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae).

PubMed

Guo, Kun; Chen, Jun; Xu, Chang-Qing; Qiao, Hai-Li; Xu, Rong; Zhao, Xiang-Jian

2016-05-01

We sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of the longhorn beetle, Xylotrechus grayii. The total length of the X. grayii mitogenome was 15,540 bp with an A + T content of 75.29%, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes and an A + T-rich region. All the genes were arranged in the same order as that of the ancestral insect. All PCGs started with a typical ATN codon except for cox1 and nad1, which used TTG as start codon. Ten out of 13 PCGs terminated with incomplete codons (TA or T). The A + T-rich region was 893 bp in length with an A + T content of 85.89 %.

Application of Genome Wide Association and Genomic Prediction for Improvement of Cacao Productivity and Resistance to Black and Frosty Pod Diseases

PubMed Central

Romero Navarro, J. Alberto; Phillips-Mora, Wilbert; Arciniegas-Leal, Adriana; Mata-Quirós, Allan; Haiminen, Niina; Mustiga, Guiliana; Livingstone III, Donald; van Bakel, Harm; Kuhn, David N.; Parida, Laxmi; Kasarskis, Andrew; Motamayor, Juan C.

2017-01-01

Chocolate is a highly valued and palatable confectionery product. Chocolate is primarily made from the processed seeds of the tree species Theobroma cacao. Cacao cultivation is highly relevant for small-holder farmers throughout the tropics, yet its productivity remains limited by low yields and widespread pathogens. A panel of 148 improved cacao clones was assembled based on productivity and disease resistance, and phenotypic single-tree replicated clonal evaluation was performed for 8 years. Using high-density markers, the diversity of clones was expressed relative to 10 known ancestral cacao populations, and significant effects of ancestry were observed in productivity and disease resistance. Genome-wide association (GWA) was performed, and six markers were significantly associated with frosty pod disease resistance. In addition, genomic selection was performed, and consistent with the observed extensive linkage disequilibrium, high predictive ability was observed at low marker densities for all traits. Finally, quantitative trait locus mapping and differential expression analysis of two cultivars with contrasting disease phenotypes were performed to identify genes underlying frosty pod disease resistance, identifying a significant quantitative trait locus and 35 differentially expressed genes using two independent differential expression analyses. These results indicate that in breeding populations of heterozygous and recently admixed individuals, mapping approaches can be used for low complexity traits like pod color cacao, or in other species single gene disease resistance, however genomic selection for quantitative traits remains highly effective relative to mapping. Our results can help guide the breeding process for sustainable improved cacao productivity. PMID:29184558

Genomic ancestry and education level independently influence abdominal fat distributions in a Brazilian admixed population.

PubMed

França, Giovanny Vinícius Araújo de; De Lucia Rolfe, Emanuella; Horta, Bernardo Lessa; Gigante, Denise Petrucci; Yudkin, John S; Ong, Ken K; Victora, Cesar Gomes

2017-01-01

We aimed to identify the independent associations of genomic ancestry and education level with abdominal fat distributions in the 1982 Pelotas birth cohort study, Brazil. In 2,890 participants (1,409 men and 1,481 women), genomic ancestry was assessed using genotype data on 370,539 genome-wide variants to quantify ancestral proportions in each individual. Years of completed education was used to indicate socio-economic position. Visceral fat depth and subcutaneous abdominal fat thickness were measured by ultrasound at age 29-31y; these measures were adjusted for BMI to indicate abdominal fat distributions. Linear regression models were performed, separately by sex. Admixture was observed between European (median proportion 85.3), African (6.6), and Native American (6.3) ancestries, with a strong inverse correlation between the African and European ancestry scores (ρ = -0.93; p<0.001). Independent of education level, African ancestry was inversely associated with both visceral and subcutaneous abdominal fat distributions in men (both P = 0.001), and inversely associated with subcutaneous abdominal fat distribution in women (p = 0.009). Independent of genomic ancestry, higher education level was associated with lower visceral fat, but higher subcutaneous fat, in both men and women (all p<0.001). Our findings, from an admixed population, indicate that both genomic ancestry and education level were independently associated with abdominal fat distribution in adults. African ancestry appeared to lower abdominal fat distributions, particularly in men.

Genomic ancestry and education level independently influence abdominal fat distributions in a Brazilian admixed population

PubMed Central

De Lucia Rolfe, Emanuella; Horta, Bernardo Lessa; Gigante, Denise Petrucci; Yudkin, John S.; Ong, Ken K.; Victora, Cesar Gomes

2017-01-01

We aimed to identify the independent associations of genomic ancestry and education level with abdominal fat distributions in the 1982 Pelotas birth cohort study, Brazil. In 2,890 participants (1,409 men and 1,481 women), genomic ancestry was assessed using genotype data on 370,539 genome-wide variants to quantify ancestral proportions in each individual. Years of completed education was used to indicate socio-economic position. Visceral fat depth and subcutaneous abdominal fat thickness were measured by ultrasound at age 29–31y; these measures were adjusted for BMI to indicate abdominal fat distributions. Linear regression models were performed, separately by sex. Admixture was observed between European (median proportion 85.3), African (6.6), and Native American (6.3) ancestries, with a strong inverse correlation between the African and European ancestry scores (ρ = -0.93; p<0.001). Independent of education level, African ancestry was inversely associated with both visceral and subcutaneous abdominal fat distributions in men (both P = 0.001), and inversely associated with subcutaneous abdominal fat distribution in women (p = 0.009). Independent of genomic ancestry, higher education level was associated with lower visceral fat, but higher subcutaneous fat, in both men and women (all p<0.001). Our findings, from an admixed population, indicate that both genomic ancestry and education level were independently associated with abdominal fat distribution in adults. African ancestry appeared to lower abdominal fat distributions, particularly in men. PMID:28582437

Ancestral state reconstructions require biological evidence to test evolutionary hypotheses: A case study examining the evolution of reproductive mode in squamate reptiles.

PubMed

Griffith, Oliver W; Blackburn, Daniel G; Brandley, Matthew C; Van Dyke, James U; Whittington, Camilla M; Thompson, Michael B

2015-09-01

To understand evolutionary transformations it is necessary to identify the character states of extinct ancestors. Ancestral character state reconstruction is inherently difficult because it requires an accurate phylogeny, character state data, and a statistical model of transition rates and is fundamentally constrained by missing data such as extinct taxa. We argue that model based ancestral character state reconstruction should be used to generate hypotheses but should not be considered an analytical endpoint. Using the evolution of viviparity and reversals to oviparity in squamates as a case study, we show how anatomical, physiological, and ecological data can be used to evaluate hypotheses about evolutionary transitions. The evolution of squamate viviparity requires changes to the timing of reproductive events and the successive loss of features responsible for building an eggshell. A reversal to oviparity requires that those lost traits re-evolve. We argue that the re-evolution of oviparity is inherently more difficult than the reverse. We outline how the inviability of intermediate phenotypes might present physiological barriers to reversals from viviparity to oviparity. Finally, we show that ecological data supports an oviparous ancestral state for squamates and multiple transitions to viviparity. In summary, we conclude that the first squamates were oviparous, that frequent transitions to viviparity have occurred, and that reversals to oviparity in viviparous lineages either have not occurred or are exceedingly rare. As this evidence supports conclusions that differ from previous ancestral state reconstructions, our paper highlights the importance of incorporating biological evidence to evaluate model-generated hypotheses. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Domestication, Genomics and the Future for Banana

PubMed Central

Heslop-Harrison, J. S.; Schwarzacher, Trude

2007-01-01

Background Cultivated bananas and plantains are giant herbaceous plants within the genus Musa. They are both sterile and parthenocarpic so the fruit develops without seed. The cultivated hybrids and species are mostly triploid (2n = 3x = 33; a few are diploid or tetraploid), and most have been propagated from mutants found in the wild. With a production of 100 million tons annually, banana is a staple food across the Asian, African and American tropics, with the 15 % that is exported being important to many economies. Scope There are well over a thousand domesticated Musa cultivars and their genetic diversity is high, indicating multiple origins from different wild hybrids between two principle ancestral species. However, the difficulty of genetics and sterility of the crop has meant that the development of new varieties through hybridization, mutation or transformation was not very successful in the 20th century. Knowledge of structural and functional genomics and genes, reproductive physiology, cytogenetics, and comparative genomics with rice, Arabidopsis and other model species has increased our understanding of Musa and its diversity enormously. Conclusions There are major challenges to banana production from virulent diseases, abiotic stresses and new demands for sustainability, quality, transport and yield. Within the genepool of cultivars and wild species there are genetic resistances to many stresses. Genomic approaches are now rapidly advancing in Musa and have the prospect of helping enable banana to maintain and increase its importance as a staple food and cash crop through integration of genetical, evolutionary and structural data, allowing targeted breeding, transformation and efficient use of Musa biodiversity in the future. PMID:17766312

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of the chlorophycean green alga Scenedesmus obliquus reveals a compact gene organization and a biased distribution of genes on the two DNA strands

PubMed Central

de Cambiaire, Jean-Charles; Otis, Christian; Lemieux, Claude; Turmel, Monique

2006-01-01

Background The phylum Chlorophyta contains the majority of the green algae and is divided into four classes. While the basal position of the Prasinophyceae is well established, the divergence order of the Ulvophyceae, Trebouxiophyceae and Chlorophyceae (UTC) remains uncertain. The five complete chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) sequences currently available for representatives of these classes display considerable variability in overall structure, gene content, gene density, intron content and gene order. Among these genomes, that of the chlorophycean green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has retained the least ancestral features. The two single-copy regions, which are separated from one another by the large inverted repeat (IR), have similar sizes, rather than unequal sizes, and differ radically in both gene contents and gene organizations relative to the single-copy regions of prasinophyte and ulvophyte cpDNAs. To gain insights into the various changes that underwent the chloroplast genome during the evolution of chlorophycean green algae, we have sequenced the cpDNA of Scenedesmus obliquus, a member of a distinct chlorophycean lineage. Results The 161,452 bp IR-containing genome of Scenedesmus features single-copy regions of similar sizes, encodes 96 genes, i.e. only two additional genes (infA and rpl12) relative to its Chlamydomonas homologue and contains seven group I and two group II introns. It is clearly more compact than the four UTC algal cpDNAs that have been examined so far, displays the lowest proportion of short repeats among these algae and shows a stronger bias in clustering of genes on the same DNA strand compared to Chlamydomonas cpDNA. Like the latter genome, Scenedesmus cpDNA displays only a few ancestral gene clusters. The two chlorophycean genomes share 11 gene clusters that are not found in previously sequenced trebouxiophyte and ulvophyte cpDNAs as well as a few genes that have an unusual structure; however, their single-copy regions differ

Emergence and Evolution of Hominidae-Specific Coding and Noncoding Genomic Sequences.

PubMed

Saber, Morteza Mahmoudi; Adeyemi Babarinde, Isaac; Hettiarachchi, Nilmini; Saitou, Naruya

2016-07-12

Family Hominidae, which includes humans and great apes, is recognized for unique complex social behavior and intellectual abilities. Despite the increasing genome data, however, the genomic origin of its phenotypic uniqueness has remained elusive. Clade-specific genes and highly conserved noncoding sequences (HCNSs) are among the high-potential evolutionary candidates involved in driving clade-specific characters and phenotypes. On this premise, we analyzed whole genome sequences along with gene orthology data retrieved from major DNA databases to find Hominidae-specific (HS) genes and HCNSs. We discovered that Down syndrome critical region 4 (DSCR4) is the only experimentally verified gene uniquely present in Hominidae. DSCR4 has no structural homology to any known protein and was inferred to have emerged in several steps through LTR/ERV1, LTR/ERVL retrotransposition, and transversion. Using the genomic distance as neutral evolution threshold, we identified 1,658 HS HCNSs. Polymorphism coverage and derived allele frequency analysis of HS HCNSs showed that these HCNSs are under purifying selection, indicating that they may harbor important functions. They are overrepresented in promoters/untranslated regions, in close proximity of genes involved in sensory perception of sound and developmental process, and also showed a significantly lower nucleosome occupancy probability. Interestingly, many ancestral sequences of the HS HCNSs showed very high evolutionary rates. This suggests that new functions emerged through some kind of positive selection, and then purifying selection started to operate to keep these functions. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Insights into Platypus Population Structure and History from Whole-Genome Sequencing.

PubMed

Martin, Hilary C; Batty, Elizabeth M; Hussin, Julie; Westall, Portia; Daish, Tasman; Kolomyjec, Stephen; Piazza, Paolo; Bowden, Rory; Hawkins, Margaret; Grant, Tom; Moritz, Craig; Grutzner, Frank; Gongora, Jaime; Donnelly, Peter

2018-05-01

The platypus is an egg-laying mammal which, alongside the echidna, occupies a unique place in the mammalian phylogenetic tree. Despite widespread interest in its unusual biology, little is known about its population structure or recent evolutionary history. To provide new insights into the dispersal and demographic history of this iconic species, we sequenced the genomes of 57 platypuses from across the whole species range in eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania. Using a highly improved reference genome, we called over 6.7 M SNPs, providing an informative genetic data set for population analyses. Our results show very strong population structure in the platypus, with our sampling locations corresponding to discrete groupings between which there is no evidence for recent gene flow. Genome-wide data allowed us to establish that 28 of the 57 sampled individuals had at least a third-degree relative among other samples from the same river, often taken at different times. Taking advantage of a sampled family quartet, we estimated the de novo mutation rate in the platypus at 7.0 × 10-9/bp/generation (95% CI 4.1 × 10-9-1.2 × 10-8/bp/generation). We estimated effective population sizes of ancestral populations and haplotype sharing between current groupings, and found evidence for bottlenecks and long-term population decline in multiple regions, and early divergence between populations in different regions. This study demonstrates the power of whole-genome sequencing for studying natural populations of an evolutionarily important species.

Insights into Platypus Population Structure and History from Whole-Genome Sequencing

PubMed Central

Martin, Hilary C; Hussin, Julie; Westall, Portia; Daish, Tasman; Kolomyjec, Stephen; Piazza, Paolo; Bowden, Rory; Hawkins, Margaret; Grant, Tom; Moritz, Craig; Grutzner, Frank; Gongora, Jaime; Donnelly, Peter

2018-01-01

Abstract The platypus is an egg-laying mammal which, alongside the echidna, occupies a unique place in the mammalian phylogenetic tree. Despite widespread interest in its unusual biology, little is known about its population structure or recent evolutionary history. To provide new insights into the dispersal and demographic history of this iconic species, we sequenced the genomes of 57 platypuses from across the whole species range in eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania. Using a highly improved reference genome, we called over 6.7 M SNPs, providing an informative genetic data set for population analyses. Our results show very strong population structure in the platypus, with our sampling locations corresponding to discrete groupings between which there is no evidence for recent gene flow. Genome-wide data allowed us to establish that 28 of the 57 sampled individuals had at least a third-degree relative among other samples from the same river, often taken at different times. Taking advantage of a sampled family quartet, we estimated the de novo mutation rate in the platypus at 7.0 × 10−9/bp/generation (95% CI 4.1 × 10−9–1.2 × 10−8/bp/generation). We estimated effective population sizes of ancestral populations and haplotype sharing between current groupings, and found evidence for bottlenecks and long-term population decline in multiple regions, and early divergence between populations in different regions. This study demonstrates the power of whole-genome sequencing for studying natural populations of an evolutionarily important species. PMID:29688544

Lineage-Specific Biology Revealed by a Finished Genome Assembly of the Mouse

PubMed Central

Hillier, LaDeana W.; Zody, Michael C.; Goldstein, Steve; She, Xinwe; Bult, Carol J.; Agarwala, Richa; Cherry, Joshua L.; DiCuccio, Michael; Hlavina, Wratko; Kapustin, Yuri; Meric, Peter; Maglott, Donna; Birtle, Zoë; Marques, Ana C.; Graves, Tina; Zhou, Shiguo; Teague, Brian; Potamousis, Konstantinos; Churas, Christopher; Place, Michael; Herschleb, Jill; Runnheim, Ron; Forrest, Daniel; Amos-Landgraf, James; Schwartz, David C.; Cheng, Ze; Lindblad-Toh, Kerstin; Eichler, Evan E.; Ponting, Chris P.

2009-01-01

The mouse (Mus musculus) is the premier animal model for understanding human disease and development. Here we show that a comprehensive understanding of mouse biology is only possible with the availability of a finished, high-quality genome assembly. The finished clone-based assembly of the mouse strain C57BL/6J reported here has over 175,000 fewer gaps and over 139 Mb more of novel sequence, compared with the earlier MGSCv3 draft genome assembly. In a comprehensive analysis of this revised genome sequence, we are now able to define 20,210 protein-coding genes, over a thousand more than predicted in the human genome (19,042 genes). In addition, we identified 439 long, non–protein-coding RNAs with evidence for transcribed orthologs in human. We analyzed the complex and repetitive landscape of 267 Mb of sequence that was missing or misassembled in the previously published assembly, and we provide insights into the reasons for its resistance to sequencing and assembly by whole-genome shotgun approaches. Duplicated regions within newly assembled sequence tend to be of more recent ancestry than duplicates in the published draft, correcting our initial understanding of recent evolution on the mouse lineage. These duplicates appear to be largely composed of sequence regions containing transposable elements and duplicated protein-coding genes; of these, some may be fixed in the mouse population, but at least 40% of segmentally duplicated sequences are copy number variable even among laboratory mouse strains. Mouse lineage-specific regions contain 3,767 genes drawn mainly from rapidly-changing gene families associated with reproductive functions. The finished mouse genome assembly, therefore, greatly improves our understanding of rodent-specific biology and allows the delineation of ancestral biological functions that are shared with human from derived functions that are not. PMID:19468303

The mitochondrial genome of the pathogenic yeast Candida subhashii: GC-rich linear DNA with a protein covalently attached to the 5′ termini

PubMed Central

Fricova, Dominika; Valach, Matus; Farkas, Zoltan; Pfeiffer, Ilona; Kucsera, Judit; Tomaska, Lubomir; Nosek, Jozef

2010-01-01

As a part of our initiative aimed at a large-scale comparative analysis of fungal mitochondrial genomes, we determined the complete DNA sequence of the mitochondrial genome of the yeast Candida subhashii and found that it exhibits a number of peculiar features. First, the mitochondrial genome is represented by linear dsDNA molecules of uniform length (29 795 bp), with an unusually high content of guanine and cytosine residues (52.7 %). Second, the coding sequences lack introns; thus, the genome has a relatively compact organization. Third, the termini of the linear molecules consist of long inverted repeats and seem to contain a protein covalently bound to terminal nucleotides at the 5′ ends. This architecture resembles the telomeres in a number of linear viral and plasmid DNA genomes classified as invertrons, in which the terminal proteins serve as specific primers for the initiation of DNA synthesis. Finally, although the mitochondrial genome of C. subhashii contains essentially the same set of genes as other closely related pathogenic Candida species, we identified additional ORFs encoding two homologues of the family B protein-priming DNA polymerases and an unknown protein. The terminal structures and the genes for DNA polymerases are reminiscent of linear mitochondrial plasmids, indicating that this genome architecture might have emerged from fortuitous recombination between an ancestral, presumably circular, mitochondrial genome and an invertron-like element. PMID:20395267

Rate heterogeneity across Squamata, misleading ancestral state reconstruction and the importance of proper null model specification.

PubMed

Harrington, S; Reeder, T W

2017-02-01

The binary-state speciation and extinction (BiSSE) model has been used in many instances to identify state-dependent diversification and reconstruct ancestral states. However, recent studies have shown that the standard procedure of comparing the fit of the BiSSE model to constant-rate birth-death models often inappropriately favours the BiSSE model when diversification rates vary in a state-independent fashion. The newly developed HiSSE model enables researchers to identify state-dependent diversification rates while accounting for state-independent diversification at the same time. The HiSSE model also allows researchers to test state-dependent models against appropriate state-independent null models that have the same number of parameters as the state-dependent models being tested. We reanalyse two data sets that originally used BiSSE to reconstruct ancestral states within squamate reptiles and reached surprising conclusions regarding the evolution of toepads within Gekkota and viviparity across Squamata. We used this new method to demonstrate that there are many shifts in diversification rates across squamates. We then fit various HiSSE submodels and null models to the state and phylogenetic data and reconstructed states under these models. We found that there is no single, consistent signal for state-dependent diversification associated with toepads in gekkotans or viviparity across all squamates. Our reconstructions show limited support for the recently proposed hypotheses that toepads evolved multiple times independently in Gekkota and that transitions from viviparity to oviparity are common in Squamata. Our results highlight the importance of considering an adequate pool of models and null models when estimating diversification rate parameters and reconstructing ancestral states. © 2016 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2016 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Sequencing of diverse mandarin, pummelo and orange genomes reveals complex history of admixture during citrus domestication

PubMed Central

Wu, G. Albert; Prochnik, Simon; Jenkins, Jerry; Salse, Jerome; Hellsten, Uffe; Murat, Florent; Perrier, Xavier; Ruiz, Manuel; Scalabrin, Simone; Terol, Javier; Takita, Marco Aurélio; Labadie, Karine; Poulain, Julie; Couloux, Arnaud; Jabbari, Kamel; Cattonaro, Federica; Del Fabbro, Cristian; Pinosio, Sara; Zuccolo, Andrea; Chapman, Jarrod; Grimwood, Jane; Tadeo, Francisco R.; Estornell, Leandro H.; Muñoz-Sanz, Juan V.; Ibanez, Victoria; Herrero-Ortega, Amparo; Aleza, Pablo; Pérez-Pérez, Julián; Ramón, Daniel; Brunel, Dominique; Luro, François; Chen, Chunxian; Farmerie, William G.; Desany, Brian; Kodira, Chinnappa; Mohiuddin, Mohammed; Harkins, Tim; Fredrikson, Karin; Burns, Paul; Lomsadze, Alexandre; Borodovsky, Mark; Reforgiato, Giuseppe; Freitas-Astúa, Juliana; Quetier, Francis; Navarro, Luis; Roose, Mikeal; Wincker, Patrick; Schmutz, Jeremy; Morgante, Michele; Machado, Marcos Antonio; Talon, Manuel; Jaillon, Olivier; Ollitrault, Patrick; Gmitter, Frederick; Rokhsar, Daniel

2014-01-01

The domestication of citrus, is poorly understood. Cultivated types are selections from, or hybrids of, wild progenitor species, whose identities and contributions remain controversial. By comparative analysis of a collection of citrus genomes, including a high quality haploid reference, we show that cultivated types were derived from two progenitor species. Though cultivated pummelos represent selections from a single progenitor species, C. maxima, cultivated mandarins are introgressions of C. maxima into the ancestral mandarin species, C. reticulata. The most widely cultivated citrus, sweet orange, is the offspring of previously admixed individuals, but sour orange is an F1 hybrid of pure C. maxima and C. reticulata parents, implying that wild mandarins were part of the early breeding germplasm. A wild “mandarin” from China exhibited substantial divergence from C. reticulata, suggesting the possibility of other unrecognized wild citrus species. Understanding citrus phylogeny through genome analysis clarifies taxonomic relationships and enables sequence-directed genetic improvement. PMID:24908277

The complete mitochondrial genome of the gall-forming fly, Fergusonina taylori Nelson and Yeates (Diptera: Fergusoninidae).

PubMed

Nelson, Leigh A; Cameron, Stephen L; Yeates, David K

2011-10-01

The monogeneric family Fergusoninidae consists of gall-forming flies that, together with Fergusobia (Tylenchida: Neotylenchidae) nematodes, form the only known mutualistic association between insects and nematodes. In this study, the entire 16,000 bp mitochondrial genome of Fergusonina taylori Nelson and Yeates was sequenced. The circular genome contains one encoding region including 27 genes and one non-coding A+T-rich region. The arrangement of the protein-coding, ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and transfer RNA (tRNA) genes was the same as that found in the ancestral insect. Nucleotide composition is highly A+T biased. All of the protein initiation codons are ATN, except for nad1 which begins with TTT. All 22 tRNA anticodons of F. taylori match those observed in Drosophila yakuba, and all form the typical cloverleaf structure except for tRNA-Ser((AGN)) which lacks a dihydrouridine (DHU) arm. Secondary structural features of the rRNA genes of Fergusonina are similar to those proposed for other insects, with minor modifications. The mitochondrial genome of Fergusonina presented here may prove valuable for resolving the sister group to the Fergusoninidae, and expands the available mtDNA data sources for acalyptrates overall.

Genome-wide copy number variation (CNV) detection in Nelore cattle reveals highly frequent variants in genome regions harboring QTLs affecting production traits.

PubMed

da Silva, Joaquim Manoel; Giachetto, Poliana Fernanda; da Silva, Luiz Otávio; Cintra, Leandro Carrijo; Paiva, Samuel Rezende; Yamagishi, Michel Eduardo Beleza; Caetano, Alexandre Rodrigues

2016-06-13

Copy number variations (CNVs) have been shown to account for substantial portions of observed genomic variation and have been associated with qualitative and quantitative traits and the onset of disease in a number of species. Information from high-resolution studies to detect, characterize and estimate population-specific variant frequencies will facilitate the incorporation of CNVs in genomic studies to identify genes affecting traits of importance. Genome-wide CNVs were detected in high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping data from 1,717 Nelore (Bos indicus) cattle, and in NGS data from eight key ancestral bulls. A total of 68,007 and 12,786 distinct CNVs were observed, respectively. Cross-comparisons of results obtained for the eight resequenced animals revealed that 92 % of the CNVs were observed in both datasets, while 62 % of all detected CNVs were observed to overlap with previously validated cattle copy number variant regions (CNVRs). Observed CNVs were used for obtaining breed-specific CNV frequencies and identification of CNVRs, which were subsequently used for gene annotation. A total of 688 of the detected CNVRs were observed to overlap with 286 non-redundant QTLs associated with important production traits in cattle. All of 34 CNVs previously reported to be associated with milk production traits in Holsteins were also observed in Nelore cattle. Comparisons of estimated frequencies of these CNVs in the two breeds revealed 14, 13, 6 and 14 regions in high (>20 %), low (<20 %) and divergent (NEL > HOL, NEL < HOL) frequencies, respectively. Obtained results significantly enriched the bovine CNV map and enabled the identification of variants that are potentially associated with traits under selection in Nelore cattle, particularly in genome regions harboring QTLs affecting production traits.

Comparative analysis of the domestic cat genome reveals genetic signatures underlying feline biology and domestication.

PubMed

Montague, Michael J; Li, Gang; Gandolfi, Barbara; Khan, Razib; Aken, Bronwen L; Searle, Steven M J; Minx, Patrick; Hillier, LaDeana W; Koboldt, Daniel C; Davis, Brian W; Driscoll, Carlos A; Barr, Christina S; Blackistone, Kevin; Quilez, Javier; Lorente-Galdos, Belen; Marques-Bonet, Tomas; Alkan, Can; Thomas, Gregg W C; Hahn, Matthew W; Menotti-Raymond, Marilyn; O'Brien, Stephen J; Wilson, Richard K; Lyons, Leslie A; Murphy, William J; Warren, Wesley C

2014-12-02

Little is known about the genetic changes that distinguish domestic cat populations from their wild progenitors. Here we describe a high-quality domestic cat reference genome assembly and comparative inferences made with other cat breeds, wildcats, and other mammals. Based upon these comparisons, we identified positively selected genes enriched for genes involved in lipid metabolism that underpin adaptations to a hypercarnivorous diet. We also found positive selection signals within genes underlying sensory processes, especially those affecting vision and hearing in the carnivore lineage. We observed an evolutionary tradeoff between functional olfactory and vomeronasal receptor gene repertoires in the cat and dog genomes, with an expansion of the feline chemosensory system for detecting pheromones at the expense of odorant detection. Genomic regions harboring signatures of natural selection that distinguish domestic cats from their wild congeners are enriched in neural crest-related genes associated with behavior and reward in mouse models, as predicted by the domestication syndrome hypothesis. Our description of a previously unidentified allele for the gloving pigmentation pattern found in the Birman breed supports the hypothesis that cat breeds experienced strong selection on specific mutations drawn from random bred populations. Collectively, these findings provide insight into how the process of domestication altered the ancestral wildcat genome and build a resource for future disease mapping and phylogenomic studies across all members of the Felidae.

Comparative analysis of the domestic cat genome reveals genetic signatures underlying feline biology and domestication

PubMed Central

Li, Gang; Gandolfi, Barbara; Khan, Razib; Aken, Bronwen L.; Searle, Steven M. J.; Minx, Patrick; Hillier, LaDeana W.; Koboldt, Daniel C.; Davis, Brian W.; Driscoll, Carlos A.; Barr, Christina S.; Blackistone, Kevin; Quilez, Javier; Lorente-Galdos, Belen; Marques-Bonet, Tomas; Alkan, Can; Thomas, Gregg W. C.; Hahn, Matthew W.; Menotti-Raymond, Marilyn; O’Brien, Stephen J.; Wilson, Richard K.; Lyons, Leslie A.; Murphy, William J.; Warren, Wesley C.

2014-01-01

Little is known about the genetic changes that distinguish domestic cat populations from their wild progenitors. Here we describe a high-quality domestic cat reference genome assembly and comparative inferences made with other cat breeds, wildcats, and other mammals. Based upon these comparisons, we identified positively selected genes enriched for genes involved in lipid metabolism that underpin adaptations to a hypercarnivorous diet. We also found positive selection signals within genes underlying sensory processes, especially those affecting vision and hearing in the carnivore lineage. We observed an evolutionary tradeoff between functional olfactory and vomeronasal receptor gene repertoires in the cat and dog genomes, with an expansion of the feline chemosensory system for detecting pheromones at the expense of odorant detection. Genomic regions harboring signatures of natural selection that distinguish domestic cats from their wild congeners are enriched in neural crest-related genes associated with behavior and reward in mouse models, as predicted by the domestication syndrome hypothesis. Our description of a previously unidentified allele for the gloving pigmentation pattern found in the Birman breed supports the hypothesis that cat breeds experienced strong selection on specific mutations drawn from random bred populations. Collectively, these findings provide insight into how the process of domestication altered the ancestral wildcat genome and build a resource for future disease mapping and phylogenomic studies across all members of the Felidae. PMID:25385592

PGG.Population: a database for understanding the genomic diversity and genetic ancestry of human populations

PubMed Central

Zhang, Chao; Gao, Yang; Liu, Jiaojiao; Xue, Zhe; Lu, Yan; Deng, Lian; Tian, Lei; Feng, Qidi

2018-01-01

Abstract There are a growing number of studies focusing on delineating genetic variations that are associated with complex human traits and diseases due to recent advances in next-generation sequencing technologies. However, identifying and prioritizing disease-associated causal variants relies on understanding the distribution of genetic variations within and among populations. The PGG.Population database documents 7122 genomes representing 356 global populations from 107 countries and provides essential information for researchers to understand human genomic diversity and genetic ancestry. These data and information can facilitate the design of research studies and the interpretation of results of both evolutionary and medical studies involving human populations. The database is carefully maintained and constantly updated when new data are available. We included miscellaneous functions and a user-friendly graphical interface for visualization of genomic diversity, population relationships (genetic affinity), ancestral makeup, footprints of natural selection, and population history etc. Moreover, PGG.Population provides a useful feature for users to analyze data and visualize results in a dynamic style via online illustration. The long-term ambition of the PGG.Population, together with the joint efforts from other researchers who contribute their data to our database, is to create a comprehensive depository of geographic and ethnic variation of human genome, as well as a platform bringing influence on future practitioners of medicine and clinical investigators. PGG.Population is available at https://www.pggpopulation.org. PMID:29112749

Functional phylogenomics analysis of bacteria and archaea using consistent genome annotation with UniFam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chai, Juanjuan; Kora, Guruprasad; Ahn, Tae-Hyuk

2014-10-09

To supply some background, phylogenetic studies have provided detailed knowledge on the evolutionary mechanisms of genes and species in Bacteria and Archaea. However, the evolution of cellular functions, represented by metabolic pathways and biological processes, has not been systematically characterized. Many clades in the prokaryotic tree of life have now been covered by sequenced genomes in GenBank. This enables a large-scale functional phylogenomics study of many computationally inferred cellular functions across all sequenced prokaryotes. Our results show a total of 14,727 GenBank prokaryotic genomes were re-annotated using a new protein family database, UniFam, to obtain consistent functional annotations for accuratemore » comparison. The functional profile of a genome was represented by the biological process Gene Ontology (GO) terms in its annotation. The GO term enrichment analysis differentiated the functional profiles between selected archaeal taxa. 706 prokaryotic metabolic pathways were inferred from these genomes using Pathway Tools and MetaCyc. The consistency between the distribution of metabolic pathways in the genomes and the phylogenetic tree of the genomes was measured using parsimony scores and retention indices. The ancestral functional profiles at the internal nodes of the phylogenetic tree were reconstructed to track the gains and losses of metabolic pathways in evolutionary history. In conclusion, our functional phylogenomics analysis shows divergent functional profiles of taxa and clades. Such function-phylogeny correlation stems from a set of clade-specific cellular functions with low parsimony scores. On the other hand, many cellular functions are sparsely dispersed across many clades with high parsimony scores. These different types of cellular functions have distinct evolutionary patterns reconstructed from the prokaryotic tree.« less

Dynamic Evolution of the Chloroplast Genome in the Green Algal Classes Pedinophyceae and Trebouxiophyceae.

PubMed

Turmel, Monique; Otis, Christian; Lemieux, Claude

2015-07-01

Previous studies of trebouxiophycean chloroplast genomes revealed little information regarding the evolutionary dynamics of this genome because taxon sampling was too sparse and the relationships between the sampled taxa were unknown. We recently sequenced the chloroplast genomes of 27 trebouxiophycean and 2 pedinophycean green algae to resolve the relationships among the main lineages recognized for the Trebouxiophyceae. These taxa and the previously sampled members of the Pedinophyceae and Trebouxiophyceae are included in the comparative chloroplast genome analysis we report here. The 38 genomes examined display considerable variability at all levels, except gene content. Our results highlight the high propensity of the rDNA-containing large inverted repeat (IR) to vary in size, gene content and gene order as well as the repeated losses it experienced during trebouxiophycean evolution. Of the seven predicted IR losses, one event demarcates a superclade of 11 taxa representing 5 late-diverging lineages. IR expansions/contractions account not only for changes in gene content in this region but also for changes in gene order and gene duplications. Inversions also led to gene rearrangements within the IR, including the reversal or disruption of the rDNA operon in some lineages. Most of the 20 IR-less genomes are more rearranged compared with their IR-containing homologs and tend to show an accelerated rate of sequence evolution. In the IR-less superclade, several ancestral operons were disrupted, a few genes were fragmented, and a subgroup of taxa features a G+C-biased nucleotide composition. Our analyses also unveiled putative cases of gene acquisitions through horizontal transfer. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Segmental duplications: evolution and impact among the current Lepidoptera genomes.

PubMed

Zhao, Qian; Ma, Dongna; Vasseur, Liette; You, Minsheng

2017-07-06

Structural variation among genomes is now viewed to be as important as single nucleoid polymorphisms in influencing the phenotype and evolution of a species. Segmental duplication (SD) is defined as segments of DNA with homologous sequence. Here, we performed a systematic analysis of segmental duplications (SDs) among five lepidopteran reference genomes (Plutella xylostella, Danaus plexippus, Bombyx mori, Manduca sexta and Heliconius melpomene) to understand their potential impact on the evolution of these species. We find that the SDs content differed substantially among species, ranging from 1.2% of the genome in B. mori to 15.2% in H. melpomene. Most SDs formed very high identity (similarity higher than 90%) blocks but had very few large blocks. Comparative analysis showed that most of the SDs arose after the divergence of each linage and we found that P. xylostella and H. melpomene showed more duplications than other species, suggesting they might be able to tolerate extensive levels of variation in their genomes. Conserved ancestral and species specific SD events were assessed, revealing multiple examples of the gain, loss or maintenance of SDs over time. SDs content analysis showed that most of the genes embedded in SDs regions belonged to species-specific SDs ("Unique" SDs). Functional analysis of these genes suggested their potential roles in the lineage-specific evolution. SDs and flanking regions often contained transposable elements (TEs) and this association suggested some involvement in SDs formation. Further studies on comparison of gene expression level between SDs and non-SDs showed that the expression level of genes embedded in SDs was significantly lower, suggesting that structure changes in the genomes are involved in gene expression differences in species. The results showed that most of the SDs were "unique SDs", which originated after species formation. Functional analysis suggested that SDs might play different roles in different species. Our

Reconstructed ancestral enzymes reveal that negative selection drove the evolution of substrate specificity in ADP-dependent kinases.

PubMed

Castro-Fernandez, Víctor; Herrera-Morande, Alejandra; Zamora, Ricardo; Merino, Felipe; Gonzalez-Ordenes, Felipe; Padilla-Salinas, Felipe; Pereira, Humberto M; Brandão-Neto, Jose; Garratt, Richard C; Guixe, Victoria

2017-09-22

One central goal in molecular evolution is to pinpoint the mechanisms and evolutionary forces that cause an enzyme to change its substrate specificity; however, these processes remain largely unexplored. Using the glycolytic ADP-dependent kinases of archaea, including the orders Thermococcales , Methanosarcinales , and Methanococcales , as a model and employing an approach involving paleoenzymology, evolutionary statistics, and protein structural analysis, we could track changes in substrate specificity during ADP-dependent kinase evolution along with the structural determinants of these changes. To do so, we studied five key resurrected ancestral enzymes as well as their extant counterparts. We found that a major shift in function from a bifunctional ancestor that could phosphorylate either glucose or fructose 6-phosphate (fructose-6-P) as a substrate to a fructose 6-P-specific enzyme was started by a single amino acid substitution resulting in negative selection with a ground-state mode against glucose and a subsequent 1,600-fold change in specificity of the ancestral protein. This change rendered the residual phosphorylation of glucose a promiscuous and physiologically irrelevant activity, highlighting how promiscuity may be an evolutionary vestige of ancestral enzyme activities, which have been eliminated over time. We also could reconstruct the evolutionary history of substrate utilization by using an evolutionary model of discrete binary characters, indicating that substrate uses can be discretely lost or acquired during enzyme evolution. These findings exemplify how negative selection and subtle enzyme changes can lead to major evolutionary shifts in function, which can subsequently generate important adaptive advantages, for example, in improving glycolytic efficiency in Thermococcales . © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Sedimentation, volcanism, and ancestral lakes in the Valles Marineris: Clues from topography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lucchitta, B. K.; Isbell, N. K.; Howington-Kraus, A.

1993-01-01

Compilation of a simplified geologic/geomorphic map onto a digital terrain model of Valles Marineris has permitted quantitative evaluations of topographic parameters. The study showed that, if their interior layered deposits are lacustrine, the ancestral Valles Marineris must have consisted of isolated basins. If, on the other hand, the troughs were interconnected as they are today, the deposits are most likely to volcanic origin, and the mesas in the peripheral troughs may be table mountains. The material eroded from the trough walls was probably not sufficient to form all of the interior layered deposits, but it may have contributed significantly to their formation.

Ancestral Structure of the Neuquén Basin, Supported by an Innovative Deep Seismic Reprocessing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Comínguez, A. H.; Franzese, J. R.

2007-05-01

Seismic-tracings comprising both the eastern and western sectors of Sierra de los Chihuidos, showed the deep structure of the Neuquén basin, Argentina. Deep reprocessing of historical industrial seismic-lines supplied interpretive information down to about 30-33 km. Consequently, seismic data reprocessed with "self-truncating extended correlation" confirmed an objective way for acquiring deep-seismic information where standard Vibroseis records are available. In addition, the FMED algorithm was an appreciated nonlinear mathematical tool to improve seismic resolution. Original results accomplished with the above emphasized techniques, revealed a list of concepts summarized along the subsequent comments. An acoustic contrast at about 24 km depth must be the top of the lower Crust. An oblique reflector between 16 and 18 km depth must be assumed as the local image of the master shear that controlled the extension system during the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic period. A sub-master fault dipping about 8° W, surely have been controlling the evolution of `Las Cárceles' area. An important inversion event initiated during the Bathonian-Callovian, sensibly affected the western sector of `Las Cárceles' (that is the site contiguous to the Neuquén river). Significant deposition of synrift sediments (Precuyo Group) originated in contiguous scarp degradation was detected on the western side of `Los Chihuidos' arch, at about 7 km depth. A Pliensbachian-Toarcian bipolar inversion developed during the transition to the Cuyo Group was evidenced in the western area. In the same sector, a middle Jurassic postrift episode is characterized by a deltaic depositional system prograding to the west with accentuate high energy. A deep discontinuity was related with the ancestral origin of the Basin, its seismic tracing permitted to match field results with a scale tank experiment simulating orogenic collapse. Bulk extension of the ancestral thickened crust could be only justified if a

Comparative Chloroplast Genomes of Pinaceae: Insights into the Mechanism of Diversified Genomic Organizations

PubMed Central

Wu, Chung-Shien; Lin, Ching-Ping; Hsu, Chi-Yao; Wang, Rui-Jiang; Chaw, Shu-Miaw

2011-01-01

Abstract Pinaceae, the largest family of conifers, has diversified organizations of chloroplast genomes (cpDNAs) with the two typical inverted repeats (IRs) highly reduced. To unravel the mechanism of this genomic diversification, we examined the cpDNA organizations from 53 species of the ten Pinaceous genera, including those of Larix decidua (122,474 bp), Picea morrisonicola (124,168 bp), and Pseudotsuga wilsoniana (122,513 bp), which were firstly elucidated. The results uncovered four distinct cpDNA forms (A−C and P) that are due to rearrangements of two ∼20 and ∼21 kb specific fragments. The C form was documented for the first time and the A form might be the most ancestral one. In addition, only the individuals of Ps. macrocarpa and Ps. wilsoniana were detected to have isomeric cpDNA forms. Three types (types 1−3) of Pinaceae-specific repeats situated nearby the rearranged fragments were found to be syntenic. We hypothesize that type 1 (949 ± 343 bp) and type 3 (608 ± 73 bp) repeats are substrates for homologous recombination (HR), whereas type 2 repeats are likely inactive for HR because of their relatively short sizes (151 ± 30 bp). Conversions among the four distinct forms may be achieved by HR and mediated by type 1 or 3 repeats, thus resulting in increased diversity of cpDNA organizations. We propose that in the Pinaceae cpDNAs, the reduced IRs have lost HR activity, then decreasing the diversity of cpDNA organizations, but the specific repeats that the evolution endowed Pinaceae complement the reduced IRs and increase the diversity of cpDNA organizations. PMID:21402866

Complex Patterns of Genomic Admixture within Southern Africa

PubMed Central

Petersen, Desiree C.; Libiger, Ondrej; Tindall, Elizabeth A.; Hardie, Rae-Anne; Hannick, Linda I.; Glashoff, Richard H.; Mukerji, Mitali; Fernandez, Pedro; Haacke, Wilfrid; Schork, Nicholas J.; Hayes, Vanessa M.

2013-01-01

Within-population genetic diversity is greatest within Africa, while between-population genetic diversity is directly proportional to geographic distance. The most divergent contemporary human populations include the click-speaking forager peoples of southern Africa, broadly defined as Khoesan. Both intra- (Bantu expansion) and inter-continental migration (European-driven colonization) have resulted in complex patterns of admixture between ancient geographically isolated Khoesan and more recently diverged populations. Using gender-specific analysis and almost 1 million autosomal markers, we determine the significance of estimated ancestral contributions that have shaped five contemporary southern African populations in a cohort of 103 individuals. Limited by lack of available data for homogenous Khoesan representation, we identify the Ju/'hoan (n = 19) as a distinct early diverging human lineage with little to no significant non-Khoesan contribution. In contrast to the Ju/'hoan, we identify ancient signatures of Khoesan and Bantu unions resulting in significant Khoesan- and Bantu-derived contributions to the Southern Bantu amaXhosa (n = 15) and Khoesan !Xun (n = 14), respectively. Our data further suggests that contemporary !Xun represent distinct Khoesan prehistories. Khoesan assimilation with European settlement at the most southern tip of Africa resulted in significant ancestral Khoesan contributions to the Coloured (n = 25) and Baster (n = 30) populations. The latter populations were further impacted by 170 years of East Indian slave trade and intra-continental migrations resulting in a complex pattern of genetic variation (admixture). The populations of southern Africa provide a unique opportunity to investigate the genomic variability from some of the oldest human lineages to the implications of complex admixture patterns including ancient and recently diverged human lineages. PMID:23516368

Recombination-dependent replication and gene conversion homogenize repeat sequences and diversify plastid genome structure.

PubMed

Ruhlman, Tracey A; Zhang, Jin; Blazier, John C; Sabir, Jamal S M; Jansen, Robert K

2017-04-01

There is a misinterpretation in the literature regarding the variable orientation of the small single copy region of plastid genomes (plastomes). The common phenomenon of small and large single copy inversion, hypothesized to occur through intramolecular recombination between inverted repeats (IR) in a circular, single unit-genome, in fact, more likely occurs through recombination-dependent replication (RDR) of linear plastome templates. If RDR can be primed through both intra- and intermolecular recombination, then this mechanism could not only create inversion isomers of so-called single copy regions, but also an array of alternative sequence arrangements. We used Illumina paired-end and PacBio single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequences to characterize repeat structure in the plastome of Monsonia emarginata (Geraniaceae). We used OrgConv and inspected nucleotide alignments to infer ancestral nucleotides and identify gene conversion among repeats and mapped long (>1 kb) SMRT reads against the unit-genome assembly to identify alternative sequence arrangements. Although M. emarginata lacks the canonical IR, we found that large repeats (>1 kilobase; kb) represent ∼22% of the plastome nucleotide content. Among the largest repeats (>2 kb), we identified GC-biased gene conversion and mapping filtered, long SMRT reads to the M. emarginata unit-genome assembly revealed alternative, substoichiometric sequence arrangements. We offer a model based on RDR and gene conversion between long repeated sequences in the M. emarginata plastome and provide support that both intra-and intermolecular recombination between large repeats, particularly in repeat-rich plastomes, varies unit-genome structure while homogenizing the nucleotide sequence of repeats. © 2017 Botanical Society of America.

The genome of a Late Pleistocene human from a Clovis burial site in western Montana.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Morten; Anzick, Sarah L; Waters, Michael R; Skoglund, Pontus; DeGiorgio, Michael; Stafford, Thomas W; Rasmussen, Simon; Moltke, Ida; Albrechtsen, Anders; Doyle, Shane M; Poznik, G David; Gudmundsdottir, Valborg; Yadav, Rachita; Malaspinas, Anna-Sapfo; White, Samuel Stockton; Allentoft, Morten E; Cornejo, Omar E; Tambets, Kristiina; Eriksson, Anders; Heintzman, Peter D; Karmin, Monika; Korneliussen, Thorfinn Sand; Meltzer, David J; Pierre, Tracey L; Stenderup, Jesper; Saag, Lauri; Warmuth, Vera M; Lopes, Margarida C; Malhi, Ripan S; Brunak, Søren; Sicheritz-Ponten, Thomas; Barnes, Ian; Collins, Matthew; Orlando, Ludovic; Balloux, Francois; Manica, Andrea; Gupta, Ramneek; Metspalu, Mait; Bustamante, Carlos D; Jakobsson, Mattias; Nielsen, Rasmus; Willerslev, Eske

2014-02-13

Clovis, with its distinctive biface, blade and osseous technologies, is the oldest widespread archaeological complex defined in North America, dating from 11,100 to 10,700 (14)C years before present (bp) (13,000 to 12,600 calendar years bp). Nearly 50 years of archaeological research point to the Clovis complex as having developed south of the North American ice sheets from an ancestral technology. However, both the origins and the genetic legacy of the people who manufactured Clovis tools remain under debate. It is generally believed that these people ultimately derived from Asia and were directly related to contemporary Native Americans. An alternative, Solutrean, hypothesis posits that the Clovis predecessors emigrated from southwestern Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum. Here we report the genome sequence of a male infant (Anzick-1) recovered from the Anzick burial site in western Montana. The human bones date to 10,705 ± 35 (14)C years bp (approximately 12,707-12,556 calendar years bp) and were directly associated with Clovis tools. We sequenced the genome to an average depth of 14.4× and show that the gene flow from the Siberian Upper Palaeolithic Mal'ta population into Native American ancestors is also shared by the Anzick-1 individual and thus happened before 12,600 years bp. We also show that the Anzick-1 individual is more closely related to all indigenous American populations than to any other group. Our data are compatible with the hypothesis that Anzick-1 belonged to a population directly ancestral to many contemporary Native Americans. Finally, we find evidence of a deep divergence in Native American populations that predates the Anzick-1 individual.

The genome of a late Pleistocene human from a Clovis burial site in western Montana

PubMed Central

Rasmussen, Morten; Anzick, Sarah L.; Waters, Michael R.; Skoglund, Pontus; DeGiorgio, Michael; Stafford, Thomas W.; Rasmussen, Simon; Moltke, Ida; Albrechtsen, Anders; Doyle, Shane M; Poznik, G. David; Gudmundsdottir, Valborg; Yadav, Rachita; Malaspinas, Anna-Sapfo; White, Samuel Stockton; Allentoft, Morten E.; Cornejo, Omar E.; Tambets, Kristiina; Eriksson, Anders; Heintzman, Peter D.; Karmin, Monika; Korneliussen, Thorfinn Sand; Meltzer, David J.; Pierre, Tracey L.; Stenderup, Jesper; Saag, Lauri; Warmuth, Vera; Lopes, Margarida Cabrita; Malhi, Ripan S.; Brunak, Søren; Sicheritz-Ponten, Thomas; Barnes, Ian; Collins, Matthew; Orlando, Ludovic; Balloux, Francois; Manica, Andrea; Gupta, Ramneek; Metspalu, Mait; Bustamante, Carlos D.; Jakobsson, Mattias; Nielsen, Rasmus; Willerslev, Eske

2016-01-01

Clovis, with its distinctive biface, blade and osseous technologies, is the oldest widespread archaeological complex defined in North America, dating from 11,100 to 10,700 14C years BP (13,000 to 12,600 calendar years BP)1,2. Nearly fifty years of archaeological research point to the Clovis complex as having developed south of the North American ice sheets from an ancestral technology3. However, both the origins and genetic legacy of the people who manufactured Clovis tools remain debated. It is argued that these people ultimately derived from Asia and were directly related to contemporary Native Americans2. An alternative, Solutrean, hypothesis posits that the Clovis predecessors immigrated from Southwestern Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)4. Here, we report the genome sequence of a male infant (Anzick-1) recovered from the Anzick burial site in western Montana. The human bones date to 10,705±35 14C years BP (CAMS-80538; c. 12,707–12,556 calendar years BP) and were directly associated with Clovis tools. We sequenced the genome to an average depth of 14.4× and show that the gene flow from the Siberian Upper Palaeolithic Mal′ta individual5 into Native American ancestors is also shared by the Anzick-1 individual and thus happened prior to 12,600 years BP. We also show that the Anzick-1 individual is more closely related to all indigenous American populations than to any other group. Our data are compatible with the hypothesis that Anzick-1 belonged to a population directly ancestral to many contemporary Native Americans. Finally, we find evidence of a deep divergence in Native American populations that pre-dates the Anzick-1 individual. PMID:24522598

Founder haplotype analysis of Fanconi anemia in the Korean population finds common ancestral haplotypes for a FANCG variant.

PubMed

Park, Joonhong; Kim, Myungshin; Jang, Woori; Chae, Hyojin; Kim, Yonggoo; Chung, Nack-Gyun; Lee, Jae-Wook; Cho, Bin; Jeong, Dae-Chul; Park, In Yang; Park, Mi Sun