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At least 163 records · Page 9

Biases in genome reconstruction from metagenomic data

Background Advances in sequencing, assembly, and assortment of contigs into species-specific bins has enabled the reconstruction of genomes from metagenomic data (MAGs). Though a powerful technique, it is difficult to determine whether assembly and binning techniques are accurate when applied to environmental metagenomes due to a lack of complete reference genome sequences against which to check the resulting MAGs. Methods We compared MAGs derived from an enrichment culture containing ~20 organisms to complete genome sequences of 10 organisms isolated from the enrichment culture. Factors commonly considered in binning software—nucleotide composition and sequence repetitiveness—were calculated for both the correctly binned and not-binned regions. This direct comparison revealed biases in sequence characteristics and gene content in the not-binned regions. Additionally, the composition of three public data sets representing MAGs reconstructed from the Tara Oceans metagenomic data was compared to a set of representative genomes available through NCBI RefSeq to verify that the biases identified were observable in more complex data sets and using three contemporary binning software packages. Results Repeat sequences were frequently not binned in the genome reconstruction processes, as were sequence regions with variant nucleotide composition. Genes encoded on the not-binned regions were strongly biased towards ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, mobile element functions and genes of unknown function. Our results support genome reconstruction as a robust process and suggest that reconstructions determined to be >90% complete are likely to effectively represent organismal function; however, population-level genotypic heterogeneity in natural populations, such as uneven distribution of plasmids, can lead to incorrect inferences.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Establishing homologies in protein sequences

Computer-based statistical techniques used to determine homologies between proteins occurring in different species are reviewed. The technique is based on comparison of two protein sequences, either by relating all segments of a given length in one sequence to all segments of the second or by finding the best alignment of the two sequences. Approaches discussed include selection using printed tabulations, identification of very similar sequences, and computer searches of a database. The use of the SEARCH, RELATE, and ALIGN programs (Dayhoff, 1979) is explained; sample data are presented in graphs, diagrams, and tables and the construction of scoring matrices is considered.

Dayhoff, M. O.↗

Fourteenth-Sixteenth Microbial Genomics Conference-2006-2008

The concept of an annual meeting on the E. coli genome was formulated at the Banbury Center Conference on the Genome of E. coli in October, 1991. The first meeting was held on September 10-14, 1992 at the University of Wisconsin, and this was followed by a yearly series of meetings, and by an expansion to include The fourteenth meeting took place September 24-28, 2006 at Lake Arrowhead, CA, the fifteenth September 16-20, 2007 at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, and the sixteenth September 14-18, 2008 at Lake Arrowhead. The full program for the 16th meeting is attached. There have been rapid and exciting advances in microbial genomics that now make possible comparing large data sets of sequences from a wide variety of microbial genomes, and from whole microbial communities. Examining the “microbiomes”, the living microbial communities in different host organisms opens up many possibilities for understanding the landscape presented to pathogenic microorganisms. For quite some time there has been a shifting emphasis from pure sequence data to trying to understand how to use that information to solve biological problems. Towards this end new technologies are being developed and improved. Using genetics, functional genomics, and proteomics has been the recent focus of many different laboratories. A key element is the integration of different aspects of microbiology, sequencing technology, analysis techniques, and bioinformatics. The goal of these conference is to provide a regular forum for these interactions to occur. While there have been a number of genome conferences, what distinguishes the Microbial Genomics Conference is its emphasis on bringing together biology and genetics with sequencing and bioinformatics. Also, this conference is the longest continuing meeting, now established as a major regular annual meeting. In addition to its coverage of microbial genomes and biodiversity, the meetings also highlight microbial communities and the use of genomic information to aid in the understanding of pathogens and biothreats. An additional focus cover s“bioenergetics. The meetings have a mix of invited and participant-initiated presentations and poster sessions during which investigators from different disciplines become familiar with available data bases and new tools facilitating coordination of information. The fields are moving very fast both in the acquisition of new knowledge of genome contents and also in the management and analysis of the information. The key is connecting bodies of knowledge on sequences, genetic organization and regulation to be able to relate the significance of this information to understanding cellular processes. To our knowledge, no other meeting synthesizes the biology of organisms, sequence information and database analysis, as well as the comparison with other completed genome sequences.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Veillonella, Firmicutes: Microbes disguised as Gram negatives

The Firmicutes represent a major component of the intestinal microflora. The intestinal Firmicutes are a large, diverse group of organisms, many of which are poorly characterized due to their anaerobic growth requirements. Although most Firmicutes are Gram positive, members of the class Negativicutes, including the genus Veillonella, stain Gram negative. Veillonella are among the most abundant organisms of the oral and intestinal microflora of animals and humans, in spite of being strict anaerobes. In this work, the genomes of 24 Negativicutes, including eight Veillonella spp., are compared to 20 other Firmicutes genomes; a further 101 prokaryotic genomes were included, covering 26 phyla. Thus a total of 145 prokaryotic genomes were analyzed by various methods to investigate the apparent conflict of the Veillonella Gram stain and their taxonomic position within the Firmicutes. Comparison of the genome sequences confirms that the Negativicutes are distantly related to Clostridium spp., based on 16S rRNA, complete genomic DNA sequences, and a consensus tree based on conserved proteins. The genus Veillonella is relatively homogeneous: inter-genus pairwise comparison identifies at least 1,350 shared proteins, although less than half of these are found in any given Clostridium genome. Only 27 proteins are found conserved in all analyzed prokaryote genomes. Veillonella has distinct metabolic properties, and significant similarities to genomes of Proteobacteria are not detected, with the exception of a shared LPS biosynthesis pathway. The clade within the class Negativicutes to which the genus Veillonella belongs exhibits unique properties, most of which are in common with Gram-positives and some with Gram negatives. They are only distantly related to Clostridia, but are even less closely related to Gram-negative species. Though the Negativicutes stain Gram-negative and possess two membranes, the genome and proteome analysis presented here confirm their place within the (mainly) Gram positive phylum of the Firmicutes. Further studies are required to unveil the evolutionary history of the Veillonella and other Negativicutes.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Temporal regularization of ultrasound-based liver motion estimation for image-guided radiation therapy

Purpose: Ultrasound-based motion estimation is an expanding subfield of image-guided radiation therapy. Although ultrasound can detect tissue motion that is a fraction of a millimeter, its accuracy is variable. For controlling linear accelerator tracking and gating, ultrasound motion estimates must remain highly accurate throughout the imaging sequence. This study presents a temporal regularization method for correlation-based template matching which aims to improve the accuracy of motion estimates. Methods: Liver ultrasound sequences (15–23 Hz imaging rate, 2.5–5.5 min length) from ten healthy volunteers under free breathing were used. Anatomical features (blood vessels) in each sequence were manually annotated for comparison with normalized cross-correlation based template matching. Five sequences from a Siemens Acuson™ scanner were used for algorithm development (training set). Results from incremental tracking (IT) were compared with a temporal regularization method, which included a highly specific similarity metric and state observer, known as the α–β filter/similarity threshold (ABST). A further five sequences from an Elekta Clarity™ system were used for validation, without alteration of the tracking algorithm (validation set). Results: Overall, the ABST method produced marked improvements in vessel tracking accuracy. For the training set, the mean and 95th percentile (95%) errors (defined as the difference from manual annotations) were 1.6 and 1.4 mm, respectively (compared to 6.2 and 9.1 mm, respectively, for IT). For each sequence, the use of the state observer leads to improvement in the 95% error. For the validation set, the mean and 95% errors for the ABST method were 0.8 and 1.5 mm, respectively. Conclusions: Ultrasound-based motion estimation has potential to monitor liver translation over long time periods with high accuracy. Nonrigid motion (strain) and the quality of the ultrasound data are likely to have an impact on tracking performance. A future study will investigate spatial uniformity of motion and its effect on the motion estimation errors.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Reference genome sequence of the model plant Setaria

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).

Bennetzen, Jeffrey L↗

Diversity of Sordariales Fungi: Identification of Seven New Species of Naviculisporaceae Through Morphological Analyses and Genome Sequencing

Thanks to next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, the diversity of fungi can now be investigated through the analysis of their genome sequences. Naviculisporaceae is a family within the Sordariales, whose diversity is not well-known, with only one genome sequence published for this family. Here, we report on the isolation and cultivation of 20 new strains of Naviculisporaceae. Their genome sequences, as well as those of the five commercially available strains, were determined, thus providing complete genome sequences for 25 new Naviculisporaceae strains. Species delimitation was conducted using a combination of (1) ITS + LSU phylogenetic analysis of the new isolates along with other known species of the family, (2) comparisons between DNA barcode sequences of the new strains with those of the known species, and (3) average genome-wide nucleotide identity calculation. We built a phylogenomic tree and studied the organization of the mating-type locus. In vitro fruiting was obtained for 16 strains, enabling the definition of seven new species, namely Pseudorhypophila gallica, Pseudorhypophila guyanensis Rhypophila alpibus, Rhypophila brasiliensis, Rhypophila camarguensis, Rhypophila reunionensis and Rhypophila thailandica, as well as two new combinations, namely Pseudorhypophila latipes and Pseudorhypophila oryzae. Eight strains for which in vitro fruiting was not obtained may belong to additional new species. These results expand the known diversity of the Naviculisporaceae and greatly enlarge the genomic data available for the family.

Naviculisporaceae↗

Phylogenetic origins of the plant mitochondrion based on a comparative analysis of 5S ribosomal RNA sequences

The complete nucleotide sequences of 5S ribosomal RNAs from Rhodocyclus gelatinosa, Rhodobacter sphaeroides, and Pseudomonas cepacia were determined. Comparisons of these 5S RNA sequences show that rather than being phylogenetically related to one another, the two photosynthetic bacterial 5S RNAs share more sequence and signature homology with the RNAs of two nonphotosynthetic strains. Rhodobacter sphaeroides is specifically related to Paracoccus denitrificans and Rc. gelatinosa is related to Ps. cepacia. These results support earlier 16S ribosomal RNA studies and add two important groups to the 5S RNA data base. Unique 5S RNA structural features previously found in P. denitrificans are present also in the 5S RNA of Rb. sphaeroides; these provide the basis for subdivisional signatures. The immediate consequence of obtaining these new sequences is that it is possible to clarify the phylogenetic origins of the plant mitochondrion. In particular, a close phylogenetic relationship is found between the plant mitochondria and members of the alpha subdivision of the purple photosynthetic bacteria, namely, Rb. sphaeroides, P. denitrificans, and Rhodospirillum rubrum.

Villanueva, E.↗

Genome of the long-living sacred lotus ( Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.)

Sacred lotus is a basal eudicot with agricultural, medicinal, cultural and religious importance. It was domesticated in Asia about 7,000 years ago, and cultivated for its rhizomes and seeds as a food crop. It is particularly noted for its 1,300-year seed longevity and exceptional water repellency, known as the lotus effect. The latter property is due to the nanoscopic closely packed protuberances of its self-cleaning leaf surface, which have been adapted for the manufacture of a self-cleaning industrial paint, Lotusan. The genome of the China Antique variety of the sacred lotus was sequenced with Illumina and 454 technologies, at respective depths of 101× and 5.2×. The final assembly has a contig N50 of 38.8 kbp and a scaffold N50 of 3.4 Mbp, and covers 86.5% of the estimated 929 Mbp total genome size. The genome notably lacks the paleo-triplication observed in other eudicots, but reveals a lineage-specific duplication. The genome has evidence of slow evolution, with a 30% slower nucleotide mutation rate than observed in grape. Comparisons of the available sequenced genomes suggest a minimum gene set for vascular plants of 4,223 genes. Strikingly, the sacred lotus has 16 COG2132 multi-copper oxidase family proteins with root-specific expression; these are involved in root meristem phosphate starvation, reflecting adaptation to limited nutrient availability in an aquatic environment. The slow nucleotide substitution rate makes the sacred lotus a better resource than the current standard, grape, for reconstructing the pan-eudicot genome, and should therefore accelerate comparative analysis between eudicots and monocots.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

SU-F-E-02: A Feasibility Study for Application of Metal Artifact Reduction Techniques in MR-Guided Brachytherapy Gynecological Cancer with Titanium Applicators

Purpose: Utilization of Titanium Tandem and Ring (T&R) applicators in MR-guided brachytherapy has become widespread for gynecological cancer treatment. However, Titanium causes magnetic field disturbance and susceptibility artifact, which complicate image interpretation. In this study, metal artifact reduction techniques were employed to improve the image quality and reduce the metal related artifacts. Methods: Several techniques were employed to reduce the metal artifact caused by titanium T&R applicator. These techniques include Metal Artifact Reduction Sequence (MARS), View Angle Tilting (VAT) to correct in-plane distortion, and Slice Encoding for Metal Artifact Correction (SEMAC) for through-plane artifact correction. Moreover, MARS can be combined with VAT to further reduce the in-plane artifact by reapplying the selection gradients during the readout (MARS+VAT). SEMAC uses a slice selective excitation but acquires additional z-encodings in order to resolve off-resonant signal and to reduce through-plane distortions. Results: Comparison between the clinical sequences revealed that increasing the bandwidth reduces the error in measured diameter of T&R. However, the error is larger than 4mm for the best case with highest bandwidth and spatial resolution. MARS+VAT with isotropic resolution of 1mm reduced the error to 1.9mm which is the least among the examined 2D sequences. The measured diameter of tandem from SEMAC+VAT has the closest value to the actual diameter of tandem (3.2mm) and the error was reduced to less than 1mm. In addition, SEMAC+VAT significantly reduces the blooming artifact in the ring compared to clinical sequences. Conclusion: A higher bandwidth and spatial resolution sequence reduces the artifact and diameter of applicator with a slight compromise in SNR. Metal artifact reduction sequences decrease the distortion associated with titanium applicator. SEMAC+VAT sequence in combination with VAT revealed promising results for titanium imaging and can be utilized for MR-guided brachytherapy in gynecological cancer. The author is employee with Philips Healthcare.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Assessing Single-Source Reproducibility of Human Head Hair Peptide Profiling from Different Regions of the Scalp

Neither microscopical hair comparisons nor mitochondrial DNA sequencing alone, or together, constitutes a basis for personal identification. Due to these limitations, a complementary technique to compare questioned and known hair shafts was investigated. Recently, scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Forensic Science Center and other collaborators developed a peptide profiling technique, which can infer non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) preserved in hair shaft proteins as single amino acid polymorphisms (SAPs). In this study, peptide profiling was evaluated to determine if it can meet forensic expectations when samples are in limited quantities with the possibility that hair samples collected from different areas of a single donor’s scalp (i.e., single source) might not exhibit the same SAP profile. The average dissimilarity, percent differences in SAP profiles within each source, ranged from 0% difference to 29%. This pilot study suggests that more work is needed before peptide profiling of hair can be considered for forensic comparisons.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in the Antarctic: Climatic cooling precedes biotic crisis

Stable isotopic investigations were conducted on calcareous microfossils across two deep sea Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary sequences on Maud Rise, Weddell Sea, Antarctica. The boundary is taken at the level of massive extinctions in calcareous planktonic microfossils, and coincides with a sharp lithologic change from pure calcareous ooze to calcareous ooze with a large volcanic clay component. The uppermost Maestrichtian is marked by a long-term decrease in delta value of 0 to 18 which spans most of the lower and middle A. mayaroensis Zone and represents a warming trend which culminated in surface water temperatures of about 16 C. At approximately 3 meters below the K-T boundary this warming trend terminates abruptly and benthic and planktonic isotopic records exhibit a rapid increase in delta value of 0 to 18 that continues up to the K-T boundary. The trend towards cooler surface water temperatures stops abruptly at the K-T boundary and delta value of 0 to 18 values remain relatively stable through the Paleocene. Comparison of the Antarctic sequence with the previously documented deep sea records in the South Atlantic reveal shifts of similar magnitude in the latest Maestrichtian. It is indicated that the Southern Ocean underwent the most significant, and apparently permanent, climatic change. The latest Cretaceous oxygen isotopic shift recorded at Maud Rise and other deep sea sites is similar in magnitude to large positive delta valve of 0 to 18 shifts in the middle Eocene, at the Eocene/Oligocene boundary and in the middle Miocene that marked large scale climatic transitions which ultimately lead to cryospheric development of the Antarctic. The climatic shift at the end of the Cretaceous represents one of the most significant climatic transitions recorded in the latest Phanerozoic and had a profound effect on global climate as well as oceanic circulation.

Stott, Lowell D.↗

Microbial Characterization During the Early Habitation of the International Space Station

An evaluation of the microbiota from air, water, and surface samples provided a baseline of microbial characterization onboard the International Space Station (ISS) to gain insight into bacterial and fungal contamination during the initial stages of construction and habitation. Using 16S genetic sequencing and rep-PCR, 63 bacterial strains were isolated for identification and fingerprinted for microbial tracking. Of the bacterial strains that were isolated and fingerprinted, 19 displayed similarity to each other. The use of these molecular tools allowed for the identification of bacteria not previously identified using automated biochemical analysis and provided a clear indication of the source of several ISS contaminants. Strains of Bradyrhizobium and Sphingomonas unable to be identified using sequencing were identified by comparison of rep-PCR DNA fingerprints. Distinct DNA fingerprints for several strains of Methylobacterium provided a clear indication of the source of an ISS water supply contaminant. Fungal and bacterial data acquired during monitoring do not suggest there is a current microbial hazard to the spacecraft, nor does any trend indicate a potential health risk. Previous spacecraft environmental analysis indicated that microbial contamination will increase with time and will require continued surveillance. Copyright 2004 Springer-Verlag.

Fungi/genetics↗

Strengths and Limitations of 16S rRNA Gene Amplicon Sequencing in Revealing Temporal Microbial Community Dynamics

This study explored the short-term planktonic microbial community structure and resilience in Lake Lanier (GA, USA) while simultaneously evaluating the technical aspects of identifying taxa via 16S rRNA gene amplicon and metagenomic sequence data. 16S rRNA gene amplicons generated from four temporally discrete samples were sequenced with 454 GSFLX-Ti yielding ~40,000 rRNA gene sequences from each sample and representing ~300 observed OTUs. Replicates obtained from the same biological sample clustered together but several biases were observed, linked to either the PCR or sequencing-preparation steps. In comparisons with companion whole-community shotgun metagenome datasets, the estimated number of OTUs at each timepoint was concordant, but 1.5 times and ~10 times as many phyla and genera, respectively, were identified in the metagenomes. Our analyses showed that the 16S rRNA gene captures broad shifts in community diversity over time, but with limited resolution and lower sensitivity compared to metagenomic data. We also identified OTUs that showed marked shifts in abundance over four close timepoints separated by perturbations and tracked these taxa in the metagenome vs. 16S rRNA amplicon data. A strong summer storm had less of an effect on community composition than did seasonal mixing, which revealed a distinct succession of organisms. This study provides insights into freshwater microbial communities and advances the approaches for assessing community diversity and dynamics in situ.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

T24 HRAS transformed NIH/3T3 mouse cells (GhrasT-NIH/3T3) in serial tumorigenic in vitro/in vivo passages give rise to increasingly aggressive tumorigenic cell lines T1-A and T2-A and metastatic cell lines T3-HA and T4-PA

Cancer cells often arise progressively from “normal” to “pre-cancer” to “transformed” to “local metastasis” to “metastatic disease” to “aggressive metastatic disease”. Recent whole genome sequencing (WGS) and spectral karyotyping (SKY) of cancer cells and tumorigenic models have shown this progression involves three major types of genome rearrangements: ordered small step-wise changes, more dramatic “punctuated evolution” (chromoplexy), and large catastrophic steps (chromothripsis) which all occur in random combinations to generate near infinite numbers of stochastically rearranged metastatic cancer cell genomes. This paper describes a series of mouse cell lines developed sequentially to mimic this type of progression. This starts with the new GhrasT-NIH/Swiss cell line that was produced from the NIH/3T3 cell line that had been transformed by transfection with HRAS oncogene DNA from the T24 human bladder carcinoma. These GhrasT-NIH/Swiss cells were injected s.c. into NIH/Swiss mice to produce primary tumors from which one was used to establish the T1-A cell line. T1-A cells injected i.v. into the tail vein of a NIH/Swiss mouse produced a local metastatic tumor near the base of the tail from which the T2-A cell line was established. T2-A cells injected i.v. into the tail vein of a nude NIH/Swiss mouse produced metastases in the liver and one lung from which the T3-HA (H=hepatic) and T3-PA (P=pulmonary) cell lines were developed, respectively. T3-HA cells injected i.v. into a nude mouse produced a metastasis in the lung from which the T4-PA cell line was established. PCR analysis indicated the human T24 HRAS oncogene was carried along with each in vitro/in vivo transfer step and found in the T2-A and T4-PA cell lines. Light photomicrographs indicate that all transformed cells are morphologically similar. GhrasT-NIH/Swiss cells injected s.c. produced tumors in 4% of NIH/Swiss mice in 6–10 weeks; T1-A cells injected s.c. produced tumors in 100% of NIH/Swiss mice in 7–10 days. T1-A, T-2A, T3-HA and T4-PA cells when injected i.v. into the tail produced local metastasis in non-nude or nude NIH/Swiss mice. T4-PA cells were more widely metastatic than T3-HA cells when injected i.v. into nude mice. Evaluation of the injected mice indicated a general increase in metastatic potential of each cell line in the progression as compared to the GhrasT-NIH/3T3 transformed cells. A new photomicrographic technique to follow growth rates within six preselected 2×2 mm{sup 2} grids per plate is described. Average doubling times of the transformed cells GhrasT-NIH/3T3 (17 h), T1A (17.5 h), T2A (15.5 h), T3-HA (17.5 h) and T4-PA (18.5 h) (average 17.2 h) were significantly faster (P=0.006) than NIH Swiss primary embryonic cells and NIH/3T3 cells (22 h each). This cell series is currently used in this lab for studies of cancer cell inhibitors, mitochondrial biogenesis and gene expression and is available for further study by other investigators for intra- and inter-laboratory comparisons of WGS, transcriptome sequencing, SKY and other analyses. The genome rearrangements in these cells together with their phenotypic properties may help provide more insights into how one tumorigenic progression occurred to produce the various cell lines that led to the highly metastatic T4-PA cell line. - Highlights: • A tumor progression model derived from a new T24 HRAS transformed NIH/3T3 cell line. • T1-A, T2-A, T3-HA, T4PA lines derived from GhrasT-NIH/3T3, T1-A, T2-A, T3-HA tumors. • PCR detected the human HRAS oncogene in T2-A and T4-PA metastatic tumors. • These five new cell lines showed a progressive increase in tumorigenic potential. • New method obtained doubling times using daily photomicrographs of gridded plates.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗