ortholog——概念、生物信息预测方法和数据库

orthologs指起源于不同物种的最近的共同祖先的一些基因。orthologous的基因,具有相近甚至相同的功能,由相似的途径调控,在不同的物种中扮演相似甚至相同的角色,因此在基因组序列的注释中,是最可靠的选择。orthologs的生物信息预测方法主要有两类:系统发生方法和序列比对方法。这两类方法都是基于序列的相似性,但又各有特点。系统发生方法通过重建系统发生树来预测orthologs,因此在概念上比较精确,但难于自动化,运算量也很大。序列比对方法在概念上比较粗糙,但简单实用,运算量相对较小,因此得到了较广泛的应用。

A brief review on the strategy for selection of orthology prediction methods in phylogenomic studies

With the development and decreasing cost of sequencing techniques, it is possible for scientists to conduct deeper research in phylogenomics. During the procedure of phylogenomic analysis, the mostimportant and vitalest step is orthology prediction, for that the prerequisite to phylogenetic reconstruction is that the genes being compared are orthologous. Here we briefly review the related concept of orthology anddifferent methods for orthology prediction. We also provide recommendations to give some advice for better selection of orthology prediction methods.

铁蓄积大鼠食管黏膜组织差异表达基因的筛选及生物学功能分析

目的筛选铁蓄积大鼠食管黏膜组织差异表达基因,并分析差异表达基因的生物学功能。方法12只6周龄雄性SD大鼠随机分为铁蓄积组和对照组,每组6只,铁蓄积组隔天腹腔注射蔗糖铁溶液制备铁蓄积模型,对照组注射等量生理盐水,14周后取血和食管、肝等组织,应用血清学、组织学方法鉴定铁蓄积造模是否成功;剥离两组食管黏膜组织,采用转录组测序技术筛选差异表达基因,并对差异表达基因进行基因本体(GO)功能富集分析及真核生物蛋白相邻类的聚簇(KOG)分类富集分析。结果筛选出9个差异表达基因,5个上调基因包括昼夜相关转录抑制因子(Ciart)、液泡蛋白质分选因子25(Vps25)、甲状腺激素应答蛋白(Thrsp)、UDP-N-乙酰氨基葡萄糖焦磷酸化酶1(Uap1)、血清解整合素—金属蛋白酶33(Adam33),4个下调基因包括过氧化物酶基因(Pxdn)、硫酸乙酰肝素蛋白多糖基因2(Hspg2)、中心体相关蛋白2(Cep2)、G蛋白信号转导调节因子4(Rgs4)。GO功能富集分析显示,上调基因的生物过程(BP)集中在节律过程、代谢过程、行为、生物过程调节、特定位置运动、生物过程的负调控、生物调节、定位、细胞过程、多细胞生物过程;细胞组成(CC)主要集中在膜封闭腔、细胞器部分、细胞器、膜、细胞外区域部分、膜部分、细胞部分、细胞;分子功能(MF)主要集中在结合、结构分子活性、催化活性。下调基因的BP主要集中在解毒、刺激反应、细胞组成或生物形成、信号、生物过程的负调控、生物过程的正调节、发育过程、细胞过程、生物过程调节、生物调节、代谢过程;CC主要集中在细胞外基质、细胞外基质组成、细胞外区域部分、细胞外区域、细胞器、膜、细胞部分、细胞;MF主要集中在酶调节活性、抗氧化活性、分子功能调节剂、受体调节活性、结构分子活性、结合、催化活性。KOG分类富集分析显示,表达上调的基因中有3个获得功能注释,Uap1被注释到细胞壁/膜/包膜生物形成,Adam33被注释到翻译后修饰,蛋白质折叠和伴侣蛋白,Vps25被注释到功能预测。表达下调的基因中有2个获得功能注释,Rgs4被注释到信号转导机制,Hspg2被注释到翻译后修饰,蛋白质折叠和伴侣蛋白。结论铁蓄积大鼠食管黏膜组织中共筛选出9个差异表达基因,包括5个表达上调基因和4个表达下调基因。GO功能富集分析显示差异表达基因主要参与的BP包括节律过程、代谢过程、细胞过程、生物过程调节等,主要参与的CC包括细胞器、膜、细胞外区域部分等,主要参与的MF包括结合、催化活性、结构分子活性。有5个差异基因获得KOG功能注释,包括翻译后修饰、蛋白质折叠和伴侣蛋白、信号转导等,主要参与细胞周期、细胞代谢、细胞增殖及氧化应激等通路。

Rice-wheat comparative genomics:Gains and gaps

Rice and wheat provide nearly 40%of human calorie and protein requirements.They share a common ancestor and belong to the Poaceae(grass)family.Characterizing their genetic homology is crucial for developing new cultivars with enhanced traits.Several wheat genes and gene families have been characterized based on their rice orthologs.Rice–wheat orthology can identify genetic regions that regulate similar traits in both crops.Rice–wheat comparative genomics can identify candidate wheat genes in a genomic region identified by association or QTL mapping,deduce their putative functions and biochemical pathways,and develop molecular markers for marker-assisted breeding.A knowledge of gene homology facilitates the transfer between crops of genes or genomic regions associated with desirable traits by genetic engineering,gene editing,or wide crossing.

Genome-wide identification and expression profiling of photosystem II(PsbX)gene family in upland cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Background Photosystem II(PSII)constitutes an intricate assembly of protein pigments,featuring extrinsic and intrinsic polypeptides within the photosynthetic membrane.The low-molecular-weight transmembrane protein PsbX has been identified in PSII,which is associated with the oxygen-evolving complex.The expression of PsbX gene protein is regulated by light.PsbX’s central role involves the regulation of PSII,facilitating the binding of quinone molecules to the Qb(PsbA)site,and it additionally plays a crucial role in optimizing the efficiency of photosynthesis.Despite these insights,a comprehensive understanding of the PsbX gene’s functions has remained elusive.Results In this study,we identified ten PsbX genes in Gossypium hirsutum L.The phylogenetic analysis results showed that 40 genes from nine species were classified into one clade.The resulting sequence logos exhibited substantial conservation across the N and C terminals at multiple sites among all Gossypium species.Furthermore,the ortholo-gous/paralogous,Ka/Ks ratio revealed that cotton PsbX genes subjected to positive as well as purifying selection pressure might lead to limited divergence,which resulted in the whole genome and segmental duplication.The expression patterns of GhPsbX genes exhibited variations across specific tissues,as indicated by the analysis.Moreover,the expression of GhPsbX genes could potentially be regulated in response to salt,intense light,and drought stresses.Therefore,GhPsbX genes may play a significant role in the modulation of photosynthesis under adverse abiotic conditions.Conclusion We examined the structure and function of PsbX gene family very first by using comparative genom-ics and systems biology approaches in cotton.It seems that PsbX gene family plays a vital role during the growth and development of cotton under stress conditions.Collectively,the results of this study provide basic information to unveil the molecular and physiological function of PsbX genes of cotton plants.

A Reliable Neighbor-Based Method for Identifying Essential Proteins by Integrating Gene Expressions, Orthology,and Subcellular Localization Information

Essential proteins are those necessary for the survival or reproduction of species and discovering such essential proteins is fundamental for understanding the minimal requirements for cellular life, which is also meaningful to the disease study and drug design. With the development of high-throughput techniques, a large number of Protein-Protein Interactions（PPIs） can be used to identify essential proteins at the network level. Up to now, though a series of network-based computational methods have been proposed, it is still a challenge to improve the prediction precision as the high false positives in PPI networks. In this paper, we propose a new method GOS to identify essential proteins by integrating the Gene expressions, Orthology, and Subcellular localization information.The gene expressions and subcellular localization information are used to determine whether a neighbor in the PPI network is reliable. Only reliable neighbors are considered when we analyze the topological characteristics of a protein in a PPI network. We also analyze the orthologous attributes of each protein to reflect its conservative features, and use a random walk model to integrate a protein＇s topological characteristics and its orthology. The experimental results on the yeast PPI network show that the proposed method GOS outperforms the ten existing methods DC, BC, CC, SC, EC, IC, NC, Pe C, ION, and CSC.

Increasing yield potential through manipulating of an ARE1 ortholog related to nitrogen use efficiency in wheat by CRISPR/Cas9

Wheat(Triticum aestivum L.)is a staple food crop consumed by more than 30%of world population.Nitrogen(N)fertilizer has been applied broadly in agriculture practice to improve wheat yield to meet the growing demands for food production.However,undue N fertilizer application and the low N use efficiency(NUE)of modern wheat varieties are aggravating environmental pollution and ecological deterioration.Under nitrogen-limiting conditions,the rice(Oryza sativa)abnormal cytokinin response1 repressor1(are1)mutant exhibits increased NUE,delayed senescence and consequently,increased grain yield.However,the function of ARE1 ortholog in wheat remains unknown.Here,we isolated and characterized three TaARE1 homoeologs from the elite Chinese winter wheat cultivar ZhengMai 7698.We then used CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeted mutagenesis to generate a series of transgene-free mutant lines either with partial or triple-null taare1 alleles.All transgene-free mutant lines showed enhanced tolerance to N starvation,and showed delayed senescence and increased grain yield in field conditions.In particular,the AABBdd and aabbDD mutant lines exhibited delayed senescence and significantly increased grain yield without growth defects compared to the wild-type control.Together,our results underscore the potential to manipulate ARE1 orthologs through gene editing for breeding of high-yield wheat as well as other cereal crops with improved NUE.

Some Algorithmic Challenges in Genome-Wide Ortholog Assignment

Genome-scale assignment of orthologous genes is a fundamental and challenging problem in computational biology and has a wide range of applications in comparative genomics, functional genomics, and systems biology. Many methods based on sequence similarity, phylogenetic analysis, chromosomal syntenic information, and genome rearrangement have been proposed in recent years for ortholog assignment. Although these methods produce results that largely agree with each other, their results may still contain significant differences. In this article, we consider the recently proposed parsimony approach for assigning orthologs between closely related genomes based on genome rearrangement, which essentially attempts to transform one genome into another by the smallest number of genome rearrangement events including reversal, translocation, fusion, and fission, as well as gene duplication events. We will highlight some of the challenging algorithmic problems that arise in the approach including （i） minimum common substring partition, （ii） signed reversal distance with duplicates, and （iii） signed transposition distance with duplicates. The most recent progress towards the solution of these problems will be reviewed and some open questions will he posed. We will also discuss some possible extensions of the approach to the simultaneous comparison of multiple genomes.

Significant variations in alternative splicing patterns and expression profiles between human-mouse orthologs in early embryos

Human and mouse orthologs are expected to have similar biological functions; however, many discrepancies have also been reported. We systematically compared human and mouse orthologs in terms of alternative splicing patterns and expression profiles. Human-mouse orthologs are divergent in alternative splicing, as human orthologs could generally encode more isoforms than their mouse orthologs. In early embryos, exon skipping is far more common with human orthologs, whereas constitutive exons are more prevalent with mouse orthologs. This may correlate with divergence in expression of splicing regulators. Orthologous expression similarities are different in distinct embryonic stages, with the highest in morula. Expression differences for orthologous transcription factor genes could play an important role in orthologous expression discordance. We further detected largely orthologous divergence in differential expression between distinct embryonic stages. Collectively, our study uncovers significant orthologous divergence from multiple aspects, which may result in functional differences and dynamics between human-mouse orthologs during embryonic development.

Very high conservation between Cyp6a2 from Drosophila melanogaster and its ortholog Cyp6a26 from D. simulans

Although Drosophila simulans is closely related to D. melanogaster, very few cytochrome P450 genes have been studied in this species until now. As Cyp6a2 from D. melanogaster is a major gene implicated in the detoxification of xenobiotic molecules, we decided to look for its ortholog in D. simulans. The isolated gene, Cyp6a26, presents structural characteristics very similar to those of Cyp6a2： an identical size of 1590-bp comprising two exons separated by a 69-bp intron and a nucleotide sequence homology of 95%. Many putative transcriptionally important motifs were identified in the upstream DNAs of the two genes but only 16 elements are in common positions. Treatment of flies with phenobarbital leads to an increased production of Cyp6a26 mRNAs. The expression of Cyp6a26 mRNAs varies following developmental stages in the same manner as Cyp6a2. Immunohistochemistry experiments of phenobarbital-treated adult drosophila show that the spatial expression pattern of the two proteins is also conserved between the two species. All these data argue in favor of the conservation of the function of these homologous genes between the two Drosophila species.

Drosophila Ortholog of Mammalian Immediate-Early Gene Npas4 is Specifically Responsive to Reversal Learning

Dear Editor,In dynamic environments,the memory system of the brain must be able to perceive and process conflicting experiences to reach an adaptive decision.In Drosophila,in contrast to consistent experiences,conflicting experiences trigger significantly increased Rac1 activity which mediates active forgetting [1].The ability to cope with conflicting experiences but not simple learning experiences is impaired in mutants of multiple autism-risk genes [2].

甘蓝型油菜每角果粒数全基因组关联分析

为挖掘甘蓝型油菜每角果粒数显著关联单核苷酸多态性(SNP)位点及相关候选基因。本研究以300份甘蓝型油菜自交系为试验材料,对甘蓝油菜每角果粒数进行一年两地表型考察,并结合该群体前期开发的201817个SNPs标记,采用一般线性模型(GLM)和混合线性模型(MLM)进行全基因组关联分析(GWAS),此外,对性状显著关联SNP位点两侧100 kb区域内相关候选基因进行功能预测。300份甘蓝型油菜每角果粒数在两地均表现出广泛的表型变异,筛选出2份每角果粒数较多的油菜种质资源。基于GLM模型检测到39个与油菜每角果粒数显著关联SNPs,采用MLM分析发现,两地共检测到的3个每角果粒数显著关联SNPs位点均在GLM检测到。8个位点附近找到CIK,ERF022和EDE1等19个拟南芥已报道角果籽粒发育相关的同源基因。研究结果有助于解析甘蓝型油菜每角果粒数的遗传基础,为研究每角果粒数的调控机制、指导每角果粒数的遗传改良奠定基础。

基于直向同源序列的比较基因组学研究

直向同源序列在不同的物种中具有相近甚至相同的功能、相似的调控途径,扮演相似甚至相同的角色,而且,绝大多数核心生物功能就是由相当数量的直向同源基因所承担,它是基因组序列的功能注释与分析中最可靠的选择,其特殊的生物学特性决定:利用直向同源序列开展比较基因组学研究,必将为探测不同生物在进化过程中重要功能基因的出现、表达和丢失提供线索。文章从直向同源基因的基本特性、直向同源序列与比较基因组学的关系、应用直向同源序列开展比较基因组学相关研究方法、现状等展开综述。

大垫尖翅蝗转录组分析

【目的】大垫尖翅蝗Epacromius coerulipes(Ivanov)是广泛分布的草原蝗虫之一,但其基因资源缺乏。为了获得大垫尖翅蝗的基因数据,对其进行了转录组测序和分析。【方法】利用Illumina公司paired-end转录组的测序技术进行从头组装。【结果】总计获得了63 033条unigenes,平均长度为772 bp,N50为1 589 bp。通过BLAST搜索,确定有25 132条(39.87%)unigenes与NCBI数据库已知的蛋白质相匹配,其中有24 841,16 490,11 558和8 013条unigenes成功注释到Nr,Swiss-Prot,GO和COG数据库中。KEGG数据库中,7 218条unigenes形成218条代谢或信息通路。其中,189条unigenes参与外源性物质或药物的代谢通路。进一步分析显示,213条unigenes被确认为可能参与外源性物质的解毒作用,29条unigenes被确定为编码杀虫剂的目标蛋白。此外,检测到5 696条简单重复序列。【结论】该转录组测序分析将为进一步研究大垫尖翅蝗的基因功能分析及杀虫剂的抗药性机制分析奠定分子基础。

水稻中结瘤素基因的同源基因研究

以核酸数据库中检索到的75个豆科植物结瘤素基因作为探针,应用生物信息学方法对水稻基因组进行扫描分析。在水稻基因组中发现有31个与结瘤素基因具有同源性的基因,与相应的结瘤素基因比对,它们的氨基酸序列一致性至少在35%以上。这表明在水稻基因组中广泛存在豆科植物结瘤素基因的同源基因。豆科植物结瘤素基因enod40、蔗糖合成酶基因和Rab基因与水稻中对应的同源基因比较分析表明,它们属于直向同源基因,可能来自于共同的祖先基因,在长期进化过程中豆科植物结瘤素基因受根瘤器官形成的需求而发生变异。然而,另有44个豆科结瘤素基因在水稻基因组中未显示有同源性基因的存在,这些结瘤素基因在豆科植物与根瘤菌建立共生过程中起着重要的作用。推测可能是由于水稻中缺少了这些豆科结瘤素基因,导致水稻不能结瘤固氮。

直系同源基因的识别方法与数据库

直系同源(orthology)是指由于物种形成事件而享有共同祖先的基因之间的关系,直系同源基因之间通常具有相似的结构和生物学功能.由于基因组和转录组序列的快速积累,精确的识别直系同源基因有助于功能基因的注释,比较和进化基因组学研究.综述了现有的识别直系同源基因的主要方法,并列举了由此构建的数据库.这些方法可以归纳为三大类,第一类是基于序列相似性的方法,具有识别速度快以及灵敏度高等优点;第二类是基于构建系统发育树的方法,具有准确性高和信息量大等优点;第三类是将上述两种方法结合起来的混合方法,更好地平衡了灵敏性和准确性.最后总结了识别过程所面临的问题.

嗜酸硫杆菌Acidithiobacillus抗砷基因多样性分析

为探讨嗜酸硫杆菌(Acidithiobacillus)抗砷基因多样性特征,利用生物信息学方法挖掘出嗜酸氧化亚铁硫杆菌(A.ferrooxidans)、喜温嗜酸硫杆菌(A.caldus)和耐冷嗜酸硫杆菌(A.ferrivorans)共49个抗砷基因,主要包括构成ars操纵子模式的arsA、arsB、arsC、arsD、arsH和arsR基因,为嗜酸硫杆菌重要的抗砷遗传因子。研究了49个抗砷基因的聚类与进化关系、理化性质、二级结构、跨膜区、亚细胞定位、砷结合位点等特征。结果表明:这些抗砷基因聚类为11个组,第2组抗砷基因(arsB)为嗜酸硫杆菌所共有,编码泵砷内膜蛋白(ArsB),该基因可能为嗜酸硫杆菌抗砷机制所必需;聚类和进化分析表明其中5个抗砷基因可能源于基因水平迁移;脂溶指数分析显示25个抗砷蛋白脂溶指数大于100,为亲水性蛋白,其余24个抗砷蛋白脂溶指数均小于100,为疏水性蛋白;从不稳定指数分析结果可知,大部分抗砷转录调控因子ArsR是不稳定的,49个抗砷基因蛋白二级结构均由α-螺旋、无规则卷曲和扩展链结构3种形式组成。亚细胞定位分析发现抗砷蛋白在细菌内膜、细菌外膜和细胞周质空间均有出现,ArsB具有10-11个跨膜区;所有抗砷蛋白均无信号肽。对嗜酸硫杆菌的ArsC、ArsD和ArsH抗砷功能蛋白与砷结合位点进行预测和建模,发现活性位点均存在Cys残基;与其他抗砷蛋白结合位点(含Cys残基)不同的是,Acife1530(ArsA)2个甲硫氨酸(Met)与As(III)直接结合,暗示着Met残基中存在与Cys残基功能相同的巯基,由此可见,Cys残基或Met残基的巯基对于构成嗜酸硫杆菌抗砷功能蛋白与砷结合的活性位点是必不可少的。

茶树品种福鼎大白茶和小雪芽叶片基因转录组研究

以茶树品种福鼎大白茶和低温诱导型新梢白化茶树品种小雪芽叶片为材料,构建基因转录本;组装得到79 797条茶树参考基因库(Unigene),其中,基因序列长度在1 000 bp以上的有11 371条,占Unigene库总数的14.25%。SSR分析显示,共有6 439条SSR,其中1～3个碱基的完美重复SSR占84.32%。基因表达丰度RPKM值显示,小雪芽表达上调的基因数为1 821个,表达下调基因数为1 779个。差异表达基因GO和COG分析显示,引起低温诱导型茶树新梢白化的可能遗传机理存在于蛋白质翻译后的修饰过程,而且这些变异主要发生在细胞内。

蒺藜苜蓿花器官特异基因的表达分析

蒺藜苜蓿(Medicago truncatula G)花器官特异表达基因是参与其花器官形成与发育的重要基因。筛选蒺藜苜蓿的花器官特异表达基因,寻找这类基因在其他模式植物中的直系同源基因,并将其表达模式在不同植物间进行比较,有利于深入的理解这类基因在蒺藜苜蓿花器官发育中的功能。根据蒺藜苜蓿表达谱,并以其PISTILLAZA(PI)基因为模板,文章筛选了97个蒺藜苜蓿花器官特异表达基因(Ratio≥10,且Z≥7.9).通过同源比对,确定了这类基因在拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana L.)、大豆(Glycinemax L.)、百脉根(Lotusjaponicus L.)和水稻(Oryzasativa L.)中的直系同源基因。对这类基因在5种植物中的表达量、表达部位和功能进行比较,发现进化关系较近的植物,直系同源基因的表达变异较小,而进化关系较远的植物,直系同源基因的表达变异较大。进一步对表达分化较大的直系同源基因进行启动子分析,发现不同植物中直系同源基因表达模式的变化与启动子中调控元件的特性有关。

检测番茄BAC序列中paralogs的blastn参数研究

并系同源(paralog)和直系同源(ortholog)是物种进化过程中产生的两种基本的同源序列类型。目前判断ortholog的方法已经基本确立,而paralog的判断却还没有统一的标准。番茄全基因组测序正在进行中,利用Gen-Bank中已有的番茄BAC序列进行一系列不同参数下的比对(blastn),根据比对结果确定了paralog预测的最佳参数,分别是E值为10-40,匹配序列长度为200bp,序列一致率为80%。这些参数值的确定为以后在番茄BAC序列中进行paralog预测提供了适用的参数。