Molecular Tagging of a New Resistance Gene to Maize Dwarf Mosaic Virus Using Microsatellite Markers

With joint analysis based on the parents, F 1, F 2 and backcrosses, the authors found that the resistance of the maize inbred line Huangzaosi to the maize dwarf mosaic virus strain B was conditioned by a major gene and polygene, and identified a new major gene. Bulked segregate and microsatellite analysis of a F 2 progeny from the combination of Huangzaosi×Mo17 were used to identify the resistance gene, mdm1(t), on the long arm of chromosome 6. This new resistance gene is tightly linked to and located between the microsatellite markers loci, phi077 and bnlg391. The linkage distances between phi077-mdm1(t) and mdm1(t)-bnlg391 are 4.74 centiMorgan (cM) and 6.72 cM respectively.

Molecular Tagging and Effect Analysis of a New Small Grain Dwarf Gene in Rice

Plant height is one of the important agronomic traits of rice. Over higher plant would easily result in plant lodging and output reducing. On the other hand, the dwarf varieties with proper plant height had higher lodging resistance and a greater harvest index, allowing for the increased use of nitrogen fertilizer. Dwarf breeding had made a great breakthrough in the rice breeding. The breeding and extension of excellent dwarf varieties remarkably improved the yield potential of rice. Therefore, the plant height is still one of the focuses in rice genetic research.

Isolation and Characterization of Microsatellites in Snap Bean

The objectives of this study were to isolate and characterize microsatellites from a heat tolerant variety of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in order to generate polymorphic genetic markers linked to quantitative trait loci for heat tolerance. A genomic library contained 400-800 bp inserts was constructed and screened for the presence of (GA/CT) n and (CA/GT) n repeats. The proportion of positive clones yielded estimated of 3.72×10 4 such dinucleotide repeats per genome, roughly comparable to the abundance reported in other eukaryotic genomes. Twenty_six positive clones were sequenced. In contrast to mammalian genomes, the (GA/CT) n motif was much more abundant than the (CA/GT) n motif in these clones. The (GA/CT) n repeats also showed longer average repeat length (mean n =10.4 versus 6.5), suggesting that they are better candidates for yielding polymorphic genetic markers in the snap bean genome.

Study on Microsatellite Distribution in Complete Genomes of Tobacco Vein Clearing Virus

MATLAB software and optimal complete subgraph algorithm were used to extract and reveal the microsatellite distribution features in the complete genomes of the tobacco vein clearing virus （NC-003 378.1） from the NCBI database.The results showed that the repetitions number and their location of the N-base group has been extracted and displayed.The largest repetitions of N-base group in the complete genomes of the tobacco vein clearing virus was decreased as the exponential function with the increasing of N.The method used in this study could be applied to the extraction and revealing of the microsatellite distribution features in the complete genomes of other viruses,thereby provided a basis for the research of the structure and the law of function,inheritance and variation by the using of the microsatellite distribution features.

Microsatellite Genotyping for Four Expected Inbred Mouse Strains from KM Mice

Chinese Kun Ming （KM） mouse, an outbreed strain of laboratory animal, has been widely utilized in related pharmaceutical and genetic studies throughout China. However, the value of KM mice to the research community has been severely limited, partially due to the fact that well-characterized inbred strain of KM mice is not available. Several expected inbred strains from KM mice have been bred, but their genetic purity remains uncertain. In this study, four expected inbred strains of KM mice （A1, T2, N2, and N4） were chosen and their inbred degree were compared with two classical inbred mouse lines （BALB/c and C57BL/6） by analyzing the genotypes of about 30 microsatellite markers. In the four strains, A1 and N4 were homozygous at all genotyped loci, but N2 and T2 were only heterozygous at locus D15Mit16. These results indicate that the level of genetic purity/homozygousity of A1, N4, N2, and T2 inbred line is comparable to those of BALB/c and C57BL/6. This study provided the first and solid evidence for genetic purity of four expected inbred strains of KM mice. These 4 inbred mice strains should be well maintained for further characterization and utilization in genetic studies.

Microarray-based analysis for hepatocellular carcinoma: From gene expression profiling to new challenges

Accumulation of mutations and alterations in the expression of various genes result in carcinogenesis,and the development of microarray technology has enabled us to identify the comprehensive gene expression alterations in oncogenesis.Many studies have applied this technology for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),and identified a number of candidate genes useful as biomarkers in cancer staging,prediction of recurrence and prognosis,and treatment selection.Some of these target molecules have been used to develop new serum diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets against HCC to benefit patients.Previously,we compared gene expression profiling data with classification based on clinicopathological features,such as hepatitis viral infection or liver cancer progression.The next era of gene expression analysis will require systematic integration of expression profiles with other types of biological information,such as genomic locus,gene function,and sequence information.We have reported integration between expression profiles and locus information,which is effective in detecting structural genomic abnormalities,such as chromosomal gains and losses,in which we showed that gene expression profiles are subject to chromosomal bias.Furthermore,array-based comparative genomic hybridization analysis and allelic dosage analysis using genotyping arrays for HCC were also reviewed,with comparison of conventional methods.

Gene profiles between non-invasive and invasive colon cancer using laser microdissection and polypeptide analysis

AIM: To explore the expression of differential gene expression profiles of target cell between non-invasive submucosal and invasive advanced tumor in colon carcinoma using laser microdissection (LMD) in combination with polypeptide analysis. METHODS: Normal colon tissue samples from 20 healthy individuals and 30 cancer tissue samples from early non-invasive colon cancer cells were obtained. The cells from these samples were used LMD independently after P27-based amplification. aRNA from advanced colon cancer cells and metastatic cancer cells of 40 cases were applied to LMD and polypeptide analysis, semiquantitative reverse transcribed polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical assays were used to verify the results of microarray and further identify differentially expressed genes in non-invasive early stages of colon cancer. RESULTS: Five gene expressions were changed in colon carcinoma cells compared with that of controls. Of the five genes, three genes were downregulated and two were upregulated in invasive submucosal colon carcinoma compared with non-invasive cases. The results were confirmed at the level of aRNA and gene expression. Five genes were further identified as differentially expressed genes in the majority ofcases (> 50%, 25/40) in progression of colon cancer, and their expression patterns of which were similar to tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that combined use of polypeptide analysis might identify early expression profiles of five differential genes associated with the invasion of colon cancer. These results reveal that this gene may be a marker of submucosal invasion in early colon cancer.

IDENTIFICATION OF DIFFERENTIAL GENES IN OVARIAN CANCER USING REPRESENTATIONAL DIFFERENCE ANALYSIS OF cDNA

Objoctive To identify differential genes between normal ovarian epithelium tissue and ovarian epithelial cancer using representational difference analysis of cDNA （cDNA-RDA）. Methods cDNA-RDA was performed to identify the differentially expressed sequences between cDNAs from cancer tissue and cDNAs from normal ovarian tissue in the same patient who was in the early stage of ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma. These differentially expressed fragments were cloned and analyzed, then sequenced and compared with known genes. Results Three differentially cxpressed cDNA fragments were isolated using cDNA from normal ovarian tissue as tester and cDNA from cancer tissue as driver amplicon by cDNA-RDA. DP Ⅲ- 1 and DP Ⅲ-2 cDNA clone showed significant homology to the cDNA of alpha actin gene; DPⅢ-3 cDNA clone showed significant homology to the cDNA oftransgelin gene. Conclusion cDNA-RDA can bc used to sensitively identify the differentially expressed genes in ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma. Ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma involves alteration of multiple genes.

Probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus downregulates FCER1 and HRH4 expression in human mast cells

AIM:To investigate the effects of four probiotic bacteria and their combination on human mast cell gene expression using microarray analysis.METHODS:Human peripheral-blood-derived mast cells were stimulated with Lactobacillus rhamnosus (L.rhamnosus) GG (LGG),L.rhamnosus Lc705 (Lc705),Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp.shermanii JS (PJS) and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp.lactis Bb12 (Bb12) and their combination for 3 or 24 h,and were subjected to global microarray analysis using an Affymetrix GeneChip Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array.The gene expression differences between unstimulated and bacteria-stimulated samples were further analyzed with GOrilla Gene Enrichment Analysis and Visualization Tool and MeV Multiexperiment Viewer-tool.RESULTS:LGG and Lc705 were observed to suppress genes that encoded allergy-related high-affinity IgE receptor subunits α and γ (FCER1A and FCER1G,respectively) and histamine H4 receptor.LGG,Lc705 and the combination of four probiotics had the strongest effect on the expression of genes involved in mast cell immune system regulation,and on several genes that encoded proteins with a pro-inflammatory impact,such as interleukin (IL)-8 and tumour necrosis factor alpha.Also genes that encoded proteins with anti-inflammatory functions,such as IL-10,were upregulated.CONCLUSION:Certain probiotic bacteria might diminish mast cell allergy-related activation by downregulation of the expression of high-affinity IgE and histamine receptor genes,and by inducing a pro-inflammatory response.

Monitoring microarray-based gene expression profile changes in hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To find out key genes responsible for hepatocarc inogenesis and to further understand the underlying molecular mechanism through investigating the differential gene expression between human normal liver tissue and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).METHODS: DNA microarray was prepared by spotting PCR products of 1 000 human genes including 445 novel genes, 540 known genes as well as 12 positive (housekeeping) and 3 negative controls (plant gene) onto treated glass slides. cDNA probes were prepared by labeling normal liver tissue mRNA and cancer liver tissue mRNA with Cy3-dUTP and Cy5-dUTP separately through reverse transcription. The arrays were hybridized against the cDNA probe and the fluorescent signals were scanned. The dataobtained from repeated experiments were analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 20 couple samples investigated (from cancerous liver tissue and normal liver tissue), 38 genes including 21 novel genes and 17 known genes exhibited different expressions. CONCLUSION: cDNA microarray technique is powerful to identify candidate target genes that may play important roles in human carcinogenesis. Further analysis of the obtained genes is helpful to understand the molecular changes in HCC progression and ultimately may lead to the identification of new targets for HCC diagnosis and intervention.

Gene expression profile of esophageal cancer in North East India by cDNA microarray analysis

AIM： To identify alterations in genes and molecular functional pathways in esophageal cancer in a high incidence region of India where there is a widespread use of tobacco and betel quid with fermented areca nuts. METHODS： Total RNA was isolated from tumor and matched normal tissue of 16 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Pooled tumor tissue RNA was labeled with Cy3-dUTP and pooled normal tissue RNA was labeled with Cy5-dUTP by direct labeling method. The labeled probes were hybridized with human 10K cDNA chip and expression profiles were analyzed by Genespring GX V 7.3 （Silicon Genetics）. RESULTS： Nine hundred twenty three genes were differentially expressed. Of these, 611 genes were upregulated and 312 genes were downregulated. Using stringent criteria （P ≤ 0.05 and ≥ 1.5 fold change）, 127 differentially expressed genes （87 upregulated and 40 downregulated） were identified in tumor tissue. On the basis of Gene Ontology, four different molecular functional pathways （HAPK pathway, G-protein coupled receptor family, ion transport activity, and serine or threonine kinase activity）were most significantly upregulated and six different molecular functional pathways （structural constituent of ribosome, endopeptidase inhibitor activity, structural constituent of cytoskeleton, antioxidant activity, acyl group transferase activity, eukaryotic translation elongation factor activity）were most significantly downregulated. CONCLUSION： Several genes that showed alterations in our study have also been reported from a high incidence area of esophageal cancer in China. This indicates that molecular profiles of esophageal cancer in these two different geographic locations are highly consistent.

Classification analysis of microarray data based on ontological engineering

Background knowledge is important for data mining, especially in complicated situation. Ontological engineering is the successor of knowledge engineering. The sharable knowledge bases built on ontology can be used to provide background knowledge to direct the process of data mining. This paper gives a common introduction to the method and presents a practical analysis example using SVM (support vector machine) as the classifier. Gene Ontology and the accompanying annotations compose a big knowledge base, on which many researches have been carried out. Microarray dataset is the output of DNA chip. With the help of Gene Ontology we present a more elaborate analysis on microarray data than former researchers. The method can also be used in other fields with similar scenario.

Cloning and Phylogenetic Analysis of a Fatty Acid Elongase Gene from Nannochloropsis oculata CS179

Nannochloropsis oculata CS179, a unicellular marine microalga, is rich in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids （LCPUFAs）. Elongase and desaturase play a key role in the biosynthesis of PUFAs. A new elongase gene, which encodes 322 amino acids, was identified via RT-PCR and 5＇ and 3＇ RACE. The sequence of the elongase gene was blast-searched in the NCBI GenBank and showed a similarity to those of the coptosporidium. But the NJ-tree revealed that the N. oculata CS 179 elongase clustered with those of the microalgae Phaeodac^lum tricornutum, Ostreocoecus tauri and Thalassiosira pseudonana.

Isolation and characterization of a novel strain of Natrinema containing a bop gene

A novel member of extremely halophilic archaea, strain AJ2, was isolated from Ayakekum Lake located in Altun Mountain National Nature Reserve of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China. The strain A J2 requires at least 10% (w/v)NaCl and grows 10% to 30% (optimum at 20%). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA sequence comparison revealed that strain A J2 clustered to three Natrinema species with less than 97.7% sequence similarities, suggesting A J2 is a novel member of Natrinema. A bacteriorhodopsin-encoding (bop) gene was subsequently detected in the A J2 genome using the polymerase chain reaction technique. The cloning and sequencing of a 401 base pairs fragment indicated the deduced amino acid sequence of bop from A J2 is different from that reported for bacteriorhodopsins. This is the first reported detection of a bop gene in Natrinema.

PROGRESS IN DNA CHIP TECHNOLOGY

DNA chip technology employs light- directed in situ oligonucleotide synthesis and/or DNA microarray printing device to produce arrays of large number of probes in the tiny surface of silicon substrates, which makes it possible that the gene detection be conducted efficiently with high speed and sensitivity. The DNA chip may take important part in genome research, gene diagnoses and so on.

Differential remodeling of a T-cell transcriptome following CD8- versus CD3-induced signaling

CD8 engagement with class I major histocompatibility antigens greatly enhances T-cell activation, but it is not clear how this is achieved. We address the question of whether or not the antibody-mediated ligation of CD8 alone induces transcriptional remodeling in a T-cell clone, using serial analysis of gene expression. Even though it fails to induce overt phenotypic changes, we find that CD8 ligation profoundly alters transcription in the T-cell clone, at a scale comparable to that induced by antibody-mediated ligation of CD3. The character of the resulting changes is distinct, however, with the net effect of CD8 ligation being substantially inhibitory. We speculate that ligating CD8 induces weak, T-cell receptor （TCR）-mediated inhibitory signals reminiscent of the effects of TCR antagonists. Our results imply that CD8 ligation alone is incapable of activating the T-cell clone because it fails to fully induce NFAT-dependent transcription.

Diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome distinguishable by 16S rRNA gene phylotype quantification

AIM:To study whether selected bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA(rRNA)gene phylotypes are capable of disting- uishing irritable bowel syndrome(IBS). METHODS:The faecal microbiota of twenty volunteers with IBS,subdivided into eight diarrhoea-predominant (IBS-D),eight constipation-predominant(IBS-C)and four mixed symptom-subtype(IBS-M)IBS patients,and fifteen control subjects,were analysed at three time-points with a set of fourteen quantitative real-timepolymerase chain reaction assays.All assays targeted 16S rRNA gene phylotypes putatively associated with IBS,based on 16S rRNA gene library sequence analysis. The target phylotypes were affiliated with Actinobac-teria,Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes.Eight of the target phylotypes had less than 95%similarity to cultured bacterial species according to their 16S rRNA gene sequence.The data analyses were made with repeated-measures ANCOVA-type modelling of the data and principle component analysis(PCA)with linear mixed-effects models applied to the principal component scores. RESULTS:Bacterial phylotypes Clostridium cocleatum 88%,Clostridium thermosuccinogenes 85%,Coprobacillus catenaformis 91%,Ruminococcus bromii-like, Ruminococcus torques 91%,and R.torques 93%were detected from all samples analysed.A multivariate analysis of the relative quantities of all 14 bacterial 16S rRNA gene phylotypes suggested that the intestinal microbiota of the IBS-D patients differed from other sample groups.The PCA on the first principal component(PC1),explaining 30.36%of the observed variation in the IBS-D patient group,was significantly altered from all other sample groups(IBS-D vs control, P=0.01;IBS-D vs IBS-M,P=0.00;IBS-D vs IBS-C, P=0.05).Significant differences were also observed in the levels of distinct phylotypes using relative values in proportion to the total amount of bacteria.A phy- lotype with 85%similarity to C.thermosuccinogenes was quantified in significantly different quantities among the IBS-D and control subjects(-4.08±0.90 vs -3.33±1.16,P=0.04)and IBS-D and IBS-M subjects (-4.08±0.90 vs-3.08±1.38,P=0.05).Furthermore,a phylotype with 94%similarity to R.torques was more prevalent in IBS-D patients'intestinal micro- biota than in that of control subjects(-2.43±1.49 vs -4.02±1.63,P=0.01).A phylotype with 93%simi- larity to R.torques was associated with control sam- ples when compared with IBS-M(-2.41±0.53 vs -2.92±0.56,P=0.00).Additionally,a R.bromii-like phylotype was associated with IBS-C patients in com- parison to control subjects(-1.61±1.83 vs-3.69± 2.42,P=0.01).All of the above mentioned phylotype specific alterations were independent of the effect of time. CONCLUSION:Significant phylotype level alterationsin the intestinal microbiotas of IBS patients were observed,further emphasizing the possible contribution of the gastrointestinal microbiota in IBS.

Metagenome of microorganisms associated with the toxic Cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa analyzed using the 454 sequencing platform

In this study, the 454 pyrosequencing technology was used to analyze the DNA of the Microcystis aeruginosa symbiosis system from cyanobacterial algal blooms in Taihu Lake, China. We generated 183 228 reads with an average length of 248 bp. Running the 454 assembly algorithm over our sequences yielded 22 239 significant contigs. After excluding the M. aeruginosa sequences, we obtained 1 322 assembled contigs longer than 1 000 bp. Taxonomic analysis indicated that four kingdoms were represented in the community: Archaea (n = 9; 0.01%), Bacteria (n = 98 921; 99.6%), Eukaryota (n = 373; 3.7%), and Viruses (n = 18; 0.02%). The bacterial sequences were predominantly Alphaproteobacteria (n = 41 805; 83.3%), Betaproteobacteria (n = 5 254; 10.5%) and Gammaproteobacteria (n = 1 180; 2.4%). Gene annotations and assignment of COG (clusters of orthologous groups) functional categories indicate that a large number of the predicted genes are involved in metabolic, genetic, and environmental information processes. Our results demonstrate the extraordinary diversity of a microbial community in an ectosymbiotic system and further establish the tremendous utility of pyrosequencing.

Molecular mechanisms of early atrial remodeling by rapid atrial pacing in rabbits

Objective: To establish a rabbit atrial fibrillation model with rapid atrial pacing (RAP) and investigate its ultrastructural changes and expressions of L-type calcium channel subunits and potassium channel Kv4. 3. Methods: Thirty-six rabbits were performed electrical stimulation through bipolar endo-cardial led by surgical technique. 600 beat per min from 0 to 48 h. Atrial ultrastructure was observed by transmission electron microscope (TEM) after different pacing times. mRNA were measured by reverse transcription-polymera.se chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: Atrial ultrastructure had alteration after 3 hours' pacing, such as mitochondria vacuolization, myofilament lysis and glucogen aggregation. The mRNA of the Ca2+ channel β1 and α1 subunits began to decrease after pacing of 6 h. which were paralleled with the change of Kv4. 3 mRNA. But the auxiliary subunit α2 were not affected. Conclusion: Ultrastructural changes and mRNA levels of L-type calcium channel subunits and potassium channel Kv4. 3 are decreased after RAP. with a mechanism of transcriptional down-regulation of underlying ion channels due to calcium overloading after RAP.

Methods Comparison for Microsatellite Marker Development:Different Isolation Methods,Different Yield Efficiency

Microsatellite markers have become one kind of the most important molecular tools used in various researches. A large number of microsatellite markers are required for the whole genome survey in the fields of molecular ecology,quantitative genetics and genomics. Therefore,it is extremely necessary to select several versatile,low-cost,efficient and time-and labor-saving methods to develop a large panel of microsatellite markers. In this study,we used Zhikong scallop(Chlamys farreri) as the target species to compare the efficiency of the five methods derived from three strategies for microsatellite marker development. The results showed that the strategy of constructing small insert genomic DNA library resulted in poor efficiency,while the microsatellite-enriched strategy highly improved the isolation efficiency. Although the mining public database strategy is time-and cost-saving,it is difficult to obtain a large number of microsatellite markers,mainly due to the limited sequence data of non-model species deposited in public databases. Based on the results in this study,we recommend two methods,microsatellite-enriched library construction method and FIASCO-colony hybridization method,for large-scale microsatellite marker development. Both methods were derived from the microsatellite-enriched strategy. The experimental results obtained from Zhikong scallop also provide the reference for microsatellite marker development in other species with large genomes.