Evolution of sensory complexity recorded in a myxobacterial genome

Myxobacteria are single-celled, but social, eubacterial predators. Upon starvation they build multicellular fruiting bodies using a developmental program that progressively changes the pattern of cell movement and the repertoire of genes expressed. Development terminates with spore differentiation and is coordinated by both diffusible and cell-bound signals. The growth and development of Myxococcus xanthus is regulated by the integration of multiple signals from outside the cells with physiological signals from within. A collection of M. xanthus cells behaves, in many respects, like a multicellular organism. For these reasons M. xanthus offers unparalleled access to a regulatory network that controls development and that organizes cell movement on surfaces. The genome of M. xanthus is large (9.14 Mb), considerably larger than the other sequenced delta-proteobacteria. We suggest that gene duplication and divergence were major contributors to genomic expansion from its progenitor. More than 1,500 duplications specific to the myxobacterial lineage were identified, representing >15% of the total genes. Genes were not duplicated at random; rather, genes for cell-cell signaling, small molecule sensing, and integrative transcription control were amplified selectively. Families of genes encoding the production of secondary metabolites are overrepresented in the genome but may have been received by horizontal gene transfer and are likely to be important for predation.

Sequence and analysis of chromosome 2 of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana

Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) is unique among plant model organisms in having a small genome (130-140 Mb), excellent physical and genetic maps, and little repetitive DNA. Here we report the sequence of chromosome 2 from the Columbia ecotype in two gap-free assemblies (contigs) of 3.6 and 16 megabases (Mb). The latter represents the longest published stretch of uninterrupted DNA sequence assembled from any organism to date. Chromosome 2 represents 15% of the genome and encodes 4,037 genes, 49% of which have no predicted function. Roughly 250 tandem gene duplications were found in addition to large-scale duplications of about 0.5 and 4.5 Mb between chromosomes 2 and 1 and between chromosomes 2 and 4, respectively. Sequencing of nearly 2 Mb within the genetically defined centromere revealed a low density of recognizable genes, and a high density and diverse range of vestigial and presumably inactive mobile elements. More unexpected is what appears to be a recent insertion of a continuous stretch of 75% of the mitochondrial genome into chromosome 2.

Application of RT-PCR for Indexing Avocado Sunblotch Viroid

A method for the routine detection of avocado sunblotch viroid (ASBVd) in nucleic acid extracts of infected avocado tissues by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was developed using ASBVd-specific primers. Amplified cDNA products were analyzed by electrophoresis on nondenaturing 6% polyacrylamide slab gels. The size of the major RT-PCR product from ASBVd-infected tissue was estimated to be 250 bp. This product was absent from amplified extracts of uninfected tissue. The amplification product from ASBVd was sequenced by the dideoxynucleotide chain termination method, and the sequence was over 97% identical to the published sequence. The RT-PCR assay is sensitive enough to allow viroid detection without requiring large amounts of tissue, highly purified ASBVd, or molecular hybridization.

Identification of cultivars and validation of genetic relationships in Mangifera indica L. using RAPD markers

Twenty-five accessions of mango were examined for random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) genetic markers with 80 10-mer random primers. Of the 80 primers screened, 33 did not amplify, 19 were monomorphic, and 28 gave reproducible, polymorphic DNA amplification patterns. Eleven primers were selected from the 28 for the study. The number of bands generated was primer- and genotype-dependent, and ranged from 1 to 10. No primer gave unique banding patterns for each of the 25 accessions; however, ten different combinations of 2 primer banding patterns produced unique fingerprints for each accession. A maternal half-sib (MHS) family was included among the 25 accessions to see if genetic relationships could be detected. RAPD data were used to generate simple matching coefficients, which were analyzed phenetically and by means of principal coordinate analysis (PCA). The MHS clustered together in both the phenetic and the PCA while the randomly selected accessions were scattered with no apparent pattern. The uses of RAPD analysis for Mangifera germ plasm classification and clonal identification are discussed.