Satellite DNA evolution in Corvoidea inferred from short and long reads

Satellite DNA (satDNA) is a fast-evolving portion of eukaryotic genomes. The homogeneous and repetitive nature of such satDNA causes problems during the assembly of genomes, and therefore it is still difficult to study it in detail in nonmodel organisms as well as across broad evolutionary timescales. Here, we combined the use of short- and long-read data to explore the diversity and evolution of satDNA between individuals of the same species and between genera of birds spanning ~40 millions of years of bird evolution using birds-of-paradise (Paradisaeidae) and crow (Corvus) species. These avian species highlighted the presence of a GC-rich Corvoidea satellitome composed of 61 satellite families and provided a set of candidate satDNA monomers for being centromeric on the basis of length, abundance, homogeneity and transcription. Surprisingly, we found that the satDNA of crow species rapidly diverged between closely related species while the satDNA appeared more similar between birds-of-paradise species belonging to different genera.

Evidence for Strand Asymmetry in Different Plastid Genomes

A common genome composition pattern in eubacteria is an asymmetry between the leading and lagging strands resulting in opposite skew patterns in the two replichores that lie between the origin and terminus of replication. Although this pattern has been reported for a couple of isolated plastid genomes, it is not clear how widespread it is overall in this chromosome. Using a random walk approach, we examine plastid genomes outside of the land plants, which are excluded since they are known not to initiate replication at a single site, for such a pattern of asymmetry. Although it is not a common feature, we find that it is detectable in the plastid genome of species from several diverse lineages. The euglenozoa in particular show a strong skew pattern as do several rhodophytes. There is a weaker pattern in some chlorophytes but it is not apparent in other lineages. The ramifications of this for analyses of plastid evolution are discussed.

Librarian: A quality control tool to analyse sequencing library compositions

BACKGROUND

Robust analysis of DNA sequencing data needs to include a set of quality control steps to ensure that technical bias is kept to a minimum. A metric easily obtained is the frequency of each of the nucleobases for each position across all sequencing reads. Here, we explore the differences in nucleobase compositions of various library types produced by standard experimental methodologies.  Methods: We obtained the compositions of nearly 3000 publicly available datasets and subjected them to Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) dimensionality reduction for a two-dimensional representation of their composition characteristics.   Results: We find that most library types result in a specific composition profile. We use this to give an estimate of how strongly the composition of a test library resembles the profiles of previously published libraries, and how likely the test sample is to be of a particular type. We introduce Librarian, a user-friendly web application and command line tool which enables checking base compositions of test libraries against known library types.   Conclusions: Library preparation methods strongly influence the per position nucleobase content. By comparing test libraries to a database of previously published library types we can make predictions regarding the library preparation method. Librarian is a user-friendly tool to access this information for quality assurance purposes as discrepancies can flag potential irregularities very early on.

Librarian: A quality control tool to analyse sequencing library compositions

Background

Robust analysis of DNA sequencing data needs to include a set of quality control steps to ensure that technical bias is kept to a minimum. A metric easily obtained is the frequency of each of the nucleobases for each position across all sequencing reads. Here, we explore the differences in nucleobase compositions of various library types produced by standard experimental methodologies.

Methods

We obtained the compositions of nearly 3000 publicly available datasets and subjected them to Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) dimensionality reduction for a two-dimensional representation of their composition characteristics.

Results

We find that most library types result in a specific composition profile. We use this to give an estimate of how strongly the composition of a test library resembles the profiles of previously published libraries, and how likely the test sample is to be of a particular type. We introduce Librarian, a user-friendly web application and command line tool which enables checking base compositions of test libraries against known library types.

Conclusions

Library preparation methods strongly influence the per position nucleobase content. By comparing test libraries to a database of previously published library types we can make predictions regarding the library preparation method. Librarian is a user-friendly tool to access this information for quality assurance purposes as discrepancies can flag potential irregularities very early on.

On the Base Composition of Transposable Elements

Transposable elements exhibit a base composition that is often different from the genomic average and from hosts’ genes. The most common compositional bias is towards Adenosine and Thymine, although this bias is not universal, and elements with drastically different base composition can coexist within the same genome. The AT-richness of transposable elements is apparently maladaptive because it results in poor transcription and sub-optimal translation of proteins encoded by the elements. The cause(s) of this unusual base composition remain unclear and have yet to be investigated. Here, I review what is known about the nucleotide content of transposable elements and how this content can affect the genome of their host as well as their own replication. The compositional bias of transposable elements could result from several non-exclusive processes including horizontal transfer, mutational bias, and selection. It appears that mutation alone cannot explain the high AT-content of transposons and that selection plays a major role in the evolution of the compositional bias. The reason why selection would favor a maladaptive nucleotide content remains however unexplained and is an area of investigation that clearly deserves attention.

Nucleotide Composition and Codon Usage Across Viruses and Their Respective Hosts

The genetic material of the three domains of life (Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukaryota) is always double-stranded DNA, and their GC content (molar content of guanine plus cytosine) varies between ≈ 13% and ≈ 75%. Nucleotide composition is the simplest way of characterizing genomes. Despite this simplicity, it has several implications. Indeed, it is the main factor that determines, among other features, dinucleotide frequencies, repeated short DNA sequences, and codon and amino acid usage. Which forces drive this strong variation is still a matter of controversy. For rather obvious reasons, most of the studies concerning this huge variation and its consequences, have been done in free-living organisms. However, no recent comprehensive study of all known viruses has been done (that is, concerning all available sequences). Viruses, by far the most abundant biological entities on Earth, are the causative agents of many diseases. An overview of these entities is important also because their genetic material is not always double-stranded DNA: indeed, certain viruses have as genetic material single-stranded DNA, double-stranded RNA, single-stranded RNA, and/or retro-transcribing. Therefore, one may wonder if what we have learned about the evolution of GC content and its implications in prokaryotes and eukaryotes also applies to viruses. In this contribution, we attempt to describe compositional properties of ∼ 10,000 viral species: base composition (globally and according to Baltimore classification), correlations among non-coding regions and the three codon positions, and the relationship of the nucleotide frequencies and codon usage of viruses with the same feature of their hosts. This allowed us to determine how the base composition of phages strongly correlate with the value of their respective hosts, while eukaryotic viruses do not (with fungi and protists as exceptions). Finally, we discuss some of these results concerning codon usage: reinforcing previous results, we found that phages and hosts exhibit moderate to high correlations, while for eukaryotes and their viruses the correlations are weak or do not exist.

Base Composition and Host Adaptation of the SARS-CoV-2: Insight From the Codon Usage Perspective

The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been spreading rapidly all over the world and has raised grave concern globally. The present research aims to conduct a robust base compositional analysis of SARS-CoV-2 to reveal adaptive intricacies to the human host. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed a complex interplay of various factors including compositional constraint, natural selection, length of viral coding sequences, hydropathicity, and aromaticity of the viral gene products that are operational to codon usage patterns, with compositional bias being the most crucial determinant. UpG and CpA dinucleotides were found to be highly preferred whereas, CpG dinucleotide was mostly avoided in SARS-CoV-2, a pattern consistent with the human host. Strict avoidance of the CpG dinucleotide might be attributed to a strategy for evading a human immune response. A lower degree of adaptation of SARS-CoV-2 to the human host, compared to Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus and SARS-CoV, might be indicative of its milder clinical severity and progression contrasted to SARS and MERS. Similar patterns of enhanced adaptation between viral isolates from intermediate and human hosts, contrasted with those isolated from the natural bat reservoir, signifies an indispensable role of the intermediate host in transmission dynamics and spillover events of the virus to human populations. The information regarding avoided codon pairs in SARS-CoV-2, as conferred by the present analysis, promises to be useful for the design of vaccines employing codon pair deoptimization based synthetic attenuated virus engineering.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the sharpsnout seabream Diplodus puntazzo (Perciformes: Sparidae)

The sharpsnout seabream Diplodus puntazzo Walbaum, 1792 is a target species of small-scale fishery activities and is cage-cultured for human consumption. Nonetheless, genetic information on this species is limited. We here first sequence its complete mitochondrial genome. The sequence is composed of 16,638 base pairs, accounting for 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and 2 non-coding regions (D-loop and L-origin). The overall nucleotide composition is: 27.4% A, 28.9% C, 26.9% T, and 16.8% G. Maximum likelihood analyses placed D. puntazzo close to Acanthopagrus and some Pagellus species.

Effects of Length and Loop Composition on Structural Diversity and Similarity of (G3TG3NmG3TG3) G-Quadruplexes

A G-rich sequence containing three loops to connect four G-tracts with each ≥2 guanines can possibly form G-quadruplex structures. Given that all G-quadruplex structures comprise the stacking of G-quartets, the loop sequence plays a major role on their folding topology and thermal stability. Here circular dichroism, NMR, and PAGE are used to study the effect of loop length and base composition in the middle loop, and a single base difference in loop 1 and 3 on G-quadruplex formation of (G₃HG₃N_mG₃HG₃) sequences with and without flanking nucleotides, where H is T, A, or C and N is T, A, C, or G. In addition, melting curve for G-quadruplex unfolding was used to provide relatively thermal stability of G-quadruplex structure after the addition of K⁺ overnight. We further studied the effects of K⁺ concentration on their stability and found structural changes in several sequences. Such (G₃HG₃N_mG₃HG₃) configuration can be found in a number of native DNA sequences. The study of structural diversity and similarity from these sequences may allow us to establish the correlation between model sequences and native sequences. Moreover, several sequences upon interaction with a G-quadruplex ligand, BMVC, show similar spectral change, implying that structural similarity is crucial for drug development.

The complete mitochondrial genome of soft coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) using next-generation sequencing

The complete mitochondrial genome of Sarcophyton trocheliophorum was completed using next-generation sequencing (NGS) method. The mitochondrial genome is a circular molecule of 18,508 bp in length, containing 14 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and one transfer RNA gene (Met-tRNA). The base composition is 30.45% A, 16.03% C, 19.13% G, and 34.40% T, with an A + T content of 64.85%. A phylogenetic analysis of Alcyoniidae showed that genus Sarcophyton had the closest relationship with Sinularia.

Nucleosomal organization and DNA base composition patterns

Nucleosomes are the basic units of chromatin. They compact the genome inside the nucleus and regulate the access of proteins to DNA. In the yeast genome, most nucleosomes occupy well-defined positions, which are maintained under many different physiological situations and genetic backgrounds. Although several short sequence elements have been described that favor or reduce the affinity between histones and DNA, the extent to which the DNA sequence affects nucleosome positioning in the genomic context remains unclear. Recent analyses indicate that the base composition pattern of mononucleosomal DNA differs among species, and that the same sequence elements have a different impact on nucleosome positioning in different genomes despite the high level of phylogenetic conservation of histones. These studies have also shown that the DNA sequence contributes to nucleosome positioning to the point that it is possible to design synthetic DNA molecules capable of generating regular and species-specific nucleosomal patterns in vivo.

Transcriptome activity of isochores during preimplantation process in human and mouse

This work investigates the role of isochores during preimplantation process. Using RNA-seq data from human and mouse preimplantation stages, we created the spatio-temporal transcriptional profiles of the isochores during preimplantation. We found that from early to late stages, GC-rich isochores increase their expression while GC-poor ones decrease it. Network analysis revealed that modules with few coexpressed isochores are GC-poorer than medium-large ones, characterized by an opposite expression as preimplantation advances, decreasing and increasing respectively. Our results reveal a functional contribution of the isochores, supporting the presence of structural-functional interactions during maturation and early-embryonic development.

The phylogenetic analysis of Acrossocheilus paradoxus among the acrossocheilus base on complete mitochondrial DNA sequence

In our research, we used 17 sets of primers to amplify the complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Acrossocheilus paradoxus. The total length of the mitochondrial genome is 16 597 bp and deposited in the GenBank with accession numbers KT751364. The gene arrangement and transcriptional direction were similar to other bony fishes which contained 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA and 22 transfer RNAs) and a major non-coding control region. Most genes were encoded on the H-strand, except for the ND6 and 8 tRNA genes, encoding on the L-strand. The nucleotide skewness for the coding strands of A. Paradoxus (GC-skew= −0.24, AT-skew = 0.07) is biased toward A and C. The negative GC-skew ranges from −0.35(ND6) to −0.21(CO1) and the AT-skew showed more positive varying from −0.23(ND4L) to 0.42(ND6). The phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that Acrossocheilus clustal together as one group.

Molecular Evolution of Freshwater Snails with Contrasting Mating Systems

Because mating systems affect population genetics and ecology, they are expected to impact the molecular evolution of species. Self-fertilizing species experience reduced effective population size, recombination rates, and heterozygosity, which in turn should decrease the efficacy of natural selection, both adaptive and purifying, and the strength of meiotic drive processes such as GC-biased gene conversion. The empirical evidence is only partly congruent with these predictions, depending on the analyzed species, some, but not all, of the expected effects have been observed. One possible reason is that self-fertilization is an evolutionary dead-end, so that most current selfers recently evolved self-fertilization, and their genome has not yet been strongly impacted by selfing. Here, we investigate the molecular evolution of two groups of freshwater snails in which mating systems have likely been stable for several millions of years. Analyzing coding sequence polymorphism, divergence, and expression levels, we report a strongly reduced genetic diversity, decreased efficacy of purifying selection, slower rate of adaptive evolution, and weakened codon usage bias/GC-biased gene conversion in the selfer Galba compared with the outcrosser Physa, in full agreement with theoretical expectations. Our results demonstrate that self-fertilization, when effective in the long run, is a major driver of population genomic and molecular evolutionary processes. Despite the genomic effects of selfing, Galba truncatula seems to escape the demographic consequences of the genetic load. We suggest that the particular ecology of the species may buffer the negative consequences of selfing, shedding new light on the dead-end hypothesis.

Effects of Genic Base Composition on Growth Rate in G+C-rich Genomes

The source and significance of the wide variation in the genomic base composition of bacteria have been a matter of continued debate. Although the variation was originally attributed to a strictly neutral process, i.e., species-specific differences in mutational patterns, recent genomic comparisons have shown that bacteria with G+C-rich genomes experience a mutational bias toward A+T. This difference between the mutational input to a genome and its overall base composition suggests the action of natural selection. Here, we examine if selection acts on G+C contents in Caulobacter crescentus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which both have very G+C-rich genomes, by testing whether the expression of gene variants that differ only in their base compositions at synonymous sites affects cellular growth rates. In C. crescentus, expression of the more A+T-rich gene variants decelerated growth, indicating that selection on genic base composition is, in part, responsible for the high G+C content of this genome. In contrast, no comparable effect was observed in P. aeruginosa, which has similarly high genome G+C contents. Selection for increased genic G+C-contents in C. crescentus acts independently of the species-specific codon usage pattern and represents an additional selective force operating in bacterial genomes.

Twisted signatures of GC-biased gene conversion embedded in an evolutionary stable karyotype

The genomes of many vertebrates show a characteristic heterogeneous distribution of GC content, the so-called GC isochore structure. The origin of isochores has been explained via the mechanism of GC-biased gene conversion (gBGC). However, although the isochore structure is declining in many mammalian genomes, the heterogeneity in GC content is being reinforced in the avian genome. Despite this discrepancy, which remains unexplained, examinations of individual substitution frequencies in mammals and birds are both consistent with the gBGC model of isochore evolution. On the other hand, a negative correlation between substitution and recombination rate found in the chicken genome is inconsistent with the gBGC model. It should therefore be important to consider along with gBGC other consequences of recombination on the origin and fate of mutations, as well as to account for relationships between recombination rate and other genomic features. We therefore developed an analytical model to describe the substitution patterns found in the chicken genome, and further investigated the relationships between substitution patterns and several genomic features in a rigorous statistical framework. Our analysis indicates that GC content itself, either directly or indirectly via interrelations to other genomic features, has an impact on the substitution pattern. Further, we suggest that this phenomenon is particularly visible in avian genomes due to their unusually low rate of chromosomal evolution. Because of this, interrelations between GC content and other genomic features are being reinforced, and are as such more pronounced in avian genomes as compared with other vertebrate genomes with a less stable karyotype.

The branch-site test of positive selection is surprisingly robust but lacks power under synonymous substitution saturation and variation in GC

Positive selection is widely estimated from protein coding sequence alignments by the nonsynonymous-to-synonymous ratio ω. Increasingly elaborate codon models are used in a likelihood framework for this estimation. Although there is widespread concern about the robustness of the estimation of the ω ratio, more efforts are needed to estimate this robustness, especially in the context of complex models. Here, we focused on the branch-site codon model. We investigated its robustness on a large set of simulated data. First, we investigated the impact of sequence divergence. We found evidence of underestimation of the synonymous substitution rate for values as small as 0.5, with a slight increase in false positives for the branch-site test. When dS increases further, underestimation of dS is worse, but false positives decrease. Interestingly, the detection of true positives follows a similar distribution, with a maximum for intermediary values of dS. Thus, high dS is more of a concern for a loss of power (false negatives) than for false positives of the test. Second, we investigated the impact of GC content. We showed that there is no significant difference of false positives between high GC (up to ∼80%) and low GC (∼30%) genes. Moreover, neither shifts of GC content on a specific branch nor major shifts in GC along the gene sequence generate many false positives. Our results confirm that the branch-site is a very conservative test.

Computational small RNA prediction in bacteria

Bacterial, small RNAs were once regarded as potent regulators of gene expression and are now being considered as essential for their diversified roles. Many small RNAs are now reported to have a wide array of regulatory functions, ranging from environmental sensing to pathogenesis. Traditionally, noncoding transcripts were rarely detected by means of genetic screens. However, the availability of approximately 2200 prokaryotic genome sequences in public databases facilitates the efficient computational search of those molecules, followed by experimental validation. In principle, the following four major computational methods were applied for the prediction of sRNA locations from bacterial genome sequences: (1) comparative genomics, (2) secondary structure and thermodynamic stability, (3) ‘Orphan’ transcriptional signals and (4) ab initio methods regardless of sequence or structure similarity; most of these tools were applied to locate the putative genomic sRNA locations followed by experimental validation of those transcripts. Therefore, computational screening has simplified the sRNA identification process in bacteria. In this review, a plethora of small RNA prediction methods and tools that have been reported in the past decade are discussed comprehensively and assessed based on their attributes, compatibility, and their prediction accuracy.

Genome size and base composition variation in natural and experimental Narcissus (Amaryllidaceae) hybrids

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Although there is evidence that both allopolyploid and homoploid hybridization lead to rapid genomic changes, much less is known about hybrids from parents with different basic numbers without further chromosome doubling. Two natural hybrids, Narcissus × alentejanus (2n = 19) and N. × perezlarae (2n = 29), originated by one progenitor (N. cavanillesii, 2n = 28) and two others (N. serotinus, 2n = 10 and N. miniatus, 2n = 30, respectively) allow us to study how DNA content and composition varies in such hybrids.

METHODS

Flow cytometry measurements with two staining techniques, PI and DAPI, were used to estimate 2C values and base composition (AT/GC ratio) in 390 samples from 54 wild populations of the two natural hybrids and their parental species. In addition, 20 synthetic F(1) hybrid individuals were also studied for comparison.

KEY RESULTS

Natural hybrids presented 2C values intermediate between those found in their parental species, although intra-population variance was very high in both hybrids, particularly for PI. Genome size estimated from DAPI was higher in synthetic hybrids than in hybrids from natural populations. In addition, differences for PI 2C values were detected between synthetic reciprocal crosses, attributable to maternal effects, as well as between natural hybrids and those synthetic F(1) hybrids in which N. cavanillesii acted as a mother.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that natural hybrid populations are composed of a mixture of markedly different hybrid genotypes produced either by structural chromosome changes, consistent with classic cytogenetic studies in Narcissus, or by transposon-mediated events.

Dynamic evolution of base composition: causes and consequences in avian phylogenomics

Resolving the phylogenetic relationships among birds is a classical problem in systematics, and this is particularly so when it comes to understanding the relationships among Neoaves. Previous phylogenetic inference of birds has been limited to mitochondrial genomes or a few nuclear genes. Here, we apply deep brain transcriptome sequencing of nine bird species (several passerines, hummingbirds, dove, parrot, and emu), using next-generation sequencing technology to understand features of transcriptome evolution in birds and how this affects phylogenetic inference, and combine with data from two bird species using first generation technology. The phylogenomic data matrix comprises 1,995 genes and a total of 0.77 Mb of exonic sequence. First, we find an unexpected heterogeneity in the evolution of base composition among avian lineages. There is a pronounced increase in guanine + cytosine (GC) content in the third codon position in several independent lineages, with the strongest effect seen in passerines. Second, we evaluate the effect of GC content variation on phylogenetic reconstruction. We find important inconsistencies between the topologies obtained with or without taking GC variation into account, each supporting different conclusions of past studies and also influencing hypotheses on the evolution of the trait of vocal learning. Third, we demonstrate a link between GC content evolution and recombination rate and, focusing on the zebra finch lineage, find that recombination seems to drive GC content. Although we cannot reveal the causal relationships, this observation is consistent with the model of GC-biased gene conversion. Finally, we use this unparalleled amount of avian sequence data to study the rate of molecular evolution, calibrated by fossil evidence and augmented with data from alligator transcriptome sequencing. There is a 2- to 3-fold variation in substitution rate among lineages with passerines being the most rapidly evolving and ratites the slowest. This study illustrates the potential of next-generation sequencing for phylogenomic studies but also the pitfalls when using genome-wide data with heterogeneous base composition.

Locus-specific decoupling of base composition evolution at synonymous sites and introns along the Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila sechellia lineages

Selection is thought to be partially responsible for patterns of molecular evolution at synonymous sites within numerous Drosophila species. Recently, “per-site” and likelihood methods have been developed to detect loci for which positive selection is a major component of synonymous site evolution. An underlying assumption of these methods, however, is a homogeneous mutation process. To address this potential shortcoming, we perform a complementary analysis making gene-by-gene comparisons of paired synonymous site and intron substitution rates toward and away from the nucleotides G and C because preferred codons are G or C ending in Drosophila. This comparison may reduce both the false-positive rate (due to broadscale heterogeneity in mutation) and false-negative rate (due to lack of power comparing small numbers of sites) of the per-site and likelihood methods. We detect loci with patterns of evolution suggestive of synonymous site selection pressures predominately favoring unpreferred and preferred codons along the Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila sechellia lineages, respectively. Intron selection pressures do not appear sufficient to explain all these results as the magnitude of the difference in synonymous and intron evolution is dependent on recombination environment and chromosomal location in a direction supporting the hypothesis of selectively driven synonymous fixations. This comparison identifies 101 loci with an apparent switch in codon preference between D. melanogaster and D. sechellia, a pattern previously only observed at the Notch locus.

Molecular genotyping of microbes by multilocus PCR and mass spectrometry: a new tool for hospital infection control and public health surveillance

We describe a new technology for the molecular genotyping of microbes using a platform known commercially as the Ibis T5000. The technology couples multilocus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry (PCR/ESI-MS) and was developed to provide rapid, high-throughput, and precise digital analysis of either isolated colonies or original patient specimens on a platform suitable for use in hospital or reference diagnostic laboratories or public health settings. The PCR/ESI-MS method measures digital molecular signatures from microbes, enabling real-time epidemiological surveillance and outbreak investigation. This technology will facilitate understanding of the pathways by which infectious organisms spread and will enable appropriate interventions on a time frame not previously achievable.

A comparative analysis of mitochondrial genomes in Coleoptera (Arthropoda: Insecta) and genome descriptions of six new beetles

Coleoptera is the most diverse group of insects with over 360,000 described species divided into four suborders: Adephaga, Archostemata, Myxophaga, and Polyphaga. In this study, we present six new complete mitochondrial genome (mtgenome) descriptions, including a representative of each suborder, and analyze the evolution of mtgenomes from a comparative framework using all available coleopteran mtgenomes. We propose a modification of atypical cox1 start codons based on sequence alignment to better reflect the conservation observed across species as well as findings of TTG start codons in other genes. We also analyze tRNA-Ser(AGN) anticodons, usually GCU in arthropods, and report a conserved UCU anticodon as a possible synapomorphy across Polyphaga. We further analyze the secondary structure of tRNA-Ser(AGN) and present a consensus structure and an updated covariance model that allows tRNAscan-SE (via the COVE software package) to locate and fold these atypical tRNAs with much greater consistency. We also report secondary structure predictions for both rRNA genes based on conserved stems. All six species of beetle have the same gene order as the ancestral insect. We report noncoding DNA regions, including a small gap region of about 20 bp between tRNA-Ser(UCN) and nad1 that is present in all six genomes, and present results of a base composition analysis.

Genome size and GC content evolution of Festuca: ancestral expansion and subsequent reduction

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Plant evolution is well known to be frequently associated with remarkable changes in genome size and composition; however, the knowledge of long-term evolutionary dynamics of these processes still remains very limited. Here a study is made of the fine dynamics of quantitative genome evolution in Festuca (fescue), the largest genus in Poaceae (grasses).

METHODS

Using flow cytometry (PI, DAPI), measurements were made of DNA content (2C-value), monoploid genome size (Cx-value), average chromosome size (C/n-value) and cytosine + guanine (GC) content of 101 Festuca taxa and 14 of their close relatives. The results were compared with the existing phylogeny based on ITS and trnL-F sequences.

KEY RESULTS

The divergence of the fescue lineage from related Poeae was predated by about a 2-fold monoploid genome and chromosome size enlargement, and apparent GC content enrichment. The backward reduction of these parameters, running parallel in both main evolutionary lineages of fine-leaved and broad-leaved fescues, appears to diverge among the existing species groups. The most dramatic reductions are associated with the most recently and rapidly evolving groups which, in combination with recent intraspecific genome size variability, indicate that the reduction process is probably ongoing and evolutionarily young. This dynamics may be a consequence of GC-rich retrotransposon proliferation and removal. Polyploids derived from parents with a large genome size and high GC content (mostly allopolyploids) had smaller Cx- and C/n-values and only slightly deviated from parental GC content, whereas polyploids derived from parents with small genome and low GC content (mostly autopolyploids) generally had a markedly increased GC content and slightly higher Cx- and C/n-values.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study indicates the high potential of general quantitative characters of the genome for understanding the long-term processes of genome evolution, testing evolutionary hypotheses and their usefulness for large-scale genomic projects. Taken together, the results suggest that there is an evolutionary advantage for small genomes in Festuca.

The neoselectionist theory of genome evolution

The vertebrate genome is a mosaic of GC-poor and GC-rich isochores, megabase-sized DNA regions of fairly homogeneous base composition that differ in relative amount, gene density, gene expression, replication timing, and recombination frequency. At the emergence of warm-blooded vertebrates, the gene-rich, moderately GC-rich isochores of the cold-blooded ancestors underwent a GC increase. This increase was similar in mammals and birds and was maintained during the evolution of mammalian and avian orders. Neither the GC increase nor its conservation can be accounted for by the random fixation of neutral or nearly neutral single-nucleotide changes (i.e., the vast majority of nucleotide substitutions) or by a biased gene conversion process occurring at random genome locations. Both phenomena can be explained, however, by the neoselectionist theory of genome evolution that is presented here. This theory fully accepts Ohta's nearly neutral view of point mutations but proposes in addition (i) that the AT-biased mutational input present in vertebrates pushes some DNA regions below a certain GC threshold; (ii) that these lower GC levels cause regional changes in chromatin structure that lead to deleterious effects on replication and transcription; and (iii) that the carriers of these changes undergo negative (purifying) selection, the final result being a compositional conservation of the original isochore pattern in the surviving population. Negative selection may also largely explain the GC increase accompanying the emergence of warm-blooded vertebrates. In conclusion, the neoselectionist theory not only provides a solution to the neutralist/selectionist debate but also introduces an epigenomic component in genome evolution.

Natural selection is not required to explain universal compositional patterns in rRNA secondary structure categories

We have encountered an unexpected property of rRNA secondary structures that may generalize to all RNAs. Analysis of 8892 ribosomal RNA sequences and structures from a wide range of species revealed unexpected universal compositional trends. First, different categories of rRNA secondary structure (stems, loops, bulges, and junctions) have distinct, characteristic base compositions. Second, the observed patterns of variation are similar among sequences from large and small rRNA subunits and all domains of life, despite extensive evolutionary divergence. Surprisingly, these differences do not seem to be related to selection for different compositions in different structural categories, but rather relate to the overall composition of the molecule: Randomized RNAs with no evolutionary history show the same structure-dependent compositional biases as rRNAs. These compositional trends may improve the accuracy of RNA secondary structure prediction, because they allow us to compare predicted structures against known compositional preferences. They also suggest caution in interpreting differences in the rate of change of the GC content in different parts of the molecule as evidence of differential selection.

Extracting single genomes from heterogenous DNA samples: a test case with Carsonella ruddii, the bacterial symbiont of psyllids (Insecta)

Analysis of many bacterial genomes is impeded by the inability to separate individual species from complex mixtures of cells or to propagate cells in pure culture. This problem is an obstacle to the study of many bacterial symbionts that live intracellularly in insects and other animals. To recover bacterial DNA from complex samples, we devised a method that facilitates the cloning of DNA fragments of distinctive G+C contents in order to generate shotgun DNA libraries enriched in inserts having a specific base composition. DNA preparations are first treated with a restriction enzyme having a common cleavage site in a particular genome and then shotgun cloned following size-fractionation. This method was applied to whole bacteriomes of the psyllid, Pachypsylla venusta, which harbors the bacterial symbiont Candidatus Carsonella ruddii. The resulting libraries were highly enriched in bacterial sequences. Through the use of alternate enzymes and partial digests, this technique can be adapted to yield virtually pure DNA libraries for individual bacterial species.

Genome size variation in Central European species of Cirsium (Compositae) and their natural hybrids

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Nuclear DNA amounts of 12 diploid and one tetraploid taxa and 12 natural interspecific hybrids of Cirsium from 102 populations in the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary were estimated.

METHODS

DAPI and PI flow cytometry were used.

KEY RESULTS

2C-values of diploid (2n = 34) species varied from 2.14 pg in C. heterophyllum to 3.60 pg in C. eriophorum (1.68-fold difference); the 2C value for the tetraploid C. vulgare was estimated at 5.54 pg. The DNA contents of hybrids were located between the values of their putative parents, although usually closer to the species with the smaller genome. Biennial species of Cirsium possessed larger nuclear DNA amounts than their perennial relatives. Genome size was negatively correlated with Ellenberg's indicator values for continentality and moisture and with eastern limits of distribution. A negative relationship was also detected between the genome size and the tendency to form natural interspecific hybrids. On the contrary, C-values positively corresponded with the spinyness (degree of spinosity). AT frequency ranged from 48.38 % in C. eriophorum to 51.75 % in C. arvense. Significant intraspecific DNA content variation in DAPI sessions was detected in C. acaule (probably due to the presence of B-chromosomes), and in tetraploid C. vulgare. Only the diploid level was confirmed for the Pannonian C. brachycephalum, generally considered to be tetraploid. In addition, triploidy was discovered for the first time in C. rivulare.

CONCLUSIONS

Considerable differences in nuclear DNA content exist among Central European species of Cirsium on the diploid level. Perennial soft spiny Cirsium species of wet habitats and continental distributions generally have smaller genomes. The hybrids of diploid species remain diploid, and their DNA content is smaller than the mean of the parents. Species with smaller genomes produce interspecific hybrids more frequently.

Direct evidence of the C-like form of sodium deoxyribonucleate

From infrared linear dichroism studies, direct evidence is given for a new Na DNA form, which is similar to the C form of Li DNA. This C-like form in Na DNA occurs under conditions of very low NaCl content (at high relative humidity), high NaCl content (at low relative humidity), and low G + C content of the DNA (at low relative humitiy). The C form of Li DNA was originally discovered by x-ray diffraction, but has not previously been characterized by infrared spectroscopy. The C form is primarily characterized by the orientation of the O2- -O3 line of the phosphate group, which is about 48 degrees (+/-2 degrees ) with respect to the helical DNA axis and which is different from that of the B and A forms. Na DNA molecules rich in A + T may entirely or partially adopt the C form at low relative humidity. Since from infrared evidence, the C-like form is found not only in Li DNA at low relative humidity but also in Na DNA under different conditions, the C form may be biologically important. A possible role for recognition by proteins is suggested.

DNA polymerases of tumor virus: specific effect of ethidium bromide on the use of different synthetic templates

The DNA polymerase enzymes from avian, murine, and feline RNA tumor viruses can be distinguished by their ability to read specific, synthetic primertemplates. The copying of templates containing adenylic and thymidylic acids by all these DNA polymerases is inhibited by ethidium bromide, though this compound affects the polymerases from mammalian tumor viruses much more than the enzyme from avian tumor viruses. Conversely, ethidium bromide stimulates the ability of the enzymes from avian tumor viruses to use primertemplates containing only guanylic and cytidylic acids, whereas the mammalian tumor virus enzymes are moderately inhibited.