scholarly journals PSI-40 Two mitochondrial lineages revealed in North American yak

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. 477-477
Author(s):  
Leah K Treffer ◽  
Edward S Rice ◽  
Anna M Fuller ◽  
Samuel Cutler ◽  
Jessica L Petersen

Abstract Domestic yak (Bos grunniens) are bovids native to the Asian Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Studies of Asian yak have revealed that introgression with domestic cattle has contributed to the evolution of the species. When imported to North America (NA), some hybridization with B. taurus did occur. The objective of this study was to use mitochondrial (mt) DNA sequence data to better understand the mtDNA origin of NA yak and their relationship to Asian yak and related species. The complete mtDNA sequence of 14 individuals (12 NA yak, 1 Tibetan yak, 1 Tibetan B. indicus) was generated and compared with sequences of similar species from GeneBank (B. indicus, B. grunniens (Chinese), B. taurus, B. gaurus, B. primigenius, B. frontalis, Bison bison, and Ovis aries). Individuals were aligned to the B. grunniens reference genome (ARS_UNL_BGru_maternal_1.0), which was also included in the analyses. The mtDNA genes were annotated using the ARS-UCD1.2 cattle sequence as a reference. Ten unique NA yak haplotypes were identified, which a haplotype network separated into two clusters. Variation among the NA haplotypes included 93 nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms. A maximum likelihood tree including all taxa was made using IQtree after the data were partitioned into twenty-two subgroups using PartitionFinder2. Notably, six NA yak haplotypes formed a clade with B. indicus; the other four haplotypes grouped with B. grunniens and fell as a sister clade to bison, gaur and gayal. These data demonstrate two mitochondrial origins of NA yak with genetic variation in protein coding genes. Although these data suggest yak introgression with B. indicus, it appears to date prior to importation into NA. In addition to contributing to our understanding of the species history, these results suggest the two major mtDNA haplotypes in NA yak may functionally differ. Characterization of the impact of these differences on cellular function is currently underway.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhong-Yin Zhou ◽  
Hang Liu ◽  
Yue-Dong Zhang ◽  
Yin-Qiao Wu ◽  
Min-Sheng Peng ◽  
...  

AbstractUnderstanding the mutational and evolutionary dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 is essential for treating COVID-19 and the development of a vaccine. Here, we analyzed publicly available 15,818 assembled SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences, along with 2,350 raw sequence datasets sampled worldwide. We investigated the distribution of inter-host single nucleotide polymorphisms (inter-host SNPs) and intra-host single nucleotide variations (iSNVs). Mutations have been observed at 35.6% (10,649/29,903) of the bases in the genome. The substitution rate in some protein coding regions is higher than the average in SARS-CoV-2 viruses, and the high substitution rate in some regions might be driven to escape immune recognition by diversifying selection. Both recurrent mutations and human-to-human transmission are mechanisms that generate fitness advantageous mutations. Furthermore, the frequency of three mutations (S protein, F400L; ORF3a protein, T164I; and ORF1a protein, Q6383H) has gradual increased over time on lineages, which provides new clues for the early detection of fitness advantageous mutations. Our study provides theoretical support for vaccine development and the optimization of treatment for COVID-19. We call researchers to submit raw sequence data to public databases.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily DiBlasi ◽  
Andrey A. Shabalin ◽  
Eric T. Monson ◽  
Brooks R. Keeshin ◽  
Amanda V. Bakian ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTSuicide death is a worldwide health crisis, claiming close to 800,000 lives per year. Recent evidence suggests that prediction and prevention challenges may be aided by discoveries of genetic risk factors. Here we focus on the role of rare (MAF <1%), putatively functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in suicide death using the large genetic resources available in the Utah Suicide Genetic Risk Study (USGRS). We conducted a single-variant association analysis of 30,377 rare putatively functional SNPs present on the PsychArray genotyping array in 2,672 USGRS suicides of non-Finnish European (NFE) ancestry and 51,583 publicly available NFE controls from gnomAD, with additional follow-up analyses using an independent control sample of 21,324 NFE controls from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. SNPs underwent rigorous quality control, and among SNPs meeting significance thresholds, we considered only those that were validated in sequence data. We identified five novel, high-impact, rare SNPs with significant associations with suicide death (SNAPC1, rs75418419; TNKS1BP1, rs143883793; ADGRF5, rs149197213; PER1, rs145053802; and ESS2, rs62223875). Both PER1 and SNAPC1 have other supporting gene-level evidence of suicide risk, and an association with bipolar disorder has been reported for PER1 and with schizophrenia for PER1, TNKS1BP1, and ESS2. Three genes (PER1, TNKS1BP1, and ADGRF5), with additional genes implicated by GWAS studies on suicidal behavior, showed significant enrichment in immune system, homeostatic and signal transduction processes. Pain, depression, and accidental trauma were the most prevalent phenotypes in electronic medical record data for the categories assessed. These findings suggest an important role for rare variants in suicide risk and provide new insights into the genetic architecture of suicide death. Furthermore, we demonstrate the added utility of careful assessment of genotyping arrays in rare variant discovery.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeşerin Yıldırım ◽  
Marti J. Anderson ◽  
Selina Patel ◽  
Craig D. Millar ◽  
Paul B. Rainey

AbstractPleurobranchaea maculatais a rarely studied species of the Heterobranchia found throughout the south and western Pacific – and recently recorded in Argentina – whose population genetic structure is unknown. Interest in the species was sparked in New Zealand following a series of dog deaths caused by ingestions of slugs containing high levels of the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin. Here we describe the genetic structure and demographic history ofP. maculatapopulations from five principle locations in New Zealand based on extensive analyses of 12 microsatellite loci and theCOIandCytBregions of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Microsatellite data showed significant differentiation between northern and southern populations with population structure being associated with previously described regional variations in tetrodotoxin concentrations. However, mtDNA sequence data did not support such structure, revealing a star-shaped haplotype network with estimates of expansion time suggesting a population expansion in the Pleistocene era. Inclusion of publicly available mtDNA sequence from Argentinian sea slugs did not alter the star-shaped network. We interpret our data as indicative of a single founding population that fragmented following geographical changes that brought about the present day north-south divide in New Zealand waters. Lack of evidence of cryptic species supports data indicating that differences in toxicity of individuals among regions are a consequence of differences in diet.


PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9983
Author(s):  
Mingrui Wang ◽  
Dapeng Wang ◽  
Jun Yu ◽  
Shi Huang

The process of molecular evolution has many elements that are not yet fully understood. Evolutionary rates are known to vary among protein coding and noncoding DNAs, and most of the observed changes in amino acid or nucleotide sequences are assumed to be non-adaptive by the neutral theory of molecular evolution. However, it remains unclear whether fixed and standing missense changes in slowly evolving proteins are more or less neutral compared to those in fast evolving genes. Here, based on the evolutionary rates as inferred from identity scores between orthologs in human and Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta), we found that the fraction of conservative substitutions between species was significantly higher in their slowly evolving proteins. Similar results were obtained by using four different methods of scoring conservative substitutions, including three that remove the impact of substitution probability, where conservative changes require fewer mutations. We also examined the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) by using the 1000 Genomes Project data and found that missense SNPs in slowly evolving proteins also had a higher fraction of conservative changes, especially for common SNPs, consistent with more non-conservative substitutions and hence stronger natural selection for SNPs, particularly rare ones, in fast evolving proteins. These results suggest that fixed and standing missense variants in slowly evolving proteins are more likely to be neutral.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 1068-1077
Author(s):  
Xiaochao Sun ◽  
Bin Yang ◽  
Qunye Zhang

: Many studies have shown that the spatial distribution of genes within a single chromosome exhibits distinct patterns. However, little is known about the characteristics of inter-chromosomal distribution of genes (including protein-coding genes, processed transcripts and pseudogenes) in different genomes. In this study, we explored these issues using the available genomic data of both human and model organisms. Moreover, we also analyzed the distribution pattern of protein-coding genes that have been associated with 14 common diseases and the insert/deletion mutations and single nucleotide polymorphisms detected by whole genome sequencing in an acute promyelocyte leukemia patient. We obtained the following novel findings. Firstly, inter-chromosomal distribution of genes displays a nonstochastic pattern and the gene densities in different chromosomes are heterogeneous. This kind of heterogeneity is observed in genomes of both lower and higher species. Secondly, protein-coding genes involved in certain biological processes tend to be enriched in one or a few chromosomes. Our findings have added new insights into our understanding of the spatial distribution of genome and disease- related genes across chromosomes. These results could be useful in improving the efficiency of disease-associated gene screening studies by targeting specific chromosomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Wang ◽  
Mian Wang ◽  
Zihao Li ◽  
Xinyin Wu ◽  
Xian Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract The aim of this study was to explore the impact of polymorphism of PD-1 gene and its interaction with tea drinking on susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB). A total of 503 patients with TB and 494 controls were enrolled in this case–control study. Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms of PD-1 (rs7568402, rs2227982 and rs36084323) were genotyped and unconditional logistic regression analysis was used to identify the association between PD-1 polymorphism and TB, while marginal structural linear odds models were used to estimate the interactions. Genotypes GA (OR 1.434), AA (OR 1.891) and GA + AA (OR 1.493) at rs7568402 were more prevalent in the TB patients than in the controls (P < 0.05). The relative excess risk of interaction (RERI) between rs7568402 of PD-1 genes and tea drinking was −0.3856 (95% confidence interval −0.7920 to −0.0209, P < 0.05), which showed a negative interaction. However, the RERIs between tea drinking and both rs2227982 and rs36084323 of PD-1 genes were not statistically significant. Our data demonstrate that rs7568402 of PD-1 genes was associated with susceptibility to TB, and there was a significant negative interaction between rs7568402 and tea drinking. Therefore, preventive measures through promoting the consumption of tea should be emphasised in the high-risk populations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1148
Author(s):  
Makedonka Atanasovska Velkovska ◽  
Katja Goričar ◽  
Tanja Blagus ◽  
Vita Dolžan ◽  
Barbara Cvenkel

Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of glaucoma. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of selected single-nucleotide polymorphisms in inflammation and oxidative stress genes on the risk of glaucoma, the patients’ clinical characteristics and the glaucoma phenotype. In total, 307 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension were enrolled. The control group included 339 healthy Slovenian blood donors. DNA was isolated from peripheral blood. Genotyping was performed for SOD2 rs4880, CAT rs1001179, GPX1 rs1050450, GSTP1 rs1695, GSTM1 gene deletion, GSTT1 gene deletion, IL1B rs1143623, IL1B rs16944, IL6 rs1800795 and TNF rs1800629. We found a nominally significant association of GSTM1 gene deletion with decreased risk of ocular hypertension and a protective role of IL1B rs16944 and IL6 rs1800629 in the risk of glaucoma. The CT and TT genotypes of GPX1 rs1050450 were significantly associated with advanced disease, lower intraocular pressure and a larger vertical cup–disc ratio. In conclusion, genetic variability in IL1B and IL6 may be associated with glaucoma risk, while GPX and TNF may be associated with the glaucoma phenotype. In the future, improved knowledge of these pathways has the potential for new strategies and personalised treatment of glaucoma.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 571
Author(s):  
Fengyan Wang ◽  
Mingxing Chu ◽  
Linxiang Pan ◽  
Xiangyu Wang ◽  
Xiaoyun He ◽  
...  

Litter size is one of the most important economic traits in sheep. GDF9 and BMPR1B are major genes affecting the litter size of sheep. In this study, the whole coding region of GDF9 was sequenced and all the SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) were determined in Luzhong mutton ewes. The FecB mutation was genotyped using the Sequenom MassARRAY®SNP assay technology. Then, the association analyses between polymorphic loci of GDF9 gene, FecB, and litter size were performed using a general linear model procedure. The results showed that eight SNPs were detected in GDF9 of Luzhong mutton sheep, including one novel mutation (g.41769606 T > G). The g.41768501A > G, g.41768485 G > A in GDF9 and FecB were significantly associated with litter size in Luzhong mutton ewes. The g.41768485 G > A is a missense mutation in the mature GDF9 protein region and is predicted to affect the tertiary structure of the protein. The results preliminarily demonstrated that GDF9 was a major gene affecting the fecundity of Luzhong mutton sheep and the two loci g.41768501A > G and g.41768485 G > A may be potential genetic markers for improving litter size.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ammar Zaghlool ◽  
Adnan Niazi ◽  
Åsa K. Björklund ◽  
Jakub Orzechowski Westholm ◽  
Adam Ameur ◽  
...  

AbstractTranscriptome analysis has mainly relied on analyzing RNA sequencing data from whole cells, overlooking the impact of subcellular RNA localization and its influence on our understanding of gene function, and interpretation of gene expression signatures in cells. Here, we separated cytosolic and nuclear RNA from human fetal and adult brain samples and performed a comprehensive analysis of cytosolic and nuclear transcriptomes. There are significant differences in RNA expression for protein-coding and lncRNA genes between cytosol and nucleus. We show that transcripts encoding the nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins are significantly enriched in the cytosol compared to the rest of protein-coding genes. Differential expression analysis between fetal and adult frontal cortex show that results obtained from the cytosolic RNA differ from results using nuclear RNA both at the level of transcript types and the number of differentially expressed genes. Our data provide a resource for the subcellular localization of thousands of RNA transcripts in the human brain and highlight differences in using the cytosolic or the nuclear transcriptomes for expression analysis.


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