scholarly journals Chromonomer: A Tool Set for Repairing and Enhancing Assembled Genomes Through Integration of Genetic Maps and Conserved Synteny

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4115-4128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Catchen ◽  
Angel Amores ◽  
Susan Bassham

The pace of the sequencing and computational assembly of novel reference genomes is accelerating. Though DNA sequencing technologies and assembly software tools continue to improve, biological features of genomes such as repetitive sequence as well as molecular artifacts that often accompany sequencing library preparation can lead to fragmented or chimeric assemblies. If left uncorrected, defects like these trammel progress on understanding genome structure and function, or worse, positively mislead this research. Fortunately, integration of additional, independent streams of information, such as a marker-dense genetic map and conserved orthologous gene order from related taxa, can be used to scaffold together unlinked, disordered fragments and to restructure a reference genome where it is incorrectly joined. We present a tool set for automating these processes, one that additionally tracks any changes to the assembly and to the genetic map, and which allows the user to scrutinize these changes with the help of web-based, graphical visualizations. Chromonomer takes a user-defined reference genome, a map of genetic markers, and, optionally, conserved synteny information to construct an improved reference genome of chromosome models: a “chromonome”. We demonstrate Chromonomer’s performance on genome assemblies and genetic maps that have disparate characteristics and levels of quality.

Author(s):  
Julian Catchen ◽  
Angel Amores ◽  
Susan Bassham

AbstractThe pace of the sequencing and computational assembly of novel reference genomes is accelerating. Though DNA sequencing technologies and assembly software tools continue to improve, biological features of genomes such as repetitive sequence as well as molecular artifacts that often accompany sequencing library preparation can lead to fragmented or chimeric assemblies. If left uncorrected, defects like these trammel progress on understanding genome structure and function, or worse, positively mislead such research. Fortunately, integration of additional, independent streams of information, such as a genetic map – particularly a marker-dense map from RADseq, for example – and conserved orthologous gene order from related taxa can be used to scaffold together unlinked, disordered fragments and to restructure a reference genome where it is incorrectly joined. We present a tool set for automating these processes, one that additionally tracks any changes to the assembly and to the genetic map, and which allows the user to scrutinize these changes with the help of web-based, graphical visualizations. Chromonomer takes a user-defined reference genome, a map of genetic markers, and, optionally, conserved synteny information to construct an improved reference genome of chromosome models: a “chromonome”. We demonstrate Chromonomer’s performance on genome assemblies and genetic maps that have disparate characteristics and levels of quality.


Author(s):  
Nadège Guiglielmoni ◽  
Ramón Rivera-Vicéns ◽  
Romain Koszul ◽  
Jean-François Flot

Non-vertebrate species represent about ~95% of known metazoan (animal) diversity. They remain to this day relatively unexplored genetically, but understanding their genome structure and function is pivotal for expanding our current knowledge of evolution, ecology and biodiversity. Following the continuous improvements and decreasing costs of sequencing technologies, many genome assembly tools have been released, leading to a significant amount of genome projects being completed in recent years. In this review, we examine the current state of genome projects of non-vertebrate animal species. We present an overview of available sequencing technologies, assembly approaches, as well as pre and post-processing steps, genome assembly evaluation methods, and their application to non-vertebrate animal genomes.


Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bartosz Kozak ◽  
Renata Galek ◽  
Dariusz Zalewski ◽  
Ewa Sawicka-Sienkiewicz

Genetic maps are an essential tool for investigating molecular markers’ linkage with traits of agronomic importance. Breeders put a lot of emphasis on this type of markers, which are used in breeding programs implementation and speed up the process of a new variety development. In this paper, we construct a new, high-density linkage genetic map for Polish material on narrow-leafed lupin. The mapping population originated from crossing the Polish variety ‘Emir’ and the Belarusian breeding line ‘LAE-1’. A new map was constructed based on DArTseq markers—a new type of marker generated with the next-generation sequencing (NGS) technique. The map was built with 4602 markers, which are divided into 20 linkage groups, corresponding with the number of gametic chromosomes in narrow-leafed lupin. On the new map there are 1174 unique loci. The total length of all linkage group is 3042 cM. This map was compared to the reference genome of narrow-leafed lupin and the CDS sequence for model legume species: emphMedicago truncatula, emphLotus japonicus and Glycine max. Analysis revealed the presence of the DArTseq marker common for all investigated species. We were able to map 38 new, unplaced scaffolds on the new genetic map of narrow-leafed lupin. The high-density genetic map we received can be used for quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, genome-wide association study analysis and assembly of the reference genome for the whole genome sequencing (WGS) method


Genetics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 152 (3) ◽  
pp. 1183-1202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin D Livingstone ◽  
Vincent K Lackney ◽  
James R Blauth ◽  
Rik van Wijk ◽  
Molly Kyle Jahn

Abstract We have created a genetic map of Capsicum (pepper) from an interspecific F2 population consisting of 11 large (76.2–192.3 cM) and 2 small (19.1 and 12.5 cM) linkage groups that cover a total of 1245.7 cM. Many of the markers are tomato probes that were chosen to cover the tomato genome, allowing comparison of this pepper map to the genetic map of tomato. Hybridization of all tomato-derived probes included in this study to positions throughout the pepper map suggests that no major losses have occurred during the divergence of these genomes. Comparison of the pepper and tomato genetic maps showed that 18 homeologous linkage blocks cover 98.1% of the tomato genome and 95.0% of the pepper genome. Through these maps and the potato map, we determined the number and types of rearrangements that differentiate these species and reconstructed a hypothetical progenitor genome. We conclude there have been 30 breaks as part of 5 translocations, 10 paracentric inversions, 2 pericentric inversions, and 4 disassociations or associations of genomic regions that differentiate tomato, potato, and pepper, as well as an additional reciprocal translocation, nonreciprocal translocation, and a duplication or deletion that differentiate the two pepper mapping parents.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 172054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mimi Xie ◽  
Yao Ming ◽  
Feng Shao ◽  
Jianbo Jian ◽  
Yaoguang Zhang ◽  
...  

Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and high-density genetic maps are important resources for marker-assisted selection, mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and genome structure analysis. Although linkage maps in certain catfish species have been obtained, high-density maps remain unavailable in the economically important southern catfish ( Silurus meridionalis ). Recently developed restriction site-associated DNA (RAD) markers have proved to be a promising tool for SNP detection and genetic map construction. The objective of the present study was to construct a high-density linkage map using SNPs generated by next-generation RAD sequencing in S. meridionalis for future genetic and genomic studies. An F1 population of 100 individuals was obtained by intraspecific crossing of two wild heterozygous individuals. In total, 77 634 putative high-quality bi-allelic SNPs between the parents were discovered by mapping the parents' paired-end RAD reads onto the reference contigs from both parents, of which 54.7% were transitions and 45.3% were transversions (transition/transversion ratio of 1.2). Finally, 26 714 high-quality RAD markers were grouped into 29 linkage groups by using de novo clustering methods (Stacks). Among these markers, 4514 were linked to the female genetic map, 23 718 to the male map and 6715 effective loci were linked to the integrated map spanning 5918.31 centimorgans (cM), with an average marker interval of 0.89 cM. High-resolution genetic maps are a useful tool for both marker-assisted breeding and various genome investigations in catfish, such as sequence assembly, gene localization, QTL detection and genome structure comparison. Hence, such a high-density linkage map will serve as a valuable resource for comparative genomics and fine-scale QTL mapping in catfish species.


Genetics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 142 (2) ◽  
pp. 537-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael W Nachman ◽  
Gary A Churchill

Abstract If loci are randomly distributed on a physical map, the density of markers on a genetic map will be inversely proportional to recombination rate. First proposed by MARY LYON, we have used this idea to estimate recombination rates from the Drosophila melanogaster linkage map. These results were compared with results of two other studies that estimated regional recombination rates in D. melanogaster using both physical and genetic maps. The three methods were largely concordant in identifying large-scale genomic patterns of recombination. The marker density method was then applied to the Mus musculus microsatellite linkage map. The distribution of microsatellites provided evidence for heterogeneity in recombination rates. Centromeric regions for several mouse chromosomes had significantly greater numbers of markers than expected, suggesting that recombination rates were lower in these regions. In contrast, most telomeric regions contained significantly fewer markers than expected. This indicates that recombination rates are elevated at the telomeres of many mouse chromosomes and is consistent with a comparison of the genetic and cytogenetic maps in these regions. The density of markers on a genetic map may provide a generally useful way to estimate regional recombination rates in species for which genetic, but not physical, maps are available.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chong Chu ◽  
Rebeca Borges-Monroy ◽  
Vinayak V. Viswanadham ◽  
Soohyun Lee ◽  
Heng Li ◽  
...  

AbstractTransposable elements (TEs) help shape the structure and function of the human genome. When inserted into some locations, TEs may disrupt gene regulation and cause diseases. Here, we present xTea (x-Transposable element analyzer), a tool for identifying TE insertions in whole-genome sequencing data. Whereas existing methods are mostly designed for short-read data, xTea can be applied to both short-read and long-read data. Our analysis shows that xTea outperforms other short read-based methods for both germline and somatic TE insertion discovery. With long-read data, we created a catalogue of polymorphic insertions with full assembly and annotation of insertional sequences for various types of retroelements, including pseudogenes and endogenous retroviruses. Notably, we find that individual genomes have an average of nine groups of full-length L1s in centromeres, suggesting that centromeres and other highly repetitive regions such as telomeres are a significant yet unexplored source of active L1s. xTea is available at https://github.com/parklab/xTea.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Buitrago ◽  
Mireia Labrador ◽  
Juan Pablo Arcon ◽  
Rafael Lema ◽  
Oscar Flores ◽  
...  

AbstractDetermining the effect of DNA methylation on chromatin structure and function in higher organisms is challenging due to the extreme complexity of epigenetic regulation. We studied a simpler model system, budding yeast, that lacks DNA methylation machinery making it a perfect model system to study the intrinsic role of DNA methylation in chromatin structure and function. We expressed the murine DNA methyltransferases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and analyzed the correlation between DNA methylation, nucleosome positioning, gene expression and 3D genome organization. Despite lacking the machinery for positioning and reading methylation marks, induced DNA methylation follows a conserved pattern with low methylation levels at the 5’ end of the gene increasing gradually toward the 3’ end, with concentration of methylated DNA in linkers and nucleosome free regions, and with actively expressed genes showing low and high levels of methylation at transcription start and terminating sites respectively, mimicking the patterns seen in mammals. We also see that DNA methylation increases chromatin condensation in peri-centromeric regions, decreases overall DNA flexibility, and favors the heterochromatin state. Taken together, these results demonstrate that methylation intrinsically modulates chromatin structure and function even in the absence of cellular machinery evolved to recognize and process the methylation signal.


2007 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 470 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Moolhuijzen ◽  
D. S. Dunn ◽  
M. Bellgard ◽  
M. Carter ◽  
J. Jia ◽  
...  

Genome sequencing and the associated bioinformatics is now a widely accepted research tool for accelerating genetic research and the analysis of genome structure and function of wheat because it leverages similar work from other crops and plants. The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium addresses the challenge of wheat genome structure and function and builds on the research efforts of Professor Bob McIntosh in the genetics of wheat. Currently, expressed sequence tags (ESTs; ~500 000 to date) are the largest sequence resource for wheat genome analyses. It is estimated that the gene coverage of the wheat EST collection is ~60%, close to that of Arabidopsis, indicating that ~40% of wheat genes are not represented in EST collections. The physical map of the D-genome donor species Aegilops tauschii is under construction (http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/PhysicalMapping). The technologies developed in this analysis of the D genome provide a good model for the approach to the entire wheat genome, namely compiling BAC contigs, assigning these BAC contigs to addresses in a high resolution genetic map, filling in gaps to obtain the entire physical length of a chromosome, and then large-scale sequencing.


Genome ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 282-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth S Jones ◽  
Natalia L Mahoney ◽  
Michael D Hayward ◽  
Ian P Armstead ◽  
J Gilbert Jones ◽  
...  

A molecular-marker linkage map has been constructed for perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) using a one-way pseudo-testcross population based on the mating of a multiple heterozygous individual with a doubled haploid genotype. RFLP, AFLP, isoenzyme, and EST data from four collaborating laboratories within the International Lolium Genome Initiative were combined to produce an integrated genetic map containing 240 loci covering 811 cM on seven linkage groups. The map contained 124 codominant markers, of which 109 were heterologous anchor RFLP probes from wheat, barley, oat, and rice, allowing comparative relationships between perennial ryegrass and other Poaceae species to be inferred. The genetic maps of perennial ryegrass and the Triticeae cereals are highly conserved in terms of synteny and colinearity. This observation was supported by the general agreement of the syntenic relationships between perennial ryegrass, oat, and rice and those between the Triticeae and these species. A lower level of synteny and colinearity was observed between perennial ryegrass and oat compared with the Triticeae, despite the closer taxonomic affinity between these species. It is proposed that the linkage groups of perennial ryegrass be numbered in accordance with these syntenic relationships, to correspond to the homoeologous groups of the Triticeae cereals.Key words: Lolium perenne, genetic linkage map, RFLP, AFLP, conserved synteny.


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