scholarly journals Circulating microbial content in myeloid malignancy patients carries diagnostic and prognostic potential

Author(s):  
Thomas LaFramboise ◽  
Jakob Woerner ◽  
Yidi Huang ◽  
Stephan Hutter ◽  
Jesús Sánchez ◽  
...  

Abstract Although recent work has characterized the microbiome in solid tumors, microbial content in hematological malignancies is not well-characterized. Here we analyzed existing deep DNA sequence data from the blood and bone marrow of 1,870 patients with myeloid malignancies, along with healthy controls, for bacterial, fungal, and viral content. After strict quality filtering, we find evidence for dysbiosis in disease cases, and distinct microbial signatures among diagnoses. In patients with low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome, we provide evidence that Epstein-Barr infection status refines risk stratification into more precise categories than the current standard. Motivated by these observations, we construct machine-learning classifiers that can discriminate among disease subtypes based solely on bacterial content. Our study highlights the potential of the circulating microbiome as a diagnostic and prognostic tool.

GigaScience ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Zarate ◽  
Andrew Carroll ◽  
Medhat Mahmoud ◽  
Olga Krasheninina ◽  
Goo Jun ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Structural variants (SVs) are critical contributors to genetic diversity and genomic disease. To predict the phenotypic impact of SVs, there is a need for better estimates of both the occurrence and frequency of SVs, preferably from large, ethnically diverse cohorts. Thus, the current standard approach requires the use of short paired-end reads, which remain challenging to detect, especially at the scale of hundreds to thousands of samples. Findings We present Parliament2, a consensus SV framework that leverages multiple best-in-class methods to identify high-quality SVs from short-read DNA sequence data at scale. Parliament2 incorporates pre-installed SV callers that are optimized for efficient execution in parallel to reduce the overall runtime and costs. We demonstrate the accuracy of Parliament2 when applied to data from NovaSeq and HiSeq X platforms with the Genome in a Bottle (GIAB) SV call set across all size classes. The reported quality score per SV is calibrated across different SV types and size classes. Parliament2 has the highest F1 score (74.27%) measured across the independent gold standard from GIAB. We illustrate the compute performance by processing all 1000 Genomes samples (2,691 samples) in <1 day on GRCH38. Parliament2 improves the runtime performance of individual methods and is open source (https://github.com/slzarate/parliament2), and a Docker image, as well as a WDL implementation, is available. Conclusion Parliament2 provides both a highly accurate single-sample SV call set from short-read DNA sequence data and enables cost-efficient application over cloud or cluster environments, processing thousands of samples.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 666
Author(s):  
Niccolò Forin ◽  
Alfredo Vizzini ◽  
Federico Fainelli ◽  
Enrico Ercole ◽  
Barbara Baldan

In a recent monograph on the genus Rosellinia, type specimens worldwide were revised and re-classified using a morphological approach. Among them, some came from Pier Andrea Saccardo’s fungarium stored in the Herbarium of the Padova Botanical Garden. In this work, we taxonomically re-examine via a morphological and molecular approach nine different Roselliniasensu Saccardo types. ITS1 and/or ITS2 sequences were successfully obtained applying Illumina MiSeq technology and phylogenetic analyses were carried out in order to elucidate their current taxonomic position. Only the ITS1 sequence was recovered for Rosellinia areolata, while for R. geophila, only the ITS2 sequence was recovered. We proposed here new combinations for Rosellinia chordicola, R. geophila and R. horridula, while for R. ambigua, R. areolata, R. australis, R. romana and R. somala, we did not suggest taxonomic changes compared to the current ones. The name Rosellinia subsimilis Sacc. is invalid, as it is a later homonym of R. subsimilis P. Karst. & Starbäck. Therefore, we introduced Coniochaeta dakotensis as a nomen novum for R. subsimilis Sacc. This is the first time that these types have been subjected to a molecular study. Our results demonstrate that old types are an important source of DNA sequence data for taxonomic re-examinations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 911-927
Author(s):  
Lucia Muggia ◽  
Yu Quan ◽  
Cécile Gueidan ◽  
Abdullah M. S. Al-Hatmi ◽  
Martin Grube ◽  
...  

AbstractLichen thalli provide a long-lived and stable habitat for colonization by a wide range of microorganisms. Increased interest in these lichen-associated microbial communities has revealed an impressive diversity of fungi, including several novel lineages which still await formal taxonomic recognition. Among these, members of the Eurotiomycetes and Dothideomycetes usually occur asymptomatically in the lichen thalli, even if they share ancestry with fungi that may be parasitic on their host. Mycelia of the isolates are characterized by melanized cell walls and the fungi display exclusively asexual propagation. Their taxonomic placement requires, therefore, the use of DNA sequence data. Here, we consider recently published sequence data from lichen-associated fungi and characterize and formally describe two new, individually monophyletic lineages at family, genus, and species levels. The Pleostigmataceae fam. nov. and Melanina gen. nov. both comprise rock-inhabiting fungi that associate with epilithic, crust-forming lichens in subalpine habitats. The phylogenetic placement and the monophyly of Pleostigmataceae lack statistical support, but the family was resolved as sister to the order Verrucariales. This family comprises the species Pleostigma alpinum sp. nov., P. frigidum sp. nov., P. jungermannicola, and P. lichenophilum sp. nov. The placement of the genus Melanina is supported as a lineage within the Chaetothyriales. To date, this genus comprises the single species M. gunde-cimermaniae sp. nov. and forms a sister group to a large lineage including Herpotrichiellaceae, Chaetothyriaceae, Cyphellophoraceae, and Trichomeriaceae. The new phylogenetic analysis of the subclass Chaetothyiomycetidae provides new insight into genus and family level delimitation and classification of this ecologically diverse group of fungi.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heleen Plaisier ◽  
Thomas R. Meagher ◽  
Daniel Barker

Abstract Objective Visualisation methods, primarily color-coded representation of sequence data, have been a predominant means of representation of DNA data. Algorithmic conversion of DNA sequence data to sound—sonification—represents an alternative means of representation that uses a different range of human sensory perception. We propose that sonification has value for public engagement with DNA sequence information because it has potential to be entertaining as well as informative. We conduct preliminary work to explore the potential of DNA sequence sonification in public engagement with bioinformatics. We apply a simple sonification technique for DNA, in which each DNA base is represented by a specific note. Additionally, a beat may be added to indicate codon boundaries or for musical effect. We report a brief analysis from public engagement events we conducted that featured this method of sonification. Results We report on use of DNA sequence sonification at two public events. Sonification has potential in public engagement with bioinformatics, both as a means of data representation and as a means to attract audience to a drop-in stand. We also discuss further directions for research on integration of sonification into bioinformatics public engagement and education.


Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4766 (3) ◽  
pp. 472-484
Author(s):  
HANNAH E. SOM ◽  
L. LEE GRISMER ◽  
PERRY L. JR. WOOD ◽  
EVAN S. H. QUAH ◽  
RAFE M. BROWN ◽  
...  

Liopeltis is a genus of poorly known, infrequently sampled species of colubrid snakes in tropical Asia. We collected a specimen of Liopeltis from Pulau Tioman, Peninsular Malaysia, that superficially resembled L. philippina, a rare species that is endemic to the Palawan Pleistocene Aggregate Island Complex, western Philippines. We analyzed morphological and mitochondrial DNA sequence data from the Pulau Tioman specimen and found distinct differences to L. philippina and all other congeners. On the basis of these corroborated lines of evidence, the Pulau Tioman specimen is described as a new species, L. tiomanica sp. nov. The new species occurs in sympatry with L. tricolor on Pulau Tioman, and our description of L. tiomanica sp. nov. brings the number of endemic amphibians and reptiles on Pulau Tioman to 12. 


2007 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 193-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kou Amano ◽  
Hiroaki Ichikawa ◽  
Hidemitsu Nakamura ◽  
Hisataka Numa ◽  
Kaoru Fukami-Kobayashi ◽  
...  

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