Three-dimensional telomere profiles in papillary thyroid cancer variants: a pilot study

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) has two main histologic variants: classical-PTC (CL-PTC) and follicular variant PTC (FV-PTC). Recently, due to its similar features to benign lesions, the encapsulated FV-PTC variant was reclassified as noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP). Nonetheless, specific molecular signatures are not yet available. It is well known that telomere-related genome instability is caused by inappropriate DNA repair of dysfunctional telomeres and that mechanisms involved in the damaged telomere repair processing may led to detrimental outcomes, altering the three-dimensional (3D) nuclear telomere and genome organization in cancer cells. This pilot study aimed to evaluate whether a specific 3D nuclear telomere architecture might characterize NIFTP, potentially distinguishing it from other PTC histologic variants. Our findings demonstrate that 3D telomere profiles of CL-PTC and FV-PTC were different from NIFTP and that NIFTP more closely resembles follicular thyroid adenoma (FTA). There was no association between BRAF expression and telomere length in all tested samples. Our data indicate that 3D telomere profiles of CL-PTC and FV-PTC were different from NIFTP and that NIFTP more closely resembles FTA. NIFTP has longer telomeres than CL-PTC and FV-PTC samples, and that telomere length of NIFTP overlaps with that of the FTA histotype. These preliminary findings reinforce the view that NIFTP are lesions closer to non-malignant thyroid nodules and confirmed that short telomeres are a feature of PTC.

Traits of a mussel transmissible cancer are reminiscent of a parasitic life style

Some cancers have evolved the ability to spread from host to host by transmission of cancerous cells. These rare biological entities can be considered parasites with a host-related genome. Still, we know little about their specific adaptation to a parasitic lifestyle. MtrBTN2 is one of the few lineages of transmissible cancers known in the animal kingdom. Reported worldwide, MtrBTN2 infects marine mussels. We isolated MtrBTN2 cells circulating in the hemolymph of cancerous mussels and investigated their phenotypic traits. We found that MtrBTN2 cells had remarkable survival capacities in seawater, much higher than normal hemocytes. With almost 100% cell survival over three days, they increase significantly their chances to infect neighboring hosts. MtrBTN2 also triggered an aggressive cancerous process: proliferation in mussels was ~ 17 times higher than normal hemocytes (mean doubling time of ~ 3 days), thereby favoring a rapid increase of intra-host population size. MtrBTN2 appears to induce host castration, thereby favoring resources re-allocation to the parasites and increasing the host carrying capacity. Altogether, our results highlight a series of traits of MtrBTN2 consistent with a marine parasitic lifestyle that may have contributed to the success of its persistence and dissemination in different mussel populations across the globe.

SNV Reoccurrence in Multiple Regions in the Genome of 2019-nCoV

The rapid development of 2019-2020 Wuhan seafood market pneumonia currently posed a major public health concern in China. Genome sequencing identified a novel beta-coronavirus closely related to SARS-CoV, named 2019-nCoV by WHO, as the cause of this pandemic disease. Viruses with single stranded RNA genome are prone to evolve quickly by accumulation of mutations, such as SNV, INDEL and cross viral recombination, aiding fast transmission among hosts and cross species. Here we collected related genome sequences and investigated variations shared by different strains of 2019-nCoV, identified reoccurrence of SNV mutations in clusters of patients, an indication of rapid evolution of 2019-nCoV at the transmission from animal host to human. The information collected herein would help to understand the dynamics of current pandemic.

SNV Reoccurrence in Multiple Regions in the Genome of 2019-nCoV

The rapid development of 2019-2020 Wuhan seafood market pneumonia currently posed a major public health concern in China. Genome sequencing identified a novel beta-coronavirus closely related to SARS-CoV, named 2019-nCoV by WHO, as the cause of this pandemic disease. Viruses with single stranded RNA genome are prone to evolve quickly by accumulation of mutations, such as SNV, INDEL and cross viral recombination, aiding fast transmission among hosts and cross species. Here we collected related genome sequences and investigated variations shared by different strains of 2019-nCoV, identified reoccurrence of SNV mutations in clusters of patients, an indication of rapid evolution of 2019-nCoV at the transmission from animal host to human. The information collected herein would help to understand the dynamics of current pandemic.

Improved bacteria population structure analysis on thousands of genomes using unsupervised methods

Over ten thousand genomes ofEscherichia coliare now available, and this number will continue to grow for this and other important microbial species. The first approach often used to better understand microbes is phylogenetic group analysis followed by pan-genome analysis of highly related genomes. Here, we combine sequence-based features with unsupervised clustering on up to 2,231E. coligenomes and a total of 1,367Clostridium difficilegenomes. We show that Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) can identify “mixed”/cryptic genomes, and can better determine inter-related genome groups and their distinguishing features (genes) relative to prior methods.

Integration of heterogeneous functional genomics data in gerontology research identifies genes and pathway underlying aging across species

Understanding the biological mechanisms behind aging, lifespan and healthspan is becoming increasingly important as the proportion of the world's population over the age of 65 grows, along with the cost and complexity of their care. BigData oriented approaches and analysis methods for integrative functional genomics enable current and future bio-gerontologists to synthesize, distill and interpret vast, heterogeneous data. GeneWeaver is an analysis system for integration of data that allows investigators to store, search, and analyze immense amounts of data including user-submitted experimental data, data from primary publications, and data in other databases. Aging related genome-wide gene sets from primary publications were curated into this system in concert with data from other model-organism and aging-specific databases, and used in several application using GeneWeavers analysis tools. For example, we identified Cd63 as a frequently represented gene among aging-related genome-wide results. To evaluate the role of Cd63 in aging, we performed RNAi knockdown of the C. elegans ortholog, tsp-7, demonstrating that this manipulation is capable of extending lifespan. The tools in GeneWeaver enable aging researchers to make new discoveries into the associations between the genes, normal biological processes, and diseases that affect aging, healthspan, and lifespan.

Genome sequencing in plants and the genus Panax L.

Advances in genome sequencing technologies have created a new genomic era of life sciences research worldwide in which a number of modern and sophisticated techniques and tools have been developed and employed. Many countries have invested in plant genome sequencing as part of a sustainable development strategy. Each year, the number of plant genomes and transcriptomes sequenced has increased. The results obtained offer opportunities for fundamental and applied research, provide valuable data for identification of genes or molecular markers linked to traits that are important for selection, cultivation, and/or production. In Vietnam, partial or complete genome sequencing of crops has been recently conducted, primarily as part of international collaborative projects. The genus Panax L. (Araliaceae family) is comprised of several species of commercial value with narrow distributions such as P. bipinnatifidus Seem., P. stipuleanatus H.T.Tsai & K.M.Feng, and Panax vietnamensis Ha et Grushv. Despite their very important roles in traditional medicine, understanding of their genetic characteristics is still limited. Molecular studies on the genus have, so far, only evaluated limited markers for phylogenetic analysis. Therefore, genome sequencing of these important herbal plants is needed to understand their genetic characteristics, their evolutionary history and the genes and biochemical pathways contributing to medicinally important metabolites. This review summarizes all related genome sequencing technologies including the most recent advances in the last decade and their applications in genome and transcriptome sequencing of plants in general and in the genus Panax L. in particular.