Comment on "Widespread RNA and DNA sequence differences in the human transcriptome"

Li et al. (Research Articles, 1 July 2011, p. 53; published online 19 May 2011) reported large numbers of differences between DNA and messenger RNA in human cells, indicating unprecedented levels of RNA editing, and including sequence changes not produced by any of the known RNA editing mechanisms. However, common sources of systematic errors in high-throughput sequencing technology, which were not properly accounted for in this study, explain most of the claimed differences.     

Elucidation of the small RNA component of the transcriptome

Small RNAs play important regulatory roles in most eukaryotes, but only a small proportion of these molecules have been identified. We sequenced more than two million small RNAs from seedlings and the inflorescence of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Known and new microRNAs (miRNAs) were among the most abundant of the nonredundant set of more than 75,000 sequences, whereas more than half represented lower abundance small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that match repetitive sequences, intergenic regions, and genes. Individual or clusters of highly regulated small RNAs were readily observed. Targets of antisense RNA or miRNA did not appear to be preferentially associated with siRNAs. Many genomic regions previously considered featureless were found to be sites of numerous small RNAs.     

云南火焰兰转录组SSR分布及其序列特征分析

[目的]分析云南火焰兰转录组中SSR分布及其序列分布特征,为大量开发EST-SSR引物及开展火焰兰属乃至兰科植物的SSR遗传多样性分析、种质资源评价、遗传图谱构建及遗传育种提供理论依据.[方法]以云南火焰兰无菌苗幼嫩叶片为材料,利用高通量测序技术进行转录组测序,使用Trinity对测序结果进行de novo组装,并以MISA对获得的Unigene进行SSR位点搜索,然后利用Excel 2010对云南火焰兰转录组中SSR出现频率、平均分布距离、基元类型及其重复类型组成等进行统计分析.[结果]从77888条去冗余的Unigenes序列中搜索到5051个SSR位点,其中有414个属于复合型SSR位点,实际以4637个SSR位点进行分析,SSR出现频率为5.95%,平均分布距离13.53 kb.SSR位点中,二核苷酸为主要重复基元类型,数量最多,占SSR总数的52.21%,其次是三核苷酸重复基元,占39.42%,四核苷酸重复基元~六核苷酸重复基元数量较少.其中,二核苷酸重复基元中的主要重复类型为CT/GA,占SSR总数的20.64%,三核苷酸重复基元的主要重复类型为CTT/GAA,占SSR总数的4.70%.SSR基元各重复类型的重复次数以5~8次居多,占SSR总数的73.35%,其中,占比最多的是6次重复,占SSR总数的26.98%,其次是5次和7次,分别占SSR总数的23.08%和14.02%,且SSR数量随各基元重复次数的增加而降低.云南火焰兰转录组中SSR基序的平均长度是18.28 bp,其中大小为12~20 bp的SSR基序占SSR总数的77.49%,21~30 bp基序占SSR总数的17.88%,大于30 bp的基序占SSR总数的4.63%,且SSR分布频率随基序长度的增加而下降.[结论]云南火焰兰转录组SSR中低级基元类型较丰富,开发出多态性高的SSR引物潜力较高,可用于云南火焰兰乃至火焰兰属植物的遗传多样性及种质资源评价、遗传图谱构建及遗传育种等研究.     

Complementary DNA sequencing: expressed sequence tags and human genome project

Automated partial DNA sequencing was conducted on more than 600 randomly selected human brain complementary DNA (cDNA) clones to generate expressed sequence tags (ESTs). ESTs have applications in the discovery of new human genes, mapping of the human genome, and identification of coding regions in genomic sequences. Of the sequences generated, 337 represent new genes, including 48 with significant similarity to genes from other organisms, such as a yeast RNA polymerase II subunit; Drosophila kinesin, Notch, and Enhancer of split; and a murine tyrosine kinase receptor. Forty-six ESTs were mapped to chromosomes after amplification by the polymerase chain reaction. This fast approach to cDNA characterization will facilitate the tagging of most human genes in a few years at a fraction of the cost of complete genomic sequencing, provide new genetic markers, and serve as a resource in diverse biological research fields.     

A sequence in M13 phage detects hypervariable minisatellites in human and animal DNA

The term "DNA fingerprint" has been used to describe the extensive restriction fragment length polymorphism associated with hypervariable minisatellites present in the human genome. Until now, it was necessary to hybridize Southern blots to specific probes cloned from human genomic DNA in order to obtain individual-specific restriction patterns. The present study describes the surprising finding that the insert-free, wild-type M13 bacteriophage detects hypervariable minisatellites in human and in animal DNA, provided no competitor DNA is used during hybridization. The effective sequence in M13 was traced to two clusters of 15-base pair repeats within the protein III gene of the bacteriophage. This unexpected use of M13 renders the DNA fingerprinting technology more readily available to molecular biology laboratories.     

历山中国大鲵线粒体片段序列的测定及其遗传差异研究

对山西历山2尾野生大鲵Andrias davidianus mtDNA中Cyt b和ATPase 6基因的部分序列进行了检测,并与GenBank中收集的14尾外地样本进行比较,用Mega 5.0软件对305 bp Cyt b片段和371 bp ATPase 6片段进行分析。结果表明:Cyt b片段有10个不同的单倍型,共检测出14个变异位点,占核苷酸总数的4.58%,其中有12个简约信息位点;ATPase 6片段有13个不同的单倍型,检测出30个变异位点,占核苷酸总数的8.09%,其中有18个简约信息位点,Cyt b比ATPase 6更为保守,但两序列中碱基组成均表现为鸟嘌呤缺乏(<18.9%),且多数变异发生在密码子第3位。合并序列构建的分子系统树表明,历山大鲵与陕西、四川及部分湖南个体聚为一支,历山大鲵与广西样本的遗传距离最远,与四川、陕西样本的遗传距离较近。     

DNA和RNA在细胞中的分布情况观察

利用经典的甲基绿-吡罗红染色方法显示细胞中的DNA与RNA,实验结果与理论有较大的偏差,为了以更简易的实验操作得到更清晰的结果,本研究对该实验进行了改进,即从是否需要盐酸解离、酸解时间、酸解温度、染色时间等方面进行改进。结果表明:上皮细胞不经酸解直接染色,实验结果明显;洋葱下表皮经过20℃质量分数为8%的盐酸解离2min后,染色2min效果明显;采用新材料白洋葱的上表皮直接染色4-5min效果明显。说明改进后的染色方法时间缩短,步骤简化,效果明显,可为生物学实验课教学提供参考。     

柴胡转录组SSR的分布及序列特征分析

【目的】分析柴胡转录组中SSR的分布及序列特征,为开发多态性良好的、功能基因相关的SSR标记提供理论依据。【方法】以不同温度处理的柴胡种子为材料,经高通量转录组测序后,使用Trinity对测序结果进行de novo组装,并利用MISA对组装得到的Unigenes进行SSR位点搜索,最后统计分析SSR的分布及序列特征。【结果】从转录组数据组装获得244194条Unigenes,其N50值为1036 bp,平均长度791 bp,总长度193138105 bp。从Unigenes序列中共检测到50303个SSR位点,去除20405个复合型SSR位点,以29898个单一型SSR位点为后续分析对象。转录组SSR的出现频率为12.24%,平均分布距离6.46 kb,主要重复基元类型为二核苷酸,共17105个,占SSR总数的57.21%,其次为三核苷酸和单核苷酸,分别占SSR总数的20.75%和20.46%,四核苷酸~六核苷酸重复基元数量均较少。转录组SSR中,共有97种重复基元,其中二核苷酸和三核苷酸重复基元分别以AT/AT和ATC/GAT为主,分别占SSR总数的33.33%和3.98%;重复次数5~10次的SSR位点数量最多,共27942个,占SSR总数的93.46%。转录组SSR序列长度存在明显差异（12~76 bp）,平均长度15.28 bp。【结论】柴胡转录组的SSR位点出现频率较高,类型较丰富,具有开发出高多态性SSR分子标记的潜力,将其用于柴胡的遗传多样性分析、种质资源评价及分子标记辅助育种等研究。     

Large-scale and automated DNA sequence determination

DNA sequence analysis is a multistage process that includes the preparation of DNA, its fragmentation and base analysis, and the interpretation of the resulting sequence information. New technological advances have led to the automation of certain steps in this process and have raised the possibility of large-scale DNA sequencing efforts in the near future [for example, 1 million base pairs (Mb) per year]. New sequencing methodologies, fully automated instrumentation, and improvements in sequencing-related computational resources may render genome-size sequencing projects (100 Mb or larger) feasible during the next 5 to 10 years.     

DNA polymerases from RNA tumor viruses and human cells: inhibition by polyuridylic acid

Polyuridylic acid inhibited DNA polymerases purified from three species of oncornaviruses as well as three out of seven DNA polymerases purified from cells. Viral and cellular DNA polymerases could not be distinguished by polyuridylic acid inhibition, but were easily distinguished by their template preferences in the presence of magnesium.     

Oligomerization of intervening sequence RNA molecules in the absence of proteins

The intervening sequence RNA excised from the ribosomal RNA precursor of Tetrahymena forms linear and circular oligomers when exposed to a heating-cooling treatment in vitro. The reactions require no protein or external energy source. Oligomerization is different from other self-catalyzed reactions of the intervening sequence RNA in that it involves intermolecular rather than intramolecular recombination, producing RNA molecules that are substantially larger than the original. The observation that RNA molecules can catalyze their own oligomerization has possible implications for the evolution of chromosomes and for the replicative cycle of plant viroids and virus-associated RNA's.     

Absence of correlation between base-pair sequence and RNA conformation

A survey of all available double-stranded RNA crystal structures shows that there is a considerable range of variation in local conformation of a given base-pair doublet, but that there is no significant correlation between base-pair sequence and RNA local conformation.     

Base sequence and higher-order structure induce the complex excited-state dynamics in DNA

The high photostability of DNA is commonly attributed to efficient radiationless electronic relaxation processes. We used femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy to reveal that the ensuing dynamics are strongly dependent on base sequence and are also affected by higher-order structure. Excited electronic state lifetimes in dG-doped d(A)20 single-stranded DNA and dG.dC-doped d(A)20.d(T)20 double-stranded DNA decrease sharply with the substitution of only a few bases. In duplexes containing d(AGA).d(TCT) or d(AG).d(TC) repeats, deactivation of the fluorescing states occurs on the subpicosecond time scale, but the excited-state lifetimes increase again in extended d(G) runs. The results point at more complex and molecule-specific photodynamics in native DNA than may be evident in simpler model systems.     

鼠尾草属植物的DNA及RNA高效提取方法

以鼠尾草属植物为原料,采用CTAB法提取DNA,并在TSB法及氯化锂沉淀法的基础上改进并建立了一种高效高质量提取RNA的方法。用核酸测定仪测浓度和琼脂糖凝胶电泳检测质量,均获得了高浓度和高质量的DNA及RNA,为RT-PCR、分子克隆等分子生物学实验提供了很好的模板。