scholarly journals Bacterial contribution to genesis of the novel germ line determinant oskar

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leo Blondel ◽  
Tamsin E. M. Jones ◽  
Cassandra G. Extavour
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Cell Formation ◽  
Unknown Origin ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Novel Genes ◽  
Novel Gene ◽  
Developmental Mechanisms ◽  
Gene Origin

AbstractNew cellular functions and developmental processes can evolve by modifying existing genes or creating novel genes. Novel genes can arise not only via duplication or mutation but also by acquiring foreign DNA, also called horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Here we show that HGT likely contributed to the creation of a novel gene indispensable for reproduction in some insects. Long considered a novel gene with unknown origin, oskar has evolved to fulfil a crucial role in insect germ cell formation. Our analysis of over 100 insect Oskar sequences suggests that Oskar arose de novo via fusion of eukaryotic and prokaryotic sequences. This work shows that highly unusual gene origin processes can give rise to novel genes that can facilitate evolution of novel developmental mechanisms.One Sentence SummaryOur research shows that gene origin processes often considered highly unusual, including HGT and de novo coding region evolution, can give rise to novel genes that can both participate in pre-existing gene regulatory networks, and also facilitate the evolution of novel developmental mechanisms.

scholarly journals Bacterial contribution to genesis of the novel germ line determinant oskar

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leo Blondel ◽  
Tamsin EM Jones ◽  
Cassandra G Extavour
Keyword(s):  
De Novo ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Cell Formation ◽  
Unknown Origin ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Novel Genes ◽  
Novel Gene ◽  
Gene Origin ◽  
Germ Cell Formation

New cellular functions and developmental processes can evolve by modifying existing genes or creating novel genes. Novel genes can arise not only via duplication or mutation but also by acquiring foreign DNA, also called horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Here we show that HGT likely contributed to the creation of a novel gene indispensable for reproduction in some insects. Long considered a novel gene with unknown origin, oskar has evolved to fulfil a crucial role in insect germ cell formation. Our analysis of over 100 insect Oskar sequences suggests that oskar arose de novo via fusion of eukaryotic and prokaryotic sequences. This work shows that highly unusual gene origin processes can give rise to novel genes that may facilitate evolution of novel developmental mechanisms.

scholarly journals Identification of somatic JAK1 mutations in patients with acute myeloid leukemia

Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 111 (9) ◽  
pp. 4809-4812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhifu Xiang ◽  
Yu Zhao ◽  
Vesselin Mitaksov ◽  
Daved H. Fremont ◽  
Yumi Kasai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Somatic Mutations ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Type I ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Downstream Signaling ◽  
De Novo Aml ◽  
Acute Myeloid

Abstract Somatic mutations in JAK2 are frequently found in myeloproliferative diseases, and gain-of-function JAK3 alleles have been identified in M7 acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but a role for JAK1 in AML has not been described. We screened the entire coding region of JAK1 by total exonic resequencing of bone marrow DNA samples from 94 patients with de novo AML. We identified 2 novel somatic mutations in highly conserved residues of the JAK1 gene (T478S, V623A), in 2 separate patients and confirmed these by resequencing germ line DNA samples from the same patients. Overexpression of mutant JAK1 did not transform primary murine cells in standard assays, but compared with wild-type JAK1, JAK1T478S, and JAK1V623A expression was associated with increased STAT1 activation in response to type I interferon and activation of multiple downstream signaling pathways. This is the first report to demonstrate somatic JAK1 mutations in AML and suggests that JAK1 mutations may function as disease-modifying mutations in AML pathogenesis.

On the verge of diagnosis: Detection, reporting, and investigation of de novo variants in novel genes identified by clinical sequencing

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 1505-1516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Thiffault ◽  
Maxime Cadieux‐Dion ◽  
Emily Farrow ◽  
Raymond Caylor ◽  
Neil Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
De Novo ◽  
Novel Genes ◽  
Clinical Sequencing

scholarly journals Novel Dominant KCNQ2 Exon 7 Partial In-Frame Duplication in a Complex Epileptic and Neurodevelopmental Delay Syndrome

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 4447
Author(s):  
Pedro A. Lazo ◽  
Juan L. García ◽  
Paulino Gómez-Puertas ◽  
Íñigo Marcos-Alcalde ◽  
Cesar Arjona ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Function ◽  
De Novo ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Unknown Origin ◽  
Unknown Etiology ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Delay ◽  
Calmodulin Binding ◽  
Whole Exome ◽  
Dynamics Simulations ◽  
Frame Duplication

Complex neurodevelopmental syndromes frequently have an unknown etiology, in which genetic factors play a pathogenic role. This study utilizes whole-exome sequencing (WES) to examine four members of a family with a son presenting, since birth, with epileptic-like crises, combined with cerebral palsy, severe neuromotor and developmental delay, dystonic tetraparexia, axonal motor affectation, and hyper-excitability of unknown origin. The WES study detected within the patient a de novo heterozygous in-frame duplication of thirty-six nucleotides within exon 7 of the human KCNQ2 gene. This insertion duplicates the first twelve amino acids of the calmodulin binding site I. Molecular dynamics simulations of this KCNQ2 peptide duplication, modelled on the 3D structure of the KCNQ2 protein, suggest that the duplication may lead to the dysregulation of calcium inhibition of this protein function.

scholarly journals Distinct Subregions of Swi1 Manifest Striking Differences in Prion Transmission and SWI/SNF Function

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (19) ◽  
pp. 4644-4655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiqiang Du ◽  
Emily T. Crow ◽  
Hyun Seok Kang ◽  
Liming Li
Keyword(s):  
Chromatin Remodeling ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Conformational Switch ◽  
Amyloid Fibers ◽  
Aggregation Pattern ◽  
Prion Transmission ◽  
Shed Light

ABSTRACT We have recently reported that the yeast chromatin-remodeling factor Swi1 can exist as a prion, [SWI +], demonstrating a link between prionogenesis and global transcriptional regulation. To shed light on how the Swi1 conformational switch influences Swi1 function and to define the sequence and structural requirements for [SWI +] formation and propagation, we functionally dissected the Swi1 molecule. We show here that the [SWI +] prion features are solely attributable to the first 327 amino acid residues (N), a region that is asparagine rich. N was aggregated in [SWI+ ] cells but diffuse in [swi− ] cells; chromosomal deletion of the N-coding region resulted in [SWI +] loss, and recombinant N peptide was able to form infectious amyloid fibers in vitro, enabling [SWI +] de novo formation through a simple transformation. Although the glutamine-rich middle region (Q) was not sufficient to aggregate in [SWI +] cells or essential for SWI/SNF function, it significantly modified the Swi1 aggregation pattern and Swi1 function. We also show that excessive Swi1 incurred Li+/Na+ sensitivity and that the N/Q regions are important for this gain of sensitivity. Taken together, our results provide the final proof of “protein-only” transmission of [SWI +] and demonstrate that the widely distributed “dispensable” glutamine/asparagine-rich regions/motifs might have important and divergent biological functions.

scholarly journals Epigenetic marking and repression of porcine endogenous retroviruses

2013 ◽  
Vol 94 (5) ◽  
pp. 960-970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gernot Wolf ◽  
Anders Lade Nielsen ◽  
Jacob Giehm Mikkelsen ◽  
Finn Skou Pedersen
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Histone Deacetylation ◽  
Endogenous Retroviruses ◽  
Primer Binding Site ◽  
Retroviral Transduction ◽  
Embryonic Germ Cells ◽  
Epigenetic Repression

Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are remnants of retroviral germ line infections and have been identified in all mammals investigated so far. Although the majority of ERVs are degenerated, some mammalian species, such as mice and pigs, carry replication-competent ERVs capable of forming infectious viral particles. In mice, ERVs are silenced by DNA methylation and histone modifications and some exogenous retroviruses were shown to be transcriptionally repressed after integration by a primer-binding site (PBS) targeting mechanism. However, epigenetic repression of porcine ERVs (PERVs) has remained largely unexplored so far. In this study, we screened the pig genome for PERVs using LTRharvest, a tool for de novo detection of ERVs, and investigated various aspects of epigenetic repression of three unrelated PERV families. We found that these PERV families are differentially up- or downregulated upon chemical inhibition of DNA methylation and histone deacetylation in cultured porcine cells. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis revealed repressive histone methylation marks at PERV loci in primary porcine embryonic germ cells and immortalized embryonic kidney cells. PERV elements belonging to the PERV-γ1 family, which is the only known PERV family that has remained active up to the present, were marked by significantly higher levels of histone methylations than PERV-γ2 and PERV-β3 proviruses. Finally, we tested three PERV-associated PBS sequences for repression activity in murine and porcine cells using retroviral transduction experiments and showed that none of these PBS sequences induced immediate transcriptional silencing in the tested primary porcine cells.

Identification Of A Novel Gene Altered In The RQ1 Mutant Strain Affecting Motor Axon Migration In Caenorhabditis Elegans

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haider Z. Naqvi
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Axon Guidance ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Genetic Background ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Strong Indication ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Novel Gene ◽  
Mutation Region

Novel genetic enhancer screens were conducted targeting mutants involved in the guidance of axons of the DA and DB classes of motor neurons in C. elegans. These mutations are expected in genes that function in parallel to the unc-g/Netrin pathway. The screen was conducted in an unc-5(e53) genetic background and enhancers of the axon guidance defects caused by the absence of UNC-5 were identified. Three mutants were previously identified in the screen called rq1, rq2 and rq3 and two additional mutants called H2-4 and M1-3, were isolated in this study. In order to identify the gene affected by the rq1 mutation, wild-type copies of genes in the mapped rq1 mutation region were injected into the mutants to rescue the phenotypic defects. This is a strong indication that the gene of interest is a novel gene called H04D03.1. Promising results indicate that the H04D03.1 protein also works in germ-line apoptosis.

scholarly journals Molecular fingerprinting of the podocyte reveals novel gene and protein regulatory networks

2013 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 1052-1064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Boerries ◽  
Florian Grahammer ◽  
Sven Eiselein ◽  
Moritz Buck ◽  
Charlotte Meyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Molecular Fingerprinting ◽  
Novel Gene

scholarly journals The Genomic Landscape of Myeloid Neoplasms Evolved from AA/PNH

Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 2-2
Author(s):  
Carmelo Gurnari ◽  
Simona Pagliuca ◽  
Bhumika J. Patel ◽  
Hassan Awada ◽  
Cassandra M Kerr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Escape ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Mutational Analysis ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Bone Marrow Failure ◽  
Clonal Evolution ◽  
Class I ◽  
Molecular Characteristics ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Tp53 Mutations

Up to 15% of AA patients (pts) treated conservatively with immunosuppression will evolve to myeloid neoplasia (MN), either MDS or AML, over a median time of 10 years regardless of response (0-18 years; n=238). The pathogenesis of MN secondary to AA is diverse and will often include antecedent clonal facilitating events that herald progression. Minor clones have been described in AA, some of which are not contributory to later evolution while other may result in subsequent progression. MDS evolution in inherited bone marrow failure (BMF) syndromes suggests that germ line (GL) alterations can be predisposing. In addition, progression to MN may reflect immune escape due to selection pressure e.g., through acquisition of HLA mutations. Here, we studied the molecular landscape of MN arising from AA, to better understand its pathogenesis and ultimately to develop measures of early detection, prevention, and therapeutic strategies. Among 350 pts diagnosed with AA and PNH, 38 (11%) developed a secondary MN (sMN). Median age at AA/PNH diagnosis was 61 years (15-76). Almost all of pts who underwent transformation (89%) received a 1st line treatment consisting of ATG+CsA in 85% of cases (ORR 59%; 21% CR and 38% PR) and 47% received more than one form of treatment, suggesting a lack/incomplete response or relapse. MDS was the most frequent diagnosis at evolution (77%), followed by AML (21%) and MPN (2%). Myeloid evolution was less common in pts with moderate AA (7% vs 14% in severe) or in the presence of a PNH clone (21% vs. 52% in non-progressors, p=.0003). First we investigated GL alterations classified as Tier1 (9/38 pts) and Tier2 (11/38) based on their pathophysiological impact. Tier1 variants included NF1, CBLC, SBDS (n=2), and SAMD9L and overall were more frequently detected in del(7q) pts (76%, p=.0001). Tier2 included FA variants (BRCA2, FANCI, FANCD2; n=3). Of note, in sMN Tier1 variants were detected in 24% vs. 8% in non-evolved cases (p=.008) and none had concomitant Tier1/Tier2 configuration (0% vs. 9% in non-progressors, p=.05) or GATA2 variants. Cytogenetic abnormalities were most frequent at the time of MN progression in 83% of cases, with chr. 7 alterations present in 47% of cases (-7, 35%; del(7q),12%), followed by complex karyotype (CK, 13%), involving chr.7 in 75% of cases. By comparison, -7/del(7q) are present in 7.5% of cases of our internal cohort of primary MN (p=.0001), but no differences in -7 and del7q distribution were seen. A total of 148 somatic variants (myeloid and HLA panels) were found at the time of evolution in 34/38 sMN pts, with an average of 4.4 mutations/patient. ASXL1 (29% vs 14%, p=.02) and SETBP1 (15% vs 3%, p=.005) hits were more frequent in evolved cases while TET2 and TP53 mutations were less common as compared with pMN. Of note, sMN pts with CK harbored ASXL1 and TP53 mutations in 50% of cases. In a cross-sectional analysis of evolved cases studied at AA onset (n=17) and at myeloid evolution (n=35), somatic lesions in TET2, DNMT3A and ASXL1 genes were found in 5, 1 and 3 pts at baseline, respectively. If variants in TET2 and DNMT3A likely reflect antecedent CHIP, ASXL1 variants may have a role in driving myeloid progression as shown by the higher mutation rate in post AA cases. This hypothesis is further supported by the acquisition of subclonal chr7 abnormalities and by the overall higher clonal burden at sMN onset (median VAF 24% vs 43% respectively, p=.0001). When comparing pts with chr7 abnormalities with de novo counterpart, in sMN genes appeared most commonly mutated in ASXL1 (p=.02), SETBP1 (p=.0007), ETV6 (p=.02) and NF1 (p=.02), while TP53 mutations were less common.The intrinsic peculiarity of this -7/del(7q) sMN subset is also underlined by a different median survival time (12 vs 48 months in sMN vs pMN, respectively, p=.0002). The HLA mutational analysis available for 10 sMN cases showed the presence of somatic class I/II loci variants in 4/10 of progressors, including pts with chr7 abnormalities in 3/4 of cases. Of note, all class I HLA mutations were found in locus C. By comparison, in non-progressing AA pts HLA class I/II variants were found in 13% of pts. Our results demonstrate that AA progression to MN has distinct molecular characteristics. The presence of HLA mutations suggests that immune escape or immune selection may play a role, while the presence of GL predisposition variants shows that they not only may facilitate AA but also clonal evolution as described from classic congenital BMF. Disclosures Patel: Alexion: Other: educational speaker. Voso:Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Carraway:Takeda: Other: Independent Advisory Committe (IRC); ASTEX: Other: Independent Advisory Committe (IRC); Novartis: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Abbvie: Other: Independent Advisory Committe (IRC); BMS: Consultancy, Other: Research support, Speakers Bureau; Jazz: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Stemline: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Maciejewski:Alexion, BMS: Speakers Bureau; Novartis, Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria.

scholarly journals What else is in an evolved name? Exploring evolvable specificity with SignalGP

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Lalejini ◽  
Charles Ofria
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Evolution ◽  
Gene Regulatory Networks ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Direct Access ◽  
Evolutionary Transitions ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Flexible Mechanism ◽  
Gene Regulatory ◽  
Program Modules

Tags are evolvable labels that provide genetic programs a flexible mechanism for specification. Tags are used to label and refer to programmatic elements, such as functions or jump targets. However, tags differ from traditional, more rigid methods for handling labeling because they allow for inexact references; that is, a referring tag need not exactly match its referent. Here, we explore how adjusting the threshold for how what qualifies as a match affects adaptive evolution. Further, we propose broadened applications of tags in the context of a genetic programming (GP) technique called SignalGP. SignalGP gives evolution direct access to the event-driven paradigm. Program modules in SignalGP are tagged and can be triggered by signals (with matching tags) from the environment, from other agents, or due to internal regulation. Specifically, we propose to extend this tag based system to: (1) provide more fine-grained control over module execution and regulation (e.g., promotion and repression) akin to natural gene regulatory networks, (2) employ a mosaic of GP representations within a single program, and (3) facilitate major evolutionary transitions in individuality (i.e., allow hierarchical program organization to evolve de novo).

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