DNA Rereplication Is Susceptible to Nucleotide-Level Mutagenesis

Each year, influenza viruses cause epidemics by evading pre-existing humoral immunity through mutations in the major glycoproteins: the haemagglutinin (HA) and the neuraminidase (NA). In 2004, the antigenic evolution of HA of human influenza A (H3N2) viruses was mapped (Smith et al., Science 305, 371–376, 2004) from its introduction in humans in 1968 until 2003. The current study focused on the genetic evolution of NA and compared it with HA using the dataset of Smith and colleagues, updated to the epidemic of the 2009/2010 season. Phylogenetic trees and genetic maps were constructed to visualize the genetic evolution of NA and HA. The results revealed multiple reassortment events over the years. Overall rates of evolutionary change were lower for NA than for HA1 at the nucleotide level. Selection pressures were estimated, revealing an abundance of negatively selected sites and sparse positively selected sites. The differences found between the evolution of NA and HA1 warrant further analysis of the evolution of NA at the phenotypic level, as has been done previously for HA.

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Nucleotide Variation and Conservation at the dpp Locus, a Gene Controlling Early Development in Drosophila

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/145.2.311 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 145 (2) ◽

pp. 311-323 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Brent Richter ◽

Manyuan Long ◽

R C Lewontin ◽

Eiji Nitasaka

Keyword(s):

Linkage Disequilibrium ◽

Amino Acid ◽

Gene Conversion ◽

Haplotype Diversity ◽

Amino Acid Replacement ◽

Nucleotide Variation ◽

Nucleotide Level ◽

Untranslated Sequence ◽

Gene Coding ◽

Large Intron

A study of polymorphism and species divergence of the dpp gene of Drosophila has been made. Eighteen lines from a population of D. melanogaster were sequenced for 5200 bp of the Hin region of the gene, coding for the dpp polypeptide. A comparison was made with sequence from D. simulans. Ninety-six silent polymorphisms and three amino acid replacement polymorphisms were found. The overall silent polymorphism (0.0247) is low, but haplotype diversity (0.0066 for effectively silent sites and 0.0054 for all sites) is in the range found for enzyme loci. Amino acid variation is absent in the N-terminal signal peptide, the C-terminal TGF-β peptide and in the N-terminal half of the pro-protein region. At the nucleotide level there is strong conservation in the middle half of the large intron and in the 3′ untranslated sequence of the last exon. The 3′ untranslated conservation, which is perfect for 110 bp among all the divergent species, is unexplained. There is strong positive linkage disequilibrium among polymorphic sites, with stretches of apparent gene conversion among originally divergent sequences. The population apparently is a migration mixture of divergent clades.

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Taro vein chlorosis virus: characterization and variability of a new nucleorhabdovirus

Journal of General Virology ◽

10.1099/vir.0.80591-0 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 86 (2) ◽

pp. 491-499 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Peter Revill ◽

Xuan Trinh ◽

James Dale ◽

Rob Harding

Keyword(s):

Pacific Islands ◽

New Caledonia ◽

Solomon Islands ◽

N Gene ◽

Nucleotide Level ◽

Putative Gene ◽

Intergenic Regions ◽

Rna Genome ◽

Characteristic 3 ◽

High Level

Sequencing of the monopartite RNA genome of a Fijian isolate of Taro vein chlorosis virus (TaVCV) confirmed that it is a definitive rhabdovirus with most similarity to members of the genus Nucleorhabdovirus. The TaVCV 12 020 nt negative-sense RNA genome contained six ORFs in the antigenomic sequence, equivalent to the N, P, 3, M, G and L genes that have been identified in other rhabdoviruses. The putative gene products had highest similarity to those of the nucleorhabdovirus Maize mosaic virus. A characteristic 3′-AAUUCUUUUUGGGUUGU/A-5′ sequence was identified in each of the intergenic regions and the TaVCV leader and trailer sequences comprised 140 and 61 nt, respectively. Assignment of TaVCV to the genus Nucleorhabdovirus was supported by thin-section electron microscopy of TaVCV-infected taro leaves, which identified virions budding from nuclear membranes into the perinuclear space. Variability studies identified high levels of TaVCV sequence diversity. Within the L gene of 20 TaVCV isolates from Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, maximum variability at the nucleotide level was 27·4 %. Within the N gene, maximum variability among 15 isolates at the nucleotide level was 19·3 %. The high level of TaVCV variability observed suggested that the introduction of TaVCV to the Pacific Islands was not a recent occurrence.

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Control of DNA Rereplication via Cdc2 Phosphorylation Sites in the Origin Recognition Complex

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.21.17.5767-5777.2001 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 21 (17) ◽

pp. 5767-5777 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

Amit Vas ◽

Winnie Mok ◽

Janet Leatherwood

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Dna Replication ◽

Origin Recognition Complex ◽

Safety Net ◽

Replication Initiation ◽

Initiation Factor ◽

Phosphorylation Sites ◽

Cdc2 Kinase ◽

Origin Recognition ◽

Dna Rereplication

ABSTRACT Cdc2 kinase is a master regulator of cell cycle progression in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Our data indicate that Cdc2 phosphorylates replication factor Orp2, a subunit of the origin recognition complex (ORC). Cdc2 phosphorylation of Orp2 appears to be one of multiple mechanisms by which Cdc2 prevents DNA rereplication in a single cell cycle. Cdc2 phosphorylation of Orp2 is not required for Cdc2 to activate DNA replication initiation. Phosphorylation of Orp2 appears first in S phase and becomes maximal in G2 and M when Cdc2 kinase activity is required to prevent reinitiation of DNA replication. A mutant lacking Cdc2 phosphorylation sites in Orp2 (orp2-T4A) allowed greater rereplication of DNA than congenic orp2 wild-type strains when the limiting replication initiation factor Cdc18 was deregulated. Thus, Cdc2 phosphorylation of Orp2 may be redundant with regulation of Cdc18 for preventing reinitiation of DNA synthesis. Since Cdc2 phosphorylation sites are present in Orp2 (also known as Orc2) from yeasts to metazoans, we propose that cell cycle-regulated phosphorylation of the ORC provides a safety net to prevent DNA rereplication and resulting genetic instability.

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