Gene-enriched draft genome of the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus: assembly by the hybrid Pacific Biosciences/Illumina approach enabled analysis of the highly repetitive genome.

The genome of the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus, an ectoparasite with global distribution, is estimated to be 7.1Gbp in length and consists of approximately 70% repetitive DNA. We report the draft assembly of a tick genome that utilized a hybrid sequencing and assembly approach to capture the repetitive fractions of the genome.

The Burmese python genome reveals the molecular basis for extreme adaptation in snakes.

Snakes possess many extreme morphological and physiological adaptations. Identification of the molecular basis of these traits can provide novel understanding for vertebrate biology and medicine. Here, we study snake biology using the genome sequence of the Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus), a model of extreme physiological and metabolic adaptation.

Sequencing the genome of the Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) as a model for studying extreme adaptations in snakes.

The Consortium for Snake Genomics is in the process of sequencing the genome and creating transcriptomic resources for the Burmese python. Here, we describe how this will be done, what analyses this work will include, and provide a timeline.

Sequence-based physical mapping of complex genomes by whole genome profiling.

We present whole genome profiling (WGP), a novel next-generation sequencing-based physical mapping technology for construction of bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) contigs of complex genomes, using Arabidopsis thaliana as an example. WGP leverages short read sequences derived from restriction fragments of two-dimensionally pooled BAC clones to generate sequence tags. These sequence tags are assigned to individual BAC clones, followed by assembly of BAC contigs based on shared regions containing identical sequence tags.

The genome of the domesticated apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.).

We report a high-quality draft genome sequence of the domesticated apple (Malus × domestica). We show that a relatively recent (>50 million years ago) genome-wide duplication (GWD) has resulted in the transition from nine ancestral chromosomes to 17 chromosomes in the Pyreae. Traces of older GWDs partly support the monophyly of the ancestral paleohexaploidy of eudicots.

A high quality draft consensus sequence of the genome of a heterozygous grapevine variety.

Background: Worldwide, grapes and their derived products have a large market. The cultivated grape species Vitis vinifera has potential to become a model for fruit trees genetics. Like many plant species, it is highly heterozygous, which is an additional challenge to modern whole genome shotgun sequencing.

Reproductive characteristics of grass-fed, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone-immunocastrated Bos indicus bulls.

Two field trials were conducted in Brazil to evaluate LHRH immunocastration of Bos indicus bulls (d 0 = 2 yr of age). In Study I, 72 bulls were assigned randomly to one of three treatment groups: LHRH0-immunized, castrated, and intact. Immunized animals (n = 25) received a primary and two booster injections of ovalbumin-LHRH-7 and thioredoxin-LHRH-7 fusion proteins on d 0, 141, and 287.

Growth and carcass characteristics of pasture fed LHRH immunocastrated, castrated and intact Bos indicus bulls.

The effectiveness of a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) fusion protein vaccine or surgical castration, at two years of age, on growth and carcass characteristics of Bos indicus bulls was evaluated. Seventy Nelore-cross bulls were divided into three groups: (1) immunized, (2) castrated and (3) intact control. At slaughter (three years of age), intact bulls had higher body weights, ADG, carcass weights, and muscle percentage compared to immunized and surgically castrated animals.

Generation of an integrated transcription map of the BRCA2 region on chromosome 13q12-q13.

An integrated approach involving physical mapping, identification of transcribed sequences, and computational analysis of genomic sequence was used to generate a detailed transcription map of the 1. 0-Mb region containing the breast cancer susceptibility locus BRCA2 on chromosome 13q12-q13. This region is included in the genetic interval bounded by D13S1444 and D13S310.

Low incidence of BRCA2 mutations in breast carcinoma and other cancers.

Inherited mutant alleles of familial tumour suppressor genes predispose individuals to particular types of cancer. In addition to an involvement in inherited susceptibility to cancer, these tumour suppressor genes are targets for somatic mutations in sporadic cancers of the same type found in the familial forms. An exception is BRCA1, which contributes to a significant fraction of familial breast and ovarian cancer, but undergoes mutation at very low rates in sporadic breast and ovarian cancers.

The complete BRCA2 gene and mutations in chromosome 13q-linked kindreds.

Breast carcinoma is the most common malignancy among women in developed countries. Because family history remains the strongest single predictor of breast cancer risk, attention has focused on the role of highly penetrant, dominantly inherited genes in cancer-prone kindreds (1). BRCA1 was localized to chromosome 17 through analysis of a set of high-risk kindreds (2), and then identified four years later by a positional cloning strategy (3).