Characterization of species-specific genes using a flexible, web-based querying system.

FEMS Microbiol Lett

NeuroGadgets Inc., www.neurogadgets.com, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Published: August 2003

We describe a query-based web-accessible system (www.neurogadgets.com/bws.php) for facilitating comparative microbial genomics. A variety of query pages are available, each with numerous options, that allow a biologist to pose relevant questions of genomic data. We illustrate with a characterization of species-specific protein-coding genes (so-called "ORFans"), finding that they are on average smaller, faster evolving, and less G+C-rich, and that they encode proteins more basic in their predicted isoelectric point, compared with non-species-specific genes. Using a dual-threshold approach, we conclude that these are characteristics of true species-specific genes, rather than artifacts of mis-annotation.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1097(03)00512-3DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

characterization species-specific
8
species-specific genes
8
genes
4
genes flexible
4
flexible web-based
4
web-based querying
4
querying system
4
system describe
4
describe query-based
4
query-based web-accessible
4

Similar Publications

Persistent neutrophilic inflammation can lead to tissue damage and chronic inflammation, contributing to non-healing wounds. The resolution phase of neutrophilic inflammation is critical to preventing tissue damage, as observed in diseases characterized by influx of neutrophils such as atherosclerosis and non-healing wounds. Animal models have provided insight into resolution of neutrophilic inflammation via efferocytosis and reverse migration (rM); however, species-specific differences and complexity of innate immune responses make translation to humans challenging.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Humans are exposed to toxic methylmercury mainly by consuming marine fish, in particular top predator species like billfishes or tunas. In seafood risk assessments, mercury is assumed to be mostly present as organic methylmercury in predatory fishes; yet high percentages of inorganic mercury were recently reported in marlins, suggesting markedly different methylmercury metabolism across species. We quantified total mercury and methylmercury concentrations in muscle of four billfish species from the Indian and the Pacific oceans to address this knowledge gap.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Capture primed pluripotency in guinea pig.

Stem Cell Reports

December 2024

Center for Cell Lineage and Development, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Joint School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China; Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Health, Hong Kong Institute of Science & Innovation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hong Kong SAR, P.R. China. Electronic address:

Guinea pigs are valuable models for human disease research, yet the lack of established pluripotent stem cell lines has limited their utility. In this study, we isolate and characterize guinea pig epiblast stem cells (gpEpiSCs) from post-implantation embryos. These cells differentiate into the three germ layers, maintain normal karyotypes, and rely on FGF2 and ACTIVIN A signaling for self-renewal and pluripotency.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Genetic Characteristics of the Rat Fibroblast Cell Line Rat-1.

Cells

December 2024

Institute of Molecular Pathobiochemistry, Experimental Gene Therapy and Clinical Chemistry (IFMPEGKC), RWTH, University Hospital Aachen, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.

The Rat-1 cell line was established as a subclone of the parental rat fibroblastoid line F2408, derived from Fisher 344 rat embryos. Rat-1 cells are widely used in various research fields, especially in cancer biology, to study the effects of oncogenes on cell proliferation. They are also crucial for investigating signal transduction pathways and play a key role in drug testing and pharmacological studies due to their rapid proliferation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The influx of whole genome sequencing (WGS) data in the public health and clinical diagnostic sectors has created a need for data analysis methods and bioinformatics expertise, which can be a bottleneck for many laboratories. At Sciensano, the Belgian national public health institute, an intuitive and user-friendly bioinformatics tool portal was implemented using Galaxy, an open-source platform for data analysis and workflow creation. The Galaxy @Sciensano instance is available to both internal and external scientists and offers a wide range of tools provided by the community, complemented by over 50 custom tools and pipelines developed in-house.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!