Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

The association between diet quality, dietary patterns and depression in adults: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests that diet modifies key biological factors associated with the development of depression; however, associations between diet quality and depression are not fully understood. We performed a systematic review to evaluate existing evidence regarding the association between diet quality and depression. METHOD: A computer-aided literature search was conducted using Medline, CINAHL, and PsycINFO, January 1965 to October 2011, and a best-evidence analysis performed. RESULTS: Twenty-five studies from nine countries met eligibility criteria. Our best-evidence analyses found limited evidence to support an association between traditional diets (Mediterranean or Norwegian diets) and depression. We also observed a conflicting level of evidence for associations between (i) a traditional Japanese diet and depression, (ii) a “healthy” diet and depression, (iii) a Western diet and depression, and (iv) individuals with depression and the likelihood of eating a less healthy diet. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first review to synthesize and critically analyze evidence regarding diet quality, dietary patterns and depression. Further studies are urgently required to elucidate whether a true causal association exists

Retraction Note: Dietary patterns and their associations with socio-demographic and lifestyle factors in Tasmanian older adults: a longitudinal cohort study (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, (2019), 73, 5, (714-723), 10.1038/s41430-018-0264-1)

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.</jats:p

Large-scale analysis of sheep rumen metagenome profiles captured by reduced representation sequencing reveals individual profiles are influenced by the environment and genetics of the host

Abstract Background Producing animal protein while reducing the animal’s impact on the environment, e.g., through improved feed efficiency and lowered methane emissions, has gained interest in recent years. Genetic selection is one possible path to reduce the environmental impact of livestock production, but these traits are difficult and expensive to measure on many animals. The rumen microbiome may serve as a proxy for these traits due to its role in feed digestion. Restriction enzyme-reduced representation sequencing (RE-RRS) is a high-throughput and cost-effective approach to rumen metagenome profiling, but the systematic (e.g., sequencing) and biological factors influencing the resulting reference based (RB) and reference free (RF) profiles need to be explored before widespread industry adoption is possible. Results Metagenome profiles were generated by RE-RRS of 4,479 rumen samples collected from 1,708 sheep, and assigned to eight groups based on diet, age, time off feed, and country (New Zealand or Australia) at the time of sample collection. Systematic effects were found to have minimal influence on metagenome profiles. Diet was a major driver of differences between samples, followed by time off feed, then age of the sheep. The RF approach resulted in more reads being assigned per sample and afforded greater resolution when distinguishing between groups than the RB approach. Normalizing relative abundances within the sampling Cohort abolished structures related to age, diet, and time off feed, allowing a clear signal based on methane emissions to be elucidated. Genus-level abundances of rumen microbes showed low-to-moderate heritability and repeatability and were consistent between diets. Conclusions Variation in rumen metagenomic profiles was influenced by diet, age, time off feed and genetics. Not accounting for environmental factors may limit the ability to associate the profile with traits of interest. However, these differences can be accounted for by adjusting for Cohort effects, revealing robust biological signals. The abundances of some genera were consistently heritable and repeatable across different environments, suggesting that metagenomic profiles could be used to predict an individual’s future performance, or performance of its offspring, in a range of environments. These results highlight the potential of using rumen metagenomic profiles for selection purposes in a practical, agricultural setting

Genomics of hybrid poplar (Populus trichocarpa x deltoides) interacting with; forest tent caterpillars (Malacosoma disstria): normalized and full-length cDNA libraries, expressed sequence tags, and a cDNA microarray for the study of insect-induced defences in poplar

As part of a genomics strategy to characterize inducible defences against insect herbivory in poplar, we developed a comprehensive suite of functional genomics resources including cDNA libraries, expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and a cDNA microarray platform. These resources are designed to complement the existing poplar genome sequence and poplar (Populus spp.) ESTs by focusing on herbivore- and elicitor-treated tissues and incorporating normalization methods to capture rare transcripts. From a set of 15 standard, normalized or full -length cDNA libraries, we generated 139 007 3'- or 5'-end sequenced ESTs, representing more than one-third of the c. 385 000 publicly available Populus ESTs. Clustering and assembly of 107 519 3'-end ESTs resulted in 14 451 contigs and 20 560 singletons, altogether representing 35 011 putative unique transcripts, or potentially more than three-quarters of the predicted c. 45 000 genes in the poplar genome. Using this EST resource, we developed a cDNA microarray containing 15 496 unique genes, which was utilized to monitor gene expression in poplar leaves in response to herbivory by forest tent caterpillars (Malacosoma disstria). After 24 h of feeding, 1191 genes were classified as up-regulated, compared to only 537 down-regulated. Functional classification of this induced gene set revealed genes with roles in plant defence (e.g. endochitinases, Kunitz protease inhibitors), octadecanoid and ethylene signalling (e.g. lipoxygenase, allene oxide synthase, 1 -aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase), transport (e.g. ABC proteins, calreticulin), secondary metabolism [e.g. polyphenol oxidase, isoflavone reductase, (-)-germacrene D synthase] and transcriptional regulation [e.g. leucine-rich repeat transmembrane kinase, several transcription factor classes (zinc finger C3H type, AP2/EREBP, WRKY, bHLH)]. This study provides the first genome-scale approach to characterize insect-induced defences in a woody perennial providing a solid platform for functional investigation of plant -insect interactions in poplarNRC publication: Ye

Genomics of hybrid poplar (Populus trichocarpax deltoides) interacting with forest tent caterpillars (Malacosoma disstria) : normalized and full-length cDNA libraries, expressed sequence tags, and a cDNA microarray for the study of insect-induced defences in poplar

As part of a genomics strategy to characterize inducible defences against insect herbivory in poplar, we developed a comprehensive suite of functional genomics resources including cDNA libraries, expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and a cDNA microarray platform. These resources are designed to complement the existing poplar genome sequence and poplar (Populus spp.) ESTs by focusing on herbivore- and elicitor-treated tissues and incorporating normalization methods to capture rare transcripts. From a set of 15 standard, normalized or full-length cDNA libraries, we generated 139,007 3'- or 5'-end sequenced ESTs, representing more than one-third of the c. 385,000 publicly available Populus ESTs. Clustering and assembly of 107,519 3'-end ESTs resulted in 14,451 contigs and 20,560 singletons, altogether representing 35,011 putative unique transcripts, or potentially more than three-quarters of the predicted c. 45,000 genes in the poplar genome. Using this EST resource, we developed a cDNA microarray containing 15,496 unique genes, which was utilized to monitor gene expression in poplar leaves in response to herbivory by forest tent caterpillars (Malacosoma disstria). After 24 h of feeding, 1191 genes were classified as up-regulated, compared to only 537 down-regulated. Functional classification of this induced gene set revealed genes with roles in plant defence (e.g. endochitinases, Kunitz protease inhibitors), octadecanoid and ethylene signalling (e.g. lipoxygenase, allene oxide synthase, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase), transport (e.g. ABC proteins, calreticulin), secondary metabolism [e.g. polyphenol oxidase, isoflavone reductase, (-)-germacrene D synthase] and transcriptional regulation [e.g. leucine-rich repeat transmembrane kinase, several transcription factor classes (zinc finger C3H type, AP2/EREBP, WRKY, bHLH)]. This study provides the first genome-scale approach to characterize insect-induced defences in a woody perennial providing a solid platform for functional investigation of plant-insect interactions in poplar.NRC publication: Ye

Genome-wide meta-analysis of macronutrient intake of 91,114 European ancestry participants from the cohorts for heart and aging research in genomic epidemiology consortium

Macronutrient intake, the proportion of calories consumed from carbohydrate, fat, and protein, is an important risk factor for metabolic diseases with significant familial aggregation. Previous studies have identified two genetic loci for macronutrient intake, but incomplete coverage of genetic variation and modest sample sizes have hindered the discovery of additional loci. Here, we expanded the genetic landscape of macronutrient intake, identifying 12 suggestively significant loci (P &lt; 1 × 10-6) associated with intake of any macronutrient in 91,114 European ancestry participants. Four loci replicated and reached genome-wide significance in a combined meta-analysis including 123,659 European descent participants, unraveling two novel loci; a common variant in RARB locus for carbohydrate intake and a rare variant in DRAM1 locus for protein intake, and corroborating earlier FGF21 and FTO findings. In additional analysis of 144,770 participants from the UK Biobank, all identified associations from the two-stage analysis were confirmed except for DRAM1. Identified loci might have implications in brain and adipose tissue biology and have clinical impact in obesity-related phenotypes. Our findings provide new insight into biological functions related to macronutrient intake

Using trained dogs and organic semi-conducting sensors to identify asymptomatic and mild SARS-CoV-2 infections: an observational study

Background A rapid, accurate, non-invasive diagnostic screen is needed to identify people with SARS-CoV-2 infection. We investigated whether organic semi-conducting (OSC) sensors and trained dogs could distinguish between people infected with asymptomatic or mild symptoms, and uninfected individuals, and the impact of screening at ports-of-entry. Methods Odour samples were collected from adults, and SARS-CoV-2 infection status confirmed using RT-PCR. OSC sensors captured the volatile organic compound (VOC) profile of odour samples. Trained dogs were tested in a double-blind trial to determine their ability to detect differences in VOCs between infected and uninfected individuals, with sensitivity and specificity as the primary outcome. Mathematical modelling was used to investigate the impact of bio-detection dogs for screening. Results About, 3921 adults were enrolled in the study and odour samples collected from 1097 SARS-CoV-2 infected and 2031 uninfected individuals. OSC sensors were able to distinguish between SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals and uninfected, with sensitivity from 98% (95% CI 95–100) to 100% and specificity from 99% (95% CI 97–100) to 100%. Six dogs were able to distinguish between samples with sensitivity ranging from 82% (95% CI 76–87) to 94% (95% CI 89–98) and specificity ranging from 76% (95% CI 70–82) to 92% (95% CI 88–96). Mathematical modelling suggests that dog screening plus a confirmatory PCR test could detect up to 89% of SARS-CoV-2 infections, averting up to 2.2 times as much transmission compared to isolation of symptomatic individuals only. Conclusions People infected with SARS-CoV-2, with asymptomatic or mild symptoms, have a distinct odour that can be identified by sensors and trained dogs with a high degree of accuracy. Odour-based diagnostics using sensors and/or dogs may prove a rapid and effective tool for screening large numbers of people