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Khandia R, Gurjar P, Kamal MA, Greig NH. Relative synonymous codon usage and codon pair analysis of depression associated genes. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3502. [PMID: 38346990 PMCID: PMC10861588 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51909-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Depression negatively impacts mood, behavior, and mental and physical health. It is the third leading cause of suicides worldwide and leads to decreased quality of life. We examined 18 genes available at the genetic testing registry (GTR) from the National Center for Biotechnological Information to investigate molecular patterns present in depression-associated genes. Different genotypes and differential expression of the genes are responsible for ensuing depression. The present study, investigated codon pattern analysis, which might play imperative roles in modulating gene expression of depression-associated genes. Of the 18 genes, seven and two genes tended to up- and down-regulate, respectively, and, for the remaining genes, different genotypes, an outcome of SNPs were responsible alone or in combination with differential expression for different conditions associated with depression. Codon context analysis revealed the abundance of identical GTG-GTG and CTG-CTG pairs, and the rarity of methionine-initiated codon pairs. Information based on codon usage, preferred codons, rare, and codon context might be used in constructing a deliverable synthetic construct to correct the gene expression level of the human body, which is altered in the depressive state. Other molecular signatures also revealed the role of evolutionary forces in shaping codon usage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rekha Khandia
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, Barkatullah University, Bhopal, 462026, MP, India.
| | - Pankaj Gurjar
- Centre for Global Health Research, Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India
- Department of Science and Engineering, Novel Global Community Educational Foundation, Hebersham, NSW, Australia
| | - Mohammad Amjad Kamal
- Joint Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, Institutes for Systems Genetics and West China School of Nursing, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh
- Enzymoics, Novel Global Community Educational Foundation, 7 Peterlee place, Hebersham, NSW, 2770, Australia
| | - Nigel H Greig
- Translational Gerontology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA.
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Wang L, Zhao H, Wang Z, Ding S, Qin L, Jiang R, Deng X, He Z, Li L. An Evolutionary Perspective of Codon Usage Pattern, Dinucleotide Composition and Codon Pair Bias in Prunus Necrotic Ringspot Virus. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1712. [PMID: 37761852 PMCID: PMC10530913 DOI: 10.3390/genes14091712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) is a significant virus of ornamental plants and fruit trees. It is essential to study this virus due to its impact on the horticultural industry. Several studies on PNRSV diversity and phytosanitary detection technology were reported, but the content on the codon usage bias (CUB), dinucleotide preference and codon pair bias (CPB) of PNRSV is still uncertain. We performed comprehensive analyses on a dataset consisting of 359 coat protein (CP) gene sequences in PNRSV to examine the characteristics of CUB, dinucleotide composition, and CPB. The CUB analysis of PNRSV CP sequences showed that it was not only affected by natural selection, but also affected by mutations, and natural selection played a more significant role compared to mutations as the driving force. The dinucleotide composition analysis showed an over-expression of the CpC/GpA dinucleotides and an under-expression of the UpA/GpC dinucleotides. The dinucleotide composition of the PNRSV CP gene showed a weak association with the viral lineages and hosts, but a strong association with viral codon positions. Furthermore, the CPB of PNRSV CP gene is low and is related to dinucleotide preference and codon usage patterns. This research provides reference for future research on PNRSV genetic diversity and gene evolution mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingqi Wang
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China;
- College of Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (H.Z.); (Z.W.); (S.D.); (L.Q.); (R.J.); (X.D.)
| | - Haiting Zhao
- College of Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (H.Z.); (Z.W.); (S.D.); (L.Q.); (R.J.); (X.D.)
| | - Zhilei Wang
- College of Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (H.Z.); (Z.W.); (S.D.); (L.Q.); (R.J.); (X.D.)
| | - Shiwen Ding
- College of Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (H.Z.); (Z.W.); (S.D.); (L.Q.); (R.J.); (X.D.)
| | - Lang Qin
- College of Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (H.Z.); (Z.W.); (S.D.); (L.Q.); (R.J.); (X.D.)
| | - Runzhou Jiang
- College of Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (H.Z.); (Z.W.); (S.D.); (L.Q.); (R.J.); (X.D.)
| | - Xiaolong Deng
- College of Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (H.Z.); (Z.W.); (S.D.); (L.Q.); (R.J.); (X.D.)
| | - Zhen He
- College of Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (H.Z.); (Z.W.); (S.D.); (L.Q.); (R.J.); (X.D.)
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Liangjun Li
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China;
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
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van Bree JW, Visser I, Duyvestyn JM, Aguilar-Bretones M, Marshall EM, van Hemert MJ, Pijlman GP, van Nierop GP, Kikkert M, Rockx BH, Miesen P, Fros JJ. Novel approaches for the rapid development of rationally designed arbovirus vaccines. One Health 2023; 16:100565. [PMID: 37363258 PMCID: PMC10288159 DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2023.100565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Vector-borne diseases, including those transmitted by mosquitoes, account for more than 17% of infectious diseases worldwide. This number is expected to rise with an increased spread of vector mosquitoes and viruses due to climate change and man-made alterations to ecosystems. Among the most common, medically relevant mosquito-borne infections are those caused by arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), especially members of the genera Flavivirus and Alphavirus. Arbovirus infections can cause severe disease in humans, livestock and wildlife. Severe consequences from infections include congenital malformations as well as arthritogenic, haemorrhagic or neuroinvasive disease. Inactivated or live-attenuated vaccines (LAVs) are available for a small number of arboviruses; however there are no licensed vaccines for the majority of these infections. Here we discuss recent developments in pan-arbovirus LAV approaches, from site-directed attenuation strategies targeting conserved determinants of virulence to universal strategies that utilize genome-wide re-coding of viral genomes. In addition to these approaches, we discuss novel strategies targeting mosquito saliva proteins that play an important role in virus transmission and pathogenesis in vertebrate hosts. For rapid pre-clinical evaluations of novel arbovirus vaccine candidates, representative in vitro and in vivo experimental systems are required to assess the desired specific immune responses. Here we discuss promising models to study attenuation of neuroinvasion, neurovirulence and virus transmission, as well as antibody induction and potential for cross-reactivity. Investigating broadly applicable vaccination strategies to target the direct interface of the vertebrate host, the mosquito vector and the viral pathogen is a prime example of a One Health strategy to tackle human and animal diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joyce W.M. van Bree
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Imke Visser
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jo M. Duyvestyn
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | | | - Eleanor M. Marshall
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Martijn J. van Hemert
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Gorben P. Pijlman
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Marjolein Kikkert
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Barry H.G. Rockx
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Pascal Miesen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9101, 6500, HB, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Jelke J. Fros
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
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Alonso AM, Diambra L. Dicodon-based measures for modeling gene expression. Bioinformatics 2023; 39:btad380. [PMID: 37307098 PMCID: PMC10287933 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btad380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION Codon usage preference patterns have been associated with modulation of translation efficiency, protein folding, and mRNA decay. However, new studies support that codon pair usage has also a remarkable effect at the gene expression level. Here, we expand the concept of CAI to answer if codon pair usage patterns can be understood in terms of codon usage bias, or if they offer new information regarding coding translation efficiency. RESULTS Through the implementation of a weighting strategy to consider the dicodon contributions, we observe that the dicodon-based measure has greater correlations with gene expression level than CAI. Interestingly, we have noted that dicodons associated with a low value of adaptiveness are related to dicodons which mediate strong translational inhibition in yeast. We have also noticed that some codon-pairs have a smaller dicodon contribution than estimated by the product of the respective codon contributions. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION Scripts, implemented in Python, are freely available for download at https://zenodo.org/record/7738276#.ZBIDBtLMIdU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andres M Alonso
- Instituto Tecnológico Chascomús (INTECH), CONICET-UNSAM, Intendente Marino km 8.2, Chascomús, 7130 Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- CCT-La Plata, CONICET, Calle 8 Nº 1467, La Plata, B1904CMC Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Luis Diambra
- CCT-La Plata, CONICET, Calle 8 Nº 1467, La Plata, B1904CMC Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Centro Regional de Estudios Genómicos, FCE-UNLP, Blvd 120 N∘ 1461, La Plata, 1900 Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Lin BC, Katneni U, Jankowska KI, Meyer D, Kimchi-Sarfaty C. In silico methods for predicting functional synonymous variants. Genome Biol 2023; 24:126. [PMID: 37217943 PMCID: PMC10204308 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-02966-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Single nucleotide variants (SNVs) contribute to human genomic diversity. Synonymous SNVs are previously considered to be "silent," but mounting evidence has revealed that these variants can cause RNA and protein changes and are implicated in over 85 human diseases and cancers. Recent improvements in computational platforms have led to the development of numerous machine-learning tools, which can be used to advance synonymous SNV research. In this review, we discuss tools that should be used to investigate synonymous variants. We provide supportive examples from seminal studies that demonstrate how these tools have driven new discoveries of functional synonymous SNVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian C Lin
- Hemostasis Branch 1, Division of Hemostasis, Office of Plasma Protein Therapeutics CMC, Office of Therapeutic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US FDA, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Upendra Katneni
- Hemostasis Branch 1, Division of Hemostasis, Office of Plasma Protein Therapeutics CMC, Office of Therapeutic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US FDA, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Katarzyna I Jankowska
- Hemostasis Branch 1, Division of Hemostasis, Office of Plasma Protein Therapeutics CMC, Office of Therapeutic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US FDA, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Douglas Meyer
- Hemostasis Branch 1, Division of Hemostasis, Office of Plasma Protein Therapeutics CMC, Office of Therapeutic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US FDA, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Chava Kimchi-Sarfaty
- Hemostasis Branch 1, Division of Hemostasis, Office of Plasma Protein Therapeutics CMC, Office of Therapeutic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US FDA, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
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Khandia R, Pandey MK, Rzhepakovsky IV, Khan AA, Alexiou A. Synonymous Codon Variant Analysis for Autophagic Genes Dysregulated in Neurodegeneration. Mol Neurobiol 2023; 60:2252-2267. [PMID: 36637744 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-022-03081-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative disorders are often a culmination of the accumulation of abnormally folded proteins and defective organelles. Autophagy is a process of removing these defective proteins, organelles, and harmful substances from the body, and it works to maintain homeostasis. If autophagic removal of defective proteins has interfered, it affects neuronal health. Some of the autophagic genes are specifically found to be associated with neurodegenerative phenotypes. Non-functional, mutated, or gene copies having silent mutations, often termed synonymous variants, might explain this. However, these synonymous variant which codes for exactly similar proteins have different translation rates, stability, and gene expression profiling. Hence, it would be interesting to study the pattern of synonymous variant usage. In the study, synonymous variant usage in various transcripts of autophagic genes ATG5, ATG7, ATG8A, ATG16, and ATG17/FIP200 reported to cause neurodegeneration (if dysregulated) is studied. These genes were analyzed for their synonymous variant usage; nucleotide composition; any possible nucleotide skew in a gene; physical properties of autophagic protein including GRAVY and AROMA; hydropathicity; instability index; and frequency of acidic, basic, neutral amino acids; and gene expression level. The study will help understand various evolutionary forces acting on these genes and the possible augmentation of a gene if showing unusual behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rekha Khandia
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, Barkatullah University, Bhopal, 462026, India.
| | - Megha Katare Pandey
- Department of Translational Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, 462020, India
| | | | - Azmat Ali Khan
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Athanasios Alexiou
- Novel Global Community Educational Foundation, Hebersham, Australia
- AFNP Med, Wien, Austria
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Fages‐Lartaud M, Hundvin K, Hohmann‐Marriott MF. Mechanisms governing codon usage bias and the implications for protein expression in the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 112:919-945. [PMID: 36071273 PMCID: PMC9828097 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Chloroplasts possess a considerably reduced genome that is decoded via an almost minimal set of tRNAs. These features make an excellent platform for gaining insights into fundamental mechanisms that govern protein expression. Here, we present a comprehensive and revised perspective of the mechanisms that drive codon selection in the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and the functional consequences for protein expression. In order to extract this information, we applied several codon usage descriptors to genes with different expression levels. We show that highly expressed genes strongly favor translationally optimal codons, while genes with lower functional importance are rather affected by directional mutational bias. We demonstrate that codon optimality can be deduced from codon-anticodon pairing affinity and, for a small number of amino acids (leucine, arginine, serine, and isoleucine), tRNA concentrations. Finally, we review, analyze, and expand on the impact of codon usage on protein yield, secondary structures of mRNA, translation initiation and termination, and amino acid composition of proteins, as well as cotranslational protein folding. The comprehensive analysis of codon choice provides crucial insights into heterologous gene expression in the chloroplast of C. reinhardtii, which may also be applicable to other chloroplast-containing organisms and bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Fages‐Lartaud
- Department of BiotechnologyNorwegian University of Science and TechnologyTrondheimN‐7491Norway
| | - Kristoffer Hundvin
- Department of BiotechnologyNorwegian University of Science and TechnologyTrondheimN‐7491Norway
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Gaunt ER, Digard P. Compositional biases in RNA viruses: Causes, consequences and applications. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2022; 13:e1679. [PMID: 34155814 PMCID: PMC8420353 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
If each of the four nucleotides were represented equally in the genomes of viruses and the hosts they infect, each base would occur at a frequency of 25%. However, this is not observed in nature. Similarly, the order of nucleotides is not random (e.g., in the human genome, guanine follows cytosine at a frequency of ~0.0125, or a quarter the number of times predicted by random representation). Codon usage and codon order are also nonrandom. Furthermore, nucleotide and codon biases vary between species. Such biases have various drivers, including cellular proteins that recognize specific patterns in nucleic acids, that once triggered, induce mutations or invoke intrinsic or innate immune responses. In this review we examine the types of compositional biases identified in viral genomes and current understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms underpinning these trends. Finally, we consider the potential for large scale synonymous recoding strategies to engineer RNA virus vaccines, including those with pandemic potential, such as influenza A virus and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Virus 2. This article is categorized under: RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease RNA Evolution and Genomics > Computational Analyses of RNA RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor R. Gaunt
- Department of Infection and ImmunityThe Roslin Institute, The University of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Paul Digard
- Department of Infection and ImmunityThe Roslin Institute, The University of EdinburghEdinburghUK
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Zhang Y, Shen Z, Meng X, Zhang L, Liu Z, Liu M, Zhang F, Zhao J. Codon usage patterns across seven Rosales species. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 22:65. [PMID: 35123393 PMCID: PMC8817548 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-022-03450-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Codon usage bias (CUB) analysis is an effective method for studying specificity, evolutionary relationships, and mRNA translation and discovering new genes among various species. In general, CUB analysis is mainly performed within one species or between closely related species and no such study has been applied among species with distant genetic relationships. Here, seven Rosales species with high economic value were selected to conduct CUB analysis. RESULTS The results showed that the average GC1, GC2 and GC3 contents were 51.08, 40.52 and 43.12%, respectively, indicating that the A/T content is more abundant and the Rosales species prefer A/T as the last codon. Neutrality plot and ENc plot analysis revealed that natural selection was the main factor leading to CUB during the evolution of Rosales species. All 7 Rosales species contained three high-frequency codons, AGA, GTT and TTG, encoding Arg, Val and Leu, respectively. The 7 Rosales species differed in high-frequency codon pairs and the distribution of GC3, though the usage patterns of closely related species were more consistent. The results of the biclustering heat map among 7 Rosales species and 20 other species were basically consistent with the results of genome data, suggesting that CUB analysis is an effective method for revealing evolutionary relationships among species at the family or order level. In addition, chlorophytes prefer using G/C as ending codon, while monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants prefer using A/T as ending codon. CONCLUSIONS The CUB pattern among Rosales species was mainly affected by natural selection. This work is the first to highlight the CUB patterns and characteristics of Rosales species and provides a new perspective for studying genetic relationships across a wide range of species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Zhang
- College of Life Science, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Molecular Pathology, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
| | - Zenan Shen
- High Performance Computer Research Center, Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 China
| | - Xiangrui Meng
- College of Life Science, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Molecular Pathology, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
| | - Liman Zhang
- College of Life Science, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Molecular Pathology, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
| | - Zhiguo Liu
- Research Center of Chinese Jujube, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
| | - Mengjun Liu
- Research Center of Chinese Jujube, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
| | - Fa Zhang
- High Performance Computer Research Center, Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 China
| | - Jin Zhao
- College of Life Science, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Molecular Pathology, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
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Huang Y, Lin T, Lu L, Cai F, Lin J, Jiang YE, Lin Y. Codon pair optimization (CPO): a software tool for synthetic gene design based on codon pair bias to improve the expression of recombinant proteins in Pichia pastoris. Microb Cell Fact 2021; 20:209. [PMID: 34736476 PMCID: PMC8567542 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-021-01696-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Codon optimization is a common method to improve protein expression levels in Pichia pastoris and the current strategy is to replace rare codons with preferred codons to match the codon usage bias. However, codon-pair contexts have a profound effect on translation efficiency by influencing both translational elongation rates and accuracy. Until now, it remains untested whether optimized genes based on codon pair bias results in higher protein expression levels compared to codon usage bias. Results In this study, an algorithm based on dynamic programming was introduced to develop codon pair optimization (CPO) which is a software tool to provide simple and efficient codon pair optimization for synthetic gene design in Pichia pastoris. Two reporters (MT1-MMP E2C6 and ADAM17 A9B8 scFvs) were employed to test the effects of codon pair bias and CPO optimization on their protein expression levels. Four variants of MT1-MMP E2C6 and ADAM17 A9B8 for each were generated, one variant with the best codon-pair context, one with the worst codon-pair context, one with unbiased codon-pair context, and another optimized based on codon usage. The expression levels of variants with the worst codon-pair context were almost undetectable by Western blot and the variants with the best codon-pair context were expressed well. The expression levels on MT1-MMP E2C6 and ADAM17 A9B8 were more than five times and seven times higher in the optimized sequences based on codon-pair context compared to that based on codon usage, respectively. The results indicated that the codon-pair context-based codon optimization is more effective in enhancing expression of protein in Pichia pastoris. Conclusions Codon-pair context plays an important role on the protein expression in Pichia pastoris. The codon pair optimization (CPO) software developed in this study efficiently improved the protein expression levels of exogenous genes in Pichia pastoris, suggesting gene design based on codon pair bias is an alternative strategy for high expression of recombinant proteins in Pichia pastoris. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12934-021-01696-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yide Huang
- Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China. .,Provincial University Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Response and Metabolic Regulation, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China.
| | - Ting Lin
- Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Lingfang Lu
- Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Fan Cai
- Provincial University Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Response and Metabolic Regulation, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Jie Lin
- College of Mathematics and Informatics, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Yu E Jiang
- College of Mathematics and Informatics, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China.
| | - Yao Lin
- Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China. .,Provincial University Key Laboratory of Sport and Health Science, School of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China.
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11
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Wang P, Mao Y, Su Y, Wang J. Comparative analysis of transcriptomic data shows the effects of multiple evolutionary selection processes on codon usage in Marsupenaeus japonicus and Marsupenaeus pulchricaudatus. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:781. [PMID: 34717552 PMCID: PMC8557549 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-08106-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Kuruma shrimp, a major commercial shrimp species in the world, has two cryptic or sibling species, Marsupenaeus japonicus and Marsupenaeus pulchricaudatus. Codon usage analysis would contribute to our understanding of the genetic and evolutionary characteristics of the two Marsupenaeus species. In this study, we analyzed codon usage and related indices using coding sequences (CDSs) from RNA-seq data. RESULTS Using CodonW 1.4.2 software, we performed the codon bias analysis of transcriptomes obtained from hepatopancreas tissues, which indicated weak codon bias. Almost all parameters had similar correlations for both species. The gene expression level (FPKM) was negatively correlated with A/T3s. We determined 12 and 14 optimal codons for M. japonicus and M. pulchricaudatus, respectively, and all optimal codons have a C/G-ending. The two Marsupenaeus species had different usage frequencies of codon pairs, which contributed to further analysis of transcriptional differences between them. Orthologous genes that underwent positive selection (ω > 1) had a higher correlation coefficient than that of experienced purifying selection (ω < 1). Parity Rule 2 (PR2) and effective number of codons (ENc) plot analysis showed that the codon usage patterns of both species were influenced by both mutations and selection. Moreover, the average observed ENc value was lower than the expected value for both species, suggesting that factors other than GC may play roles in these phenomena. The results of multispecies clustering based on codon preference were consistent with traditional classification. CONCLUSIONS This study provides a relatively comprehensive understanding of the correlations among codon usage bias, gene expression, and selection pressures of CDSs for M. japonicus and M. pulchricaudatus. The genetic evolution was driven by mutations and selection pressure. Moreover, the results point out new insights into the specificities and evolutionary characteristics of the two Marsupenaeus species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panpan Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment/ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang, 222005, China
- Co-Innovation Center of Jiangsu Marine Bio-Industry Technology, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang, 222005, China
- The Jiangsu Provincial Infrastructure for Conservation and Utilization of Agricultural Germplasm, Nanjing, 210014, China
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China
| | - Yong Mao
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China.
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of Marine Organisms, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China.
| | - Yongquan Su
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China
| | - Jun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China
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12
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Pereira-Gómez M, Carrau L, Fajardo Á, Moreno P, Moratorio G. Altering Compositional Properties of Viral Genomes to Design Live-Attenuated Vaccines. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:676582. [PMID: 34276608 PMCID: PMC8278477 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.676582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Live-attenuated vaccines have been historically used to successfully prevent numerous diseases caused by a broad variety of RNA viruses due to their ability to elicit strong and perdurable immune-protective responses. In recent years, various strategies have been explored to achieve viral attenuation by rational genetic design rather than using classic and empirical approaches, based on successive passages in cell culture. A deeper understanding of evolutionary implications of distinct viral genomic compositional aspects, as well as substantial advances in synthetic biology technologies, have provided a framework to achieve new viral attenuation strategies. Herein, we will discuss different approaches that are currently applied to modify compositional features of viruses in order to develop novel live-attenuated vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianoel Pereira-Gómez
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Laboratorio de Evolución Experimental de Virus, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Lucía Carrau
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Álvaro Fajardo
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Laboratorio de Evolución Experimental de Virus, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Pilar Moreno
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Laboratorio de Evolución Experimental de Virus, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Gonzalo Moratorio
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Laboratorio de Evolución Experimental de Virus, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
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13
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Liu Y, Yang Q, Zhao F. Synonymous but Not Silent: The Codon Usage Code for Gene Expression and Protein Folding. Annu Rev Biochem 2021; 90:375-401. [PMID: 33441035 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biochem-071320-112701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Codon usage bias, the preference for certain synonymous codons, is found in all genomes. Although synonymous mutations were previously thought to be silent, a large body of evidence has demonstrated that codon usage can play major roles in determining gene expression levels and protein structures. Codon usage influences translation elongation speed and regulates translation efficiency and accuracy. Adaptation of codon usage to tRNA expression determines the proteome landscape. In addition, codon usage biases result in nonuniform ribosome decoding rates on mRNAs, which in turn influence the cotranslational protein folding process that is critical for protein function in diverse biological processes. Conserved genome-wide correlations have also been found between codon usage and protein structures. Furthermore, codon usage is a major determinant of mRNA levels through translation-dependent effects on mRNA decay and translation-independent effects on transcriptional and posttranscriptional processes. Here, we discuss the multifaceted roles and mechanisms of codon usage in different gene regulatory processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Liu
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9040, USA;
| | - Qian Yang
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9040, USA;
| | - Fangzhou Zhao
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9040, USA;
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14
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Hodgman MW, Miller JB, Meurs TE, Kauwe JSK. CUBAP: an interactive web portal for analyzing codon usage biases across populations. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:11030-11039. [PMID: 33045750 PMCID: PMC7641757 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Synonymous codon usage significantly impacts translational and transcriptional efficiency, gene expression, the secondary structure of both mRNA and proteins, and has been implicated in various diseases. However, population-specific differences in codon usage biases remain largely unexplored. Here, we present a web server, https://cubap.byu.edu, to facilitate analyses of codon usage biases across populations (CUBAP). Using the 1000 Genomes Project, we calculated and visually depict population-specific differences in codon frequencies, codon aversion, identical codon pairing, co-tRNA codon pairing, ramp sequences, and nucleotide composition in 17,634 genes. We found that codon pairing significantly differs between populations in 35.8% of genes, allowing us to successfully predict the place of origin for African and East Asian individuals with 98.8% and 100% accuracy, respectively. We also used CUBAP to identify a significant bias toward decreased CTG pairing in the immunity related GTPase M (IRGM) gene in East Asian and African populations, which may contribute to the decreased association of rs10065172 with Crohn's disease in those populations. CUBAP facilitates in-depth gene-specific and codon-specific visualization that will aid in analyzing candidate genes identified in genome-wide association studies, identifying functional implications of synonymous variants, predicting population-specific impacts of synonymous variants and categorizing genetic biases unique to certain populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew W Hodgman
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Justin B Miller
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Taylor E Meurs
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - John S K Kauwe
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
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15
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Ahmed N, Friedrich UA, Sormanni P, Ciryam P, Altman NS, Bukau B, Kramer G, O'Brien EP. Pairs of amino acids at the P- and A-sites of the ribosome predictably and causally modulate translation-elongation rates. J Mol Biol 2020; 432:166696. [PMID: 33152326 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2020.10.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 08/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Variation in translation-elongation kinetics along a transcript's coding sequence plays an important role in the maintenance of cellular protein homeostasis by regulating co-translational protein folding, localization, and maturation. Translation-elongation speed is influenced by molecular factors within mRNA and protein sequences. For example, the presence of proline in the ribosome's P- or A-site slows down translation, but the effect of other pairs of amino acids, in the context of all 400 possible pairs, has not been characterized. Here, we study Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a combination of bioinformatics, mutational experiments, and evolutionary analyses, and show that many different pairs of amino acids and their associated tRNA molecules predictably and causally encode translation rate information when these pairs are present in the A- and P-sites of the ribosome independent of other factors known to influence translation speed including mRNA structure, wobble base pairing, tripeptide motifs, positively charged upstream nascent chain residues, and cognate tRNA concentration. The fast-translating pairs of amino acids that we identify are enriched four-fold relative to the slow-translating pairs across Saccharomyces cerevisiae's proteome, while the slow-translating pairs are enriched downstream of domain boundaries. Thus, the chemical identity of amino acid pairs contributes to variability in translation rates, elongation kinetics are causally encoded in the primary structure of proteins, and signatures of evolutionary selection indicate their potential role in co-translational processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nabeel Ahmed
- Bioinformatics and Genomics Graduate Program, The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Ulrike A Friedrich
- Center for Molecular Biology of the Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Pietro Sormanni
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Prajwal Ciryam
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Naomi S Altman
- Bioinformatics and Genomics Graduate Program, The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Statistics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Bernd Bukau
- Center for Molecular Biology of the Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Günter Kramer
- Center for Molecular Biology of the Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Edward P O'Brien
- Bioinformatics and Genomics Graduate Program, The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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16
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Van Leuven JT, Ederer MM, Burleigh K, Scott L, Hughes RA, Codrea V, Ellington AD, Wichman HA, Miller CR. ΦX174 Attenuation by Whole-Genome Codon Deoptimization. Genome Biol Evol 2020; 13:5921183. [PMID: 33045052 PMCID: PMC7881332 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural selection acting on synonymous mutations in protein-coding genes influences genome composition and evolution. In viruses, introducing synonymous mutations in genes encoding structural proteins can drastically reduce viral growth, providing a means to generate potent, live-attenuated vaccine candidates. However, an improved understanding of what compositional features are under selection and how combinations of synonymous mutations affect viral growth is needed to predictably attenuate viruses and make them resistant to reversion. We systematically recoded all nonoverlapping genes of the bacteriophage ΦX174 with codons rarely used in its Escherichia coli host. The fitness of recombinant viruses decreases as additional deoptimizing mutations are made to the genome, although not always linearly, and not consistently across genes. Combining deoptimizing mutations may reduce viral fitness more or less than expected from the effect size of the constituent mutations and we point out difficulties in untangling correlated compositional features. We test our model by optimizing the same genes and find that the relationship between codon usage and fitness does not hold for optimization, suggesting that wild-type ΦX174 is at a fitness optimum. This work highlights the need to better understand how selection acts on patterns of synonymous codon usage across the genome and provides a convenient system to investigate the genetic determinants of virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- James T Van Leuven
- Department of Biological Science, University of Idaho.,Institute for Modeling Collaboration and Innovation, University of Idaho
| | | | - Katelyn Burleigh
- Department of Biological Science, University of Idaho.,Present address: Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA
| | - LuAnn Scott
- Department of Biological Science, University of Idaho
| | - Randall A Hughes
- Applied Research Laboratories, University of Texas, Austin.,Present address: Biotechnology Branch, CCDC US Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, MD
| | - Vlad Codrea
- Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas, Austin
| | - Andrew D Ellington
- Applied Research Laboratories, University of Texas, Austin.,Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas, Austin
| | - Holly A Wichman
- Department of Biological Science, University of Idaho.,Institute for Modeling Collaboration and Innovation, University of Idaho
| | - Craig R Miller
- Department of Biological Science, University of Idaho.,Institute for Modeling Collaboration and Innovation, University of Idaho
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17
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Arpat AB, Liechti A, De Matos M, Dreos R, Janich P, Gatfield D. Transcriptome-wide sites of collided ribosomes reveal principles of translational pausing. Genome Res 2020; 30:985-999. [PMID: 32703885 PMCID: PMC7397865 DOI: 10.1101/gr.257741.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Translation initiation is the major regulatory step defining the rate of protein production from an mRNA. Meanwhile, the impact of nonuniform ribosomal elongation rates is largely unknown. Using a modified ribosome profiling protocol based on footprints from two closely packed ribosomes (disomes), we have mapped ribosomal collisions transcriptome-wide in mouse liver. We uncover that the stacking of an elongating onto a paused ribosome occurs frequently and scales with translation rate, trapping ∼10% of translating ribosomes in the disome state. A distinct class of pause sites is indicative of deterministic pausing signals. Pause site association with specific amino acids, peptide motifs, and nascent polypeptide structure is suggestive of programmed pausing as a widespread mechanism associated with protein folding. Evolutionary conservation at disome sites indicates functional relevance of translational pausing. Collectively, our disome profiling approach allows unique insights into gene regulation occurring at the step of translation elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alaaddin Bulak Arpat
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Angélica Liechti
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Mara De Matos
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - René Dreos
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Peggy Janich
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - David Gatfield
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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18
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Martínez MA, Jordan-Paiz A, Franco S, Nevot M. Synonymous genome recoding: a tool to explore microbial biology and new therapeutic strategies. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 47:10506-10519. [PMID: 31584076 PMCID: PMC6846928 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthetic genome recoding is a new means of generating designed organisms with altered phenotypes. Synonymous mutations introduced into the protein coding region tolerate modifications in DNA or mRNA without modifying the encoded proteins. Synonymous genome-wide recoding has allowed the synthetic generation of different small-genome viruses with modified phenotypes and biological properties. Recently, a decreased cost of chemically synthesizing DNA and improved methods for assembling DNA fragments (e.g. lambda red recombination and CRISPR-based editing) have enabled the construction of an Escherichia coli variant with a 4-Mb synthetic synonymously recoded genome with a reduced number of sense codons (n = 59) encoding the 20 canonical amino acids. Synonymous genome recoding is increasing our knowledge of microbial interactions with innate immune responses, identifying functional genome structures, and strategically ameliorating cis-inhibitory signaling sequences related to splicing, replication (in eukaryotes), and complex microbe functions, unraveling the relevance of codon usage for the temporal regulation of gene expression and the microbe mutant spectrum and adaptability. New biotechnological and therapeutic applications of this methodology can easily be envisaged. In this review, we discuss how synonymous genome recoding may impact our knowledge of microbial biology and the development of new and better therapeutic methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Angel Martínez
- IrsiCaixa, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Badalona, Spain
| | - Ana Jordan-Paiz
- IrsiCaixa, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Badalona, Spain
| | - Sandra Franco
- IrsiCaixa, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Badalona, Spain
| | - Maria Nevot
- IrsiCaixa, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Badalona, Spain
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19
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Alexaki A, Hettiarachchi GK, Athey JC, Katneni UK, Simhadri V, Hamasaki-Katagiri N, Nanavaty P, Lin B, Takeda K, Freedberg D, Monroe D, McGill JR, Peters R, Kames JM, Holcomb DD, Hunt RC, Sauna ZE, Gelinas A, Janjic N, DiCuccio M, Bar H, Komar AA, Kimchi-Sarfaty C. Effects of codon optimization on coagulation factor IX translation and structure: Implications for protein and gene therapies. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15449. [PMID: 31664102 PMCID: PMC6820528 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51984-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Synonymous codons occur with different frequencies in different organisms, a phenomenon termed codon usage bias. Codon optimization, a common term for a variety of approaches used widely by the biopharmaceutical industry, involves synonymous substitutions to increase protein expression. It had long been presumed that synonymous variants, which, by definition, do not alter the primary amino acid sequence, have no effect on protein structure and function. However, a critical mass of reports suggests that synonymous codon variations may impact protein conformation. To investigate the impact of synonymous codons usage on protein expression and function, we designed an optimized coagulation factor IX (FIX) variant and used multiple methods to compare its properties to the wild-type FIX upon expression in HEK293T cells. We found that the two variants differ in their conformation, even when controlling for the difference in expression levels. Using ribosome profiling, we identified robust changes in the translational kinetics of the two variants and were able to identify a region in the gene that may have a role in altering the conformation of the protein. Our data have direct implications for codon optimization strategies, for production of recombinant proteins and gene therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aikaterini Alexaki
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Gaya K Hettiarachchi
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - John C Athey
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Upendra K Katneni
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Vijaya Simhadri
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Nobuko Hamasaki-Katagiri
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Puja Nanavaty
- Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Brian Lin
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Kazuyo Takeda
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Darón Freedberg
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Dougald Monroe
- University of North Carolina at Chapel hill, Chapel hill, NC, USA
| | - Joseph R McGill
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | | | - Jacob M Kames
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - David D Holcomb
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Ryan C Hunt
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Zuben E Sauna
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | | | | | - Michael DiCuccio
- National Center of Biotechnology Information, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Haim Bar
- Department of Statistics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Anton A Komar
- Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Chava Kimchi-Sarfaty
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
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20
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Ghoneim DH, Zhang X, Brule CE, Mathews DH, Grayhack EJ. Conservation of location of several specific inhibitory codon pairs in the Saccharomyces sensu stricto yeasts reveals translational selection. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:1164-1177. [PMID: 30576464 PMCID: PMC6379720 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky1262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Revised: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Synonymous codons provide redundancy in the genetic code that influences translation rates in many organisms, in which overall codon use is driven by selection for optimal codons. It is unresolved if or to what extent translational selection drives use of suboptimal codons or codon pairs. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 17 specific inhibitory codon pairs, each comprised of adjacent suboptimal codons, inhibit translation efficiency in a manner distinct from their constituent codons, and many are translated slowly in native genes. We show here that selection operates within Saccharomyces sensu stricto yeasts to conserve nine of these codon pairs at defined positions in genes. Conservation of these inhibitory codon pairs is significantly greater than expected, relative to conservation of their constituent codons, with seven pairs more highly conserved than any other synonymous pair. Conservation is strongly correlated with slow translation of the pairs. Conservation of suboptimal codon pairs extends to two related Candida species, fungi that diverged from Saccharomyces ∼270 million years ago, with an enrichment for codons decoded by I•A and U•G wobble in both Candida and Saccharomyces. Thus, conservation of inhibitory codon pairs strongly implies selection for slow translation at particular gene locations, executed by suboptimal codon pairs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalia H Ghoneim
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.,Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Xiaoju Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.,Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Christina E Brule
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.,Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - David H Mathews
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.,Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Elizabeth J Grayhack
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.,Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
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21
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Comprehensive profiling of codon usage signatures and codon context variations in the genus Ustilago. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 35:118. [DOI: 10.1007/s11274-019-2693-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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22
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Codon and Codon-Pair Usage Tables (CoCoPUTs): Facilitating Genetic Variation Analyses and Recombinant Gene Design. J Mol Biol 2019; 431:2434-2441. [PMID: 31029701 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2019.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Revised: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Usage of sequential codon-pairs is non-random and unique to each species. Codon-pair bias is related to but clearly distinct from individual codon usage bias. Codon-pair bias is thought to affect translational fidelity and efficiency and is presumed to be under the selective pressure. It was suggested that changes in codon-pair utilization may affect human disease more significantly than changes in single codons. Although recombinant gene technologies often take codon-pair usage bias into account, codon-pair usage data/tables are not readily available, thus potentially impeding research efforts. The present computational resource (https://hive.biochemistry.gwu.edu/review/codon2) systematically addresses this issue. Building on our recent HIVE-Codon Usage Tables, we constructed a new database to include genomic codon-pair and dinucleotide statistics of all organisms with sequenced genome, available in the GenBank. We believe that the growing understanding of the importance of codon-pair usage will make this resource an invaluable tool to many researchers in academia and pharmaceutical industry.
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23
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Khedkar PH, Osterrieder N, Kunec D. Codon pair bias deoptimization of the major oncogene meq of a very virulent Marek’s disease virus. J Gen Virol 2018; 99:1705-1716. [DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Pratik Hemant Khedkar
- Institut für Virologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13, 14163 Berlin, Germany
| | - Nikolaus Osterrieder
- Institut für Virologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13, 14163 Berlin, Germany
| | - Dusan Kunec
- Institut für Virologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13, 14163 Berlin, Germany
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24
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Wons E, Koscielniak D, Szadkowska M, Sektas M. Evaluation of GFP reporter utility for analysis of transcriptional slippage during gene expression. Microb Cell Fact 2018; 17:150. [PMID: 30241530 PMCID: PMC6149199 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-018-0999-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Epimutations arising from transcriptional slippage seem to have more important role in regulating gene expression than earlier though. Since the level and the fidelity of transcription primarily determine the overall efficiency of gene expression, all factors contributing to their decrease should be identified and optimized. Results To examine the influence of A/T homopolymeric sequences on introduction of erroneous nucleotides by slippage mechanism green fluorescence protein (GFP) reporter was chosen. The in- or out-of-frame gfp gene was fused to upstream fragment with variable number of adenine or thymine stretches resulting in several hybrid GFP proteins with diverse amino acids at N-terminus. Here, by using T7 phage expression system we showed that the intensity of GFP fluorescence mainly depends on the number of the retained natural amino acids. While the lack of serine (S2) residue results in negligible effects, the lack of serine and lysine (S2K3) contributed to a significant reduction in fluorescence by 2.7-fold for polyA-based in-frame controls and twofold for polyTs. What is more, N-terminal tails amino acid composition was rather of secondary importance, since the whole-cell fluorescence differed in a range of 9–18% between corresponding polyA- and polyT-based constructs. Conclusions Here we present experimental evidence for utility of GFP reporter for accurate estimation of A/T homopolymeric sequence contribution in transcriptional slippage induction. We showed that the intensity of GFP hybrid fluorescence mainly depends on the number of retained natural amino acids, thus fluorescence raw data need to be referred to appropriate positive control. Moreover, only in case of GFP hybrids with relatively short N-terminal tags the fluorescence level solely reflects production yield, what further indicates the impact of an individual slippage sequence. Our results demonstrate that in contrast to the E. coli enzyme, T7 RNA polymerase exhibits extremely high propensity to slippage even on runs as short as 3 adenine or 4 thymine residues. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12934-018-0999-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Wons
- Department of Microbiology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Dawid Koscielniak
- Department of Microbiology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Monika Szadkowska
- Department of Microbiology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Marian Sektas
- Department of Microbiology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308, Gdansk, Poland.
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25
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Chen S, Li K, Cao W, Wang J, Zhao T, Huan Q, Yang YF, Wu S, Qian W. Codon-Resolution Analysis Reveals a Direct and Context-Dependent Impact of Individual Synonymous Mutations on mRNA Level. Mol Biol Evol 2018; 34:2944-2958. [PMID: 28961875 PMCID: PMC5850819 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Codon usage bias (CUB) refers to the observation that synonymous codons are not used equally frequently in a genome. CUB is stronger in more highly expressed genes, a phenomenon commonly explained by stronger natural selection on translational accuracy and/or efficiency among these genes. Nevertheless, this phenomenon could also occur if CUB regulates gene expression at the mRNA level, a hypothesis that has not been tested until recently. Here, we attempt to quantify the impact of synonymous mutations on mRNA level in yeast using 3,556 synonymous variants of a heterologous gene encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) and 523 synonymous variants of an endogenous gene TDH3. We found that mRNA level was positively correlated with CUB among these synonymous variants, demonstrating a direct role of CUB in regulating transcript concentration, likely via regulating mRNA degradation rate, as our additional experiments suggested. More importantly, we quantified the effects of individual synonymous mutations on mRNA level and found them dependent on 1) CUB and 2) mRNA secondary structure, both in proximal sequence contexts. Our study reveals the pleiotropic effects of synonymous codon usage and provides an additional explanation for the well-known correlation between CUB and gene expression level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Genetic Network Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ke Li
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Genetic Network Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenqing Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Genetic Network Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jia Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Genetic Network Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, Beijing, China
| | - Tong Zhao
- Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qing Huan
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Genetic Network Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu-Fei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Genetic Network Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shaohuan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Genetic Network Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenfeng Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Genetic Network Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, Beijing, China
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26
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Papamichail D, Liu H, Machado V, Gould N, Coleman JR, Papamichail G. Codon Context Optimization in Synthetic Gene Design. IEEE/ACM TRANSACTIONS ON COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY AND BIOINFORMATICS 2018; 15:452-459. [PMID: 27019501 DOI: 10.1109/tcbb.2016.2542808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Advances in de novo synthesis of DNA and computational gene design methods make possible the customization of genes by direct manipulation of features such as codon bias and mRNA secondary structure. Codon context is another feature significantly affecting mRNA translational efficiency, but existing methods and tools for evaluating and designing novel optimized protein coding sequences utilize untested heuristics and do not provide quantifiable guarantees on design quality. In this study we examine statistical properties of codon context measures in an effort to better understand the phenomenon. We analyze the computational complexity of codon context optimization and design exact and efficient heuristic gene recoding algorithms under reasonable constraint models. We also present a web-based tool for evaluating codon context bias in the appropriate context.
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27
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Hughes KT, Chevance FFV. "Lost in translation: Seeing the forest by focusing on the trees". RNA Biol 2018; 15:182-185. [PMID: 29130371 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2017.1403717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A complex process translates messenger RNA (mRNA) base sequence into protein amino acid sequence. Transfer RNAs must recognize 3-base codons in the mRNA to insert the correct amino acids into the growing protein. Codon degeneracy makes decoding complicated in that multiple (synonymous) triplets can encode a single amino acid and multiple tRNAs can have the same anticodon. Over the last twenty years, new developments in structural biology, genome sequencing and bioinformatics has elucidated the intricacies of the ribosome structure and the details of the translation process. High throughput analyses of sequence information support the idea that mRNA folding has a major effect on expression for codons at the 5'-end of mRNA (N-terminal region of a polypeptide). Despite a forest of sequence data, significant details of the complex translation process can escape detection. However, a sensitive translation assay has allowed a single tree in this forest to be revealing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly T Hughes
- a Biology, University of Utah , Salt Lake City , UT , United States
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28
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Mazumdar P, Binti Othman R, Mebus K, Ramakrishnan N, Ann Harikrishna J. Codon usage and codon pair patterns in non-grass monocot genomes. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2017; 120:893-909. [PMID: 29155926 PMCID: PMC5710610 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcx112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/19/2017] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Studies on codon usage in monocots have focused on grasses, and observed patterns of this taxon were generalized to all monocot species. Here, non-grass monocot species were analysed to investigate the differences between grass and non-grass monocots. METHODS First, studies of codon usage in monocots were reviewed. The current information was then extended regarding codon usage, as well as codon-pair context bias, using four completely sequenced non-grass monocot genomes (Musa acuminata, Musa balbisiana, Phoenix dactylifera and Spirodela polyrhiza) for which comparable transcriptome datasets are available. Measurements were taken regarding relative synonymous codon usage, effective number of codons, derived optimal codon and GC content and then the relationships investigated to infer the underlying evolutionary forces. KEY RESULTS The research identified optimal codons, rare codons and preferred codon-pair context in the non-grass monocot species studied. In contrast to the bimodal distribution of GC3 (GC content in third codon position) in grasses, non-grass monocots showed a unimodal distribution. Disproportionate use of G and C (and of A and T) in two- and four-codon amino acids detected in the analysis rules out the mutational bias hypothesis as an explanation of genomic variation in GC content. There was found to be a positive relationship between CAI (codon adaptation index; predicts the level of expression of a gene) and GC3. In addition, a strong correlation was observed between coding and genomic GC content and negative correlation of GC3 with gene length, indicating a strong impact of GC-biased gene conversion (gBGC) in shaping codon usage and nucleotide composition in non-grass monocots. CONCLUSION Optimal codons in these non-grass monocots show a preference for G/C in the third codon position. These results support the concept that codon usage and nucleotide composition in non-grass monocots are mainly driven by gBGC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Purabi Mazumdar
- Centre for Research in Biotechnology for Agriculture, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - RofinaYasmin Binti Othman
- Centre for Research in Biotechnology for Agriculture, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Katharina Mebus
- Centre for Research in Biotechnology for Agriculture, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - N Ramakrishnan
- Electrical and Computer System Engineering, School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
| | - Jennifer Ann Harikrishna
- Centre for Research in Biotechnology for Agriculture, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- For correspondence. E-mail:
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29
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Nath Choudhury M, Uddin A, Chakraborty S. Codon usage bias and its influencing factors for Y-linked genes in human. Comput Biol Chem 2017; 69:77-86. [DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2017.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2016] [Revised: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 05/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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30
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Transcriptome Analysis of Core Dinoflagellates Reveals a Universal Bias towards "GC" Rich Codons. Mar Drugs 2017; 15:md15050125. [PMID: 28448468 PMCID: PMC5450531 DOI: 10.3390/md15050125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Revised: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 04/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Although dinoflagellates are a potential source of pharmaceuticals and natural products, the mechanisms for regulating and producing these compounds are largely unknown because of extensive post-transcriptional control of gene expression. One well-documented mechanism for controlling gene expression during translation is codon bias, whereby specific codons slow or even terminate protein synthesis. Approximately 10,000 annotatable genes from fifteen “core” dinoflagellate transcriptomes along a range of overall guanine and cytosine (GC) content were used for codonW analysis to determine the relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) and the GC content at each codon position. GC bias in the analyzed dataset and at the third codon position varied from 51% and 54% to 66% and 88%, respectively. Codons poor in GC were observed to be universally absent, but bias was most pronounced for codons ending in uracil followed by adenine (UA). GC bias at the third codon position was able to explain low abundance codons as well as the low effective number of codons. Thus, we propose that a bias towards codons rich in GC bases is a universal feature of core dinoflagellates, possibly relating to their unique chromosome structure, and not likely a major mechanism for controlling gene expression.
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31
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Synonymous Codons: Choose Wisely for Expression. Trends Genet 2017; 33:283-297. [PMID: 28292534 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2017.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Revised: 02/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The genetic code, which defines the amino acid sequence of a protein, also contains information that influences the rate and efficiency of translation. Neither the mechanisms nor functions of codon-mediated regulation were well understood. The prevailing model was that the slow translation of codons decoded by rare tRNAs reduces efficiency. Recent genome-wide analyses have clarified several issues. Specific codons and codon combinations modulate ribosome speed and facilitate protein folding. However, tRNA availability is not the sole determinant of rate; rather, interactions between adjacent codons and wobble base pairing are key. One mechanism linking translation efficiency and codon use is that slower decoding is coupled to reduced mRNA stability. Changes in tRNA supply mediate biological regulationfor instance,, changes in tRNA amounts facilitate cancer metastasis.
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32
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Takai K. Translational resistivity/conductivity of coding sequences during exponential growth of Escherichia coli. J Theor Biol 2017; 413:66-71. [PMID: 27876621 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2016.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Revised: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Codon adaptation index (CAI) has been widely used for prediction of expression of recombinant genes in Escherichia coli and other organisms. However, CAI has no mechanistic basis that rationalizes its application to estimation of translational efficiency. Here, I propose a model based on which we could consider how codon usage is related to the level of expression during exponential growth of bacteria. In this model, translation of a gene is considered as an analog of electric current, and an analog of electric resistance corresponding to each gene is considered. "Translational resistance" is dependent on the steady-state concentration and the sequence of the mRNA species, and "translational resistivity" is dependent only on the mRNA sequence. The latter is the sum of two parts: one is the resistivity for the elongation reaction (coding sequence resistivity), and the other comes from all of the other steps of the decoding reaction. This electric circuit model clearly shows that some conditions should be met for codon composition of a coding sequence to correlate well with its expression level. On the other hand, I calculated relative frequency of each of the 61 sense codon triplets translated during exponential growth of E. coli from a proteomic dataset covering over 2600 proteins. A tentative method for estimating relative coding sequence resistivity based on the data is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuyuki Takai
- Department of Materials Sciences and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ehime University, 3 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8577, Japan.
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33
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Webster GR, Teh AYH, Ma JKC. Synthetic gene design-The rationale for codon optimization and implications for molecular pharming in plants. Biotechnol Bioeng 2016; 114:492-502. [PMID: 27618314 DOI: 10.1002/bit.26183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2015] [Revised: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 09/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Degeneracy in the genetic code allows multiple codon sequences to encode the same protein. Codon usage bias in genes is the term given to the preferred use of particular synonymous codons. Synonymous codon substitutions had been regarded as "silent" as the primary structure of the protein was not affected; however, it is now accepted that synonymous substitutions can have a significant effect on heterologous protein expression. Codon optimization, the process of altering codons within the gene sequence to improve recombinant protein expression, has become widely practised. Multiple inter-linked factors affecting protein expression need to be taken into consideration when optimizing a gene sequence. Over the years, various computer programmes have been developed to aid in the gene sequence optimization process. However, as the rulebook for altering codon usage to affect protein expression is still not completely understood, it is difficult to predict which strategy, if any, will design the "optimal" gene sequence. In this review, codon usage bias and factors affecting codon selection will be discussed and the evidence for codon optimization impact will be reviewed for recombinant protein expression using plants as a case study. These developments will be relevant to all recombinant expression systems; however, molecular pharming in plants is an area which has consistently encountered difficulties with low levels of recombinant protein expression, and should benefit from an evidence based rational approach to synthetic gene design. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 492-502. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina R Webster
- Molecular Immunology Unit, Institute for Infection and Immunity, St. George's University of London, SW17 0RE, London, UK
| | - Audrey Y-H Teh
- Molecular Immunology Unit, Institute for Infection and Immunity, St. George's University of London, SW17 0RE, London, UK
| | - Julian K-C Ma
- Molecular Immunology Unit, Institute for Infection and Immunity, St. George's University of London, SW17 0RE, London, UK
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34
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Komar AA. The Yin and Yang of codon usage. Hum Mol Genet 2016; 25:R77-R85. [PMID: 27354349 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddw207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 06/24/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The genetic code is degenerate. With the exception of two amino acids (Met and Trp), all other amino acid residues are each encoded by multiple, so-called synonymous codons. Synonymous codons were initially presumed to have entirely equivalent functions, however, the finding that synonymous codons are not present at equal frequencies in genes/genomes suggested that codon choice might have functional implications beyond amino acid coding. The pattern of non-uniform codon use (known as codon usage bias) varies between organisms and represents a unique feature of an organism. Organism-specific codon choice is related to organism-specific differences in populations of cognate tRNAs. This implies that, in a given organism, frequently used codons will be translated more rapidly than infrequently used ones and vice versa A theory of codon-tRNA co-evolution (necessary to balance accurate and efficient protein production) was put forward to explain the existence of codon usage bias. This model suggests that selection favours preferred (frequent) over un-preferred (rare) codons in order to sustain efficient protein production in cells and that a given un-preferred codon will have the same effect on an organism's fitness regardless of its position within an mRNA's open reading frame. However, many recent studies refute this prediction. Un-preferred codons have been found to have important functional roles and their effects appeared to be position-dependent. Synonymous codon usage affects the efficiency/stringency of mRNA decoding, mRNA biogenesis/stability, and protein secretion and folding. This review summarizes recent developments in the field that have identified novel functions of synonymous codons and their usage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton A Komar
- Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease and Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, OH, USA Department of Biochemistry and Center for RNA Molecular Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA Genomic Medicine Institute, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, OH, USA
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35
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Meyer MM. The role of mRNA structure in bacterial translational regulation. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2016; 8. [PMID: 27301829 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Revised: 05/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The characteristics of bacterial messenger RNAs (mRNAs) that influence translation efficiency provide many convenient handles for regulation of gene expression, especially when coupled with the processes of transcription termination and mRNA degradation. An mRNA's structure, especially near the site of initiation, has profound consequences for how readily it is translated. This property allows bacterial gene expression to be altered by changes to mRNA structure induced by temperature, or interactions with a wide variety of cellular components including small molecules, other RNAs (such as sRNAs and tRNAs), and RNA-binding proteins. This review discusses the links between mRNA structure and translation efficiency, and how mRNA structure is manipulated by conditions and signals within the cell to regulate gene expression. The range of RNA regulators discussed follows a continuum from very complex tertiary structures such as riboswitch aptamers and ribosomal protein-binding sites to thermosensors and mRNA:sRNA interactions that involve only base-pairing interactions. Furthermore, the high degrees of diversity observed for both mRNA structures and the mechanisms by which inhibition of translation occur have significant consequences for understanding the evolution of bacterial translational regulation. WIREs RNA 2017, 8:e1370. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1370 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
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36
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Rodnina MV. The ribosome in action: Tuning of translational efficiency and protein folding. Protein Sci 2016; 25:1390-406. [PMID: 27198711 DOI: 10.1002/pro.2950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2016] [Revised: 05/17/2016] [Accepted: 05/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The cellular proteome is shaped by the combined activities of the gene expression and quality control machineries. While transcription plays an undoubtedly important role, in recent years also translation emerged as a key step that defines the composition and quality of the proteome and the functional activity of proteins in the cell. Among the different post-transcriptional control mechanisms, translation initiation and elongation provide multiple checkpoints that can affect translational efficiency. A multitude of specific signals in mRNAs can determine the frequency of translation initiation, choice of the open reading frame, global and local elongation velocities, and the folding of the emerging protein. In addition to specific signatures in the mRNAs, also variations in the global pools of translation components, including ribosomes, tRNAs, mRNAs, and translation factors can alter translational efficiencies. The cellular outcomes of phenomena such as mRNA codon bias are sometimes difficult to understand due to the staggering complexity of covariates that affect codon usage, translation, and protein folding. Here we summarize the experimental evidence on how the ribosome-together with the other components of the translational machinery-can alter translational efficiencies of mRNA at the initiation and elongation stages and how translation velocity affects protein folding. We seek to explain these findings in the context of mechanistic work on the ribosome. The results argue in favour of a new understanding of translation control as a hub that links mRNA homeostasis to production and quality control of proteins in the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina V Rodnina
- Department of Physical Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
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37
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Kumar N, Bera BC, Greenbaum BD, Bhatia S, Sood R, Selvaraj P, Anand T, Tripathi BN, Virmani N. Revelation of Influencing Factors in Overall Codon Usage Bias of Equine Influenza Viruses. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0154376. [PMID: 27119730 PMCID: PMC4847779 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2015] [Accepted: 04/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Equine influenza viruses (EIVs) of H3N8 subtype are culprits of severe acute respiratory infections in horses, and are still responsible for significant outbreaks worldwide. Adaptability of influenza viruses to a particular host is significantly influenced by their codon usage preference, due to an absolute dependence on the host cellular machinery for their replication. In the present study, we analyzed genome-wide codon usage patterns in 92 EIV strains, including both H3N8 and H7N7 subtypes by computing several codon usage indices and applying multivariate statistical methods. Relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) analysis disclosed bias of preferred synonymous codons towards A/U-ended codons. The overall codon usage bias in EIVs was slightly lower, and mainly affected by the nucleotide compositional constraints as inferred from the RSCU and effective number of codon (ENc) analysis. Our data suggested that codon usage pattern in EIVs is governed by the interplay of mutation pressure, natural selection from its hosts and undefined factors. The H7N7 subtype was found less fit to its host (horse) in comparison to H3N8, by possessing higher codon bias, lower mutation pressure and much less adaptation to tRNA pool of equine cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the codon usage analysis of the complete genomes of EIVs. The outcome of our study is likely to enhance our understanding of factors involved in viral adaptation, evolution, and fitness towards their hosts.
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MESH Headings
- Adaptation, Physiological/genetics
- Animals
- Biological Evolution
- Codon
- Gene Expression Regulation, Viral
- Genetic Code
- Genome, Viral
- Horse Diseases/virology
- Horses
- Host-Pathogen Interactions
- Influenza A Virus, H3N8 Subtype/genetics
- Influenza A Virus, H3N8 Subtype/metabolism
- Influenza A Virus, H7N7 Subtype/genetics
- Influenza A Virus, H7N7 Subtype/metabolism
- Models, Statistical
- Mutation Rate
- Orthomyxoviridae Infections/veterinary
- Orthomyxoviridae Infections/virology
- RNA, Transfer/genetics
- RNA, Transfer/metabolism
- Species Specificity
- Virus Replication
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Affiliation(s)
- Naveen Kumar
- Immunology Lab, National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Bidhan Chandra Bera
- Biotechnology Lab, Veterinary Type Culture Collection, National Research Center on Equines (NRCE), Hisar, Haryana, India
| | - Benjamin D. Greenbaum
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Departments of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Pathology, and Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Sandeep Bhatia
- Immunology Lab, National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Richa Sood
- Immunology Lab, National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Pavulraj Selvaraj
- Equine Pathology Lab, National Research Center on Equines (NRCE), Hisar, Haryana, India
| | - Taruna Anand
- Biotechnology Lab, Veterinary Type Culture Collection, National Research Center on Equines (NRCE), Hisar, Haryana, India
| | | | - Nitin Virmani
- Equine Pathology Lab, National Research Center on Equines (NRCE), Hisar, Haryana, India
- * E-mail:
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Karimi Z, Nezafat N, Negahdaripour M, Berenjian A, Hemmati S, Ghasemi Y. The effect of rare codons following the ATG start codon on expression of human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor in Escherichia coli. Protein Expr Purif 2015; 114:108-14. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2015.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2015] [Revised: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 05/29/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Subramanian A, Sarkar RR. Comparison of codon usage bias across Leishmania and Trypanosomatids to understand mRNA secondary structure, relative protein abundance and pathway functions. Genomics 2015; 106:232-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2015.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2015] [Revised: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 05/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Gao L, Wang L, Huang C, Yang L, Guo XK, Yu Z, Liu Y, Yang P, Feng WH. HP-PRRSV is attenuated by de-optimization of codon pair bias in its RNA-dependent RNA polymerase nsp9 gene. Virology 2015; 485:135-44. [PMID: 26247624 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2015.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2015] [Revised: 05/21/2015] [Accepted: 07/16/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
There is an urgent need to develop new vaccines against highly pathogenic PRRS virus (HP-PRRSV) variant in China. The actual use of each codon pairs is more or less frequent than that of the statistical prediction and codon pair bias (CPB) usage affects gene translation. We "shuffled" the existing codons in HP-PRRSV genes GP5, M, nsp2 and nsp9, so that the CPB of these genes could be more negative. De-optimization of nsp9, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, significantly decreased PRRSV replication in porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs). In vitro study showed that HV-nsp9(min) and HV-nsp29(min) were remarkably attenuated in PAMs, and inoculation of pigs with 2 ml⁎10(5.0) TCID50/ml of HV-nsp9(min) or HV-nsp29(min) did not cause PRRS. Importantly, pigs immunized with HV-nsp29(min) were fully protected against different HP-PRRSV strains׳ lethal challenges. Our results imply that the CPB de-optimized HV-nsp29(min) has the potential to be used as a live vaccine candidate against HP-PRRSV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Gao
- China Academy of Medicine Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Lianghai Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Chen Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Longlong Yang
- The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2137, USA
| | - Xue-Kun Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Zhibin Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Yihao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Peng Yang
- Beijing Senkang Biotech Development Co., Ltd, Beijing 101400, China
| | - Wen-Hai Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
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Subramanian A, Rup Sarkar R. Data in support of large scale comparative codon usage analysis in Leishmania and Trypanosomatids. Data Brief 2015. [PMID: 26217801 PMCID: PMC4510541 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2015.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
This data article contains data related to the article “Comparison of codon usage bias across Leishmania and Trypanosomatids to understand mRNA secondary structure, relative protein abundance and pathway functions” by Subramanian and Sarkar, Genomics, 2015 (10.1016/j.ygeno.2015.05.009). The data comprises of sequence-based measures that quantify the effect of codon usage across genomes. The data thus generated represents computed values of codon usage indices like relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU), effective number of codons (ENC), and codon adaptation index (CAI), a set of single copy orthologous genes common to the 13 Trypanosomatids, and comparisons of CAI between genes of different functions. This forms a basis of comparison to infer the causes and consequences of codon usage bias in Leishmania and other Trypanosomatids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Subramanian
- Chemical Engineering and Process Development, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, Maharashtra, India ; Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-NCL Campus, Pune, India
| | - Ram Rup Sarkar
- Chemical Engineering and Process Development, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, Maharashtra, India ; Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-NCL Campus, Pune, India
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A Comprehensive Analysis of Codon Usage Patterns in Blunt Snout Bream (Megalobrama amblycephala) Based on RNA-Seq Data. Int J Mol Sci 2015; 16:11996-2013. [PMID: 26016504 PMCID: PMC4490425 DOI: 10.3390/ijms160611996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2015] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala) is an important fish species for its delicacy and high economic value in China. Codon usage analysis could be helpful to understand its codon biology, mRNA translation and vertebrate evolution. Based on RNA-Seq data for M. amblycephala, high-frequency codons (CUG, AGA, GUG, CAG and GAG), as well as low-frequency ones (NUA and NCG codons) were identified. A total of 724 high-frequency codon pairs were observed. Meanwhile, 14 preferred and 199 avoided neighboring codon pairs were also identified, but bias was almost not shown with one or more intervening codons inserted between the same pairs. Codon usage bias in the regions close to start and stop codons indicated apparent heterogeneity, which even occurs in the flanking nucleotide sequence. Codon usage bias (RSCU and SCUO) was related to GC3 (GC content of 3rd nucleotide in codon) bias. Six GO (Gene ontology) categories and the number of methylation targets were influenced by GC3. Codon usage patterns comparison among 23 vertebrates showed species specificities by using GC contents, codon usage and codon context analysis. This work provided new insights into fish biology and new information for breeding projects.
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Baeza M, Alcaíno J, Barahona S, Sepúlveda D, Cifuentes V. Codon usage and codon context bias in Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:293. [PMID: 25887493 PMCID: PMC4404019 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1493-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2014] [Accepted: 03/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Synonymous codons are used differentially in organisms from the three domains of life, a phenomenon referred to as codon usage bias. In addition, codon pair bias, particularly in the 3’ codon context, has also been described in several organisms and is associated with the accuracy and rate of translation. An improved understanding of both types of bias is important for the optimization of heterologous protein expression, particularly in biotechnologically important organisms, such as the yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous, a promising bioresource for the carotenoid astaxanthin. Using genomic and transcriptomic data, the codon usage and codon context biases of X. dendrorhous open reading frames (ORFs) were analyzed to determine their expression levels, GC% and sequence lengths. X. dendrorhous totiviral ORFs were also included in these analyses. Results A total of 1,695 X. dendrorhous ORFs were identified through comparison with sequences in multiple databases, and the intron-exon structures of these sequences were determined. Although there were important expression variations among the ORFs under the studied conditions (different phases of growth and available carbon sources), most of these sequences were highly expressed under at least one of the analyzed conditions. Independent of the culture conditions, the highly expressed genes showed a strong bias in both codon usage and the 3’ context, with a minor association with the GC% and no relationship to the sequence length. The codon usage and codon-pair bias of the totiviral ORFs were highly variable with no similarities to the host ORFs. Conclusions There is a direct relation between the level of gene expression and codon usage and 3′ context bias in X. dendrorhous, which is more evident for ORFs that are expressed at the highest levels under the studied conditions. However, there is no direct relation between the totiviral ORF biases and the host ORFs. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1493-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Baeza
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Jennifer Alcaíno
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Salvador Barahona
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Dionisia Sepúlveda
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Víctor Cifuentes
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile.
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Roy A, Mukhopadhyay S, Sarkar I, Sen A. Comparative investigation of the various determinants that influence the codon and amino acid usage patterns in the genus Bifidobacterium. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2015; 31:959-81. [DOI: 10.1007/s11274-015-1850-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2015] [Accepted: 03/31/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Recoding of the vesicular stomatitis virus L gene by computer-aided design provides a live, attenuated vaccine candidate. mBio 2015; 6:mBio.00237-15. [PMID: 25827413 PMCID: PMC4453547 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00237-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Codon pair bias (CPB), which has been observed in all organisms, is a neglected genomic phenomenon that affects gene expression. CPB results from synonymous codons that are paired more or less frequently in ORFeomes regardless of codon bias. The effect of an individual codon pair change is usually small, but when it is amplified by large-scale genome recoding, strikingly altered biological phenotypes are observed. The utility of codon pair bias in the development of live attenuated vaccines was recently demonstrated by recodings of poliovirus (a positive-strand RNA virus) and influenza virus (a negative-strand segmented RNA virus). Here, the L gene of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), a nonsegmented negative-sense RNA virus, was partially recoded based on codon pair bias. Totals of 858 and 623 silent mutations were introduced into a 5′-terminal segment of the viral L gene (designated L1) to create sequences containing either overrepresented or underrepresented codon pairs, designated L1sdmax and L1min, respectively. Analysis revealed that recombinant VSV containing the L1min sequence could not be recovered, whereas the virus with the sdmax sequence showed a modest level of attenuation in cell culture. More strikingly, in mice the L1sdmax virus was almost as immunogenic as the parental strain but highly attenuated. Taken together, these results open a new road to attain a balance between VSV virulence and immunogenicity, which could serve as an example for the attenuation of other negative-strand, nonsegmented RNA viruses. Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is the prototypic rhabdovirus in the order Mononegavirales. A wide range of human pathogens belong to this family. Using a unique computer algorithm and large-scale genome synthesis, we attempted to develop a live attenuated vaccine strain for VSV, which could be used as an antigen delivery platform for humans. Recombinant VSVs with distinct codon pair biases were rationally designed, constructed, and analyzed in both cell culture and an animal model. One such recombinant virus, L1sdmax, contained extra overrepresented codon pairs in its L gene open reading frame (ORF) and showed promise as an effective vaccine candidate because of a favorable balance between virulence and immunogenicity. Our study not only contributes to the understanding of the underlying mechanism of codon pair bias but also may facilitate the development of live attenuated vaccines for other viruses in the order Mononegavirales.
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Pal A, Banerjee R, Mondal UK, Mukhopadhyay S, Bothra AK. Deconstruction of archaeal genome depict strategic consensus in core pathways coding sequence assembly. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0118245. [PMID: 25674789 PMCID: PMC4326414 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2014] [Accepted: 01/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A comprehensive in silico analysis of 71 species representing the different taxonomic classes and physiological genre of the domain Archaea was performed. These organisms differed in their physiological attributes, particularly oxygen tolerance and energy metabolism. We explored the diversity and similarity in the codon usage pattern in the genes and genomes of these organisms, emphasizing on their core cellular pathways. Our thrust was to figure out whether there is any underlying similarity in the design of core pathways within these organisms. Analyses of codon utilization pattern, construction of hierarchical linear models of codon usage, expression pattern and codon pair preference pointed to the fact that, in the archaea there is a trend towards biased use of synonymous codons in the core cellular pathways and the Nc-plots appeared to display the physiological variations present within the different species. Our analyses revealed that aerobic species of archaea possessed a larger degree of freedom in regulating expression levels than could be accounted for by codon usage bias alone. This feature might be a consequence of their enhanced metabolic activities as a result of their adaptation to the relatively O2-rich environment. Species of archaea, which are related from the taxonomical viewpoint, were found to have striking similarities in their ORF structuring pattern. In the anaerobic species of archaea, codon bias was found to be a major determinant of gene expression. We have also detected a significant difference in the codon pair usage pattern between the whole genome and the genes related to vital cellular pathways, and it was not only species-specific but pathway specific too. This hints towards the structuring of ORFs with better decoding accuracy during translation. Finally, a codon-pathway interaction in shaping the codon design of pathways was observed where the transcription pathway exhibited a significantly different coding frequency signature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayon Pal
- Department of Botany, Raiganj College (University College), Raiganj, Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal, India
| | - Rachana Banerjee
- Department of Biophysics, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Uttam K Mondal
- Cheminformatics Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Raiganj College (University College), Raiganj, Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal, India
| | - Subhasis Mukhopadhyay
- Department of Biophysics, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Asim K Bothra
- Cheminformatics Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Raiganj College (University College), Raiganj, Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal, India
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Tulloch F, Atkinson NJ, Evans DJ, Ryan MD, Simmonds P. RNA virus attenuation by codon pair deoptimisation is an artefact of increases in CpG/UpA dinucleotide frequencies. eLife 2014; 3:e04531. [PMID: 25490153 PMCID: PMC4383024 DOI: 10.7554/elife.04531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2014] [Accepted: 12/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutating RNA virus genomes to alter codon pair (CP) frequencies and reduce translation efficiency has been advocated as a method to generate safe, attenuated virus vaccines. However, selection for disfavoured CPs leads to unintended increases in CpG and UpA dinucleotide frequencies that also attenuate replication. We designed and phenotypically characterised mutants of the picornavirus, echovirus 7, in which these parameters were independently varied to determine which most influenced virus replication. CpG and UpA dinucleotide frequencies primarily influenced virus replication ability while no fitness differences were observed between mutants with different CP usage where dinucleotide frequencies were kept constant. Contrastingly, translation efficiency was unaffected by either CP usage or dinucleotide frequencies. This mechanistic insight is critical for future rational design of live virus vaccines and their safety evaluation; attenuation is mediated through enhanced innate immune responses to viruses with elevated CpG/UpA dinucleotide frequencies rather the viruses themselves being intrinsically defective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Tulloch
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Nicky J Atkinson
- Infection and Immunity Division, Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - David J Evans
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Martin D Ryan
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Simmonds
- Infection and Immunity Division, Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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Zur H, Tuller T. Exploiting hidden information interleaved in the redundancy of the genetic code without prior knowledge. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 31:1161-8. [PMID: 25433697 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btu797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
MOTIVATION Dozens of studies in recent years have demonstrated that codon usage encodes various aspects related to all stages of gene expression regulation. When relevant high-quality large-scale gene expression data are available, it is possible to statistically infer and model these signals, enabling analysing and engineering gene expression. However, when these data are not available, it is impossible to infer and validate such models. RESULTS In this current study, we suggest Chimera-an unsupervised computationally efficient approach for exploiting hidden high-dimensional information related to the way gene expression is encoded in the open reading frame (ORF), based solely on the genome of the analysed organism. One version of the approach, named Chimera Average Repetitive Substring (ChimeraARS), estimates the adaptability of an ORF to the intracellular gene expression machinery of a genome (host), by computing its tendency to include long substrings that appear in its coding sequences; the second version, named ChimeraMap, engineers the codons of a protein such that it will include long substrings of codons that appear in the host coding sequences, improving its adaptation to a new host's gene expression machinery. We demonstrate the applicability of the new approach for analysing and engineering heterologous genes and for analysing endogenous genes. Specifically, focusing on Escherichia coli, we show that it can exploit information that cannot be detected by conventional approaches (e.g. the CAI-Codon Adaptation Index), which only consider single codon distributions; for example, we report correlations of up to 0.67 for the ChimeraARS measure with heterologous gene expression, when the CAI yielded no correlation. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION For non-commercial purposes, the code of the Chimera approach can be downloaded from http://www.cs.tau.ac.il/∼tamirtul/Chimera/download.htm. CONTACT tamirtul@post.tau.ac.il SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadas Zur
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Engineering Faculty, Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Faculty of Exact Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Engineering Faculty, Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Faculty of Exact Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Tamir Tuller
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Engineering Faculty, Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Faculty of Exact Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Engineering Faculty, Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Faculty of Exact Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
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Gould N, Hendy O, Papamichail D. Computational tools and algorithms for designing customized synthetic genes. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2014; 2:41. [PMID: 25340050 PMCID: PMC4186344 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2014.00041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2014] [Accepted: 09/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in DNA synthesis have enabled the construction of artificial genes, gene circuits, and genomes of bacterial scale. Freedom in de novo design of synthetic constructs provides significant power in studying the impact of mutations in sequence features, and verifying hypotheses on the functional information that is encoded in nucleic and amino acids. To aid this goal, a large number of software tools of variable sophistication have been implemented, enabling the design of synthetic genes for sequence optimization based on rationally defined properties. The first generation of tools dealt predominantly with singular objectives such as codon usage optimization and unique restriction site incorporation. Recent years have seen the emergence of sequence design tools that aim to evolve sequences toward combinations of objectives. The design of optimal protein-coding sequences adhering to multiple objectives is computationally hard, and most tools rely on heuristics to sample the vast sequence design space. In this review, we study some of the algorithmic issues behind gene optimization and the approaches that different tools have adopted to redesign genes and optimize desired coding features. We utilize test cases to demonstrate the efficiency of each approach, as well as identify their strengths and limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Gould
- Department of Computer Science, The College of New Jersey , Ewing, NJ , USA
| | - Oliver Hendy
- Department of Biology, The College of New Jersey , Ewing, NJ , USA
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Bicluster pattern of codon context usages between flavivirus and vector mosquito Aedes aegypti: relevance to infection and transcriptional response of mosquito genes. Mol Genet Genomics 2014; 289:885-94. [PMID: 24838953 DOI: 10.1007/s00438-014-0857-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2014] [Accepted: 04/12/2014] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of dengue virus (DENV) infection in most of the subtropical and tropical countries. Besides DENV, yellow fever virus (YFV) is also transmitted by A. aegypti. Susceptibility of A. aegypti to West Nile virus (WNV) has also been confirmed. Although studies have indicated correlation of codon bias between flaviviridae and their animal/insect hosts, it is not clear if codon sequences have any relation to susceptibility of A. aegypti to DENV, YFV and WNV. In the current study, usages of codon context sequences (codon pairs for neighboring amino acids) of the vector (A. aegypti) genome as well as the flaviviral genomes are investigated. We used bioinformatics methods to quantify codon context bias in a genome-wide manner of A. aegypti as well as DENV, WNV and YFV sequences. Mutual information statistics was applied to perform bicluster analysis of codon context bias between vector and flaviviral sequences. Functional relevance of the bicluster pattern was inferred from published microarray data. Our study shows that codon context bias of DENV, WNV and YFV sequences varies in a bicluster manner with that of specific sets of genes of A. aegypti. Many of these mosquito genes are known to be differentially expressed in response to flaviviral infection suggesting that codon context sequences of A. aegypti and the flaviviruses may play a role in the susceptible interaction between flaviviruses and this mosquito. The bias in usages of codon context sequences likely has a functional association with susceptibility of A. aegypti to flaviviral infection. The results from this study will allow us to conduct hypothesis-driven tests to examine the role of codon context bias in evolution of vector-virus interactions at the molecular level.
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