Automated DNA sequencing requiring no DNA template purification

Expressed sequence tags analysis of Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) liver, kidney and spleen tissues following vaccination against Vibrio anguillarum and Aeromonas salmonicida

To investigate the response of Atlantic halibut to vaccination and pathogen exposure, a cDNA library was constructed from liver, kidney and spleen mRNA collected following vaccination against Vibrio anguillarum and Aeromonas salmonicida. After sequencing 1114 clones 1072 (96.23%) readable sequences were obtained of which 106 sequences are the first reported from the fish. Of these, 182 clones (16.98%) contained cell/organism defence genes including immunoglobulin light chain, MHC class I and II, interferon consensus sequence binding protein, B-cell receptor-associated protein, early B-cell factor, 10 complement components, heat shock protein 70 and 90, antimicrobial peptides hepcidin type 1 and 2, and CC chemokine (macrophage inflammatory protein-1 beta-like chemokine, MIP-1beta). Expression of MIP-1beta-like was elevated in the kidney and spleen at 1, 2, 7 and 14 days post vaccination. Functional genes involved in cellular processes of hematopoietic tissues were also identified. These results indicate that this cDNA library contains many important genes involved in the immune response, making it an important resource for studying the response of Atlantic halibut to vaccination or pathogen exposure.

Molecular characterization of artemin and ferritin from Artemia franciscana

Embryos of the brine shrimp, Artemia franciscana, exhibit remarkable resistance to physiological stress, which is temporally correlated with the presence of two proteins, one a small heat shock/alpha-crystallin protein termed p26 and the other called artemin, of unknown function. Artemin was sequenced previously by Edman degradation, and its relationship to ferritin, an iron storage protein, established. The isolation from an Artemia expressed sequence tag library of artemin and ferritin cDNAs extends this work. Artemin cDNA was found to contain an ORF of 693 nucleotides, and its deduced amino-acid sequence, except for the initiator methionine, was identical with that determined previously. Ferritin cDNA is 725 bp in length with an ORF of 516 nucleotides. Artemin amino-acid residues 32-185 are most similar to ferritin, but artemin is enriched in cysteines. The abundance of cysteines and their intramolecular spatial distribution suggest that artemin protects embryos against oxidative damage and/or that its function is redox regulated. The conserved regions in artemin and ferritin monomers are structurally similar to one another and both proteins assemble into oligomers. However, modeling of the quaternary structure indicated that artemin multimers lack the central space used for metal storage that characterizes ferritin oligomers, implying different roles for this protein. Probing of Northern blots revealed two artemin transcripts, one of 3.5 kb and another of 2.2 kb. These transcripts decreased in parallel and had almost disappeared by 16 h of development. The ferritin transcript of 0.8 kb increased slightly during reinitiation of development, then declined, and was almost completely gone by 16 h. Clearly, the loss of artemin and ferritin during embryo development is due to transcriptional regulation and proteolytic degradation of the proteins.

Sequence of a 131-kb region of 5q13.1 containing the spinal muscular atrophy candidate genes SMN and NAIP

The spinal muscular atrophies (SMA), which are characterized by motor neuron loss and progressive paralysis, are among the most common autosomal recessive disorders. The SMA region of chromosome 5q13.1 is distinguished by variable amplification of genomic sequence incorporating a number of genes and pseudogenes. Recently, two SMA candidate genes mapping to this area were identified: survival motor neuron (SMN) and neuronal apoptosis inhibitory protein (NAIP). The telomeric copy of SMN (SMNtel) is deleted in over 95% of cases of SMA, with NAIP deletions primarily seen in type I SMA. We present here 131 kb of genomic sequence from 5q13.1 incorporating both NAIP and SMNtel in addition to revisions of the original NAIP cDNA sequence. The Alu-rich NAIP-SMNtel interval contains the microsatellite polymorphisms that are deleted in as many as 80% of type I SMA chromosomes, focusing attention on this region in the pathogenesis of type I SMA.