TopA, the Sulfolobus solfataricus topoisomerase III, is a decatenase.

DNA topoisomerases are essential enzymes involved in all the DNA processes and among them, type IA topoisomerases emerged as a key actor in the maintenance of genome stability. The hyperthermophilic archaeon, Sulfolobus solfataricus, contains three topoisomerases IA including one classical named TopA. SsoTopA is very efficient at unlinking DNA catenanes, grouping SsoTopA into the topoisomerase III family. SsoTopA is active over a wide range of temperatures and at temperatures of up to 85°C it produces highly unwound DNA. At higher temperatures, SsoTopA unlinks the two DNA strands. Thus depending on the temperature, SsoTopA is able to either prevent or favor DNA melting. While canonical topoisomerases III require a single-stranded DNA region or a nick in one of the circles to decatenate them, we show for the first time that a type I topoisomerase, SsoTopA, is able to efficiently unlink covalently closed catenanes, with no additional partners. By using single molecule experiments we demonstrate that SsoTopA requires the presence of a short single-stranded DNA region to be efficient. The unexpected decatenation property of SsoTopA probably comes from its high ability to capture this unwound region. This points out a possible role of TopA in S. solfataricus as a decatenase in Sulfolobus.

DNA concatemer-silver nanoparticles as a signal probe for electrochemical prostate-specific antigen detection.

In this study, we report a metallobioassay for ultrasensitive electrochemical detection of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) based on DNA hybridization chain reaction (HCR) for amplifying the signal, which is derived from silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on DNA concatemers. The assay mainly consists of primary antibody (Ab1), secondary antibody (Ab2) with primer, and a signal probe. In the presence of PSA, a sandwich structure with DNA concatemers was formed, and numerous Ag NPs were loaded on the DNA concatemers, resulting in a strong signal, which appeared within the applied potential (-0.2 V to 0.3 V) in the phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was employed to evaluate the analytical performance. Under optimal conditions, the DPV peak current of Ag NPs at about +0.09 V (vs. SCE) increased linearly as the logarithm of PSA concentration increased from 0.1 pg mL-1 to 75 ng mL-1, and the detection limit of PSA was estimated to be 0.033 pg mL-1 at the signal to noise ratio of 3. In addition, the assay was evaluated with human serum samples, and satisfying results were obtained, indicating that the assay can achieve PSA detection in the serum sample.

Integration-defective lentiviral vector mediates efficient gene editing through homology-directed repair in human embryonic stem cells.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are used as platforms for disease study, drug screening and cell-based therapy. To facilitate these applications, it is frequently necessary to genetically manipulate the hESC genome. Gene editing with engineered nucleases enables site-specific genetic modification of the human genome through homology-directed repair (HDR). However, the frequency of HDR remains low in hESCs. We combined efficient expression of engineered nucleases and integration-defective lentiviral vector (IDLV) transduction for donor template delivery to mediate HDR in hESC line WA09. This strategy led to highly efficient HDR with more than 80% of the selected WA09 clones harboring the transgene inserted at the targeted genomic locus. However, certain portions of the HDR clones contained the concatemeric IDLV genomic structure at the target site, probably resulted from recombination of the IDLV genomic input before HDR with the target. We found that the integrase protein of IDLV mediated the highly efficient HDR through the recruitment of a cellular protein, LEDGF/p75. This study demonstrates that IDLV-mediated HDR is a powerful and broadly applicable technology to carry out site-specific gene modification in hESCs.

Fluorometric determination of ssDNA based on functionalized magnetic microparticles and DNA supersandwich self-assemblies.

A method is described for the determination of DNA via nucleic acid amplification by using nucleic acid concatemers that result from DNA supersandwich self-assemblies (SSAs). The method employs two auxiliary probes to form self-assembled biotin SSAs. These exhibit strong fluorescence if labeled with intercalator SYBR Green I. In the presence of the target (as exemplified for a 30-mer), streptavidin is released from the surface of the functionalized magnetic microparticles (FMMPs) by competitive hybridization on the surface. However, the SSA products do not conjugate to the FMMPs. This leads to a large amount of SYBR Green I intercalated into the concatemers and eventually results in amplified fluorescence in the supernate. The SSA products can be prepared beforehand, and amplification therefore can be completed within 50 min. The method is more efficient than any other conventional amplification. The detection limit for the 30-mer is 26.4 fM which is better by a factor of 10 compared to other amplification methods. Conceivably, the method can be further extended to the determination of a wide variety of targets simply by replacing the sequences of the probes. Finally, this rapid and highly sensitive method was employed for detection of Ebola virus gene (≈30-mer) and ATP in spiked serum with satisfactory results. Graphical abstract A high sensitivity and efficiency bioassay is described based on functionalized magnetic microparticles and DNA supersandwich self-assemblies.

A phylogenomic approach to reconstruct interrelationships of main clupeocephalan lineages with a critical discussion of morphological apomorphies.

BACKGROUND: Previous molecular studies on the phylogeny and classification of clupeocephalan fishes revealed numerous new taxonomic entities. For re-analysing these taxa, we perform target gene capturing and subsequent next generation sequencing of putative ortholog exons of major clupeocephalan lineages. Sequence information for the RNA bait design was derived from publicly available genomes of bony fishes. Newly acquired sequence data comprising > 800 exon sequences was subsequently used for phylogenetic reconstructions. RESULTS: Our results support monophyletic Otomorpha comprising Alepocephaliformes. Within Ostariophysi, Gonorynchiformes are sister to a clade comprising Cypriniformes, Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes, where the interrelationships of Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes remain enigmatic. Euteleosts comprise four major clades: Lepidogalaxiiformes, Protacanthopterygii, Stomiatii, and Galaxiiformes plus Neoteleostei. The monotypic Lepidogalaxiiformes form the sister-group to all remaining euteleosts. Protacanthopterygii, comprising Argentini-, Esoci- and Salmoniformes, is sister to Stomiatii (Osmeriformes and Stomiatiformes) and Galaxiiformes plus Neoteleostei. CONCLUSIONS: Several proposed monophyla defined by morphological apomorphies within the Clupeocephalan phylogeny are confirmed by the phylogenetic estimates presented herein. However, other morphologically described groups cannot be reconciled with molecular phylogenies. Thus, numerous morphological apomoprhies of supposed monophyla are called into question. The interpretation of suggested morphological synapomorphies of otomorph fishes is strongly affected by the inclusion of deep-sea inhabiting, and to that effect morphologically adapted Alepocephaliformes. Our revision of these potential synapomorphies, in the context that Alepocephaliformes are otomorph fishes, reveals that only a single character of the total nine characters proposed as synapomorphic for the group is clearly valid for all otomorphs. Three further characters remain possible apomorphies since their status remains unclear in the deep-sea adapted Alepocephaliformes showing developmental lag and lacking a swim bladder. Further, our analysis places Galaxiiformes as sister group to neoteleosts, which contradicts some previous molecular phylogenetic studies. This needs further investigation from a morphological perspective, as suggested synapomophies for several euteleostean lineages are challenged or still lacking. For the verification of results presented herein, a denser phylogenomic-level taxon sampling should be applied.

Strand invasion structures in the inverted repeat of Candida albicans mitochondrial DNA reveal a role for homologous recombination in replication.

Molecular recombination and transcription are proposed mechanisms to initiate mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication in yeast. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of mtDNA from the yeast Candida albicans. Two-dimensional agarose gel electrophoresis of mtDNA intermediates reveals no bubble structures diagnostic of specific replication origins, but rather supports recombination-driven replication initiation of mtDNA in yeast. Specific species of Y structures together with DNA copy number analyses of a C. albicans mutant strain provide evidence that a region in a mainly noncoding inverted repeat is predominantly involved in replication initiation via homologous recombination. Our further findings show that the C. albicans mtDNA forms a complex branched network that does not contain detectable amounts of circular molecules. We provide topological evidence for recombination-driven mtDNA replication initiation and introduce C. albicans as a suitable model organism to study wild-type mtDNA maintenance in yeast.

The influence of molecular markers and methods on inferring the phylogenetic relationships between the representatives of the Arini (parrots, Psittaciformes), determined on the basis of their complete mitochondrial genomes.

BACKGROUND: Conures are a morphologically diverse group of Neotropical parrots classified as members of the tribe Arini, which has recently been subjected to a taxonomic revision. The previously broadly defined Aratinga genus of this tribe has been split into the 'true' Aratinga and three additional genera, Eupsittula, Psittacara and Thectocercus. Popular markers used in the reconstruction of the parrots' phylogenies derive from mitochondrial DNA. However, current phylogenetic analyses seem to indicate conflicting relationships between Aratinga and other conures, and also among other Arini members. Therefore, it is not clear if the mtDNA phylogenies can reliably define the species tree. The inconsistencies may result from the variable evolution rate of the markers used or their weak phylogenetic signal. To resolve these controversies and to assess to what extent the phylogenetic relationships in the tribe Arini can be inferred from mitochondrial genomes, we compared representative Arini mitogenomes as well as examined the usefulness of the individual mitochondrial markers and the efficiency of various phylogenetic methods. RESULTS: Single molecular markers produced inconsistent tree topologies, while different methods offered various topologies even for the same marker. A significant disagreement in these tree topologies occurred for cytb, nd2 and nd6 genes, which are commonly used in parrot phylogenies. The strongest phylogenetic signal was found in the control region and RNA genes. However, these markers cannot be used alone in inferring Arini phylogenies because they do not provide fully resolved trees. The most reliable phylogeny of the parrots under study is obtained only on the concatenated set of all mitochondrial markers. The analyses established significantly resolved relationships within the former Aratinga representatives and the main genera of the tribe Arini. Such mtDNA phylogeny can be in agreement with the species tree, owing to its match with synapomorphic features in plumage colouration. CONCLUSIONS: Phylogenetic relationships inferred from single mitochondrial markers can be incorrect and contradictory. Therefore, such phylogenies should be considered with caution. Reliable results can be produced by concatenated sets of all or at least the majority of mitochondrial genes and the control region. The results advance a new view on the relationships among the main genera of Arini and resolve the inconsistencies between the taxa that were previously classified as the broadly defined genus Aratinga. Although gene and species trees do not always have to be consistent, the mtDNA phylogenies for Arini can reflect the species tree.

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the Papionina using concatenation and species tree methods.

The Papionina is a geographically widespread subtribe of African cercopithecid monkeys whose evolutionary history is of particular interest to anthropologists. The phylogenetic relationships among arboreal mangabeys (Lophocebus), baboons (Papio), and geladas (Theropithecus) remain unresolved. Molecular phylogenetic analyses have revealed marked gene tree incongruence for these taxa, and several recent concatenated phylogenetic analyses of multilocus datasets have supported different phylogenetic hypotheses. To address this issue, we investigated the phylogeny of the Lophocebus + Papio + Theropithecus group using concatenation methods, as well as alternative methods that incorporate gene tree heterogeneity to estimate a 'species tree.' Our compiled DNA sequence dataset was ∼56 kb pairs long and included 57 independent partitions. All analyses of concatenated alignments strongly supported a Lophocebus + Papio clade and a basal position for Theropithecus. The Bayesian concordance analysis supported the same phylogeny. A coalescent-based Bayesian method resulted in a very poorly resolved species tree. The topological agreement between concatenation and the Bayesian concordance analysis offers considerable support for a Lophocebus + Papio clade as the dominant relationship across the genome. However, the results of the Bayesian concordance analysis indicate that almost half the genome has an alternative history. As such, our results offer a well-supported phylogenetic hypothesis for the Papio/Lophocebus/Theropithecus trichotomy, while at the same time providing evidence for a complex evolutionary history that likely includes hybridization among lineages.

Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA phylogenies reveal a complex evolutionary history in the Australasian robins (Passeriformes: Petroicidae).

The Australasian robins (Petroicidae) comprise a relatively homogeneous group of small to medium-sized insectivorous birds. Their center of diversity is Australia and New Guinea (40 species) but seven species have managed to colonize geographically distant islands such as Tanimbar, New Britain, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Samoa. To resolve the evolutionary relationships within the Petroicidae, we here present the results of a phylogenetic analysis of sequence data from two mitochondrial genes (ND2, CO1) and one nuclear intron (ß-Fibrinogen intron 5) for all 14 genera and 40 of the 46 currently recognized species. All phylogenetic analyses identified six primary lineages, treated here as subfamilies, within the Petroicidae: (1) Eopsaltriinae comprising Eopsaltria (excluding E. flaviventris), Tregellasia, Peneothello, Melanodryas, Poecilodryas and Heteromyias; (2) Drymodinae comprising Drymodes; (3) Microecinae comprising Microeca, Monachella and Eopsaltria flaviventris; (4) Petroicinae comprising Petroica and Eugerygone; (5) Pachycephalopsinae comprising Pachycephalopsis; and (6) Amalocichlinae comprising Amalocichla. The genera Eopsaltria, Microeca, Peneothello and Poecilodryas were found to be paraphyletic. Based on assessments of phylogenetic branching patterns and/or DNA divergence it also was apparent that Eopsaltriaaustralis, Tregellasialeucops, Melanodryascucullata, Heteromyiasalbispecularis, Drymodessupercilious and Microecaflavigaster may each comprise more than one species. The Petroicidae display a complex biogeographical history involving repeated radiations both within, and across Australia and New Guinea. It appears that dispersal into smaller islands such as New Britain, Tanimbar and the South Pacific has only been undertaken by species with a "flycatcher" body form.

Molecular evidence of cryptic speciation, historical range expansion, and recent intraspecific hybridization in the Neotropical seasonal forest tree Cedrela fissilis (Meliaceae).

Molecular phylogeography can lead to a better understanding of the interaction between past climate events, large-scale vegetation shifts, and the evolutionary history of Neotropical seasonal forests. The endangered timber tree species Cedrela fissilis is associated with seasonal forests and occurs throughout South America. We sampled C. fissilis from 56 sites across the species' range in Brazil and Bolivia and obtained sequence data for nuclear and chloroplast DNA. Most specimens (149 out of 169) exhibited intraindividual polymorphism for the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS). Cloning and an array of complementary sequence analyses indicated that the multiple copies of ITS were functional paralogs--concerted evolution in C. fissilis appeared to be incomplete. Independent Bayesian analyses using either ITS or cpDNA data revealed two separate phylogenetic lineages within C. fissilis that corresponded to populations located in separate geographic regions. The divergence occurred in the Early Pliocene and Late Miocene. We argue that climate-mediated events triggered dispersal events and split ancestral populations into at least two large refugial areas of seasonal forest that were located to the east and west of the present day Cerrado. Upon recent climate amelioration, formerly isolated lineages reconnected and intraspecific hybridization gave rise to intraindividual polymorphism and incomplete concerted evolution in C. fissilis.

Low-Noise Solid-State Nanopore Enhancing Direct Label-Free Analysis for Small Dimensional Assemblies Induced by Specific Molecular Binding.

Solid-state nanopores show special potential as a new single-molecular characterization for nucleic acid assemblies and molecular machines. However, direct recognition of small dimensional species is still quite difficult due the lower resolution compared with biological pores. We recently reported a very efficient noise-reduction and resolution-enhancement mechanism via introducing high-dielectric additives (e.g., formamide) into conical glass nanopore (CGN) test buffer. Based on this advance, here, for the first time, we apply a bare CGN to directly recognize small dimensional assemblies induced by small molecules. Cocaine and its split aptamer (Capt assembly) are chosen as the model set. By introducing 20% formamide into CGN test buffer, high cocaine-specific distinguishing of the 113 nt Capt assembly has been realized without any covalent label or additional signaling strategies. The signal-to-background discrimination is much enhanced compared with control characterizations such as gel electrophoresis and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). As a further innovation, we verify that low-noise CGN can also enhance the resolution of small conformational/size changes happening on the side chain of large dimensional substrates. Long duplex concatamers generated from the hybridization chain reaction (HCR) are selected as the model substrates. In the presence of cocaine, low-noise CGN has sensitively captured the current changes when the 26 nt aptamer segment is assembled on the side chain of HCR duplexes. This paper proves that the introduction of the low-noise mechanism has significantly improved the resolution of the solid-state nanopore at smaller and finer scales and thus may direct extensive and deeper research in the field of CGN-based analysis at both single-molecular and statistical levels, such as molecular recognition, assembly characterization, structure identification, information storage, and target index.

A phylogenomic approach to resolve the basal pterygote divergence.

One of the most fascinating Bauplan transitions in the animal kingdom was the invention of insect wings, a change that also contributed to the success and enormous diversity of this animal group. However, the origin of insect flight and the relationships of basal winged insect orders are still controversial. Three hypotheses have been proposed to explain the phylogeny of winged insects: 1) the traditional Palaeoptera hypothesis (Ephemeroptera + Odonata, Neoptera), 2) the Metapterygota hypothesis (Ephemeroptera, Odonata + Neoptera), and 3) the Chiastomyaria hypothesis (Odonata, Ephemeroptera + Neoptera). Neither phylogenetic analyses of single genes nor even multiple marker systems (e.g., molecular markers + morphological characters) have yet been able to conclusively resolve basal pterygote divergences. A possible explanation for the lack of resolution is that the divergences took place in the mid-Devonian within a short period of time and attempts to solve this problem have been confounded by the major challenge of finding molecular markers to accurately track these short ancient internodes. Although phylogenomic data are available for Neoptera and some wingless (apterygote) orders, they are lacking for the crucial Odonata and Ephemeroptera orders. We adopt a multigene approach including data from two new expressed sequence tag projects-from the orders Ephemeroptera (Baetis sp.) and Odonata (Ischnura elegans)-to evaluate the potential of phylogenomic analyses in clarifying this unresolved issue. We analyzed two data sets that differed in represented taxa, genes, and overall sequence lengths: maxspe (15 taxa, 125 genes, and 31,643 amino acid positions) and maxgen (8 taxa, 150 genes, and 42,541 amino acid positions). Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses both place the Odonata at the base of the winged insects. Furthermore, statistical hypotheses testing rejected both the Palaeoptera and the Metapterygota hypotheses. The comprehensive molecular data set developed here provides conclusive support for odonates as the most basal winged insect order (Chiastomyaria hypothesis). Data quality assessment indicates that proteins involved in cellular processes and signaling harbor the most informative phylogenetic signal.

A vector-enzymatic DNA fragment amplification-expression technology for construction of artificial, concatemeric DNA, RNA and proteins for novel biomaterials, biomedical and industrial applications.

A DNA fragment amplification/expression technology for the production of new generation biomaterials for scientific, industrial and biomedical applications is described. The technology enables the formation of artificial Open Reading Frames (ORFs) encoding concatemeric RNAs and proteins. It recruits the Type IIS SapI restriction endonuclease (REase) for an assembling of DNA fragments in an ordered head-to-tail-orientation. The technology employs a vector-enzymatic system, dedicated to the expression of newly formed, concatemeric ORFs from strong promoters. Four vector series were constructed to suit specialised needs. As a proof of concept, a model amplification of a 7-amino acid (aa) epitope from the S protein of HBV virus was performed, resulting in 500 copies of the epitope-coding DNA segment, consecutively linked and expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli). Furthermore, a peptide with potential pro-regenerative properties (derived from an angiopoietin-related growth factor) was designed. Its aa sequence was back-translated, codon usage optimized and synthesized as a continuous ORF 10-mer. The 10-mer was cloned into the amplification vector, enabling the N-terminal fusion and multiplication of the encoded protein with MalE signal sequence. The obtained genes were expressed, and the proteins were purified. Conclusively, we show that the proteins are neither cytotoxic nor immunogenic and they have a very low allergic potential.

Rolling-Circle Replication in Mitochondrial DNA Inheritance: Scientific Evidence and Significance from Yeast to Human Cells.

Studies of mitochondrial (mt)DNA replication, which forms the basis of mitochondrial inheritance, have demonstrated that a rolling-circle replication mode exists in yeasts and human cells. In yeast, rolling-circle mtDNA replication mediated by homologous recombination is the predominant pathway for replication of wild-type mtDNA. In human cells, reactive oxygen species (ROS) induce rolling-circle replication to produce concatemers, linear tandem multimers linked by head-to-tail unit-sized mtDNA that promote restoration of homoplasmy from heteroplasmy. The event occurs ahead of mtDNA replication mechanisms observed in mammalian cells, especially under higher ROS load, as newly synthesized mtDNA is concatemeric in hydrogen peroxide-treated human cells. Rolling-circle replication holds promise for treatment of mtDNA heteroplasmy-attributed diseases, which are regarded as incurable. This review highlights the potential therapeutic value of rolling-circle mtDNA replication.

Alternative methods for concatenation of core genes indicate a lack of resolution in deep nodes of the prokaryotic phylogeny.

It has recently been proposed that a well-resolved Tree of Life can be achieved through concatenation of shared genes. There are, however, several difficulties with such an approach, especially in the prokaryotic part of this tree. We tackled some of them using a new combination of maximum likelihood-based methods, developed in order to practice as safe and careful concatenations as possible. First, we used the application concaterpillar on carefully aligned core genes. This application uses a hierarchical likelihood-ratio test framework to assess both the topological congruence between gene phylogenies (i.e., whether different genes share the same evolutionary history) and branch-length congruence (i.e., whether genes that share the same history share the same pattern of relative evolutionary rates). We thus tested if these core genes can be concatenated or should be instead categorized into different incongruent sets. Second, we developed a heat map approach studying the evolution of the phylogenetic support for different bipartitions, when the number of sites of different phylogenetic quality in the concatenation increases. These heatmaps allow us to follow which phylogenetic signals increase or decrease as the concatenation progresses and to detect emerging artifactual groupings, that is, groups that are more and more supported when more and more homoplasic sites are thrown in the analysis. We showed that, as far as 7 major prokaryotic lineages are concerned, only 22 core genes can be said to be congruent and can be safely concatenated. This number is even smaller than the number of genes retained to reconstruct a "Tree of One Per Cent." Furthermore, the concatenation of these 22 markers leads to an unresolved tree as the only groupings in the concatenation tree seem to reflect emerging artifacts. Using concatenated core genes as a valid framework to classify uncharacterized environmental sequences can thus be misleading.

Transgene expression of transfected supercoiled plasmid DNA concatemers in mammalian cells.

BACKGROUND: Supercoiled topology of transfected plasmid DNA (pDNA) is critical for transgene expression in mammalian cells. In the present study, we analysed transgene expression of transfected supercoiled pDNA concatemers. METHODS: Jurkat T cells were transfected with a supercoiled 4.7-kb monomeric and, in parallel, a 9.4-kb dimeric pEGFP plasmid concatemer using electroporation. The absolute amounts of pDNA delivered into the cytoplasm and the nucleus were quantified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Further, the number and mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) expressing cells and the relative amounts of TOTO-1 fluorescently-labeled pDNA associated with the cell, located in the cytoplasm, and in the nucleus, were analysed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: For both constructs, significantly higher amounts of pDNA were detected in the cytoplasm compared to the nucleus. Furthermore, from FACS analysis, we could infer the relative gene copy (E(gene)) and plasmid expression efficiency (E(plasmid)) by determining the ratio of the EGFP MFI of the transfected cells to TOTO-1 MFI per nucleus on the single cell level. E(gene) and E(plasmid) were significantly 1.6-and 3.5-fold higher for EGFP-dimer than for EGFP-monomer, although the transfection rates considering the number of transfected cells were significantly lower for EGFP-dimer than for EGFP-monomer. Together with hydrodynamic plasmid diameter measurements, these observations suggest that concatemer arrangement increases relative gene expression efficiency, whereas plasmid size is important for cell and nucleus entry after electroporation. CONCLUSIONS: We propose using preferably small supercoiled plasmid concatemers as the ideal plasmid vectors to maximize both transgene expression and the number of transfected target cells.

The effect of heterotachy in multigene analysis using the neighbor joining method.

Sequence alignments of multiple genes are routinely used to infer phylogenetic relationships among species. The analysis of their concatenation is more likely to give correct results under an assumption of homotachy (i.e., the evolutionary rates within lineages in each of the concatenated genes are constant during evolution). Here, we examine how the violation of homotachy (i.e., presence of within-site rate variation, called heterotachy) distorts species phylogenies. A theoretical examination has been conducted using a four taxon case and the neighbor joining (NJ) method, concluding that NJ recovers the incorrect tree when concatenated genes exhibit heterotachy. The application of average and weighted-average distance approaches, where gene boundaries are kept intact, overcomes the detrimental effect of heterotachy in multigene analysis using the NJ method.

The complete mitochondrial genome structure of snow leopard Panthera uncia.

The complete mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) of snow leopard Panthera uncia was obtained by using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique based on the PCR fragments of 30 primers we designed. The entire mtDNA sequence was 16 773 base pairs (bp) in length, and the base composition was: A-5,357 bp (31.9%); C-4,444 bp (26.5%); G-2,428 bp (14.5%); T-4,544 bp (27.1%). The structural characteristics [0] of the P. uncia mitochondrial genome were highly similar to these of Felis catus, Acinonyx jubatus, Neofelis nebulosa and other mammals. However, we found several distinctive features of the mitochondrial genome of Panthera unica. First, the termination codon of COIII was TAA, which differed from those of F. catus, A. jubatus and N. nebulosa. Second, tRNA(Ser) ((AGY)), which lacked the ''DHU'' arm, could not be folded into the typical cloverleaf-shaped structure. Third, in the control region, a long repetitive sequence in RS-2 (32 bp) region was found with 2 repeats while one short repetitive segment (9 bp) was found with 15 repeats in the RS-3 region. We performed phylogenetic analysis based on a 3 816 bp concatenated sequence of 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, ND2, ND4, ND5, Cyt b and ATP8 for P. uncia and other related species, the result indicated that P. uncia and P. leo were the sister species, which was different from the previous findings.

A DNAzyme-powered cross-catalytic circuit for amplified intracellular imaging.

A facile cross-catalytic circuit is engineered for intracellular microRNA (miRNA) imaging by facilely integrating a catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) amplifier and DNAzyme biocatalyst through an ingenious feedback loop. These two indispensable catalytic reactions play vital roles in executing high-performance signal amplification, as demonstrated experimentally and theoretically.

Analysis of the dominant mutation N188T of human connexin46 (hCx46) using concatenation and molecular dynamics simulation.

Connexins (Cx) are proteins that form cell-to-cell gap junction channels. A mutation at position 188 in the second extracellular loop (E2) domain of hCx46 has been linked to an autosomal dominant zonular pulverulent cataract. As it is dominantly inherited, it is possible that the mutant variant affects the co-expressed wild-type Cx and/or its interaction with other cellular components. Here, we proposed to use concatenated hCx46wt-hCx46N188T and hCx46N188T-hCx46wt to analyze how hCx46N188T affected co-expressed hCx46wt to achieve a dominant inheritance. Heterodimer hCx46wt-hCx46N188T formed fewer gap junction plaques compared to homodimer hCx46wt-hCx46wt, while the hCx46N188T-hCx46N188T homodimer formed almost no gap junction plaques. Dye uptake experiments showed that hemichannels of concatenated variants were similar to hemichannels of monomers. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that for docking, the N188 of a protomer was engaged in hydrogen bonds (HBs) with R180, N189, and D191 of the counterpart protomer of the adjacent hemichannel. T188 suppressed the formation of HBs between protomers. Molecular dynamics simulations of an equimolar hCx46wt/hCx46N188T gap junction channel revealed a reduced number of HBs between protomers, suggesting reduction of gap junction channels between lens fibers co-expressing the variants.