Computer-based methods for the mouse full-length cDNA encyclopedia: real-time sequence clustering for construction of a nonredundant cDNA library

We developed computer-based methods for constructing a nonredundant mouse full-length cDNA library. Our cDNA library construction process comprises assessment of library quality, sequencing the 3' ends of inserts and clustering, and completing a re-array to generate a nonredundant library from a redundant one. After the cDNA libraries are generated, we sequence the 5' ends of the inserts to check the quality of the library; then we determine the sequencing priority of each library. Selected libraries undergo large-scale sequencing of the 3' ends of the inserts and clustering of the tag sequences. After clustering, the nonredundant library is constructed from the original libraries, which have redundant clones. All libraries, plates, clones, sequences, and clusters are uniquely identified, and all information is saved in the database according to this identifier. At press time, our system has been in place for the past two years; we have clustered 939,725 3' end sequences into 127,385 groups from 227 cDNA libraries/sublibraries (see http://genome.gse.riken.go.jp/).     

Ultra-low-input, tagmentation-based whole-genome bisulfite sequencing

We have adapted transposase-based in vitro shotgun library construction ("tagmentation") for whole-genome bisulfite sequencing. This method, Tn5mC-seq, enables a >100-fold reduction in starting material relative to conventional protocols, such that we generate highly complex bisulfite sequencing libraries from as little as 10 ng of input DNA, and ample useful sequences from 1 ng of input DNA. We demonstrate Tn5mC-seq by sequencing the methylome of a human lymphoblastoid cell line to ～8.6× high-quality coverage of each strand.     

人胎儿骨骼和关节RACE cDNA文库的构建

目的 建立人胎儿骨骼和关节快速扩增cDNA末端（rapid amplification of cDNA ends,RACE cDNA）文库,为分离骨骼和关节发育相关基因奠定基础。方法 采用改进的早硫氰酸胍－酚－氯仿－异戊醇一步法提取骨骼和关节总RNA,用TaKaRa公司生产的cDNA合成试剂盒合成平末端的双链cDNA,然后与衔接子连接,再用位于双链cDNA末端的通用引物扩增全部cDNA。结果 建立了从骨骼和关节构建RACE cDNA文库的方法,并用该方法成功地构建了人胎儿骨骼和关节RACE cDNA文库。结论 所构建的利用少量总RNA构建RACE cDNA文库方法切实可行,所构建的文库适用于用RACE方法从中分离骨骼和关节发育相关基因。     

Evaluation of clinical formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue quality for targeted-bisulfite sequencing

Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues are promising biological resources for genetic research. Recent improvements in DNA extraction from FFPE samples allowed the use of these tissues for multiple sequencing methods. However, fundamental research addressing the application of FFPE-derived DNA for targeted-bisulfite sequencing (TB-seq) is lacking. Here, we evaluated the suitability of FFPE-derived DNA for TB-seq. We conducted TB-seq using FFPE-derived DNA and corresponding fresh frozen (FF) tissues of patients with kidney cancer and compared the quality of DNA, libraries, and TB-seq statistics between the two preservation methods. The approximately 600-bp average fragment size of the FFPE-derived DNA was significantly shorter than that of the FF-derived DNA. The sequencing libraries constructed using FFPE-derived DNA and the mapping ratio were approximately 10 times and 10% lower, respectively, than those constructed using FF-derived DNA. In the mapped data of FFPE-derived DNA, duplicated reads accounted for > 60% of the obtained sequence reads, with lower mean on-target coverage. Therefore, the standard TB-seq protocol is inadequate for obtaining high-quality data for epigenetic analysis from FFPE-derived DNA, and technical improvements are necessary for enabling the use of archived FFPE resources.     

Preparation of high-quality next-generation sequencing libraries from picogram quantities of target DNA

New sequencing technologies can address diverse biomedical questions but are limited by a minimum required DNA input of typically 1 μg. We describe how sequencing libraries can be reproducibly created from 20 pg of input DNA using a modified transpososome-mediated fragmentation technique. Resulting libraries incorporate in-line bar-coding, which facilitates sample multiplexes that can be sequenced using Illumina platforms with the manufacturer's sequencing primer. We demonstrate this technique by providing deep coverage sequence of the Escherichia coli K-12 genome that shows equivalent target coverage to a 1-μg input library prepared using standard Illumina methods. Reducing template quantity does, however, increase the proportion of duplicate reads and enriches coverage in low-GC regions. This finding was confirmed with exhaustive resequencing of a mouse library constructed from 20 pg of gDNA input (about seven haploid genomes) resulting in ～0.4-fold statistical coverage of uniquely mapped fragments. This implies that a near-complete coverage of the mouse genome is obtainable with this approach using 20 genomes as input. Application of this new method now allows genomic studies from low mass samples and routine preparation of sequencing libraries from enrichment procedures.     

Short read fragment assembly of bacterial genomes

In the last year, high-throughput sequencing technologies have progressed from proof-of-concept to production quality. While these methods produce high-quality reads, they have yet to produce reads comparable in length to Sanger-based sequencing. Current fragment assembly algorithms have been implemented and optimized for mate-paired Sanger-based reads, and thus do not perform well on short reads produced by short read technologies. We present a new Eulerian assembler that generates nearly optimal short read assemblies of bacterial genomes and describe an approach to assemble reads in the case of the popular hybrid protocol when short and long Sanger-based reads are combined.     

A human cDNA expression library in yeast enriched for open reading frames

We developed a high-throughput technique for the generation of cDNA libraries in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae which enables the selection of cloned cDNA inserts containing open reading frames (ORFs). For direct screening of random-primed cDNA libraries, we have constructed a yeast shuttle/expression vector, the so-called ORF vector pYEXTSH3, which allows the enriched growth of protein expression clones. The selection system is based on the HIS3 marker gene fused to the C terminus of the cDNA insert. The cDNAs cloned in-frame result in histidine prototrophic yeast cells growing on minimal medium, whereas clones bearing the vector without insert or out-of-frame inserts should not grow on this medium. A randomly primed cDNA library from human fetal brain tissue was cloned in this novel vector, and using robot technology the selected clones were arrayed in microtiter plates and were analyzed by sequencing and for protein expression. In the constructed cDNA expression library, about 60% of clones bear an insert in the correct reading frame. In comparison to unselected libraries it was possible to increase the clones with inserts in the correct reading frame more than fourfold, from 14% to 60%. With the expression system described here, we could avoid time-consuming and costly techniques for identification of clones expressing protein by using antibody screening on high-density filters and subsequently rearraying the selected clones in a new "daughter" library. The advantage of this ORF vector is that, in a one-step screening procedure, it allows the generation of expression libraries enriched for clones with correct reading frames as sources of recombinant proteins.     

Scaffolding a Caenorhabditis nematode genome with RNA-seq

Efficient sequencing of animal and plant genomes by next-generation technology should allow many neglected organisms of biological and medical importance to be better understood. As a test case, we have assembled a draft genome of Caenorhabditis sp. 3 PS1010 through a combination of direct sequencing and scaffolding with RNA-seq. We first sequenced genomic DNA and mixed-stage cDNA using paired 75-nt reads from an Illumina GAII. A set of 230 million genomic reads yielded an 80-Mb assembly, with a supercontig N50 of 5.0 kb, covering 90% of 429 kb from previously published genomic contigs. Mixed-stage poly(A)(+) cDNA gave 47.3 million mappable 75-mers (including 5.1 million spliced reads), which separately assembled into 17.8 Mb of cDNA, with an N50 of 1.06 kb. By further scaffolding our genomic supercontigs with cDNA, we increased their N50 to 9.4 kb, nearly double the average gene size in C. elegans. We predicted 22,851 protein-coding genes, and detected expression in 78% of them. Multigenome alignment and data filtering identified 2672 DNA elements conserved between PS1010 and C. elegans that are likely to encode regulatory sequences or previously unknown ncRNAs. Genomic and cDNA sequencing followed by joint assembly is a rapid and useful strategy for biological analysis.     

Assembly,verification, and initial annotation of the NIA mouse 7.4K cDNA clone set

A set of 7407 cDNA clones (NIA mouse 7.4K) was assembled from >20 cDNA libraries constructed mainly from early mouse embryos, including several stem cell libraries. The clone set was assembled from embryonic and newborn organ libraries consisting of ~120,000 cDNA clones, which were initially re-arrayed into a set of ~11,000 unique cDNA clones. A set of tubes was constructed from the racks in this set to prevent contamination and potential mishandling errors in all further re-arrays. Sequences from this set (11K) were analyzed further for quality and clone identity, and high-quality clones with verified identity were re-arrayed into the final set (7.4K). The set is freely available, and a corresponding database was built to provide comprehensive annotation for those clones with known identity or homology, and has been made available through an extensive Web site that includes many link-outs to external databases and analysis servers.     

人类纤维化心脏瓣膜噬菌体表达文库的构建及质量分析

目的: 各种病因引起的心脏瓣膜纤维化是导致心脏瓣膜功能丧失的主要原因,样本来源有限和不可重获性是其分子机制研究的瓶颈。本研究旨在成功获取患者纤维化瓣膜的遗传信息物质,为探明瓣膜病变的分子机制提供直接证据。方法: 心脏换瓣手术中取纤维化瓣膜组织,提取高质量RNA,用SMART技术合成cDNA第1链,再用长距离PCR合成双链cDNA,经 Sfi I酶切后过柱分级收集长片段cDNA,经T4 DNA连接酶催化连接入λTriplEx2载体,最后经λ噬菌体包装后构建成原始文库,用PCR、X-gal等方法进行文库质量鉴定。 结果: 成功构建了纤维化心脏瓣膜噬菌体表达文库,原始文库滴度为8× 10⁹ pfu/L,重组率为99%,外源基因片段大小在500到3 000 bp之间,其中81.25%片段大于1 000 bp。 结论: 成功构建了高质量的人类纤维化心脏瓣膜噬菌体表达文库,该文库的库容量足够代表人类基因的复杂性,高重组率能保障功能筛选的高效性,长片段更有助于全长基因的获得和表达。     

Complete set of eleven region-specific microdissection libraries for human chromosome 2

The construction and characterization of 11 region-specific libraries for the entire human chromosome 2 have been completed, including four libraries for the short arm and six libraries for the long arm, plus a library for the centromere region. These libraries were constructed using the chromosome microdissection and microcloning technology. Eight libraries have been described previously. This paper presents the final three libraries: 2q21–q22 (designated 2Q5 library), 2q11–q14 (2Q6), and 2p11.1–q11.1 (2CEN). The sizes of the dissected regions ranged between 20 and 30 Mb, with the centromere region of about 4 Mb. All these libraries are large, potentially comprising hundreds of thousands of recombinant microclones. Between 77% and 97% of the microclones were shown to derive from respective dissected regions. From 26 to 66 unique sequence microclones were isolated and characterized in detail for each library. The microclones have short inserts, ranging between 50 and 600 bp, with a mean of about 200 bp. The short inserts can be conveniently sequenced as STSs to provide high density probes for the dissected region. A plasmid sub-library containing at least 20,000 microclones, and usually more, has been prepared from each library and deposited to ATCC for general distribution. The libraries have been used effectively in constructing high resolution physical maps and for contig assembly, as well as in positional cloning of disease genes assigned to the dissected region. Comparing to other chromosomes with detailed mapping information and densely populated probes, chromosome 2 remains largely under-exploited. The availability of a complete set of region-specific libraries and unique sequence microclones from the libraries should provide valuable resources for genome analysis, high resolution physical mapping, region-specific cDNA isolation, and positional cloning for chromosome 2.     

High-throughput screening of gene function in stem cells using clonal microarrays

We describe a microarray-based approach for the high-throughput screening of gene function in stem cells and demonstrate the potential of this method by growing and isolating clonal populations of both adult and embryonic neural stem cells. Clonal microarrays are constructed by seeding a population of cells at clonal density on micropatterned surfaces generated using soft lithographic microfabrication techniques. Clones of interest can be isolated after assaying in parallel for various cellular processes and functions, including proliferation, signal transduction, and differentiation. We demonstrate the compatibility of the technique with both gain- and loss-of-function studies using cell populations infected with cDNA libraries or DNA constructs that induce RNA interference. The infection of cells with a library prior to seeding and the compact but isolated growth of clonal cell populations will facilitate the screening of large libraries in a wide variety of mammalian cells, including those that are difficult to transfect by conventional methods.     

Construction of a cDNA fragment library from SH-SY5Y cells using restriction display PCR

A complementary DNA (cDNA) fragment library from SH-SY5Y cells is constructed using a restriction display polymerase chain reaction (RD-PCR) technique. Messenger RNA (mRNA) is extracted from SH-SY5Y cells and single-strand cDNA synthesised using an anchored oligo primer (dT18). The second strand is produced by nick translation. The double strands are cleaved with the restriction enzyme Sau3AI and the fragments ligated with universal linker. The products are amplified with universal primers and selected primers, ligated into the pMDI8-T vector, and then sequenced. The library constructed contained 136 subgroups, each comprising seven to 12 cDNA fragments. RD-PCR proved a simple, effective way to construct a cDNA library, and this will contribute to the investigation of gene expression in the neuron in future microarray studies.