Ana Dopazo

An amino‐proximal domain required for the localization of FtsQ in the cytoplasmic membrane, and for its biological function in Escherichia coli

The location of FtsQ, an Escherichia coli protein essential for cell division, is, under physiological conditions, in the cytoplasmic membrane facing towards the periplasmic space. An amino‐proximal hydrophobic domain is required for FtsQ to reach its location and for its activity in the cell. Overexpression of modified forms of FtsQ is deleterious for the cell.

Codelink: an R package for analysis of GE healthcare gene expression bioarrays

MOTIVATION Microarray-based expression profiles have become a standard methodology in any high-throughput analysis. Several commercial platforms are available, each with its strengths and weaknesses. The R platform for statistical analysis and graphics is a powerful environment for the analysis of microarray data, because it has many integrated statistical methods available as well as the specialized microarray analysis project Bioconductor. Many packages have been added in the last few years increasing the range of possible analysis. Here, we report the availability of a package for reading and analyzing data from GE Healthcare Gene Expression Bioarrays within the R environment. AVAILABILITY The software is implemented in the R language, is open source and available for download free of charge through the Bioconductor (http://www.bioconductor.org) project.

On the chronology and topography of bacterial cell division.

Gene products that play a role in the formation of cell septum should be expected to be endowed with a set of specific properties. In principle, septal proteins should be located at the cell envelope. The expression of division genes should ensure the synthesis of septal proteins at levels commensurate with the needs of cell division at different rates of cell duplication. We have results indicating that some fts genes located within the 2.5-min cluster in the Escherichia coli chromosome conform to these predictions.

AG-NGS: a powerful and user-friendly computing application for the semi-automated preparation of next-generation sequencing libraries using open liquid handling platforms.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is becoming one of the most widely used technologies in the field of genomics. Library preparation is one of the most critical, hands-on, and time-consuming steps in the NGS workflow. Each library must be prepared in an independent well, increasing the number of hours required for a sequencing run and the risk of human-introduced error. Automation of library preparation is the best option to avoid these problems. With this in mind, we have developed automatic genomics NGS (AG-NGS), a computing application that allows an open liquid handling platform to be transformed into a library preparation station without losing the potential of an open platform. Implementation of AG-NGS does not require programming experience, and the application has also been designed to minimize implementation costs. Automated library preparation with AG-NGS generated high-quality libraries from different samples, demonstrating its efficiency, and all quality control parameters fell within the range of optimal values.

Characterization of mutant alleles of the cell division protein FtsA, a regulator and structural component of the Escherichia coli septator

Two alleles of ftsA, a gene that encodes an essential cell division protein in Escherichia coli, have-been mapped at the nucleotide level. The mutations are located inside domains that are conserved in an ATP-binding protein family. The ftsA2 mutation lies in the adenine-binding domain, and the ftsA3 in the ribose-binding domain. The defect in ampicillin binding to PBP3 described for allele ftsA3 is allele-specific. This supports the hypothesis of the existence of different domains in FtsA having different functions.

Automatic Genomics: a user-friendly program for the automatic designing and plate loading of medium-throughput qPCR experiments

Quantitative PCR (qPCR) remains the method of choice for gene and microRNA (miRNA) expression studies. Many laboratories wish to automate some or all of the steps of medium-throughput qPCR experiments through the use of various types of liquid handling robots. However, it is not uncommon to find cases in which scripts provided by the robot supplier are too rigid for user-specific applications, do not include all the desired options, or are too complicated to be modified by a nonprofessional programmer. Here, we present Automatic Genomics, a program that allows users with a limited programming background to automate medium-throughput qPCR experiments by using commercially available liquid-handling robots. The user is able to optimize the plate design in terms of number of genes, number of samples, and controls.