Jong-Sung Lim

Uncovering the novel characteristics of Asian honey bee, Apis cerana , by whole genome sequencing

BackgroundThe honey bee is an important model system for increasing understanding of molecular and neural mechanisms underlying social behaviors relevant to the agricultural industry and basic science. The western honey bee, Apis mellifera, has served as a model species, and its genome sequence has been published. In contrast, the genome of the Asian honey bee, Apis cerana, has not yet been sequenced. A. cerana has been raised in Asian countries for thousands of years and has brought considerable economic benefits to the apicultural industry. A cerana has divergent biological traits compared to A. mellifera and it has played a key role in maintaining biodiversity in eastern and southern Asia. Here we report the first whole genome sequence of A. cerana.ResultsUsing de novo assembly methods, we produced a 238 Mbp draft of the A. cerana genome and generated 10,651 genes. A.cerana-specific genes were analyzed to better understand the novel characteristics of this honey bee species. Seventy-two percent of the A. cerana-specific genes had more than one GO term, and 1,696 enzymes were categorized into 125 pathways. Genes involved in chemoreception and immunity were carefully identified and compared to those from other sequenced insect models. These included 10 gustatory receptors, 119 odorant receptors, 10 ionotropic receptors, and 160 immune-related genes.ConclusionsThis first report of the whole genome sequence of A. cerana provides resources for comparative sociogenomics, especially in the field of social insect communication. These important tools will contribute to a better understanding of the complex behaviors and natural biology of the Asian honey bee and to anticipate its future evolutionary trajectory.

High-throughput SNP discovery and assay development in common bean

BackgroundNext generation sequencing has significantly increased the speed at which single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can be discovered and subsequently used as molecular markers for research. Unfortunately, for species such as common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) which do not have a whole genome sequence available, the use of next generation sequencing for SNP discovery is much more difficult and costly. To this end we developed a method which couples sequences obtained from the Roche 454-FLX system (454) with the Illumina Genome Analyzer (GA) for high-throughput SNP discovery.ResultsUsing a multi-tier reduced representation library we discovered a total of 3,487 SNPs of which 2,795 contained sufficient flanking genomic sequence for SNP assay development. Using Sanger sequencing to determine the validation rate of these SNPs, we found that 86% are likely to be true SNPs. Furthermore, we designed a GoldenGate assay which contained 1,050 of the 3,487 predicted SNPs. A total of 827 of the 1,050 SNPs produced a working GoldenGate assay (79%).ConclusionsThrough combining two next generation sequencing techniques we have developed a method that allows high-throughput SNP discovery in any diploid organism without the need of a whole genome sequence or the creation of normalized cDNA libraries. The need to only perform one 454 run and one GA sequencer run allows high-throughput SNP discovery with sufficient sequence for assay development to be performed in organisms, such as common bean, which have limited genomic resources.

Complete Genome Sequence of Burkholderia gladioli BSR3

We report the complete genome sequence of Burkholderia gladioli BSR3, isolated from a diseased rice sheath in South Korea.

Complete Genome Sequence of Japanese Erwinia Strain Ejp617, a Bacterial Shoot Blight Pathogen of Pear

The Japanese Erwinia strain Ejp617 is a plant pathogen that causes bacterial shoot blight of pear in Japan. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of strain Ejp617 isolated from Nashi pears in Japan to provide further valuable insight among related Erwinia species.

Complete Genome Sequence of the Fenitrothion-Degrading Burkholderia sp. Strain YI23

Burkholderia species are ubiquitous in soil environments. Many Burkholderia species isolated from various environments have the potential to biodegrade man-made chemicals. Burkholderia sp. strain YI23 was isolated from a golf course soil and identified as a fenitrothion-degrading bacterium. In this study, we report the complete genome sequence of Burkholderia sp. strain YI23.

Complete Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium intracellulare Strain ATCC 13950T

Here we report the first complete genome sequence of Mycobacterium intracellulare ATCC 13950(T), a Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) strain. This genome sequence will serve as a valuable reference for understanding the epidemiologic, biological, and pathogenic aspects of the disparity between MAC members.

Complete Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium intracellulare Clinical Strain MOTT-02

Here, we report the first complete genome sequence of the Mycobacterium intracellulare clinical strain MOTT-02, which was previously grouped in the INT2 genotype of M. intracellulare. This genome sequence will serve as a valuable reference for improving the understanding of the disparity in the virulence and epidemiologic traits between M. intracellulare genotypes.

Genome Sequence of Lactobacillus johnsonii PF01, Isolated from Piglet Feces

Lactobacillus johnsonii PF01, an autochthonous bacterium of the gastrointestinal tract, was isolated from a fecal sample from a piglet. The strain adhered specifically to the duodenal and jejunal epithelial cells of the piglet and had high bile resistance activity. Here we report the genomic sequence of L. johnsonii PF01.

Widespread occurrence of the tfd-II genes in soil bacteria revealed by nucleotide sequence analysis of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid degradative plasmids pDB1 and p712

Variovorax sp. strain DB1 and Pseudomonas pickettii strain 712 are 2,4-dicholorophenoxy-acetic acid (2,4-D)-degrading bacteria, which were isolated from agricultural soils in Republic of Korea and USA, respectively. Each strain harbors a 2,4-D degradative plasmid and is able to utilize 2,4-D as the sole source of carbon for its growth. The 2,4-D degradative plasmid pDB1 of strain DB1 consisted of a 65,269-bp circular molecule with a G+C content of 66.23% and had 68 ORFs. The 2,4-D degradative plasmid p712 of strain 712 was composed of a 62,798-bp circular molecule with a 62.11% G+C content and had 62 ORFs. The plasmids pDB1 and p712 share significantly homologous 2,4-D degradative genes with high similarity to the tfdR, tfdB-II, tfdC-II, tfdD-II, tfdE-II, tfdF-II, tfdK and tfdA genes of plasmid pJP4 of Alcaligenes eutrophus isolated from Australia. In a phylogenetic analysis with trfA, traL, and trbA genes, pDB1 belonged to IncP-1β with pJP4, while p712 belonged to IncP-1ε with pKJK5 and pEMT3. The results indicated that, in spite of the differences in their backbone regions, the 2,4-D catabolic genes of the two plasmids were closely related and also related to the well-known 2,4-D degradative plasmid pJP4 even though all were isolated from different geographic regions. Other similarities in the genetic organization and the presence of IS1071 suggested that these catabolic genes may be on a transposable element, leading to widespread occurrence in soil bacteria.

Understanding pathogenic Burkholderia glumae metabolic and signaling pathways within rice tissues through in vivo transcriptome analyses.

Burkholderia glumae is a causal agent of rice grain and sheath rot. Similar to other phytopathogens, B. glumae adapts well to the host environment and controls its biology to induce diseases in the host plant; however, its molecular mechanisms are not yet fully understood. To gain a better understating of the actual physiological changes that occur in B. glumae during infection, we analyzed B. glumae transcriptome from infected rice tissues using an RNA-seq technique. To accomplish this, we analyzed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and identified 2653 transcripts that were significantly altered. We then performed KEGG pathway and module enrichment of the DEGs. Interestingly, most genes involved bacterial chemotaxis-mediated motility, ascorbate and trehalose metabolisms, and sugar transporters including l-arabinose and d-xylose were found to be highly enriched. The in vivo transcriptional profiling of pathogenic B. glumae will facilitate elucidation of unknown plant-pathogenic bacteria interactions, as well as the overall infection processes.