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Background In the novel coronavirus pandemic, the high infection rate and high mortality have seriously affected people’s health and social order. To better explore the infection mechanism and treatment, the three-dimensional structure of human bronchus has been employed in a better in-depth study on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Methods We downloaded a separate microarray from the Integrated Gene Expression System (GEO) on a human bronchial organoids sample to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGS) and analyzed it with R software. After processing with R software, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto PBMCs of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were analyzed, while a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed to show the interactions and influence relationships between these differential genes. Finally, the selected highly connected genes, which are called hub genes, were verified in CytoHubba plug-in. Results In this study, a total of 966 differentially expressed genes, including 490 upregulated genes and 476 downregulated genes were used. Analysis of GO and KEGG revealed that these differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in pathways related to immune response and cytokines. We construct protein-protein interaction network and identify 10 hub genes, including IL6, MMP9, IL1B, CXCL8, ICAM1, FGF2, EGF, CXCL10, CCL2, CCL5, CXCL1, and FN1. Finally, with the help of GSE150728, we verified that CXCl1, CXCL8, CXCL10, CCL5, EGF differently expressed before and after SARS-CoV-2 infection in clinical patients. Conclusions In this study, we used mRNA expression data from GSE150819 to preliminarily confirm the feasibility of hBO as an in vitro model to further study the pathogenesis and potential treatment of COVID-19. Moreover, based on the mRNA differentiated expression of this model, we found that CXCL8, CXCL10, and EGF are hub genes in the process of SARS-COV-2 infection, and we emphasized their key roles in SARS-CoV-2 infection. And we also suggested that further study of these hub genes may be beneficial to treatment, prognostic prediction of COVID-19.

Background: New generation sequencing machinery such as Illumina and Solexa can generate millions of reads from given genome sequence on a single run. There is a need for suitable data structure, efficient with respect to memory as well as time to align these enormous reads into reference genome. There are a number of existing techniques of indexing and reads alignment, such as MAQ, Bowtie, BWA, BWBBLE and Kart. Memory efficient versions of these techniques are 10- 20% slower than their respective normal versions. Objective: A new approach for efficient indexing and retrieval of large genomic data. Methods: In this paper, we propose an efficient method based on Burrows Wheeler Transform and Wavelet Tree (BWIT) for genome sequence indexing and reads alignment. Both types of alignments (exact and approximate) are possible by the proposed approach (BWIT). Results: The performance of BWIT is experimentally found to be better than existing ones with respect to both memory and speed. Experimental work shows that proposed approach performs best in case of protein sequence indexing. All the existing read alignment approaches depend upon the size of index used. In general, time required increases with reduction in index size used. Experiments have been done with Bowtie, BWA & Kart by taking index size as 1.25N, 1.05N, .98N, where N is the size of the text (reference genome). In our approach BWIT index size is .6N which is lesser than index size used in all other approaches. It is observed that even using smallest index size alignment time in our approach is least. Conclusion: An innovative indexing technique is presented to address the problem of storage, transmission and retrieval of large DNA/Protein Sequence data.

Invasive alien species (IAS) are species whose introduction to areas outside of their native range cause harm to economics, biodiversity, and the environment. Understanding the genetic basis of invasiveness is critical for preventing invasion by an alien species and managing IAS with eco-friendly control methods. In addition, uncovering the genomic features of IAS is essential for accurately predicting invasiveness. However, even though increasing efforts have been devoted to sequencing the genomes of IAS, there is still not an integrated genome database for the invasive biology community. Here, we first determined a list of invasive plants and animals by mining references and databases. Then, we retrieved the genomic and gene data of these IAS, and constructed a database, InvasionDB. InvasionDB encompasses 131 IAS genomes, 76 annotated IAS assemblies, and links these data to conventional functions such as searching for gene coding sequences and Pfam, KEGG, NR annotations, BLAST server, JBrowse, and downloads services. Next, we analyzed 19 invasiveness-related gene families which confer invasiveness in insects. To study the roles of noncoding RNA in invasiveness, we also annotated 135 494 miRNAs, 89 294 rRNAs, and 2 671 941 tRNAs from these IAS. In summary, InvasionDB is useful for studying the invasiveness at the genomic level, and thus helps to develop novel management strategies to control IAS.

As the most widely consumed beverage in the world, tea has various nutritional, economic, and global cultural values. With the development of the third-generation sequencing technology, several genome sequences of tea plants have been published. These genomic data have pivotal information that is of benefit to tea plant breeders and biologists in advancing tea plant improvement and the final quality of tea products. We hereby present the integrative online database, Tea Plant Genome Database (TeaPGDB; http://eplant.njau.edu.cn/tea ), which incorporates the published genome sequences of tea plants. The current release of TeaPGDB hosts published tea plant genome data with various online tools, including JBrowse, gene search, SSR search, BLAST. TeaPGDB also contains a download server, which provides access for the download of genome-related data and rich annotation files. TeaPGDB is committed to collecting, integrating, and annotating published tea plant genome data, providing data support for research on tea plant heredity, evolution, breeding for resistance, plant improvement, and facilitating the characterization of important traits or flavor related genes in the community. Compared with other tea plant databases, this database not only contains more complete genome data and gene annotation information, but also has a user-friendly interface for researchers in the field.

Rorippa aquatica は北米原産のアブラナ科植物であり、周囲の環境に応答して葉の形態を変化させる異形葉性を示す。また、葉断片から完全な植物体を形成することが出来るという特性を持つ。このように興味深い特性を示す本種であるが、それらの根底にある分子機構は完全には明らかになっていない。それらを解明するための手法として次世代シーケンサーを用いた様々な網羅的な解析が行われている。ゲノムアセンブリでは染色体レベルのゲノム配列情報とゲノム上に存在する遺伝子の情報が取得され、これにより全遺伝子を対象とした網羅的解析が可能になった。しかしながら、ゲノム・遺伝子情報は膨大であり情報の検索・取得を簡易に行うことが出来る環境が求められた。そこで本研究ではゲノム・遺伝子情報を統合して保管するR. aquatica 染色体レベルゲノムアセンブリデータベースの構築とデータを簡易に検索・取得することを可能にするインターフェイスの整備を試みた。

CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology is widely used in scientific research and biotechnology. As this technology becomes a staple tool in life sciences research, it is increasingly important to incorporate it into biology curricula to train future scientists. To demonstrate the molecular underpinnings and some limitations of CRISPR-based gene editing, we designed a laboratory module to accompany a discussion-based course on genome editing for college and advanced high school biology students. The laboratory module uses CRISPR-Cas9 to target and inactivate the ADE2 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae so as to give red colonies, employing an inexpensive yeast model system with a phenotypic readout that is easily detectable without specialized equipment. Students begin by accessing the yeast ADE2 sequence in a genome database, applying their understanding of Cas9 activity to design guide RNA (gRNA) sequences, using a CRISPR analysis tool to compare predicted on- and off-target effects of various gRNAs, and presenting and explaining their choice of an optimal gRNA to disrupt the ADE2 gene. They then conduct yeast transformations using Cas9 and preselected gRNA plasmids with or without donor templates to explore the importance of DNA repair pathways in genome editing. Lastly, they analyze the observed editing rates across different gRNAs targeting ADE2, leading to a discussion of editing efficiency. This module engages students in experimental design, provides hands-on experience with CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing and collaborative data analysis, and stimulates discussion on the uses and limitations of CRISPR-based gene editing technology.

Summary Databases of large-scale genome projects now contain thousands of genomic interval datasets. These data are a critical resource for understanding the function of DNA. However, our ability to examine and integrate interval data of this scale is limited. Here, we introduce the integrated genome database (IGD), a method and tool for searching genome interval datasets more than three orders of magnitude faster than existing approaches, while using only one hundredth of the memory. IGD uses a novel linear binning method that allows us to scale analysis to billions of genomic regions. Availabilityand implementation https://github.com/databio/IGD. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Background High-throughput experiments can bring to light associations between genes, proteins and/or metabolites, many of which will be explainable by existing knowledge. Our aim is to speed elucidation of such explanations and, in some cases, find explanations that scientists might otherwise overlook. Results We describe the MultiOmics Explainer, a new tool within the Pathway Tools software suite that leverages what is known about an organism’s metabolic and regulatory network to suggest explanations for the results of omics experiments. Querying a database such as EcoCyc, the MultiOmics Explainer searches the organism’s network of metabolic reactions, transporters, cofactors, enzyme substrate-level activation and inhibition relationships, and transcriptional and translational regulation relationships to identify paths of influence among input genes, proteins and metabolites. Results are presented in a combined metabolic and regulatory diagram. We present several examples of explanations generated for associations found in the Escherichia coli literature. Conclusions The MultiOmics Explainer is a valuable tool that helps researchers understand and interpret the results of their omics experiments in the context of what is known about an organism’s metabolic and regulatory network. It showcases the rich set of computational inferences that can be drawn from a database such as EcoCyc that encodes a diverse range of biological interactions. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12859-019-2971-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Bioinformatics tools for the analysis of sequencing data, are becoming accessible for most scientists. Beginners who are unfamiliar to these tools can be overwhelmed when learning to handle large sequencing datasets. We announce omicR for Windows, which is a user-friendly tool with a graphical user interface that creates fastA files from sequencing data in tabular format such as genotyping-by-sequencing data. OmicR downloads genomes or other sequence sets from the NCBI web server and creates a genome database from the selected references. Subsequently, the user query sequences are aligned to the references and the alignment results are filtered, selecting the best match per sequence.

Accurate SNP locus identifiers are essential for the correct matching and aggregation of multiple historical datasets. The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) issued unique “submitted SNP identification” numbers (ssIDs) for every published SNP submitted to its database. Discrepant ssID information was discovered for 78 SNPs for the 8K IRSC apple SNP array while attempting to collate multiple historical datasets, and a review of the archived SNP database from the NCBI led to their correction and a collation of SNP markers with no duplicate ssIDs. As the incorrect ssIDs were subsequently republished and uploaded to the Genome Database for Rosaceae, the aim of this short communication is to report the correct NCBI ssIDs for these 78 SNPs to correctly aggregate historical SNP data, prevent perpetuation of the misassigned ssIDs in further publications, and provide a citation for correcting the misassigned ssIDs in the Genome Database for Rosaceae (because the NCBI no longer supports storage of non-human SNP data).

KAIKObase was established in 2009 as the genome database of the domesticated silkworm Bombyx mori. It provides several gene sets and genetic maps as well as genome annotation obtained from the sequencing project of the International Silkworm Genome Consortium in 2008. KAIKObase has been used widely for silkworm and insect studies even though there are some erroneous predicted genes due to misassembly and gaps in the genome. In 2019, we released a new silkworm genome assembly, showing improvements in gap closure and covering more and longer gene models. Therefore, there is a need to include new genome and new gene models to KAIKObase. In this article, we present the updated contents of KAIKObase and the methods to generate, integrate and analyze the data sets. Database URL: https://kaikobase.dna.affrc.go.jp

Taxonomic and functional research of microorganisms has increasingly relied upon genome-based data and methods. As the depository of the Global Catalogue of Microorganisms (GCM) 10K prokaryotic type strain sequencing project, Global Catalogue of Type Strain (gcType) has published 1049 type strain genomes sequenced by the GCM 10K project which are preserved in global culture collections with a valid published status. Additionally, the information provided through gcType includes >12 000 publicly available type strain genome sequences from GenBank incorporated using quality control criteria and standard data annotation pipelines to form a high-quality reference database. This database integrates type strain sequences with their phenotypic information to facilitate phenotypic and genotypic analyses. Multiple formats of cross-genome searches and interactive interfaces have allowed extensive exploration of the database's resources. In this study, we describe web-based data analysis pipelines for genomic analyses and genome-based taxonomy, which could serve as a one-stop platform for the identification of prokaryotic species. The number of type strain genomes that are published will continue to increase as the GCM 10K project increases its collaboration with culture collections worldwide. Data of this project is shared with the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration. Access to gcType is free at http://gctype.wdcm.org/.

Heterogeneous data surround the world, and it is generated enormously in every moment of a day from multiple sources. These enormous amounts of unstructured, structured, and semi-structured data are called big data, and this cannot store in conventional database systems. Big data, IoT plays a significant role, here big data implies the clinical data which comes in the form of medical prescriptions, laboratory data, genome database, electronic health records, medical images, medical IoT, etc. It supports clinical decisions, along with advanced and personalized health care. In this paper, a brief survey is from the related projects which deal with the challenges, techniques, as well as the different directions in big data health care.

Background Common buckwheat (2n = 2x = 16) is an outcrossing pseudocereal whose seeds contain abundant nutrients and potential antioxidants. As these beneficial compounds are damaged by preharvest sprouting (PHS) and PHS is likely to increase with global warming, it is important to find efficient ways to develop new PHS-tolerant lines. However, genetic loci and selection markers associated with PHS in buckwheat have not been reported. Results By next-generation sequencing (NGS) of whole-genome of parental lines, we developed a genome-wide set of 300 markers. By NGS- based bulked segregant analysis (NGS-BSA), we developed 100 markers linked to PHS tolerance. To confirm the effectiveness of marker development from NGS-BSA data, we developed 100 markers linked to the self-compatibility (SC) trait from previous NGS-BSA data. Using these markers, we developed genetic maps with AmpliSeq technology, which can quickly detect polymorphisms by amplicon-based multiplex targeted NGS, and performed quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis for PHS tolerance in combination with NGS-BSA. QTL analysis detected two major and two minor QTLs for PHS tolerance in a segregating population developed from a cross between the PHS-tolerant ‘Kyukei 29’ and the self-compatible susceptible ‘Kyukei SC7’. We found different major and minor QTLs in other segregating populations developed from the PHS-tolerant lines ‘Kyukei 28’ and ‘NARO-FE-1’. Candidate markers linked to PHS developed by NGS-BSA were located near these QTL regions. We also investigated the effectiveness of markers linked to these QTLs for selection of PHS-tolerant lines among other segregating populations. Conclusions We efficiently developed genetic maps using a method combined with AmpliSeq technology and NGS-BSA, and detected QTLs associated with preharvest sprouting tolerance in common buckwheat. This is the first report to identify QTLs for PHS tolerance in buckwheat. Our marker development system will accelerate genetic research and breeding in common buckwheat.

Background The third wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in the island of Hokkaido, the second largest island in Japan, began abruptly in October 2020. Methods We conducted a phylodynamic analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences obtained from tertiary medical centers in the Greater Tokyo Area and Sapporo, the largest city in the island of Hokkaido, and genome sequences published by GISAID, an international SARS-CoV-2 genome database. We also analyzed the statistics on the person-nights of travelers in the island of Hokkaido from the Greater Tokyo Area in 2019 versus 2020. Results At least eight sub-lineages belonging to the B.1.1.214 lineage were introduced to the island of Hokkaido from the island of Honshu, the mainland of Japan from late July to November 2020, during the governmental travel promotion program. Five of the eight sub-lineages originated from the Greater Tokyo Area. Comparison of the monthly ratios of the person-nights of travelers in the island of Hokkaido from the Greater Tokyo Area in 2019 and 2020 revealed that the highest value occurred in October 2020. Conclusion We contend that the Japanese governmental travel promotion program contributed to the introduction of the B.1.1.214 sub-lineages from the main island of Honshu to the island of Hokkaido, and drove the third wave in Hokkaido, even if we are unable to establish the causality.

Class 1 integrons (CL1s) are one of the major contributors to the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). However, our knowledge of CL1 in the environment is still very limited due to the limitations of the current PCR primers and the sequencing methods adopted. This study developed a new primer coupled with PacBio sequencing to investigate the underrepresented diversity of CL1s in a mixed environmental sample (i.e. activated sludge from wastewater treatment plant and pig feces from animal farm). The new primer successfully uncovered 20 extra ARGs subtypes and 57% (422/739) more unique integron array structures than the previous primers. Compared to the whole genome database, CL1s revealed in the environment in this study were of much greater diversity, having 93% (900/967) novel array structures. Antibiotic resistance is the predominant function (78.3% genes) carried by CL1, and a vast majority (98.6% genes) of them confer resistance to aminoglycoside, beta-lactam, trimethoprim, or chloramphenicol. Additionally, 78.5% unique CL1 arrays carried more than one ARGs, and 25.9% of them carried ARGs of clinical relevance with high transferability potential posing threat to the general public. Our results indicated the importance of CL1s in the spread of ARGs. Overall, combining PacBio sequencing with the new primer designed in this study largely broadened our knowledge of CL1s in the environment and their significance in the environmental proliferation of ARGs.

Common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench; 2n = 2x = 16) is an annual crop that is cultivated widely around the world and contains an abundance of nutrients and bioactive compounds. However, the yield of buckwheat is low compared to that of other major crops, and it contains proteins that cause allergic reactions in some people. Much research has aimed to improve or eliminate these undesirable traits, and some major advances have recently been made. Here, we review recent advances in buckwheat breeding materials, tools, and methods, including the development of self-compatible lines, genetic maps, a buckwheat genome database, and an efficient breeding strategy. We also describe emerging breeding methods for high-value lines.

The whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), an important invasive pest that causes severe damage to crops worldwide, has developed resistance to a variety of insecticides. Carboxylesterases (COEs) are important multifunctional enzymes involved in the growth, development, and xenobiotic metabolism of insects. However, systematic studies on the COEs of B. tabaci are scarce. Here, 42 putative COEs in different functional categories were identified in the Mediterranean species of B. tabaci (B. tabaci MED) based on a genome database and neighbor-joining phylogeny. The expression patterns of the COEs were affected by the development of B. tabaci. The expression levels of six COEs were positively correlated with the concentration of imidacloprid to which B. tabaci adults were exposed. The mortality of B. tabaci MED adults fed dsBTbe5 (67.5%) and dsBTjhe2 (58.4%) was significantly higher than the adults fed dsEGFP (41.1%) when treated with imidacloprid. Our results provide a basis for functional research on COEs in B. tabaci and provide new insight into the imidacloprid resistance of B. tabaci.

198As a typical ciliated protozoan, Tetrahymena cells compartmentalize their germline and somatic genetic information into two different nuclei within the same cell. This compartmentalization permits experimental manipulation not possible in other systems and has resulted in fundamental discoveries in cell and molecular biology. The optimal way to preserve the germline genetic integrity of Tetrahymena cell lines during laboratory storage is by maintaining the cells frozen at liquid nitrogen temperature. The Tetrahymena Stock Center (TSC) was originally established to preserve and distribute valuable strains of wild type and mutant Tetrahymena. More than 2200 strains representing dozens of species and a variety of mutant and genetically modified cell lines are currently available to the scientific research community at TSC. As TSC has grown, it has leveraged its resources to maintain a Tetrahymena Genome Database and to provide a large array of valuable research products and services to the research community. The TSC carries out a proactive research and educational community outreach targeting K-12 and college undergraduate students, including a community-based Tetrahymena barcoding research project. As the use of its resource grows, the TSC will continue its mission to support existing resources while identifying new and changing needs and evolving the best means to serve the research and educational communities.

Key pointsOGDRAW has become the standard tool for displaying maps of organellar genomesit converts GenBank entries into graphical mapsa new version with improved functionality has been releasedAbstractOrganellar (plastid and mitochondrial) genomes play an important role in resolving phylogenetic relationships, and next-generation sequencing technologies have led to a burst in their availability. The ongoing massive sequencing efforts require software tools for routine assembly and annotation of organellar genomes as well as their display as physical maps. OrganellarGenomeDRAW (OGDRAW) has become the standard tool to draw graphical maps of plastid and mitochondrial genomes. Here were present a new version of OGDRAW equipped with a new front end. Besides several new features, OGDRAW has now access to a local copy of the organelle genome database of the NCBI RefSeq project. Together with batch processing of (multi-)GenBank files, this enables the user to easily visualize large sets of organellar genomes spanning entire taxonomic clades. The new OGDRAW server can be accessed at https://chlorobox.mpimp-golm.mpg.de/OGDraw.html.

The draft genome sequence of the green filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic (FAP) bacterium “ Candidatus Viridilinea halotolerans” strain Chok-6, isolated from a cold saline sulfide-rich spring near Lake Chokrak, is presented. The genome sequence is annotated for elucidation of the taxonomic position of Chok-6 and to extend the public genome database.

Plasmid sequences are central to a myriad of microbial functions and processes. Here, we have compiled a database of complete plasmid sequences and associated metadata curated from both NCBI’s recent genome database update, which includes plasmids as organisms, and all available annotated bacterial genomes., Plasmid sequences are central to a myriad of microbial functions and processes. Here, we have compiled a database of complete plasmid sequences and associated metadata curated from both NCBI’s recent genome database update, which includes plasmids as organisms, and all available annotated bacterial genomes. The resultant database contains 10,892 complete plasmid sequences and associated metadata.

The first high-quality genome assembly of the globe artichoke has been produced within the Compositae Genome Project and the resequencing analyses of four globe artichoke genotypes, representative of the core varietal types, as well as a genotype of the related taxa cultivated cardoon was, later on, carried out. The Web site “www.artichokegenome.unito.it” hosts all the available genomic sequences, together with their structural/functional annotations and project information are presented to users via the open-source tool JBrowse, allowing the analysis of collinearity and the discovery of genomic variants, thus representing a one-stop resource for Cynara cardunculus genomics. Pseudomolecules as well as unmapped scaffolds were used for the bulk mining of SSR markers and for the construction of the first globe artichoke microsatellite marker database. A database, called “Cynara cardunculus MicroSatellite DataBase” (CyMSatDB) was developed to provide a searchable interface to the SSR data. CyMSatDB facilitates the retrieval of SSR markers, as well as suggested forward and reverse primers, on the basis of genomic location, genomic versus genic context, perfect versus imperfect repeat, motif type, motif sequence, and repeat number.

Due to the rapid growth of genome database after the completion of human genome project, developing efficient computational techniques to investigate the underlying information in the genomic data is the need of the hour. Analysis of genomic data with digital signal processing (DSP) techniques can characterize this information much more rapidly and efficiently in comparison to standard laboratory methods. Before applying signal processing methods genomic data needs to be mapped into adequate mathematical representations. Therefore choosing appropriate representations can significantly affect the analysis of genomic data with DSP methods. This paper presents the comparison of various mathematical representations of genomic sequences analyzed with different orthogonal and biorthogonal wavelet transforms based on the calculation of reconstruction errors.