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Bhattacharya, D.

Publications and source records attributed to Bhattacharya, D..

81 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

QDeep: distance-based protein model quality estimation by residue-level ensemble error classifications using stacked deep residual neural networks

MotivationProtein model quality estimation, in many ways, informs protein structure prediction. Despite their tight coupling, existing model quality estimation methods do not leverage inter-residue distance information or the latest technological breakthrough in deep learning that has recently revolutionized protein structure prediction. ResultsWe present a new distance-based single-model quality estimation method called QDeep by harnessing the power of stacked deep residual neural networks (ResNets). Our method first employs stacked deep ResNets to perform residue-level ensemble error classifications at multiple predefined error thresholds, and then combines the predictions from the individual error classifiers for estimating the quality of a protein structural model. Experimental results show that our method consistently out-performs existing state-of-the-art methods including ProQ2, ProQ3, ProQ3D, ProQ4, 3DCNN, MESHI, and VoroMQA in multiple independent test datasets across a wide-range of accuracy measures; and that predicted distance information significantly contributes to the improved performance of QDeep. Availabilityhttps://github.com/Bhattacharya-Lab/QDeep Contactbhattacharyad@auburn.edu

bioinformatics↗

Genomes of Symbiodiniaceae reveal extensive sequence divergence but conserved functions at family and genus levels

Dinoflagellates of the family Symbiodiniaceae (Order Suessiales) are predominantly symbiotic, and many are known for their association with corals. The genetic and functional diversity among Symbiodiniaceae is well acknowledged, but the genome-wide sequence divergence among these lineages remains little known. Here, we present de novo genome assemblies of five isolates from the basal genus Symbiodinium, encompassing distinct ecological niches. Incorporating existing data from Symbiodiniaceae and other Suessiales (15 genome datasets in total), we investigated genome features that are common or unique to these Symbiodiniaceae, to genus Symbiodinium, and to the individual species S. microadriaticum and S. tridacnidorum. Our whole-genome comparisons reveal extensive sequence divergence, with no sequence regions common to all 15. Based on similarity of k-mers from whole-genome sequences, the distances among Symbiodinium isolates are similar to those between isolates of distinct genera. We observed extensive structural rearrangements among symbiodiniacean genomes; those from two distinct Symbiodinium species share the most (853) syntenic gene blocks. Functions enriched in genes core to Symbiodiniaceae are also enriched in those core to Symbiodinium. Gene functions related to symbiosis and stress response exhibit similar relative abundance in all analysed genomes. Our results suggest that structural rearrangements contribute to genome sequence divergence in Symbiodiniaceae even within a same species, but the gene functions have remained largely conserved in Suessiales. This is the first comprehensive comparison of Symbiodiniaceae based on whole-genome sequence data, including comparisons at the intra-genus and intra-species levels.

genomics↗

Paulinella micropora KR01 holobiont genome assembly for studying primary plastid evolution

The widespread algal and plant (Archaeplastida) plastid originated >1 billion years ago, therefore relatively little can be learned about plastid integration during the initial stages of primary endosymbiosis by studying these highly derived species. Here we focused on a unique model for endosymbiosis research, the photosynthetic amoeba Paulinella micropora KR01 (Rhizaria) that underwent a more recent independent primary endosymbiosis about 124 Mya. A total of 149 Gbp of PacBio and 19 Gbp of Illumina data were used to generate the draft assembly that comprises 7,048 contigs with N50=143,028 bp and a total length of 707 Mbp. Genome GC-content was 44% with 76% repetitive sequences. We predicted 32,358 genes that contain 73% of the complete, conserved genes in the BUSCO database. The mean intron length was 882 bp, which is significantly greater than in other Rhizaria (86[~]184 bp). Symbiotic bacteria from the culture were isolated and completed genomes were generated from three species (Mesorhizobium amorphae Pch-S, Methylibium petroeiphilum Pch-M, Polaromonas sp. Pch-P) with one draft genome (Pimelobacter simplex Pch-N). Our holobiont data establish P. micropora KR01 as a model for studying plastid integration and the role of bacterial symbionts in Paulinella biology.

evolutionary biology↗

Structural rearrangements drive extensive genome divergence between symbiotic and free-living Symbiodinium

Symbiodiniaceae are predominantly symbiotic dinoflagellates critical to corals and other reef organisms. Symbiodinium is a basal symbiodiniacean lineage and includes symbiotic and free-living taxa. However, the molecular mechanisms underpinning these distinct lifestyles remain little known. Here, we present high-quality de novo genome assemblies for the symbiotic Symbiodinium tridacnidorum CCMP2592 (genome size 1.3 Gbp) and the free-living Symbiodinium natans CCMP2548 (genome size 0.74 Gbp). These genomes display extensive sequence divergence, sharing only ~1.5% conserved regions ([≥]90% identity). We predicted 45,474 and 35,270 genes for S. tridacnidorum and S. natans, respectively; of the 58,541 homologous gene families, 28.5% are common to both genomes. We recovered a greater extent of gene duplication and higher abundance of repeats, transposable elements and pseudogenes in the genome of S. tridacnidorum than in that of S. natans. These findings demonstrate that genome structural rearrangements are pertinent to distinct lifestyles in Symbiodinium, and may contribute to the vast genetic diversity within the genus, and more broadly in Symbiodiniaceae. Moreover, the results from our whole-genome comparisons against a free-living outgroup support the notion that the symbiotic lifestyle is a derived trait in, and that the free-living lifestyle is ancestral to, Symbiodinium.

genomics↗

Polarella glacialis genomes encode tandem repeats of single-exon genes with functions critical to adaptation of dinoflagellates

Dinoflagellates are taxonomically diverse, ecologically important phytoplankton in marine and freshwater environments. Here, we present two draft diploid genome assemblies of the free-living dinoflagellate Polarella glacialis, isolated from the Arctic and Antarctica. For each genome, guided using full-length transcriptome data, we predicted >50,000 high-quality genes. About 68% of the genome is repetitive sequence; long terminal repeats likely contribute to intra-species structural divergence and distinct genome sizes (3.0 and 2.7 Gbp). Of all genes, [~]40% are encoded unidirectionally, [~]25% comprised of single exons. Multi-genome comparison unveiled genes specific to P. glacialis and a common, putatively bacterial, origin of ice-binding domains in cold-adapted dinoflagellates. Our results elucidate how selection acts within the context of a complex genome structure to facilitate local adaptation. Since most dinoflagellate genes are constitutively expressed, Polarella glacialis has enhanced transcriptional responses via unidirectional, tandem duplication of single-exon genes that encode functions critical to survival in cold, low-light environments.

genomics↗

Evidence that inconsistent gene prediction can mislead analysis of algal genomes

Comparative algal genomics often relies on predicted gene models from de novo assembled genomes. However, the artifacts introduced by different gene-prediction approaches, and their impact on comparative genomic analysis, remain poorly understood. Here, using available genome data from six dinoflagellate species in Symbiodiniaceae, we identified potential methodological biases in the published gene models that were predicted using different approaches. We developed and applied a comprehensive customized workflow to predict genes from these genomes. The observed variation among predicted gene models resulting from our workflow agreed with current understanding of phylogenetic relationships among these taxa, whereas those published earlier were largely biased by the distinct approaches used in each instance. Importantly, these biases mislead the inference of homologous gene families and synteny among genomes, thus impacting biological interpretation of these data. Our results demonstrate that a consistent gene-prediction approach is critical for comparative genomics, particularly for non-model algal genomes.

genomics↗

The genomes of polyextremophilic Cyanidiales contain 1% horizontally transferred genes with diverse adaptive functions

The role and extent of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in eukaryotes are hotly disputed topics that impact our understanding regarding the origin of metabolic processes and the role of organelles in cellular evolution. We addressed this issue by analyzing 10 novel Cyanidiales genomes and determined that 1% of their gene inventory is HGT-derived. Numerous HGT candidates originated from polyextremophilic prokaryotes that live in similar habitats as the Cyanidiales and encodes functions related to polyextremophily. HGT candidates differ from native genes in GC-content, number of splice sites, and gene expression. HGT candidates are more prone to loss, which may explain the nonexistence of a eukaryotic pan-genome. Therefore, absence of a pan-genome and cumulative effects fail to provide substantive arguments against our hypothesis of recurring HGT followed by differential loss in eukaryotes. The maintenance of 1% HGTs, even under selection for genome reduction underlines the importance of non-endosymbiosis related foreign gene acquisition.

evolutionary biology↗

Strain maps characterize the symmetry of convergence and extension patterns during Zebrafish gastrulation

During gastrulation of the zebrafish embryo, the cap of blastoderm cells organizes into the axial body plan of the embryo with left-right symmetry and head-tail, dorsal-ventral polarities. Our labs have been interested in the mechanics of early development and have investigated whether these large-scale cells movements can be described as tissue-level mechanical strain by a tectonics-based approach. The first step is to image the positions of all nuclei from mid-epiboy to early segmentation by digital sheet light microscopy (DSLM), organize the surface of the embryo into multi-cell spherical domains, construct velocity fields from the movements of these domains and extract 3D strain rate maps. Tensile/expansive and compressive strains in the axial and equatorial directions are detected during gastrulation as anterior and posterior expansion along the anterior-posterior axis and medial-lateral compression across the dorsal-ventral axis corresponding to convergence and extension. In later stages in development are represented by localized medial expansion at the onset of segmentation and anterior expansion at the onset of neurulation. Symmetric patterns of rotation are first detected in the animal hemispheres at mid-epiboly and then the vegetal hemispheres by the end of gastrulation. By analysing the temporal sequence of large scale movements, deformations across the embryo can be attributed to a combination of epiboly and dorsal convergence-extension.\n\nSignificanceStrain is an emergent property of tissues that originates from the mechanical coupling of cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions, individual cell shape changes, and cell level forces. By imaging the positions of nuclei from mid-epiboly to early segmentation of the zebrafish embryo we are able to calculate three types of strain maps by a plate tectonics based method. The regions of expansive and compressive axial and equatorial strain correspond to areas undergoing convergence and extension, a major step in the formation of the embryonic body plan as well as the formation of somite and head structures. The most striking signatures of strain are: 1. the bilateral symmetry of linear strain across the anterior-posterior, dorsal-ventral axis during gastrulation, 2. the complementary counter-rotational strains or curl in the animal hemisphere at mid epiboly, and 3. a divergence or saddle point in the region of the dorsal organizer, head-trunk boundary. These strains represent a general method to describe large-scale tissue-level mechanics not only of embryonic development but also tissue homeostasis and disease.

biophysics↗

Kingdom-wide comparison reveals conserved diurnal gene expression in Archaeplastida

Plants have adapted to the diurnal light-dark cycle by establishing elaborate transcriptional programs that coordinate innumerable metabolic, physiological, and developmental responses to the external environment. These transcriptional programs have been studied in only a few species, and their function and conservation across algae and plants is currently unknown. We performed a comparative transcriptome analysis of the diurnal cycle of nine members of Archaeplastida, and we observed that, despite large phylogenetic distances and dramatic differences in morphology and lifestyle, diurnal transcriptional programs of these organisms are similar. However, the establishment of multicellularity coincided with the uncoupling of cell division from the diurnal cycle and decreased diurnal control of the expression of the biological pathways. Hence, our study provides evidence for the universality of diurnal gene expression and elucidates its evolutionary history among different photosynthetic eukaryotes.

evolutionary biology↗