Project description:Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) is currently the gold standard for DNA methylation (5-methylcytosine, 5mC) profiling, however the destructive nature of sodium bisulfite results in DNA fragmentation and subsequent biases in sequencing data. Such issues have led to the development of bisulfite-free methods for 5mC detection. Nanopore sequencing is a long read non-destructive approach that directly analyzes DNA and RNA fragments in real time. Recently, computational tools have been developed that enable base-resolution detection of 5mC from Oxford Nanopore sequencing data. In this chapter we provide a detailed protocol for preparation, sequencing, read assembly and analysis of genome-wide 5mC using Nanopore sequencing technologies.
Project description:Nucleic acids in wastewater provide a rich source of data for detection and surveillance of microbes. We have longitudinally collected 116 RNA samples from a wastewater treatment plant in Berlin/Germany, from March 2021 to July 2022, and 24 DNA samples from May to July 2022. We tracked human astroviruses, enteroviruses, noroviruses and adenoviruses over time to the level of strains or even individual nucleotide variations, showing how detailed human pathogens can be observed using wastewater. For respiratory pathogens, a broad enrichment panel enabled us to detect waves of RSV, influenza, or common cold coronaviruses in high agreement with clinical data. By applying a profile Hidden Markov Model-based search for novel viruses, we identified more than 100 thousand novel transcript assemblies likely not belonging to known virus species, thus substantially expanding our knowledge of virus diversity. Phylogenetic analysis is shown for bunyaviruses and parvoviruses. Finally, we identify Hundreds of novel protein sequences for CRISPR-associated proteins such as Transposase B, a class of small RNA-guided DNA editing enzymes. Taken together, we present a longitudinal and deep investigation into wastewater-derived genomic sequencing data that underlines the value of sewage surveillance for public health, planetary virome research, and biotechnological potential.
Project description:The Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) Nuclear Antigen 1 (EBNA1) protein is required for the establishment of EBV latent infection in proliferating B-lymphocytes. EBNA1 is a multifunctional DNA-binding protein that stimulates DNA replication at the viral origin of plasmid replication (OriP), regulates transcription of viral and cellular genes, and tethers the viral episome to the cellular chromosome. EBNA1 also provides a survival function to B-lymphocytes, potentially through its ability to alter cellular gene expression. Chromatin-immunoprecipitation (ChIP) combined with massively parallel deep-sequencing (ChIP-Seq) was used to identify cellular sites bound by EBNA1. Sites identified by ChIP-Seq were validated by conventional real-time PCR, and ChIP-Seq provided quantitative, high-resolution detection of the known EBNA1 binding sites on the EBV genome at OriP and Qp. We identified at least one cluster of unusually high-affinity EBNA1 binding sites on chromosome 11, between the divergent FAM55D and FAM55B genes. A consensus for all cellular EBNA1 binding sites is distinct from those derived from the known viral binding sites, suggesting that some of these sites are indirectly bound by EBNA1. We conclude that EBNA1 can interact with a large number of cellular genes and chromosomal loci in latently infected cells, but that these sites are likely to represent a complex ensemble of direct and indirect EBNA1 binding sites. Study of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
Project description:We used the nanopore Cas9 targeted sequencing (nCATS) strategy to specifically sequence 125 L1HS-containing loci in parallel and measure their DNA methylation levels using nanopore long-read sequencing. Each targeted locus is sequenced at high coverage (~45X) with unambiguously mapped reads spanning the entire L1 element, as well as its flanking sequences over several kilobases. The genome-wide profile of L1 methylation was also assessed by bs-ATLAS-seq in the same cell lines (E-MTAB-10895).
Project description:Using long-read nanopore sequencing, we obtained chromosome-wide phased methylomes of the active and inactive X in mouse placenta and neural stem cells (NSCs), overcoming the limitations if short-read bisulfite sequencing in allelic resolution. We also conducted quantitative analysis of methylation properties like symmetry and entropy, providing a more comprehensive view of epigenetic silencing in X chromosome inactivation. We also resolved the allele-specific genetics and epigenetics of structural macrosatellite Dxz4 and other repeats.
Project description:During viral infections cellular gene expression is subject to rapid alterations induced by both viral and antiviral mechanisms. In this study, we applied metabolic labeling of newly transcribed RNA with 4-thiouridine (4sU-tagging) to dissect the real-time kinetics of cellular and viral transcriptional activity during lytic murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection. Microarray profiling on newly transcribed RNA obtained from different times during the first six hours of MCMV infection revealed discrete functional networks of cellular genes regulated with distinct kinetics at surprising temporal resolution. Most of these were undetectable in total RNA, either due to low temporal sensitivity of standard gene expression profiling using total RNA, or due to rapid (viral) counter-regulation. Furthermore, metabolic labeling and purification of newly transcribed RNA detailed the real-time kinetics and regulation of viral gene expression in absence of any interfering virion-associated RNA. Both qRT-PCR and next-generation sequencing of newly transcribed RNA demonstrated an unexpected peak of viral gene expression during the first two hours of infection including transcription of immediate early, early and even well characterized late genes. Interestingly, this peak was subject to rapid gene silencing (independent of the multiplicity of infection) with similar transcriptional activity only reached late in infection. For some genes, e.g. m152, this resulted in massive down-regulation of transcriptional activity by 6 hours post infection, which was not even reversed late in infection. Our findings thus highlight the importance of transcriptional activity during the first few hours of CMV infection and hint at novel mechanisms governing the kinetics of viral gene expression. In conclusion, studying real-time transcriptional activity during lytic CMV infection provides intriguing new insights into the regulation of cellular and viral gene expression. In total 13 samples were examined: 3 samples of total RNA (mock, 25, 48 hours past MCMV infection), 3 samples pre-existing RNA (mock, 25, 48 hpi), and 7 samples newly-transcribed RNA (mock, 1-2, 5-6, 11-12, 18-19, 24-25, 47-48 hpi)
Project description:In this study, we provided the first genome-wide, base pair-resolution map of 6mA in Tetrahymena by applying single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing.
Project description:The Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) Nuclear Antigen 1 (EBNA1) protein is required for the establishment of EBV latent infection in proliferating B-lymphocytes. EBNA1 is a multifunctional DNA-binding protein that stimulates DNA replication at the viral origin of plasmid replication (OriP), regulates transcription of viral and cellular genes, and tethers the viral episome to the cellular chromosome. EBNA1 also provides a survival function to B-lymphocytes, potentially through its ability to alter cellular gene expression. Chromatin-immunoprecipitation (ChIP) combined with massively parallel deep-sequencing (ChIP-Seq) was used to identify cellular sites bound by EBNA1. Sites identified by ChIP-Seq were validated by conventional real-time PCR, and ChIP-Seq provided quantitative, high-resolution detection of the known EBNA1 binding sites on the EBV genome at OriP and Qp. We identified at least one cluster of unusually high-affinity EBNA1 binding sites on chromosome 11, between the divergent FAM55D and FAM55B genes. A consensus for all cellular EBNA1 binding sites is distinct from those derived from the known viral binding sites, suggesting that some of these sites are indirectly bound by EBNA1. We conclude that EBNA1 can interact with a large number of cellular genes and chromosomal loci in latently infected cells, but that these sites are likely to represent a complex ensemble of direct and indirect EBNA1 binding sites.