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For a comprehensive review of the most interesting recent articles published in the biological sciences, visit Faculty of 1000 Biology, an online literature awareness tool published by BioMed Central. Faculty of 1000 Biology systematically highlights exciting recent publications on the basis of recommendations of a faculty of well over 1,000 of the world's leading researchers. |
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William Martin
Heinrich-Heine-Universitat Dusseldorf, Germany
PLANT BIOLOGY
 Hypothesis
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The hot-hot-hot debate concerning the nature of the earliest flowering plants and the position of Amborella in angiosperm phylogeny continues here. Together with a decidedly different result on the topic by Goremykin et al. {1}, these papers highlight the salient role of evolutionary models and sampling in attempts to reconstruct evolutionary history from genome-sized data sets. Chloroplast genome sequences have moved to the fore as a tool to reconstruct plant phylogeny, and we can rest assured that more debate is in store. {1} Goremykin et al. Mol Biol Evol 2005, Jun 1; [Epub ahead of print] [PMID:15930156].
Evaluated 27 Jun 2005 |
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Jonathan Hodgkin
University of Oxford, United Kingdom
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
 New Finding
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This paper provides strong evidence that many predicted pseudogenes in the genome of C. elegans are in fact functional in some of the natural races of this organism. Chemoreceptor genes with defects (stop codons or deletions) in the sequenced wild-type strain were examined in other wild isolates, and in 10 of 31 cases apparently functional alleles were found in at least one of these wild isolates. Therefore, it may be misleading to describe any superficially non-functional sequence as a pseudogene, without information about its natural diversity. The study also shows that nematode chemoreceptor genes exhibit exceptionally high functional polymorphism.
Evaluated 5 Jul 2005 |
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Marilyn Roberts
University of Washington, United States of America
MICROBIOLOGY
 Tech Advance
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This paper demonstrates that microarray-based detection of multiple antibiotic resistance genes is now doable and the next step in surveillance of bacterial antibiotic resistance. There are some small errors in the nomenclature in Table 3 oligonucleotide sequences, such as there is no mef(B) and not all important genes are covered, such as erm(A). In spite of these errors, this article represents a very important step towards the use of microarray systems for genotyping antibiotic resistance genes.
Evaluated 6 Jul 2005 |
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Joe Heitman
Duke University Medical Center, United States of America
MICROBIOLOGY
Hypothesis
New Finding
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This study reports unequivocal evidence that several genes have been horizontally transferred from bacteria into the genome of the eukaryotic ascomycetous yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, representing one of only a few documented cases of transkingdom DNA delivery that have occurred during evolution. While horizontal gene transfer is rampant in bacteria, it has been much more difficult to establish whether this process has contributed to shaping fungal genomes. In this study, the now complete genomes for S. cerevisiae and the filamentous ascomycete Ashbya gossypii were compared, revealing candidate horizontally acquired genes in each lineage. Hall and Dietrich go on to document carefully that the URA1 gene encoding the enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHOD) and the BDS1 gene encoding an aryl and alkyl sulfatase were acquired from bacteria by yeast. The acquisition of both genes conferred novel phenotypic plasticity upon the recipient yeast, likely providing sufficient selective pressure to ensure their retention in the genome. These studies establish unequivocally that horizontal gene transfer has occurred in the fungal kingdom, opening the door to a broader analysis in other phyla and experimental studies on the mechanism and environmental niches in which bacteria and fungi might exchange genetic material.
Evaluated 24 Jun 2005 |
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Bodo Lange
Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Germany
CELL BIOLOGY
New Finding
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This study is important because it identifies a series of centriolar protein candidates, some that are homologous between Chlamydomonas and homo sapiens. The authors applied a direct proteomics approach to identify proteins through mass spectrometry techniques. They correlate the identified proteins with expression pattern during flagellar assembly and proteomic or genomic studies of the centriole, centrosome and cilia in other organisms. The precise function and localisation of the identified proteins remains to be elucidated.
Evaluated 8 Jul 2005 |
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