BE/GEN-EN: Genome Sequence and Functional Analysis of an Uncultured Bacterium

摘要Epulopiscium是迄今为止发现的最大的异养细菌，直径为80 × 600微米。它还有一种不寻常的能力，可以在体内产生多个活的后代。这个项目采取了一种积极的方法，通过确定完整的基因组序列来增加我们对这种有机体生物学的理解，并确定了这种特殊细菌的独特特征，这些特征使这些特殊细菌能够达到比大多数细菌大几个数量级的细胞大小。这些分析将确定可能在所有真核生物的祖先中使用的基因组和细胞修饰，作为当代真核细胞发展的第一步。通过与内孢子形成细菌的全基因组序列的比较分析，将确定鄂古猿基因组中的孢子形成基因同源物，这些同源物可以作为未来分析的目标，以确定这些基因在细胞内后代生产中的作用。最后，本项目将基于全基因组序列生成拟古猿的生理图谱。该部分将阐述该物种的正常环境（刺尾鱼的内脏）如何使这些生活方式的新进化成为可能，并作为开发培养基的框架，以便在实验室中培养刺尾鱼，以便对该物种进行更详细的实验。鼓励国内外研究拟古猿生物学、孢子形成细菌和超大型细菌的团体进行合作、讨论和数据交换。将在马里兰州罗克维尔的基因组研究所（TIGR）为这些生物学家举办培训和教育讲习班。项目团队将尽一切努力确保在拟议研究期间参与的学生和博士后候选人中包括代表性不足的群体。序列和微阵列数据将在我们的公共网站（www.tigr.org）上持续发布和更新。

ABSTRACTAt 80 by 600 microns, Epulopiscium is the largest heterotrophic bacterium that has been identified to date. It also has the unusual ability to produce multiple live offspring internally. This project takes an aggressive approach to increase our understanding of the biology of this organism by determining the complete genome sequence, and identifying the unique features of Epulopiscium that have allowed these exceptional bacteria to attain cellular sizes that are orders of magnitude larger than most bacteria. These analyses will identify genomic and cellular modifications that may have been employed in the progenitor of all eukaryotes as a first step toward the development of the contemporary eukaryotic cell. Comparative analyses with the complete genome sequences of endospore-forming bacteria will identify sporulation gene homologues in the Epulopiscium genome that can serve as targets of future analyses to determine the role of these genes in intracellular offspring production. Finally, this project will generate a physiological profile of Epulopiscium sp. based on the complete genome sequence. This component will address how the normal environment of this species (the guts of surgeonfish) may have enabled the evolution of these life-style novelties, and serve as a framework for developing culture media to grow Epulopiscium in the laboratory so that more detailed experiments on this species can be conducted. Collaborations, discussions, and data exchange with both domestic and international groups that are studying Epulopiscium biology, spore-forming bacteria, and extremely large bacteria will be encouraged. Training and educational workshops will be held at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) in Rockville, Maryland for these biologists. The project team will make every attempt to ensure that underrepresented groups are included in the students and post-doctoral candidates who will be involved for the duration of the proposed study. Sequence and microarray data will be continuously posted and updated on our public web site (www.tigr.org).