HMMER Cut-off Threshold Tool (HMMERCTTER): Supervised classification of superfamily protein sequences with a reliable cut-off threshold.

BACKGROUND: Protein superfamilies can be divided into subfamilies of proteins with different functional characteristics. Their sequences can be classified hierarchically, which is part of sequence function assignation. Typically, there are no clear subfamily hallmarks that would allow pattern-based function assignation by which this task is mostly achieved based on the similarity principle. This is hampered by the lack of a score cut-off that is both sensitive and specific. RESULTS: HMMER Cut-off Threshold Tool (HMMERCTTER) adds a reliable cut-off threshold to the popular HMMER. Using a high quality superfamily phylogeny, it clusters a set of training sequences such that the cluster-specific HMMER profiles show cluster or subfamily member detection with 100% precision and recall (P&R), thereby generating a specific threshold as inclusion cut-off. Profiles and thresholds are then used as classifiers to screen a target dataset. Iterative inclusion of novel sequences to groups and the corresponding HMMER profiles results in high sensitivity while specificity is maintained by imposing 100% P&R self detection. In three presented case studies of protein superfamilies, classification of large datasets with 100% precision was achieved with over 95% recall. Limits and caveats are presented and explained. CONCLUSIONS: HMMERCTTER is a promising protein superfamily sequence classifier provided high quality training datasets are used. It provides a decision support system that aids in the difficult task of sequence function assignation in the twilight zone of sequence similarity. All relevant data and source codes are available from the Github repository at the following URL: https://github.com/BBCMdP/HMMERCTTER.

The diversity of algal phospholipase D homologs revealed by biocomputational analysis.

Phospholipase D (PLD) participates in the formation of phosphatidic acid, a precursor in glycerolipid biosynthesis and a second messenger. PLDs are part of a superfamily of proteins that hydrolyze phosphodiesters and share a catalytic motif, HxKxxxxD, and hence a mechanism of action. Although HKD-PLDs have been thoroughly characterized in plants, animals and bacteria, very little is known about these enzymes in algae. To fill this gap in knowledge, we performed a biocomputational analysis by means of HMMER iterative profiling, using most eukaryotic algae genomes available. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that algae exhibit very few eukaryotic-type PLDs but possess, instead, many bacteria-like PLDs. Among algae eukaryotic-type PLDs, we identified C2-PLDs and PXPH-like PLDs. In addition, the dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense features several proteins phylogenetically related to oomycete PLDs. Our phylogenetic analysis also showed that algae bacteria-like PLDs (proteins with putative PLD activity) fall into five clades, three of which are novel lineages in eukaryotes, composed almost entirely of algae. Specifically, Clade II is almost exclusive to diatoms, whereas Clade I and IV are mainly represented by proteins from prasinophytes. The other two clades are composed of mitochondrial PLDs (Clade V or Mito-PLDs), previously found in mammals, and a subfamily of potentially secreted proteins (Clade III or SP-PLDs), which includes a homolog formerly characterized in rice. In addition, our phylogenetic analysis shows that algae have non-PLD members within the bacteria-like HKD superfamily with putative cardiolipin synthase and phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylglycerophosphate synthase activities. Altogether, our results show that eukaryotic algae possess a moderate number of PLDs that belong to very diverse phylogenetic groups.

Evolution and functional diversification of the small heat shock protein/α-crystallin family in higher plants.

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are chaperones that play an important role in stress tolerance. They consist of an alpha-crystallin domain (ACD) flanked by N- and C-terminal regions. However, not all proteins that contain an ACD, hereafter referred to as ACD proteins, are sHSPs because certain ACD proteins are known to have different functions. Furthermore, since not all ACD proteins have been identified yet, current classifications are incomplete. A total of 17 complete plant proteomes were screened for the presence of ACD proteins by HMMER profiling and the identified ACD protein sequences were classified by maximum likelihood phylogeny. Differences among and within groups were analysed, and levels of functional constraint were determined. There are 29 different classes of ACD proteins, eight of which contain classical sHSPs and five likely chaperones. The other classes contain proteins with uncharacterised or poorly characterised functions. N- and C-terminal sequences are conserved within the phylogenetic classes. Phylogenetics suggests a single duplication of the CI sHSP ancestor that occurred prior to the speciation of mono- and dicotyledons. This was followed by a number of more recent duplications that resulted in the presence of many paralogues. The results suggest that N- and C-terminal sequences of sHSPs play a role in class-specific functionality and that non-sHSP ACD proteins have conserved but unexplored functions, which are mainly determined by subsequences other than that of the ACD.

A small intergenic region drives exclusive tissue-specific expression of the adjacent genes in Arabidopsis thaliana.

BACKGROUND: Transcription initiation by RNA polymerase II is unidirectional from most genes. In plants, divergent genes, defined as non-overlapping genes organized head-to-head, are highly represented in the Arabidopsis genome. Nevertheless, there is scarce evidence on functional analyses of these intergenic regions. The At5g06290 and At5g06280 loci are head-to-head oriented and encode a chloroplast-located 2-Cys peroxiredoxin B (2CPB) and a protein of unknown function (PUF), respectively. The 2-Cys peroxiredoxins are proteins involved in redox processes, they are part of the plant antioxidant defence and also act as chaperons. In this study, the transcriptional activity of a small intergenic region (351 bp) shared by At5g06290 and At5g06280 in Arabidopsis thaliana was characterized. RESULTS: Activity of the intergenic region in both orientations was analyzed by driving the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene during the development and growth of Arabidopsis plants under physiological and stressful conditions. Results have shown that this region drives expression either of 2cpb or puf in photosynthetic or vascular tissues, respectively. GUS expression driven by the promoter in 2cpb orientation was enhanced by heat stress. On the other hand, the promoter in both orientations has shown similar down-regulation of GUS expression under low temperatures and other stress conditions such as mannitol, oxidative stress, or fungal elicitor. CONCLUSION: The results from this study account for the first evidence of an intergenic region that, in opposite orientation, directs GUS expression in different spatially-localized Arabidopsis tissues in a mutually exclusive manner. Additionally, this is the first demonstration of a small intergenic region that drives expression of a gene whose product is involved in the chloroplast antioxidant defence such as 2cpb. Furthermore, these results contribute to show that 2cpb is related to the heat stress defensive system in leaves and roots of Arabidopsis thaliana.