Displaying publications 101 - 120 of 175 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Fulltext Genome sequence of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli EC302/04, isolated from a human tracheal aspirate
    Ho WS, Gan HM, Yap KP, Balan G, Yeo CC, Thong KL
    J Bacteriol, 2012 Dec;194(23):6691-2.
    PMID: 23144425 DOI: 10.1128/JB.01804-12
    Escherichia coli is an important etiologic agent of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI). Multidrug-resistant E. coli EC302/04 was isolated from a tracheal aspirate, and its genome sequence is expected to provide insights into antimicrobial resistance as well as adaptive and virulence mechanisms of E. coli involved in LRTI.
  2. Fulltext Whole-genome sequence of Cupriavidus sp. strain BIS7, a heavy-metal-resistant bacterium
    Hong KW, Thinagaran Da, Gan HM, Yin WF, Chan KG
    J Bacteriol, 2012 Nov;194(22):6324.
    PMID: 23115161 DOI: 10.1128/JB.01608-12
    Cupriavidus sp. strain BIS7 is a Malaysian tropical soil bacterium that exhibits broad heavy-metal resistance [Co(II), Zn(II), Ni(II), Se(IV), Cu(II), chromate, Co(III), Fe(II), and Fe(III)]. It is particularly resistant to Fe(II), Fe(III), and Zn(II). Here we present the assembly and annotation of its genome.
  3. Fulltext Whole-genome sequence of Enterobacter sp. strain SST3, an endophyte isolated from Jamaican sugarcane (Saccharum sp.) stalk tissue
    Gan HM, McGroty SE, Chew TH, Chan KG, Buckley LJ, Savka MA, et al.
    J Bacteriol, 2012 Nov;194(21):5981-2.
    PMID: 23045495 DOI: 10.1128/JB.01469-12
    Enterobacter sp. strain SST3 is an endophytic bacterium isolated from Saccharum spp. Here we present its annotated draft genome that may shed light on its role as a bacterial endophyte of sugarcane. To our knowledge, this is the first genome announcement of a sugarcane-associated bacterium from the genus Enterobacter.
  4. Fulltext Genome sequence of Acinetobacter baumannii AC12, a polymyxin-resistant strain isolated from Terengganu, Malaysia
    Gan HM, Lean SS, Suhaili Z, Thong KL, Yeo CC
    J Bacteriol, 2012 Nov;194(21):5979-80.
    PMID: 23045494 DOI: 10.1128/JB.01466-12
    Acinetobacter baumannii is a major cause of nosocomial infection worldwide. We report the draft genome sequence of A. baumannii AC12, a multidrug-resistant nosocomial strain with additional resistance to carbapenems and polymyxin. The genome data will provide insights into the genetic basis of antimicrobial resistance and its adaptive mechanism.
  5. Fulltext Genome sequence of Hydrogenophaga sp. strain PBC, a 4-aminobenzenesulfonate-degrading bacterium
    Gan HM, Chew TH, Tay YL, Lye SF, Yahya A
    J Bacteriol, 2012 Sep;194(17):4759-60.
    PMID: 22887664 DOI: 10.1128/JB.00990-12
    Hydrogenophaga sp. strain PBC is an effective degrader of 4-aminobenzenesulfonate isolated from textile wastewater. Here we present the assembly and annotation of its genome, which may provide further insights into its metabolic potential. This is the first announcement of the draft genome sequence of a strain from the genus Hydrogenophaga.
  6. Fulltext Genome sequence of Ralstonia sp. strain PBA, a bacterium involved in the biodegradation of 4-aminobenzenesulfonate
    Gan HM, Chew TH, Tay YL, Lye SF, Yahya A
    J Bacteriol, 2012 Sep;194(18):5139-40.
    PMID: 22933765 DOI: 10.1128/JB.01165-12
    Ralstonia sp. strain PBA was isolated from textile wastewater in a coculture with Hydrogenophaga sp. strain PBC. Here we present the assembly and annotation of its genome, which may provide further insights into the mechanism of its interaction with strain PBC during 4-aminobenzenesulfonate degradation.
  7. Fulltext Genomic characterization of bacteria from the ultra-oligotrophic Madison aquifer: insight into the archetypical LuxI/LuxR and identification of novel LuxR solos
    Wengert PC, Wong NH, Barton HA, Gan HM, Hudson AO, Savka MA
    BMC Res Notes, 2021 May 08;14(1):175.
    PMID: 33964980 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-021-05589-6
    OBJECTIVES: To characterize the bacterial community of Wind Cave's Madison aquifer through whole-genome sequencing, and to better understand the bacterial ecology by identifying genes involved in acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) based quorum-sensing (QS) systems.

    RESULTS: Genome-based taxonomic classification revealed the microbial richness present in the pristine Madison aquifer. The strains were found to span eleven genera and fourteen species, of which eight had uncertain taxonomic classifications. The genomes of strains SD129 and SD340 were found to contain the archetypical AHL QS system composed of two genes, luxI and luxR. Surprisingly, the genomes of strains SD115, SD129, SD274 and SD316 were found to contain one to three luxR orphans (solos). Strain SD129, besides possessing an archetypical AHL QS luxI-luxR pair, also contained two luxR solos, while strain SD316 contained three LuxR solos and no luxI-luxR pairs. The ligand-binding domain of two LuxR solos, one each from strains SD129 and SD316, were found to contain novel substitutions not previously reported, thus may represent two LuxR orphans that detection and response to unknown self-produced signal(s), or to signal(s) produced by other organisms.

  8. Improving the phylogenetic resolution of Malaysian and Javan mahseer (Cyprinidae), Tor tambroides and Tor tambra: Whole mitogenomes sequencing, phylogeny and potential mitogenome markers
    Lim LWK, Chung HH, Lau MML, Aziz F, Gan HM
    Gene, 2021 Jul 30;791:145708.
    PMID: 33984441 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2021.145708
    The true mahseer (Tor spp.) is one of the highest valued fish in the world due to its high nutritional value and great unique taste. Nevertheless, its morphological characterization and single mitochondrial gene phylogeny in the past had yet to resolve the ambiguity in its taxonomical classification. In this study, we sequenced and assembled 11 complete mahseer mitogenomes collected from Java of Indonesia, Pahang and Terengganu of Peninsular Malaysia as well as Sarawak of East Malaysia. The mitogenome evolutionary relationships among closely related Tor spp. samples were investigated based on maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree construction. Compared to the commonly used COX1 gene fragment, the complete COX1, Cytb, ND2, ND4 and ND5 genes appear to be better phylogenetic markers for genetic differentiation at the population level. In addition, a total of six population-specific mitolineage haplotypes were identified among the mahseer samples analyzed, which this offers hints towards its taxonomical landscape.
  9. Fulltext Dumpster diving for diatom plastid 16S rRNA genes
    Bonfantine KL, Trevathan-Tackett SM, Matthews TG, Neckovic A, Gan HM
    PeerJ, 2021;9:e11576.
    PMID: 34249491 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11576
    High throughput sequencing is improving the efficiency of monitoring diatoms, which inhabit and support aquatic ecosystems across the globe. In this study, we explored the potential of a standard V4 515F-806RB primer pair in recovering diatom plastid 16S rRNA sequences. We used PhytoREF to classify the 16S reads from our freshwater biofilm field sampling from three stream segments across two streams in south-eastern Australia and retrieved diatom community data from other, publicly deposited, Australian 16S amplicon datasets. When these diatom operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were traced using the default RDPII and NCBI databases, 68% were characterized as uncultured cyanobacteria. We analysed the 16S rRNA sequences from 72 stream biofilm samples, separated the chloroplast OTUs, and classified them using the PhytoREF database. After filtering the reads attributed to Bacillariophyta (relative abundance >1%), 71 diatom OTUs comprising more than 90% of the diatom reads in each stream biofilm sample were identified. Beta-diversity analyses demonstrated significantly different diatom assemblages and discrimination among river segments. To further test the approach, the diatom OTUs from our biofilm sampling were used as reference sequences to identify diatom reads from other Australian 16S rRNA datasets in the NCBI-SRA database. Across the three selected public datasets, 67 of our 71 diatom OTUs were detected in other Australian ecosystems. Our results show that diatom plastid 16S rRNA genes are readily amplified with existing 515F-806RB primer sets. Therefore, the volume of existing 16S rRNA amplicon datasets initially generated for microbial community profiling can also be used to detect, characterize, and map diatom distribution to inform phylogeny and ecological health assessments, and can be extended into a range of ecological and industrial applications. To our knowledge, this study represents the first attempt to classify freshwater samples using this approach and the first application of PhytoREF in Australia.
  10. Fulltext Insight into the resistome and quorum sensing system of a divergent Acinetobacter pittii isolate from an untouched site of the Lechuguilla Cave
    Gan HM, Wengert P, Barton HA, Hudson AO, Savka MA
    Access Microbiol, 2020;2(2):acmi000089.
    PMID: 34568753 DOI: 10.1099/acmi.0.000089
    Acinetobacter are Gram-negative bacteria belonging to the sub-phyla Gammaproteobacteria, commonly associated with soils, animal feeds and water. Some members of the Acinetobacter have been implicated in hospital-acquired infections, with broad-spectrum antibiotic resistance. Here we report the whole-genome sequence of LC510, an Acinetobacter species isolated from deep within a pristine location of the Lechuguilla Cave. Pairwise nucleotide comparison to three type strains within the genus Acinetobacter assigned LC510 as an Acinetobacter pittii isolate. Scanning of the LC510 genome identified two genes coding for b-lactamase resistance, despite the fact that LC510 was isolated from a portion of the cave not previously visited by humans and protected from anthropogenic input. The ability to produce acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) signal in culture medium, an observation that is consistent with the identification of the luxI and luxR homologues in its genome, suggests that cell-to-cell communication remains important in an isolated cave ecosystem.
  11. Genome sequencing-assisted identification and the first functional validation of N-acyl-homoserine-lactone synthases from the Sphingomonadaceae family
    Gan HM, Dailey LK, Halliday N, Williams P, Hudson AO, Savka MA
    PeerJ, 2016;4:e2332.
    PMID: 27635318 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2332
    Members of the genus Novosphingobium have been isolated from a variety of environmental niches. Although genomics analyses have suggested the presence of genes associated with quorum sensing signal production e.g., the N-acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) synthase (luxI) homologs in various Novosphingobium species, to date, no luxI homologs have been experimentally validated.
  12. Fulltext Purifying selection and genetic drift shaped Pleistocene evolution of the mitochondrial genome in an endangered Australian freshwater fish
    Pavlova A, Gan HM, Lee YP, Austin CM, Gilligan DM, Lintermans M, et al.
    Heredity (Edinb), 2017 05;118(5):466-476.
    PMID: 28051058 DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2016.120
    Genetic variation in mitochondrial genes could underlie metabolic adaptations because mitochondrially encoded proteins are directly involved in a pathway supplying energy to metabolism. Macquarie perch from river basins exposed to different climates differ in size and growth rate, suggesting potential presence of adaptive metabolic differences. We used complete mitochondrial genome sequences to build a phylogeny, estimate lineage divergence times and identify signatures of purifying and positive selection acting on mitochondrial genes for 25 Macquarie perch from three basins: Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), Hawkesbury-Nepean Basin (HNB) and Shoalhaven Basin (SB). Phylogenetic analysis resolved basin-level clades, supporting incipient speciation previously inferred from differentiation in allozymes, microsatellites and mitochondrial control region. The estimated time of lineage divergence suggested an early- to mid-Pleistocene split between SB and the common ancestor of HNB+MDB, followed by mid-to-late Pleistocene splitting between HNB and MDB. These divergence estimates are more recent than previous ones. Our analyses suggested that evolutionary drivers differed between inland MDB and coastal HNB. In the cooler and more climatically variable MDB, mitogenomes evolved under strong purifying selection, whereas in the warmer and more climatically stable HNB, purifying selection was relaxed. Evidence for relaxed selection in the HNB includes elevated transfer RNA and 16S ribosomal RNA polymorphism, presence of potentially mildly deleterious mutations and a codon (ATP6113) displaying signatures of positive selection (ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution rates (dN/dS) >1, radical change of an amino-acid property and phylogenetic conservation across the Percichthyidae). In addition, the difference could be because of stronger genetic drift in the smaller and historically more subdivided HNB with low per-population effective population sizes.
  13. Fulltext Elucidating the diet of the island flying fox (Pteropus hypomelanus) in Peninsular Malaysia through Illumina Next-Generation Sequencing
    Aziz SA, Clements GR, Peng LY, Campos-Arceiz A, McConkey KR, Forget PM, et al.
    PeerJ, 2017;5:e3176.
    PMID: 28413729 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3176
    There is an urgent need to identify and understand the ecosystem services of pollination and seed dispersal provided by threatened mammals such as flying foxes. The first step towards this is to obtain comprehensive data on their diet. However, the volant and nocturnal nature of bats presents a particularly challenging situation, and conventional microhistological approaches to studying their diet can be laborious and time-consuming, and provide incomplete information. We used Illumina Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) as a novel, non-invasive method for analysing the diet of the island flying fox (Pteropus hypomelanus) on Tioman Island, Peninsular Malaysia. Through DNA metabarcoding of plants in flying fox droppings, using primers targeting the rbcL gene, we identified at least 29 Operationally Taxonomic Units (OTUs) comprising the diet of this giant pteropodid. OTU sequences matched at least four genera and 14 plant families from online reference databases based on a conservative Least Common Ancestor approach, and eight species from our site-specific plant reference collection. NGS was just as successful as conventional microhistological analysis in detecting plant taxa from droppings, but also uncovered six additional plant taxa. The island flying fox's diet appeared to be dominated by figs (Ficus sp.), which was the most abundant plant taxon detected in the droppings every single month. Our study has shown that NGS can add value to the conventional microhistological approach in identifying food plant species from flying fox droppings. At this point in time, more accurate genus- and species-level identification of OTUs not only requires support from databases with more representative sequences of relevant plant DNA, but probably necessitates in situ collection of plant specimens to create a reference collection. Although this method cannot be used to quantify true abundance or proportion of plant species, nor plant parts consumed, it ultimately provides a very important first step towards identifying plant taxa and spatio-temporal patterns in flying fox diets.
  14. Fulltext Draft Genome Sequences of Six Enterococcus faecalis Strains Isolated from Malaysian Clinical and Environmental Origins
    Daniel DS, Gan HM, Lee SM, Dykes GA, Rahman S
    Genome Announc, 2017 Jun 15;5(24).
    PMID: 28619812 DOI: 10.1128/genomeA.00553-17
    Enterococcus faecalis is known to cause a variety of nosocomial infections, including urinary tract infections. Antibiotic resistance and virulence properties in this species are of public concern. The draft genome sequences of six E. faecalis strains isolated from clinical and environmental sources in Malaysia are presented here.
  15. Fulltext Microbiome analysis of Pacific white shrimp gut and rearing water from Malaysia and Vietnam: implications for aquaculture research and management
    Md Zoqratt MZH, Eng WWH, Thai BT, Austin CM, Gan HM
    PeerJ, 2018;6:e5826.
    PMID: 30397546 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5826
    Aquaculture production of the Pacific white shrimp is the largest in the world for crustacean species. Crucial to the sustainable global production of this important seafood species is a fundamental understanding of the shrimp gut microbiota and its relationship to the microbial ecology of shrimp pond. This is especially true, given the recently recognized role of beneficial microbes in promoting shrimp nutrient intake and in conferring resistance against pathogens. Unfortunately, aquaculture-related microbiome studies are scarce in Southeast Asia countries despite the severe impact of early mortality syndrome outbreaks on shrimp production in the region. In this study, we employed the 16S rRNA amplicon (V3-V4 region) sequencing and amplicon sequence variants (ASV) method to investigate the microbial diversity of shrimp guts and pond water samples collected from aquaculture farms located in Malaysia and Vietnam. Substantial differences in the pond microbiota were observed between countries with the presence and absence of several taxa extending to the family level. Microbial diversity of the shrimp gut was found to be generally lower than that of the pond environments with a few ubiquitous genera representing a majority of the shrimp gut microbial diversity such as Vibrio and Photobacterium, indicating host-specific selection of microbial species. Given the high sequence conservation of the 16S rRNA gene, we assessed its veracity at distinguishing Vibrio species based on nucleotide alignment against type strain reference sequences and demonstrated the utility of ASV approach in uncovering a wider diversity of Vibrio species compared to the conventional OTU clustering approach.
  16. Fulltext Mitogenome data of Nycticebus coucang insularis Robinson, 1917 (Primate: Lorisidae)
    Rovie-Ryan JJ, Gani M, Lee YP, Gan HM, Abdullah MT
    Data Brief, 2019 Aug;25:104058.
    PMID: 31211204 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2019.104058
    This data article presents the first complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of an endangered slow loris subspecies, Nycticebus coucang insularis Robinson, 1917 from Tioman Island, Pahang. Once considered as extinct, an individual of the subspecies was captured alive from the island during the 2016 Biodiversity Inventory Programme as highlighted in the related research article entitled "Rediscovery of Nycticebus coucang insularis Robinson, 1917 (Primates: Lorisidae) at Tioman Island and its mitochondrial genetic assessment" Rovie-Ryan et al., 2018. Using MiSeq™ sequencing system, the entire mitogenome recovered is 16,765 bp in length, made up of 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and one control region. The mitogenome has been deposited at DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank under the accession number NC_040292.1/MG515246.
  17. Labile sex chromosomes in the Australian freshwater fish family Percichthyidae
    Pavlova A, Harrisson KA, Turakulov R, Lee YP, Ingram BA, Gilligan D, et al.
    Mol Ecol Resour, 2021 Dec 04.
    PMID: 34863023 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13569
    Sex-specific ecology has management implications, but rapid sex-chromosome turnover in fishes hinders sex-marker development for monomorphic species. We used annotated genomes and reduced-representation sequencing data for two Australian percichthyids, Macquarie perch Macquaria australasica and golden perch M. ambigua, and whole genome resequencing for 50 Macquarie perch of each sex, to identify sex-linked loci and develop an affordable sexing assay. In silico pool-seq tests of 1,492,004 Macquarie perch SNPs revealed that a 275-kb scaffold was enriched for gametologous loci. Within this scaffold, 22 loci were sex-linked in a predominantly XY system, with females being homozygous for the X-linked allele at all 22, and males having the Y-linked allele at >7. Seven XY-gametologous loci (all males, but no females, are heterozygous or homozygous for the male-specific allele) were within a 146-bp region. A PCR-RFLP sexing assay targeting one Y-linked SNP, tested in 66 known-sex Macquarie perch and two of each sex of three confamilial species, plus amplicon sequencing of 400 bp encompassing the 146-bp region, revealed that the few sex-linked positions differ between species and between Macquarie perch populations. This indicates sex-chromosome lability in Percichthyidae, supported by nonhomologous scaffolds containing sex-linked loci for Macquarie- and golden perches. The present resources facilitate genomic research in Percichthyidae, including formulation of hypotheses about candidate genes of interest such as transcription factor SOX1b that occurs in the 275-kb scaffold ~38 kb downstream of the 146-bp region containing seven XY-gametologous loci. Sex-linked markers will be useful for determining genetic sex in some populations and studying sex chromosome turnover.
  18. Fulltext Whole-Genome Sequences of Two Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella quasipneumoniae Strains Isolated from a Tertiary Hospital in Johor, Malaysia
    Gan HM, Rajasekaram G, Eng WWH, Kaniappan P, Dhanoa A
    Genome Announc, 2017 Aug 10;5(32).
    PMID: 28798179 DOI: 10.1128/genomeA.00768-17
    We report the whole-genome sequences of two carbapenem-resistant clinical isolates of Klebsiella quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae obtained from two different patients. Both strains contained three different extended-spectrum β-lactamase genes and showed strikingly high pairwise average nucleotide identity of 99.99% despite being isolated 3 years apart from the same hospital.
  19. More evolution underground: Accelerated mitochondrial substitution rate in Australian burrowing freshwater crayfishes (Decapoda: Parastacidae)
    Gan HM, Tan MH, Lee YP, Schultz MB, Horwitz P, Burnham Q, et al.
    Mol Phylogenet Evol, 2018 01;118:88-98.
    PMID: 28966124 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.09.022
    To further understand the evolutionary history and mitogenomic features of Australia's highly distinctive freshwater crayfish fauna, we utilized a recently described rapid mitogenome sequencing pipeline to generate 24 new crayfish mitogenomes including a diversity of burrowing crayfish species and the first for Astacopsis gouldi, the world's largest freshwater invertebrate. Whole mitogenome-based phylogeny estimates using both Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood methods substantially strengthen existing hypotheses for systematic relationships among Australian freshwater crayfish with evidence of pervasive diversifying selection and accelerated mitochondrial substitution rate among the members of the clade representing strongly burrowing crayfish that may reflect selection pressures for increased energy requirement for adaptation to terrestrial environment and a burrowing lifestyle. Further, gene rearrangements are prevalent in the burrowing crayfish mitogenomes involving both tRNA and protein coding genes. In addition, duplicated control regions were observed in two closely related Engaeus species, together with evidence for concerted evolution. This study significantly adds to the understanding of Australian freshwater crayfish evolutionary relationships and suggests a link between mitogenome evolution and adaptation to terrestrial environments and a burrowing lifestyle in freshwater crayfish.
  20. Fulltext Whole genome sequencing of Rhodotorula mucilaginosa isolated from the chewing stick (Distemonanthus benthamianus): insights into Rhodotorula phylogeny, mitogenome dynamics and carotenoid biosynthesis
    Gan HM, Thomas BN, Cavanaugh NT, Morales GH, Mayers AN, Savka MA, et al.
    PeerJ, 2017;5:e4030.
    PMID: 29158974 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4030
    In industry, the yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa is commonly used for the production of carotenoids. The production of carotenoids is important because they are used as natural colorants in food and some carotenoids are precursors of retinol (vitamin A). However, the identification and molecular characterization of the carotenoid pathway/s in species belonging to the genus Rhodotorula is scarce due to the lack of genomic information thus potentially impeding effective metabolic engineering of these yeast strains for improved carotenoid production. In this study, we report the isolation, identification, characterization and the whole nuclear genome and mitogenome sequence of the endophyte R. mucilaginosa RIT389 isolated from Distemonanthus benthamianus, a plant known for its anti-fungal and antibacterial properties and commonly used as chewing sticks. The assembled genome of R. mucilaginosa RIT389 is 19 Mbp in length with an estimated genomic heterozygosity of 9.29%. Whole genome phylogeny supports the species designation of strain RIT389 within the genus in addition to supporting the monophyly of the currently sequenced Rhodotorula species. Further, we report for the first time, the recovery of the complete mitochondrial genome of R. mucilaginosa using the genome skimming approach. The assembled mitogenome is at least 7,000 bases larger than that of Rhodotorula taiwanensis which is largely attributed to the presence of large intronic regions containing open reading frames coding for homing endonuclease from the LAGLIDADG and GIY-YIG families. Furthermore, genomic regions containing the key genes for carotenoid production were identified in R. mucilaginosa RIT389, revealing differences in gene synteny that may play a role in the regulation of the biotechnologically important carotenoid synthesis pathways in yeasts.
Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links