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Fast estimation of the difference between two PAM/JTT evolutionary distances in triplets of homologous sequences
(2006)BMC BioinformaticsBackground The estimation of the difference between two evolutionary distances within a triplet of homologs is a common operation that is used for example to determine which of two sequences is closer to a third one. The most accurate method is currently maximum likelihood over the entire triplet. However, this approach is relatively time consuming. Results We show that an alternative estimator, based on pairwise estimates and therefore ...Journal Article -
Systematic assignment of thermodynamic constraints in metabolic network models
(2006)BMC BioinformaticsBackground The availability of genome sequences for many organisms enabled the reconstruction of several genome-scale metabolic network models. Currently, significant efforts are put into the automated reconstruction of such models. For this, several computational tools have been developed that particularly assist in identifying and compiling the organism-specific lists of metabolic reactions. In contrast, the last step of the model ...Journal Article -
Web-based analysis of the mouse transcriptome using Genevestigator
(2006)BMC BioinformaticsBackground Gene function analysis often requires a complex and laborious sequence of laboratory and computer-based experiments. Choosing an effective experimental design generally results from hypotheses derived from prior knowledge or experimentation. Knowledge obtained from meta-analyzing compendia of expression data with annotation libraries can provide significant clues in understanding gene and network function, resulting in better ...Journal Article -
Quantitative profiling of housekeeping and Epstein-Barr virus gene transcription in Burkitt lymphoma cell lines using an oligonucleotide microarray
(2006)Virology JournalBackground The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with lymphoid malignancies, including Burkitt's lymphoma (BL), and can transform human B cells in vitro. EBV-harboring cell lines are widely used to investigate lymphocyte transformation and oncogenesis. Qualitative EBV gene expression has been extensively described, but knowledge of quantitative transcription is lacking. We hypothesized that transcription levels of EBNA1, the gene ...Journal Article -
Uncoiling mechanics of Escherichia coli type I fimbriae are optimized for catch bonds
(2006)PLoS BiologyWe determined whether the molecular structures through which force is applied to receptor–ligand pairs are tuned to optimize cell adhesion under flow. The adhesive tethers of our model system, Escherichia coli, are type I fimbriae, which are anchored to the outer membrane of most E. coli strains. They consist of a fimbrial rod (0.3–1.5 μm in length) built from a helically coiled structural subunit, FimA, and an adhesive subunit, FimH, ...Journal Article -
A Model of the Ventral Visual System Based on Temporal Stability and Local Memory
(2006)PLoS BiologyThe cerebral cortex is a remarkably homogeneous structure suggesting a rather generic computational machinery. Indeed, under a variety of conditions, functions attributed to specialized areas can be supported by other regions. However, a host of studies have laid out an ever more detailed map of functional cortical areas. This leaves us with the puzzle of whether different cortical areas are intrinsically specialized, or whether they ...Journal Article -
Legionella pneumophila exploits PI(4)P to anchor secreted effector proteins to the replicative vacuole
(2006)PLoS PathogensThe causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, Legionella pneumophila, employs the intracellular multiplication (Icm)/defective organelle trafficking (Dot) type IV secretion system (T4SS) to upregulate phagocytosis and to establish a replicative vacuole in amoebae and macrophages. Legionella-containing vacuoles (LCVs) do not fuse with endosomes but recruit early secretory vesicles. Here we analyze the role of host cell phosphoinositide ...Journal Article -
MIAME/Plant - adding value to plant microarrray experiments
(2006)Plant MethodsAppropriate biological interpretation of microarray data calls for relevant experimental annotation. The widely accepted MIAME guidelines provide a generic, organism-independant standard for minimal information about microarray experiments. In its overall structure, MIAME is very general and specifications cover mostly technical aspects, while relevant organism-specific information useful to understand the underlying experiments is largely ...Journal Article -
Phylogenetic and structural analysis of centromeric DNA and kinetochore proteins
(2006)Genome BiologyBackground Kinetochores are large multi-protein structures that assemble on centromeric DNA (CEN DNA) and mediate the binding of chromosomes to microtubules. Comprising 125 base-pairs of CEN DNA and 70 or more protein components, Saccharomyces cerevisiae kinetochores are among the best understood. In contrast, most fungal, plant and animal cells assemble kinetochores on CENs that are longer and more complex, raising the question of whether ...Journal Article -
Analysis of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteome with PeptideAtlas
(2006)Genome BiologyWe present the Saccharomyces cerevisiae PeptideAtlas composed from 47 diverse experiments and 4.9 million tandem mass spectra. The observed peptides align to 61% of Saccharomyces Genome Database (SGD) open reading frames (ORFs), 49% of the uncharacterized SGD ORFs, 54% of S. cerevisiae ORFs with a Gene Ontology annotation of 'molecular function unknown', and 76% of ORFs with Gene names. We highlight the use of this resource for data mining, ...Journal Article