Biology subjects

Huan, Q.

Publications and source records attributed to Huan, Q..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

Evidence for a mouse origin of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant

The rapid accumulation of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant that enabled its outbreak raises questions as to whether its proximal origin occurred in humans or another mammalian host. Here, we identified 45 point mutations that Omicron acquired since divergence from the B.1.1 lineage. We found that the Omicron spike protein sequence was subjected to stronger positive selection than that of any reported SARS-CoV-2 variants known to evolve persistently in human hosts, suggesting the possibility of host-jumping. The molecular spectrum (i.e., the relative frequency of the twelve types of base substitutions) of mutations acquired by the progenitor of Omicron was significantly different from the spectrum for viruses that evolved in human patients, but was highly consistent with spectra associated with evolution in a mouse cellular environment. Furthermore, mutations in the Omicron spike protein significantly overlapped with SARS-CoV-2 mutations known to promote adaptation to mouse hosts, particularly through enhanced spike protein binding affinity for the mouse cell entry receptor. Collectively, our results suggest that the progenitor of Omicron jumped from humans to mice, rapidly accumulated mutations conducive to infecting that host, then jumped back into humans, indicating an inter-species evolutionary trajectory for the Omicron outbreak.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Single-cell transcriptome analyses recapitulate the cellular and developmental responses to abiotic stresses in rice

The metabolism and reproduction of plants depend on the division of labors among cells. However, cells with various functions are often studied as a bulk where their specificities were diluted. Here, we apply single-cell RNA sequencing to the aerial part of rice seedlings growing in various environments. We capture the transcriptomes of thousands of cells, identify all major cell types, and reconstruct their developmental trajectories. We find that abiotic stresses not only affect gene expression in a cell-type-specific manner but also have impacts on the physical size of cells and the composition of cell populations. We validate some of these conclusions with microscopy and provide developmental mechanisms with computational analyses. Collectively, our study represents a benchmark-setting data resource of single-cell transcriptome atlas in rice and an illustration of exploiting such resource to drive discoveries in plant biology.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2018

DNA local structure decreases mutation rates

BackgroundMutation rates vary across the genome. Whereas many trans factors that influence mutation rates have been identified, as have specific sequence motifs at the 1-7 bp scale, cis elements remain poorly characterized. The lack of understanding why different sequences have different mutation rates hampers our ability to identify positive selection in evolution and to identify driver mutations in tumorigenesis.\n\nResultsHere we show, using a combination of synthetic genes and sequencing of thousands of isolated yeast colonies, that intrinsic DNA curvature is the major cis determinant of mutation rate. Mutation rate negatively correlates with DNA curvature within genes, and a 10% decrease in curvature results in a 70% increase in mutation rate. Consistently, both yeast cells and human tumors accumulate mutations in regions with small curvature. We further show that this effect is due to differences in the intrinsic mutation rate, likely due to differences in mutagen sensitivity, and not due to differences in the local activity of DNA repair.\n\nConclusionsOur study establishes a framework in understanding the cis properties of DNA sequence in modulating the local mutation rate and identifies a novel causal source of non-uniform mutation rates across the genome.

genetics↗