We have sequenced and annotated the genome of ®ssion yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe), which contains the smallest number of protein-coding genes yet recorded for a eukaryote: 4,824. The centromeres are between 35 and 110 kilobases (kb) and contain related repeats including a highly conserved 1.8-kb element. Regions upstream of genes are longer than in budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), possibly re¯ecting more-extended control regions. Some 43% of the genes contain introns, of which there are 4,730. Fifty genes have signi®cant similarity with human disease genes; half of these are cancer related. We identify highly conserved genes important for eukaryotic cell organization including those required for the cytoskeleton, compartmentation, cell-cycle control, proteolysis, protein phosphorylation and RNA splicing. These genes may have originated with the appearance of eukaryotic life. Few similarly conserved genes that are important for multicellular organization were identi®ed, suggesting that the transition from prokaryotes to eukaryotes required more new genes than did the transition from unicellular to multicellular organization.We report here the completion of the fully annotated genome sequence of the simple eukaryote Schizosaccharomyces pombe, a ®ssion yeast. It becomes the sixth eukaryotic genome to be sequenced, following Saccharomyces cerevisiae 1 , Caenorhabditis elegans 2 , Drosophila melanogaster 3 , Arabidopsis thaliana 4 and Homo sapiens 5,6 . The entire sequence of the unique regions of the three chromosomes is complete, with gaps in the centromeric regions of about 40 kb, and about 260 kb in the telomeric regions. The completion of this sequence, the availability of sophisticated research methodologies, and the expanding community working on S. pombe, will accelerate the use of S. pombe for functional and comparative studies of eukaryotic cell processes.

The human X chromosome has a unique biology that was shaped by its evolution as the sex chromosome shared by males and females. We have determined 99.3% of the euchromatic sequence of the X chromosome. Our analysis illustrates the autosomal origin of the mammalian sex chromosomes, the stepwise process that led to the progressive loss of recombination between X and Y, and the extent of subsequent degradation of the Y chromosome. LINE1 repeat elements cover one-third of the X chromosome, with a distribution that is consistent with their proposed role as way stations in the process of X-chromosome inactivation. We found 1,098 genes in the sequence, of which 99 encode proteins expressed in testis and in various tumour types. A disproportionately high number of mendelian diseases are documented for the X chromosome. Of this number, 168 have been explained by mutations in 113 X-linked genes, which in many cases were characterized with the aid of the DNA sequence.

Brain tumors are the most common solid tumors of childhood, and pilocytic astrocytomas (PA) are the most common central nervous system tumor in 5 to 19 year olds. Little is known about the genetic alterations underlying their development. Here, we describe a tandem duplication of f2 Mb at 7q34 occurring in 66% of PAs. This rearrangement, which was not observed in a series of 244 higher-grade astrocytomas, results in an in-frame fusion gene incorporating the kinase domain of the BRAF oncogene. We further show that the resulting fusion protein has constitutive BRAF kinase activity and is able to transform NIH3T3 cells. This is the first report of BRAF activation through rearrangement as a frequent feature in a sporadic tumor. The frequency and specificity of this change underline its potential both as a therapeutic target and as a diagnostic tool. [Cancer Res 2008;68(21):8673-7]

Knowledge of the complete genomic DNA sequence of an organism allows a systematic approach to defining its genetic components. The genomic sequence provides access to the complete structures of all genes, including those without known function, their control elements, and, by inference, the proteins they encode, as well as all other biologically important sequences. Furthermore, the sequence is a rich and permanent source of information for the design of further biological studies of the organism and for the study of evolution through cross-species sequence comparison. The power of this approach has been amply demonstrated by the determination of the sequences of a number of microbial and model organisms. The next step is to obtain the complete sequence of the entire human genome. Here we report the sequence of the euchromatic part of human chromosome 22. The sequence obtained consists of 12 contiguous segments spanning 33.4 megabases, contains at least 545 genes and 134 pseudogenes, and provides the first view of the complex chromosomal landscapes that will be found in the rest of the genome.

We screened exon 4 of the gene isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (NADP+), soluble (IDH1) for mutations in 596 primary intracranial tumors of all major types. Codon 132 mutation was seen in 54% of astrocytomas and 65% of oligodendroglial tumors but in only 6% of glioblastomas (3% of primary and 50% of secondary glioblastomas). There were no mutations in any other type of tumor studied. While mutations in the tumor protein p53 gene (TP53) and total 1p/19q deletions were mutually exclusive, IDH1 mutations were strongly correlated with these genetic abnormalities. All four types of mutant IDH1 proteins showed decreased enzymatic activity. The data indicate that IDH1 mutation combined with either TP53 mutation or total 1p/19q loss is a frequent and early change in the majority of oligodendroglial tumors, diffuse astrocytomas, anaplastic astrocytomas, and secondary glioblastomas but not in primary glioblastomas.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assessment of clonal immunoglobulin (Ig) and T-cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangements is an important diagnostic tool in mature B-cell neoplasms. However, lack of standardized PCR protocols resulting in a high level of false negativity has hampered comparability of data in previous clonality studies. In order to address these problems, 22 European laboratories investigated the Ig/TCR rearrangement patterns as well as t(14;18) and t(11;14) translocations of 369 B-cell malignancies belonging to five WHO-defined entities using the standardized BIOMED-2 multiplex PCR tubes accompanied by international pathology panel review. B-cell clonality was detected by combined use of the IGH and IGK multiplex PCR assays in all 260 definitive cases of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (n ¼ 56), mantle cell lymphoma (n ¼ 54), marginal zone lymphoma (n ¼ 41) and follicular lymphoma (n ¼ 109). Two of 109 cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma showed no detectable clonal marker. The use of these techniques to assign cell lineage should be treated with caution as additional clonal TCR gene rearrangements were frequently detected in all disease categories. Our study indicates that the BIOMED-2 multiplex PCR assays provide a powerful strategy for clonality assessment in B-cell malignancies resulting in high Ig clonality detection rates particularly when IGH and IGK strategies are combined.

Pilocytic astrocytomas (PAs), WHO malignancy grade I, are the most frequently occurring central nervous system tumour in 5-to 19-year-olds. Recent reports have highlighted the importance of MAPK pathway activation in PAs, particularly through a tandem duplication leading to an oncogenic BRAF fusion gene. Here, we report two alternative mechanisms resulting in MAPK activation in PAs. Firstly, in striking similarity to the common BRAF fusion, tandem duplication at 3p25 was observed, which produces an in-frame oncogenic fusion between SRGAP3 and RAF1. This fusion includes the Raf1 kinase domain, and shows elevated kinase activity when compared with wild-type Raf1. Secondly, a novel 3 bp insertion at codon 598 in BRAF mimics the hotspot V600E mutation to produce a transforming, constitutively active BRaf kinase. Although these two alterations are not common, they bring the number of cases with an identified 'hit' on the Ras/Raf-signalling pathway to 36 from our series of 44 (82%), confirming its central importance to the development of pilocytic astrocytomas.

Chromosomal rearrangements occur constitutionally in the general population and somatically in the majority of cancers. Detection of balanced rearrangements, such as reciprocal translocations and inversions, is troublesome, which is particularly detrimental in oncology where rearrangements play diagnostic and prognostic roles. Here we describe the use of Hi-C as a tool for detection of both balanced and unbalanced chromosomal rearrangements in primary human tumour samples, with the potential to define chromosome breakpoints to bp resolution. In addition, we show copy number profiles can also be obtained from the same data, all at a significantly lower cost than standard sequencing approaches.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13059-017-1253-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.