2020). Evolution of the novel coronavirus from the ongoing Wuhan outbreak and modeling of its spike protein for risk of human transmission. Sci China Life Sci 63, 457-460. https://doi.

Barley remains dated to the dawn of agriculture have been found at several archaeological sites 1,2 . In addition to indications that barley was an important food crop, recent excavations have fuelled speculation that beverages from fermented grains may have motivated early Neolithic hunter-gatherers to erect some of humankind's oldest monuments 3,4 . Moreover, brewing beer may also have played a role in the eastward spread of the crop after its initial domestication in the Fertile Crescent 5,6 . Since 2012, both genetic research and crop improvement in barley have benefited from a partly ordered draft sequence assembly 7 . This community resource has underpinned gene isolation 8,9 and population genomic studies 10 . However, these and other efforts have also revealed limitations of the current draft assembly. The limitations are often direct consequences of two characteristic genomic features: the extreme abundance of repetitive elements, and the severely reduced frequency of meiotic recombination in pericentromeric regions 11 .These factors have limited the contiguity of whole-genome assemblies to kilobase-sized sequences originating from low-copy regions of the genome. Thus, a detailed investigation of the composition of the repetitive fraction of the genome-including expanded gene families-and of the distribution of targets of selection and crop improvement in (genetically defined) pericentromeric regions has been beyond reach.Here we present a map-based reference sequence of the barley genome including the first comprehensively ordered assembly of the pericentromeric regions of a Triticeae genome. The resource highlights a conspicuous distinction between distal and proximal regions of chromosomes that is reflected by the intranuclear chromatin organization. Moreover, chromosomal compartments are differentiated by an exponential gradient of gene density and recombination rate, striking contrasts in the distribution of retrotransposon families, and distinct patterns of genetic diversity.Cereal grasses of the Triticeae tribe have been the major food source in temperate regions since the dawn of agriculture. Their large genomes are characterized by a high content of repetitive elements and large pericentromeric regions that are virtually devoid of meiotic recombination. Here we present a high-quality reference genome assembly for barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). We use chromosome conformation capture mapping to derive the linear order of sequences across the pericentromeric space and to investigate the spatial organization of chromatin in the nucleus at megabase resolution. The composition of genes and repetitive elements differs between distal and proximal regions. Gene family analyses reveal lineage-specific duplications of genes involved in the transport of nutrients to developing seeds and the mobilization of carbohydrates in grains. We demonstrate the importance of the barley reference sequence for breeding by inspecting the genomic partitioning of sequence variation in modern elite germplasm, highlightin...

Summary The incorporation of histone H3 variants has been implicated in the epigenetic memory of cellular state. Using genome editing with zinc finger nucleases to tag endogenous H3.3, we report genome-wide profiles of H3 variants in mammalian embryonic stem (ES) cells and neuronal precursor cells. Genome-wide patterns of H3.3 are dependent on amino acid sequence, and change with cellular differentiation at developmentally regulated loci. The H3.3 chaperone Hira is required for H3.3 enrichment at active and repressed genes. Strikingly, Hira is not essential for localization of H3.3 at telomeres and many transcription factor binding sites. Immunoaffinity purification and mass spectrometry reveal that the proteins Atrx and Daxx associate with H3.3 in a Hira-independent manner. Atrx is required for Hira-independent localization of H3.3 at telomeres, and for the repression of telomeric RNA. Our data demonstrate that multiple and distinct factors are responsible for H3.3 localization at specific genomic locations in mammalian cells.

Elevated serum urate concentrations can cause gout, a prevalent and painful inflammatory arthritis. By combining data from >140,000 individuals of European ancestry within the Global Urate Genetics Consortium (GUGC), we identified and replicated 28 genome-wide significant loci in association with serum urate concentrations (18 new regions in or near TRIM46, INHBB, SFMBT1, TMEM171, VEGFA, BAZ1B, PRKAG2, STC1, HNF4G, A1CF, ATXN2, UBE2Q2, IGF1R, NFAT5, MAF, HLF, ACVR1B-ACVRL1 and B3GNT4). Associations for many of the loci were of similar magnitude in individuals of non-European ancestry. We further characterized these loci for associations with gout, transcript expression and the fractional excretion of urate. Network analyses implicate the inhibins-activins signaling pathways and glucose metabolism in systemic urate control. New candidate genes for serum urate concentration highlight the importance of metabolic control of urate production and excretion, which may have implications for the treatment and prevention of gout.

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30Qing Mao (Phone +86 135 9418 0020;Abstract: An excessive immune response contributes to SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and lethality, but the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, the N proteins of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 were found to bind to MASP-2, the key serine protease in the lectin pathway of complement activation, resulting in aberrant complement activation and aggravated inflammatory lung injury. Either blocking the N protein:MASP-2 5 interaction or suppressing complement activation can significantly alleviate N protein-induced complement hyper-activation and lung injury in vitro and in vivo. Complement hyper-activation was also observed in COVID-19 patients, and a promising suppressive effect was observed when the deteriorating patients were treated with anti-C5a monoclonal antibody. Complement suppression may represent a common therapeutic approach for pneumonia induced by these 10 highly pathogenic coronaviruses. Short Title: SARS-CoV N over-activates complement by MASP-2One Sentence Summary: The lectin pathway of complement activation is a promising target for 15 the treatment of highly pathogenic coronavirus induced pneumonia.All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.(which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.

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