title: Systematic genome sequence differences among leaf cells within individual trees.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Even in the age of next-generation sequencing (NGS), it has been unclear whether or not cells within a single organism have systematically distinctive genomes. Resolving this question, one of the most basic biological problems associated with DNA mutation rates, can assist efforts to elucidate essential mechanisms of cancer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using genome profiling (GP), we detected considerable systematic variation in genome sequences among cells in individual woody plants. The degree of genome sequence difference (genomic distance) varied systematically from the bottom to the top of the plant, such that the greatest divergence was observed between leaf genomes from uppermost branches and the remainder of the tree. This systematic variation was observed within both Yoshino cherry and Japanese beech trees.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As measured by GP, the genomic distance between two cells within an individual organism was non-negligible, and was correlated with physical distance (i.e., branch-to-branch distance). This phenomenon was assumed to be the result of accumulation of mutations from each cell division, implying that the degree of divergence is proportional to the number of generations separating the two cells.
authors.forename: Deepti
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Diwan
authors.forename: Shun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Komazaki
authors.forename: Miho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nemoto
authors.forename: Takuyo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aita
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Satake
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Department of Functional Materials Science, Saitama University, Saitama 338-8570, Japan. koichi@fms.saitama-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishigaki
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D019175:DNA Methylation; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000378:metabolism; D029964:Fagus / Q000235:genetics*; D018745:Genome, Plant; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000235:genetics; D027861:Prunus / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D018744:DNA, Plant