Habitat-specific type I polyketide synthases in soils and street sediments

Actinomycetes produce many pharmaceutically useful compounds through type I polyketide biosynthetic pathways. Soil has traditionally been an important source for these actinomycete-derived pharmaceuticals. As the rate of antibiotic discovery has decreased and the incidence of antibiotic resistance has increased, researchers have looked for alternatives to soil for bioprospecting. Street sediment, where actinomycetes make up a larger fraction of the bacterial population than in soil, is one such alternative environment. To determine if these differences in actinomycetal community structure are reflected in type I polyketide synthases (PKSI) distribution, environmental DNA from soils and street sediments was characterized by sequencing amplicons of PKSI-specific PCR primers. Amplicons covered two domains: the last 80 amino acids of the ketosynthase (KS) domain and the first 240 amino acids of the acyltransferase (AT) domain. One hundred and ninety clones from ten contrasting soils from six regions and nine street sediments from six cities were sequenced. Twenty-five clones from two earthworm-affected samples were also sequenced. UniFrac lineage-specific analysis identified two clades that clustered with actinomycetal GenBank matches that were street sediment-specific, one similar to the PKSI segment of the mycobactin siderophore involved in mycobacterial virulence. A clade of soil-specific sequences clustered with GenBank matches from the ambruticin and jerangolid pathways of Sorangium cellulosum. All three of these clades were found in sites >700 km apart. Street sediments are enriched in actinomycetal PKSIs. Non-actinomycetal PKSI pathways may be more chemically diverse than actinomycetal PKSIs. Common soil and street sediment PKIs are globally distributed.     

Microbial biodiversity in a Malaysian oil field and a systematic comparison with oil reservoirs worldwide

Microbial diversity within formation water and oil from two compartments in Bokor oil reservoir from a Malaysian petroleum oil field was examined. A total of 1,056 16S rRNA gene clones were screened from each location by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis. All samples were dominated by clones affiliated with Marinobacter, some novel Deferribacteraceae genera and various clones allied to the Methanococci. In addition, either Marinobacterium- or Pseudomonas-like operational taxonomic units were detected from either compartment. A systematic comparison with the existing pertinent studies was undertaken by analysing the microbial amplicons detected and the PCR primers used. The analyses demonstrated that bacterial communities were site specific, while Archaea co-occurred more frequently. Amplicons related to Marinobacter, Marinobacterium and Pseudomonas were detected in a number of the studies examined, suggesting they may be ubiquitous members in oil reservoirs. Further analysis of primers used in those studies suggested that most primer pairs had fairly broad but low matches across the bacterial and archaeal domains, while a minority had selective matches to certain taxa or low matches to all the microbial taxa tested. Thus, it indicated that primers may play an important role in determining which taxa would be detected.     

智利海洋沉积物中放线菌多样性

【目的】认识智利海洋沉积物中放线菌的多样性。【方法】分别采用选择性分离培养和非培养的基于16SrRNA基因序列系统发育分析方法,对来自智利南部海域海洋沉积物中放线菌多样性进行研究。采用6种选择性分离培养基分离放线菌;利用放线菌特异性引物对样品总DNA进行16SrRNA基因序列扩增并构建了16SrRNA基因克隆文库。分别挑选不同培养特征的22株放线菌和59个基因克隆进行16SrRNA基因序列的系统进化分析;测定分离的放线菌对海水的依赖性及产生抗菌活性化合物的能力。【结果】共分离到328株放线菌;挑选的22株放线菌分别属于小单孢菌属、多形孢菌属、链霉菌属、迪茨氏菌属、气微菌属和短状杆菌属;挑取的59个克隆属于40个分类单元,其中60%分类单元属于放线菌门放线菌亚纲、酸微菌亚纲和红色杆菌亚纲,另外40%的分类单元在放线菌内形成几个独立的进化分支,有可能代表放线菌新类群。22株放线菌有19株具有抗菌活性,50%的生长依赖海水的放线菌也具有抗菌活性。【结论】智利海域沉积物存在丰富的放线菌系统发育多样性并能产生活性次级代谢产物,而且还蕴藏丰富的新类型的放线菌资源。     

Genetic diversity of dioxygenase genes in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria isolated from mangrove sediments

To investigate the diversity of dioxygenase genes involved in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degradation, a total of 32 bacterial strains were isolated from surface mangrove sediments, from the genera Mycobacterium, Sphingomonas, Terrabacter, Sphingopyxis, Sphingobium and Rhodococcus. Two sets of PCR primers were constructed to detect the nidA-like and nahAc-like sequences of the alpha subunit of the PAH ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase. PCR amplified the DNA fragments from all Gram-positive bacteria by using nidA-like primers and from all Gram-negative bacteria, except two, by using nahAc-like primers. The nidA-like primers showed three subtypes of nidA-like gene: (i) fadA1, clustering with nidA3 from M. vanbaalenii PYR-1, (ii) nidA, clustering with nidA from PYR-1, and (iii) fadA2 clustering with dioxygenase from Arthrobacter sp. FB24. The amplicons detected by nahAc-like primers had high sequence homologies to phnA1a from Sphingomonas sp. CHY-1 and were amplifiable from 8 of the 16 Gram-negative isolates. The primer also generated amplicons that had a 32-36% similarity to phnA1a and 53-93% identity to p-cumate dioxygenase. These results suggest that the nidA-like and nahAc-like genes are prevalent in the PAH-degrading bacteria and that they are useful for determining the presence of PAH-dioxygenase genes in environmental samples.     

Methylation-dependent fragment separation: direct detection of DNA methylation by capillary electrophoresis of PCR products from bisulfite-converted genomic DNA

Fundamental to understanding the role of cytosine (C) methylation in genomic DNA (gDNA) is the need for robust analysis methods to determine the location and degree of this modification. We report a novel method for methylation detection by denaturing capillary electrophoresis (CE) using standard fragment analysis conditions. Bisulfite treatment of gDNA will selectively deaminate C but not 5-methylcytosine (5mC). Amplicons generated from bisulfite-converted gDNA are analyzed immediately after PCR using a 6-carboxy fluorescein (6-FAM) dye-labeled primer. The amplicons from methylated and unmethylated gDNA separate based solely on base composition due to the presence of multiple C versus thymine (T) differences. By direct detection of PCR amplicons following PCR using primers that anneal independent of methylation status, the overall workflow from gDNA sample input to data analysis is relatively simple. Furthermore, the same PCR product is suitable for additional analyses such as direct sequencing, cloning and sequencing, single-base extension, and post-PCR incorporation of a modified dCTP, the latter of which allows resolution of amplicons with as little as a single C/T difference. We show the utility of this novel CE detection assay by analyzing the hypermethylated region of the fragile-X FMR1 locus.     

Comparison of Metagenomic DNA Extraction Methods for Soil Sediments of High Elevation Puga Hot Spring in Ladakh,India to Explore Bacterial Diversity

Extraction of good-quality metagenomic DNA from extreme environments is quite challenging, particularly from high elevation hot spring sediments. Low microbial load, high humic acid content and other contaminants complicate the process of extraction of metagenomic DNA from hot spring sediments. In the present study, efficacy of five manual DNA extraction protocols with modifications has been evaluated for metagenomic DNA extraction from boron–sulfur rich high elevation Puga hot spring sediments. Best suited protocol was identified based on the cell lysis efficiency, DNA yield, humic acid content, PCR reproducibility and representation of bacterial diversity. Quantity as well as quality of crude metagenomic DNA differed remarkably between various protocols used and were not pure enough to give PCR amplification using 16S rRNA bacterial and archaeal primers. Crude metagenomic DNA extracted using five different DNA extraction protocols was purified using spin column based purification method. Even after purification, only three protocols C, D and E yielded metagenomic DNA that could be amplified using both archaeal and bacterial primers. To evaluate the degree of microbial diversity represented by protocols C, D and E, phylogenetic genes amplified were subjected to amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis (DGGE) analysis. ARDRA banding pattern of amplicons generated for all the three extraction protocols, i.e., C, D and E were found to be similar. DGGE of protocol E derived amplicons resulted in the similar number of dominant bands but a greater number of non-dominant bands, i.e., the highest microbial diversity in comparison to protocols C and D, respectively. In the present study, protocol E developed from Yeates et al. protocol has been found to be best in terms of DNA yield, DNA purity and bacterial diversity depiction associated with boron–sulfur rich sediment of high elevation hot springs.     

16S rRNA gene-based detection of tetrachloroethene-dechlorinating Desulfuromonas and Dehalococcoides species

Members of the genera Desulfuromonas and Dehalococcoides reductively dechlorinate tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene. Two primer pairs specific to hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA genes of the Dehalococcoides group (comprising Dehalococcoides ethenogenes and Dehalococcoides sp. strain FL2) and the acetate-oxidizing, PCE-dechlorinating Desulfuromonas group (comprising Desulfuromonas sp. strain BB1 and Desulfuromonas chloroethenica) were designed. The detection threshold of a nested PCR approach using universal bacterial primers followed by a second PCR with the Desulfuromonas dechlorinator-targeted primer pair was 1 x 10(3) BB1 cells added per gram (wet weight) of sandy aquifer material. Total community DNA isolated from sediments of three Michigan rivers and six different chloroethene-contaminated aquifer samples was used as template in nested PCR. All river sediment samples yielded positive signals with the BB1- and the Dehalococcoides-targeted primers. One chloroethene-contaminated aquifer tested positive with the Dehalococcoides-targeted primers, and another contaminated aquifer tested positive with the Desulfuromonas dechlorinator-targeted primer pair. Restriction fragment analysis of the amplicons could discriminate strain BB1 from other known Desulfuromonas species. Microcosm studies confirmed the presence of PCE-dechlorinating, acetate-oxidizing Desulfuromonas and hydrogenotrophic Dehalococcoides species in samples yielding positive PCR signals with the specific primers.     

硝尔库勒湖沉积物中非培养放线菌多样性

[目的]认识和了解盐湖沉积环境中放线菌的多样性,为今后的开发和利用奠定基础.[方法]应用免培养技术和基于16S rRNA基因序列的系统发育分析对新疆硝尔库勒盐湖沉积物中放线菌的多样性进行了研究.实验采用SDS-CTAB法提取土样中总DNA,利用放线菌特异性引物对土样总DNA进行16S rRNA基因扩增,并构建16S IRNA基因克隆文库;对随机挑选的160个克隆通过酶切筛选出51个不同图谱的重组克隆,并对其测序.[结果]所获得的51个克隆序列属于39个OTUs,其中52.9%的克隆序列分布于放线菌门(phylum Actinobacteria)放线菌亚(Actinobacteridae)的5个亚目和酸微菌亚纲(Acidimicrobidae)中,并且在这两个亚纲中有大量克隆序列属于放线菌的新类群,另外47.1%的克隆序列以极高的自展值在放线菌门内支持形成一个独立的大分支,极有可能代表一个新亚目或更高级分类单元的类群.[结论]这些研究结果说明硝尔库勒盐湖中存在有较为丰富的放线菌系统发育多样性,并且潜藏着新类型的放线菌资源.     

Effectiveness of Annealing Blocking Primers versus Restriction Enzymes for Characterization of Generalist Diets: Unexpected Prey Revealed in the Gut Contents of Two Coral Reef Fish Species

Characterization of predator-prey interactions is challenging as researchers have to rely on indirect methods that can be costly, biased and too imprecise to elucidate the complexity of food webs. DNA amplification and sequencing techniques of gut and fecal contents are promising approaches, but their success largely depends on the ability to amplify the taxonomic array of prey consumed and then match prey amplicons with reference sequences. When little a priori information on diet is available or a generalist predator is targeted, versatile primer sets (also referred to as universal or general primers) as opposed to group- or species-specific primer sets are the most powerful to unveil the full range of prey consumed. However, versatile primers are likely to preferentially amplify the predominant, less degraded predator DNA if no manipulation is performed to exclude this confounding DNA template. In this study we compare two approaches that eliminate the confounding predator template: restriction digestion and the use of annealing blocking primers. First, we use a preliminary DNA barcode library provided by the Moorea BIOCODE project to 1) evaluate the cutting frequency of commercially available restriction enzymes and 2) design predator specific annealing blocking primers. We then compare the performance of the two predator removal strategies for the detection of prey templates using two versatile primer sets from the gut contents of two generalist coral reef fish species sampled in Moorea. Our study demonstrates that blocking primers should be preferentially used over restriction digestion for predator DNA removal as they recover greater prey diversity. We also emphasize that a combination of versatile primers may be required to best represent the breadth of a generalist''s diet.     

DNA extraction from coral reef sediment bacteria for the polymerase chain reaction

A rapid and effective method for the direct extraction of high molecular weight amplifiable DNA from two coral reef sediments was developed. DNA was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using 16S rDNA specific primers. The amplicons were digested with HaeIII, HinP1I and MspI and separated using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining. The resulting amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) patterns were used as a fingerprint to discern differences between the coral reef sediment samples. Results indicated that ARDRA is an effective method for determining differences within the bacterial community amongst different environmental samples.     

Random amplification of polymorphic DNA with conserved sequences reveals genome-specific monomorphic amplicons: Implications in clad identification

The enzymatic amplification of genomic DNA with an arbitrary primer generates informative band profile useful for genome analysis. We used a set of synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotide primers OAT15.2 (GACA)_3.75, OAT18. 2 (GACA)_4.5, OAT24.2 (GACA)₆, OAT36 (GACA)₉, comprising 4–9 consecutive units of GACA repeat, O33.15 (CACCTCTCCACCTGCC) and 033.6 (CCTCCAGCCCTCCTCCAGCCCT) for RAPD reactions of genomic DNA from different sources. The GACA based oligos of 15 and 18 base residues generated discernible genome specific amplicons whereas primers larger than 18 bases revealed smeary signals. The other oligos O33.15 and O33.6 also generated genome specific amplicons with more bands compared with those obtained from OAT15.2 or OAT18.2. The presence of OAT15.1 (GATA)_3.75 and OAT15.2 (GACA)_3.75 sequences in different genomes were ascertained by independent dot-blot hybridization prior to using them for RAPD reactions. The RAPD amplicons generated by evolutionarily conserved primer(s) or sequences shared by many species may be useful for clad identification in controversial systematics, comparative genome analysis, and for establishing the phylogenetic status of an organism.     

Single-base discrimination mediated by proofreading inert allele specific Primers

The role of 3' exonuclease excision in DNA polymerization was evaluated for primer extension using inert allele specific primers with exonuclease-digestible ddNMP at their 3' termini. Efficient primer extension was observed in amplicons where the inert allele specific primers and their corresponding templates were mismatched. However, no primer-extended products were yielded by matched amplicons with inert primers. As a control, polymerase without proofreading activity failed to yield primer-extended products from inert primers regardless of whether the primers and templates were matched or mismatched. These data indicated that activation was undertaken for the inert allele specific primers through mismatch proofreading. Complementary to our previously developed SNP-operated on/off switch, in which DNA polymerization only occurs in matched amplicon, this new mutation detection assay mediated by exo(+) DNA polymerases has immediate applications in SNP analysis independently or in combination of the two assays.     

Efficacy of random primer-pair arrays in plant genome analysis: a case study of Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) for identification of wild and cultivated species

The efficacy of random primer-pair arrays compared to conventional RAPD method with a single decamer primer was evaluated using DNA from two species of Cucumis. The banding patterns of amplicons revealed enhanced utility of primer-pair arrays over conventional RAPDs, producing more bands and a higher degree of polymorphism, both at intra- and inter-specific levels. Amplification produced by both methods clearly distinguished a wild from a cultivated species of the genus Cucumis. The main advantage of the primer-pair RAPD over single-primer-based RAPD is the increase in the number of reactions and amplification products in the form of novel/unique bands with a limited number of primers. It also enables the generation of reliable amplicons with a large number of polymorphic bands, which can be linked to gene-governing traits, allowing sequence-characterized partial genome analysis.     

PCR for the detection of Streptobacillus moniliformis

Streptobacillus moniliformis is a Gram-negative bacterium found in various laboratory animal species and is the cause of rat bite fever and Haverhill fever in man. In order to evaluate a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of this zoonotic bacterium in animal tissues a set of primers was designed based on the DNA base sequence of part of the 16S rRNA gene from 11 S. moniliformis strains. The PCR detected as few as 2-6 copies of S. moniliformis DNA. A 296 bp DNA fragment was amplified from S. moniliformis strains from rodents, humans and turkeys. Amplicons of about the same size were obtained from Fusobacterium necrogenes and Sebaldella (Bacteroides) termitidis but Bfa I treatment of these amplicons did not result in the S. moniliformis specific 130 bp DNA fragment. The in silico evaluation of 14 additional Fusobacterium spp. and 12 unculturable phytoplasmas indicated that none is likely to give rise to confusing amplicons or DNA fragments. The PCR detected S. moniliformis infection in all four orally- and four intravenously-infected C57BL/6 mice and the bacterium was cultured from all but one mouse. The PCR detected S. moniliformis infection in all 12 orally-infected WU rats, and in five of eight rats exposed to natural infection. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and PCR were equally successful in detecting infection in rats but S. moniliformis was not detected by using culture.     

Analysis of genetic diversity among garden- and field-pea genotypes of higher Indian Himalayas

Genetic diversity among 31 genotypes of field and garden pea including primitive cultivated forms and widely cultivated varieties of India was studied using 40 random decamer and 9 ISSR primers. A total of 274 amplicons were detected using both types of markers, which amplified 192 RAPD and 82 ISSR amplicons. Average number of bands amplified per primer was higher in case of ISSR (9.1) as compared to RAPDs (4.8). ISSR primers also exhibited higher average polymorphism (89.0%) and resolving power (4.50) than RAPDs (72.4%, 1.87, respectively). Genetic similarity estimates based on the pooled data of both types of markers using Jaccard??s coefficient ranged from 0.58 to 0.85 delineating considerable diversity among the pea genotypes studied. The 31 genotypes clustered in two major groups based on pooled data. Popular cultivars of garden and field pea of the region exhibited high similarities among themselves. However, primitive cultivated forms collected from the higher Indian Himalayas were diverse from the current varieties and hold potential in pea breeding programmes.     

ATG-anchored AFLP (ATG-AFLP) analysis in cotton

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) marker system has had broad applications in biology. However, the anonymous AFLP markers are mainly amplified from non-coding regions, limiting their usefulness as a functional marker system. To take advantages of the traditional AFLP techniques, we propose substitution of a restriction enzyme that recognizes a restriction site containing ATG, called ATG-anchored AFLP (ATG-AFLP) analysis. In this study, we chose NsiI (recognizing ATGCAT) to replace EcoRI in combination with MseI to completely digest genomic DNA. One specific adaptor, one pre-selective primer and six selective amplification primers for the NsiI site were designed for ligation and PCR. Six NsiI and eight MseI primers generated a total of 1,780 ATG-AFLP fragments, of which 750 (42%) were polymorphic among four genotypes from two cultivated cotton species (Upland cotton, Gossypium hirsutum and Pima cotton, G. barbadense). The number of ATG-AFLP markers was sufficient to separate the four genotypes into two groups, consistent with their evolutionary and breeding history. Our results also showed that ATG-AFLP generated less number of total and polymorphic fragments per primer combination (2-3 vs. 4-5) than conventional AFLP within Upland cotton. Using a recombination inbred line (RIL) population, 62 polymorphic ATG-AFLP markers were mapped to 19 linkage groups with known chromosome anchored simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Of the nine ATG-AFLP fragments randomly chosen, three were found to be highly homologous to cotton cDNA sequences. An in-silico analysis of cotton and Arabidopsis cDNA confirmed that the ATG-anchored enzyme combination NsiI/MseI did generate more fragments than the EcoRI/MseI combination.     

Analysis of the endophytic actinobacterial population in the roots of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing of 16S rRNA clones

The endophytic actinobacterial population in the roots of wheat grown in three different soils obtained from the southeast part of South Australia was investigated by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of the amplified 16S rRNA genes. A new, validated approach was applied to the T-RFLP analysis in order to estimate, to the genus level, the actinobacterial population that was identified. Actinobacterium-biased primers were used together with three restriction enzymes to obtain terminal restriction fragments (TRFs). The TRFs were matched to bacterial genera by the T-RFLP Analysis Program, and the data were analyzed to validate and semiquantify the genera present within the plant roots. The highest diversity and level of endophytic colonization were found in the roots of wheat grown in a dark loam from Swedes Flat, and the lowest were found in water-repellent sand from Western Flat. This molecular approach detected a greater diversity of actinobacteria than did previous culture-dependent methods, with the predominant genera being Mycobacterium (21.02%) in Swedes Flat, Streptomyces (14.35%) in Red Loam, and Kitasatospora (15.02%) in Western Flat. This study indicates that the soil that supported a higher number of indigenous organisms resulted in wheat roots with higher actinobacterial diversity and levels of colonization within the plant tissue. Sequencing of 16S rRNA clones, obtained using the same actinobacterium-biased PCR primers that were used in the T-RFLP analysis, confirmed the presence of the actinobacterial diversity and identified a number of Mycobacterium and Streptomyces species.     

PCR Primers That Amplify Fungal rRNA Genes from Environmental Samples

Two PCR primer pairs were designed to amplify rRNA genes (rDNA) from all four major phyla of fungi: Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Chytridomycota, and Zygomycota. PCRs performed with these primers showed that both pairs amplify DNA from organisms representing the major taxonomic groups of fungi but not from nonfungal sources. To test the ability of the primers to amplify fungal rDNA from environment samples, clone libraries from two avocado grove soils were constructed and analyzed. These soils possess different abilities to inhibit avocado root rot caused by Phythophthora cinnamomi. Analysis of the two rDNA clone libraries revealed differences in the two fungal communities. It also revealed a markedly different depiction of the soil fungal community than that generated by a culture-based analysis, confirming the value of rDNA-based approaches for identifying organisms that may not readily grow on agar media. Additional evidence of the usefulness of the primers was obtained by identifying fungi associated with avocado leaves. In both the soil and leaf analyses, no nonfungal rDNA sequences were identified, illustrating the selectivity of these PCR primers. This work demonstrates the ability of two newly developed PCR primer sets to amplify fungal rDNA from soil and plant tissue, thereby providing unique tools to examine this vast and mostly undescribed community of organisms.     

Consecutive DNA terminator sequencing by using enzymatically generated primers

An improved strategy for the dideoxy chain termination sequencing of M13 recombinant DNA using enzymatically generated primers is presented. It involves synchronous extension of the universal primer with the Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I at an average rate of 200 deoxynucleoside triphosphates per minute to the immediate downstream region of a preselected restriction enzyme site. Subsequent cleavage with the restriction enzyme generates the short primers with homogeneous 5′ ends which can be used for further sequencing. The next restriction sites are selected in the newly sequenced regions of DNA by means of a microcomputer. By repeating this primer extension-cleavage-sequencing strategy sequences altogether about 6 kb long from several recombinant single-stranded M13 DNAs have been determined by using twenty restriction enzymes with different specificities.