Molecular characterization of Serratia marcescens strains by RFLP and sequencing of PCR-amplified 16S rDNA and 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer

AIMS: To establish the specific DNA patterns in 16S rDNA and 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer (IGS) regions from different kinds of Serratia marcescens strains using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and sequences analysis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two pairs of primers based on the 16S rDNA and 16S-23S rDNA IGS were applied to amplify the rrn operons of two kinds of S. marcescens strains. About 1500 bp for 16S rDNA and four fragments of different sizes for 16S-23S rDNA IGS were obtained. PCR-amplified fragments were analysed by RFLP and sequence analysis. Two distinct restriction patterns revealing three to five bands between two kinds of strains were detected with each specific enzyme. According to the sequence analysis, two kinds of strains showed approximately 97% sequence homology of 16S rDNA. However, there was much difference in the sequences of IGS between the two kinds of strains. Intercistronic tRNA of strains H3010 and A3 demonstrated an order of tRNA of 5'-16S-tRNA(Ala)-tRNA(Ile)-23S-3', but strain B17 harboured the tRNA of 5'-16S-tRNA(Glu)-tRNA(Ile)-23S-3'. CONCLUSIONS: The method was specific, sensitive and accurate, providing a new technique for differentiating different strains from the same species. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This paper provided the first molecular characterization of 16S rDNA and 16S-23S rDNA IGS from S. marcescens strains.     

Characterization of the bacterial community of a zinc-polluted soil.

The bacterial community of a zinc-contaminated soil (Maatheide soil in Lommel, Belgium) was studied using cultivation as well as cultivation-independent techniques. Colony-forming units (CFU) were determined by plating on media with or without metals. Dominant isolates were characterized by fatty acid methyl ester analysis (FAME analysis) and PCR fingerprinting using repetitive extragenic palindromic sequences as primers. DNA was directly extracted from soil samples and used as a template for the PCR amplification of the 16S rDNA (8-1511) or a 16S rDNA fragment (968-1401). Clones resulting from cloning the 16S rDNA from soil DNA were sequenced. Temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE analysis) was performed for 16S rDNA fragments (968-1401) amplified from the dominant isolates, the clones, and the total soil DNA extracted according to two protocols differing in strength of lysis. Total CFU ranged from 10(4) to 10(5)/g soil. The majority of the isolates were identified by FAME analysis as Arthrobacter spp. (18 out of 23). None of the isolates were identified as a Ralstonia eutropha like strain (formerly Alcaligenes eutrophus). Metalloresistant Rastomia eutropha like strains were previously shown to be dominant in the analyzed biotope. Most of the isolates were zinc tolerant but only seven could be considered zinc resistant. Sequences of the 16S rDNA clones obtained from total soil DNA were affiliated with genes of different bacteria such as alpha-proteobacteria, beta-proteobacteria, and the Cytophaga-Flexibacter-Bacteroides group. None of the sequenced clones aligned with the Ralstonia eutropha 16S rRNA gene. TGGE analysis of the 16S rDNA fragments (968-1401) amplified from the dominant strains, the clones, and the total soil DNA showed that isolates and clones represented only a part of the bands present in the TGGE pattern from total DNA. The 968-1401 fragment amplified from all Arthrobacter strains had a similar electrophoretic mobility. This band was seen as a major band in the pattern of DNA extracted from soil using a harsh cell lysis, whereas it did not appear, or appeared only as a weak band, in patterns obtained from soil DNA extracted using gentle lysis. The previously reported predominance of a Ralstonia eutropha like strain in this soil was no longer observed. This may suggest a population replacement by less resistant bacteria, concomitant with a progressive decrease of the zinc toxicity in the Maatheide soil.     

Fluorescent Pseudomonas species categorized by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/restriction fragment analysis of 16S rDNA

A rapid procedure for the identification of fluorescent pseudomonads, based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment analysis of 16S rDNA genes is described. Thirty-one strains belonging to 10 different Pseudomonas species of the Pseudomonas fluorescens rRNA branch were characterized. Amplified rDNA was digested with 13 different restriction endonucleases. The combined data from restriction analysis enabled the definition of 17 different 16S rDNA genotypes. All type strains belonging to different species were differentiated. The good correlation between grouping obtained using restriction analysis with other molecular classification criteria demonstrates the value of the described method to characterize rapidly fluorescent Pseudomonas strains at the species level.     

Development of PCR assays for detection of Streptococcus canis

Streptococcus canis isolates, also including S. canis of artificially contaminated milk, could be identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification using oligonucleotide primers designed according to species-specific parts of the 16S rRNA gene and, after sequencing, according to S. canis-specific parts of the 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer region and with oligonucleotide primers detecting an internal fragment of the group G streptococcal CAMP factor gene cfg. The 16S rRNA gene- and CAMP factor gene cfg-specific oligonucleotide primers could be used together in a multiplex PCR. No cross-reactivities could be observed with other group G streptococcal isolates or with any of the other control strains of various streptococcal species and serogroups. The PCR methods presented in this study allowed a rapid and reliable identification of S. canis and might help to improve the diagnosis of this bacterial species in animal and human infections.     

Molecular characterization of DNA encoding 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer regions and 16S rRNA of pectolytic Erwinia species

Sequences of 16S rDNAs and the intergenic spacer (IGS) regions between the 16S and 23S rDNA of bacterial strains from genus Erwinia were determined. Comparison of 16S rDNA sequences from different species and subspecies clearly revealed intraspecies-subspecies homology and interspecies heterogeneity. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rDNA sequence data revealed that Erwinia spp. formed a discrete monophyletic clade with moderate to high bootstrap values. PCR amplification of the 16S-23S rDNA regions using primers complementary to the 3' end of 16S and 5' end of 23S rRNA genes generated two DNA fragments. The small 16S-23S rDNA IGS regions of Erwinia spp. examined in this study varied considerably in size and nucleotide sequence. Multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis of small IGS sequence data showed a consistent relationship among the test strains that was roughly in agreement with the 16S rDNA data that reflected the accepted species and subspecies structure of the taxon. Sequence data derived from the large IGS resolved the strains into coherent groups; however, the sequence information would not allow any phylogenetic conclusion, because it failed to reflect the accepted species structure of the test strains.     

Bradyrhizobium sp. nodulating the Mediterranean shrub Spanish broom (Spartium junceum L.)

AIMS: The molecular diversity of 25 strains of rhizobia, isolated in Sicily from root nodules of the Mediterranean shrubby legume Spanish broom (Spartium junceum L.), is presented in relation to the known rhizobial reference strains. METHODS AND RESULTS: Our approach to the study of the S. junceum rhizobial diversity combined the information given by the 16S and the intergenic spacer (IGS) 16S-23S rDNA polymorphic region by obtaining them in a single polymerase chain reaction (PCR) step. The PCR fragment size of the S. junceum isolates was 2400-2500 bp and that of the reference strains varied from 2400 in Bradyrhizobium strains to 2800 in Sinorhizobium strains. Inter- and intrageneric length variability was found among the reference strains. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) analysis allowed us to identify eight genotypes among the S. junceum rhizobia that were clustered into two groups, both related to the Bradyrhizobium lineage. Sequencing of representative strains of the two clusters confirmed these data. The 16S-IGS PCR-RFLP approach, when applied to rhizobial reference strains, allowed very close species (i.e. Rhizobium leguminosarum/R. tropici) to be separated with any of the three enzymes used; however, cluster analysis revealed inconsistencies with the 16S-based phylogenesis of rhizobia. CONCLUSIONS: Rhizobia nodulating S. junceum in the Mediterranean region belong to the Bradyrhizobium lineage. Our results confirm the resolution power of the 16S-23S rDNA in distinguishing among rhizobia genera and species, as well as the usefulness of the PCR-RFLP method applied to the entire 16S-IGS region for a rapid tracking of the known relatives of new isolates. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The present paper is, to our knowledge, the first report on rhizobia nodulating a Mediterranean wild woody legume.     

Isolate PM1 populations are dominant and novel methyl tert-butyl ether-degrading bacterial in compost biofilter enrichments

The gasoline additive MTBE, methyl tert-butyl ether, is a widespread and persistent groundwater contaminant. MTBE undergoes rapid mineralization as the sole carbon and energy source of bacterial strain PM1, isolated from an enrichment culture of compost biofilter material. In this report, we describe the results of microbial community DNA profiling to assess the relative dominance of isolate PM1 and other bacterial strains cultured from the compost enrichment. Three polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based profiling approaches were evaluated: denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of 230 bp 16S rDNA fragments; thermal gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) analysis of 575 bp 16S rDNA fragments; and non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of 300-1,500 bp fragments containing 16S/23S ribosomal intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. Whereas all three DNA profiling approaches indicated that PM1-like bands predominated in mixtures from MTBE-grown enrichments, ITS profiling provided the most abundant and specific sequence data to confirm strain PM1's presence in the enrichment. Moreover, ITS profiling did not produce non-specific PCR products that were observed with T/DGGE. A further advantage of ITS community profiling over other methods requiring restriction digestion (e.g. terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms) was that it did not require an additional digestion step or the use of automated sequencing equipment. ITS bands, excised from similar locations in profiles of the enrichment and PM1 pure culture, were 99.9% identical across 750 16S rDNA positions and 100% identical across 691 spacer positions. BLAST comparisons of nearly full-length 16S rDNA sequences showed 96% similarity between isolate PM1 and representatives of at least four different genera in the Leptothrix subgroup of the beta-Proteobacteria (Aquabacterium, Leptothrix, Rubrivivax and Ideonella). Maximum likelihood and parsimony analyses of 1,249 nucleotide positions supported isolate PM1's position in a separate lineage within the Leptothrix subgroup.     

Factors Affecting Interpretation of Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) Patterns from PCR-Amplified Bacterial 16S rRNA Genes: Operon Number and Primer Mismatching

PCR methods have been shown to be biased by several factors. In the present study, we have developed a theoretic and practical approximation to elucidate how the presence of mismatches at the primers annealing regions and the different number of rDNA operons per cell can influence PCR and subsequent restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses from bacterial populations. We have performed RFLP analyses of 16S rRNA genes amplified by PCR from mixed bacterial cultures showing different primer identities and number of rDNA operons. Our results clearly corroborate that both factors, number of rDNA operons and primers identity, clearly influence the 16S rDNA-RFLP estimations. It has been demonstrated that a higher number of operons leads to a higher efficiency of detection, but a lower degree of primer complementarity implies a decrease in such efficiency.     

Identification of a lipoamide dehydrogenase gene as second locus affected in poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid)-leaky mutants of Alcaligenes eutrophus

Ribosomal rRNA gene fragments (rDNA) encompassing the 16S rDNA, the 16S-23S rDNA spacer region and part of the 23S rDNA of 95 strains belonging to 13 well-described taxa of the eubacterial family Comamonadaceae (beta subclass of the Proteobacteria or rRNA superfamily III) were enzymatically amplified using conserved primers. The fragments of approximately 2400 base pairs were subjected to restriction analysis. Restriction fragment length patterns obtained with HinfI enabled us to distinguish 9 of the 13 taxa studied. Restriction with CfoI was necessary to differentiate Acidovorax delafieldii from A. temperans and Hydrogenophaga flava from H. pseudoflava. The results indicate that amplified rDNA restriction analysis is a simple and reliable tool for the identification of bacterial species.     

以23S rDNA一个多变区作为分子标记对致病杆菌属细菌进行分类鉴定

【目的】致病杆菌属(Xenorhabdus)细菌是一类重要的生物杀虫剂,斯氏属昆虫病原线虫的共生菌,建立快速准确的分类鉴定方法,对研究开发这类细菌至关重要。【方法】本研究PCR扩增测序了本室保藏的26株,含20种已定名致病杆菌属细菌的一段845 bp的23S rDNA序列,构建了基于这段序列的致病杆菌属系统树并与基于几乎全长16S rDNA序列的相应系统树进行比较,分析了两者作为致病杆菌属细菌分类鉴定分子标记的优缺点。【结果】结果表明,与全长16S rDNA序列相比,所选择的23S rDNA序列片段所含可变位点、简约信息位点比例更高,遗传距离数值跨度大。【结论】上述结果显示该序列片段可用于致病杆菌属细菌进行分类鉴定,特别适用于对野外资源调查中采集到的大量菌株进行快速鉴定。     

Novel bacterial lineages at the (sub)division level as detected by signature nucleotide-targeted recovery of 16S rRNA genes from bulk soil and rice roots of flooded rice microcosms

Using a newly developed 16S rRNA gene (rDNA)-targeted PCR assay with proposed group specificity for planctomycetes, we examined anoxic bulk soil of flooded rice microcosms for the presence of novel planctomycete-like diversity. For comparison, oxic rice roots were included as an additional sample in this investigation. The bacterial diversity detectable by this PCR assay was assessed by using a combined approach that included terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis and comparative sequence analysis of cloned 16S rDNA. T-RFLP fingerprint patterns generated from rice roots contained 12 distinct terminal restriction fragments (T-RFs). In contrast, the T-RFLP fingerprint patterns obtained from the anoxic bulk soil contained 33 distinct T-RFs, a clearly higher level of complexity. A survey of 176 bulk soil 16S rDNA clone sequences permitted correlation of 20 T-RFs with phylogenetic information. The other 13 T-RFs remained unidentified. The predominant T-RFs obtained from rice roots could be assigned to members of the genus Pirellula within the Planctomycetales, while most of the T-RFs obtained from the bulk soil corresponded to novel lines of bacterial descent. Using a level of 16S rDNA sequence dissimilarity to cultured microorganisms of approximately 20% as a threshold value, we detected 11 distinct bacterial lineages for which pure-culture representatives are not known. Four of these lineages could be assigned to the order Planctomycetales, while one lineage was affiliated with the division Verrucomicrobia and one lineage was affiliated with the spirochetes. The other five lineages either could not be assigned to any of the main lines of bacterial descent or clearly expanded the known diversity of division level lineages WS3 and OP3. Our results indicate the presence of bacterial diversity at a subdivision and/or division level that has not been detected previously by the so-called universal 16S rDNA PCR assays.     

Evaluation of the specificity of Salmonella PCR primers using various intestinal bacterial species

AIMS: Nine sets of PCR primers targeting Salmonella were evaluated for their specificity with pure cultures of intestinal-associated bacteria prior to their application to Salmonella detection in faecal samples. METHODS AND RESULTS: Gene targets of PCR primers included: 16S rDNA, a Salmonella pathogenicity island I virulence gene, Salmonella enterotoxin gene (stn), invA gene, Fur-regulated gene, histidine transport operon, junction between SipB and SipC virulence genes, Salmonella-specific repetitive DNA fragment, and multiplex targeting invA gene and spvC gene of the virulence plasmid. Fifty-two Salmonella strains were used to determine sensitivity; five strains from related genera and 45 intestinal bacteria were used to evaluate specificity. All primers amplified DNA from Salmonella strains, although two primer sets failed to amplify Salmonella DNA from either Salmonella bongori (hilA) or subgroups VI or VII (16S rDNA). There was no detected amplification of DNA from related bacterial genera with any of nine PCR assays. Six of the PCR assays amplified DNA for some intestinal bacteria. CONCLUSIONS: Only three primer pairs were determined to be suitable for application of PCR amplification of Salmonella in faecal samples - 16S rDNA, stn and histidine transport operon. We are currently evaluating their sensitivity of detection of Salmonella in faecal samples. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study demonstrated the importance of internal lab validation of PCR primers prior to application to the type of samples of interest. Information from this evaluation can be applied in other labs to facilitate choosing Salmonella PCR primers.     

Assessment of competitiveness of rhizobia infecting Galega orientalis on the basis of plant yield, nodulation, and strain identification by antibiotic resistance and PCR.

Competition between effective and ineffective Rhizobium galegae strains nodulating Galega orientalis was examined on the basis of plant growth, nodulation, antibiotic resistance, and PCR results. In a preliminary experiment in Leonard's jars, ineffective R. galegae strains HAMBI 1207 and HAMBI 1209 competed in similar manners with the effective strain R. galegae HAMBI 1174. In a pot experiment, soil was inoculated with 0 to 10(5) HAMBI 1207 cells per g before G. orientalis was sown. Seeds of G. orientalis were surface inoculated with 2 x 10(4) and 2 x 10(5) cells of HAMBI 1174 per seed (which represent half and fivefold the commercially recommended amount of inoculant, respectively). Plant yield and nodulation by the effective strain were significantly reduced, with as few as 10(2) ineffective rhizobia per g of soil, and the inoculation response was not improved by the 10-fold greater dose of the inoculant. Bacteria occupying the nodules were identified by antibiotic resistance and PCR with primers specific for R. galegae HAMBI 1174, R. galegae, and genes coding for bacterial 16S rRNA (bacterial 16S rDNA). Sixty-two large nodules examined were occupied by the effective strain HAMBI 1174, as proven by antibiotic resistance and amplification of the strain-specific fragment. From 20 small nodules, only the species-specific fragment could be amplified, and isolated bacteria had the same antibiotic resistance and 16S PCR restriction pattern as strain HAMBI 1207. PCR with our strain-specific and species-specific primers provides a powerful tool for strain identification of R. galegae directly from nodules without genetic modification of the bacteria.     

Phylogeny and distribution of the soxB gene among thiosulfate-oxidizing bacteria

A PCR protocol for the detection of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria based on soxB genes that are essential for thiosulfate oxidation by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria of various phylogenetic groups which use the 'Paracoccus sulfur oxidation' pathway was developed. Five degenerate primers were used to specifically amplify fragments of soxB genes from different sulfur-oxidizing bacteria previously shown to oxidize thiosulfate. The PCR yielded a soxB fragment of approximately 1000 bp from most of the bacteria. Amino acid and nucleotide sequences of soxB from reference strains as well as from new isolates and environmental DNA from a hydrothermal vent habitat in the North Fiji Basin were compared and used to infer relationships of soxB between sulfur-oxidizing bacteria belonging to various 16S rDNA-based phylogenetic groups. Major phylogenetic lines derived from 16S rDNA were confirmed by soxB phylogeny. Thiosulfate-oxidizing green sulfur bacteria formed a coherent group by their soxB sequences. Likewise, clearly separated branches demonstrated the distant relationship of representatives of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-Proteobacteria including representative species of the former genus Thiobacillus (now Halothiobacillus - gamma-Proteobacteria, Thiobacillus - beta-Proteobacteria and Starkeya - alpha-Proteobacteria). This general picture emerged although apparent evidence for lateral transfer of the soxB gene is indicated and comparison of soxB phylogeny and 16S rDNA phylogeny points to the significance of this gene transfer in hydrothermal vent bacterial communities of the North Fiji Basin.     

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based typing analysis of atypical isolates of the fish pathogen Aeromonas salmonicida.

Two hundred and five isolates of atypical Aeromonas salmonicida, recovered from a wide range of hosts and countries were characterized by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting four genes. The chosen genes were those encoding the extracellular A-layer protein (AP), the serine protease (Sprot), the glycerophospholipid:cholestrol acetyltransferase protein (GCAT), and the 16S rRNA (16S rDNA). All the atypical A. salmonicida isolates could be assigned to 4 PCR groups. Group 1 comprised 45 strains which tested positive for PCR amplification, using the 16S rDNA, GCAT2, Sprot2, and AP primer-sets. Group 2 comprised 88 strains with produced PCR products using the 16S rDNA, GCAT2 and AP primer-sets. Group 3 comprised 21 strains which produced PCR products using 16S rDNA, GCAT2 and Sprot2 primer-sets, and group 4 comprised 51 strains which produced PCR products using the 16S rDNA and GCAT2 primer-sets only. A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida isolates tested, belonged to group 1. The PCR primer-sets separated A. salmonicida from other reference strains of Aeromonas species and related bacteria with the exception of Aeromonas hydrophila. The results indicated that PCR typing is a useful framework for characterization of the increasing number of isolations of atypical A. salmonicida.     

Molecular application for identification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons degrading bacteria (PAHD) species isolated from oil polluted soil in Dammam,Saud Arabia

Soil contamination with petroleum hydrocarbon products such as diesel and engine oil is becoming one of the major environmental problems. This study describes hydrocarbons degrading bacteria (PHAD) isolated from long-standing petrol polluted soil from the eastern region, Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The isolated strains were firstly categorized by accessible shape detection, physiological and biochemistry tests. Thereafter, a technique established on the sequence analysis of a 16S rDNA gene was used. Isolation of DNA from the bacterial strains was performed, on which the PCR reaction was carried out. Strains were identified based on 16S rDNA sequence analysis, As follows amplified samples were spontaneously sequenced automatically and the attained results were matched to open databases. Among the isolated bacterial strains, S1 was identified as Staphylococcus aureus and strain S1 as Corynebacterium amycolatum.     

An outbreak of nonflocculating catabolic populations caused the breakdown of a phenol-digesting activated-sludge process.

Activated sludge was fed phenol as the sole carbon source, and the phenol-loading rate was increased stepwise from 0.5 to 1.0 g liter-1 day-1 and then to 1.5 g liter-1 day-1. After the loading rate was increased to 1.5 g liter-1 day-1, nonflocculating bacteria outgrew the sludge, and the activated-sludge process broke down within 1 week. The bacterial population structure of the activated sludge was analyzed by temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) of PCR-amplified 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) fragments. We found that the population diversity decreased as the phenol-loading rate increased and that two populations (designated populations R6 and R10) predominated in the sludge during the last several days before breakdown. The R6 population was present under the low-phenol-loading-rate conditions, while the R10 population was present only after the loading rate was increased to 1.5 g liter-1 day-1. A total of 41 bacterial strains with different repetitive extragenic palindromic sequence PCR patterns were isolated from the activated sludge under different phenol-loading conditions, and the 16S rDNA and gyrB fragments of these strains were PCR amplified and sequenced. Some bacterial isolates could be associated with major TGGE bands by comparing the 16S rDNA sequences. All of the bacterial strains affiliated with the R6 population had almost identical 16S rDNA sequences, while the gyrB phylogenetic analysis divided these strains into two physiologically divergent groups; both of these groups of strains could grow on phenol, while one group (designated the R6F group) flocculated in laboratory media and the other group (the R6T group) did not. A competitive PCR analysis in which specific gyrB sequences were used as the primers showed that a population shift from R6F to R6T occurred following the increase in the phenol-loading rate to 1.5 g liter-1 day-1. The R10 population corresponded to nonflocculating phenol-degrading bacteria. Our results suggest that an outbreak of nonflocculating catabolic populations caused the breakdown of the activated-sludge process. This study also demonstrated the usefulness of gyrB-targeted fine population analyses in microbial ecology.     

用AFLP技术和16S rDNA PCR-RFLP分析毛苜蓿根瘤菌的遗传多样性

采用选择主增片断长度多态性（简称ＡＦＬＰ）ＤＮＡ指纹技术对采自我国云南省与西藏交界的高山地区的野生型豆科植物毛苜蓿根际土样分离的２９１株毛苜蓿（Ｍｅｄｉｃａｇｏ ｅｄｇｅｗｏｒｔｈｉｉ）根瘤菌进行遗传多样性的研究。从ＡＦＬＰ图谱中,揭示出毛苜蓿根瘤菌有较显著的遗传多样性,从２９１株中选择出９０年代表株用计算机进行树状图的分析。结果表明,所分析的菌株在７９％的相似性水平上聚类成３个群。对这９０年代表     

Novel Bacterial Lineages at the (Sub)Division Level as Detected by Signature Nucleotide-Targeted Recovery of 16S rRNA Genes from Bulk Soil and Rice Roots of Flooded Rice Microcosms

Using a newly developed 16S rRNA gene (rDNA)-targeted PCR assay with proposed group specificity for planctomycetes, we examined anoxic bulk soil of flooded rice microcosms for the presence of novel planctomycete-like diversity. For comparison, oxic rice roots were included as an additional sample in this investigation. The bacterial diversity detectable by this PCR assay was assessed by using a combined approach that included terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis and comparative sequence analysis of cloned 16S rDNA. T-RFLP fingerprint patterns generated from rice roots contained 12 distinct terminal restriction fragments (T-RFs). In contrast, the T-RFLP fingerprint patterns obtained from the anoxic bulk soil contained 33 distinct T-RFs, a clearly higher level of complexity. A survey of 176 bulk soil 16S rDNA clone sequences permitted correlation of 20 T-RFs with phylogenetic information. The other 13 T-RFs remained unidentified. The predominant T-RFs obtained from rice roots could be assigned to members of the genus Pirellula within the Planctomycetales, while most of the T-RFs obtained from the bulk soil corresponded to novel lines of bacterial descent. Using a level of 16S rDNA sequence dissimilarity to cultured microorganisms of approximately 20% as a threshold value, we detected 11 distinct bacterial lineages for which pure-culture representatives are not known. Four of these lineages could be assigned to the order Planctomycetales, while one lineage was affiliated with the division Verrucomicrobia and one lineage was affiliated with the spirochetes. The other five lineages either could not be assigned to any of the main lines of bacterial descent or clearly expanded the known diversity of division level lineages WS3 and OP3. Our results indicate the presence of bacterial diversity at a subdivision and/or division level that has not been detected previously by the so-called universal 16S rDNA PCR assays.