Construction of an M13 histidine-transducing phage: a single-stranded cloning vehicle with one EcoRI site.

In order to create a ready source of single-stranded DNA for DNA sequence determination by the dideoxy chain-termination method, the promoter-proximal part of the histidine operon, the hisOGD region of Salmonella typhimurium, was cloned onto the single-stranded phage M13. Both orientations of the his DNA were cloned to supply DNA template for sequencing of each strand. Insertion was achieved at an HaeIII site in the intergenic region (IR) of M13, and a single EcoRI site was purposely regenerated at one boundary of the his DNA insert. Infected colonies, not plaques, were selected using the hisD gene as a selective marker. The single RI site and the hisD marker for auxotrophic selection represent improvements on the wild type M13 as a single-stranded vector for cloning other DNA.     

基于多基因序列分析对尖孢镰孢菌古巴专化型（香蕉枯萎病菌）生理小种的鉴定

由尖孢镰孢菌古巴专化型Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense, Foc引起的香蕉枯萎病是香蕉生产上的毁灭性病害,自1996年以来已对我国华南地区香蕉生产造成了严重危害。传统上香蕉枯萎病菌生理小种的鉴定主要采用人工接种鉴别寄主尔后测定病菌致病性的方法,但实验周期长,且受季节影响。以来自澳大利亚的香蕉枯萎病菌生理小种1号（BW1）、2号（Race 2）、3号（Race 3）以及亚热带4号（BW4）为对照,对分离自我国华南地区主要香蕉产区（广东、广西、海南、福建等省区）的14株香蕉枯萎病菌的单孢菌株进行致病性测定,并结合热带4号小种（TR4）和亚热带4号小种（ST4）的分子特异检测方法,确定其生理小种类型;同时,利用ITS、TEF-1α、IGS、histone H3、β-tubulin等 5个主要用于镰孢菌系统发育学研究的基因,研究不同地区不同来源的Foc菌株之间的亲缘关系及其与非病原尖孢镰孢菌的关系,并评价这5个基因在香蕉枯萎病菌生理小种鉴定上的应用价值。研究结果表明：（1）来源于我国华南地区的4号小种主要为热带4号小种;（2）TEF-1α、IGS、histone H3等3个基因片段能够将Foc中不同生理小种的菌株划分成不同的系统发育谱系,与致病性测定的结果具有对应关系,也能较好地反映尖孢镰孢菌种内菌株的亲缘关系,可用于香蕉枯萎病菌生理小种鉴定;（3）我国Foc 1号生理小种的遗传多样性高于4号生理小种,Foc 1号生理小种的菌系与来自香蕉果实上的非病原尖孢镰孢菌的亲缘关系比其与Foc 4号生理小种的菌系的亲缘关系更近。     

Diversity of Degradation Pathways of Some Aromatic Compounds by Phenotype and Genotype Testing in Acinetobacter Strains

Phenotype and genotype testing were combined in this study to identify the diversity of five Acinetobacter strains to degrade some low-molecular-weight aromatic compounds. Three groups were identified: Group one, A. calcoaceticus PHEA-2 and A. baumanii UMI-95, which had the ability to degrade catechol and protocatchuate, and could catabolize vanillic acid and phenol; Group two, Acinetobacter sp. MM1, which had the ability to degrade protocatchuate, but not catechol, just could catabolize vanillic acid; and Group three, A. lwoffi UMI-8, A. junii 85, which degraded neither catechol nor protocatchuate, not could catabolize vanillic acid or phenol. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Heterogeneity and organization of the ribosomal RNA genes ofCucurbita maxima

Thirty-six clones were recovered fromCucurbita maxima genomic DNA which had been enriched for rDNA and cleaved at the unique repeat unitHind III site. Twenty-nine of these, which contain complete rDNA units, were compared to a standard whose intergenic spacer (IGS) nucleotide sequence has been determined. Twenty-one are identical in length and restriction site pattern. Eight which differ from the standard in length do so because of addition or deletion of varying numbers of IGS subrepetitive units of two different classes, with four of the length variants being different in both of these classes. Seven clones were isolated which contain incomplete repeat units, six of which are composites of rDNA and non-rDNA material. They have been cleaved at the unique rDNAHind III site at one end and at a non-rDNAHind III site at the other. We consider it most likely that these are derived from the termini of repeat unit tandem arrays, although other explanations are possible. Twelve individual plants of two different cultivars were examined for heterogeneity of IGS length distribution. They all appear to be identical in this regard.     

Genetic Diversity of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato Isolated in Far Eastern Russia

One-hundred and fifty-seven Borrelia isolated from adult ticks, Ixodes persulcatus, and wild rodents, Clethrionomys rufocanus and Apodemus peninsulae, in the far eastern part of Russia were characterized and identified by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the 5S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer. Some isolates showed unique RFLP patterns and were determined as Borrelia garinii on the basis of a sequence analysis of the intergenic spacer amplicon and reactivity with species-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). 86.5 and 12.7% of the tick isolates, and 74.2 and 12.9% of the rodent isolates were determined as Borrelia garinii and Borrelia afzelii, respectively, but no Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto was detected. This finding is similar to the results obtained from Borrelia surveys of I. persulcatus and wild rodents in Hokkaido, Japan.     

Life-history variation related to the first adult instar in daphnids derived from diapausing and subitaneous eggs

Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of the severe dehydrating diarrheal disease cholera. This bacterium has been detected in many estuaries around the world and the United States. In this study we examine the abundance and distribution of V. cholerae in recreational beach waters and tributaries of Southern California. Water samples were taken from 11 beach locations adjacent to freshwater runoff sources between February 8th and March 1st, 1999. Water samples were also taken from rivers, creeks and coastal wetlands along the Southern California coast between May 19th and June 28th, 1999. In addition to the detection of V. cholerae, environmental parameters including temperature, salinity, coliphage counts, viable heterotrophic plate counts and total bacterial direct counts were also determined to understand the relationships between the presence of V. cholerae and environmental conditions. A direct colony hybridization method using an oligonucleotide probe specific for the 16S–23S intergenic spacer region of V. cholerae, detected V. cholerae in 3 of the 11 beach samples with the highest concentration (60.9 per liter) at the mouth of Malibu Lagoon. V. cholerae and coliphage were not correlated for beach samples, indicating that the presence of V. cholerae is independent of sewage pollution. V. cholerae were detected in all samples taken from rivers, creeks and wetlands of coastal Southern California where salinities were between 1 to 34 parts per thousand (ppt), but was not found at a freshwater sampling site in upper San Juan Creek. The highest density of V. cholerae was found in San Diego Creek with a concentration of 4.25×10⁵ CFU/L. The geographical distribution of V. cholerae was inversely correlated with salinity. High concentrations of V. cholerae were more frequently detected in waters with lower (but above 0) salinity. The results of this study provide insight into the ecology of this aquatic species and are potentially important to the understanding of the epidemiology of cholera on a global scale.     

MOLECULAR AND PHYLOGENETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF PHORMIDIUM SPECIES (CYANOPROKARYOTA) USING THE CPCB‐IGS‐CPCA LOCUS1

The accurate determination of species of Cyanoprokaryota/Cyanophyceae has many important applications. These include the assessment of risk with regard to blooms in water reservoirs as well as the identification of species capable of producing valuable bioactive compounds. Commonly, Cyanoprokaryota are classified based on their morphology. However, morphological criteria are not always reliable because they may change, for example, due to environmental factors. Thus, genetic and molecular analyses are a promising additional approach, but their application has so far been limited to relatively few genera. In light of this, we present here the first characterization of species and strains of the genus Phormidium Kütz. based on the cpcB‐IGS‐cpcA locus of the phycocyanin operon. In phylogenetic analyses using deduced amino acid sequences of the cpcB‐cpcA regions, Phormidium was found to be polyphyletic. This analysis appeared to be dominated by the cpcB region, which is characterized by a relatively high percentage of informative substitutions. The percentage of variable positions within the cpcB‐IGS‐cpcA locus overall was 16.5%, thereby indicating a level of divergence remarkably higher than that reported for Nodularia and Arthrospira in previous studies relying on cpcB‐IGS‐cpcA. Further, alignment of informative nucleotide substitutions in the cpcB‐IGS‐cpcA sequences revealed a mosaic distribution, which may be indicative of genetic recombination events. Finally, the length and sequences of the IGS region alone proved useful as markers to differentiate the cyanobacterial genus Phormidium. However, whether the IGS region per se is sufficiently discriminatory to differentiate between Phormidium species or even strains requires further investigation using newly identified Phormidium sequence data.     

Sequence Characterization of a Unique Intergenic Spacer in Gadiformes Mitochondrial DNA

The nucleotide sequences of intergenic spacers located between the tRNA^Thr and tRNA^Pro genes in mitochondrial DNA of cod fishes (order Godiformes) were determined. Spacers from eight species representing two families of cod fishes were analyzed and found to vary in size from 25 to 99 bp. Each spacer sequence contains one or two copies of a conserved 17-bp motif. Four to five central nucleotides of this motif constitute a substitutional hot spot as observed from interspecific and intraspecific comparisons. The substitution rate of the spacer is approximately twice that of the variable part I of the mitochondrial DNA control region, making this sequence region interesting as a molecular marker in population studies or stock assessments of cod fishes. We propose that the spacer originated in a duplication event and evolved into a functional domain, perhaps by binding regulatory proteins. Accepted February 26, 1999