Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 1998, p. 4333-4339, Vol. 64, No. 11
0099-2240/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Department of Microbiology and Center for Microbial Ecology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
Received 13 April 1998/Accepted 17 August 1998
Within the last several years, molecular techniques have uncovered
numerous 16S rRNA gene (rDNA) sequences which represent a unique and
globally distributed lineage of the kingdom Crenarchaeota that is phylogenetically distinct from currently characterized crenarchaeotal species. rDNA sequences of members of this novel crenarchaeotal group have been recovered from low- to
moderate-temperature environments (
1.5 to 32°C), in contrast to the
high-temperature environments (temperature, >80°C) required for
growth of the currently recognized crenarchaeotal species. We
determined the diversity and abundance of the nonthermophilic members
of the Crenarchaeota in soil samples taken from cultivated
and uncultivated fields located at the Kellogg Biological Station's
Long-Term Ecological Research site (Hickory Corners, Mich.). Clones
were generated from 16S rDNA that was amplified by using
broad-specificity archaeal PCR primers. Twelve crenarchaeotal sequences
were identified, and the phylogenetic relationships between these
sequences and previously described crenarchaeotal 16S rDNA sequences
were determined. Phylogenetic analyses included nonthermophilic
crenarchaeotal sequences found in public databases and revealed that
the nonthermophilic Crenarchaeota group is composed of at
least four distinct phylogenetic clusters. A 16S rRNA-targeted
oligonucleotide probe specific for all known nonthermophilic
crenarchaeotal sequences was designed and used to determine their
abundance in soil samples. The nonthermophilic Crenarchaeota accounted for as much as 1.42% ± 0.42% of
the 16S rRNA in the soils analyzed.
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