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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2000, p. 4004-4011, Vol. 66, No. 9
Division of General Genetics, Department of
Biology, University of Oslo, 0315 Oslo,1
MATFORSK, Norwegian Food Research Institute, 1430 Ås,2 and Norwegian Institute for Water
Research, 0411 Oslo,3 Norway
Received 6 March 2000/Accepted 6 July 2000
DNA sequence information for the small-subunit rRNA gene (16S rDNA)
obtained from cyanobacterial cultures was used to investigate the
presence of cyanobacteria and their abundance in natural habitats. Eight planktonic communities developing in lakes characterized by
relatively low algal biomass (mesotrophic) and in lakes with correspondingly high biomass (eutrophic) were selected for the study.
The organismal compositions of the water samples were analyzed genetically, using multiplex sequence-specific labeling of
oligonucleotide probes targeted to 16S rDNA and subsequent
hybridization of the labeled probes to their respective complements
spotted onto a solid support (DNA array). Ten probes were established
to determine the relative abundances of the discernible cyanobacteria
encountered in the selected lakes. The probes were generally specific
for their targets, as determined through analyses of clone cultures. Reproducible abundance profiles were established for the lakes investigated in the subsequent analyses of natural cyanobacterial communities. The results from the genetic analyses were then compared with information obtained from standard hydrobiological and
hydrochemical analyses. Qualitatively, there were relatively good
correlations among the groups of organisms (Nostoc,
Microcystis, and Planktothrix species) found in
the different lakes. The levels of correlation were lower for the
quantitative data. This may, however, be due to differences in sample
processing technique. The conclusions from these comparisons are that
the genetic abundance profiles may provide a foundation for separating
and quantifying genetically distinct groups of cyanobacteria in their
natural habitats.
0099-2240/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Application of Sequence-Specific Labeled 16S rRNA
Gene Oligonucleotide Probes for Genetic Profiling of Cyanobacterial
Abundance and Diversity by Array Hybridization
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: MATFORSK,
Norwegian Food Research Institute, Osloveien 1, 1430 Ås, Norway.
Phone: 47 64 97 02 66. Fax: 47 64 97 03 33. E-mail:
knut.rudi{at}matforsk.no.
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