AEM
Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Beumer, A.
Right arrow Articles by Robinson, J. B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Beumer, A.
Right arrow Articles by Robinson, J. B.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Beumer, A.
Right arrow Articles by Robinson, J. B.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, December 2005, p. 8301-8304, Vol. 71, No. 12
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.12.8301-8304.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A Broad-Host-Range, Generalized Transducing Phage (SN-T) Acquires 16S rRNA Genes from Different Genera of Bacteria

Amy Beumer* and Jayne B. Robinson

University of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, Ohio

Received 23 May 2005/ Accepted 10 August 2005

Genomic analysis has revealed heterogeneity among bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences within a single species; yet the cause(s) remains uncertain. Generalized transducing bacteriophages have recently gained recognition for their abundance as well as their ability to affect lateral gene transfer and to harbor bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences. Here, we demonstrate the ability of broad-host-range, generalized transducing phages to acquire 16S rRNA genes and gene sequences. Using PCR and primers specific to conserved regions of the 16S rRNA gene, we have found that generalized transducing phages (D3112, UT1, and SN-T), but not specialized transducing phages (D3), acquired entire bacterial 16S rRNA genes. Furthermore, we show that the broad-host-range, generalized transducing phage SN-T is capable of acquiring the 16S rRNA gene from two different genera: Sphaerotilus natans, the host from which SN-T was originally isolated, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In sequential infections, SN-T harbored only 16S rRNA gene sequences of the final host as determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The frequency of 16S rRNA gene sequences in SN-T populations was determined to be 1 x 10–9 transductants/PFU. Our findings further implicate transduction in the horizontal transfer of 16S rRNA genes between different species or genera of bacteria.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: University of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469-1644. Phone: (937) 229-3630. Fax: (937) 229-2021. E-mail: beumerae{at}notes.udayton.edu.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, December 2005, p. 8301-8304, Vol. 71, No. 12
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.12.8301-8304.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:



Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
J. Bacteriol. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. Eukaryot. Cell All ASM Journals

Copyright © 2005 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.