Open AccessPhylogenetic analysis of transformable strains of thermophilic Bacillus species
Author(s) -
Studholme David J,
Jackson Robin A,
Leak David J
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1999.tb13454.x
Subject(s) - thermophile , phylogenetic tree , biology , bacilli , 16s ribosomal rna , bacillus (shape) , phylogenetics , genetics , ribosomal rna , strain (injury) , phylogenetic diversity , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , ribosomal dna , bacteria , anatomy
Few strains of thermophilic Bacillus spp are readily transformable with plasmid DNA. Given the considerable phylogenetic and phenotypic diversity amongst thermophilic bacilli, we have examined whether transformability is a trait associated with a particular phylogenetic group, by sequencing the 16S ribosomal RNA genes from transformable strains NUB3621, K1041, and NRRL1174. Although all of these strains were described in the literature as B. stearothermophilus , only NRRL1174 is closely related to the type strain of this species. Based on its 16S rDNA sequence and physiological data K1041 appeared to belong to the species B. thermodenitrificans , while NUB3621 showed a slightly closer relationship to B. thermoglucosidasius than to B. stearothermophilus . Therefore we conclude that the trait of transformability, though possibly strain‐specific, is not limited to a single species of thermophilic Bacillus .