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GENETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF STRAINS OF CYANOBACTERIA USING PCR‐RFLP OF THE cpcBA INTERGENIC SPACER AND FLANKING REGIONS 1
Author(s) -
Bolch Christopher J. S.,
Blackburn Susan I.,
Neilan Brett A.,
Grewe Peter M.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1111/j.0022-3646.1996.00445.x
Subject(s) - biology , restriction fragment length polymorphism , intergenic region , cyanobacteria , restriction enzyme , microcystis aeruginosa , genetics , spacer dna , restriction fragment , haeiii , phycocyanin , anabaena , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , genotype , phylogenetics , ribosomal dna , genome , bacteria
Oligonucleotide primers, specific for conserved regions of the genes encoding the β‐ and α‐phycocyanin subunits of phycobilisomes ( cpcB and cpcA ) of cyanobacteria, were used to amplify a DNA fragment containing the intervening intergenic spacer region ( cpcBA ‐IGS) of 19 strains of three morphospecies of cyanobacteria. Six Australian strains were identified as Anabaena circinalis Rabenhorst, six strains were identified as Microcystis aeruginosa Kützing, and seven strains were identified as Nodularia spumigena Mertens. Restriction enzyme digestion of the amplification products from the strains revealed restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) within all three morphospecies. Strains corresponding to M. aeruginosa were highly polymorphic: 11 of the 14 restriction enzymes used displayed RFLPs. The A. circinalis and N. spumigena strains were less variable: three of 14 enzymes and seven of 14 enzymes, respectively, showed RFLPs. The presence of genetic variation between strains within these three divergent morphospecies, which span two orders of cyanobacteria (Chroococcales Wettstein and Nostocales (Borzi) Geitler) , show that the cpcBA‐ IGS fragment has broad application as a molecular marker for intrageneric studies of cyanobacteria systematics and genetics.