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The detection of environmental autoinducing peptide quorum‐sensing genes from an uncultured Clostridium sp. in landfill leachate reactor biomass
Author(s) -
Burrell P.C.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
letters in applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.698
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1472-765X
pISSN - 0266-8254
DOI - 10.1111/j.1472-765x.2006.01968.x
Subject(s) - clostridium thermocellum , biology , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , quorum sensing , leachate , 16s ribosomal rna , firmicutes , animal ecology , genetics , biochemistry , ecology , cellulose , virulence , cellulase
Aims: To elucidate whether a dominant uncultured clostridial ( Clostridium thermocellum ‐like) species in an environmental sample (landfill leachate), possesses an autoinducing peptide (AIP) quorum‐sensing (QS) gene, although it may not be functional. Methods and Results: A modified AIP accessory gene regulator ( agr )C PCR protocol was performed on extracted DNA from a landfill leachate sample (also characterized by 16S rRNA gene cloning) and the PCR products were cloned, sequenced and phylogenetically analysed. It appeared that two agr C gene phylotypes existed, most closely related to the C. thermocellum agr C gene, differing by only 1 bp. Conclusions: It is possible to specifically identify and characterize the agr C AIP QS gene from uncultured Firmicutes ( C. thermocellum ‐like) bacteria derived from environmental (landfill leachate) sample. Significance and Impact of the Study: This is the first successful attempt at identifying AIP QS genes from a cellulolytic environment (landfill). The agr C gene was identified as being most closely related to the C. thermocellum agr C gene, the same bacterium identified as being dominant, according to 16S rRNA gene cloning and subsequently fluorescence in situ hybridization analyses, in the same biomass.