Identification of sulphate-reducing ectosymbiotic bacteria from anaerobic ciliates using 16S rRNA binding oligonucleotide probes.
The identity of ectosymbiotic bacteria of some marine, free-living anaerobic ciliates (Metopus contortus, Caenomorpha levanderi and Parablepharisma sp.) was studied using fluorescent-dye-conjugated oligonucleotides complementary to short sequence elements of 16S ribosomal RNA. The ectosymbiotic bacteria of all species hybridized with a eubacterial probe and those of the two former mentioned species hybridized with a general probe for sulphate-reducing bacteria, but not to a probe specific for Desulfobacter. The results support indirect evidence suggesting that ectosymbiotic bacteria of anaerobic ciliates are sulphate-reducers which depend on host metabolites for substrates.
Fenchel
T
T
Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Helsingør, Denmark.
Ramsing
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NB
D000693:Anaerobiosis; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D016798:Ciliophora / Q000382:microbiology*; D006089:Gram-Negative Anaerobic Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013431:Sulfates / Q000378:metabolism; D013559:Symbiosis
D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D013431:Sulfates