title: Highly repetitive DNA sequences in cyanobacterial genomes.
abstract: We characterized three distinct families of repeated sequences in the genome of the cyanobacterium Calothrix sp. strain PCC 7601. These repeated sequences were present at a level of about 100 copies per Calothrix genome and consisted of tandemly amplified heptanucleotides. These elements were named short tandemly repeated repetitive (STRR) sequences. We used the three different Calothrix STRR sequences as probes to perform Southern hybridization experiments with DNAs extracted from various cyanobacterial strains, Bacillus subtilis, and Escherichia coli. The three different STRR sequences were found as repetitive genomic DNA components specific to the heterocystous strains tested. The role of the STRR sequences, as well as their possible use in taxonomic studies, is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, URA D1129, Département de Biochimie et Génétique Moléculaire, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mazel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Houmard
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Castets
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tandeau de Marsac
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D015342:DNA Probes; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005784:Gene Amplification; D005796:Genes; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D009876:Operon; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D015183:Restriction Mapping
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes