The gene encoding for penicillin-binding protein 5 of Enterococcus faecalis is useful for development of a species-specific DNA probe.
Recently, in Escherichia coli was cloned a Sau3AI 3.4-kb fragment containing the gene encoding for penicillin-binding protein 5 (PBP5) of Enterococcus faecalis. The structural gene for the PBP of E. faecalis and the flanking regions were entirely sequenced (C. Signoretto, M. Boaretti, and P. Canepari, FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 123:99-106, 1994). When the entire cloned E. faecalis DNA insert, labeled with digoxigenin, was used as a probe to detect a homology gene in enterococci, it was observed that only DNAs of all the E. faecalis strains reacted to the probe. The same results were obtained when a HindIII fragment of 0.35 kb from the entire insert of 3.4 kb was used. In this study we tested a total of 62 clinically isolated enterococcal strains, belonging to the species E. faecalis (36 strains), E. faecium (13), E. gallinarum (6), E. bovis (2) E. avium (3), E. hirae (1), and E. casseliflavus (1). The results indicate that both the entire segment and the HindIII fragment may be useful for preparing a species-specific probe for rapid identification of E. faecalis species.
Robbi
C
C
Istituto di Microbiologia, Università di Verona, Italy.
Signoretto
C
C
Boaretti
M
M
Canepari
P
P
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D003470:Culture Media; D015342:DNA Probes; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D006602:Hexosyltransferases; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D002267:Muramoylpentapeptide Carboxypeptidase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D010406:Penicillins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases; D010957:Plasmids; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003470:Culture Media; D015342:DNA Probes; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D010406:Penicillins; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases; D006602:Hexosyltransferases; D002267:Muramoylpentapeptide Carboxypeptidase