Cloning and molecular characterization of a unique hemolysin gene of Vibrio pommerensis sp. nov.: development of a DNA probe for the detection of the hemolysin gene and its use in identification of related Vibrio spp. from the Baltic Sea.
A group of hemolytic Vibrio strains was isolated from surface water of the Baltic Sea in 1995. A typical representative strain, CH-291, was found to lyse washed human and animal erythrocytes. Hemolysis was found to be calcium-dependent and occurred over a temperature range from 25 to 37 degrees C. The hemolysin-encoding genes were identified by screening a genomic library of total DNA from strain CH-291. A cloned chromosomal DNA fragment of 15.6 kb conferred to Escherichia coli DH5alpha a hemolytic phenotype. Hybridization and sequence analysis showed the cloned sequence to be unique to these Baltic Sea Vibrio isolates and therefore provides a useful marker for their identification. Moreover, the cloned 15.6-kb DNA fragment possessed structural features typical for genetic islands, including a decreased GC content and a flanking cryptic insertion sequence element.
Jores
Joerg
J
Robert Koch-Institut, Nordufer 20, 13353 Berlin, Germany.
Appel
Bernd
B
Lewin
Astrid
A
D001454:Baltic States; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D015342:DNA Probes; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000382:microbiology; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006461:Hemolysis; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D014733:Vibrio / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*
D015342:DNA Probes; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins