The detection of environmental autoinducing peptide quorum-sensing genes from an uncultured Clostridium sp. in landfill leachate reactor biomass.
OBJECTIVE
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.


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 agrC gene phylotypes existed, most closely related to the C. thermocellum agrC gene, differing by only 1 bp.


CONCLUSIONS
It is possible to specifically identify and characterize the agrC AIP QS gene from uncultured Firmicutes (C. thermocellum-like) bacteria derived from environmental (landfill leachate) sample.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first successful attempt at identifying AIP QS genes from a cellulolytic environment (landfill). The agrC gene was identified as being most closely related to the C. thermocellum agrC 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.
Burrell
P C
PC
School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, Australia. paulcburrell@gmail.com
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D018533:Biomass; D003013:Clostridium / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012037:Refuse Disposal; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D010455:Peptides