Evidence of bacteriophage-mediated horizontal transfer of bacterial 16S rRNA genes in the viral metagenome of the marine sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis.
Marine sponges have never been directly examined with respect to the presence of viruses or their potential involvement in horizontal gene transfer. Here we demonstrate for the first time, to our knowledge, the presence of viruses in the marine sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis. Moreover, bacterial 16S rDNA was detected in DNA isolated from these viruses, indicating that phage-derived transduction appears to occur in H. perlevis. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that bacterial 16S rDNA isolated from sponge-derived viral and total DNA differed significantly, indicating that not all species are equally involved in transduction.
School of Biological Sciences, The Queen's University of Belfast, UK.|Department of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.|Marine Biotechnology Centre, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Catriona
C
Harrington
School of Biological Sciences, The Queen's University of Belfast, UK.
Antonio
A
Del Casale
Marine Biotechnology Centre, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Jonathan
J
Kennedy
Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Max Rubner-Institute, Federal Research Institute for Nutrition and Food, Kiel, Germany.
Horst
H
Neve
Department of Natural Sciences, National Museums Northern Ireland, Ireland.
Bernard E
BE
Picton
BIOMERIT Research Centre, Microbiology Department, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.|Department of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.|Marine Biotechnology Centre, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Marlies J
MJ
Mooij
BIOMERIT Research Centre, Microbiology Department, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.|Department of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.|Marine Biotechnology Centre, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Fergal
F
O'Gara
School of Biological Sciences, The Queen's University of Belfast, UK.
Leonid A
LA
Kulakov
School of Biological Sciences, The Queen's University of Belfast, UK.
Michael J
MJ
Larkin
Department of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.|Marine Biotechnology Centre, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Alan D W
ADW
Dobson
D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D054892:Metagenome; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011161:Porifera / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004279:DNA, Viral; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S