1. |
Jian W,
Zhu L,
Dong X,
( 2001 ) New approach to phylogenetic analysis of the genus Bifidobacterium based on partial HSP60 gene sequences. PMID : 11594590 : DOI : 10.1099/00207713-51-5-1633 Abstract >>
The partial 60 kDa heat-shock protein (HSP60) genes of 36 Bifidobacterium strains representing 30 different Bifidobacterium species and subspecies and of the type strain of Gardnerella vaginalis were cloned and sequenced using a pair of universal degenerate HSP60 PCR primers. The HSP60 DNA sequence similarities were determined for the taxa at various ranks as follows: 99.4-100% within the same species, 96% at the subspecies level, and 73-96% (mean 85%) at the interspecies level (and 98% in the case of two groups of closely related species, Bifidobacterium animalis and Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium longum and Bifidobacterium suis, whose 165 rRNA sequence similarities are all above 99%). The HSP60 DNA sequence similarities between different Bifidobacterium species and G. vaginalis, a closely related bacterium according to 16S rRNA analysis, ranged from 71 to 79% (mean 75%). Although the topology of the phylogenetic tree constructed using the HSP60 sequences determined was basically similar to that for 16S rRNA, it seemed to be more clear-cut for species delineation, and the clustering was better correlated with the DNA base composition (mol% G+C) than that of the 16S rRNA tree. In the HSP60 phylogenetic tree, all of the high-G+C (55-67 mol%) bifidobacteria were grouped into one cluster, whereas the low-G+C species Bifidobacterium inopinatum (45 mol %) formed a separate cluster with G. vaginalis (42 mol%) and Bifidobacterium denticolens (55 mol%); a Bifidobacterium species of intermediate G+C content formed another cluster between the two. This study demonstrates that the highly conserved and ubiquitous HSP60 gene is an accurate and convenient tool for phylogenetic analysis of the genus Bifidobacterium.
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2. |
Ventura M,
Zhang Z,
Cronin M,
Canchaya C,
Kenny JG,
Fitzgerald GF,
van Sinderen D,
( 2005 ) The ClgR protein regulates transcription of the clpP operon in Bifidobacterium breve UCC 2003. PMID : 16321946 : DOI : 10.1128/JB.187.24.8411-8426.2005 PMC : PMC1317013 Abstract >>
Five clp genes (clpC, clpB, clpP1, clpP2, and clpX), representing chaperone- and protease-encoding genes, were previously identified in Bifidobacterium breve UCC 2003. In the present study, we characterize the B. breve UCC 2003 clpP locus, which consists of two paralogous genes, designated clpP1 and clpP2, whose deduced protein products display significant similarity to characterized ClpP peptidases. Transcriptional analyses showed that the clpP1 and clpP2 genes are transcribed in response to moderate heat shock as a bicistronic unit with a single promoter. The role of a clgR homologue, known to control the regulation of clpP gene expression in Streptomyces lividans and Corynebacterium glutamicum, was investigated by gel mobility shift assays and DNase I footprint experiments. We show that ClgR, which in its purified form appears to exist as a dimer, requires a proteinaceous cofactor to assist in specific binding to a 30-bp region of the clpP promoter region. In pull-down experiments, a 56-kDa protein copurified with ClgR, providing evidence that the two proteins also interact in vivo and that the copurified protein represents the cofactor required for ClgR activity. The prediction of the ClgR three-dimensional structure provides further insights into the binding mode of this protein to the clpP1 promoter region and highlights the key amino acid residues believed to be involved in the protein-DNA interaction.
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3. |
Ventura M,
Zink R,
Fitzgerald GF,
van Sinderen D,
( 2005 ) Gene structure and transcriptional organization of the dnaK operon of Bifidobacterium breve UCC 2003 and application of the operon in bifidobacterial tracing. PMID : 15640225 : DOI : 10.1128/AEM.71.1.487-500.2005 PMC : PMC544267 Abstract >>
The incorporation and delivery of bifidobacterial strains as probiotic components in many food preparations expose these microorganisms to a multitude of environmental insults, including heat and osmotic stresses. We characterized the dnaK gene region of Bifidobacterium breve UCC 2003. Sequence analysis of the dnaK locus revealed four genes with the organization dnaK-grpE-dnaJ-ORF1, whose deduced protein products display significant similarity to corresponding chaperones found in other bacteria. Northern hybridization and real-time LightCycler PCR analysis revealed that the transcription of the dnaK operon was strongly induced by osmotic shock but was not induced significantly by heat stress. A 4.4-kb polycistronic mRNA, which represented the transcript of the complete dnaK gene region, was detected. Many other small transcripts, which were assumed to have resulted from intensive processing or degradation of this polycistronic mRNA, were identified. The transcription start site of the dnaK operon was determined by primer extension. Phylogenetic analysis of the available bifidobacterial grpE and dnaK genes suggested that the evolutionary development of these genes has been similar. The phylogeny derived from the various bifidobacterial grpE and dnaK sequences is consistent with that derived from 16S rRNA. The use of these genes in bifidobacterial species as an alternative or complement to the 16S rRNA gene marker provides sequence signatures that allow a high level of discrimination between closely related species of this genus.
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4. |
Ventura M,
Canchaya C,
Zink R,
Fitzgerald GF,
van Sinderen D,
( 2004 ) Characterization of the groEL and groES loci in Bifidobacterium breve UCC 2003: genetic, transcriptional, and phylogenetic analyses. PMID : 15466567 : DOI : 10.1128/AEM.70.10.6197-6209.2004 PMC : PMC522111 Abstract >>
The bacterial heat shock response is characterized by the elevated expression of a number of chaperone complexes, including the GroEL and GroES proteins. The groES and groEL genes are highly conserved among eubacteria and are typically arranged as an operon. Genome analysis of Bifidobacterium breve UCC 2003 revealed that the groES and groEL genes are located in different chromosomal regions. The heat inducibility of the groEL and groES genes of B. breve UCC 2003 was verified by slot blot analysis. Northern blot analyses showed that the cspA gene is cotranscribed with the groEL gene, while the groES gene is transcribed as a monocistronic unit. The transcription initiation sites of these two mRNAs were determined by primer extension. Sequence and transcriptional analyses of the region flanking the groEL and groES genes of various bifidobacteria revealed similar groEL-cspA and groES gene units, suggesting a novel genetic organization of these chaperones. Phylogenetic analysis of the available bifidobacterial groES and groEL genes suggested that these genes evolved differently. Discrepancies in the phylogenetic positioning of groES-based trees make this gene an unreliable molecular marker. On the other hand, the bifidobacterial groEL gene sequences can be used as an alternative to current methods for tracing Bifidobacterium species, particularly because they allow a high level of discrimination between closely related species of this genus.
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5. |
Kim BJ,
Kim HY,
Yun YJ,
Kim BJ,
Kook YH,
( 2010 ) Differentiation of Bifidobacterium species using partial RNA polymerase {beta}-subunit (rpoB) gene sequences. PMID : 20061504 : DOI : 10.1099/ijs.0.020339-0 Abstract >>
Partial RNA polymerase �]-subunit gene (rpoB) sequences (315 bp) were determined and used to differentiate the type strains of 23 species of the genus Bifidobacterium. The sequences were compared with those of the partial hsp60 (604 bp) and 16S rRNA genes (1475 or 1495 bp). The rpoB gene sequences showed nucleotide sequence similarities ranging from 84.1 % to 99.0 %, while the similarities of the hsp60 sequences ranged from 78.5 % to 99.7 % and the 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities ranged from 89.4 % to 99.2 %. The phylogenetic trees constructed from the sequences of these three genes showed similar clustering patterns, with the exception of several species. The Bifidobacterium catenulatum-Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum, Bifidobacterium pseudolongum subsp. pseudolongum-Bifidobacterium pseudolongum subsp. globosum and Bifidobacterium gallinarum-Bifidobacterium pullorum-Bifidobacterium saeculare groups were more clearly differentiated in the partial rpoB and hsp60 gene sequence trees than they were in the 16S rRNA gene tree. Based on sequence similarities and tree topologies, the newly determined rpoB gene sequences are suitable molecular markers for the differentiation of species of the genus Bifidobacterium and support various other molecular tools used to determine the relationships among species of this genus.
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