Ottesen Elizabeth A, Hong Jong Wook, Quake Stephen R, Leadbetter Jared R
Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
Science. 2006 Dec 1;314(5804):1464-7. doi: 10.1126/science.1131370.
Gene inventory and metagenomic techniques have allowed rapid exploration of bacterial diversity and the potential physiologies present within microbial communities. However, it remains nontrivial to discover the identities of environmental bacteria carrying two or more genes of interest. We have used microfluidic digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify and analyze multiple, different genes obtained from single bacterial cells harvested from nature. A gene encoding a key enzyme involved in the mutualistic symbiosis occurring between termites and their gut microbiota was used as an experimental hook to discover the previously unknown ribosomal RNA-based species identity of several symbionts. The ability to systematically identify bacteria carrying a particular gene and to link any two or more genes of interest to single species residing in complex ecosystems opens up new opportunities for research on the environment.
基因目录和宏基因组技术使人们能够快速探索细菌多样性以及微生物群落中存在的潜在生理机能。然而，要发现携带两个或更多感兴趣基因的环境细菌的身份仍然并非易事。我们利用微流控数字聚合酶链反应（PCR）来扩增和分析从自然界采集的单个细菌细胞中获得的多个不同基因。编码参与白蚁与其肠道微生物群之间互利共生的关键酶的基因被用作实验切入点，以发现几种共生体此前未知的基于核糖体RNA的物种身份。系统识别携带特定基因的细菌并将任何两个或更多感兴趣的基因与复杂生态系统中的单个物种联系起来的能力，为环境研究开辟了新的机遇。
