Paul J H, Cazares L, Thurmond J
Department of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg 33701.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 1990 Jun;56(6):1963-6. doi: 10.1128/aem.56.6.1963-1966.1990.
The carboxylation of ribulose biphosphate by the enzyme ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase is the mechanism for CO2 fixation and primary production in nearly all ecosystems on this planet. Although certain algal isolates and higher plants contain conserved nucleotide sequences in the large subunit of the gene (rbcL) for this enzyme, such genes from natural microbial assemblages have not been heretofore examined. Using oligonucleotide primers designed for conserved regions of the rbcL gene of a Synechococcus sp. (Anacystis nidulans), we have amplified rbcL from DNA preparations from planktonic samples from a Florida reservoir and from algal isolates by the polymerase chain reaction. We have also detected rbcL by gene amplification in the extracellular DNA fraction of this reservoir, indicating that phytoplankton can be a source of dissolved DNA. These results suggest that gene amplification can be applied for the detection of conserved genes encoding enzymes involved in important ecological functions in aquatic environments.
核酮糖二磷酸羧化酶/加氧酶催化核酮糖二磷酸的羧化作用，是地球上几乎所有生态系统中二氧化碳固定和初级生产的机制。尽管某些藻类分离株和高等植物在该酶基因（rbcL）的大亚基中含有保守的核苷酸序列，但来自天然微生物群落的此类基因此前尚未得到研究。我们使用针对聚球藻属（集胞藻）rbcL基因保守区域设计的寡核苷酸引物，通过聚合酶链反应从佛罗里达水库浮游样本和藻类分离株的DNA制剂中扩增出了rbcL。我们还通过基因扩增在该水库的细胞外DNA组分中检测到了rbcL，这表明浮游植物可能是溶解DNA的一个来源。这些结果表明，基因扩增可用于检测编码参与水生环境中重要生态功能的酶的保守基因。
