Microorganisms are the dominant players driving the degradation and transformation of chloramphenicol (CAP) in the environment. However, little bacterial strains are able to efficiently degrade and mineralize CAP, and the CAP degrading pathways mediated by oxidative reactions remain unclear. In this study, a highly efficient CAP-degrading microbial consortium, which mainly consists of Rhodococcus (relative abundance >70%), was obtained through an enrichment process using CAP-contaminated activated sludge as the inoculum. A bacterial strain CAP-2 capable of efficiently degrading CAP was isolated from the consortium and identified as Rhodococcus sp. by 16S rRNA gene analysis. Strain CAP-2 can efficiently degrade CAP under different nutrient conditions. Based on the biotransformation characteristics of the detected metabolite p-nitrobenzoic acid and the reported metabolites p-nitrobenzaldehyde and protocatechuate by strain CAP-2, a new oxidative pathway for the degradation of CAP was proposed. The side chain of CAP was oxidized and broken to generate p-nitrobenzaldehyde, which was further oxidized to p-nitrobenzoic acid. Strain CAP-2 can be used to further study the molecular mechanism of CAP catabolism, and has the potential to be used in in situ bioremediation of CAP-contaminated environment.
Biodegradation, Environmental ; Chloramphenicol ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics* ; Rhodococcus/genetics* ; Sewage

Microbiome is associated with a wide range of diseases. The gut microbiome is also a dynamic reflection of health status, which can be modified, thus representing great potential to exploit the mechanisms that influence human physiology. Recent years have seen a dramatic rise in gut microbiome studies, which has been enabled by the rapidly evolving high-throughput sequencing methods (i.e. 16S rRNA sequencing and shotgun sequencing). As the emerging technologies for microbiome research continue to evolve (i.e. metatranscriptomics, metabolomics, culturomics, synthetic biology), microbiome research has moved beyond phylogenetic descriptions and towards mechanistic analyses. In this review, we highlight different approaches to study the microbiome, in particular, the current limitations and future promise of these techniques. This review aims to provide clinicians with a framework for studying the microbiome, as well as to accelerate the adoption of these techniques in clinical practice.
Humans ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics* ; Health Status

The 16S rRNA gene is the most commonly used molecular marker for identifying microorganisms. It is used in sequencing technology, including the first-generation, the second-generation, and the third-generation sequencing technology. A large number of studies on the 16S rRNA gene have contributed to a deeper understanding of oral microbial diversity. In the healthy oral cavity, there is microbial diversity in time and space. With the occurrence or development of oral diseases such as caries, periodontal disease, or halitosis, the microbial diversity will be changed.
High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Mouth ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; genetics

We report an important but long-overlooked manifestation of low-resolution power of 16S rRNA sequence analysis at the species level, namely, in 16S rRNA-based phylogenetic trees polyphyletic placements of closely-related species are abundant compared to those in genome-based phylogeny. This phenomenon makes the demarcation of genera within many families ambiguous in the 16S rRNA-based taxonomy. In this study, we reconstructed phylogenetic relationship for more than ten thousand prokaryote genomes using the CVTree method, which is based on whole-genome information. And many such genera, which are polyphyletic in 16S rRNA-based trees, are well resolved as monophyletic clusters by CVTree. We believe that with genome sequencing of prokaryotes becoming a commonplace, genome-based phylogeny is doomed to play a definitive role in the construction of a natural and objective taxonomy.
Genome ; Genomics ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

OBJECTIVETo investigated the genetic polymorphism of the isolated strains using ribotyping method.

METHODSOne hundred twenty-two strains of V. cholerae O139 isolated from different areas of China from 1993 to 1999 were selected and characterized with ribotyping, including 16s rDNA and 23s rDNA probes.

RESULTSOne hundred twenty-two strains were differentiated into 10 different ribotypes (RT1-RT10) on the basis of rRNA gene probes hybridization (with Bgl I digestion), which consisted of 7 - 9 bands between 12 and 1.5 kb in size. RT1 and RT3, as two predominant ribotypes, comprised most number of the strains which spread to the extensive range. Nine strains, which are negative to ctxAB, zot and RS individually, belong to 4 special ribotypes. The dendrogram revealing genetic relationship among different clones of V. cholerae O139 showed that the clones belonging to RT1 and RT2 had genetic similarity on high degree, although they were isolated from different regions. The two predominant ribotypes (RT1 and RT3) were distant in genetic relationship.

CONCLUSIONResults showed the clonal diversity and the wide area distribution of V. cholerae O139 strains in China, suggesting the multiple origins of O139 epidemics.

Phylogeny ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; genetics ; RNA, Ribosomal, 23S ; genetics ; Ribotyping ; Species Specificity ; Vibrio cholerae O139 ; classification ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo type and group the Yersinia pestis strains isolated in China to clarify the geographical distribution of ribotypes of Yersinia pestis.

METHODSGenomic DNA of Yersinia pestis were digested with EcoR I, then hybridized with 16s-23s-5s rRNA gene probe.

RESULTSThese tested strains were divided into 3 ribotypes, the profiles obtained were relatively homogeneous, with most of them differed only by the presence or the absence of 1 - 2 restriction fragments. Ribotype A and B were the most common types, which distributed in a large area in China while ribotype C was the least, only limited to a small area. There was certain correlation between the ribotypes and the plague foci, usually only one ribotype was found in one plague foci.

CONCLUSIONThe ribotypes were stable in the plague foci. Correlation between the ribotypes of Yersinia pestis strains and their geographical origins was noticed. All 3 ribotypes had different origins, however ribotype A and ribotype C seemed to be closer related.

China ; DNA, Bacterial ; genetics ; Geography ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; genetics ; RNA, Ribosomal, 23S ; genetics ; RNA, Ribosomal, 5S ; genetics ; Ribotyping ; Yersinia pestis ; classification ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo explore a new method of rapid and reliable diagnosis of bacterial infectious diseases such as purulent meningitis and septicemia.

METHODSA pair of universal primers and a set of probes (including universal fluorescence probe, Gram-positive probe and Gram-negative probe) were designed based on the bacterial highly conserved region of 16S rRNA gene. By using the FQ-PCR method, 12 standard strains, 23 clinical cultural isolations and the controls such as HBV, Cryptococcus histolyticus, Blastomyces albicans and human DNA were detected with the three kinds of probes. The correlation among the results of the three kinds of probes detection was analyzed.

RESULTSThe determination of 16S rRNA gene with FQ-PCR was a highly specific and sensitive method and not cross-reactive with human DNA, virus or fungi. The least amount of 10 copies of 16S rRNA gene which corresponded to 2 bacteria could be detected with FQ-PCR. Twelve standard strains and 23 clinical cultural isolations were detected by FQ-PCR with the three kinds of probes mentioned above. All samples presented positive results using the universal probe. The results of 16S rRNA gene detected by the Gramjpositive probe were positive to the 18 G+ strains. The results of 16S rRNA gene detected by the Gram-probe were positive to the 17 G- strains.

CONCLUSIONSThe FQ-PCR technique was established for bacteria quantifying and typing using the universal primer and the double type probes. This method was convenient and rapid in detecting, quantifying and typing bacteria, with a high specificity and sensitivity.

Fluorescence ; Genes, rRNA ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; RNA, Bacterial ; genetics ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; genetics

The community structure and diversity of the gut microbiota are associated with human diseases. However, the analysis of different community structure might be influenced by experimental approaches such as the quality of DNA extraction. Therefore, evaluating the efficiency of different DNA extraction methods for specific intestinal species is a guideline for obtaining a comprehensive human gut microbial profile, which may assist the in-depth investigation into the structure of the gut microbial community. The aim of this study was to perform a comparative analysis of five different DNA extraction methods. With the aid of qPCR, the efficiency of five DNA extraction kits was evaluated in terms of the purity of the extracted DNA, the DNA concentration, and the abundance of genomic DNA extracted from specific intestinal species. The results showed that the kit Q gave the best extraction results, especially for Gram-positive bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. The average DNA concentration of the N kit was lower than that of the Q kit, but there was no significant difference between the two in terms of the purity. Compared to the other three commercial kits (M, PSP, TG), the efficiency of the N kit in extracting the genomic DNA of the specified microorganisms were the least different from those of the Q kit. In contrast, the DNA extracted by the M kit was of higher quality but of lower concentration, and was not very efficient for Gram-positive bacteria. The DNA extracted by the TG and PSP kits was inferior to the other validated kits in terms of the concentration, quality and bacterial abundance. These results provide a basis for the selection of genomic DNA extraction methods in microecological research experiments.
DNA/genetics* ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics* ; Feces/microbiology* ; Humans ; Microbiota/genetics* ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics*

The important role of intestinal microorganisms in human health has been widely confirmed. At present, most of the studies on intestinal microorganisms are based on amplification of the V3-V4 region of bacterial 16S rRNA gene, and little attention has been paid to archaea. In this study, a primer set which can amplify 16S rRNA gene of both bacteria and archaea at the same time was used. By comparing the community changes before and after probiotics intake, it showed that this primer set is suitable for analyzing the changes of human intestinal bacteria and archaea communities. The fecal samples of volunteers were collected, and the amplification and high-throughput sequencing were carried out by using bacterial primer set (B primer) and bacterial and archaeal universal primer (AB primer); several commonly used rRNA databases were used to determine the amplification ability of the primer set to bacteria and archaea. The results showed that AB primer could display the bacterial community amplified by B primer, and could obtain the sequence of common methanogenic archaea in intestinal tract. AB primer set can analyze the bacteria and archaea in the intestinal tract at the same time by only one amplification and sequencing, which can show the structure of intestinal microbial community more comprehensively, which is suitable for the research of intestinal microorganisms.
Archaea/genetics* ; Bacteria/genetics* ; DNA Primers ; DNA, Bacterial ; Humans ; Microbiota/genetics* ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics*

Objective To describe the microbiological characteristics of ()CGMCC 12426 and determine and analyze its complete genome sequences.Methods strain CGMCC 12426 genomic DNA sequencing was performed on a single molecule real-time sequencing(SMRT)platform and the annotation was completed in the NCBI Prokaryotic Genomic Annotation Pipeline(pGAP).Results The complete genomic sequences of the released CGMCC 12426 consisted of a 4 138 265-bp circular chromosome and a 74 165-bp plasmid,which resulted in the prediction of 4581 genes including 4222 coding sequences,87 tRNAs,and 30 rRNAs(which included 5S rRNA,16S rRNA,and 23S rRNA).Conclusion The genome sequencing provided a basis for further investigations on the genetic background of and on the metabolic and regulatory mechanisms.
Bacillus subtilis ; genetics ; Genome, Bacterial ; Plasmids ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; genetics ; RNA, Ribosomal, 23S ; genetics ; RNA, Ribosomal, 5S ; genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA