HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary material Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Conrads, G. Articles by Goldstein, E. J. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Conrads, G. Articles by Goldstein, E. J. C. Agricola Articles by Conrads, G. Articles by Goldstein, E. J. C.

16S–23S rRNA gene internal transcribed spacer sequences for analysis of the phylogenetic relationships among species of the genus Porphyromonas

¹ R. M. Alden Research Laboratory, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA
² Lehr- und Forschungsgebiet Orale Mikrobiologie und Immunologie der Klinik für Zahnerhaltung, Parodontologie und Präventive Zahnerhaltung und Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Universitätsklinikum (RWTH), D-52057 Aachen, Germany

Correspondence
Georg Conrads
gconrads{at}ukaachen.de

The 16S–23S rRNA gene internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of 11 reference strains of Porphyromonas species, together with Bacteroides distasonis and Tannerella forsythensis, were analysed to examine interspecies relationships. Compared with the phylogenetic tree generated using 16S rRNA gene sequences, the resolution of the ITS sequence-based tree was higher, but species positioning and clustering were similar with both approaches. The recent separation of Porphyromonas gulae and Porphyromonas gingivalis into distinct species was confirmed by the ITS data. In addition, analysis of the ITS sequences of 24 clinical isolates of Porphyromonas asaccharolytica plus the type strain ATCC 25260^T divided the sequences into two clusters, of which one was -fucosidase-positive (like the type strain) while the other was -fucosidase-negative. The latter resembled the previously studied unusual extra-oral isolates of ‘Porphyromonas endodontalis-like organisms' (PELOs) which could therefore be called ‘Porphyromonas asaccharolytica-like organisms' (PALOs), based on the genetic identification. Moreover, the proposal of -fucosidase-negative P. asaccharolytica strains as a new species should also be considered.

Published online ahead of print on 24 September 2004 as DOI 10.1099/ijs.0.63234-0.

The GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ accession numbers for the ITS and 16S rRNA gene sequences discussed in this study can be found in Figs 1 and 2.

A similarity matrix table (.xls), an alignment file (.aln) and a multi sequence file (.msf) of DNA–DNA hybridization data for all sequences discussed in this article are available as supplementary material in IJSEM Online. A figure showing representative gel-electrophoretic patterns of Porphyromonas species is also available.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. Danovaro, G. M. Luna, A. Dell'Anno, and B. Pietrangeli Comparison of Two Fingerprinting Techniques, Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism and Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis, for Determination of Bacterial Diversity in Aquatic Environments Appl. Envir. Microbiol., September 1, 2006; 72(9): 5982 - 5989. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Sakamoto and Y. Benno Reclassification of Bacteroides distasonis, Bacteroides goldsteinii and Bacteroides merdae as Parabacteroides distasonis gen. nov., comb. nov., Parabacteroides goldsteinii comb. nov. and Parabacteroides merdae comb. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, July 1, 2006; 56(Pt 7): 1599 - 1605. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]