DNA analyses of a private collection of microbial green algae contribute to a better understanding of microbial diversity

Abstract

BackgroundDNA comparison is becoming the leading approach to the analysis of microbial diversity. For eukaryotes, the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) has emerged as a conspicuous molecule that is useful for distinguishing between species. Because of the small number of usable ITS data in GenBank, ITS2 sequence comparisons have only been used for limited taxa. However, major institutions with planktonic algal culture collections have now released small subunit (SSU) to ITS rDNA sequence data for their collections. This development has uplifted the level of molecular systematics for these algae.ResultsForty-three strains of green algae isolated from German inland waters were investigated by using SSU-ITS rDNA sequencing. The strains were isolated through the direct plating method. Many of the strains went extinct during the years of culture. Thus, it could be expected that the surviving strains would be common, vigorous species. Nevertheless, 12 strains did not match any known species for which rDNA sequences had been determined. Furthermore, the identity of one strain was uncertain even at the genus level.ConclusionsThe aforementioned results show that long-forgotten and neglected collections may be of great significance in understanding microbial diversity, and that much work still needs to be done before the diversity of freshwater green algae can be fully described.

DNA Barcoding Green Microalgae Isolated from Neotropical Inland Waters

“…CCAP 211/92 [ 39 ]; Desmodesmus sp. GM4a [ 59 ]. A Carl Zeiss Axio Imager A2 microscope (Zeiss.co, Brazil) equipped with Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) was used for morphological analysis.…”

Isolation and Characterization of Two Microalgal Isolates from Vietnam with Potential for Food, Feed, and Biodiesel Production

“…A PCR fragment was obtained using the primers NS1 and ITS4 (Table 1) for both strains named nl3 and nl6. These primers, originally described to amplify the 18S-ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rDNA region in fungi [25], proved also to work well for land plants [26]. The PCR fragment has a size of around 3500 bp for nl3 and 2600 bp for nl6.…”

Discrimination Between Synechocystis Members (Cyanobacteria) Based on Heterogeneity of Their 16S rRNA and ITS Regions

“…45 More recently, Gkelis et al presented evidence that a Limnothrix strain was previously misidentified as a Planktothrix strain. 46 DNA-analyses should therefore be used as an important identification factor for culture collections, similarly to what has recently been done 47 on a small scale with a green algae collection from Germany.…”