LuxS in bacteria isolated from 25‐ to 40‐million‐year‐old amber. Issue 1 (7th October 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Santiago‐Rodriguez, Tasha M.; Patrício, Ana R.; Rivera, Jessica I.; Coradin, Mariel; Gonzalez, Alfredo; Tirado, Gabriela; Cano, Raúl J.; Toranzos, Gary A.
• Is Part Of: FEMS microbiology letters. Volume 350:Issue 1(2014:Jan.)
• Page Start: 117
• Page End: 124
• Publication Date: 2013-10-07
• Subjects: Microbiology -- Periodicals; 579
• DOI: 10.1111/1574-6968.12275
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0378-1097

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="fml12275-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>Interspecies bacterial communication is mediated by autoinducer‐2, whose synthesis depends on <italic>luxS</italic>. Due to the apparent universality of <italic>luxS</italic> (present in more than 40 bacterial species), it may have an ancient origin; however, no direct evidence is currently available. We amplified <italic>luxS</italic> in bacteria isolated from 25‐ to 40‐million‐year‐old amber. The phylogenies and molecular clocks of <italic>luxS</italic> and the 16S rRNA gene from ancient and extant bacteria were determined as well. Luminescence assays using <italic>Vibrio harveyi </italic>BB170 aimed to determine the activity of <italic>luxS</italic>. While the phylogeny of <italic>luxS</italic> was very similar to that of extant <italic>Bacillus</italic> spp., amber isolates exhibited unique 16S rRNA gene phylogenies. This suggests that <italic>luxS</italic> may have been acquired by horizontal transfer millions of years ago. Molecular clocks of <italic>luxS</italic> suggest slow evolutionary rates, similar to those of the 16S rRNA gene and consistent with a conserved gene. Dendograms of the 16S rRNA gene and <italic>luxS</italic> show two separate clusters for the extant and ancient bacteria, confirming the uniqueness of the latter group.</p> </abstract>