Molecular Evolution and Identification of Yersinia Species by 16S rDNA Analysis

ABSTRACT

Sequence information from the ribosomal RNA molecule can be used as a molecular clock. Therefore, 16S rRNA sequences have become a widely used tool in bacterial systematics, bacterial typing and studies of the composition of micro-organisms in environmental samples. Consequently, the databases are continuously updated with new 16S rRNA sequence information from different species. This in turn facilitates the identification of new isolates, which is important for the diagnosis of various infectious diseases in research. To development differential identification technique in the Yersinia species, the 16S rDNA for total 17 serotypes of Y. pseudotuberculosis type strains and one of Y. enterocolitica wild strain were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and cloned into pGEM-T vector, partially sequenced and analyzed. The 16S rDNA nucleotide sequence homologies among Yersinia strains were ranged 100% to 93.6%. Phylogenetic tree generated from 16S rDNA sequencing data showed different phyletic line that could be readily separated from each serotypes and other enteric bacterium.