Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Conserved and variable regions in the chromosomal and extrachromosomal DNA of halobacteria

  • Published:
Molecular and General Genetics MGG Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Total DNA from Halobacterium halobium and other halobacteria strains is separated into two fractions, FI and FII, which differ in their G+C content. FI DNA, which represents the major part of the genome is highly conserved in all purple-membrane-forming halobacteria. Fraction II (FII) consists in H. halobium of three DNA specimen: (a) the previously isolated plasmid pHH1, (b) a heterogeneous set of ccc-DNA molecules present in the cell in low copies, termed minor-circular DNA (MCD) and (c) a new type of more A-T rich DNA segments (“chromosomal islands”) which, as described here and by Pfeifer and Betlach (1985), are integrated in FI. Sequences homologous to pHH1 occur only in Halobacterium species closely related to H. halobium (like H. cutirubrum), whereas MCD sequences are present in all purple-membrane-forming halobacteria. The sequences of the newly identified “chromosomal islands” are only found like pHH1, in Halobacterium species, closely related to H. halobium. Total DNA from square halobacteria exhibits no extended homologies to FI or FII DNA from H. halobium. The only common DNA sequences found in all halobacteria are certain insertion elements (ISH), such as ISH26. Based on these data, halobacteria can be subdivided in at least three major groups.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Betlach M, Pfeifer F, Friedman J, Boyer HW (1983) Bacteriopsin mutants of Halobacterium halobium. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 80:1416–1420

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Betlach M, Friedman J, Boyer HW, Pfeifer F (1984) Characterization of a halobacterial gene affecting bacterio-opsin exprssion. Nucl Acid Res 12:7949–7959

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bünemann H, Müller W (1978) Bases specific fractionation of double stranded DNA: Affinity chromatography on a novel type of adsorbant. Nucl Acid Res 5:1059–1074

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collins J, Hohn B (1978) Cosmids: A type of plasmid gene-cloning vector that is packageable in vitro in bacteriophage lambda heads. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 75:4242–4246

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • DasSarma S, RajBhandary UL, Khorana HG (1983) High frequency spontaneous mutations in the bacterio-opsin gene in Halobacterium halobium are mediated by transposable elements. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 80:2201–2205

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ebert K, Goebel W, Pfeifer F (1984) Homologies between heterogeneous extrachromosomal DNA populations of Halobacterium halobium and four new halobacterial isolates. Mol Gen Genet 194:91–97

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goebel W (1970) Studies on extrachromosomal DNA elements. Eur J Biochem 15:311–320

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hohn B, Collins J (1980) A small cosmid for efficient cloning of large DNA fragments. Gene 11:291–298

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maniatis T, Fritsch EF, Sambrook J (1982) Molecular cloning: a laboratory manual. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, pp. 92–93

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore RL, McCarthy BJ (1969a) Characterization of the deoxyribonucleic acid of various strains of halophilic bacteria. J Bacteriol 99:248–254

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moore RL, McCarthy BJ (1969b) Base sequence homology and renaturation studies of the deoxyribonucleic acid of extremely halophilic bacteria. J Bacteriol 99:255–262

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moritz A, Lankat-Buttergereit B, Gross HJ, Goebel W (1985) Common structural features of the genes for two stable RNAs from Halobacterium halobium. Nucl Acid Res 13:31–43

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Norrander J, Kempe T, Messing J (1983) Construction of improved M13 vectors using oligodeoxyribonucleotide-directed mutagenesis. Gene 26:101–106

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pfeifer F, Betlach M (1985) Genome organization in Halobacterium halobium: A70 kb island of more (AT) rich DNA in the chromosome. Mol Gen Genet 198:449–455

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pfeifer F, Weidinger G, Goebel W (1981a) Characterization of plasmids in Halobacteria. J Bacteriol 145:369–374

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pfeifer F, Weidinger G, Goebel W (1981b) Genetic variability in Halobacterium halobium. J Bacteriol 145:375–381

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pfeifer F, Ebert K, Weidinger G, Goebel W (1982) Structure and functions of chromosomal and extrachromosomal DNA in Halobacteria. Zentralbl Bakt Hyg 1. Abt. Orig C3, 110–119

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pfeifer F, Betlach M, Martienssen R, Friedman J, Boyer HW (1983) Transposable elements of Halobacterium halobium. Mol Gen Genet 191:181–188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rigby PWF, Dieckman M, Rhodes C, Berg P (1977) Labelling deoxyribonucleic acid to high specific activity in vitro by nick translation with DNA polymerase I. J Mol Biol 113:237–251

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ross HNM, Grant WD (1985) Nucleic acid studies on halophilic archaebacteria. J Gen Microbiol 131:165–173

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schnabel H, Zillig W (1984) Circular Structure of the Genome of phage ØH in a Lysogenic Halobacterium halobium. Mol Gen Genet 193:422–426

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simsek M, DasSarma S, RajBhandary UL, Khorana HG (1982) A transposable element from Halobacterium halobium which inactivates the bacteriorhodopsin gene. Proc Natl acad Sci 79:7268–7273

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Southern EM (1975) Detection of specific sequences among DNA fragments separated by gel electrophoresis. J Mol Biol 98:503–517

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stoeckenius W (1981) Walsby's square bacterium: fine structure of an orthogonal procaryote. J Bacteriol 148:352–360

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Weidinger G, Klotz G, Goebel W (1979) A large plasmid from Halobacterium halobium carrying genetic information for gas vacuole formation. Plasmid 2:377–386

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Woese C (1980) Archaebacteria. Sci Am 244:94–106

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu WL, Doolittle WF (1983) Structure of the archaebacterial transposable element ISH50. Nucl Acid Res 11:4195–4199

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Genetik und Mikrobiologie, Universität Würzburg, Röntgenring 11, D-8700, Würzburg, Germany

    Klaus Ebert & Werner Goebel

Authors
  1. Klaus Ebert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Werner Goebel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Communicated by E. Bautz

Dedicated to Prof. Dr. F. Lingens to his 60th anniversary

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ebert, K., Goebel, W. Conserved and variable regions in the chromosomal and extrachromosomal DNA of halobacteria. Molec. Gen. Genet. 200, 96–102 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00383319

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00383319

Keywords

Search

Navigation