Method for identification and detection of microorganisms using gyrase gene as an indicator

Abstract: A method for identifying a microorganism, comprises (i) amplifying DNA from the microorganism by PCR using two primers, wherein at least one of the said primers comprises sequence which codes for all or part of one of the following amino acid sequences (a) to (l): (a) (Pro or Ser)-(Ala or Thr)-(Ala, Val or Leu)-(Glu or Asp)-(Val or Thr)-(Ile or Val)-(Met, Leu or Phe)-Thr-(Val, Gln or Ile)-Leu-His-Ala-Gly-Gly-Lys-Phe-(Asp or Gly)-(Asp, Gly, Asn or Ser)-(Ser, Lys, Gly, Asp or Asn) (b) Gly-Gly-Thr-His (c) (Ile or Leu)-Met-Thr-Asp-Ala-Asp-Val-Asp-Gly-(Ala or Ser)-His-Ile-Arg-Thr-Leu (d) Arg-Lys-Arg-Pro-(Gly or Ala)-Met-Tyr-Ile-Gly-(Ser or Asp)-Thr (e) Gln-(Thr or Pro)-(Lys or Asn)-(Thr, Asp, Gly, Lys, Ser, Phe or Tyr)-Lys-Leu (f) (Tyr or Phe)-Lys-Gly-Leu-Gly-Glu-Met-Asn-(Ala or Pro) (g) Val-Glu-Gly-Asp-Ser-Ala-Gly-Gly-Ser (h) Lys-(His or Val)-Pro-Asp-Pro-(Gln or Lys)-Phe (i) Leu-Pro-Gly-Lys-Leu-Ala-Asp-Cys-(Ser or Gln)-(Ser or Glu)-(Lys or Arg)-Asp-Pro-(Ala or Ser) (j) Gln-Leu-(Trp or Arg)-(Glu or Asp)-Thr-Thr-(Met or Leu)-(Asp or Asn)-Pro (k) Ala-(Lys or Arg)-(Lys or Arg)-Ala-Arg-Glu (l) Phe-Thr-Asn-Asn-Ile-(Pro or Asn)-(Thr or Gln) and which functions as a substantial primer; and (ii) identifying the microorganism based on the nucleotide sequence of the amplified DNA fragment.

Description: The present invention is involved in a method for the identification and detection of organisms using the sequences of their genes encoding the B subunit of the DNA gyrase. This invention is useful in medical fields as well as various industrial fields where the identification/classification or detection/monitoring of specific microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts, fungi, archaea and bacteria), especially bacteria, is necessary. Conventionally, the identification/classification of living organisms has been carried out using the combination of biochemical and morphological tests. However, these tests often did not provide unequivocal answers to the taxonomic positions of tested organisms. Recently, the taxonomy of organisms, in particular of bacteria, using rRNA sequences became fashionable. There are many reasons why rRNA molecules have been selected as standard molecules for the molecular taxonomy. They are constituents of all organisms. They exist in abundance, and therefore, can readily be isolated and characterized. For sequence comparison, many conserved regions of rRNA molecules allowed the alignment between distantly related organisms, while variable regions are useful for the distinction of closely related organisms (van de Peer, Y., S. Chapelles, and R. de Wacher. 1996. A quantitative map of nucleotide substitution rates in bacterial rRNA. Nucleic Acids Res. 24: 3381-3391; and Gutell, R. R., N. Larsen, and C. R. Woese. 1994. Lessons from an evolving rRNA: 16S and 23S rRNA structures from a comparative perspective. Microbiol. Rev. 58: 10-26). Furthermore, there is a few evidence for the horizontal transfer of rRNA genes although many other genes are expected to have frequently been transferred from one species to other distantly related species. At present, rRNA sequences are accumulating rapidly and they are accessible via an international database (Ribosomal Database project, http://rdp.life.uiuc.edu/). However, as is clear from the fact that the evolution speed of rRNA genes is extremely slow, there is little difference in the rRNA sequences between closely related organisms. Therefore, in many times, species belonging to the same genus could not be discriminated by the analysis using rRNA sequences. For example, it is said that bacteria sharing more than 97 % of identity in their 16S rRNA sequences (bacterial small subunit rRNA) might belong to the same species. However, there are cases of bacteria exhibiting more than 99 % identity in their 16S rRNA sequences, and yet belonging to two distinct species as revealed from DNA hybridization analysis. Evidently, due to the slow speed of divergent evolution of the 16S rRNA gene, the resolution of 16S rRNA-based analysis between closely related organisms is lower than that of DNA hybridization analysis (Stackebrandt, E. and Goebel, B. M. 1994. Taxonomic note: a place for DNA-DNA reassociation and 16S rRNA sequence analysis in the present species difinition in bacteriology. Int . J. Syst . Bacteriol . 37: 463-464). Other problems exist in the rRNA-based phylogenetic analysis. To establish a phylogenetic relationship based on rRNA sequences, these sequences should be aligned. The alignment of rRNA sequences composed from four different constituents (AUCG), however, is not easy, and requires some expertise. The correct sequencing of rRNA genes is also difficult largely due to their highly ordered structure. Furthermore, polymorphism of rRNA was found in some organisms. In contrast, protein-encoding genes have evolved more rapidly than rRNA-encoding genes, since they allow the so-called neutral mutations that do not cause any amino acid substitutions in their gene products. It is then expected that, by using such protein-encoding genes, more precise phylogenetic analysis can be performed than by using rRNA sequences. Thus, the present inventors have developed and applied a method for the identification/classification or detection/monitoring of organisms using the sequences of gyrB genes encoding the B subunit of DNA gyrases (Yamamoto, S. and Harayama, S. 1995. PCR Amplification and Direct Sequencing of gyrB Genes with Universal Primers and Their Application to the Detection and Taxonomic Analysis of Pseudomonas putida Strains. Appl . Environ . Microbiol . 61: 1104-1109; Yamamoto, S. and Harayama, S. 1996. Phylogenetic Analysis of Acinetobacter Strains Based on the Nucleotide Sequences of gyrB Genes and on the Amino acid Sequences of Their Products. Int . J . Syst. Bacteriol . 46: 506-511; Yamamoto, S. and Harayama, S. 1998. Phylogenetic relationships of Pseudomonas putida strains deduced from the nucleotide sequences of gyrB , rpoD and 16S rRNA genes. Int . J. Syst . Bacteriol . 48: 813-819; Yamamoto, S., Bouvet, P. J. M. & Harayama, S. 1998. Phylogenetic structures of the genus Acinetobacter based on the gyrB sequences: Comparison with the grouping by DNA-DNA hybridization. Int . J. Syst . Bacteriol . (in press); Harayama, S. and Yamamoto, S. 1996. Phylogenetic Identification of Pseudomonas Strains Based on a Comparison of gyrB and rpoD Sequences. p. 250-258 in Molecular Biology of Pseudomonads, edited by T. Nakazawa, K. Furukawa, D. Haas, S. Silver. ASM Press, Washington, D.C.; and Watanabe, K., Yamamoto, S., Hino, S. and Harayama, S. 1998. Population dynamics of phenol-degrading bacteria in activated sludge determined by gyrB - targeted quantitative PCR. Appl . Environ . Microbiol . 64: 1203-1209). DNA topoisomerases are essential for the replication, transcription, recombination and repair of DNA and control the level of supercoiling of DNA molecules by cleaving and resealing the phosphodiester bond of DNA. They are classified into type I (EC 5.99. 1.2) and type II (EC 5.99.1.3) according to their enzymatic properties. The DNA gyrase is a type II topoisomerase that is capable of introducing negative supercoiling into a relaxed closed circular DNA molecule. This reaction is coupled with ATP hydrolysis. DNA gyrase can also relax supercoiled DNA without ATP hydrolysis. DNA gyrase consists of two subunit proteins in the quaternary structure of A2B2. The A subunit (GyrA) has a molecular weight of approximately 100 kDa while the B subunit (GyrB) has a molecular weight of either 90 kDa or 70 kDa (Wigley, D. B. 1995. Structure and mechanism of DNA topoisomerases. Ann . Rev . Biomol . Struct . 24: 185-208). The genes for DNA gyrase or its isofunctional enzymes should exist in all organisms as they are indispensable for the cell proliferation. As described above, the present inventors have already developed and applied successfully the method for the identification/c lassification or detection/monitoring of organisms using gyrB sequences. In this method, a gyrB gene fragment of an organism of interest is amplified by PCR using primers designed from the two amino acid sequences, His-Ala-Gly-Gly-Lys-Phe-Asp and Met-Thr-Asp-Ala-Asp-Val-Asp-Gly, which are highly conserved among the GyrB sequences of many organisms. Subsequently, the amplified fragments are subjected to direct sequencing. Since the gyrB genes code for proteins, they have frequently undergone neutral mutations. Thus, the nucleotide sequence of the gyrB genes vary considerable even among related organisms. For this reason, the above method has been shown to be effective for discriminating organisms at a level of species of subspecies. The above-mentioned PCR primers designed from the highly conserved amino acid sequences of GyrB were effective in many but not all bacterial species for the PCR amplification of gyrB . From DNA of some bacterial species, no PCR amplification was observed using these primers. Besides, there was another problem associated with these primers. The genes for type IV topoisomerese ( parE ) were also amplified from DNA of some bacterial species by using these primers. Topoisomerase IV (ParE) is a bacterial enzyme that appears to be closely related to DNA gyrase. This enzyme involves in the partition of chromosomes into daughter cells. If a parE gene but not gyrB gene is amplified from a DNA, and if a phylogenetic analysis is carried out without recognizing that the amplified sequence is parE but not gyrB , it will bring some confusion to the phylogenetic analysis. To avoid such problem associated with the amplification of paralogous genes, primers which do not amplify parE should be developed. It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-described problems of the primers and to provide a means which enables the identification/classification and detection/monitoring of a wide range of organisms using gyrB sequences. Comparing the amino acid sequence data of GyrB collected by the inventors with those of ParE, the inventors have found a plurality of the amino acid sequences of GyrB which are appropriate for designing PCR primers capable of specifically amplifying gyrB genes. By using the newly designed PCR primers in combination with the primers mentioned in the BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION section, it became possible to determine gyrB sequences more easily and precisely from a wider range of organisms. The present invention has been achieved based on the above-described findings. The present invention relates to the identification and detection of organisms. Accordingly, the present invention provides a set of primers suitable for the identification of a microorganism, which primer set comprises two primers comprising the nucleotide sequences of: (i) SEQ ID NO: 33 and SEQ ID NO: 27; (ii) SEQ ID NO: 25 and SEQ ID NO: 35; (iii) SEQ ID NO: 29 and SEQ ID NO: 38; (iv) SEQ ID NO: 41 and SEQ ID NO: 43; (v) SEQ ID NO: 45 and SEQ ID NO: 48; (vi) SEQ ID NO: 53 and SEQ ID NO: 62; (vii) SEQ ID NO: 53 and SEQ ID NO: 58; (viii) SEQ ID NO: 65 and SEQ ID NO: 50; (ix) SEQ ID NO: 60 and SEQ ID NO: 31; or (x) SEQ ID NO: 25 and SEQ ID NO: 43. The invention also provides: a method for detecting a microorganism, which method comprises: (i) amplifying DNA from a sample by PCR using a set of primers according to claim 1; and (ii) identifying whether the sample comprises a microorganism based on the nucleotide sequence of any amplified DNA fragment; a method for identifying a microorganism, which method comprises: (i) amplifying DNA from the microorganism by PCR using a set of primers according to claim 1; and a method for determining the sequence of a gyrB gene of a microorganism, which method comprises: (i) amplifying DNA from the microorganism by PCR using a set of primers according to claim 1; and (ii) determining the nucleotide sequence of the gyrB gene of the microorganism based on the sequence of the amplified DNA fragment. The following drawing illustrates the invention: Fig. 1 shows the locational relationship between the amino acid sequences (a) through (l) and the amino acid sequences of GyrB of several organisms. Hereinbelow, the present invention will be described in detail. In the present invention, a part of the gyrB of an organism of interest is amplified specifically by PCR, and then the nucleotide sequence of the amplified sequences are determined for the taxonomic characterization of the organism. As a PCR primer, an oligonucleotide may be used which codes for all or a part of one of the following amino acid sequences (a) through (l): and which functions as a substantial primer. The relationship between the above amino acid sequences (a) through (l) and the amino acid sequences of GyrB from Bacillus subtilis 168 strain, Escherichia coli K-12 strain and Pseudomonas putida PRS200 strain are shown in Fig. 1. Most of the amino acid sequences listed (a) through (l) are degenerate, and numerous oligonucleotide sequences can be designed from the listed amino acid sequences. The following amino acid sequences can be enumerated as examples of amino acid sequences to be used for the design of oligonucleotide primers while the following nucleotide sequences can be enumerated as examples of specific primers. Amino Acid and Oligonucleotides Sequences Corresponding to the Amino Acid Sequence (a): The amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 26, 30, 54, 55, 56 and 57 can be given as the amino acid sequences to be used for the design of oligonucleotide primers. The nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NO: 25, 29 and 53 can be given as the sequences of primers for the specific amplification of gyrB. Amino Acid and Oligonucleotides Sequences Corresponding to the Amino Acid Sequence (b): The amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 34, 36 and 37 can be given as the amino acid sequences to be used for the design of oligonucleotide primers. The nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NO: 33 and 35 can be given as the sequences of primers for the specific amplification of gyrB. Amino Acid and Oligonucleotides Sequences Corresponding to the Amino Acid Sequence (c): The amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 28, 32 and 42 can be given as the amino acid sequences to be used for the design of oligonucleotide primers. The nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NO: 27, 31 and 41 can be given as the sequences of primers for the specific amplification of gyrB. Amino Acid and Oligonucleotides Sequences Corresponding to the Amino Acid Sequence (d): The amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 46 and 47 can be given as the amino acid sequences to be used for the design of oligonucleotide primers. The nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NO: 45 can be given as the sequences of primers for the specific amplification of gyrB . Amino Acid and Oligonucleotides Sequences Corresponding to the Amino Acid Sequence (e): The amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 39 and 40 can be given as the amino acid sequences to be used for the design of oligonucleotide primers. The nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NO: 38 can be given as the sequences of primers for the specific amplification of gyrB . Amino Acid and Oligonucleotides Sequences Corresponding to the Amino Acid Sequence (f): The amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 44 can be given as the amino acid sequences to be used for the design of oligonucleotide primers. The nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NO: 43 can be given as the sequences of primers for the specific amplification of gyrB . Amino Acid and Oligonucleotides Sequences Corresponding to the Amino Acid Sequence (g): The amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 49 can be given as the amino acid sequences to be used for the design of oligonucleotide primers. The nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NO: 48 can be given as the sequences of primers for the specific amplification of gyrB. Amino Acid and Oligonucleotides Sequences Corresponding to the Amino Acid Sequence (h): The amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 63 and 64 can be given as the amino acid sequences to be used for the design of oligonucleotide primers. The nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NO: 62 can be given as the sequences of primers for the specific amplification of gyrB. Amino Acid and Oligonucleotides Sequences Corresponding to the Amino Acid Sequence (i): The amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 59 can be given as the amino acid sequences to be used for the design of oligonucleotide primers. The nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NO: 58 can be given as the sequences of primers for the specific amplification of gyrB. Amino Acid and Oligonucleotides Sequences Corresponding to the Amino Acid Sequence (j): The amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 66, 67 and 68 can be given as the amino acid sequences to be used for the design of oligonucleotide primers. The nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NO: 65 can be given as the sequences of primers for the specific amplification of gyrB. Amino Acid and Oligonucleotides Sequences Corresponding to the Amino Acid Sequence (k): The amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 51 and 52 can be given as the amino acid sequences to be used for the design of oligonucleotide primers. The nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NO: 50 can be given as the sequences of primers for the specific amplification of gyrB. Amino Acid and Oligonucleotides Sequences Corresponding to the Amino Acid Sequence (1): The amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 61 can be given as the amino acid sequences to be used for the design of oligonucleotide primers. The nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NO: 60 can be given as the sequences of primers for the specific amplification of gyrB. Correspondence of each amino acid and oligonucleotide sequence are shown in Table 1. sequence amino acid oligonucleotide a SEQ ID NO. 26 SEQ ID NO. 25 SEQ ID NO. 30 SEQ ID NO. 29 SEQ ID NO. 54,55,56,57 SEQ ID NO. 53 b SEQ ID NO. 34 SEQ ID NO. 33 SEQ ID NO. 36,37 SEQ ID NO. 35 c SEQ ID NO. 28 SEQ ID NO. 27 SEQ ID NO. 32 SEQ ID NO. 31 SEQ ID NO. 42 SEQ ID NO. 41 d SEQ ID NO. 46,47 SEQ ID NO. 45 e SEQ ID NO. 39,40 SEQ ID NO. 38 f SEQ ID NO. 44 SEQ ID NO. 43 g SEQ ID NO. 49 SEQ ID NO. 48 h SEQ ID NO. 63,64 SEQ ID NO. 62 i SEQ ID NO. 59 SEQ ID NO. 58 j SEQ ID NO. 66,67,68 SEQ ID NO. 65 k SEQ ID NO. 51,52 SEQ ID NO. 50 l SEQ ID NO. 61 SEQ ID NO. 60 The amino acid sequences listed (a) through (l) are not necessarily conserved in all GyrB. Therefore, primers allowing the amplification of gyrB should be selected appropriately. It is possible to directly determine the nucleotide sequence of the amplified PCR product without subcloning by using primers complementary to either the 5-end or the 3-end of the product. Examples: In the following Examples the PCR amplification conditions were as described below. PCR amplification conditions: 96 °C 1 min; 48°C 1 min; 72°C 2 min 3 cycles 96 °C 1 min; 48°C 1 min; 72°C 2 min 3 cycles 96 °C 1 min; 48°C 1 min; 72°C 2 min 30 cycles Total 36 cycles Primer concentration 1 µM each dATP 200 µM each Template DNA < 1 µg/100 µl AmpliTaq™ and the supplied PCR Buffer (Perkin Elmer) were used. EXAMPLE 1 A PCR was performed using oligonucleotides represented by the nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NOS: 33 and 27 (corresponding to the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOS: 34 and 28, respectively) as primers and DNA from Chitinophaga pinensis DSM 2588 strain as a template. The nucleotide sequence of the amplified DNA fragment and the amino acid sequence deduced therefrom are shown in SEQ ID NOS: 5 and 6, respectively. EXAMPLE 2 A PCR was performed using oligonucleotides represented by the nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NOS: 25 and 35 (corresponding to the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO: 26 and SEQ ID NO: 36 or 37, respectively) as primers and DNA from Flavobacterium aquatile IAM 12316 strain as a template. The nucleotide sequence of the amplified DNA fragment and the amino acid sequence deduced therefrom are shown in SEQ ID NOS: 7 and 8, respectively. EXAMPLE 3 A PCR was performed using oligonucleotides represented by the nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NOS: 29 and 38 (corresponding to the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO: 30 and SEQ ID NO: 39 or 40, respectively) as primers and DNA from Mycobacterium asiaticum ATCC 25274 strain as a template. The PCR amplification conditions were the same as in Example 1. The nucleotide sequence of the amplified DNA fragment and the amino acid sequence deduced therefrom are shown in SEQ ID NOS: 9 and 10, respectively. EXAMPLE 4 A PCR was performed using oligonucleotides represented by the nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NOS: 41 and 43 (corresponding to the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOS: 42 and 44, respectively) as primers and DNA from Cytophaga lytica IFO 16020 strain as a template. The nucleotide sequence of the amplified DNA fragment and the amino acid sequence deduced therefrom are shown in SEQ ID NOS: 11 and 12, respectively. EXAMPLE 5 A PCR was performed using oligonucleotides represented by the nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NOS: 45 and 48 (corresponding to the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO: 46 or 47 and SEQ ID NO: 49, respectively) as primers and DNA from Synechococcus sp. PCC 6301 strain as a template. The nucleotide sequence of the amplified DNA fragment and the amino acid sequence deduced therefrom are shown in SEQ ID NOS: 13 and 14, respectively. EXAMPLE 6 A PCR was performed using oligonucleotides represented by the nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NOS: 53 and 62 (corresponding to the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO: 54, 55, 56 or 57 and SEQ ID NO: 63 or 64, respectively) as primers and DNA from Caulobacter crescentus ATCC 15252 strain as a template. The nucleotide sequence of the amplified DNA fragment and the amino acid sequence deduced therefrom are shown in SEQ ID NOS: 15 and 16, respectively. EXAMPLE 7 A PCR was performed using oligonucleotides represented by the nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NOS: 53 and 58 (corresponding to the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO: 54, 55, 56 or 57 and SEQ ID NO: 59, respectively) as primers and DNA from Pseudomonas putida ATCC 17484 strain as a template. The nucleotide sequence of the amplified DNA fragment and the amino acid sequence deduced therefrom are shown in SEQ ID NOS: 17 and 18, respectively. EXAMPLE 8 A PCR was performed using oligonucleotides represented by the nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NOS: 65 and 50 (corresponding to the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO: 66, 67 or 68 and SEQ ID NO: 51 or 52, respectively) as primers and DNA from Synechococcus sp. PCC 6301 strain as a template. The nucleotide sequence of the amplified DNA fragment and the amino acid sequence deduced therefrom are shown in SEQ ID NOS: 19 and 20, respectively. EXAMPLE 9 A PCR was performed using oligonucleotides represented by the nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NOS: 60 and 31 (corresponding to the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOS: 61 and 32, respectively) as primers and DNA from Caulobacter crescentus ATCC 15252 strain as a template. The nucleotide sequence of the amplified DNA fragment and the amino acid sequence deduced therefrom are shown in SEQ ID NOS: 21 and 22, respectively, EXAMPLE 10 A PCR was performed using oligonucleotides represented by the nucleotide sequences shown in SEQ ID NOS: 25 and 43 (corresponding to the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOS: 26 and 44, respectively) as primers and DNA from an unidentified strain MBIC 1544 as a template. The nucleotide sequence of the amplified DNA fragment and the amino acid sequence deduced therefrom are shown in SEQ ID NOS: 23 and 24, respectively. This nucleotide sequence was compared with the nucleotide sequence database possessed by the applicant. As a result, the unidentified strain MBIC 1544 was identified as Cytophaga lytica. With the nucleotide sequence of gyrB determined by the present invention, it is possible to classify or identify an unidentified microorganism strain quickly and accurately. Besides, according to the present invention, PCR primers for monitoring a specific microorganism which are needed in risk assessment in various bioprocesses can be designed easily. Also, the present invention enables highly accurate monitoring of changes in mycelial tufts. The invention thus allows the determination of the presence or amount of a microorganism in a sample. The invention may be applicable in medical and industrial contexts. For example, in a medical context a sample can be tested for the presence of a microorganism, which may be useful in assessing infection. Therefore, the sample could be serum, blood plasma, or a swab from the eye, ear, mouth, throat, urethra, cervix, vagina, penis or rectum. Alternatively the sample could be a sweep from a culture of bacteria grown on solid or in a liquid media. In an industrial context, a sample could be tested to determine the amount of a microorganism in a fermentation process. Alternatively a sample could be tested to assess contamination of fermentation broths by unwanted microorganisms. Thus, the sample can be a sample from any bioprocess or fermentation process, where the amount of or presence of a microorganism needs to be ascertained. SEQUENCE LISTING SEQ ID NO: 1 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 1212 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: double TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: genomic DNA ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Bacteroides vulgatus STRAIN: IFO 14291 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 2 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 404 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: unknown MOLECULE TYPE: protein ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Bacteroides vulgatus STRAIN: IFO 14291 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 3 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 1263 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: double TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: genomic DNA ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Mycobacterium simiae STRAIN: KPM 1403 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 4 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 421 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: unknown MOLECULE TYPE: protein ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Mycobacterium simiae STRAIN: KPM 1403 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 5 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 660 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: double TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: genomic DNA ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Chitinophaga pinensis STRAIN: DSM 2588 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 6 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 220 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: unknown MOLECULE TYPE: protein ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Chitinophaga pinensis STRAIN: DSM 2588 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 7 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 537 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: double TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: genomic DNA ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Flavobacterium aquatile STRAIN: IAM 12316 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 8 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 179 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: unknown MOLECULE TYPE: protein ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Flavobacterium aquatile STRAIN: IAM 12316 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 9 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 783 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: double TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: genomic DNA ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Mycobacterium asiaticum STRAIN: ATCC 25274 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 10 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 261 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: unknown MOLECULE TYPE: protein ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Mycobacterium asiaticum STRAIN: ATCC 25274 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 11 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 195 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: double TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: genomic DNA ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Cytophaga lytica STRAIN: IFO 16020 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 12 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 65 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: unknown MOLECULE TYPE: protein ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Cytophaga lytica STRAIN: IFO 16020 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 13 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 1170 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: double TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: genomic DNA ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Synechococcus sp. STRAIN: PPC 6301 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 14 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 390 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: unknown MOLECULE TYPE: protein ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Synechococcus sp. STRAIN: PCC 6301 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 15 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 696 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: double TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: genomic DNA ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Caulobacter crescentus STRAIN: ATCC 15252 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 16 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 232 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: unknown MOLECULE TYPE: protein ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Caulobacter crescentus STRAIN: ATCC 15252 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 17 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 888 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: double TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: genomic DNA ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Pseudomonas putida STRAIN: ATCC 17484 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 18 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 296 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: unknown MOLECULE TYPE: protein ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Pseudomonas putida STRAIN: ATCC 17484 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 19 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 531 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: double TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: genomic DNA ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Synechococcus sp. STRAIN: PCC 6301 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 20 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 177 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: unknown MOLECULE TYPE: protein ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Synechococcus sp. STRAIN: PCC 6301 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 21 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 660 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: double TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: genomic DNA ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Caulobacter crescentus STRAIN: ATCC 15252 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 22 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 220 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: unknown MOLECULE TYPE: protein ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Caulobacter crescentus STRAIN: ATCC 15252 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 23 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 1422 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: double TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: genomic DNA ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Cytophaga lytica STRAIN: MBIC 1544 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 24 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 474 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: unknown MOLECULE TYPE: protein ORIGINAL SOURCE ORGANISM: Cytophaga lytica STRAIN: MBIC 1544 SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 25 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 38 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: single TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid synthetic DNA SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 26 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 7 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 27 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 36 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: single TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid synthetic DNA SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 28 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 12 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 29 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 41 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: single TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid synthetic DNA SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 30 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 14 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 31 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 44 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: single TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid synthetic DNA SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 32 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 15 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 33 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 32 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: single TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid synthetic DNA SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 34 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 5 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 35 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 34 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: single TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid synthetic DNA SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 36 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 11 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 37 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 11 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 38 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 35 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: single TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid synthetic DNA SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 39 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 6 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 40 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 6 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 41 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 35 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: single TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid synthetic DNA SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 42 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 6 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 43 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 36 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: single TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid synthetic DNA SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 44 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 12 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 45 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 41 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: single TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid synthetic DNA SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 46 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 8 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 47 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 8 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 48 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 38 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: single TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid synthetic DNA SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 49 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 7 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 50 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 39 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: single TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid synthetic DNA SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 51 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 7 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 52 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 7 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 53 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 41 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: single TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid synthetic DNA SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 54 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 14 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 55 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 14 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 56 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 14 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 57 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 14 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 58 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 38 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: single TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid synthetic DNA SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 59 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 7 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 60 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 40 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: single TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid synthetic DNA SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 61 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 6 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 62 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 38 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: single TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid synthetic DNA SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 63 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 7 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 64 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 7 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 65 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 35 SEQUENCE TYPE: nucleic acid STRANDEDNESS: single TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid synthetic DNA SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 66 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 6 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 67 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 6 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION SEQ ID NO: 68 SEQUENCE LENGTH: 6 SEQUENCE TYPE: amino acid TOPOLOGY: linear MOLECULE TYPE: peptide SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION

Claims: A set of primers suitable for the identification of a microorganism, which primer set comprises two primers comprising the nucleotide sequences of: (i) SEQ ID NO: 33 and SEQ ID NO: 27; (ii) SEQ ID NO: 25 and SEQ ID NO: 35; (iii) SEQ ID NO: 29 and SEQ ID NO: 38; (iv) SEQ ID NO: 41 and SEQ ID NO: 43; (v) SEQ ID NO: 45 and SEQ ID NO: 48; (vi) SEQ ID NO: 53 and SEQ ID NO: 62; (vii) SEQ ID NO: 53 and SEQ ID NO: 58; (viii) SEQ ID NO: 65 and SEQ ID NO: 50; (ix) SEQ ID NO: 60 and SEQ ID NO: 31; or (x) SEQ ID NO: 25 and SEQ ID NO: 43. A method for detecting a microorganism, which method comprises: (i) amplifying DNA from a sample by PCR using a set of primers according to claim 1; and (ii) identifying whether the sample comprises a microorganism based on the nucleotide sequence of any amplified DNA fragment. A method for identifying a microorganism, which method comprises: (i) amplifying DNA from the microorganism by PCR using a set of primers according to claim 1; and (ii) identifying the microorganism based on the nucleotide sequence of the amplified DNA fragment. A method for determining the sequence of a gyrB gene of a microorganism, which method comprises: (i) amplifying DNA from the microorganism by PCR using a set of primers according to claim 1; and (ii) determining the nucleotide sequence of the gyrB gene of the microorganism based on the sequence of the amplified DNA fragment.

Inventors: HAMADA TOHRU, KASAI HIROAKI, NAKAMURA SHOKO, SUZUKI MAKOTO, YAMAMOTO SATOSHI, HAMADA, TOHRU, KASAI, HIROAKI, NAKAMURA, SHOKO, SUZUKI, MAKOTO, YAMAMOTO, SATOSHI, Hamada, Tohru, Kamaishi Laboratory, Kasai, Hiroaki, Kamaishi Laboratory, Nakamura, Shoko, Kamaishi Laboratory, Suzuki, Makoto, Kamaishi Laboratory, Yamamoto, Satoshi, Kamaishi Laboratory
Applicants: MARINE BIOTECH INST CO LTD, MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE CO., LTD.
Application year: 1998
Main classification: C12Q1
IPC codes: C12N15, C12Q1, C12R1