Article Abstract:
A colony hybridization technique was used to detect the presence of the light organ symbiont, Vibrio fischeri, in Hawaiian seawaters. The DNA probes used contained gene sequences from the lux operon of V. fischeri. The DNA probes were able to reliably detect both luminous and non-luminous strains of V. fischeri. The highest concentrations of the symbiont-type V. fischeri were found in water samples collected near the squid host habitats, suggesting an important role for the host in the abundance and distribution of planktonic V. fischeri colonies in Hawaiian seawater.
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Article Abstract:
Two independent molecular techniques help determine the total levels of Vibrio fischeri cells in Hawaiian coastal seawater. V. fischeri cells in the nonculturable state are significantly higher than the culturable cells in their natural seawater environment. Significant portions of the nonculturable cells are viable and exhibit capacity to stimulate symbiosis with the squid host. The number of V. fischeri cells per ml of natural seawater predicted by these methods are significantly higher than that determined by colony hybridization.
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Article Abstract:
Vibrio fischeri lipid A and its symbiotic function is examined by identifying two paralogs of htrB and an msbB gene in Vibrio fischeri ES114 and is shown that these genes have encoded lipid A secondary acyltransferases. The results have indicated that htrB2 and msbB have played conserved general roles in vibrio biology, whereas htrB1 has played a more symbiosis-specific role in Vibrio fischeri.
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