Polyphyly of non-bioluminescent Vibrio fischeri sharing a lux-locus deletion
Author(s)
Wollenberg, M. S.; Preheim, Sarah Pachocha; Polz, Martin F.; Ruby, E. G.; Preheim, Sarah Pacocha
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This study reports the first description and molecular characterization of naturally occurring, non-bioluminescent strains of Vibrio fischeri. These ‘dark’V. fischeri strains remained non-bioluminescent even after treatment with both autoinducer and aldehyde, substrate additions that typically maximize light production in dim strains of luminous bacteria. Surprisingly, the entire lux locus (eight genes) was absent in over 97% of these dark V. fischeri strains. Although these strains were all collected from a Massachusetts (USA) estuary in 2007, phylogenetic reconstructions allowed us to reject the hypothesis that these newly described non-bioluminescent strains exhibit monophyly within the V. fischeri clade. These dark strains exhibited a competitive disadvantage against native bioluminescent strains when colonizing the light organ of the model V. fischeri host, the Hawaiian bobtail squid Euprymna scolopes. Significantly, we believe that the data collected in this study may suggest the first observation of a functional, parallel locus-deletion event among independent lineages of a non-pathogenic bacterial species.
Description
available in PMC 2013 May 16
Date issued
2012-03Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biological Engineering; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringJournal
Environmental Microbiology
Publisher
Society for Applied Microbiology/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Citation
Wollenberg, M. S., S. P. Preheim, M. F. Polz, and E. G. Ruby. “Polyphyly of Non-Bioluminescent Vibrio Fischeri Sharing a Lux-Locus Deletion.” Environmental Microbiology 14, no. 3 (October 9, 2011): 655–668.
Version: Author's final manuscript
ISSN
14622912