BACTERIAL WHOLE-CELL PROTEIN PROFILES OF THE RIBOSOMAL-RNA GROUP-II PSEUDOMONADS

Studies on bacterial whole cell protein profiles showed that members o f the rRNA group II pseudomonads were distinct from other non-fluoresc ent and fluorescent pseudomonads, including Pscudomonas aeruginosa, th e type species of the genus Pseudomonas. Strains of Ps. andropogonis, Ps. caryophylli, Ps. gladioli pv. gladioli, Ps. pickettii, Ps. pseudom allei and Ps. rubrisubalbicans showed uniform and distinct protein pat terns, while strains of Ps. solanacearum and Ps. cepacia displayed dif ferences w ithin species. Numerical analysis of their protein profiles with GelManager and Taxan programs generated dendrograms comprising 1 6 clusters at 89% similarity. Each cluster included strains belonging to the same species with the exception of Ps. solanacearum, which frag mented into three clusters. Pseudomonas solanacearum showed different protein patterns correlating with different biovars and the two divisi ons of Cook et nl. (1989), as well as the results of 16S rRNA gene seq uencing. The whole cell protein profiles of a total of 83 strains belo nging to 14 bacterial species were numerically analysed.