M. Lamoureux et al., RECOGNITION OF LEUCONOSTOC-OENOS STRAINS BY THE USE OF DNA RESTRICTION PROFILES, Applied microbiology and biotechnology, 39(4-5), 1993, pp. 547-552
The chromosome of 41 Leuconostoc oenos strains obtained from collectio
ns in different countries was analysed with the aim of differentiating
the strains. Pulsed field electrophoresis (TAFE) was used to separate
large DNA fragments created by the restriction enzymes NotI, SfiI and
ApaI, which specifically recognize guanines or cytosines. The genomic
DNA of 11 strains was analysed initially with NotI and only four diff
erent restriction profiles were observed. The genome size ranged from
1.8 to 2.1 megabase pairs (Mbp). Constant field electrophoresis applie
d to DNA treatment with 19 different restriction enzymes showed that t
he size of the fragments obtained increased proportionally to the perc
entage G + C present at the site of restriction. EcoRI and HindIII pro
files revealed that the zone between 9 and 23 kbp allowed differentiat
ion of the strains tested. Thus, the 41 strains fell into 30 restricti
on groups using only two enzymes. Hybridization with a non-radioactive
DNA probe coding for 16S rRNA revealed that there were two 16S genes
on the chromosome.