open access

https://hdl.handle.net/2115/43815

Molecular Monitoring and Isolation of Previously Uncultured Bacterial Strains from the Sheep Rumen

英語

2010-03

American Society for Microbiology

Applied and Environmental Microbiology

76(6)

1887-1894

To estimate the contribution of uncultured bacterial groups to fiber degradation, we attempted to retrieve both ecological and functional information on uncultured groups in the rumen. Among previously reported uncultured bacteria, fiber-associated groups U2 and U3, belonging to the low-GC Gram-positive bacterial group were targeted. PCR primers and FISH probe targeting 16S rDNA or rRNA were designed and used to monitor the distribution of targets. The population size of group U2 in the rumen was as high as 1.87%, while that of group U3 was only 0.03%. Strong fluorescence signals were observed from group U2 cells attached to plant fibers in the rumen. These findings indicate the ecological significance of group U2 in the rumen. We succeeded in enriching group U2 using rumen-incubated rice straw as the inoculum followed by incubation in an appropriate medium with an agent inhibitory for Gram-negative bacteria. Consequently, we successfully isolated two strains, designated B76 and R-25, belonging to group U2. Both strains were Gram-positive short rods or cocci 0.5 to 0.8 μm in size. Strain B76 possessed xylanase and α-L-arabinofuranosidase activity. In particular, the xylanase activity of strain B76 was higher than that of xylanolytic Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens H17c grown on cellobiose. Strain R-25 showed an α-L-arabinofuranosidase activity higher than that of strain B76. These results suggest that strains B76 and R-25 contribute to hemicellulose degradation in the rumen.

学術雑誌論文

Accepted Manuscript

© 2010 American Society for Microbiology

0099-2240