Molecular analysis of the nitrate-reducing community from unplanted and maize-planted soils.

ABSTRACT: Microorganisms that use nitrate as an alternative terminal electron acceptor play an important role in the global nitrogen cycle. The diversity of the nitrate-reducing community in soil and the influence of the maize roots on the structure of this community were studied. The narG gene encoding the membrane bound nitrate reductase was selected as a functional marker for the nitrate-reducing community. The use of narG is of special interest because the phylogeny of the narG gene closely reflects the 16S ribosomal DNA phylogeny. Therefore, targeting the narG gene provided for the first time a unique insight into the taxonomic composition of the nitrate-reducing community in planted and unplanted soils. The PCR-amplified narG fragments were cloned and analyzed by restriction fragment length po

SUBMITTER: Philippot L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC134418 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature