Seasonal dynamics and metagenomic characterization of estuarine viriobenthos assemblages by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA PCR.

ABSTRACT: Direct enumeration and genetic analyses indicate that aquatic sediments harbor abundant and diverse viral communities. Thus far, synecological analysis of estuarine sediment viral diversity over an annual cycle has not been reported. This oversight is due in large part to a lack of molecular genetic approaches for assessing viral diversity within a large collection of environmental samples. Here, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA PCR (RAPD-PCR) was used to examine viral genotypic diversity within Chesapeake Bay sediments. Using a single 10-mer oligonucleotide primer for all samples, RAPD-PCR analysis of sediment viral assemblages yielded unique banding patterns across spatial and temporal scales, with the occurrence of specific bands varying among the sample set. Cluster analysis of RAPD-

SUBMITTER: Helton RR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2675235 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature