Diversity of radA genes from cultured and uncultured archaea: comparative analysis of putative RadA proteins and their use as a phylogenetic marker.

ABSTRACT: Archaea-specific radA primers were used with PCR to amplify fragments of radA genes from 11 cultivated archaeal species and one marine sponge tissue sample that contained essentially an archaeal monoculture. The amino acid sequences encoded by the PCR fragments, three RadA protein sequences previously published (21), and two new complete RadA sequences were aligned with representative bacterial RecA proteins and eucaryal Rad51 and Dmc1 proteins. The alignment supported the existence of four insertions and one deletion in the archaeal and eucaryal sequences relative to the bacterial sequences. The sizes of three of the insertions were found to have taxonomic and phylogenetic significance. Comparative analysis of the RadA sequences, omitting amino acids in the insertions and deletions, shows

SUBMITTER: Sandler SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC93458 | biostudies-literature | 1999 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature