Hybridization of DNA Probes with Whole-Community Genome for Detection of Genes That Encode Microbial Responses to Pollutants: 'mer' Genes and Hg (2+) Resistance

摘要

Nucleic acids extracted from microbial biomass were hybridized with probes representing four mer operons, to detect genes encoding adaptation to Hg2+. An enrichment in sequences similar to the mer genes of transposon 501 occurred during adaptation in a freshwater community. In an estuarine community, all four mer genes were only slightly enriched, suggesting that additional, yet uncharacterized, mer genes encodeded adaptation to HG2+.