Research reports on RNA research from University of Georgia provide new insights
2009 JUL 10 - (NewsRx.com) -- "Metatranscriptomic analyses of microbial assemblages (< 5 mu m) from surface water at the Hawaiian Ocean Time-Series (HOT) revealed community-wide metabolic activities and day/night patterns of differential gene expression. Pyrosequencing produced 75 558 putative mRNA reads from a day transcriptome and 75 946 from a night transcriptome," researchers in the United States report. "Taxonomic binning of annotated mRNAs indicated that Cyanobacteria contributed a greater percentage of the transcripts (54% of annotated sequences) than expected based on abundance (35% of cell counts and 21% 16S rRNA of libraries), and may represent the most actively transcribing cells in this surface ocean community in both the day and night. Major heterotrophic taxa contributing to the community transcriptome included alpha-Proteobacteria (19% of annotated sequences, most of which were SAR11-related) and gamma-Proteobacteria (4%). The composition of transcript pools was consistent with models of prokaryotic gene expression, including operon-based transcription patterns and an abundance of genes predicted to be highly expressed. Metabolic activities that are shared by many microbial taxa (e.g. glycolysis, citric acid cycle, amino acid biosynthesis and transcription and translation machinery) were well represented among the community transcripts. There was an overabundance of transcripts for photosynthesis, C1 metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation in the day compared with night, and evidence that energy acquisition is coordinated with solar radiation levels for both autotrophic and heterotrophic microbes. In contrast, housekeeping activities such as amino acid biosynthesis, membrane synthesis and repair, and vitamin biosynthesis were overrepresented in the night transcriptome," wrote R.S. Poretsky and colleagues, University of Georgia. The researchers concluded: "Direct sequencing of these environmental transcripts has provided detailed information on metabolic and biogeochemical responses of a microbial community to solar forcing.." Poretsky and colleagues published their study in Environmental Microbiology (Comparative day/night metatranscriptomic analysis of microbial communities in the North Pacific subtropical gyre. Environmental Microbiology, 2009;11(6):1358-1375). For additional information, contact M.A. Moran, University of Georgia, Dept. of Marine Science, Athens, GA 30602, USA. Publisher contact information for the journal Environmental Microbiology is: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc., Commerce Place, 350 Main St., Malden 02148, MA, USA. Keywords: United States, Athens, RNA Research, University of Georgia. This article was prepared by Genomics & Genetics Weekly editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Genomics & Genetics Weekly via NewsRx.com.
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