Author(s): FIGUEIREDO, J. E. F.; GOMES, E. A.; GUIMARAES, C. T.; LANA, U. G. de P.; TEIXEIRA, M. A.; LIMA, G. V. C.; BRESSAN, W.

Summary: Endophytíc bacteria play an important role in agriculture by improving plant performance and adaptation against biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present study molecular methods were used for identifying Bacillus endophytic bacteria isolated from Brazilian sweet corn. SDS-PAGE of whole-cell protein extract of forty-two isolates revealed a high number of scrutinable bands. Twenty-four isolates were identified in nine different groups of duplicated bacteria and eighteen were identified as unique. Some high-accumulated polipeptides with variable length were observed in almost isolates. Partial sequencing of 16S ribosonal gene revealed that all isolates are Bacillus sp. and among thirteen isolates with similar protein profiles, two were different strains. Among the forty-two isolates identified by rDNA sequencing. Bacillus. subitilis and B. pumilus were the most frequenty species (15 and 12 isolates. respectively) followed by B. licheniforms (7 isolates), B. cereus (5 isolates) and B. uniloliquefascelns (3 isolates). According to present results. SDS-P AGE techínique could be used as a fast and cheap first tool for identifying inter-specific variation in maize endophytic bacterial collections while rDNA sequencing could be applied for analyzing intra-specific variation among isolates with similar protein profile as well as for taxonomic studies.

Publication year: 2009

Types of publication: Journal article

Unit: Embrapa Maize & Sorghum

Keywords: Bacillus, Endophytíc bacteria, SDS-PAGE, Sweet corn, rDNA sequencing