A phylogenetic analysis of the genus Bacillus using comparative 16S rRNA sequencing

Inconsistencies between phenetic and genetic data have been known in the genus Bacillus for a number of years. In order to develop an evolutionarily reasonable classification of this genus, a large scale study has been undertaken to examine all the recognized species of the genus with a single molecular method, primer directed partial reverse transcriptase sequencing of 16S rRNA. In the work described here partial sequences exceeding 1100 nucleotides each are reported for B. circulans ATCC 4513, B. circulans NRS 746, B. azotefixans strain Hino, B. alvei ATCC 6344, and B. macquariensis ATCC 23464 . The validity of the partial sequence data was verified where possible with the known secondary structure features of B. subtilis 16S rRNA and in the case of B. alvei with 16S rRNA oligonucleotide cataloging data. This new data was analyzed in the context of 14 other strains of Bacillus whose 16S rRNA sequence is available as well as 21 other complete 16S rRNA sequences from a variety of procaryotes. Phylogenetic trees were constructed by three methods; unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA), Fitch and Margoliash and neighbor-joining. [...]