16S rRNA sequences of uncultivated hot spring cyanobacterial mat inhabitants retrieved as randomly primed cDNA.

Cloning and analysis of cDNAs synthesized from rRNAs is one approach to assess the species composition of natural microbial communities. In some earlier attempts to synthesize cDNA from 16S rRNA (16S rcDNA) from the Octopus Spring cyanobacterial mat, a dominance of short 16S rcDNAs was observed, which appear to have originated only from certain organisms. Priming of cDNA synthesis from small ribosomal subunit RNA with random deoxyhexanucleotides can retrieve longer sequences, more suitable for phylogenetic analysis. Here we report the retrieval of 16S rRNA sequences from three formerly uncultured community members. One sequence type, which was retrieved three times from a total of five sequences analyzed, can be placed in the cyanobacterial phylum. A second sequence type is related to 16S rRNAs from green nonsulfur bacteria. The third sequence type may represent a novel phylogenetic type.