Use of a microchip electrophoresis system for estimation of bacterial phylogeny and analysis of NO3- reducing bacterial flora in field soils.

Phylogenetic estimation method without determination of DNA sequence was developed. By this method, fragment length polymorphism separately digested with multiple restriction enzymes was measured using microchip electrophoresis and affiliated with those calculated from corresponding DNA sequence in the theoretical database. The phylogenies of 129 NO(3)(-) reducing bacteria newly isolated from field soils were estimated by this method, and were compared to those by carbon source utilization profiles and by comparative sequence analysis of 16S rDNA.

Bacterial extracellular protease activities in field soils under different fertilizer managements.

The major extracellular endopeptidase from Bacillus subtilis PF212 (isolated from paddy field soil) and B. subtilis CF80 (isolated from upland field soil) belongs to the group of serine proteases produced by Bacillus spp. known as subtilisins (optimum pH 7.