Occurrence of fragmented 16S rRNA in an obligate bacterial endosymbiont of Paramecium caudatum

The phylogenetic position of Caedibacter caryophila, a so far noncultured killer symbiont of Paramecium caudatum, was elucidated by comparative sequence analysis of in vitro amplified 16S rRNA genes (rDNA). C. caryophila is a member of the α subclass of the Proteobacteria phylum. Within this subclass C. caryophila is moderately related to Holospora obtusa, which is another obligate endosymbiont of Paramecium caudatum, and to Rickettsia. A 16S rRNA targeted specific hybridization probe was designed and used for in situ detection of C. caryophila within its host cell. Comparison of the 16S rDNA primary structure of C. caryophila with homologous sequences from other bacteria revealed an unusual insertion of 194 base pairs within the 5′-terminal part of the corresponding gene. The intervening sequence is not present in mature 16S rRNA of C. caryophila. It was demonstrated that C. caryophila contained fragmented 16S rRNA.