Reduced thermophilic bias in the 16S rDNA sequence from Thermus ruber provides further support for a relationship between Thermus and Deinococcus

Summary The 16S ribosomal (r) DNA from Thermus ruber and three new species of Thermus was amplified and sequenced using the PCR. The sequence from Thermus ruber shows much lower thermophilic bias than the other Thermus sequences as judged by base composition ratios and a χ 2 heterogeneity test. Its inclusion in phylogenetic analyses gives a topology which consistently groups Thermus and Deinococcus as sister taxa. This relationship is recovered despite opposing compositional bias in base composition and without the need to restrict the analysis to certain sites (other than those which could not be aligned). The topology is supported by analysis of base substitutions which show a lower ratio of transversions to transitions between sequences from Thermus spp. and Deinococcus radiodurans , than between these sequences and sequences from reference thermophiles and mesophiles.

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