Phylogenetic diversity of Type I polyketide synthase genes from sediments of Ardley Island in Antarctica

The diversity of modular polyketide synthase (PKS) genes in sediments of Ardley Island in Antarctica, was studied by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Phylogenetic analysis of 14 amino acid (AA) sequences indicates that the identified ketosynthase (KS) domains were clustered with those from diverse bacterial groups, including Cyanobacteria, γ-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and some unidentified microorganisms from marine sponge, bryozoan and other environmental samples. The obtained KS domains showed 43%-81% similarity at the AA level to reference sequences in GenBank. Six identified KS domains showed diverse sequences of the motif (VQTACSTS) that was used to identify the hybrid PKS/nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) enzyme complex, and formed a new branch. These results reveal a high diversity and novelty of PKS genes in antarctic sediments.