Phylogeny and species identification of the family Enterobacteriaceae based on dnaJ sequences

Phylogenetic relations within the family Enterobacteriaceae were analyzed using partial dnaJ sequences of 165 strains belonging to 93 species from 27 enterobacterial genera. The dnaJ phylogeny was in relative agreement with that constructed by 16S rDNA sequences, but more monophyletic groups were obtained from the dnaJ tree than from the 16S rDNA tree. The degree of divergence of the dnaJ gene was approximately 6 times greater than that of 16S rDNA. Also, the dnaJ gene showed the most discriminatory power in comparison with tuf and atpD genes, facilitating clear differentiation of any 2 enterobacterial species by dnaJ sequence analysis. The application of dnaJ sequences to the identification was confirmed by assigning 72 clinical isolates to the correct enterobacterial species. Our data indicate that analysis of the dnaJ gene sequences can be used as a powerful marker for phylogenetic study and identification at the species level of the family Enterobacteriaceae.