1) could be assigned through a wide range of phylogenetically diverse learn more Actinobacteria. For that reason, as well as the results of the theoretical realignment of

the sequences, the primer system seems to be suitable for diversity analyses. In addition, the primer system was useful for fingerprint analyses such as SSCP (Fig. 2), where our results show different communities of Actinobacteria in the investigated materials. A high diversity as well as heterogeneity of Actinobacteria within the different samples could be detected by SSCP fingerprint analyses, indicating the suitability of the new primer system in ecological investigations. Diversity analyses of the present study in the 18 analysed

water-damaged building materials showed a high variety of members of the class Actinobacteria as evidenced by the detection of 47 different genera. Here, Amycolatopsis, Pseudonocardia, Streptomyces, Saccharopolyspora and Promicromonospora species were detected most frequently. These genera can probably serve as bioindicators of water damage in building materials. Thirteen genera detected by only one clone insert each, showed that these genera are less abundant in water-damaged building materials (Fig. 1). A comparison with genera mentioned in the literature (Anderson et al., 1997; Anderson, 1999; Vuorio et al., 1999; Peltola, 2001; Lorenz et al., 2003a; Rintala et al., 2008) showed that all of the described genera were also detected by the new primer system. Nevertheless, HSP inhibitor clinical trial some genera detected in our study,

for example Amycolatopsis and Jiangella, until now have not been described as colonizers of water-damaged indoor material. The multiple Amobarbital proofs of the specificity of the primer system as well as the wide range of detectable ‘phylogenetically diverse Actinobacteria’ found by the new primer system, indicate that this system seems to be applicable for diversity analyses. Additionally, in comparison with the previously described Actinobacteria-specific primer system developed by Stach et al. (2003), the new primer system showed a greater number of actinobacterial matches at genus level, considering genera which only were detectable using primer set SC-Act-235aS20/SC-Act-878aA19. The similarity coefficient shows a congruent finding of 86%, with a further 8.6% that were only matched using primer system Com2xf/Ac1186r. Furthermore, screening analyses of clone libraries from building material samples using primer system Com2xf/Ac1186r resulted in improved amplification of actinobacterial sequences. Using primer system Com2xf/Ac1186r, more than 87% of the clone inserts were correctly assigned to actinobacterial sequences compared with using the primer system SC-Act-235aS20/SC-Act-878aA19 and a further 11% false positives were detected using the latter primer set.