The Rhodobacter sphaeroides hemA and hemT are known to encode a distinct 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-synthase isozyme. This enzyme catalyzes the first and rate limiting step in ALA biosynthesis through the C 4 pathway. This study was carried out to detect hemA-\\ke and hemT-\\ke genes in twenty Anoxygenic Photosynthetic Bacterial (APB) isolates from several wetland areas in Indonesia, and four DNA samples that were isolated from four soil samples obtained from Bogor area. Hybridization

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... s of Southern and dot blot were used, using hemA and hemT fragment as probes. Southern hybridization analyses indicated the presence of hemA-\\ke gene in five of APB isolates, i.e., MB15, MB16, MB21.2, MB55 and MB6, whereas hemT-\\ke gene was detected only in MB15. Dot blot hybridization analyses suggested that the soil samples from waterlogged paddy-field, dry paddy-field as well as a mud pond were predominantly occupied by prokaryotic organisms which harboured hemA-]\ke gene. However, /iem7"-like sequences were also found in soil sample from dry paddy-field.