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Evaluation of general 16S ribosomal RNA gene PCR primers for classical and next-generation sequencing-based diversity studies.

ABSTRACT: 16S ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) amplicon analysis remains the standard approach for the cultivation-independent investigation of microbial diversity. The accuracy of these analyses depends strongly on the choice of primers. The overall coverage and phylum spectrum of 175 primers and 512 primer pairs were evaluated in silico with respect to the SILVA 16S/18S rDNA non-redundant reference dataset (SSURef 108 NR). Based on this evaluation a selection of 'best available' primer pairs for Bacteria and Archaea for three amplicon size classes (100-400, 400-1000, ? 1000 bp) is provided. The most promising bacterial primer pair (S-D-Bact-0341-b-S-17/S-D-Bact-0785-a-A-21), with an amplicon size of 464 bp, was experimentally evaluated by comparing the taxonomic distribution of the 16S rDNA amplicons with 16S rDNA fragments from directly sequenced metagenomes. The results of this study may be used as a guideline for selecting primer pairs with the best overall coverage and phylum spectrum for specific applications, therefore reducing the bias in PCR-based microbial diversity studies.

SUBMITTER: Klindworth A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3592464 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Evaluation of general 16S ribosomal RNA gene PCR primers for classical and next-generation sequencing-based diversity studies.

Klindworth Anna A Pruesse Elmar E Schweer Timmy T Peplies Jörg J Quast Christian C Horn Matthias M Glöckner Frank Oliver FO

Nucleic acids research 20120828 1

16S ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) amplicon analysis remains the standard approach for the cultivation-independent investigation of microbial diversity. The accuracy of these analyses depends strongly on the choice of primers. The overall coverage and phylum spectrum of 175 primers and 512 primer pairs were evaluated in silico with respect to the SILVA 16S/18S rDNA non-redundant reference dataset (SSURef 108 NR). Based on this evaluation a selection of 'best available' primer pairs for Bacteria and A ...[more]

PMID: 22933715

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Project description:Microbial community analysis based on the 16S rRNA-gene is used to investigate both beneficial and harmful microorganisms in various fields and environments. Recently, the next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has enabled rapid and accurate microbial community analysis. Despite these advantages of NGS based metagenomics study, sample transport, storage conditions, amplification, library preparation kits, sequencing, and bioinformatics procedures can bias microbial community analysis results. In this study, eight mock communities were pooled from genomic DNA of Lactobacillus acidophilus KCTC 3164T, Limosilactobacillus fermentum KCTC 3112T, Lactobacillus gasseri KCTC 3163T, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei KCTC 3510T, Limosilactobacillus reuteri KCTC 3594T, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis KCTC 3769T, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis KCTC 5854T, and Bifidobacterium breve KCTC 3220T. The genomic DNAs were quantified by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and were mixed as mock communities. The mock communities were amplified with various 16S rRNA gene universal primer pairs and sequenced by MiSeq, IonTorrent, MGIseq-2000, Sequel II, and MinION NGS platforms. In a comparison of primer-dependent bias, the microbial profiles of V1-V2 and V3 regions were similar to the original ratio of the mock communities, while the microbial profiles of the V1-V3 region were relatively biased. In a comparison of platform-dependent bias, the sequence read from short-read platforms (MiSeq, IonTorrent, and MGIseq-2000) showed lower bias than that of long-read platforms (Sequel II and MinION). Meanwhile, the sequences read from Sequel II and MinION platforms were relatively biased in some mock communities. In the data of all NGS platforms and regions, L. acidophilus was greatly underrepresented while Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis was generally overrepresented. In all samples of this study, the bias index (BI) was calculated and PCA was performed for comparison. The samples with biased relative abundance showed high BI values and were separated in the PCA results. In particular, analysis of regions rich in AT and GC poses problems for genome assembly, which can lead to sequencing bias. According to this comparative analysis, the development of reference material (RM) material has been proposed to calibrate the bias in microbiome analysis.

Project description:BackgroundMetagenetic analyses, which amplify and sequence target marker DNA regions from environmental samples, are increasingly employed to assess the biodiversity of communities of small organisms. Using this approach, our understanding of microbial diversity has expanded greatly. In contrast, only a few studies using this approach to characterize metazoan diversity have been reported, despite the fact that many metazoan species are small and difficult to identify or are undescribed. One of the reasons for this discrepancy is the availability of universal primers for the target taxa. In microbial studies, analysis of the 16S ribosomal DNA is standard. In contrast, the best gene for metazoan metagenetics is less clear. In the present study, we have designed primers that amplify the nuclear 18S and 28S ribosomal DNA sequences of most metazoan species with the goal of providing effective approaches for metagenetic analyses of metazoan diversity in environmental samples, with a particular emphasis on marine biodiversity.Methodology/principal findingsConserved regions suitable for designing PCR primers were identified using 14,503 and 1,072 metazoan sequences of the nuclear 18S and 28S rDNA regions, respectively. The sequence similarity of both these newly designed and the previously reported primers to the target regions of these primers were compared for each phylum to determine the expected amplification efficacy. The nucleotide diversity of the flanking regions of the primers was also estimated for genera or higher taxonomic groups of 11 phyla to determine the variable regions within the genes.Conclusions/significanceThe identified nuclear ribosomal DNA primers (five primer pairs for 18S and eleven for 28S) and the results of the nucleotide diversity analyses provide options for primer combinations for metazoan metagenetic analyses. Additionally, advantages and disadvantages of not only the 18S and 28S ribosomal DNA, but also other marker regions as targets for metazoan metagenetic analyses, are discussed.

Dataset Information

Evaluation of general 16S ribosomal RNA gene PCR primers for classical and next-generation sequencing-based diversity studies.

Publications

Evaluation of general 16S ribosomal RNA gene PCR primers for classical and next-generation sequencing-based diversity studies.

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