Vines, J. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2018

Microbiota profiling with long amplicons using Nanopore sequencing: full-length 16S rRNA gene and whole rrn operon

BackgroundProfiling microbiome on low biomass samples is challenging for metagenomics since these samples are prone to present DNA from other sources, such as the host or the environment. The usual approach is sequencing specific hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene, which fails to assign taxonomy to genus and species level. Here, we aim to assess long-amplicon PCR-based approaches for assigning taxonomy at the genus and species level. We use Nanopore sequencing with two different markers: full-length 16S rRNA ([~]1,500 bp) and the whole rrn operon (16S rRNA gene - ITS - 23S rRNA gene; 4,500 bp).\n\nMethodsWe sequenced a clinical isolate of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, two mock communities (HM-783D, Bei Resources; D6306, ZymoBIOMICS) and two pools of lowbiomass samples (dog skin). Nanopore sequencing was performed on MinION (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) using 1D PCR barcoding kit. Sequences were pre-processed, and data were analyzed using WIMP workflow on EPI2ME (ONT) or Minimap2 software with rrn database.\n\nResultsFull-length 16S rRNA and the rrn operon retrieved the microbiota composition from the bacterial isolate, the mock communities and the complex skin samples, even at the genus and species level. For Staphylococcus pseudintermedius isolate, when using EPI2ME, the amplicons were assigned to the correct bacterial species in [~]98% of the cases with rrn operon as the marker, and [~]68% of the cases with 16S rRNA gene respectively. In both skin microbiota samples, we detected many species with an environmental origin. In chin, we found different Pseudomonas species in high abundance, whereas in dorsal skin there were more taxa with lower abundances.\n\nConclusionsBoth full-length 16S rRNA and the rrn operon retrieved the microbiota composition of simple and complex microbial communities, even from the low-biomass samples such as dog skin. For an increased resolution at the species level, rrn operon would be the best choice.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2017

Using MinION to characterize dog skin microbiota through full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing approach

The most common strategy to assess microbiota is sequencing specific hypervariable regions of 16S rRNA gene using 2nd generation platforms (such as MiSeq or Ion Torrent PGM). Despite obtaining high-quality reads, many sequences fail to be classified at the genus or species levels due to their short length. This pitfall can be overcome sequencing the full-length 16S rRNA gene (1,500bp) by 3rd generation sequencers.\n\nWe aimed to assess the performance of nanopore sequencing using MinION on characterizing microbiota complex samples. First set-up step was performed using a staggered mock community (HM-783D). Then, we sequenced a pool of several dog skin microbiota samples previously sequenced by Ion Torrent PGM. Sequences obtained for full-length 16S rRNA with degenerated primers retrieved increased richness estimates at high taxonomic level (Bacteria and Archaea) that were missed with short-reads. Besides, we were able to obtain taxonomic assignments down to species level, although it was not always feasible due to: i) incomplete database; ii) primer set chosen; iii) low taxonomic resolution of 16S rRNA gene within some genera; and/or iv) sequencing errors. Nanopore sequencing of the full-length 16S rRNA gene using MinION with 1D sequencing kit allowed us inferring microbiota composition of a complex microbial community to lower taxonomic levels than short-reads from 2nd generation sequencers.

microbiology↗