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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2024.03.11.584481

Distribution-driven disturbance of a molecular community: a theoretical framework

Ramirez, G. A.·Mel, G. C.
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Abstract

An important and understudied area in microbial ecology concerns the very large number of very rare species within an environment. Study of such species based on non-specific sequencing of environmental samples is practically difficult simply due to their rarity. A previous report demonstrated that pretreating samples with the photoactive dye PMA before subsequent PCR and sequencing can increase sensitivity to rare species. Here we propose a mathematical model based on equilibrium chemical thermodynamics that explains this effect and suggests a simple quantitative experiment.

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Ramirez, G. A., Mel, G. C.. 2024-03-12. Distribution-driven disturbance of a molecular community: a theoretical framework. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.03.11.584481

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