Sequencing Services

What is 16s rRNA Sequencing?

16s rRNA sequencing has become one of the leading methods for phylogenetic studies. The popularization of 16s sequencing methods has been due in large part to the wide availability of PCR and Next-generation sequencing facilities, such as MRDNA. But what is 16s rRNA sequencing? And why should you choose 16s sequencing methods over other DNA sequencing methods?

16s rRNA sequencing refers to sequencing the 16s rRNA gene that codes for the small subunit (SSU) of the ribosome found in prokaryotes such as Bacteria and Archaea. There are several factors that make the 16s rRNA gene the perfect target to complete your taxonomy or phylogeny studies.

• Because the 16s gene codes for the SSU of the prokaryotic ribosome, researchers can rely on the fact that the their target gene will be present in every cell.
• The 16s gene contains both highly conserved regions as well as hypervariable regions.
  • The presence of the highly conserved regions allow researchers to design primer pairs that will accurately and reliably amplify the 16s hypervariable region of their choice.
  • The presence of the hypervariable regions affords researchers the ability to differentiate between closely related genera or species detected in their samples.
• The overall size of the 16s rRNA gene is relatively short. ~1500bp. While sequencing the entire 16s gene is difficult due to read length restrictions of many NGS platforms, sequencing one or more hypervariable regions is relatively quick and affordable.
  • Two of our most requested assays for 16s rRNA sequencing are 27F-519R (V1-V3 region) and 515F-806R (V4 region).
  • For questions regarding pricing feel free to contact us or visit our 16 ribosomal sequencing page.

Often times, researchers will have some confusion regarding the differences between 16s metagenomic sequencing methods and shotgun metagenomic sequencing methods. In short, shotgun metagenome sequencing is aptly named due to the fact that the goal of this DNA sequencing method is to sequence all genes from all organisms in a given sample. Whereas in the case of 16s metagenome sequencing, the goal is to sequence the 16s rRNA gene specifically.

Related Research

Periodontitis is caused by dysbiotic subgingival bacterial communities that may lead to increased bacterial invasion into gingival tissues. Although shifts in community structures associated with transition from health to periodontitis have been well characterized, the nature of bacteria present within the gingival tissue of periodontal lesions is not known. To characterize microbiota within tissues of periodontal lesions and compare them with plaque microbiota, gingival tissues and subgingival plaques were obtained from 7 patients with chronic periodontitis. A sequencing analysis of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that species richness and diversity were not significantly different between the 2 groups. However, intersubject variability of intratissue communities was smaller than that of plaque communities. In addition, when compared with the plaque communities, intratissue communities were characterized by decreased abundance of Firmicutes and increased abundance of Fusobacteria and Chloroflexi. In particular, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis were highly enriched within the tissue, composing 15% to 40% of the total bacteria. Furthermore, biofilms, as visualized by alcian blue staining and atomic force microscopy, were observed within the tissue where the degradation of connective tissue fibers was prominent. In conclusion, very complex bacterial communities exist in the form of biofilms within the gingival tissue of periodontal lesions, which potentially serve as a reservoir for persistent infection. This novel finding may prompt new research on therapeutic strategies to treat periodontitis.

Baek K, Ji S, Choi Y. Complex Intratissue Microbiota Forms Biofilms in Periodontal Lesions. J Dent Res. 2017;:22034517732754.