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Related Concept Videos

Modern Molecular Taxonomy01:29

Modern Molecular Taxonomy

Advancements in molecular biology have revolutionized the identification and characterization of bacteria, with multiple methods leveraging DNA sequencing for enhanced precision. As sequencing technologies improve and costs decline, these approaches are increasingly used in clinical, environmental, and evolutionary studies.Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) examines several housekeeping genes, essential chromosomal genes encoding cellular functions, to distinguish strains. Approximately...
Methods to Assess Microbial Communities01:19

Methods to Assess Microbial Communities

Microbial communities, comprising bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotic microorganisms, inhabit diverse ecosystems and play crucial roles in environmental and biological processes. Their diversity is defined by three main parameters: species richness (the number of distinct species), species abundance (the relative quantity of each species), and species evenness (how uniformly individual species are distributed in various locations). These factors together shape the structure and ecological balance...
Ribosome Profiling02:24

Ribosome Profiling

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Methods to Assess Microbial Populations01:30

Methods to Assess Microbial Populations

Assessing microbial populations is crucial for understanding microbial roles in health, ecology, and industry. Various complementary techniques—both culture-based and molecular—enable detailed analysis of microbial abundance, diversity, and function.Viable Plate CountThe viable plate count is a traditional culture-based method used to estimate the number of living microbes in a sample. After serial dilution, the sample is spread onto nutrient agar plates. Each viable cell forms a visible...
Applications of Molecular Taxonomy01:20

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Molecular taxonomy has revolutionized the understanding and classification of bacteria, providing precise insights into their diversity, evolutionary relationships, and ecological roles. By utilizing molecular techniques such as DNA sequencing and fingerprinting, researchers have made significant strides in various fields related to bacterial studies.Resolving Taxonomic AmbiguitiesMolecular taxonomy has been instrumental in distinguishing closely related bacterial species initially thought to...
Phylogenetic Species Concept in Microbiology01:22

Phylogenetic Species Concept in Microbiology

The phylogenetic species concept (PSC) is a framework used to delineate species based on evolutionary relationships, emphasizing shared ancestry and diagnosable genetic traits. Unlike morphological or biological species concepts, the PSC is particularly advantageous for microbial taxonomy, where traditional reproductive or phenotypic criteria often fall short due to the prevalence of asexual reproduction, minimal morphological differentiation, and widespread horizontal gene transfer among...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 8, 2026

Microbiota Analysis Using Two-step PCR and Next-generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing
11:22

Microbiota Analysis Using Two-step PCR and Next-generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing

Published on: October 15, 2019

Predictive functional profiling of microbial communities using 16S rRNA marker gene sequences.

Morgan G I Langille1, Jesse Zaneveld, J Gregory Caporaso

  • 11] Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada. [2].

Nature Biotechnology
|August 27, 2013
PubMed
Summary

PICRUSt predicts microbial community function from phylogenetic marker genes. This computational approach enables functional insights for uncultivated microbes using 16S rRNA gene data.

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Last Updated: May 8, 2026

Microbiota Analysis Using Two-step PCR and Next-generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing
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Published on: October 15, 2019

Efficient Nucleic Acid Extraction and 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing for Bacterial Community Characterization
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Next-generation Sequencing of 16S Ribosomal RNA Gene Amplicons
10:24

Next-generation Sequencing of 16S Ribosomal RNA Gene Amplicons

Published on: August 29, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Bioinformatics
  • Metagenomics

Background:

  • Microbial community studies often rely on phylogenetic marker genes (e.g., 16S rRNA) but lack direct functional insights.
  • Predicting the functional potential of uncultivated microbial communities remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce PICRUSt (phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states), a novel computational method.
  • To enable prediction of metagenome functional composition using marker gene data.

Main Methods:

  • PICRUSt utilizes marker gene data (e.g., 16S rRNA) and a reference genome database.
  • An extended ancestral-state reconstruction algorithm predicts gene family presence.
  • Predicted gene families are combined to estimate the composite metagenome.

Main Results:

  • PICRUSt accurately recaptures findings from the Human Microbiome Project.
  • The method reliably predicts gene family abundance in diverse microbial communities (host-associated and environmental).
  • Quantifiable uncertainty is provided for predictions.

Conclusions:

  • Phylogeny and microbial function are demonstrably linked.
  • PICRUSt offers a 'predictive metagenomic' approach for inferring function from marker gene surveys.
  • This tool provides valuable insights for thousands of uncultivated microbial communities.