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Updated: Aug 26, 2025

Microbiota Analysis Using Two-step PCR and Next-generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing
Published on: October 15, 2019
Phylogenetically under-dispersed gut microbiomes are not correlated with host genomic heterozygosity in a genetically
Iris A Holmes1,2, Michael C Grundler1,3
1Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Abstract:
While key elements of fitness in vertebrate animals are impacted by their microbiomes, the host genetic characteristics that factor into microbiome composition are not fully understood. Here, we correlate host genomic heterozygosity and gut microbiome phylogenetic diversity across a community of reptiles in southwestern New Mexico to test hypotheses about the behaviour of host genes that drive microbiome assembly. We find that microbiome communities are phylogenetically under-dispersed relative to random expectations, and that host heterozygosity is not correlated with microbiome diversity. Our analyses reinforce results from functional genomic work that identify conserved host immune and nonimmune genes as key players in microbiome assembly, rather than gene families that rely on heterozygosity for their function.
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