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Step 2Perform DNA Sequencing on Collected Specimen
A DNA sequencing facility will extract the microbial DNA from your specimen and sequence specific regions of the genomes present in the sample. The region of the genome that should be sequenced, depends in part on what organisms you're trying to identify. You might sequence one thing for animals (e.g. CO1) and another for microbes (e.g. rRNA).
The ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes are often examined by biologists for identification of microbes. They are ancient, highly conserved, and common across species. Different microbes have different versions of rRNA genes. The specific version of a rRNA gene possessed by an organism can help scientists (and you!) tell apart one microbe from another.
16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing is particularly helpful in distinguishing one type of bacterium from another. Is it a cyanobacterium, proteobacterium, or a firmicute? Depending on the number of different bacteria in your original sample, the sequencing results may include hundreds (or thousands!) of unique 16S rRNA sequences. Each DNA sequence will be 200-300 base pairs long and can be used to characterize the bacteria that were present on the surface where you collected a specimen.
Having a bunch of 16S rRNA gene sequence data will help you to identify the microbes that were on the surface where you collected a specimen. But this analysis will require some work involving bioinformatics. For example, you might compare your sequence data to the data available in public databases, to see if others have characterized any microbial DNA with similarities to your data.
Why not share your data online and let others help you characterize it? Beyond crowd-sourcing the computational effort, there are numerous exciting possibilities once people start sharing their data...
The ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes are often examined by biologists for identification of microbes. They are ancient, highly conserved, and common across species. Different microbes have different versions of rRNA genes. The specific version of a rRNA gene possessed by an organism can help scientists (and you!) tell apart one microbe from another.
16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing is particularly helpful in distinguishing one type of bacterium from another. Is it a cyanobacterium, proteobacterium, or a firmicute? Depending on the number of different bacteria in your original sample, the sequencing results may include hundreds (or thousands!) of unique 16S rRNA sequences. Each DNA sequence will be 200-300 base pairs long and can be used to characterize the bacteria that were present on the surface where you collected a specimen.
Having a bunch of 16S rRNA gene sequence data will help you to identify the microbes that were on the surface where you collected a specimen. But this analysis will require some work involving bioinformatics. For example, you might compare your sequence data to the data available in public databases, to see if others have characterized any microbial DNA with similarities to your data.
Why not share your data online and let others help you characterize it? Beyond crowd-sourcing the computational effort, there are numerous exciting possibilities once people start sharing their data...
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