U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

An Accurate Bacterial DNA Quantification Assay for HTS Library Preparation of Human Biological Samples

NCJ Number
254031
Journal
Electrophoresis Volume: 39 Issue: 21 Dated: 2018 Pages: 2824-2832
Author(s)
Sarah Seashols-Williams; Raquel Green; Denise Wohlfahrt; Angela Brand; Antonio L. Tan-Torres; Francy Nogales; J. Paul Brooks; Baneshwar Singh
Date Published
2018
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This project developed an assay that can accurately and specifically quantify bacterial DNA within a mixed sample for reliable 16S ribosomal DNA (16S rDNA) library preparation and high throughput sequencing (HTS).
Abstract

The sequencing and classification of microbial taxa within forensically relevant biological fluids has the potential for applications in the forensic science and biomedical fields. The quantity of bacterial DNA from human samples is currently estimated based on quantity of total DNA isolated. This method can miscalculate bacterial DNA quantity due to the mixed nature of the sample, and consequently library preparation is often unreliable. The current project developed an assay that can accurately and specifically quantify bacterial DNA within a mixed sample for reliable 16S ribosomal DNA (16S rDNA) library preparation and high throughput sequencing (HTS). A qPCR method was optimized using universal 16S rDNA primers, and a commercially available bacterial community DNA standard was used to develop a precise standard curve. Following qPCR optimization, 16S rDNA libraries from saliva, vaginal and menstrual secretions, urine, and fecal matter were amplified and evaluated at various DNA concentrations; successful HTS data were generated with as low as 20 pg of bacterial DNA. Changes in bacterial DNA quantity did not impact observed relative abundances of major bacterial taxa, but relative abundance changes of minor taxa were observed. Accurate quantification of microbial DNA resulted in consistent, successful library preparations for HTS analysis. (publisher abstract modified)