Megraft: a software package to graft ribosomal small subunit (16S/18S) fragments onto full-length sequences for accurate species richness and sequencing depth analysis in pyrosequencing-length metagenomes and similar environmental datasets.

Bengtsson J, Hartmann M, Unterseher M, Vaishampayan P, Abarenkov K, Durso L, Bik EM, Garey JR, Eriksson KM, Nilsson RH

Res. Microbiol. 163 (6-7) 407-412 [2012-07-00; online 2012-07-21]

Metagenomic libraries represent subsamples of the total DNA found at a study site and offer unprecedented opportunities to study ecological and functional aspects of microbial communities. To examine the depth of a community sequencing effort, rarefaction analysis of the ribosomal small subunit (SSU/16S/18S) gene in the metagenome is usually performed. The fragmentary, non-overlapping nature of SSU sequences in metagenomic libraries poses a problem for this analysis, however. We introduce a software package - Megraft - that grafts SSU fragments onto full-length SSU sequences, accounting for observed and unobserved variability, for accurate assessment of species richness and sequencing depth in metagenomics endeavors.

DDLS Fellow

Johan Bengtsson-Palme

PubMed 22824070

DOI 10.1016/j.resmic.2012.07.001

Crossref 10.1016/j.resmic.2012.07.001

pii: S0923-2508(12)00096-4


Publications 9.5.0