Quantitative stable isotope probing technique and its applications in microbial ecology

doi:10.13287/j.1001-9332.202107.032

Abstract

Abstract: Quantitative stable isotope probing (qSIP) is a powerful tool, which links microbial taxon with functional metabolism in ecosystems and quantitatively determines the metabolic activity or growth rate of individual microbial taxa exposed to isotope tracers in the environment. qSIP technique employs quantitative PCR, high-throughput sequencing and stable isotope probing (SIP) techniques. The procedure involves adding labeled substrates to environmental samples for cultivation, separating labeled heavy fraction from unlabeled light fraction via isopycnic ultracentrifugation, making absolute quantification and sequencing analysis for microbial populations in all fractions, and then quantifying the isotope abundance of DNA involved in uptake and transformation based on the DNA density curve of unlabeled treatment and GC content. Here, we reviewed the rationale, data analysis and application of qSIP in microbial ecology, and discussed the existing problems and prospects of qSIP.

Key words: isotope labelling, microbial growth rate, high-throughput sequencing, microbial function, microbial taxon

ZOU Wen-xuan, SHEN Ju-pei, ZHANG Li-mei, HU Ang, WANG Jian-jun, HE Ji-zheng. Quantitative stable isotope probing technique and its applications in microbial ecology[J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 2021, 32(7): 2615-2622.

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