A simplified protocol for DNA extraction from FTA cards for faecal microbiome studies

Amanda Bolt Botnen*, Mads Bjørn Bjørnsen, Antton Alberdi, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Ostaizka Aizpurua

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)
33 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

As metagenomic studies continue to increase in size and complexity, they are often required to incorporate data from geographically isolated locations or longitudinal time samples. This represents a technical challenge, given that many of the commonly used methods used for sample collection, storage, and DNA extraction are sensitive to differences related to the time, storage and chemistry involved. FTA cards have been previously proposed as a simple, reliable and cost-efficient method for the preservation of animal faecal microbiomes. In this study, we report a simplified extraction methodology for recovering microbiome DNA from faeces stored on FTA cards and compare its performance to a common alternative means of characterising such microbiomes; namely, immediate freezing of the faeces followed by DNA extraction using the Qiagen PowerSoil DNA isolation kit. Our results show that overall the application of our simplified DNA extraction methodology yields microbial community results that have higher diversity and an expanded core microbiome than that found using the PowerSoil methodology. This suggests that the FTA card extraction method presented here is a viable alternative for metagenomic studies using faecal material when traditional freeze-based storage methods are not feasible.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere12861
JournalHeliyon
Volume9
Issue number1
Number of pages10
ISSN2405-8440
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors

Keywords

  • 16S rRNA
  • Cats
  • Dry preservatives
  • Longitudinal studies
  • Metabarcoding
  • Metagenomics
  • Microbiota
  • PowerSoil

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