Improvement of phylum-and class-specific primers for real-time PCR quantification of bacterial taxa

TB De Gregoris, N Aldred, AS Clare… - Journal of microbiological …, 2011 - Elsevier
Mapping the distribution of phylogenetically distinct bacteria in natural environments is of
primary importance to an understanding of ecological dynamics. Here we present a
quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for the analysis of higher taxa composition in natural
communities that advances previously available methods by allowing quantification of
several taxa during the same qPCR run. Existing primers targeting the 16S rRNA gene
specific for Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and for the α and γ subdivisions of the …