Investigation of 16S rRNA gene and gene segments for determination of probiotics

MSc student: Amar Cosic

Mentor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Altijana Hromic-Jahjefendic

Year: 2019

The aim of the project is to advance the knowledge of the 16s rRNA gene segments in bacterial strains allowing better understanding and better diagnostic possibilities. Besides, finding the fastest and most accurate way for identifying microorganisms on the example of probiotics via bioinformatic tools is the second aim. The 16s rRNA gene consists of hyper-variable regions (V1 – V9) that demonstrate considerable sequence diversity among different bacteria. Species-specific sequences within a given hyper-variable region constitute useful targets for diagnostic assays and other scientific investigations. The average size of the gene region is 1500 bp, which is large enough to be analyzed using bioinformatic tools and applied for detection, but amplifying this whole region is usually hard and can introduce unwanted consequences so the focus of the study was on the hypervariable regions V3 and V4.