title: A metagenomic framework for the study of airborne microbial communities.
abstract: Understanding the microbial content of the air has important scientific, health, and economic implications. While studies have primarily characterized the taxonomic content of air samples by sequencing the 16S or 18S ribosomal RNA gene, direct analysis of the genomic content of airborne microorganisms has not been possible due to the extremely low density of biological material in airborne environments. We developed sampling and amplification methods to enable adequate DNA recovery to allow metagenomic profiling of air samples collected from indoor and outdoor environments. Air samples were collected from a large urban building, a medical center, a house, and a pier. Analyses of metagenomic data generated from these samples reveal airborne communities with a high degree of diversity and different genera abundance profiles. The identities of many of the taxonomic groups and protein families also allows for the identification of the likely sources of the sampled airborne bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Informatics, J. Craig Venter Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Shibu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yooseph
authors.affiliation: Synthetic Biology and Bioenergy, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Andrews-Pfannkoch
authors.affiliation: Informatics, J. Craig Venter Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tenney
authors.affiliation: Microbial and Environmental Genomics, J. Craig Venter Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McQuaid
authors.affiliation: Microbial and Environmental Genomics, J. Craig Venter Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.affiliation: Informatics, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Mathangi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thiagarajan
authors.affiliation: Informatics, J. Craig Venter Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brami
authors.affiliation: Microbial and Environmental Genomics, J. Craig Venter Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zeigler-Allen
authors.affiliation: Microbial and Environmental Genomics, J. Craig Venter Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.affiliation: Informatics, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Johannes B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Goll
authors.affiliation: Microbial and Environmental Genomics, J. Craig Venter Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fadrosh
authors.affiliation: Synthetic Biology and Bioenergy, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.affiliation: Microbial and Environmental Genomics, J. Craig Venter Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.affiliation: Microbial and Environmental Genomics, J. Craig Venter Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.affiliation: Microbial and Environmental Genomics, J. Craig Venter Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: J Craig
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Venter
mesh_terms: D000391:Air Microbiology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D044822:Biodiversity; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D056186:Metagenomics; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; D010802:Phylogeny; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S