Better skin microbiome analyses using new 16S V4 region primers developed by Microbiome Insights’ scientific team
Over the past several years the Microbiome Insights team has invested in the development of new tools and techniques for obtaining high-quality, actionable skin microbiome data for our partners and clients in the cosmetics and dermatology industry.
When designing a new skin microbiome study, we always have an important discussion: which variable region should be sequenced? Although many assume that, for characterizing skin bacteria, primers targeting regions V1-3 are superior to those targeting the V4 region, it’s not so straightforward.
All current primers have their limitations—namely, that they underestimate the abundance of some skin-dwelling bacteria, poorly capturing skin commensals.
Our team members Pedro Dimitriu and Hilary Leung redesigned the V4 primer pair under the direction of Microbiome Insights co-founder Dr. Bill Mohn, and found that the new primers resulted in the detection of more bacterial genera, while improving error rates. The new primer also addressed a main limitation of common primers used for the v4 region: it can detect Propionibacterium acnes—the most abundant human skin bacterium.
Thus, we are now pleased to offer our clients this exclusive V4_skin primer in order to help them make the most of their skin microbiome surveys.
Download the PDF version of this v4_skin poster.
If you’re thinking about designing a skin microbiome study, be sure to read our blog posts on both sampling and amplicon sequencing.
Contact our scientific team to learn more, or catch us in person at the upcoming Hanson Wade Skin Health & Dermatology Conference, September 10th to 12th in San Diego!
