Internal transcribed spacers enable species-level Metataxonomic analysis of ciliated protozoa.

ABSTRACT: Traditional morphology-based ciliate classification is often time-consuming and inaccurate, necessitating molecular approaches. Although 18S rRNA gene sequencing is widely used for taxonomic analyses of ciliates, its high degree of conservation makes it challenging to achieve species-level resolution. This study explores the potential of internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2) and the 28S rRNA gene to improve taxonomic resolution beyond that offered by 18S rRNA gene in free-living and host-associated ciliates. A comparative analysis of ITS, the 18S, and 28S rRNA gene sequences retrieved from public databases indicated that ITS regions exhibit greater inter- and intra-specific sequence dissimilarity compared to 18S rRNA gene, supporting existing literature. We then designed universal p

SUBMITTER: Somasundaram S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11879186 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature