2 februari 2022
The bacterial ribosome consists of 3 rRNA molecules and 54 proteins and plays a crucial role in translating mRNA-encoded information into proteins. Because of the structural complexity of the ribosome, it is believed that each ribosomal component coevolves to maintain function. In particular, because the 16S and 23S rRNAs form the structural core of the ribosome, they are believed to be least likely to experience horizontal gene transfer between species. On the basis of the species-specific nature of rRNA and their omnipresence in all bacteria, the rRNA genes, especially those for 16S rRNA, have long been used as an “ultimate chronometer” 16S ribosomal RNA (or 16S rRNA) is the component of the 30S small subunit of a prokaryotic ribosome that binds to the Shine-Dalgarno sequence.
The 16S rRNA gene is used for phylogenetic studies as it is highly conserved between different species of bacteria and archaea. It is suggested that 16S rRNA gene can be used as a reliable molecular clock because 16S rRNA sequences from distantly related bacterial lineages are shown to have similar functionalities.
In this tutorial, you will learn to use online tools to design universal and species specific primers for 16rRNA primers. The products can be used for PCR or Sequencing experiments.
