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Stable Isotope Probing Techniques and Methodological Considerations using \({}^{15}\mathbf{N}\)
  • Roey Angel
Roey Angel
Soil and Water Research Infrastructure and Institute of Soil Biology, Biology Centre CAS, Czechia

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abstract

Nitrogen fixation and assimilation processes are vital to the functioning of any ecosystem. Nevertheless, studying these processes using 15N-based stable isotope probing was so far limited because of technical challenges related to the relative rarity of nitrogen in nucleic acids and proteins compared to carbon, and because of its absence in lipids. However, the recent adoption of high-throughput sequencing and statistical modelling methods to SIP studies increased the sensitivity of the method and enabled overcoming some of the challenges. This chapter describes in detail how to perform DNA- and RNA-SIP using 15N.