The State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Genes (Basel). 2023 Aug 25;14(9):1678. doi: 10.3390/genes14091678.
With the emergence of high-throughput sequencing technology, a number of non-avian reptile species have been sequenced at the genome scale, shedding light on various scientific inquiries related to reptile ecology and evolution. However, the routine requirement of tissue or blood samples for genome sequencing often poses challenges in many elusive reptiles, hence limiting the application of high-throughput sequencing technologies to reptile studies. An alternative reptilian DNA resource suitable for genome sequencing is in urgent need. Here, we used the corn snake () as a reptile model species to demonstrate that the shed skin is a high-quality DNA source for genome sequencing. Skin sheds provide a noninvasive type of sample that can be easily collected without restraining or harming the animal. Our findings suggest that shed skin from corn snakes yields DNA of sufficient quantity and quality that are comparable to tissue DNA extracts. Genome sequencing data analysis revealed that shed skin DNA is subject to bacteria contamination at variable levels, which is a major issue related to shed skin DNA and may be addressed by a modified DNA extraction method through introduction of a 30 min pre-digestion step. This study provides an enhanced method for the use of reptile shed skins as a high-quality DNA source for whole genome sequencing. Utilizing shed skin DNA enables researchers to overcome the limitations generally associated with obtaining traditional tissue or blood samples and promises to facilitate the application of genome sequencing in reptilian research.
随着高通量测序技术的出现，许多非鸟类爬行动物已经在基因组范围内进行了测序，这为与爬行动物生态学和进化相关的各种科学研究提供了线索。然而，对基因组测序来说，组织或血液样本的常规要求在许多难以捉摸的爬行动物中带来了挑战，因此限制了高通量测序技术在爬行动物研究中的应用。迫切需要一种适合基因组测序的替代爬行动物 DNA 资源。在这里，我们使用玉米蛇（）作为爬行动物模型物种，证明了脱落的皮肤是一种用于基因组测序的高质量 DNA 来源。皮肤脱落提供了一种非侵入性的样本类型，可以在不限制或伤害动物的情况下轻松收集。我们的研究结果表明，玉米蛇的蜕皮产生的 DNA 数量和质量都足够，与组织 DNA 提取物相当。基因组测序数据分析表明，脱落的皮肤 DNA 受到不同程度的细菌污染，这是与脱落的皮肤 DNA 相关的一个主要问题，可以通过引入 30 分钟的预消化步骤来改进 DNA 提取方法来解决。这项研究提供了一种增强的方法，可将爬行动物的脱落皮肤用作全基因组测序的高质量 DNA 来源。利用脱落的皮肤 DNA 可以使研究人员克服通常与获得传统组织或血液样本相关的限制，并有望促进基因组测序在爬行动物研究中的应用。
