Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42346014›Full record

ArticleBiotech (Basel (Switzerland))2026

Bioinformatics Strategy for 16s and 23s rRNA Metabarcoding Data.

Rita Domingues, José C M Pires

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Biotech (Basel (Switzerland)), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Rita DominguesLEPABE (Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy), ALiCE (Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering), Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal.ORCID 0009-0004-4280-5779
José C M PiresLEPABE (Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy), ALiCE (Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering), Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-2738-5102

Funding

Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia LA/P/0045/2020Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia UID/00511/2025 and UID/PRR/00511/2025
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Understanding biological communities is essential for elucidating ecosystem structure and function. Metabarcoding based on ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, particularly 16S and 23S, is widely used to characterise bacterial and microalgal communities. However, analysing high-throughput sequencing data generated by platforms such as the Illumina MiSeq remains challenging due to fragmented bioinformatics tools, complex parameterisation, and limited accessibility for non-specialist users. In this study, a comprehensive and user-friendly bioinformatics pipeline is proposed for the analysis of 16S and 23S paired-end metabarcoding data. The workflow integrates all critical processing steps, including read merging, primer and adapter trimming, quality filtering, dereplication, chimaera removal, and clustering into Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). Taxonomic assignment is performed using curated reference databases, namely EZBioCloud for bacterial communities and µgreen for microalgae. The pipeline was developed in Python 3.11 and incorporates validated tools such as VSEARCH and Cutadapt, ensuring robustness and computational efficiency. Additionally, modules for alpha and beta diversity analysis are included to support comprehensive ecological interpretation. The main novelty of this work lies in providing a unified, GUI-based framework that enables the standardised processing of dual-marker (16S/23S) metabarcoding data within a single environment. In its current implementation, SOMBA supports the analysis of each marker through separate but harmonised workflows, ensuring consistency in parameterisation, processing steps, and output structure. This approach provides an accessible and standardised solution that bridges the gap between raw sequencing data and reliable biological insights, supporting applications in environmental microbiology and biotechnology.

Indexed as

16S rRNA23S rRNAbioinformaticsmetagenomicsOTU clusteringVSEARCH

Identifiers

PMID42346014
PMCPMC13296876

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.