Metatranscriptomic analysis of soil, rhizosphere and root community compositions and functions using different RNA preservation methods.. RNA Rhizosphere

Heat and enzymatic action of widespread RNAses cause the rapid degradation of RNA. In order to prevent this degradation, samples for transctiptome sequencing are usually frozen in liquid nitrogen prior to extraction.When working with rhizosphere soil (soil closely adhering to plant roots), the samples must be separated prior to RNA extraction making direct freezing using liquid nitrogen impossible. Alternative RNA preservation techniques must be used for rhizosphere soil, but the effect of these on the resulting microbial community composition and functional profiles in unknown.We aimed to determine the differences in community composition and function of soil samples that were frozen directly, frozen and thawed using a preservation solution, directly applied to a preservation solution and freeze dried.The root and rhizosphere communities of B.napus have not yet been studied under NGS technologies, and we hope to identify how the communities and functional profiles of these sample types differ in order to better understand assembly of the rhizosphere microbiomeWe also aimed to determine the impact of ribodepletion of the functional profiles of a soil sample.