Examining the diversity of 16S ribosomal RNA genes in the human microbiome for the Human Microbiome Project (HMP). Human Microbiome Project (HMP) 16S rRNA Gene Diversity

16S rRNA sequencing is being used to characterize the complexity of microbial communities at individual body sites, and to determine whether there is a core microbiome at each site. Several body sites are being studied, including the gastrointestinal and female urogenital tracts, oral cavity, nasal and pharyngeal tract, and skin. This project includes development, pilot-phase and production-phase sub-projects, each linked to their respective data sets of Sanger or second generation (eg. 454) sequences.