The raw data of the article - Comparative analysis and characterization of the gut microbiota of four farmed snakes from southern China

In this study we characterized and compared the gut microbiotas of four species of farmed snakes (Naja atra, Ptyas mucosa, Elaphe carinata, and Deinagkistrodon acutus) using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rDNA gene in southern China and tested whether there was a relationship between gut microbiotal composition and host species. Fecal samples were collected from specimens of N. atra, P. mucosa, E. carinata, and D. acutus. Fresh fecal samples from same individuals were collected using a sterilized sampling spoon and put in the same centrifuge tube: N. atra (group 'Na'; n=6), P. mucosa (group 'Pmu'; n=4), E. carinata (group 'Ec'; n=6), and D. acutus (group 'Da'; n=6). All fresh samples were immediately submerged in liquid nitrogen, and then frozen at -20°C within 10 h. Samples were sent within 12 h on dry ice to the Wuhan Sample Center of Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI; Wuhan, China) for DNA extraction. Total DNA was extracted from the fecal samples using an E.Z.N.A. Stool DNA Kit (Omega Bio-tek, Inc., USA). The V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rDNA gene was amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), with the primers 515F (5ʼ-GTGCCAGCMGCCGCGGTAA-3ʼ) and 806R (5ʼ-GGACTACHVGGGTWTCTAAT-3ʼ). Qualified libraries were pair-end sequenced on a MiSeq System (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) with MiSeq reagents using the PE250 (PE251+8+8+251) sequencing strategy, following the manufacturer's instructions. All libraries were sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq platform by the BGI (Wuhan, China). The raw sequencing data were filtered, and the low quality reads were removed using an in-house procedure. Paired end reads are merged to tags: If the two paired-end reads overlapped, the consensus sequence was generated by FLASH (Fast Length Adjustment of Short reads, v1.2.11), and the details of the method are as follows: 1) Minimal overlapping length: 15 bp; 2) Mismatching ratio of overlapped region: