Metagenomic analysis of low biomass samples amplified with multiple displacement amplification

The amount of extracted DNA from low-biomass and small-size samples often precludes metagenomic library generation. Multiple displacement amplification (MDA) methods can increase the amount of extracted DNA, however, amplification bias and uneven coverage may negatively affect results. Novel MDA approaches use primase instead of synthetic primers (primase MDA) or compartmentalize the MDA reaction into droplets (emulsion MDA) and have been shown to improve these undesired outcomes. The present study compared the performance of three MDA methods (conventional MDA, emulsion MDA, and primase MDA) using a mock community and two environmental samples (i.e., borehole fluid, groundwater).