The application of CVTree in structural analysis of microbial communities by 454 pyrosequencing.

Objective To explore the feasibility of CVTree application in structural analysis of microbial communities by 454 pyrosequencing.Method The CVTree was applied to two datasets to perform structural comparison of microbial communities:(1) 454 pyrosequencing data of gut microbiomes of a four-generation,seven-member Chinese family; (2) 454 pyrosequencing data of gut microbiomes of mice with different genotypes and diets.Result When suitable K-tuple length was selected,the CVTree reflected the relationship among the samples which were in good agreement with those reported in the previous studies based on Unifrac analysis. Conclusion Our study shows the ability of CVTree in structural analysis of microbial communities based on 454 pyrosequencing with high efficiency and effectiveness.