16S rRNA analysis
Japanese: 16S rRNA解析（16S rRNA遺伝子解析）
A molecular biology method that identifies microorganisms by comparing the nucleotide sequences of 16S rRNA genes in bacteria and archaea. It has become a standard tool in microbial taxonomy.
16S rRNA analysis is a molecular biology method for identifying bacterial and archaeal species. The 16S rRNA gene, part of ribosomal RNA, is present in all prokaryotes and has changed moderately through evolution, making it useful as a microbial identity card.
High sequence similarity indicates close relatedness; low similarity means distant relatedness. This principle enables species identification even for unculturable bacteria. It is widely used for investigating bacterial communities in fermented foods and analyzing gut environments.
However, 16S rRNA analysis has limitations. It sometimes cannot distinguish at the species level, and for fungi (molds and yeasts), a different marker (ITS region) is needed. Not omnipotent, but one of the most fundamental tools for knowing microorganisms.