Application of propylene glycol in DNA-based studies of invertebrates

High-throughput sequencing (HTS) studies on invertebrates commonly use ethanol as the main sample fixative (upon collection) and preservative (for storage and curation). However, alternative agents exists, which should not be automatically neglected when studies are newly designed. T...

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Autores principales: Alexander M. Weigand, Noah Desquiotz, Hannah Weigand, Nikolaus Szucsich
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Publicado: Pensoft Publishers 2021
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spelling oai:doaj.org-article:0ba1e8f8e33e4133a9709a13f2ddf7ee2021-12-02T17:27:28ZApplication of propylene glycol in DNA-based studies of invertebrates10.3897/mbmg.5.572782534-9708https://doaj.org/article/0ba1e8f8e33e4133a9709a13f2ddf7ee2021-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://mbmg.pensoft.net/article/57278/download/pdf/https://mbmg.pensoft.net/article/57278/download/xml/https://mbmg.pensoft.net/article/57278/https://doaj.org/toc/2534-9708 High-throughput sequencing (HTS) studies on invertebrates commonly use ethanol as the main sample fixative (upon collection) and preservative (for storage and curation). However, alternative agents exists, which should not be automatically neglected when studies are newly designed. This review provides an overview of the application of propylene glycol (PG) in DNA-based studies of invertebrates, thus to stimulate an evidence-based discussion. The use of PG in DNA-based studies of invertebrates is still limited (n = 79), but a steady increase has been visible since 2011. Most studies used PG as a fixative for passive trapping (73%) and performed Sanger sequencing (66%; e.g. DNA barcoding). More recently, HTS setups joined the field (11%). Terrestrial Coleoptera (30%) and Diptera (20%) were the most studied groups. Very often, information on the grade of PG used (75%) or storage conditions (duration, temperature) were lacking. This rendered direct comparisons of study results difficult, and highlight the need for further systematic studies on these subjects. When compared to absolute ethanol, PG can be more widely and cheaply acquired (e.g. as an antifreeze, 13% of studies). It also enables longer trapping intervals, being especially relevant at remote or hard-to-reach places. Shipping of PG-conserved samples is regarded as risk-free and is authorised, pinpointing its potential for larger trapping programs or citizen science projects. Its property to retain flexibility of morphological characters as well as to lead to a reduced shrinkage effect was especially appraised by integrative study designs. Finally, the so far limited application of PG in the context of HTS showed promising results for short read amplicon sequencing and reduced representation methods. Knowledge of the influence of PG fixation and storage for long(er) read HTS setups is currently unavailable. Given our review results and taking difficulties of direct methodological comparisons into account, future DNA-based studies of invertebrates should on a case-by-case basis critically scrutinise if the application of PG in their anticipated study design can be of benefit. Alexander M. WeigandNoah DesquiotzHannah WeigandNikolaus SzucsichPensoft PublishersarticleEcologyQH540-549.5ENMetabarcoding and Metagenomics, Vol 5, Iss , Pp 1-15 (2021)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic Ecology
QH540-549.5
spellingShingle Ecology
QH540-549.5
Alexander M. Weigand
Noah Desquiotz
Hannah Weigand
Nikolaus Szucsich
Application of propylene glycol in DNA-based studies of invertebrates
description High-throughput sequencing (HTS) studies on invertebrates commonly use ethanol as the main sample fixative (upon collection) and preservative (for storage and curation). However, alternative agents exists, which should not be automatically neglected when studies are newly designed. This review provides an overview of the application of propylene glycol (PG) in DNA-based studies of invertebrates, thus to stimulate an evidence-based discussion. The use of PG in DNA-based studies of invertebrates is still limited (n = 79), but a steady increase has been visible since 2011. Most studies used PG as a fixative for passive trapping (73%) and performed Sanger sequencing (66%; e.g. DNA barcoding). More recently, HTS setups joined the field (11%). Terrestrial Coleoptera (30%) and Diptera (20%) were the most studied groups. Very often, information on the grade of PG used (75%) or storage conditions (duration, temperature) were lacking. This rendered direct comparisons of study results difficult, and highlight the need for further systematic studies on these subjects. When compared to absolute ethanol, PG can be more widely and cheaply acquired (e.g. as an antifreeze, 13% of studies). It also enables longer trapping intervals, being especially relevant at remote or hard-to-reach places. Shipping of PG-conserved samples is regarded as risk-free and is authorised, pinpointing its potential for larger trapping programs or citizen science projects. Its property to retain flexibility of morphological characters as well as to lead to a reduced shrinkage effect was especially appraised by integrative study designs. Finally, the so far limited application of PG in the context of HTS showed promising results for short read amplicon sequencing and reduced representation methods. Knowledge of the influence of PG fixation and storage for long(er) read HTS setups is currently unavailable. Given our review results and taking difficulties of direct methodological comparisons into account, future DNA-based studies of invertebrates should on a case-by-case basis critically scrutinise if the application of PG in their anticipated study design can be of benefit.
format article
author Alexander M. Weigand
Noah Desquiotz
Hannah Weigand
Nikolaus Szucsich
author_facet Alexander M. Weigand
Noah Desquiotz
Hannah Weigand
Nikolaus Szucsich
author_sort Alexander M. Weigand
title Application of propylene glycol in DNA-based studies of invertebrates
title_short Application of propylene glycol in DNA-based studies of invertebrates
title_full Application of propylene glycol in DNA-based studies of invertebrates
title_fullStr Application of propylene glycol in DNA-based studies of invertebrates
title_full_unstemmed Application of propylene glycol in DNA-based studies of invertebrates
title_sort application of propylene glycol in dna-based studies of invertebrates
publisher Pensoft Publishers
publishDate 2021
url https://doaj.org/article/0ba1e8f8e33e4133a9709a13f2ddf7ee
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