Genomic DNA Amplification from a Single Bacterium

Abstract

Genomic DNA was amplified about 5 billion-fold from single, flow-sorted bacterial cells by the multiple displacement amplification (MDA) reaction, using phi 29 DNA polymerase. A 662-bp segment of the 16S rRNA gene could be accurately sequenced from the amplified DNA. MDA methods enable new strategies for studying non-culturable microorganisms.