TaxaCal: enhancing species-level profiling accuracy of 16S amplicon data.

Background: 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing is a widely used method for microbiome composition analysis due to its cost-effectiveness and lower data requirements compared to metagenomic whole-genome sequencing (WGS). However, inherent limitations in 16S-based approach often lead to profiling discrepancies, particularly at the species level, compromising the accuracy and reliability of findings.

Results: To address this issue, we present TaxaCal (Taxonomic Calibrator), a machine learning algorithm designed to calibrate species-level taxonomy profiles in 16S amplicon data using a two-tier correction strategy. Validation on in-house produced and public datasets shows that TaxaCal effectively reduces biases in amplicon sequencing, mitigating discrepancies between microbial profiles derived from 16S and WGS. Moreover, TaxaCal enables seamless cross-platform comparisons between these two sequencing approaches, significantly improving disease detection in 16S-based microbiome data.

Conclusions: Therefore, TaxaCal offers a cost-effective solution for generating high-resolution microbiome species profiles that closely align with WGS results, enhancing the utility of 16S-based profiling in microbiome research. As microbiome-based diagnostics continue to evolve, TaxaCal has the potential to be a crucial tool in advancing the utility of 16S sequencing in clinical and research settings.