Amplification primers of SSU rDNA for soil protists

• We reviewed the SSU primers that have been used to amplify soil protist DNA.
• The information was used to evaluate target sequence amplification specificity in silico.
• We propose a new coding system for these primers.
• We propose a protocol to use this information to identify primers for environmental samples.
• Details of the information surveyed and analysis conducted are provided in supplementary materials.

We reviewed the literature and sequence data bases to evaluate primers used to identify SSU rDNA genes from protists commonly found in environmental soil samples. From our summary of the most common primers described in the literature, we performed in silico tests to determine their efficacy in identifying protists. We particularly noted the comprehensiveness of these primers for specific target taxa, and also noted the most common non-target SSUs amplified by the primers. Our review is intended to help non-specialists navigate through the literature, as the names used to describe protists have changed greatly over the past three decades. It provides a review of the various primers used to amplify soil protists, many of which have been published under multiple names, and their differences. It is also intended to serve as a comparative study for those analysing environmental samples.