Roadmap for naming uncultivated Archaea and Bacteria

Murray, Alison E.; Freudenstein, John; Gribaldo, Simonetta; Hatzenpichler, Roland; Hugenholtz, Philip; K?mpfer, Peter; Konstantinidis, Konstantinos T.; Lane, Christopher E.; Papke, R. Thane; Parks, Donovan H.; Rossello-Mora, Ramon; Stott, Matthew B.; Sutcliffe, Iain C.; Thrash, J. Cameron; Venter, Stephanus N.; Whitman, William B.; Acinas, Silvia G.; Amann, Rudolf I.; Anantharaman, Karthik; Armengaud, Jean; Baker, Brett J.; Barco, Roman A.; Bode, Helge B.; Boyd, Eric S.; Brady, Carrie L.; Carini, Paul; Chain, Patrick S. G.; Colman, Daniel R.; DeAngelis, Kristen M.; de los Rios, Maria Asuncion; Estrada-de los Santos, Paulina; Dunlap, Christopher A.; Eisen, Jonathan A.; Emerson, David; Ettema, Thijs J. G.; Eveillard, Damien; Girguis, Peter R.; Hentschel, Ute; Hollibaugh, James T.; Hug, Laura A.; Inskeep, William P.; Ivanova, Elena P.; Klenk, Hans-Peter; Li, Wen-Jun; Lloyd, Karen G.; L?ffler, Frank E.; Makhalanyane, Thulani P.; Moser, Duane P.; Nunoura, Takuro; Palmer, Marike; Parro, Vict...

Abstract

The assembly of single-amplified genomes (SAGs) and metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) has led to a surge in genome-based discoveries of members affiliated with Archaea and Bacteria, bringing with it a need to develop guidelines for nomenclature of uncultivated microorganisms. The International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) only recognizes cultures as ‘type material’, thereby preventing the naming of uncultivated organisms. In this Consensus Statement, we propose two potential paths to solve this nomenclatural conundrum. One option is the adoption of previously proposed modifications to the ICNP to recognize DNA sequences as acceptable type material; the other option creates a nomenclatural code for uncultivated Archaea and Bacteria that could eventually be merged with the ICNP in the future. Regardless of the path taken, we believe that action is needed now within the scientific community to develop consistent rules for nomenclature of uncultivated taxa in order to provide clarity and stability, and to effectively communicate microbial diversity.

Citation

Murray, A. E., Freudenstein, J., Gribaldo, S., Hatzenpichler, R., Hugenholtz, P., Kämpfer, P., …Reysenbach, A. (2020). Roadmap for naming uncultivated Archaea and Bacteria. Nature Microbiology, 5(8), 987-994. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-020-0733-x

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 1, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Jun 8, 2020
• Publication Date: Jun 8, 2020
• Deposit Date: Jun 10, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 10, 2020
• Journal: Nature Microbiology
• Electronic ISSN: 2058-5276
• Publisher: Nature Research
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 8
• Pages: 987-994
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-020-0733-x
• Keywords: Immunology; Microbiology (medical); Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology; Genetics; Cell Biology; Microbiology
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/6017333
• Additional Information: Received: 14 June 2019; Accepted: 1 May 2020; First Online: 8 June 2020; : The authors have no competing interests.