Roadmap for naming uncultivated Archaea and Bacteria
Date
2020-08Author
Murray, Alison E.
Freudenstein, John
Gribaldo, Simonetta
Hatzenpichler, Roland
Hugenholtz, Philip
Kampfer, 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.
Asuncion de los Rios, Maria
Estrada-de los Santos, Paulina
Dunlap, Christopher A.
Eisen, Jonathan A.
Emerson, David
Ettema, Thisjs J. G.
Eveillard, Damien R.
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.
Loffler, Frank E.
Makhalanyane, Thulani P.
Moser, Duane P.
Nunoura, Takuro
Palmer, Marike
Parro, Victor
Pedros-Alio, Carlos
Probst, Alexander J.
Smits, Theo H. M.
Steen, Andrew D.
Steenkamp, Emma T.
Spang, Anja
Stewart, Frank J.
Tiedje, James M.
Vandamme, Peter
Wagner, Michael
Wang, Feng-Ping
Yarza, Pablo
Hedlund, Brian P.
Reysenbach, Anna-Louise
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
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, Alison E., John Freudenstein, Simonetta Gribaldo, Roland Hatzenpichler, Philip Hugenholtz, Peter Kämpfer, Konstantinos T. Konstantinidis, et al. “Roadmap for Naming Uncultivated Archaea and Bacteria.” Nature Microbiology 5, no. 8 (June 8, 2020): 987–994. doi:10.1038/s41564-020-0733-x.