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Whole genome analysis calls for a taxonomic rearrangement of the genus Colwellia

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Abstract

Microbial taxonomy is the foundation of microbiology and rapid advancements in DNA sequencing technologies are providing new approaches to address prevailing questions in this field. The family Colwelliaceae, which currently comprises four genera, is a diverse and globally abundant group of Gamaproteobacteria. Based on 14 publically available genomes of bacteria strains labeled as members of the family Colwelliaceae, phylogenomic analyses were conducted to revisiting the taxonomic status of this family both in the genus and species level. Using genome-based phylogeny as a primary guideline and genome-based similarity indexes including average amino acid identity, percentage of conserved proteins, average nucleotide identity, and the digital DNA–DNA hybridization as supplements, the following taxonomic proposals were proposed: Colwellia polaris, Colwellia beringensis, Colwellia sediminilitoris, Colwellia aestuarii, Colwellia chukchiensis and Colwellia mytili should be reclassified into the novel genus Cognaticolwellia; Colwellia agarivorans should be reclassified into the novel genus Pseudocolwellia. Our results constitute a solid framework for current and future taxonomic decisions within this family, which will be helpful for avoiding confusion with ecological and evolutionary interpretations in subsequent studies.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by Grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81801982, 31300005) and the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province, China (ZR2019PC021).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathogenic Biology, Jining Medical University, Jining, 272067, Shandong, People’s Republic of China

    Ang Liu, Ya-Jie Peng & Qing-Jie Xue

  2. Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Applied Mycology, School of Life Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, People’s Republic of China

    Yan-Jiao Zhang

  3. Department of Medical Entomology, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Jining, 272033, People’s Republic of China

    Peng Cheng

  4. Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Hesse, Germany

    Jochen Blom

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  1. Ang Liu
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  2. Yan-Jiao Zhang
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  3. Peng Cheng
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  4. Ya-Jie Peng
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Contributions

Author A. Liu performed the taxonomic analysis and wrote the manuscript. Authors Y. J. Zhang, P. Cheng, Y. J. Peng, J. Blom and Q. J. Xue performed the data analysis. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ang Liu.

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Liu, A., Zhang, YJ., Cheng, P. et al. Whole genome analysis calls for a taxonomic rearrangement of the genus Colwellia. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 113, 919–931 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10482-020-01405-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10482-020-01405-6

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