Major New Microbial Groups Expand Diversity and Alter our Understanding of the Tree of Life

Cindy J Castelle; Jillian F Banfield

doi:10.1016/j.cell.2018.02.016

Major New Microbial Groups Expand Diversity and Alter our Understanding of the Tree of Life

Cell. 2018 Mar 8;172(6):1181-1197. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.02.016.

Authors

Cindy J Castelle¹, Jillian F Banfield²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Innovative Genomics Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA.
² Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Innovative Genomics Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA; Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA. Electronic address: jbanfield@berkeley.edu.

PMID: 29522741
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.02.016

Abstract

The recent recovery of genomes for organisms from phyla with no isolated representative (candidate phyla) via cultivation-independent genomics enabled delineation of major new microbial lineages, namely the bacterial candidate phyla radiation (CPR), DPANN archaea, and Asgard archaea. CPR and DPANN organisms are inferred to be mostly symbionts, and some are episymbionts of other microbial community members. Asgard genomes encode typically eukaryotic systems, and their inclusion in phylogenetic analyses results in placement of eukaryotes as a branch within Archaea. Here, we illustrate how new genomes have changed the structure of the tree of life and altered our understanding of biology, evolution, and metabolic roles in biogeochemical processes.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Review

MeSH terms

Archaea / classification
Archaea / genetics
Archaea / metabolism*
Bacteria / classification
Bacteria / genetics
Bacteria / metabolism*
Genetic Variation
Metagenome / genetics*
Metagenomics / methods*
Phylogeny
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
Species Specificity

Substances

RNA, Ribosomal, 16S