2 How to Describe New Species of Prokaryotes

Publication date: 2011 Source:Methods in Microbiology, Volume 38 Author(s): Fred A. Rainey This chapter outlines the steps in the process of characterizing a bacterial or archaeal isolate or group of strains and presenting that information in the form of a taxonomic description. Prokaryotes are currently characterized using a polyphasic approach that brings together a variety of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genotypic data that comprise the formal description of a novel taxon. The first step in any characterization process is to determine the phylogenetic relationship to the type strains of previously described species, generally based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons. The choices of methods applied to the characterization of a new isolate and the types of data collected are determined by the phylogenetic placement of the strain. Methods for the determination of comparative data should be strictly standardized. The description of a novel species typically includes morphology, size, distinctive features and staining properties of the cells; colony morphology, size and color; metabolic type and end products of metabolism; physiological characteristics such as temperature, pH and NaCl optima and ranges for growth; chemotaxonomic properties such as cell wall type, fatty acid and polar lipid profile; substrates utilized and enzyme activities produced; resistance or sensitivities to antimicrobials; mol% G+C content of the DNA; accession numbers of any DNA sequences depos...
Source: Methods in Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Source Type: research