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. 2022 Sep;40(9):1341-1348.
doi: 10.1038/s41587-022-01367-2. Epub 2022 Jun 27.

A genome and gene catalog of glacier microbiomes

Yongqin Liu #  1   2   3 , Mukan Ji #  4 , Tao Yu #  5   6 , Julian Zaugg  7 , Alexandre M Anesio  8 , Zhihao Zhang  9   5 , Songnian Hu  5   6 , Philip Hugenholtz  7 , Keshao Liu  9 , Pengfei Liu  4 , Yuying Chen  9   5 , Yingfeng Luo  10   11 , Tandong Yao  9
Affiliations

A genome and gene catalog of glacier microbiomes

Yongqin Liu et al. Nat Biotechnol. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

Glaciers represent a unique inventory of microbial genetic diversity and a record of evolution. The Tibetan Plateau contains the largest area of low-latitude glaciers and is particularly vulnerable to global warming. By sequencing 85 metagenomes and 883 cultured isolates from 21 Tibetan glaciers covering snow, ice and cryoconite habitats, we present a specialized glacier microbial genome and gene catalog to archive glacial genomic and functional diversity. This comprehensive Tibetan Glacier Genome and Gene (TG2G) catalog includes 883 genomes and 2,358 metagenome-assembled genomes, which represent 968 candidate species spanning 30 phyla. The catalog also contains over 25 million non-redundant protein-encoding genes, the utility of which is demonstrated by the exploration of secondary metabolite biosynthetic potentials, virulence factor identification and global glacier metagenome comparison. The TG2G catalog is a valuable resource that enables enhanced understanding of the structure and functions of Tibetan glacial microbiomes.

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Comment in

  • Charting the world's microbiomes.
    Koch L. Koch L. Nat Rev Genet. 2022 Sep;23(9):523. doi: 10.1038/s41576-022-00520-6. Nat Rev Genet. 2022. PMID: 35821096 No abstract available.

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