Abstract
Here we present a standard developed by the Genomic Standards Consortium (GSC) for reporting marker gene sequences—the minimum information about a marker gene sequence (MIMARKS). We also introduce a system for describing the environment from which a biological sample originates. The 'environmental packages' apply to any genome sequence of known origin and can be used in combination with MIMARKS and other GSC checklists. Finally, to establish a unified standard for describing sequence data and to provide a single point of entry for the scientific community to access and learn about GSC checklists, we present the minimum information about any (x) sequence (MIxS). Adoption of MIxS will enhance our ability to analyze natural genetic diversity documented by massive DNA sequencing efforts from myriad ecosystems in our ever-changing biosphere.
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Supplementary information
Supplementary Results 1
Community led surveys (PDF 783 kb)
Supplementary Results 2
MIMARKS checklist (XLS 176 kb)
Supplementary Results 3
MIMARKS compliant datasets (XLS 110 kb)
Supplementary Note
Funding sources (XLS 26 kb)
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Yilmaz, P., Kottmann, R., Field, D. et al. Minimum information about a marker gene sequence (MIMARKS) and minimum information about any (x) sequence (MIxS) specifications. Nat Biotechnol 29, 415–420 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.1823
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.1823
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