SAR11 Genome Atlas: a genome and gene catalog for functional profiling of the most abundant bacterial clade in the ocean
- 1The University of Tokyo
Abstract
The SAR11 clade, also known as the order Pelagibacterales, is among the most abundant bacterial lineages in the ocean and plays central roles in marine biogeochemical cycles. However, many SAR11 genes remain functionally uncharacterized, highlighting the need for a comprehensive, integrated catalog that supports genomic, functional, and ecological analyses across the clade. Here, we present the SAR11 Genome Atlas, an interactive ortholog group (OG)-centered web resource that integrates 542 SAR11 genomes, including all 132 cultured strain genomes, with functional annotations, synteny, phylogenetic distribution, metatranscriptomic expression, and predicted protein structure information. To demonstrate its utility, we used environmental expression profiles to identify OGs associated with high-latitude environments, recovering OGs known to be involved in cold adaptation and proposing a functional hypothesis for an uncharacterized protein. We further analyzed phylogenetic distribution patterns to identify mutually exclusive functional modules, including candidate alternative systems for Mn/Zn homeostasis and phosphate acquisition, and to examine their association with distinct oceanographic environments. Together, these case studies highlight the value of the SAR11 Genome Atlas for generating ecological hypotheses by providing environmental and phylogenetic context for genes of interest. Through a user-friendly web interface, the SAR11 Genome Atlas enables researchers to explore genomic, environmental, and structural information without specialized computational expertise. All data and analysis outputs are freely accessible online at [https://stsnsn.github.io/SAR11_Atlas/].
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BibTeX
@misc{nishino2026sar11,
title = {{SAR11 Genome Atlas: a genome and gene catalog for functional profiling of the most abundant bacterial clade in the ocean}},
author = {S. Nishino and K. Tominaga and H. Itoh and K. Omae and K. Hamasaki and S. Yoshizawa and Y. Nishimura},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.64898/2026.08.15.744057},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.15.744057v3},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - SAR11 Genome Atlas: a genome and gene catalog for functional profiling of the most abundant bacterial clade in the ocean
AU - S. Nishino
AU - K. Tominaga
AU - H. Itoh
AU - K. Omae
AU - K. Hamasaki
AU - S. Yoshizawa
AU - Y. Nishimura
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/15
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.08.15.744057
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.15.744057v3
AB - The SAR11 clade, also known as the order Pelagibacterales, is among the most abundant bacterial lineages in the ocean and plays central roles in marine biogeochemical cycles. However, many SAR11 genes remain functionally uncharacterized, highlighting the need for a comprehensive, integrated catalog that supports genomic, functional, and ecological analyses across the clade. Here, we present the SAR11 Genome Atlas, an interactive ortholog group (OG)-centered web resource that integrates 542 SAR11 genomes, including all 132 cultured strain genomes, with functional annotations, synteny, phylogenetic distribution, metatranscriptomic expression, and predicted protein structure information. To demonstrate its utility, we used environmental expression profiles to identify OGs associated with high-latitude environments, recovering OGs known to be involved in cold adaptation and proposing a functional hypothesis for an uncharacterized protein. We further analyzed phylogenetic distribution patterns to identify mutually exclusive functional modules, including candidate alternative systems for Mn/Zn homeostasis and phosphate acquisition, and to examine their association with distinct oceanographic environments. Together, these case studies highlight the value of the SAR11 Genome Atlas for generating ecological hypotheses by providing environmental and phylogenetic context for genes of interest. Through a user-friendly web interface, the SAR11 Genome Atlas enables researchers to explore genomic, environmental, and structural information without specialized computational expertise. All data and analysis outputs are freely accessible online at [https://stsnsn.github.io/SAR11_Atlas/].
ER -