The IMG/M data management and analysis system v.7: content updates and new features

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Bioinformatics
• Genomics

Background:

• The Integrated Microbial Genomes & Microbiomes system (IMG/M) provides a platform for analyzing microbial genomic and metagenomic data.
• It supports comparative analysis of various data types, including isolate genomes, single-cell genomes, metagenomes, and metatranscriptomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detail recent updates and new functionalities of the IMG/M system (version 7).
• To highlight improvements in data integration, annotation pipelines, and analytical tools for the research community.

Main Methods:

• Integration of diverse datasets from JGI, public repositories (NCBI Genbank, SRA), and the National Microbiome Data Collaborative (NMDC).
• Enhancement of the annotation pipeline with updated reference databases.
• Implementation of new analysis functionalities: advanced scaffold search, Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI) for metagenome bins, cassette search, and improved data visualization.

Main Results:

• IMG v.7 now incorporates a broader range of public and user-submitted datasets.
• Significant improvements in annotation accuracy and database relevance.
• Introduction of advanced analytical tools facilitating deeper insights into microbial communities and genomes.

Conclusions:

• The updated IMG/M system provides a more comprehensive and powerful resource for microbial genomics and microbiome research.
• Enhanced functionalities and data integration support advanced comparative analyses and foster collaborations within the research community.