CHAPTER Multi-locus Sequence Analysis: Taking Prokaryotic Systematics to the Next Level11 Xiaoying Rong, Ying Huang1 State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China 1Corresponding author: e-mail address:
[email protected] 1 INTRODUCTION The study of genetic variation among prokaryotes is fundamental for understanding their evolution, and untangling their ecology and evolutionary theory-based system- atics. Recently, advances in DNA sequencing technology, the exploration of neglected habitats and the discovery of new species and products have forced micro- bial systematists to undertake comprehensive analyses of genetic variation within and between species and determine its impact on evolutionary relationships. 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses have enhanced our understanding of prokaryotic diversity and phylogeny, including that of non-culturable microorganisms (Doolittle, 1999; Head, Saunders, & Pickup, 1998; Mason et al., 2009). However, 16S rRNA gene phy- logenetic analyses have major drawbacks, notably providing insufficient resolution, especially for distinguishing between closely related species. In addition, there are well-documented cases in which individual prokaryotic organisms have been found to contain divergent 16S rRNA genes, thereby suggesting the potential for horizontal exchange of rRNA genes; such problems pose a challenge for reconstructing the evolutionary history of prokaryotic species and complicate efforts to classify them (Acinas, Marcelino, Klepac-Ceraj, & Polz, 2004; Cilia, Lafay, & Christen, 1996; Michon et al., 2010; Pei et al., 2010; Rokas, Williams, King, & Carroll, 2003). Multi-locus sequence analysis/typing (MLSA/MLST) is a nucleotide sequence- based approach for the unambiguous characterization of prokaryotes via the Internet, which directly characterizes DNA sequence variations in a set of housekeeping genes and evaluates relationships between strains based on their unique allelic profiles or sequences (Maiden, 2006).