Metadata harmonization–Standards are the key for a better usage of omics data for integrative microbiome analysis

Environmental Microbiome

François Buscot¹  The MicrobiomeSupport Team²  Angela Sessitsch³  Fernando Meyer⁴  Alice Carolyn McHardy⁴  Thomas Clavel⁵  Michael Schloter⁶  Gabriele Berg⁷  Daria Rybakova⁷  Tomislav Cernava⁷  Jörg Overmann⁸  Bärbel Stecher⁹  Folker Meyer^1,10 

[1] 2Soil Ecology Department, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ);;Bioresources Unit, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology;Computational Biology of Infection Research, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research;Functional Microbiome Research Group, Institute of Medical Microbiology, RWTH University Hospital;Helmholtz Zentrum München;Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, Graz University of Technology;Leibniz Institute DSMZ German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures;Max Von Pettenkofer Institute of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich;Universität Duisburg-Essen;

关键词: Microbiome;    Omics technologies;    Metadata;    FAIR;    Repositories;    Data storage;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40793-022-00425-1

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Background Tremendous amounts of data generated from microbiome research studies during the last decades require not only standards for sampling and preparation of omics data but also clear concepts of how the metadata is prepared to ensure re-use for integrative and interdisciplinary microbiome analysis. Results In this Commentary, we present our views on the key issues related to the current system for metadata submission in omics research, and propose the development of a global metadata system. Such a system should be easy to use, clearly structured in a hierarchical way, and should be compatible with all existing microbiome data repositories, following common standards for minimal required information and common ontology. Although minimum metadata requirements are essential for microbiome datasets, the immense technological progress requires a flexible system, which will have to be constantly improved and re-thought. While FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) are already considered, international legal issues on genetic resource and sequence sharing provided by the Convention on Biological Diversity need more awareness and engagement of the scientific community. Conclusions The suggested approach for metadata entries would strongly improve retrieving and re-using data as demonstrated in several representative use cases. These integrative analyses, in turn, would further advance the potential of microbiome research for novel scientific discoveries and the development of microbiome-derived products.

【 授权许可】

Unknown