 Methylobacterium organophilum

Methylobacterium organophilum is a species of bacteria and the type species of Methylobacterium. Its reference strain is maintained under collection identifiers including ATCC27886, DSM18172 and NBRC15689. These codes identify deposits of the reference material, rather than three different species.^[ref]

The organism provides a concrete example of why provenance matters in genome comparisons. A 2021 comparative study newly sequenced the NBRC15689 reference strain because an existing assembly attributed to an older deposit, DSM760, did not reliably represent the intended taxon. LPSN identifies DSM760 as Methylobacterium radiotolerans.^[ref][ref] An internally well-assembled sequence can therefore still answer the wrong biological question if its source organism is misidentified.

For a comparison example, imagine two reports carrying the same species label, one based on the intended reference culture and one on a misassigned culture. A difference in gene content could arise from the identity mismatch rather than from ordinary variation within the species. Resolving the strain's collection code and biological identity must precede that interpretation. The lesson links naming, preserved cultures and sequence measurements: each supplies information needed to make the others scientifically reusable.