YeastIP: a database for identification and phylogeny of Saccharomycotina yeasts

Abbreviations: ITS, internal transcribed spacer; LSU, large subunit of the nuclear ribosomal DNA; SSU, small subunit of the nuclear ribosomal DNA; mtSSU, small subunit of the mitochondrial ribosomal DNA; With the advances in sequencing techniques, identification of ascomycetous yeasts to the species level and phylogeny reconstruction increasingly require curated and updated taxonomic information. A specific database with nucleotide sequences of the most common markers used for yeast taxonomy and phylogeny and a user-friendly interface allowing identification, taxonomy and phylogeny of yeasts species was developed. By the 1st of September 2012, the YeastIP database contained all the described Saccharomycotina species for which sequences used for taxonomy and phylogeny, such as D1/D2 rDNA and ITS, are available. The database interface was developed to provide a maximum of relevant information and data mining tools, including the following features: (1) the Blastn program for the sequences of the YeastIP database; (2) easy retrieval of selected sequences; (3) display of the available markers for each selected group of species; and (4) a tool to concatenate marker sequences, including those provided by the user. The concatenation tool allows phylogeny reconstruction through a direct link to the Phylogeny.fr platform. YeastIP is thus a unique database in that it provides taxonomic information and guides users in their taxonomic analyses. YeastIP facilitates multigenic analysis to encourage good practice in ascomycetous yeast phylogeny.