1MAGs

1MAGs refers to metagenome-assembled genomes recovered from a single metagenomic dataset. The term is used to distinguish genomes derived from one sample and processed independently from those obtained by co-assembly and cross-sample binning. 1MAGs can represent the genetic material of microorganisms present in a specific environment or host-associated niche and are commonly used to explore microbial diversity and metabolic potential without requiring cultivation.

The typical workflow begins with sequencing of an environmental or host-derived sample, followed by quality control of reads. Assembly is performed with metagenome-aware assemblers, and contigs are then binned into draft genomes using binning tools that leverage sequence composition and coverage patterns. Annotation identifies genes and pathways, while taxonomic placement and functional prediction place the MAG in context. Quality assessment relies on completeness and contamination estimates, often with tools like CheckM, and taxonomic placement with databases such as GTDB. Dereplication may be used to remove redundant bins across samples or datasets.

Quality and standards in 1MAG work often reference the broader framework for MAGs, including minimum information and quality thresholds. High-quality MAGs typically exhibit high completeness with low contamination, enabling confident inference of metabolic capabilities and ecological roles. Researchers may also report assembly statistics, strain variation, and phylogenetic novelty.

Applications of 1MAGs include expanding catalogs of microbial diversity, reconstructing metabolic pathways from uncultured organisms, and informing ecological or evolutionary studies. Limitations include potential bin contamination or chimerism, incomplete genomes, and biases introduced by sequencing depth and assembly algorithms. Overall, 1MAGs provide a practical approach to study microbial genomes from single-sample datasets in a transparent, reproducible manner.