Ants are a highly diversified insect family of the order Hymenoptera, with many fascinating characteristics such as eusociality, chemical communication, farming, or social parasitism. Moreover, ants frequent a wide variety of habitats from dry deserts, grasslands and savannas to cold temperate forests. The ability of ants to inhabit such diverse habitat ranges demonstrates their adaptability and ecological resilience. However, little is known about the genetic underpinnings of this vast array of traits and their adaptive potential. Here, we generated a high-quality genome assembly for the ant species Lasius platythorax usingsing long-read PacBio HiFi in combination with chromatin conformation capture (Hi-C) sequencing. We successfully assembled the genome into 15 chromosome-level scaffolds ranging from 7.9 to 19.2 Mb and encompassing 204.6 Mb out of 235.3 Mb (total assembly), and a BUSCO score of 86% (Hymenoptera_odb10). Comparative genomics between the two sister species will provide insights into the genomic basis of trait differentiation.

BackgroundThe General Population Cohort (GPC) in Southwestern Uganda is a low-risk population with low HIV incidence rates (<1%). Despite several interventions for close to 30 years, new cases of HIV continue to emerge. We set out to use phylogenetics and patients' demographic data to understand the HIV transmission dynamics in this population to inform prevention.MethodsA total of 2049 pol sequences of participants diagnosed from 2003–2015 were included in this analysis; pol sequences were from GPC (n=1049), Central Uganda (n=800) and Eastern Uganda (n=200). Phylogenetic analysis was used to identify transmission networks. The demographic and clinical characteristics of the transmission clusters were analysed.ResultsThe overall subtype distribution was: A (45%), C (3%), D (40%) and others (12%). The subtype distribution by region was for GPC: A (41%), C (2%), D (45%) and others (12%). For Central: A (49%), C (4%), D (35%) and others (12%). Eastern: A (60%), C (3%), D (24%) and others (13%). We identified 233 transmission clusters (cluster size variation 2–10) that comprised of 559 (27%) of the 2049 participants.The majority of clusters comprised transmission pairs (n=186) and triplets (n=30). The majority (∼60%) of the 233 clusters was from the GPC and all 13 large clusters (≥5) were also from the GPC. A significant number of clusters (n=25, 11%) was formed between individuals from different geographic locations. Participants in transmission networks were associated with high-risk sexual behaviour: low condom use, high alcohol use, and partner change even with known HIV-positives.ConclusionsThe transmission networks identified among individuals from the GPC and other populations or geographic regions may imply HIV introductions from outside communities. This suggests that HIV introductions into communities are common and account for a substantial number of new infections in the GPC. HIV prevention efforts should therefore target the broader communities beyond the GPC.

Unicellular green algae of the genus Coccomyxa are recognized for their worldwide distribution and ecological versatility. Most species described to date live in close association with various host species, such as in lichen associations. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that drive such symbiotic lifestyles. We generated a high-quality genome assembly for the lichen photobiont Coccomyxa viridis SAG 216-4 (formerly C. mucigena). Using long-read PacBio HiFi and Oxford Nanopore Technologies in combination with chromatin conformation capture (Hi-C) sequencing, we assembled the genome into 21 scaffolds with a total length of 50.9 Mb, an N50 of 2.7 Mb and a BUSCO score of 98.6%. While nineteen scaffolds represent full-length nuclear chromosomes, two additional scaffolds represent the mitochondrial and plastid genomes. Transcriptome-guided gene annotation resulted in the identification of 13,557 protein-coding genes, of which 68% have annotated PFAM domains and 962 are predicted to be secreted.