Streblospio benedicti is a common marine annelid that has become an important model for developmental evolution. It is the only known example of poecilogony, where two distinct developmental modes occur within a single species, that is due to a heritable difference in egg size. The dimorphic developmental programs and life-histories exhibited in this species depend on differences within the genome, making it an optimal model for understanding the genomic basis of developmental divergence. Studies using S. benedicti have begun to uncover the genetic and genomic principles that underlie developmental uncoupling, but until now they have been limited by the lack of availability of genomic tools. Here we present an annotated chromosomal-level genome assembly of S. benedicti generated from a combination of Illumina reads, Nanopore long reads, Chicago and Hi-C chromatin interaction sequencing, and a genetic map from experimental crosses. At 701.4 Mb, the S. benedicti genome is the largest annelid genome to date that has been assembled to chromosomal scaffolds, yet it does not show evidence of extensive gene family expansion, but rather longer intergenic regions. The complete genome of S. benedicti is valuable for functional genomic analyses of development and evolution, as well as phylogenetic comparison within the Annelida and the Lophotrochozoa. Despite having two developmental modes, there is no evidence of genome duplication or substantial gene number expansions. Instead, lineage specific repeats account for much of the expansion of this genome compared to other annelids.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.