Elucidating the genome of Emydura subglobosa through manual annotation and computational biology tools

Abstract

Rapid advancements in automated genomic technologies have uncovered many unique findings about the turtle genome and its associated features including olfactory gene expansions and duplications of toll-like receptors. However, automated technologies often result in a high frequency of errors through the process of assembly and annotation and highlight the need for manual annotation. In this study, we have manually annotated four genes of the red-bellied short-neck turtle (Emydura subglobosa), an understudied outgroup of turtles representing a diverse lineage. We improved upon initial ab initio gene predictions through homology-based evidence and generated refined consensus models. Through functional, localization, and structural analyses of the predicted proteins, we have discovered conserved genes encoding proteins that play a role in C21-steroid hormone biosynthetic processes, Vitamin A uptake, collagen/elastin integrity, tumor suppression, and fatty acid catabolism. Overall, these findings further our knowledge about the genetic features underlying turtle physiology, morphology, and longevity, which could have important implications for the treatment of human diseases and evolutionary studies.