High-quality genome assembly of Metaphire vulgaris

• Main Authors: Feng Jin, Zhaoli Zhou, Qi Guo, Zhenwen Liang, Ruoyu Yang, Jibao Jiang, Yanlin He, Qi Zhao, Qiang Zhao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: PeerJ Inc. 2020-11-01
• Series: PeerJ
• Subjects: Genome assembly; Metaphire vulgaris; Whole genome sequencing; Hi-C; Genome duplication; Hox
• Online Access: https://peerj.com/articles/10313.pdf

Earthworms enrich the soil and protect the health of their ecological environment. Previous studies on these invertebrates determined their protein content, hormone secretions, medicinal value, and ecological habits, but their whole genomic sequence remains incomplete. We performed whole genome sequencing of Metaphire vulgaris (Chen, 1930), which belongs to the genus Metaphire of the family Megascolecidae. The genome assembly was 729 Mb, with a N50 contig size of 4.2 Mb. In total, 559 contigs were anchored to 41 chromosomes according to the results of Hi-C (High-throughput Chromosome Conformation Capture) technology, which was confirmed by karyological analysis. A comparison of the genomic sequences and genes indicated that there was a whole-genome duplication in M. vulgaris followed by several chromosome fusion events. Hox genes and lumbrokinase genes were identified as partial clusters surrounding the genome. Our high-quality genome assembly of M. vulgaris will provide valuable information for gene function and evolutionary studies in earthworms.