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1. Chromosome-level genome assembly of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus

   https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkab212  

   Bachvaroff, T.R. (June 2021, Genes genomes genomics)

   null (Ed.)

   The blue crab, Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) is an economically, culturally, and ecologically important species found across the temperate and tropical North and South American Atlantic coast. A reference genome will enable research for this high-value species. Initial assembly combined 200× coverage Illumina paired-end reads, a 60× 8 kb mate-paired library, and 50× PacBio data using the MaSuRCA assembler resulting in a 985 Mb assembly with a scaffold N50 of 153 kb. Dovetail Chicago and HiC sequencing with the 3d DNA assembler and Juicebox assembly tools were then used for chromosome scaffolding. The 50 largest scaffolds span 810 Mb are 1.5–37 Mb long and have a repeat content of 36%. The 190 Mb unplaced sequence is in 3921 sequences over 10 kb with a repeat content of 68%. The final assembly N50 is 18.9 Mb for scaffolds and 9317 bases for contigs. Of arthropod BUSCO, ∼88% (888/1013) were complete and single copies. Using 309 million RNAseq read pairs from 12 different tissues and developmental stages, 25,249 protein-coding genes were predicted. Between C. sapidus and Portunus trituberculatus genomes, 41 of 50 large scaffolds had high nucleotide identity and protein-coding synteny, but 9 scaffolds in both assemblies were not clear matches. The protein-coding genes included 9423 one-to-one putative orthologs, of which 7165 were syntenic between the two crab species. Overall, the two crab genome assemblies show strong similarities at the nucleotide, protein, and chromosome level and verify the blue crab genome as an excellent reference for this important seafood species. 

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2. Genome Sequence Resource for Erysiphe necator NAFU1, a Grapevine Powdery Mildew Isolate Identified in Shaanxi Province of China

   https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-03-21-0061-A  

   Zhang, Xingyuan; Mu, Bo; Cui, Kaicheng; Liu, Min; Ke, Guihua; Han, Yongtao; Wu, Ying; Xiao, Shunyuan; Wen, Ying-Qiang (August 2021, Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions®)

   Erysiphe necator is an economically important biotrophic fungal pathogen responsible for powdery mildew disease on grapevine. Currently, genome sequences are available for only a few E. necator isolates from the United States. Based on the combination of Nanopore and Illumina sequencing technologies, we present here the complete genome assembly for an isolate of E. necator, NAFU1, identified in China. We acquired a total of 15.93 Gb of raw reads. These reads were processed into a 61.12-Mb genome assembly containing 73 contigs with an N 50 of 2.06 Mb and a maximum length of 6.05 Mb. Combining the results of three gene-prediction modules (i.e., an evidence-based gene modeler [EVidenceModeler], an ab initio gene modeler, and a homology-based gene modeler), we predicted 7,235 protein-coding genes in the assembled genome of E. necator NAFU1. This information will facilitate studies of genome evolution and pathogenicity mechanisms of E. necator and other powdery mildew species through comparative genome sequence analysis and other molecular genetic tools. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license . 

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3. Comparative Genomics of Eight Fusarium graminearum Strains with Contrasting Aggressiveness Reveals an Expanded Open Pangenome and Extended Effector Content Signatures

   https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22126257  

   Alouane, Tarek; Rimbert, Hélène; Bormann, Jörg; González-Montiel, Gisela A.; Loesgen, Sandra; Schäfer, Wilhelm; Freitag, Michael; Langin, Thierry; Bonhomme, Ludovic (June 2021, International Journal of Molecular Sciences)

   null (Ed.)

   Fusarium graminearum, the primary cause of Fusarium head blight (FHB) in small-grain cereals, demonstrates remarkably variable levels of aggressiveness in its host, producing different infection dynamics and contrasted symptom severity. While the secreted proteins, including effectors, are thought to be one of the essential components of aggressiveness, our knowledge of the intra-species genomic diversity of F. graminearum is still limited. In this work, we sequenced eight European F. graminearum strains of contrasting aggressiveness to characterize their respective genome structure, their gene content and to delineate their specificities. By combining the available sequences of 12 other F. graminearum strains, we outlined a reference pangenome that expands the repertoire of the known genes in the reference PH-1 genome by 32%, including nearly 21,000 non-redundant sequences and gathering a common base of 9250 conserved core-genes. More than 1000 genes with high non-synonymous mutation rates may be under diverse selection, especially regarding the trichothecene biosynthesis gene cluster. About 900 secreted protein clusters (SPCs) have been described. Mostly localized in the fast sub-genome of F. graminearum supposed to evolve rapidly to promote adaptation and rapid responses to the host’s infection, these SPCs gather a range of putative proteinaceous effectors systematically found in the core secretome, with the chloroplast and the plant nucleus as the main predicted targets in the host cell. This work describes new knowledge on the intra-species diversity in F. graminearum and emphasizes putative determinants of aggressiveness, providing a wealth of new candidate genes potentially involved in the Fusarium head blight disease. 

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4. Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly of the Blacktail Brush Lizard, Urosaurus nigricaudus , Reveals Dosage Compensation in an Endemic Lizard

   https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evad210  

   Davalos-Dehullu, Elizabeth; Baty, Sarah M; Fisher, Robert N; Scott, Peter A; Dolby, Greer A; Munguia-Vega, Adrian; Cortez, Diego (December 2023, Genome Biology and Evolution)

   Mank, Judith (Ed.)

   Abstract Urosaurus nigricaudus is a phrynosomatid lizard endemic to the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. This work presents a chromosome-level genome assembly and annotation from a male individual. We used PacBio long reads and HiRise scaffolding to generate a high-quality genomic assembly of 1.87 Gb distributed in 327 scaffolds, with an N50 of 279 Mb and an L50 of 3. Approximately 98.4% of the genome is contained in 14 scaffolds, with 6 large scaffolds (334–127 Mb) representing macrochromosomes and 8 small scaffolds (63–22 Mb) representing microchromosomes. Using standard gene modeling and transcriptomic data, we predicted 17,902 protein-coding genes on the genome. The repeat content is characterized by a large proportion of long interspersed nuclear elements that are relatively old. Synteny analysis revealed some microchromosomes with high repeat content are more prone to rearrangements but that both macro- and microchromosomes are well conserved across reptiles. We identified scaffold 14 as the X chromosome. This microchromosome presents perfect dosage compensation where the single X of males has the same expression levels as two X chromosomes in females. Finally, we estimated the effective population size for U. nigricaudus was extremely low, which may reflect a reduction in polymorphism related to it becoming a peninsular endemic. 

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5. Genome Sequence of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. matthiolae , a Brassicaceae Pathogen

   https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-11-19-0324-A  

   Yu, Houlin; Ayhan, Dilay Hazal; Diener, Andrew C.; Ma, Li-Jun (April 2020, Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions®)

   null (Ed.)

   The filamentous fungus Fusarium oxysporum is a soilborne pathogen of many cultivated species and an opportunistic pathogen of humans. F. oxysporum f. sp. matthiolae is one of three formae speciales that are pathogenic to crucifers, including Arabidopsis thaliana, a premier model for plant molecular biology and genetics. Here, we report a genome assembly of F. oxysporum f. sp. matthiolae strain PHW726, generated using a combination of PacBio and Illumina sequencing technologies. The genome assembly presented here should facilitate in-depth investigation of F. oxysporum–Arabidopsis interactions and shed light on the genetics of fungal pathogenesis and plant immunity. 

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