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The genome sequence of Samia ricini, a new model species of lepidopteran insect
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  • Jung Lee,
  • Tomoaki Nishiyama,
  • Shuji Shigenobu,
  • Katsushi Yamaguchi,
  • Yutaka Suzuki,
  • Toru Shimada,
  • Susumu Katsuma,
  • Takashi Kiuchi
Jung Lee
Gakushuin University

Corresponding Author:freddiejung@gmail.com

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Tomoaki Nishiyama
Kanazawa University Advanced Science Research Center
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Shuji Shigenobu
National Institute for Basic Biology
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Katsushi Yamaguchi
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Yutaka Suzuki
The University of Tokyo
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Toru Shimada
Gakushuin University
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Susumu Katsuma
The University of Tokyo
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Takashi Kiuchi
The University of Tokyo
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Abstract

Samia ricini, a gigantic saturniid moth, has the potential to be a novel lepidopteran model species. Since S. ricini is much more tough and resistant to diseases than the current model species Bombyx mori, the former can be easily reared compared to the latter. In addition, genetic resources available for S. ricini rival or even exceed those for B. mori: at least 26 eco-races of S. ricini are reported and S. ricini can hybridise with wild Samia species, which are distributed throughout Asian countries, and produce fertile progenies. Physiological traits such as food preference, integument colour, larval spot pattern, etc. are different between S. ricini and wild Samia species so that those traits can be the target for forward genetic analysis. In order to facilitate genetic research in S. ricini, we determined the whole genome sequence of S. ricini. The assembled genome of S. ricini was 458 Mb with 155 scaffolds, and the N50 length of the assembly was approximately 21 Mb. 16,702 protein coding genes were predicted in the assembly. Although the gene repertoire of S. ricini was not so different from that of B. mori, some genes, such as chorion genes and fibroin genes, seemed to have specifically evolved in S. ricini.
12 Apr 2020Submitted to Molecular Ecology Resources
27 Apr 2020Submission Checks Completed
27 Apr 2020Assigned to Editor
27 Apr 2020Reviewer(s) Assigned
14 May 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
21 May 2020Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
20 Jun 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
20 Jun 20201st Revision Received
02 Jul 2020Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
28 Jul 20202nd Revision Received
28 Jul 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
14 Aug 2020Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
24 Aug 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
24 Aug 20203rd Revision Received
01 Sep 2020Editorial Decision: Accept