Chromosome-level analysis of the Mauremys mutica genome reveals
adaptation of temperature-dependent sex-associated genes
Abstract
Knowledge of the sex determination system and sex-associated genes has
important implications in physiology, ecology and evolution, but the
mechanisms underlying sexual determination systems in turtles has not
been fully elucidated, due to their remarkable variability and a lack of
reference genomes in some species. In this report, we describe the first
genome assembled at the chromosome scale for Mauremys mutica using
Illumina and high-throughput chromatin conformation capture (Hi-C)
technology. A total of 280.42 Gb of clean data were generated using the
Pacific Biosciences platforms, which represented approximately 119×
coverage of the Mauremys mutica genome. The assembly comprised 2.23 Gb
with a contig N50 of 8.53 Mb and scaffold N50 of 141.98 Mb. Genome Hi-C
scaffolding resulted in 26 pseudochromosomes containing 99.98% of the
total assembly. Genome annotation predicted 24,751 protein-coding genes,
and 97.23% of them were annotated. Comparative genomics analysis
indicated that the lizard-snake-tuatara clade diverged from the
bird-crocodilian-turtle clade at approximately 283.1-320.5 Mya.
Additionally, positive selection of genes and gene families related to
calcium signaling, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, and
expansion of the hormone signaling pathway were identified, implicating
their roles of sex regulation inMauremys mutica. High-quality genome
assembly may provide a valuable genomic resource for further research
investigating gene-environment interactions in Mauremys mutica.