High-quality reference genomes from 16 vertebrate species advances our understanding of biology and biodiversity.
The Vertebrate Genomes Project (VGP) published a flagship study in the journal Nature, presenting high-quality, nearly error-free reference genomes of 16 vertebrate species. The DRESDEN-concept Genome Center contributed to this challenge with the sequencing and assembly of three species: the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), the flier cichlid fish (Archocentrus centrarchus), and the pale spear-nosed bat (Phyllostomus discolor).
This study highlights the importance of long-read sequencing technologies in maximizing the quality of genome assemblies, by resolving complex repetitive regions and haplotype heterozygosity, and identifying chromosomal rearrangements. High-quality genomes of life’s biodiversity will advance comparative biology, conservation, and health research, bringing in “a new era of discovery across the life sciences”.
For more information, check the paper “Towards complete and error-free genome assemblies of all vertebrate species” and also the press release published by our colleagues at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics.