Abstract
BackgroundFor more than 25 years, the golden mussel, Limnoperna fortunei, has aggressively invaded South American freshwaters, having travelled more than 5000 km upstream across 5 countries. Along the way, the golden mussel has outcompeted native species and economically harmed aquaculture, hydroelectric powers, and ship transit. We have sequenced the complete genome of the golden mussel to understand the molecular basis of its invasiveness and search for ways to control it.FindingsWe assembled the 1.6-Gb genome into 20 548 scaffolds with an N50 length of 312 Kb using a hybrid and hierarchical assembly strategy from short and long DNA reads and transcriptomes. A total of 60 717 coding genes were inferred from a customized transcriptome-trained AUGUSTUS run. We also compared predicted protein sets with those of complete molluscan genomes, revealing an exacerbation of protein-binding domains in L. fortunei.ConclusionsWe built one of the best bivalve genome assemblies available using a cost-effective approach using Illumina paired-end, mate-paired, and PacBio long reads. We expect that the continuous and careful annotation of L. fortunei’s genome will contribute to the investigation of bivalve genetics, evolution, and invasiveness, as well as to the development of biotechnological tools for aquatic pest control.
Highlights
For more than 25 years, the golden mussel Limnoperna fortunei has aggressively invaded South American freshwaters, having travelled more than 5,000 km upstream across five countries
The golden mussel Limnoperna fortunei is an Asian bivalve that arrived in the southern part of South America about 25 years ago [1]
Research suggests that L. fortunei was introduced in South America through ballast water of ships coming from Hong Kong or Korea [2]
Summary
The golden mussel Limnoperna fortunei is an Asian bivalve that arrived in the southern part of South America about 25 years ago [1]. Research suggests that L. fortunei was introduced in South America through ballast water of ships coming from Hong Kong or Korea [2] It was found for the first time in the estuary of the La Plata River in 1991 [1]. We present the first complete genome dataset for the invasive bivalve Limnoperna fortunei, assembled from short and long DNA reads and using a hybrid and hierarchical assembly strategy. This high-quality reference genome represents a substantial resource for further studies of genetics and evolution of mussels, as well as for the development of new tools for plague control
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