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Armstrong EE, Bissell KL, Fatima HS, Heikkinen MA, Jessup A, Junaid MO, Lee DH, Lieb EC, Liem JT, Martin EM, Moreno M, Otgonbayar K, Romans BW, Royar K, Adler MB, Needle DB, Harkess A, Kelley JL, Mooney JA, Mychajliw AM. Chromosome-level assembly of the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) confirms the basal loss of PRDM9 in Canidae. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2024; 14:jkae034. [PMID: 38366575 PMCID: PMC10989890 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkae034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Reference genome assemblies have been created from multiple lineages within the Canidae family; however, despite its phylogenetic relevance as a basal genus within the clade, there is currently no reference genome for the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus). Here, we present a chromosome-level assembly for the gray fox (U. cinereoargenteus), which represents the most contiguous, non-domestic canid reference genome available to date, with 90% of the genome contained in just 34 scaffolds and a contig N50 and scaffold N50 of 59.4 and 72.9 Megabases, respectively. Repeat analyses identified an increased number of simple repeats relative to other canids. Based on mitochondrial DNA, our Vermont sample clusters with other gray fox samples from the northeastern United States and contains slightly lower levels of heterozygosity than gray foxes on the west coast of California. This new assembly lays the groundwork for future studies to describe past and present population dynamics, including the delineation of evolutionarily significant units of management relevance. Importantly, the phylogenetic position of Urocyon allows us to verify the loss of PRDM9 functionality in the basal canid lineage, confirming that pseudogenization occurred at least 10 million years ago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellie E Armstrong
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Ky L Bissell
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
| | - H Sophia Fatima
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
| | - Maya A Heikkinen
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
| | - Anika Jessup
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
| | - Maryam O Junaid
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
| | - Dong H Lee
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
| | - Emily C Lieb
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
| | - Josef T Liem
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
| | - Estelle M Martin
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
| | - Mauricio Moreno
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
| | | | - Betsy W Romans
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
| | - Kim Royar
- Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, Montpelier, VT 05620, USA
| | - Mary Beth Adler
- Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, Montpelier, VT 05620, USA
| | - David B Needle
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Alex Harkess
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | - Joanna L Kelley
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Jazlyn A Mooney
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
| | - Alexis M Mychajliw
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
- Program in Environmental Studies, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
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