AUTHOR=Tang Min , He Suqun , Gong Xun , Lü Peng , Taha Rehab H. , Chen Keping 

TITLE=High-Quality de novo Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly of a Single Bombyx mori With BmNPV Resistance by a Combination of PacBio Long-Read Sequencing, Illumina Short-Read Sequencing, and Hi-C Sequencing

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2021.718266

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2021.718266

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=<p>The reference genomes of <italic>Bombyx mori</italic> (<italic>B. mori</italic>), Silkworm Knowledge-based database (SilkDB) and SilkBase, have served as the gold standard for nearly two decades. Their use has fundamentally shaped model organisms and accelerated relevant studies on lepidoptera. However, the current reference genomes of <italic>B. mori</italic> do not accurately represent the full set of genes for any single strain. As new genome-wide sequencing technologies have emerged and the cost of high-throughput sequencing technology has fallen, it is now possible for standard laboratories to perform full-genome assembly for specific strains. Here we present a high-quality <italic>de novo</italic> chromosome-level genome assembly of a single <italic>B. mori</italic> with nuclear polyhedrosis virus (<italic>BmNPV</italic>) resistance through the integration of PacBio long-read sequencing, Illumina short-read sequencing, and Hi-C sequencing. In addition, regular bioinformatics analyses, such as gene family, phylogenetic, and divergence analyses, were performed. The sample was from our unique <italic>B. mori</italic> species (NB), which has strong inborn resistance to <italic>BmNPV</italic>. Our genome assembly showed good collinearity with SilkDB and SilkBase and particular regions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first genome assembly with <italic>BmNPV</italic> resistance, which should be a more accurate insect model for resistance studies.</p>