Genome Report: chromosome-scale genome assembly of the African spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus)

G3 (Bethesda). 2023 Sep 30;13(10):jkad177. doi: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad177.

Abstract

There is increasing interest in the African spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) as a model organism because of its ability for regeneration of tissue after injury in skin, muscle, and internal organs such as the kidneys. A high-quality reference genome is needed to better understand these regenerative properties at the molecular level. Here, we present an improved reference genome for A. cahirinus generated from long Nanopore sequencing reads. We confirm the quality of our annotations using RNA sequencing data from 4 different tissues. Our genome is of higher contiguity and quality than previously reported genomes from this species and will facilitate ongoing efforts to better understand the regenerative properties of this organism.

Keywords: Acomys cahirinus; Nanopore sequencing; genome assembly; regenerative wound healing; spiny mouse.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Murinae* / genetics
  • Muscle, Skeletal
  • Sequence Analysis, RNA
  • Skin*

Associated data

  • figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.23528349