Tissue Sampling Methods and Standards for Vertebrate Genomics

The recent rise in speed and efficiency of new sequencing technologies have facilitated high-throughput sequencing, assembly and analyses of genomes, advancing ongoing efforts to analyze genetic sequences across major vertebrate groups. Standardized procedures in acquiring high quality DNA and RNA and establishing cell lines from target species will facilitate these initiatives. We provide a legal and methodological guide according to four standards of acquiring and storing tissue for the Genome 10K Project and similar initiatives as follows: four-star (banked tissue/cell cultures, RNA from multiple types of tissue for transcriptomes, and sufficient flash-frozen tissue for 1 mg of DNA, all from a single individual);three-star (RNA as above and frozen tissue for 1 mg of DNA); two-star (frozen tissue for at least 700 μg of DNA); and one-star (ethanol-preserved tissue for 700 μg of DNA or less of mixed quality). At a minimum, all tissues collected for the Genome 10K and other genomic projects should consider each species’ natural history and follow institutional and legal requirements. Associated documentation should detail as much information as possible about provenance to ensure representative sampling and subsequent sequencing. Hopefully, the procedures outlined here will not only encourage success in the Genome 10K Project but also inspire the adaptation of standards by other genomic projects, including those involving other biota

A comparative genomics multitool for scientific discovery and conservation

A whole-genome alignment of 240 phylogenetically diverse species of eutherian mammal-including 131 previously uncharacterized species-from the Zoonomia Project provides data that support biological discovery, medical research and conservation. The Zoonomia Project is investigating the genomics of shared and specialized traits in eutherian mammals. Here we provide genome assemblies for 131 species, of which all but 9 are previously uncharacterized, and describe a whole-genome alignment of 240 species of considerable phylogenetic diversity, comprising representatives from more than 80% of mammalian families. We find that regions of reduced genetic diversity are more abundant in species at a high risk of extinction, discern signals of evolutionary selection at high resolution and provide insights from individual reference genomes. By prioritizing phylogenetic diversity and making data available quickly and without restriction, the Zoonomia Project aims to support biological discovery, medical research and the conservation of biodiversity.Peer reviewe

Preservation of animal genetic resources: current practices and future opportunities

Part of SPNHC 2019 | https://osf.io/view/SPNHC201

Concatened_MrB

Nexus file of concatenated mitochondrial partitions used to perform the Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of Alcelaphini. Five partitions were considered: tRNAs (1-1512 nucleotide positions), rRNA (1513-4039), and first, second and third codon sites of the protein coding genes (4040-15439). The Bayesian inference consisted of ten million generations analysis (sampled every 1,000 generations), and a 50% burn-in

ChraALL

Nexus file of 5 ambiguous chromosomal characters used to estimate ancestral states and chromosome evolution in Alcelaphini via SIMMAP

Data from: Molecular phylogeny and chromosomal evolution of Alcelaphini (Antilopinae)

Robertsonian (Rb) translocations, in particular centric fusions, are thought to play a primary role in evolution and speciation of the Bovidae family. However, Rb fusions are often polymorphic within species, being suggested as phylogenetically uninformative characters. This work studies chromosome variation in 72 captive individuals of 6 species of Alcelaphini (Antilopinae): The hartebeest (genus Alcelaphus), hirola (Beatragus), black and blue wildebeests (Connochaetes), and the topi and bontebok (Damaliscus). We infer the phylogenic relationships among Alcelaphini species and determine patterns of chromosomal evolution using G-banded karyotypes and complete mitochondrial genome sequences. The molecular phylogeny showed an early divergence of Connochaetes, followed by the split of Alcelaphus plus Beatragus + Damaliscus as sister taxa. Mitochondrial and chromosomal phylogenies only differed in the position of the critically endangered Beatragus, likely due to homoplasic chromosome characters. Patterns of chromosome evolution, reconstructed using a probabilistic approach, suggest that chromosome changes leading to speciation in Alcelaphini do not exclusively involve consecutive reduction of diploid number through centric fusion but also the losses and reversions of Rb translocations in Beatragus and Damaliscus lineages. Our results provide evidence that complex scenarios of chromosomal rearrangements can be detected in relatively recent-diverged bovids, as in this group of antelopes

BurninMrB

Nexus file containing the 4999 post-burning Bayesian trees used to estimated the posterior probability distribution of the rate of change of 5 ambiguous chromosome characters in Alcelaphini. SIMMAP estimated ancestral states by averaging the posterior distribution over multiple trees. The number of changes is proportional to branch lengths