A comparative analysis of planarian genomes reveals regulatory conservation in the face of rapid structural divergence.

ABSTRACT: The planarian Schmidtea mediterranea is being studied as a model species for regeneration, but the assembly of planarian genomes remains challenging. Here, we report a high-quality haplotype-phased, chromosome-scale genome assembly of the sexual S2 strain of S. mediterranea and high-quality chromosome-scale assemblies of its three close relatives, S. polychroa, S. nova, and S. lugubris. Using hybrid gene annotations and optimized ATAC-seq and ChIP-seq protocols for regulatory element annotation, we provide valuable genome resources for the planarian research community and a first comparative perspective on planarian genome evolution. Our analyses reveal substantial divergence in protein-coding sequences and regulatory regions but considerable conservation within promoter and enhancer annot

SUBMITTER: Ivankovic M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11410931 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature