Chromosome-scale genome assembly and gene annotation of the hydrothermal vent annelid Alvinella pompejana yield insight into animal evolution in extreme environments.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Pompeii worm Alvinella pompejana, a terebellid annelid, has long been an exemplar of a metazoan that lives in an extreme environment, on the chimney wall of deep-sea hydrothermal vents, but this very environment has made it difficult to study. Comprehensive assessment of Alvinella pompejana genome content, and the factors that could explain its ability to thrive in seemingly hostile conditions has been lacking.

Results

We report the chromosome-level genome sequence of Alvinella pompejana and population-level sequence variants. We produced a set of gene models and analysed the predicted protein set in the light of past hypotheses about the thermotolerance of Alvinella, comparing it to other recently sequenced vent annelids. Despite its extreme environment, we f

SUBMITTER: Hilali SE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12403961 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature