Data on the first functionally-annotated de novo transcriptome assembly for North American flying squirrels (genus...

Area of Science:

• Genomics
• Bioinformatics
• Zoology

Background:

• Introgressive hybridization between northern (Glaucomys sabrinus) and southern flying squirrels (G. volans) is known in North America.
• Current molecular markers have limited resolution for identifying late-generation introgressants and assessing hybridization's impact on the Glaucomys gene pool.

Purpose of the Study:

• To generate the first functionally-annotated de novo transcriptome assembly for the genus Glaucomys.
• To provide genomic resources for enhanced resolution in studying the Glaucomys hybrid zone.

Main Methods:

• RNA extraction from tissue samples of northern and southern flying squirrels.
• Illumina paired-end sequencing.
• De novo transcriptome assembly and functional annotation of Glaucomys transcripts.

Main Results:

• Successfully assembled 702,228 Glaucomys transcripts from 193,323,120 sequence read pairs.
• Captured sequence homologies, protein domains, and gene function classifications.
• Established a foundational genomic dataset for the genus Glaucomys.

Conclusions:

• The developed transcriptome assembly represents a significant advancement in Glaucomys genomics.
• These genomic resources will facilitate more precise molecular analyses of hybridization dynamics and gene flow within the Glaucomys hybrid zone.