Chromosome-level genome assembly with telomeric repeats at scaffold ends for Rhabdosargus sarba

Area of Science:

• Aquaculture
• Genomics
• Marine Biology

Background:

• Rhabdosargus sarba, the goldlined seabream, is a euryhaline marine fish with significant aquaculture potential.
• Understanding its genome is crucial for advancing selective breeding and genetic improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To perform whole-genome sequencing and assembly of Rhabdosargus sarba.
• To provide a foundational genomic resource for R. sarba aquaculture and research.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a multi-platform sequencing strategy including PacBio HiFi, Illumina short reads, and Hi-C chromatin mapping.
• Performed genome assembly, repeat profiling, gene prediction, and functional annotation.

Main Results:

• Generated a 764.59 Mb genome assembly in 31 scaffolds (N50: 33.98 Mb).
• Identified repeat elements comprising 28.71% of the genome.
• Predicted 26,913 protein-encoding genes involved in 332 biological pathways.

Conclusions:

• The R. sarba genome assembly is a high-quality resource.
• This genomic data will support future genetic improvement and molecular breeding programs for R. sarba.