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Draft assemblies for three geographically distinct isolates of the human-infecting microsporidium Encephalitozoon
Alexander Thomas Julian1, Sunah Lee1, Paulina Markiv1
1Department of Biology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Abstract:
Encephalitozoon intestinalis is an obligate intracellular parasite that causes enteritis, bronchitis, conjunctivitis, and/or encephalitis in immunosuppressed and immunocompetent individuals. To better assess its genetic diversity, here we report near-chromosome-level draft genome assemblies for three geographically distinct isolates, quadrupling the number of genome assemblies available for the enigmatic fungal pathogen.
Insights
Encephalitozoon intestinalis, a fungal pathogen, causes various infections. This study presents new genome assemblies to explore its genetic diversity.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Mycology
- Genomics
Background:
- Encephalitozoon intestinalis is an obligate intracellular parasite.
- It causes enteritis, bronchitis, conjunctivitis, and encephalitis in humans.
- Limited genomic data exists for this enigmatic fungal pathogen.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the genetic diversity of Encephalitozoon intestinalis.
- To provide high-quality genome assemblies for future research.
Main Methods:
- Sequencing of three geographically distinct isolates of Encephalitozoon intestinalis.
- Generation of near-chromosome-level draft genome assemblies.
Main Results:
- Successfully generated three draft genome assemblies for Encephalitozoon intestinalis.
- The number of available genome assemblies for this species has quadrupled.
- These assemblies represent a significant improvement in genome quality.
Conclusions:
- The new genome assemblies will facilitate deeper understanding of Encephalitozoon intestinalis genetic diversity.
- This resource is crucial for studying the evolution and pathogenicity of this fungal pathogen.
