Characterization of a draft chromosome-scale genome assembly for the mutton snapper, Lutjanus analis

The mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis) is a reef fish commonly found in tropical waters of the Western Atlantic Ocean. Genomic studies of this species are needed to support conservation efforts and breeding programs.

Here, we report the development of a chromosome-scale reference assembly for the mutton snapper and conduct an initial comparative genomic analysis with other lutjanids.

The genome of one mutton snapper specimen was sequenced using PAC-Bio HiFi long reads and Illumina short reads. Contigs and scaffolds were assembled in the Flye pipeline and anchored using Hi-C proximity guided assembly. Gene prediction and functional annotations were obtained in AUGUSTUS and eggNOG-mapper, respectively. The mutton snapper genome was compared to those of other lutjanids to infer gene family evolution and chromosome synteny conservation.

Assembly and polishing yielded 946 contigs and 926 scaffolds (N50 of 3.16 Mb, complete BUSCO score 98.1%) that were anchored using Hi-C scaffolding in 24 draft chromosomes. The anchored assembly featured a N50 of 42.47 Mb and contained 97.6% of the unanchored assembly length. The 24 mutton snapper chromosomes showed a one-to-one syntenic relationship with their counterparts in medaka, and other Lutjanids. AUGUSTUS predicted 29,023 genes, 24,335 of which (83.85%) could be functionally annotated. Gene family evolution analysis revealed 1,014 significantly expanded or contracted hierarchical ortholog groups in mutton snapper. Expansions and contractions were linked to several biological functions including growth, oocyte maturation, and response to exogenous stressors.

The draft genome will be a valuable tool for forthcoming applied genomic studies of mutton snapper.