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Updated: Aug 6, 2026

High-throughput Physical Mapping of Chromosomes using Automated in situ Hybridization
Published on: June 28, 2012
A chromosome-level genome assembly of the bluethroat (Luscinia s. svecica; Linnaeus, 1758) uncovers the complex MHC
Marius A Strand1, Emily L G Enevoldsen1, Ole K Tørresen1
1Dept of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Abstract:
We describe a chromosome-level, pseudo-haplotype-resolved genome assembly from a female bluethroat (Luscinia s. svecica). The assembly comprises two pseudo-haplotypes of 1461 Mb and 1171 Mb, with 77.4% and 88.4% scaffolded into 40 autosomal chromosomes and the W and Z sex chromosomes in pseudo-haplotype one. Assembly completeness is high (BUSCO 99.2% and 94.9%), with 22,462 and 18,769 annotated protein-coding genes for pseudo-haplotypes one and two, respectively. The use of Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing enables resolution of genomic regions that are often fragmented in genome assemblies, including the hypervariable Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC). We find that MHC loci include both the canonical organization of tandemly duplicated MHCIIβ genes with a single MHCIIα, and a distinct arrangement in which MHCI and MHCIIβ loci are interspersed. Substantial structural differences between the two assembled chromosome 35 homologs are resolved across the MHC region.
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