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First whole-genome sequence and assembly of the Ecuadorian brown-headed spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps fusciceps), a critically endangered species, using Oxford Nanopore Technologies

Abstract:

The Ecuadorian brown-headed spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps fusciceps) is currently considered one of the most endangered primates in the world and is classified as critically endangered [International union for conservation of nature (IUCN)]. It faces multiple threats, the most significant one being habitat loss due to deforestation in western Ecuador. Genomic tools are keys for the management of endangered species, but this requires a reference genome, which until now was unavailable for A. f. fusciceps. The present study reports the first whole-genome sequence and assembly of A. f. fusciceps generated using Oxford Nanopore long reads. DNA was extracted from a subadult male, and libraries were prepared for sequencing following the Ligation Sequencing Kit SQK-LSK112 workflow. Sequencing was performed using a MinION Mk1C sequencer. The sequencing reads were processed to generate a genome assembly. Two different assemblers were used to obtain draft genomes using raw reads, of which the Flye assembly was found to be superior. The final assembly has a total length of 2.63 Gb and contains 3,861 contigs, with an N50 of 7,560,531 bp. The assembly was analyzed for annotation completeness based on primate ortholog prediction using a high-resolution database, and was found to be 84.3% complete, with a low number of duplicated genes indicating a precise assembly. The annotation of the assembly predicted 31,417 protein-coding genes, comparable with other mammal assemblies. A reference genome for this critically endangered species will allow researchers to gain insight into the genetics of its populations and thus aid conservation and management efforts of this vulnerable species.