Chromosome-level genome assembly of the common chiton, Liolophura japonica (Lischke, 1873)

• Published in: GigaByte (Hong Kong, China) China), 2024, Vol.2024, p.gigabyte123-14
• Main Authors: Hui, Jerome H. L., Chan, Ting Fung, Chan, Leo Lai, Cheung, Siu Gin, Cheang, Chi Chiu, Fang, James Kar-Hei, Gaitan-Espitia, Juan Diego, Lau, Stanley Chun Kwan, Sung, Yik Hei, Wong, Chris Kong Chu, Yip, Kevin Yuk-Lap, Wei, Yingying, Au, Ming Fung Franco, So, Wai Lok, Nong, Wenyan, Hui, Tin Yan, Leung, Brian Kai Hin, Williams, Gray A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2709-4715; 2709-4715
• DOI: 10.46471/gigabyte.123

Chitons (Polyplacophora) are marine molluscs that can be found worldwide from cold waters to the tropics, and play important ecological roles in the environment. However, only two chiton genomes have been sequenced to date. The chiton (Lischke, 1873) is one of the most abundant polyplacophorans found throughout East Asia. Our PacBio HiFi reads and Omni-C sequencing data resulted in a high-quality near chromosome-level genome assembly of ∼609 Mb with a scaffold N50 length of 37.34 Mb (96.1% BUSCO). A total of 28,233 genes were predicted, including 28,010 protein-coding ones. The repeat content (27.89%) was similar to that of other Chitonidae species and approximately three times lower than that of the Hanleyidae chiton genome. The genomic resources provided by this work will help to expand our understanding of the evolution of molluscs and the ecological adaptation of chitons.