Bat Biology, Genomes, and the Bat1K Project: To Generate Chromosome-Level Genomes for All Living Bat Species
-
- Emma C. Teeling
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland;
-
- Sonja C. Vernes
- Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, 6500 AH, The Netherlands
-
- Liliana M. Dávalos
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-5245, USA
-
- David A. Ray
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, USA
-
- M. Thomas P. Gilbert
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
-
- Eugene Myers
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany
抄録
<jats:p> Bats are unique among mammals, possessing some of the rarest mammalian adaptations, including true self-powered flight, laryngeal echolocation, exceptional longevity, unique immunity, contracted genomes, and vocal learning. They provide key ecosystem services, pollinating tropical plants, dispersing seeds, and controlling insect pest populations, thus driving healthy ecosystems. They account for more than 20% of all living mammalian diversity, and their crown-group evolutionary history dates back to the Eocene. Despite their great numbers and diversity, many species are threatened and endangered. Here we announce Bat1K, an initiative to sequence the genomes of all living bat species (n∼1,300) to chromosome-level assembly. The Bat1K genome consortium unites bat biologists (>148 members as of writing), computational scientists, conservation organizations, genome technologists, and any interested individuals committed to a better understanding of the genetic and evolutionary mechanisms that underlie the unique adaptations of bats. Our aim is to catalog the unique genetic diversity present in all living bats to better understand the molecular basis of their unique adaptations; uncover their evolutionary history; link genotype with phenotype; and ultimately better understand, promote, and conserve bats. Here we review the unique adaptations of bats and highlight how chromosome-level genome assemblies can uncover the molecular basis of these traits. We present a novel sequencing and assembly strategy and review the striking societal and scientific benefits that will result from the Bat1K initiative. </jats:p>
収録刊行物
-
- Annual Review of Animal Biosciences
-
Annual Review of Animal Biosciences 6 (1), 23-46, 2018-02-15
Annual Reviews