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De novo genome assembly of Ansell's mole-rat (Fukomys anselli)

Ansell's mole-rat (Fukomys anselli) is an African rodent known for its subterranean lifestyle and unique phenotypic traits, including extreme longevity, magnetoreception, and a cooperative breeding social structure. Efforts to dissect the genetic architecture of these traits and to decipher the...

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Main Authors: Bekavac, Milica (Author) , Coimbra, Raphael (Author) , Busa, Veronica F (Author) , Behm, Mikaela (Author) , Wagner, Rebecca E. (Author) , Goncalves, Angela (Author) , Begall, Sabine (Author) , Frye, Michaela (Author) , Odom, Duncan T (Author)
Format: Article (Journal)
Language:English
Published: January 2026
In: G3: Genes, genomes, genetics
Year: 2026, Volume: 16, Issue: 1, Pages: 1-9
ISSN:2160-1836
DOI:10.1093/g3journal/jkaf271
Online Access:Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkaf271
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Author Notes:Milica Bekavac, Raphael Coimbra, Veronica F. Busa, Mikaela Behm, Rebecca E. Wagner, Angela Goncalves, Sabine Begall, Michaela Frye, Duncan T. Odom
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Summary:Ansell's mole-rat (Fukomys anselli) is an African rodent known for its subterranean lifestyle and unique phenotypic traits, including extreme longevity, magnetoreception, and a cooperative breeding social structure. Efforts to dissect the genetic architecture of these traits and to decipher their phylogenetic relationships within the broader African mole-rat family would greatly benefit from a reference-grade genome. Here, we report a first genome assembly of a male Ansell's mole-rat. By combining Oxford Nanopore Technologies long reads and Illumina short reads with Hi-C data, we generated a chromosome level assembly with a total length of 2.27 Gb, 412 scaffolds, and a scaffold N50 of 72.4 Mb. We identified 99.54% of expected genes and annotated 29,094 transcripts using RNA sequencing data. This high-quality de novo genome of F. anselli lays the foundation for dissecting the genetic and evolutionary basis of its extraordinary traits and resolving African mole-rat phylogeny.
Item Description:Vorab veröffentlicht: 11. November 2025
Gesehen am 25.02.2026
Physical Description:Online Resource
ISSN:2160-1836
DOI:10.1093/g3journal/jkaf271

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