Toward a genome sequence for every animal: Where are we now?

Scott Hotaling; Joanna L Kelley; Paul B Frandsen

doi:10.1073/pnas.2109019118

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Toward a genome sequence for every animal: Where are we now?

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Toward a genome sequence for every animal: Where are we now?

Scott Hotaling, Joanna L Kelley and Paul B Frandsen

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, Vol.118(52), p.1

12/28/2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2109019118

PMID: 34862323

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Abstract

Animals

Arthropods - genetics

Chordata - genetics

Databases, Genetic

Genome - genetics

High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing

Invertebrates - genetics

Sequence Analysis, DNA

Vertebrates - genetics

Genomics

In less than 25 y, the field of animal genome science has transformed from a discipline seeking its first glimpses into genome sequences across the Tree of Life to a global enterprise with ambitions to sequence genomes for all of Earth's eukaryotic diversity [H. A. Lewin , 115, 4325-4333 (2018)]. As the field rapidly moves forward, it is important to take stock of the progress that has been made to best inform the discipline's future. In this Perspective, we provide a contemporary, quantitative overview of animal genome sequencing. We identified the best available genome assemblies in GenBank, the world's most extensive genetic database, for 3,278 unique animal species across 24 phyla. We assessed taxonomic representation, assembly quality, and annotation status for major clades. We show that while tremendous taxonomic progress has occurred, stark disparities in genomic representation exist, highlighted by a systemic overrepresentation of vertebrates and underrepresentation of arthropods. In terms of assembly quality, long-read sequencing has dramatically improved contiguity, whereas gene annotations are available for just 34.3% of taxa. Furthermore, we show that animal genome science has diversified in recent years with an ever-expanding pool of researchers participating. However, the field still appears to be dominated by institutions in the Global North, which have been listed as the submitting institution for 77% of all assemblies. We conclude by offering recommendations for improving genomic resource availability and research value while also broadening global representation.

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Title: Toward a genome sequence for every animal: Where are we now?
Creators: Scott Hotaling - Washington State University, Biological Sciences, School of
Joanna L Kelley - Washington State University, Biological Sciences, School of
Paul B Frandsen - LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics
Publication Details: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, Vol.118(52), p.1
Academic Unit: Kelley Lab
Identifiers: 99900882931601842
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article