Chromosome-level genome assembly of Eimeria tenella at the single-oocyst level

Abstract Background Eimeria are obligate protozoan parasites, and more than 1,500 species have been reported. However, Eimeria genomes lag behind many other eukaryotes since obtaining many oocysts is difficult due to a lack of sustainable in vitro culture, highly repetitive sequences, and mixed spec...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kaihui Zhang, Yudong Cai, Yuancai Chen, Yin Fu, Ziqi Zhu, Jianying Huang, Huikai Qin, Qimeng Yang, Xinmei Li, Yayun Wu, Xun Suo, Yu Jiang, Longxian Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-03-01
Series:BMC Genomics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-025-11423-1
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850057441600864256
author Kaihui Zhang
Yudong Cai
Yuancai Chen
Yin Fu
Ziqi Zhu
Jianying Huang
Huikai Qin
Qimeng Yang
Xinmei Li
Yayun Wu
Xun Suo
Yu Jiang
Longxian Zhang
author_facet Kaihui Zhang
Yudong Cai
Yuancai Chen
Yin Fu
Ziqi Zhu
Jianying Huang
Huikai Qin
Qimeng Yang
Xinmei Li
Yayun Wu
Xun Suo
Yu Jiang
Longxian Zhang
author_sort Kaihui Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Eimeria are obligate protozoan parasites, and more than 1,500 species have been reported. However, Eimeria genomes lag behind many other eukaryotes since obtaining many oocysts is difficult due to a lack of sustainable in vitro culture, highly repetitive sequences, and mixed species infections. To address this challenge, we used whole-genome amplification of a single oocyst followed by long-read sequencing and obtained a chromosome-level genome of Eimeria tenella. Results The assembled genome was 52.13 Mb long, encompassing 15 chromosomes and 46.94% repeat sequences. In total, 7,296 protein-coding genes were predicted, exhibiting high completeness, with 92.00% single-copy BUSCO genes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first chromosome-level assembly of E. tenella using a combination of single-oocyst whole-genome amplification and long-read sequencing. Comparative genomic and transcriptome analyses confirmed evolutionary relationship and supported estimates of divergence time of apicomplexan parasites and identified AP2 and Myb gene families that may play indispensable roles in regulating the growth and development of E. tenella. Conclusion This high-quality genome assembly and the established sequencing strategy provide valuable community resources for comparative genomic and evolutionary analyses of the Eimeria clade. Additionally, our study also provides a valuable resource for exploring the roles of AP2 and Myb transcription factor genes in regulating the development of Eimeria parasites.
format Article
id doaj-art-682fab96b16d4140a2c896afc8b2ccb0
institution DOAJ
issn 1471-2164
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series BMC Genomics
spelling doaj-art-682fab96b16d4140a2c896afc8b2ccb02025-08-20T02:51:27ZengBMCBMC Genomics1471-21642025-03-0126111710.1186/s12864-025-11423-1Chromosome-level genome assembly of Eimeria tenella at the single-oocyst levelKaihui Zhang0Yudong Cai1Yuancai Chen2Yin Fu3Ziqi Zhu4Jianying Huang5Huikai Qin6Qimeng Yang7Xinmei Li8Yayun Wu9Xun Suo10Yu Jiang11Longxian Zhang12College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural UniversityKey Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F UniversityCollege of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural UniversityCollege of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural UniversityCollege of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural UniversityCollege of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural UniversityCollege of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural UniversityKey Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F UniversityKey Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F UniversityCollege of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural UniversityNational Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health Security, Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis of Ministry of Agriculture, National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural UniversityKey Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F UniversityCollege of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural UniversityAbstract Background Eimeria are obligate protozoan parasites, and more than 1,500 species have been reported. However, Eimeria genomes lag behind many other eukaryotes since obtaining many oocysts is difficult due to a lack of sustainable in vitro culture, highly repetitive sequences, and mixed species infections. To address this challenge, we used whole-genome amplification of a single oocyst followed by long-read sequencing and obtained a chromosome-level genome of Eimeria tenella. Results The assembled genome was 52.13 Mb long, encompassing 15 chromosomes and 46.94% repeat sequences. In total, 7,296 protein-coding genes were predicted, exhibiting high completeness, with 92.00% single-copy BUSCO genes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first chromosome-level assembly of E. tenella using a combination of single-oocyst whole-genome amplification and long-read sequencing. Comparative genomic and transcriptome analyses confirmed evolutionary relationship and supported estimates of divergence time of apicomplexan parasites and identified AP2 and Myb gene families that may play indispensable roles in regulating the growth and development of E. tenella. Conclusion This high-quality genome assembly and the established sequencing strategy provide valuable community resources for comparative genomic and evolutionary analyses of the Eimeria clade. Additionally, our study also provides a valuable resource for exploring the roles of AP2 and Myb transcription factor genes in regulating the development of Eimeria parasites.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-025-11423-1Eimeria tenellaSingle oocystGenomeRepeat sequencesThird-generation sequencingComparative genomic
spellingShingle Kaihui Zhang
Yudong Cai
Yuancai Chen
Yin Fu
Ziqi Zhu
Jianying Huang
Huikai Qin
Qimeng Yang
Xinmei Li
Yayun Wu
Xun Suo
Yu Jiang
Longxian Zhang
Chromosome-level genome assembly of Eimeria tenella at the single-oocyst level
BMC Genomics
Eimeria tenella
Single oocyst
Genome
Repeat sequences
Third-generation sequencing
Comparative genomic
title Chromosome-level genome assembly of Eimeria tenella at the single-oocyst level
title_full Chromosome-level genome assembly of Eimeria tenella at the single-oocyst level
title_fullStr Chromosome-level genome assembly of Eimeria tenella at the single-oocyst level
title_full_unstemmed Chromosome-level genome assembly of Eimeria tenella at the single-oocyst level
title_short Chromosome-level genome assembly of Eimeria tenella at the single-oocyst level
title_sort chromosome level genome assembly of eimeria tenella at the single oocyst level
topic Eimeria tenella
Single oocyst
Genome
Repeat sequences
Third-generation sequencing
Comparative genomic
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-025-11423-1
work_keys_str_mv AT kaihuizhang chromosomelevelgenomeassemblyofeimeriatenellaatthesingleoocystlevel
AT yudongcai chromosomelevelgenomeassemblyofeimeriatenellaatthesingleoocystlevel
AT yuancaichen chromosomelevelgenomeassemblyofeimeriatenellaatthesingleoocystlevel
AT yinfu chromosomelevelgenomeassemblyofeimeriatenellaatthesingleoocystlevel
AT ziqizhu chromosomelevelgenomeassemblyofeimeriatenellaatthesingleoocystlevel
AT jianyinghuang chromosomelevelgenomeassemblyofeimeriatenellaatthesingleoocystlevel
AT huikaiqin chromosomelevelgenomeassemblyofeimeriatenellaatthesingleoocystlevel
AT qimengyang chromosomelevelgenomeassemblyofeimeriatenellaatthesingleoocystlevel
AT xinmeili chromosomelevelgenomeassemblyofeimeriatenellaatthesingleoocystlevel
AT yayunwu chromosomelevelgenomeassemblyofeimeriatenellaatthesingleoocystlevel
AT xunsuo chromosomelevelgenomeassemblyofeimeriatenellaatthesingleoocystlevel
AT yujiang chromosomelevelgenomeassemblyofeimeriatenellaatthesingleoocystlevel
AT longxianzhang chromosomelevelgenomeassemblyofeimeriatenellaatthesingleoocystlevel