title: Draft genome of the red harvester ant Pogonomyrmex barbatus.
abstract: We report the draft genome sequence of the red harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex barbatus. The genome was sequenced using 454 pyrosequencing, and the current assembly and annotation were completed in less than 1 y. Analyses of conserved gene groups (more than 1,200 manually annotated genes to date) suggest a high-quality assembly and annotation comparable to recently sequenced insect genomes using Sanger sequencing. The red harvester ant is a model for studying reproductive division of labor, phenotypic plasticity, and sociogenomics. Although the genome of P. barbatus is similar to other sequenced hymenopterans (Apis mellifera and Nasonia vitripennis) in GC content and compositional organization, and possesses a complete CpG methylation toolkit, its predicted genomic CpG content differs markedly from the other hymenopterans. Gene networks involved in generating key differences between the queen and worker castes (e.g., wings and ovaries) show signatures of increased methylation and suggest that ants and bees may have independently co-opted the same gene regulatory mechanisms for reproductive division of labor. Gene family expansions (e.g., 344 functional odorant receptors) and pseudogene accumulation in chemoreception and P450 genes compared with A. mellifera and N. vitripennis are consistent with major life-history changes during the adaptive radiation of Pogonomyrmex spp., perhaps in parallel with the development of the North American deserts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN 47374, USA.
authors.forename: Chris R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Hugh M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Helmkampf
authors.forename: Aleksey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zimin
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yandell
authors.forename: Carson
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Holt
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Ehab
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Abouheif
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benton
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cash
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Croset
authors.forename: Cameron R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Currie
authors.forename: Eran
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Elhaik
authors.forename: Christine G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Elsik
authors.forename: Marie-Julie
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Favé
authors.forename: Vilaiwan
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Joshua D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Graur
authors.forename: Wulfila
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gronenberg
authors.forename: Kirk J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Grubbs
authors.forename: Darren E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Hagen
authors.forename: Ana Sofia Ibarraran
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Viniegra
authors.forename: Brian R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Reed M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Abderrahman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khila
authors.forename: Jay W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kaitlyn A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Mathis
authors.forename: Monica C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Munoz-Torres
authors.forename: Marguerite C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Mustard
authors.forename: Rin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Niehuis
authors.forename: Surabhi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nigam
authors.forename: Rick P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Overson
authors.forename: Jennifer E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Placek
authors.forename: Rajendhran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rajakumar
authors.forename: Justin T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Reese
authors.forename: Garret
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Suen
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Candice W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Neil D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Tsutsui
authors.forename: Lumi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Viljakainen
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wolschin
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gadau
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D001483:Base Sequence; D003889:Desert Climate; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks / Q000235:genetics*; D049750:Genome, Insect / Q000235:genetics*; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods*; D006608:Hierarchy, Social; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009656:North America; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D018035:Receptors, Odorant