title: Next Generation Semiconductor Based Sequencing of the Donkey (Equus asinus) Genome Provided Comparative Sequence Data against the Horse Genome and a Few Millions of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms.
abstract: Few studies investigated the donkey (Equus asinus) at the whole genome level so far. Here, we sequenced the genome of two male donkeys using a next generation semiconductor based sequencing platform (the Ion Proton sequencer) and compared obtained sequence information with the available donkey draft genome (and its Illumina reads from which it was originated) and with the EquCab2.0 assembly of the horse genome. Moreover, the Ion Torrent Personal Genome Analyzer was used to sequence reduced representation libraries (RRL) obtained from a DNA pool including donkeys of different breeds (Grigio Siciliano, Ragusano and Martina Franca). The number of next generation sequencing reads aligned with the EquCab2.0 horse genome was larger than those aligned with the draft donkey genome. This was due to the larger N50 for contigs and scaffolds of the horse genome. Nucleotide divergence between E. caballus and E. asinus was estimated to be ~ 0.52-0.57%. Regions with low nucleotide divergence were identified in several autosomal chromosomes and in the whole chromosome X. These regions might be evolutionally important in equids. Comparing Y-chromosome regions we identified variants that could be useful to track donkey paternal lineages. Moreover, about 4.8 million of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the donkey genome were identified and annotated combining sequencing data from Ion Proton (whole genome sequencing) and Ion Torrent (RRL) runs with Illumina reads. A higher density of SNPs was present in regions homologous to horse chromosome 12, in which several studies reported a high frequency of copy number variants. The SNPs we identified constitute a first resource useful to describe variability at the population genomic level in E. asinus and to establish monitoring systems for the conservation of donkey genetic resources.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 46, Bologna, Italy; Department of Veterinary Sciences, Animal Production Unit, University of Messina, Polo Universitario dell'Annunziata, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bertolini
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, Animal Production Unit, University of Messina, Polo Universitario dell'Annunziata, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Concetta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scimone
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 46, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Geraci
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 46, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schiavo
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 46, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Valerio Joe
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Utzeri
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, Animal Production Unit, University of Messina, Polo Universitario dell'Annunziata, Messina, Italy; Meat Research Consortium, Polo Universitario dell'Annunziata, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chiofalo
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 46, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fontanesi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055028:Comparative Genomic Hybridization; D018397:Equidae / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016678:Genome; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D006736:Horses / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012666:Semiconductors; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014960:X Chromosome; D014998:Y Chromosome