A Nippostrongylus brasiliensis chromosomal reference genome and its transcriptomics
Strongylid nematode parasites infect the gastrointestinal tracts of both humans and other mammals, causing permanent growth deficits (e.g., for hookworm infections of humans) or outright death (e.g., for Haemonchus contortus infections of sheep). Hookworms infect 170-440 million humans and other strongylids infect farm animals worldwide, making these among the most important parasites. The stronglyid parasite Nippostrongylus brasiliensis naturally infects rats and easily infects laboratory mice, and has an infectious life cycle similar to that of human hookworms, making it an important laboratory model for hookworm disease; accordingly, N. brasiliensis is often called "rat hookworm" or "rodent hookworm". Previous laboratory work on N. brasiliensis has been performed on the MIMR strain originally isolated in 1995 by Lindsey Dent (University of Adelaide), and a usable draft genome of N. brasiliensis has been generated and published by the 50 Helminths Genome Initiative, but this draft genome is incomplete. To enable further understanding of this model parasite, we provide both a chromosomally-scaffolded genome assembly for N. brasiliensis and a comprehensive transcriptome for diverse life stages and infection conditions for this model hookworm-like parasite.