Parascaris univalens isolate:Wild isolate Genome sequencing
A growing list of metazoans undergo programmed DNA elimination (PDE), where a significant amount of DNA is selectively lost from the genome during development. In some nematodes, PDE leads to the removal of the ends of all germline chromosomes. In several species, PDE also eliminates sequences in the interior of the chromosomes, leading to an increased number of somatic chromosomes. The biological significance of these karyotype changes associated with PDE and the origin and evolution of nematode PDE remain largely unknown. Here, we assembled the single pair of germline chromosomes of the horse parasite Parascaris univalens and compared the karyotypes, gene organization within the chromosomes, and PDE features among ascarids. We show that Parascaris converts an XX/XY sex-determination system in the germline into an XX/XO system in the somatic cells. Comparisons of Ascaris, Parascaris, and Baylisascaris chromosomes suggest that PDE existed in the ancestor of these parasites, and their current distinct germline karyotypes were derived from fusion events of the same ancestral smaller chromosomes. PDE resolves these fused germline chromosomes and restores their pre-fusion karyotypes, leading to alterations in genome architecture and gene expression in the somatic cells. Cytological and genomic analyses further reveal the dynamic organization of the Parascaris germline chromosome during meiosis and a potential function for the satellite DNA and the heterochromatin arms. Overall, our results show that chromosome fusion and PDE have been harnessed in these ascarids to shape their karyotypes that could modulate the organization and functions of the genomes.