The Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is the only fox species occurring in the Arctic and has adapted to its extreme climatic conditions. Currently, the molecular basis of its adaptation to the extreme climate has not been characterized. Here, we applied PacBio sequencing and chromosome structure capture technique to assemble the first V. lagopus genome assembly, which is assembled into chromosome fragments. The genome assembly has a total length of 2.345 Gb with a contig N50 of 31.848 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 131.537 Mb, consisting of 25 pseudochromosomal scaffolds. The V. lagopus genome had approximately 32.33% repeat sequences. In total, 21,278 protein-coding genes were predicted, of which 99.14% were functionally annotated. Compared with 12 other mammals, V. lagopus was most closely related to V. Vulpes with an estimated divergence time of ~7.1 Ma. The expanded gene families and positively selected genes potentially play roles in the adaptation of V. lagopus to Arctic extreme environment. This high-quality assembled genome will not only promote future studies of genetic diversity and evolution in foxes and other canids but also provide important resources for conservation of Arctic species.

中文翻译：

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使用 PacBio 测序和 Hi-C 技术的北极狐（Vulpes lagopus）的染色体水平基因组组装

北极狐（Vulpes lagopus）是北极地区唯一的狐狸物种，已经适应了其极端气候条件。目前，其适应极端气候的分子基础尚未明确。在这里，我们施加PacBio测序和染色体结构捕获技术来组装第一V。兔基因组组装，组装成染色体片段。基因组组装总长度为 2.345 Gb，contig N50 为 31.848 Mb，支架 N50 为 131.537 Mb，由 25 个假染色体支架组成。该V。蛞蝓基因组有大约 32.33% 的重复序列。总共预测了21,278个蛋白质编码基因，其中99.14%被功能注释。与其他 12 种哺乳动物相比，V . lagopus与V 的关系最密切。Vulpes的估计发散时间约为 7.1 Ma。扩展的基因家族和积极选择的基因可能在V的适应中发挥作用。北极极端环境下的泻湖。这种高质量的组装基因组不仅将促进未来对狐狸和其他犬科动物遗传多样性和进化的研究，而且还为北极物种的保护提供重要资源。