Chen Xiaomei, Han Wentao, Chang Xinyao, Tang Caiyin, Chen Kai, Bao Lisui, Zhang Lingling, Hu Jingjie, Wang Shi, Bao Zhenmin
Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China.
Key Laboratory of Tropical Aquatic Germplasm of Hainan Province & MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Sanya/Qingdao, China.
Sci Data. 2025 Mar 26;12(1):507. doi: 10.1038/s41597-025-04839-7.
Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse and economically significant ecosystems globally, yet they are increasingly degrading due to global climate change and local human activities. The sun coral Tubastraea coccinea (T. coccinea) an obligate heterotroph lacking symbiotic zooxanthellae, exhibits remarkable tolerance to conditions that cause bleaching and mortality in zooxanthellate species. With its extensive low-latitude distribution across multiple oceans, T. coccinea has become a highly invasive species, adversely impacting native species, degrading local ecosystems, and causing significant socio-economic challenges that demand effective management. Despite substantial research efforts, the molecular biology of T. coccinea remains insufficiently characterized. To address this gap, we generated a draft genome assembly for T. coccinea using PacBio Hi-Fi long-read sequencing. The assembly spans 875.9 Mb with a scaffold N50 of 694.3 kb and demonstrates high completeness, with a BUSCO score of 97.4%. A total of 37,307 protein-coding sequences were identified, 95.2% of which were functionally annotated through comparisons with established protein databases. This reference genome provides a valuable resource for understanding the genetic structure of T. coccinea, advancing research into its adaptive mechanism to environmental changes, and informing conservation and management strategies to mitigate its invasive impact.
珊瑚礁是全球生物多样性最高、经济意义最重要的生态系统之一，但由于全球气候变化和当地人类活动，它们正日益退化。太阳珊瑚（Tubastraea coccinea，T. coccinea）是一种没有共生虫黄藻的专性异养生物，对导致虫黄藻共生物种白化和死亡的条件表现出显著的耐受性。凭借其在多个海洋广泛的低纬度分布，T. coccinea已成为一种极具入侵性的物种，对本地物种产生不利影响，破坏当地生态系统，并带来需要有效管理的重大社会经济挑战。尽管进行了大量研究，但T. coccinea的分子生物学特征仍不充分。为了填补这一空白，我们使用PacBio Hi-Fi长读测序技术为T. coccinea生成了一个基因组草图组装。该组装跨度为875.9 Mb，支架N50为694.3 kb，显示出高完整性，BUSCO评分为97.4%。共鉴定出37307个蛋白质编码序列，其中95.2%通过与已建立的蛋白质数据库进行比较进行了功能注释。这个参考基因组为理解T. coccinea的遗传结构、推进其对环境变化的适应性机制研究以及为减轻其入侵影响的保护和管理策略提供了宝贵资源。
