The team’s goal was to assemble a gapless genome for the East Asian finless porpoise (Neophocaena sunameri) to aid in the conservation of this endangered species.
The East Asian finless porpoise (Neophocaena sunameri) photographed in Penglai Polar Ocean World, Penglai, Shandong, China. Image credit: Yin et al., doi: 10.1038/s41597-022-01868-4.
The East Asian finless porpoise, a species of small-sized, toothed whale, is one of the most endangered marine mammalian.
This creature is native to the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and the seas around Japan.
“East Asian finless porpoises are mainly found in the temperate waters of the west coast of the Pacific Ocean,” said co-senior author Dr. Kai Liu, a researcher at Nanjing Agricultural University, Shanghai Ocean University and the Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fisheries and Germplasm Resources Utilization at the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, and colleagues.
“For example, the coastal waters from the Taiwan Strait through the East China Sea north to the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea in China, as well as the waters of Korea and Japan.”
“Their wide distribution area makes it incredibly difficult to conduct systematic survey assessments for the entire population.”
“Therefore, their total population size has not been accurately reported, which is unfavorable for their conservation.”
In their new research, the authors aimed to generate a gapless genome assembly for the East Asian finless porpoise.
“A gapless genome assembly means that the entire genome has been pieced together without any gaps or missing sections,” they explained.
“Generating a gapless genome assembly is a significant achievement because it allows for a more accurate understanding of an organism’s genetics and can provide insight into its evolutionary history.”
The researchers found that the East Asian finless porpoise’s genome contains roughly 2.5 billion base pairs.
They identified a total of 22,814 protein-coding genes, 97.31% of which were functionally annotated.
They also performed various analysis to investigate the finless porpoise’s evolutionary history and adaptation to its aquatic environment.
They found out that this species has many genetic adaptations that are likely important for its survival in freshwater habitats, including genes involved in osmoregulation (regulation of water and electrolyte balance in the body) and detoxification.
They also identified a number of genes involved in hearing, olfaction, and immunity that are unique to the finless porpoise.
“Our study represents an important step forward in our understanding of the East Asian finless porpoise and its genetics,” the scientists said.
“The gapless genome assembly and identification of unique genes will likely provide a valuable resource for future research on this species and its evolutionary history.”
The results appear in the journal Scientific Data.
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D. Yin et al. 2022. Gapless genome assembly of East Asian finless porpoise. Sci Data 9, 765; doi: 10.1038/s41597-022-01868-4
