Haplotype-phased genome assemblies and annotation of the northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys)

Abstract

Nomascus leucogenys is a critically endangered species of small apes. Here, we sequenced and assembled the male genome of N. leucogenys, using PacBio and Hi-C datasets, with a particular focus on its Y-chromosome. The resulting high-quality haplotype-phased assemblies are at chromosome-scale, with scaffold/contig N50 values of 124.2/102.2 Mb for Haplotype 1 and 121.2/85.67 Mb for Haplotype 2. The assembled Y-chromosome spans 16.06 Mb. BUSCO assessment indicated completeness scores exceeding 95%. We predicted 18,925 protein-coding genes (23,783 mRNAs), including 58 genes on the Y-chromosome. Approximately 50% of the genome comprises repetitive elements. These comprehensive genome datasets will serve as a valuable resource for future studies on the genetics and protection of gibbons and improve our understanding on the evolution of Y-chromosome-related genes in primates.