Genome assembly of the Bos gaurus in Vietnam using nanopore sequencing

Abstract

Section Objectives

The gaur (Bos gaurus) is one of the largest wild cattle species in the Bovidae family and is among the most threatened mammals in Vietnam. Listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986, gaurs are found in various provinces across Vietnam, including Lai Chau, Son La, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and several others. Their population has drastically declined, with current estimates showing about 30-50 individuals in the Northwest and fewer than 300 in the Central Highlands. Conservation efforts are crucial, and genome assembly is vital, providing valuable information for effective conservation strategies.

AbstractSection Data description

Using Oxford Nanopore sequencing technologies, this study generated over 49 Giga-bases of trimmed whole genome sequencing reads from the muscle tissue of a deceased gaur collected in 2014 in Quang Nam, Vietnam. These reads were assembled into a 2.61 Gb draft genome, comprising 32,004 contigs, 54 scaffolds, with an N50 of 324.5 kilobases and a GC content of 41.86%. The BUSCO completeness value, using the mammalia_odb10 dataset, was 83.4%. This Vietnamese gaur genome assembly will serve as a valuable resource for conservation genetic research in this species.