ERGA-BGE reference genome of Holothuria (Platyperona) sanctori: a sea cucumber from the Mediterranean Sea
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Holothuria sanctori is a common species of sea cucumber found in the Mediterranean Sea and the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. It typically inhabits shallow rocky and sandy seabeds, where it plays a key ecological role as a sediment engineer processing organic matter ts and thereby contributing to nutrient cycling. As an edible species, H. sanctori is harvested in several countries. Although it is currently listed as a species of "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List, the absence of a regulatory framework to prevent overexploitation poses a risk of population decline. Given its ecological significance and economic value , H. sanctori has become a focal point in both marine conservation and aquaculture research. The entirety of the genome sequence was assembled into 23 contiguous chromosomal pseudomolecules. This chromosome-level assembly encompasses 1.2 Gb, composed of 135 contigs and 46 scaffolds, with contig and scaffold N50 values of 19.9 Mb and 50.7 Mb, respectively.
Source: Open Research Europe
Authors: Katerina Vasileiadou, Thanos Dailianis, Grigorios Skouradakis, Emmanouela Vernadou, Danae Karakasi, Astrid Böhne, Rita Monteiro, Rosa Fernández, Nuria Escudero, Tereza Manousaki, Genoscope Sequencing Team, Alice Moussy, Corinne Cruaud, Karine Labadie, Lola Demirdjian, Adama Ndar, Patrick Wincker, Pedro H Oliveira, Jean-Marc Aury, Chiara Bortoluzzi
Institutions: Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, University of Crete, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Université Paris-Saclay, Genoscope, Génomique Métabolique du Genoscope, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics
Language: English
Subfield: Aquatic Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Life below water
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $841
Funders: UK Research and Innovation, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, German Network for Bioinformatics Infrastructure, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Staatssekretariat für Bildung, Forschung und Innovation
Awards: G1554707310, G1669370597, G24526761, G2579310621, de.NBI - Etablierungsphase - Leistungszentrum: RBC - RNA Bioinformatic, Biodiversity Genomics Europe, G705061367, G7240651115, An Atlas of marine genomes. Targeted project 2 : Sequencing., G7999552054, Biodiversity Genomics Europe, G8793232926
OpenAlex ID: W7127408414