ERGA-BGE reference genome of Xylophaga dorsalis - a common deep-sea wood-boring bivalve with Atlantic-Mediterranean distribution
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Xylophaga dorsalis is a common Atlantic-Mediterranean mollusc that plays a crucial role in deep-sea habitats, where it digests wood that reaches the seabed through a unique symbiosis with specialised bacteria. The reference genome of X. dorsalis thus offers a crucial resource for uncovering the genetic basis of the species adaptability to wood bore in deep-water ecosystems. The entirety of the genome sequence was assembled into 18 contiguous chromosomal pseudomolecules (superscaffolds) and 1 mitochondrial genome. This chromosome-level assembly encompasses 0.451 Gb, composed of 1,259 contigs and 320 scaffolds, with contig and scaffold N50 values of 1.30 Mb and 25.4 Mb, respectively. The genome assembly encodes 19,441 protein-coding genes (34,405 transcripts) and 6,716 non-coding genes.
Source: Open Research Europe
Authors: Sergi Taboada, Carlota Gracia-Sancha, Carles Galià-Camps, Astrid Böhne, Rita Monteiro, Thomas Marcussen, Rebekah A. Oomen, Torsten H. Struck, Marta Gut, Laura Aguilera, Francisco Câmara Ferreira, Fernando Cruz, Jèssica Gómez-Garrido, Tyler S. Alioto, Fergal Martin, Anna Lazar, Leanne Haggerty, Chiara Bortoluzzi
Institutions: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, University of Oslo, University of New Brunswick, University of Agder, University of Gothenburg, Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico, Universitat de Barcelona, European Bioinformatics Institute, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $841
Award: G8793232926
OpenAlex ID: W7160878099