PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Abigail L. Lind
AU  - Yvonne Y.Y. Lai
AU  - Yulia Mostovoy
AU  - Alisha K. Holloway
AU  - Alessio Iannucci
AU  - Angel C.Y. Mak
AU  - Marco Fondi
AU  - Valerio Orlandini
AU  - Walter L. Eckalbar
AU  - Massimo Milan
AU  - Michail Rovatsos
AU  - Ilya G. Kichigin
AU  - Alex I. Makunin
AU  - Martina J. Pokorná
AU  - Marie Altmanová
AU  - Vladimir A. Trifonov
AU  - Elio Schijlen
AU  - Lukáš Kratochvíl
AU  - Renato Fani
AU  - Tim S. Jessop
AU  - Tomaso Patarnello
AU  - James W. Hicks
AU  - Oliver A. Ryder
AU  - Joseph R. Mendelson III
AU  - Claudio Ciofi
AU  - Pui-Yan Kwok
AU  - Katherine S. Pollard
AU  - Benoit G. Bruneau
TI  - A high-resolution, chromosome-assigned Komodo dragon genome reveals adaptations in the cardiovascular, muscular, and chemosensory systems of monitor lizards
AID  - 10.1101/551978
DP  - 2019 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 551978
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/02/26/551978.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/02/26/551978.full
AB  - Monitor lizards are unique among ectothermic reptiles in that they have a high aerobic capacity and distinctive cardiovascular physiology which resembles that of endothermic mammals. We have sequenced the genome of the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), the largest extant monitor lizard, and present a high resolution de novo chromosome-assigned genome assembly for V. komodoensis, generated with a hybrid approach of long-range sequencing and single molecule physical mapping. Comparing the genome of V. komodoensis with those of related species showed evidence of positive selection in pathways related to muscle energy metabolism, cardiovascular homeostasis, and thrombosis. We also found species-specific expansions of a chemoreceptor gene family related to pheromone and kairomone sensing in V. komodoensis and several other lizard lineages. Together, these evolutionary signatures of adaptation reveal genetic underpinnings of the unique Komodo sensory, cardiovascular, and muscular systems, and suggest that selective pressure altered thrombosis genes to help Komodo dragons evade the anticoagulant effects of their own saliva. As the only sequenced monitor lizard genome, the Komodo dragon genome is an important resource for understanding the biology of this lineage and of reptiles worldwide.