ABSTRACT
The rose-grain aphid Metopolophium dirhodum (Walker) (Hemiptera:
Aphididae) is one of the most important aphid pests for cereals
worldwide. Some studies have examined the biological and ecological
characteristics of M. dirhodum . However, the lack of genomic data
limits in-depth studies of this organism. Here, we present a
chromosome-level genome assembly of M. dirhodum using PacBio long
HiFi reads and Hi-C technology. The final genome assembly
is 447.8 Mb, with 98.50% of the
assembled sequences anchored to nine chromosomes. The contig and
scaffold N50 values are 7.82 Mb
and 37.54 Mb, respectively. A total of 18,003 protein-coding genes were
predicted, of which 92.05% were functionally annotated.
Comparative transcriptomic
analyses identified a number of genes that might be related to wing
dimorphism, including the insulin receptor, insulin receptor substrate,
forkhead box protein O (Foxo), and ecdysone receptor. These results may
provide an important reference for understanding the ecology, genetics,
and evolution of this organism or even other aphid insects.
KEYWORDS : chromosome-level genome, Metopolophium
dirhodum , wing dimorphism, Aphidinae