Abstract
Helminth diseases have long been a threat to the health of humans and
animals. Roundworms are important organisms for studying parasitic
mechanisms, disease transmission and prevention. The study of parasites
in the giant panda is of importance for understanding how roundworms
adapt to the host. Here, we report a high-quality chromosome-scale
genome of Baylisascaris schroederi with a genome size of 253.60
Mb and 19,262 predicted protein-coding genes. We found that gene
families related to epidermal chitin synthesis and environmental
information processes in the roundworm genome have expanded
significantly. Furthermore, we demonstrated unique genes involved in
essential amino acid metabolism in the B. schroederi genome,
inferred to be essential for the adaptation to the giant panda-specific
diet. In addition, under different deworming pressures, we found that
four resistance-related genes (glc-1 , nrf-6 , bre-4and ced-7 ) were under strong positive selection in a captive
population. Finally, 23 known drug targets and 47 potential drug target
proteins were identified. The
genome provides a unique reference for inferring the early evolution of
roundworms and their adaptation to the host.
Population genetic analysis and
drug sensitivity prediction provide insights revealing the impact of
deworming history on population genetic structure of importance for
disease prevention.
Keywords: Baylisascaris schroederi , Roundworms,
Adaptation, Genetic diversity, Anthelmintics