Vairimorpha necatrix genome sequencing, assembly and annotation

Microsporidia are ubiquitous, intracellular pathogens, characterized by extremely streamlined genomes, high sequence divergence and species-specific innovations, making genome assembly and gene annotation attempts difficult. To facilitate genome annotation, we established a workflow consisting of traditional sequence-based gene annotation, combined with a structure-based approach. We employed it on a novel genome from Vairimorpha necatrix, a pest of Lepidopterans. This workflow helps to more accurately predict the gene function of highly divergent organisms.