Genome-wide identification of accessible chromatin regions in bumblebee by ATAC-seq

Bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) are important pollinating insects that play pivotal roles in crop production and natural ecosystem services. To achieve a comprehensive profile of accessible chromatin regions and provide clues for all possible regulatory elements in the bumblebee genome, we did ATAC-seq for Bombus terrestris samples derived from its four developmental stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult, respectively. The sequencing reads of ATAC-seq were mapped to B. terrestris reference genome, and its accessible chromatin regions were identified and characterized using bioinformatic methods. Our study will provide important resources not only for uncovering regulatory elements in the bumblebee genome, but also for expanding our understanding of bumblebee biology. Overall design: ATAC-seq was performed on Bombus terrestris samples derived from its four developmental stages (egg, larva, pupa, adult). Chromatin open regions were identified for each developmental stage with two biological replicates.