Mytilus galloprovincialis genome sequencing and assembly

Chromosome-scale level reference genomes are fundamental for the application of genomics to biology, aquaculture, and biodiversity conservation, because they provide greater contiguity and completeness to test important ecological and evolutionary hypotheses than a genome assembly that is fragmented and missing genes or other key genomic features. Despite the commercial and scientific interest in mussels in biology and aquaculture, the high-quality and chromosome-scale reference genome for this organisms is still limited. M. galloprovincialis shares with other bivalves a relatively large and complex genome, characterized by high heterozygosity, making genome assembly difficult. Here, we performed genome sequencing and de novo assembly for M. galloprovincialis by using PacBio HiFi, along with Hi-C for chromosome-scale scaffolding through optimized Hi-C data acquisition. The new reference genome for M. galloprovincialis wiil be beneficial for a deepened understanding of its resillience and invasiveness.