Rhabditophanes diutinus strain:sp KR3021 Genome sequencing

Chromosome alignment and segregation in mitosis are orchestrated by a highly sophisticated spindle-shaped structure that is built from microtubules. Centrioles are the core constituent of centrosomes, the main microtubule-organizing centers in animal cells. In sexually reproducing species, centrioles are usually paternally transmitted to zygotes during fertilization. In contrast, the presence and origin of centrioles in parthenogenetic embryos, which are formed in absence of fertilization, is unknown. We analyzed the presence and origin of centrioles in the one-cell embryo of the parthenogenetic nematode Rhabditophanes diutinus. The previous R. diutinus genome assembly was highly fragmented. We thus resequenced and assembled a chromosome-scale genome in order to identify orthologs of centriolar proteins against which we raised specific antibodies. We found that centrioles are maternally-inherited in R. diutinus.