Supporting data for "Draft genome assembly of the Bengalese finch, Lonchura striata domestica, a model for motor skill variability and learning"

Vocal learning in songbirds has emerged as a powerful model for sensorimotor learning. Neurobehavioral
studies of Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata domestica) song, naturally more variable and plastic than songs of other finch species, have demonstrated the importance of behavioral variability
for initial learning, maintenance, and plasticity of vocalizations. However, the molecular and genetic
underpinnings of this variability, and the learning it supports, are poorly understood.

To establish a platform for the molecular analysis of behavioral variability and plasticity, we have
generated an initial draft assembly of the Bengalese finch genome from a single male animal to 151x
coverage and an N50 of 3.0 MB. Furthermore, we have developed an initial set of gene models using
RNA-seq data from eight samples that comprise liver, muscle, cerebellum, brainstem/midbrain and
forebrain tissue from juvenile and adult Bengalese finches of both sexes.

We provide a draft Bengalese finch genome and gene annotation to facilitate the study of the
molecular-genetic influences on behavioral variability and the process of vocal learning. These data
will directly support many avenues for the identification of genes involved in learning, including
differential expression analysis, comparative genomic analysis (through comparison to existing avian
genome assemblies), and derivation of genetic maps for linkage analysis. Bengalese finch gene
models and sequences will be essential for subsequent manipulation (molecular or genetic) of genes
and gene products, enabling novel mechanistic investigations into the role of variability in learned
behavior.