Whole chromosome shotgun (WCS) sequencing, assembly, and annotation project. Dictyostelium discoideum AX4

Dictyostelium discoideum was the first free-living protozoan to have its genome fully sequenced. Assembly, gene prediction, and annotation of the complete genome will allow for comparative genomic studies that will facilitate identification of homologous genes and further the understanding of this model organism as well as of other protozoa. Sequencing of the 34-Mb haploid genome of D. discoideum was undertaken on a chromosome-by-chromosome basis through an international consortium of laboratories and sequencing centers. Each chromosome was individually shotgun cloned, assembled, and annotated. The six chromosomes of this organism encode approximately 12,500 predicted proteins, a large proportion of which have long stretches of repetitive amino acid sequences. In addition to the nuclear genome, D. discoideum has a 55-kb mitochondrial genome and several copies of extrachromosomal elements that contain the rDNA genes. The D. discoideum strain AX4 whole genome shotgun (WGS) project has the accession AAFI00000000. Version 2 of the WGS project was updated in August 2009.