Abstract
Helminth diseases have long been a threat to the health of humans and
animals. Roundworms are important organisms for studying parasitic
mechanisms, disease transmission and prevention. The study of parasites
in the living fossil giant panda is of great significance for
understanding the adaptation mechanism of roundworms to the host. Here,
we report a high-quality chromosome-scale genome of Baylisascaris
schroederi with a genome size of 262 Mb and 19,291 predicted
protein-coding genes. We found a significant expansion of genes related
to epidermal chitin synthesis and environmental information processing
in roundworms genome. Furthermore, we demonstrated unique genes involved
in essential amino acid metabolism in the B. schroederi genome,
inferred to be essential for the adaptation to the giant panda-specific
diet. In addition, under different deworming pressures, we found that
four resistance-related genes (glc-1 , nrf-6 , bre-4and ced-7 ) were under strong positive selection in captive
population. Finally, 23 known drug targets and 47 potential target
proteins were identified. The genome provides a unique reference for
inferring the early evolution of roundworms and the mechanisms
underlying adaptive. Population genetic analysis and drug prediction
provide insights for revealing the impact of deworming history on
population genetic structure and prevention.
Keywords: Baylisascaris schroederi , Roundworms,
Adaptation, Genetic diversity, Anthelmintics