Pervasive Conservation of Intron Number and Other Genetic Elements Revealed by a Chromosome-level Genome Assembly of the Hyper-polymorphic Nematode Caenorhabditis brenneri.

Abstract

With within-species genetic diversity estimates that span the gamut of that seen across the entirety of animals, the Caenorhabditis genus of nematodes holds unique potential to provide insights into how population size and reproductive strategies influence gene and genome organization and evolution. Our study focuses on Caenorhabditis brenneri, currently known as one of the most genetically diverse nematodes within its genus and, notably, across Metazoa. Here, we present a high-quality, gapless genome assembly and annotation for C. brenneri, revealing a common nematode chromosome arrangement characterized by gene-dense central regions and repeat-rich arms. A comparison of C. brenneri with other nematodes from the "Elegans" group revealed conserved macrosynteny but a lack of microsynteny, characterized by frequent rearrangements and low correlation of orthogroup size, indicative of high rates of gene turnover, consistent with previous studies. We also assessed genome organization within corresponding syntenic blocks in selfing and outcrossing species, affirming that selfing species predominantly experience loss of both genes and intergenic DNA. A comparison of gene structures revealed a strikingly small number of shared introns across species, yet consistent distributions of intron number and length, regardless of population size or reproductive mode, suggesting that their evolutionary dynamics are primarily reflective of functional constraints. Our study provides valuable insights into genome evolution and expands the nematode genome resources with the highly genetically diverse C. brenneri, facilitating research into various aspects of nematode biology and evolutionary processes.