TY - JOUR

T1 - Novel chromosome-length genome assemblies of three distinct subspecies of pine marten, sable, and yellow-throated marten (genus Martes, family Mustelidae)

AU - Tomarovsky, Andrey A.

AU - Khan, Ruqayya

AU - Dudchenko, Olga

AU - Beklemisheva, Violetta R.

AU - Perelman, Polina L.

AU - Totikov, Azamat A.

AU - Serdyukova, Natalia A.

AU - Bulyonkova, Tatiana M.

AU - Pobedintseva, Maria

AU - Abramov, Alexei V.

AU - Weisz, David

AU - Yakupova, Aliya

AU - Zhuk, Anna

AU - Graphodatsky, Alexander S.

AU - Powell, Roger

AU - Aiden, Erez Lieberman

AU - Koepfli, Klaus Peter

AU - Kliver, Sergei

N1 - Novel chromosome-length genome assemblies of three distinct subspecies of pine marten, sable, and yellow-throated marten (genus Martes, family Mustelidae) / A. A. Tomarovsky, R. Khan, O. Dudchenko [et al.] // Journal of Heredity. – 2026. – P. esaf101. – DOI 10.1093/jhered/esaf101. – EDN UNTRHC.

PY - 2025/12/5

Y1 - 2025/12/5

N2 - The genus Martes consists of medium-sized carnivores within the family Mustelidae that are commonly known as martens, many of which exhibit extensive geographic variation and taxonomic uncertainty. Here, we report chromosome-length genome assemblies for three subspecies, each representing a different marten species: the Tobol sable (Martes zibellina zibellina), the Ural pine marten (Martes martes uralensis), and the Far East yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula aterrima). Using linked-read sequencing and Hi-C scaffolding, we generated assemblies with total lengths of 2.39 to 2.45 Gbp, N50 values of 137 to 145 Mbp, and high BUSCO scores (93.6% to 96.4%). We identified 19 chromosomal scaffolds for sable and pine marten, and 20 for yellow-throated marten, which agrees with the known karyotypes of these species (2n = 38 and 2n = 40, respectively). Annotation predicted ~ 20,000 protein-coding genes per genome, of which > 90% were assigned functional names. Repeats encompass 36.9% to 40.4% of the assemblies, with a prevalence of LINEs and SINEs, and are conservative across the genus. Synteny analysis of our generated and available marten genome assemblies revealed assembly artifacts in previously published assemblies, which we confirmed through investigation of Hi-C contact maps. Among other rearrangements, we verify a sable-specific inversion on chromosome 11 using the published cytogenetic data. Our assemblies broaden the genomic resources available for Martes, extending coverage to geographically distant and taxonomically significant subspecies. Together, they provide a robust framework for assessing intraspecific genetic diversity, identifying signatures of hybridization, and refining the complex taxonomy of the genus. Beyond conservation and evolutionary applications, these references will facilitate comparative genomics across Mustelidae and other carnivorans.

AB - The genus Martes consists of medium-sized carnivores within the family Mustelidae that are commonly known as martens, many of which exhibit extensive geographic variation and taxonomic uncertainty. Here, we report chromosome-length genome assemblies for three subspecies, each representing a different marten species: the Tobol sable (Martes zibellina zibellina), the Ural pine marten (Martes martes uralensis), and the Far East yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula aterrima). Using linked-read sequencing and Hi-C scaffolding, we generated assemblies with total lengths of 2.39 to 2.45 Gbp, N50 values of 137 to 145 Mbp, and high BUSCO scores (93.6% to 96.4%). We identified 19 chromosomal scaffolds for sable and pine marten, and 20 for yellow-throated marten, which agrees with the known karyotypes of these species (2n = 38 and 2n = 40, respectively). Annotation predicted ~ 20,000 protein-coding genes per genome, of which > 90% were assigned functional names. Repeats encompass 36.9% to 40.4% of the assemblies, with a prevalence of LINEs and SINEs, and are conservative across the genus. Synteny analysis of our generated and available marten genome assemblies revealed assembly artifacts in previously published assemblies, which we confirmed through investigation of Hi-C contact maps. Among other rearrangements, we verify a sable-specific inversion on chromosome 11 using the published cytogenetic data. Our assemblies broaden the genomic resources available for Martes, extending coverage to geographically distant and taxonomically significant subspecies. Together, they provide a robust framework for assessing intraspecific genetic diversity, identifying signatures of hybridization, and refining the complex taxonomy of the genus. Beyond conservation and evolutionary applications, these references will facilitate comparative genomics across Mustelidae and other carnivorans.

KW - Martes flavigula

KW - Martes martes

KW - Martes zibellina

KW - genome assembly

KW - subspecies genomics

KW - synteny

KW - сборка генома

KW - Martes flavigula

KW - Martes martes

KW - Martes zibellina

KW - геномика подвидов

KW - синтеня

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/05979ecd-3267-36e2-803f-78cee7b1bd1a/

UR - https://www.elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=88704356

U2 - 10.1093/jhered/esaf101

DO - 10.1093/jhered/esaf101

M3 - Article

C2 - 41348994

VL - 117

SP - 583

EP - 591

JO - The Journal of heredity

JF - The Journal of heredity

SN - 0022-1503

IS - 3

ER -