As part of our efforts to understand the evolution of trypanosomatid genomes, we have produced a draft genome sequence for T. borreli K-100 (ATCC 50432) using the Illumina HiSeq platform. 400bp and 3kb-insert libraries were created from whole genomic DNA isolated from an axenic T. borreli culture. The primary purpose of the genome sequence is to provide an outgroup for the comparison of trypanosomatids with Bodo saltans, a free-living kinetoplastid more closely related to trypanosomatids than T. borreli. When compariing the free-living B. saltans with parasitic trypanosomatids, we need to distinguish losses of conserved kinetoplastid genes in trypanosomatids (present in T. borreli) from Bodo-specific gene gains (absent in T. borreli). Secondarily, we will compare the T. borreli and Trypanosoma brucei genomes to explore any similarities associated with the convergent evolution of blood parasitism.

Published Genome Data

The T. borreli genome sequence was assembled from 100bp paired-end Illumina reads from a 400bp-insert library using Velvet. This assembly was then corrected for misassembly and subsequently expanded using reads from a 3kb-insert library using custom scripts and IMAGE.

The final assembly contains 25,816,007bp in 23,265 contigs (N50 = 12100bp). The average contig length is 1109.6 bp and the largest contig is 133333bp.