The draft genome sequence of the American mink (Neovison vison) opens new opportunities of genomic research in mink

The American mink (Neovison vison) is a semiaquatic mustelid native to North America. It is an important animal for the fur industry. Although many efforts have been made to locate genes influencing fur quality and color, the lack of a reference genome impedes the search. American mink has the smallest chromosome number among studied Carnivora species. Genomic information about American mink is also vital to understand the evolution of Carnivora. Hence a reference genome of mink will facilitate genetic improvement of economic traits and will increase our knowledge about the evolution of Carnivora.

Here we present the draft genome sequence of American mink. In our study, a male inbred pearl mink was sequenced by Illumina paired-end and mate pair sequencing. The reads were assembled, which lead to 22,419 scaffolds with an N50 (shortest sequence length at 50% of the genome) of 646,304 bp. The assembly constituted 2.4G plus gaps, representing 90% of the estimated genome size. Repeat annotation showed that repeat sequences constitute about 25% of the mink genome. The biggest repeat family was a family of LINEs similar to LINEs found in the dog and ferret genomes. Gene annotation of our draft genome indicated our draft genome contains 87% of 1:1 Vertebrata genes (63.5% complete single copy genes, 0.5% duplicated genes and 22% fragment genes). We were able to map on the draft genome all the well-studied genes which are thought to be involved in the coat quality and coat color phenotypes. Our draft genome has great potential to facilitate genomic research towards improved breeding for high fur quality and will strengthen our understanding of Carnivora evolution.