bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/152983; this version posted June 21, 2017. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. 1 De novo draft assembly of the Botrylloides leachii genome 2 provides further insight into tunicate evolution. 3 4 Simon Blanchoud1#, Kim Rutherford2, Lisa Zondag1, Neil Gemmell2 and Megan J Wilson1* 5 6 1 Developmental Biology and Genomics Laboratory 7 2 8 Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, 9 Dunedin 9054, New Zealand 10 # Current address: Department of Zoology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland 11 12 * Corresponding author: 13 Email:
[email protected] 14 Ph. +64 3 4704695 15 Fax: +64 479 7254 16 17 Keywords: chordate, regeneration, Botrylloides leachii, ascidian, tunicate, genome, evolution 1 bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/152983; this version posted June 21, 2017. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. 18 Abstract (250 words) 19 Tunicates are marine invertebrates that compose the closest phylogenetic group to the 20 vertebrates. This chordate subphylum contains a particularly diverse range of reproductive 21 methods, regenerative abilities and life-history strategies. Consequently, tunicates provide an 22 extraordinary perspective into the emergence and diversity of chordate traits. Currently 23 published tunicate genomes include three Phlebobranchiae, one Thaliacean, one Larvacean 24 and one Stolidobranchian. To gain further insights into the evolution of the tunicate phylum, 25 we have sequenced the genome of the colonial Stolidobranchian Botrylloides leachii.