Scaffolding 3rd Generation Sequence Contigs using Dovetail and BioNano technologies

Long-range information is required to generate high quality reference genomes. Here we present a high quality genome assembly of Medicago truncatula (HM340) (subspecies, tricycla), a model plant with a genome size of approximately 0.5 Gbp used for studying legume symbioses. Assemblies were generated using data from PacBio RS II, Dovetail and BioNano technologies. PacBio RS II sub-reads were corrected using Dazzler and assembled using FALCON assembler. Illumina sequence reads generated from the Chicago library method from Dovetail genomics and BioNano high-fidelity contiguous whole genome maps were used to further scaffold the PacBio FALCON assembly. We have generated assemblies with different combinations of these technologies. Analyzing these different assemblies will not only provide detailed information on how they compare to each other but also help elucidate how these technologies complement one another. This new high quality assembly joins the existing M. truncatula reference previously created in a separate accession (HM101, aka A17), enabling novel comparative insights into the genome evolution of nodulation and symbiosis.