RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 The power of single molecule real-time sequencing technology in the de novo assembly of a eukaryotic genome JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 021634 DO 10.1101/021634 A1 Hiroaki Sakai A1 Naito Ken A1 Eri Ogiso-Tanaka A1 Yu Takahashi A1 Kohtaro Iseki A1 Chiaki Muto A1 Kazuhito Satou A1 Kuniko Teruya A1 Akino Shiroma A1 Makiko Shimoji A1 Takashi Hirano A1 Takeshi Itoh A1 Akito Kaga A1 Norihiko Tomooka YR 2015 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2015/06/29/021634.abstract AB Second-generation sequencers (SGS) have been game-changing, achieving cost-effective whole genome sequencing in many non-model organisms. However, a large portion of the genomes still remains unassembled. We reconstructed azuki bean (Vigna angularis) genome using single molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing technology and achieved the best contiguity and coverage among currently assembled legume crops. The SMRT-based assembly produced 100 times longer contigs with 100 times smaller amount of gaps compared to the SGS-based assemblies. A detailed comparison between the assemblies revealed that the SMRT-based assembly enabled a more comprehensive gene annotation than the SGS-based assemblies where thousands of genes were missing or fragmented. A chromosome-scale assembly was generated based on the high-density genetic map, covering 86% of the azuki bean genome. We demonstrated that SMRT technology, though still needed to be assisted by SGS data, can achieve a near-complete assembly of a eukaryotic genome.