A de novo transcriptome assembly of the annelid worm Hediste diversicolor

The development of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies has revolutionized multiple fields of Biology. The ability to sequence DNA and RNA in an automated, parallel and low-cost approach, was key to boost the applicability and acquisition efficiency of omics resources. In this context, the availability of these tools has become indispensable towards our understanding of biodiversity, deepening our knowledge on the distinct complexity levels, from cells to ecosystems. In this study we comprehensively characterised and annotated a whole-body transcriptome of Hediste diversicolor. This annelid worm species belongs to the family Nereididae and inhabits estuarine and lagoon areas on the Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America. Ecologically, this species plays an important role in benthic food webs. The ability of rework sediments through bioturbation activity makes this species essential to the estuarine mechanisms. Here, we used Illumina next-generation sequencing technology, to sequence a total 105 million (M) paired-end (PE) raw reads and produce the first multi-tissue transcriptome assembly of an adult of H. diversicolor. This transcriptome contains 69,335 transcripts with a N50 transcript length of 2,313 bp and a BUSCO gene completeness of 97.7% and 96% (S: 88.2%; D: 7.8%) in Eukaryota and Metazoa lineage-specific profile libraries. Our findings offer a valuable resource for multiple biological studies using this species.
This research was partially supported by the ERA-NET BlueBio COFUND Project SIDESTREAM [Grant ID 68], co-funded through national funds provided by FCT [BLUEBIO/0005/2019]; Agencia Estatal de Investigación [PCI2020-111960], NRC – Norwegian Research Council [#311701]. A.G.S. was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the Grant [SFRH/BD/137935/2018]. Additional strategic funding was provided by FCT [UIDP/04423/2020].