De novo genome assembly of the invasive mosquito species Aedes japonicus and Aedes koreicus

Background: Recently, two invasive Aedes mosquito species, Ae. japonicus and Ae. koreicus, are circulating in several European countries posing potential health risks to humans and animals. Vector control is the main option to prevent mosquito-borne diseases, and an accurate genome sequence of these mosquitoes is essential to better understand their biology and to develop efective control strategies. Methods A de novo genome assembly of Ae. japonicus (Ajap1) and Ae. koreicus (Akor1) has been produced based on a hybrid approach that combines Oxford Nanopore long-read and Illumina short-read data. Their quality was ascertained using various metrics. Masking of repetitive elements, gene prediction and functional annotation was performed. Results Sequence analysis revealed a very high presence of repetitive DNA and, among others, thermal adaptation genes and insecticide-resistance genes. Through the RNA-seq analysis of larvae and adults of Ae. koreicus and Ae. japonicus exposed to diferent temperatures, we also identifed genes showing a diferential temperature-dependent activation. Conclusions The assembly of Akor1 and Ajap1 genomes constitutes the frst updated collective knowledge of the genomes of both mosquito species, providing the possibility of understanding key mechanisms of their biol ogy such as the ability to adapt to harsh climates and to develop insecticide-resistance mechanisms.