High-quality genome assembly of a Pestalotiopsis fungus using DIY-friendly methods

Abstract

Of the millions of fungal species estimated to exist, about 100,000 have been identified, and only approximately 3000 of those have representative genome assemblies available. Here, we isolated a wild species of Pestalotiopsis from the Los Angeles area, extracted DNA in a low-cost environment (e.g., home lab), and generated a high-quality genome assembly using the low-cost Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencing platform. We found that Pestalotiopsis has a genome composed of 7 nuclear chromosomes, comprising 47.7 megabases. Using this genome, we perform a multi-locus phylogenetic analysis and finally, we discuss how this project (costing $300) demonstrates the increased accessibility of whole genome sequencing.