Genome Report: chromosome-scale genome assembly of the African spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus)

There is increasing interest in the African spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) as a model organism because of its ability for regeneration of tissue after injury in skin, muscle, and internal organs such as the kidneys. A high-quality reference genome is needed to better understand these regenerative properties at the molecular level. Here, we present an improved reference genome for A. cahirinus generated from long Nanopore sequencing reads. We confirm the quality of our annotations using RNA sequencing data from 4 different tissues. Our genome is of higher contiguity and quality than previously reported genomes from this species and will facilitate ongoing efforts to better understand the regenerative properties of this organism. This work presents an improved reference genome for the African spiny mouse Acomys cahirinus, a promising model organism known for its remarkable tissue regeneration abilities. Nanopore long-read sequencing was used to improve the genome's contiguity and quality, and RNA sequencing data from various tissues support the accuracy of the annotations. This high-quality genome will aid in advancing our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying A. cahirinus' regenerative properties.