Dog10K_Boxer_Tasha_1.0: A Long-Read Assembly of the Dog Reference Genome.

The domestic dog has evolved to be an important biomedical model for studies regarding the genetic basis of disease, morphology and behavior. Genetic studies in the dog have relied on a draft reference genome of a purebred female boxer dog named "Tasha" initially published in 2005. Derived from a Sanger whole genome shotgun sequencing approach coupled with limited clone-based sequencing, the initial assembly and subsequent updates have served as the predominant resource for canine genetics for 15 years. While the initial assembly produced a good-quality draft, as with all assemblies produced at the time, it contained gaps, assembly errors and missing sequences, particularly in GC-rich regions, which are found at many promoters and in the first exons of protein-coding genes. Here, we present Dog10K_Boxer_Tasha_1.0, an improved chromosome-level highly contiguous genome assembly of Tasha created with long-read technologies that increases sequence contiguity >100-fold, closes >23,000 gaps of the CanFam3.1 reference assembly and improves gene annotation by identifying >1200 new protein-coding transcripts. The assembly and annotation are available at NCBI under the accession GCF_000002285.5.

Bioresorbable Mg-Based Metastable Nano-Alloys for Orthopedic Fixation Devices.

This research has been accomplished using the advanced selective laser melting (SLM) technique as well as HIP post-treatment in order to improve mechanical properties and biocompatibility of Mg- Ca-Sr alloy. Through this research it becomes clearly noticeable that the Mg-1.5Ca-xSr (x = 0.6, 2.1, 2.5) alloys with Sr exhibited better mechanical properties and corrosion potentials. This is more particular with the Mg-1.5Ca-2.5Sr alloy after HIP post-treatment allowing it to provide a desired combination of degradation and mechanical behavior for orthopedic fracture fixation during a desired treatment period. In vivo trials, there was a clear indication and exhibition that this Mg-1.5Ca-2.5Sr alloy screw can completely dissolve in miniature pig's body which leads to an acceleration in growth of bone tissues. Mg-Ca-Sr alloy proved potential candidate for use in orthopedic fixation devices through Our results concluded that Mg-Ca-Sr alloy are potential candidate for use in orthopedic fixation devices through mechanical strength and biocompatibility evaluations (in vitro or In vivo).

iDog: an integrated resource for domestic dogs and wild canids.

The domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is indisputably one of man's best friends. It is also a fundamental model for many heritable human diseases. Here, we present iDog (http://bigd.big.ac.cn/idog), the first integrated resource dedicated to domestic dogs and wild canids. It incorporates a variety of omics data, including genome sequences assemblies for dhole and wolf, genomic variations extracted from hundreds of dog/wolf whole genomes, phenotype/disease traits curated from dog research communities and public resources, gene expression profiles derived from published RNA-Seq data, gene ontology for functional annotation, homolog gene information for multiple organisms and disease-related literature. Additionally, iDog integrates sequence alignment tools for data analyses and a genome browser for data visualization. iDog will not only benefit the global dog research community, but also provide access to a user-friendly consolidation of dog information to a large number of dog enthusiasts.