Generating high-quality plant and fish reference genomes from field-collected specimens by optimizing preservation

This study investigates the impact of various sample preservation methods on DNA quality and Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing for generating high-quality reference genomes of plants and fish. The researchers compared different storage solutions (95% ethanol and RNAlater), temperatures (4°C and 22°C), and storage times on DNA from nine fish and four plant species. They found that 95% ethanol effectively protects DNA from degradation, enabling the generation of high-quality reference genomes that meet Vertebrate Genome Project standards, even after several weeks of storage. The study also examined methylation frequency and found negligible impact from storage solutions compared to liquid nitrogen controls. The findings promote more accessible and cost-effective field sample preservation, facilitating large-scale genomic studies.

Jeremiah J. Minich, Malia L. Moore, Nicholas A. Allsing, Anthony Aylward, Emily R. Murray, Loi Tran, Todd P. Michael